The Washington herald., 1918-02-10


the same 10 his accurate character
ization-
I'm repose. Capt. Bill h mIId Of
manner; his speech h a gentle vsr>
naculaE. his eyes are Nike the summer
sky. I have never seen him in ac-
ton. but am told that his eyes turn
into points Of gray which pierce the
offender through
Two other features bespeak this
mans character and career, his ears
and his noSe-the former, ALERT and
extended-the ears OF the Wild crea-
ture, the hunter; the latter OF that
stately Roman architecture which
goes with conquest because 1t signifies
courage, resolution and the peerless
gift OF command
His nerves are OF that quiet ana
steady sort which belonged to q
tombstons and he does not disturb
them with tobacco or stimulants of
any hnd-not even with tea and cof-
lee. In explanation he once said:
Always Quicker.
We'll you see, sometime. 1
have to be about two-ffths Of q
second quicker than the other fell
low. and . little culver. then. might
be fatal
incidentally Il may be added that
Capt, Blll-they love to call him
that in Texas-is ranked as the best
all-around rapId-nre marksman in
the State. and for the other fellow
to begin shooting is believed to be
equivalent TO suicide. Add to these
various attributes q heart In which
tenderness. strict honesty and an
overwhelming regard for duty pre-
vail. and you have in full, Capt.
william Jesse Mcdonald. formerly
deputy sheriff. United States mar
shal. ranger. captain and State Rev
snue Agent OF Texas.
During his twenty-five years or
more Of service in the field, he re-
duced those once lawless districts
known as the Panhandle No-Man's
Land, and. Incidentally, Texas at
large, to q condition of such proper
behavior that nowhere In this coun-
try Is life and property safer than
in the very localities where only a
feW years ago the cow thief and
the train robber reignsd supreme.
This story Is OF q man who, in
making that history. faced death al
most daily, often under those supreme
conditions when the slightest hesitancy
the twitch Of 4 muscle or the bat
OF an eyelid. q little CULVER as he put
it-wouid have been fatal; 1t is the
story Of q man who time and again
charged into the last retreat of armed
and desperate murderers and brought
them out hand-cuffed, the living ones,
OF course; Il Is the story Of a man,
who. according to Mai. Blocksom. in
his report OF the Brownsville troubles
in 1906 would charge hell with a
bucket of.water.' In a word, 1t is the
story Of a man who has done things,
and whose kind 10 passing away for
eSer-Capt Bill Mcdonald. of Texas
the last OF vanishing sace and a van
ished day; Of the race to which Crock
EFT and Bowie and Travis and Fannin
belonged; Of q day when q hip and q
holster were made one for the other
when to reach in that direction meant,
for somebody, post-mortem and obse-
quies."
Faculty for Fricndship.
Capt Bill had the happy faculty Of
making many friends. And he made
them In spite OF politics. He called
himself the "all-nredest hell-roaring-
est Democrat you ever saw" but he
became q good friend Of Roosevelt
when he accompanied the former
President as q special bodyguard
through Texas and on a wolf hunt in
Oklahoma Later he visited Roose-
Welt at the White House.
Capt. Bill was President Wilson's
personal bodyguard during the early
days OF his administration, and the
President exhibited a great deal of
fondness for Capt Bill. He was also
a favorite OF the three daughters of
the President and when Miss Mar
garet sang In Texas this season she
wrote note to Capt. Bill to be sure
and be on hand.
Born In MississippI.
Capt Bill was born In Mississippi,
September 8. 1852 His father was
EnOch Mcdonald. . planter. He be-
came q major in the civil war and was
killed In battle when the son was only
10.
Capt. Mcdonald distinguished him
self for his nerve when in Wichita
Falls and as deputy in Hardeman
County.
He moved with his mother in 1855
to Rusk Country near Henderson-
Here he spent his youth. He also
lived at Longview and Mineola. ana
he received his first ofdcial apopint-
ment at Mineola-he became deputv
sheriff. He formed the friendshio OF
James s. Hogg when in Mineo,a.
Through him he met Miss Rhoda
Isabel Carter, whom he married In
1876.
Capt. Mcdonald engaged In thu
teaching OF penmanship, the grocery
business. lumber, cattle, and enforcsr
Of the law.
He distinguished himself for his
nerve when in Wichita Falls and as
deputy in Hardeman County. Soon
he received a letter from Capt. George
A. Rnisht Of Dallas, U. s. marshal Of
the Northern district OF Texas, ask
Ing him to come to Dallas and be
made U. s. deputy marshal, with au-
thority to operate on Southern Indian
territory and No Mans Land. His
subsequent record was such a. Ia
steadily increase his reputation ana
success. And his career as United
States marshal and State revenue
AGENT was a most natural outcome
Of previous developments tinged with
Csni. Bills fndomitable spirit.
It's first notorIety outside Of Texas
eAhac when he undertook the enforce
mcds Of State law exacting 81 900
icelSo fer each circus performance in
tho State. The circuscs undertook to
isfcat the spirit Of the law by giving
a continuous performance in what
I'VE: cities they showed, thus paying
lsHSy one fee. Mcdonald followed one
Of the largest and In each city It
showed obtained an attachment to
bsne important feature of its mem
Issris until he had acquired most OF
hs animals. The circus capiuIated
ara paid the tax. but the interference