El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-04-19
Knocks Hero Story
Into a Cooked Hat
COrrects 0Iis-Statement Relative TO
An Alleged Act OF Bill Nc
Donald at Columbus, Tex.
Editor FL Paso Herald;

Editor FL PasO Herald:
Recently there appeared in the FL
PasO Times an article reading as fol-
lows;
Donald prevented an impending battle
between 200 participants in the Reese
Townsend fued at Columbus, Tex. Oy
going into the town alone when the
opposing fOrcesNwere lined up in mar
tlal array. He simply told the two
crowds that he had been sent down
there by the governor to prevent blood
shed; that his name was Mcdonald, OF
the state rangers. and that every man
of them must deliver up their arms 10
him.
He had to- knock one obstreperOus
fuedist on the head with his pistol TO
enforce his disarmament demands, but
1t was not long until he had all their
guns collected in a pile and safely
slowed away in a locked room
The above is really too far from the
truth to pay any attention to, but IN
asmuch as some Of my FL PasO friends
have asked me about it, I have decided
to give very brief account Of what
was done by this great captain. and IN
doing so want to say in advance that
so far as 1 know he and / are friends,
for he never in his life did one thing
to me or against any Of my friends
nor against any other man in Colorado
county that 1 have ever heard Of
Some time during MarchC 1899, the
county judge decided We needed rang
erS in Columbus Good citizens had
been assassinated by unknown parties'
the rangers arrived in Columbus about
March %. 1899, headed by Capt. W. J.
Mcdonald. / think there must have
been abOdt eight or nine men with
Capt Mcdonald. among whom were
some as good men as ever lived They
endeayOred to preserve the peace and
enforce the laws impartially, but IN
this they were simply unable to DO
what they wanted to do because there
1rrasu oh F-Ta Dc md raN-
alive on each side and any man who
knows anything about the conditions
that existed at that time in Colorado
county, knows that no one man who
ever lived could have handled those
men
Capt. Mcdonald came to US first and
We received him as friend and an
officer Of the law We told him that
certain men had assassinated former
sheriff Sam H Reese and his brother,
B. ". Reese. and that we expected the
rangers to secure the arrest and IN
dictment Of those guilty Of these two
crimes. They never effected the arrest
of a man, even though we had told
them who had committed the two muir
ders- We then decided among our
selves that IL was no use to expect
anything from the rangers even though
they were ever so willing TO DO what
they could, which we realized would
1 be very little. so things went on until
I 1903, during which time u men were
/ killed and four wounded who were III
recLy connected with the Iued ana
| the only arrest made by the rangers
was at BastrOp when several Of US sur
rendered to Capt J. II. Brooks. after
one Of US had had trouble which ]
regret to say resulted in the death OF
one of the members Of the other side.
against whom none OF US had any
grudge or dislike
Capt. J. II. Rogers. at present United
States marshal OF western Texas, was
and he and Capt. Brooks made many
friends among the law abiding ele-
ment- ] never saw two men any more
impartial than they. and to this day
people in Colorado county often speak
! OF those two men,
: I wonder why the writer of that
article didn't tell of the time when it
was necessary for the governor,
] sides Adjt. Gen. VIM Scurry and
quartermaSter L J. SEEKER, to so 10
I Columbus, where upon their arrival
{ they were met by the best men Of
the county to try and devise some
way in which this trouble could be
( brought to an end. In this they made
I a complete failure, for a certain ele-
ment thought 1t necessary to eXterm1-
| nate the Reese faction in order that
/ they could do as they pleased in that
/ county. and in this they failed, for
there are several OF US alive. and
want to say that If Capt Mcdonald
even as much as took a pistol off OF
any of the members Of either faction
J I never heard of it. and as for him
coming into Columbus alone and dis
, arming both factions that statement
is as far from being true as 1 am from
being president of Mexico; in fact
neither he nor any other men ever
came into Columbus and pulled of
/ any such stunt as is alleged in the
above statement Every man Of both
factions retained his arms so far as
I ever heard until 1 saw the above
in the Times. I called them up and
told them that the statement was one
continuous falsehOOd after another
I will thank The Herald to kindly
Z publish this so that people will not
give a man credit for things he never
did.
Respectfully yours.