The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1921-05-06
Texas Rangers
Real Fighters

One frontier-the Indan-extended
along the edge of the great prairie
from the Rio Grande to the Red river,
distance Of 500 miles; the other
the Mexican-stretched from some
point on the Rio Grande to the mouth
of that stream, an approximate dis
lance of 800 miles, The actual south
ern boundary of the settlements at
the time of the republic really CORE
| sponded with the Nueces.
| 1t should also be observed that for
every mile that the Indian frontier
was pushed back, the Mexican line
was heightened by just so much until
the two attained combined length
of more than 1000 miles! Surely no
state was ever more desperately stu
ated than the young republic. Some
times she was at peace with one en-
envy and sometimes with the other;
but again she fought them both. War
was the RUE, the commonplace of |
daily life, and death was the price
of defeat, for the enemies of Texas |
knew no mercy.
; Devisine Fighting Force.
What sort of fighting force would
, Texas devise to meet this unhappy
| situation? Had the state been popu-
lous and wealthy, as she is today the
answer would have been simple. In
:, those days her population was less than
i that of Dallas, and her promise to pay
4 was worth about 16 cents on the dollar.
9 Hard money was a negligible guam
tity. These things made standing
I? army impossible. Whatever fighting
It force was provided must be small and
: inexpensive in order to be maintained
|. at all. 1t must rise in time of need
% and dispense when the danger had
s passed. Such are the circumstances
IS of our early history out Of which
d evolved this peculiar fighting force.
a These early Rangers were semi
ir military In character, varied in forma-
~ ton and organization, ununiformed
I'd and undrilled, and irregular in opera
nd tons. They were, In sense, indig-
at enous to Texas, having sprung from
the soil made fertile by the blood OF
their kinsmen, and they soon became
a the frontier fighting force par excel
Of lence of the world. They were the
or forerunners of such organizations as
N. the Northwest Mounted Police of Can
on ada. the Cape of South Africa ant
~ the Pennsylvania State, though unlike
zoe any of them. They were the Anglo
nd American solution of the problem o
.ve the frontier. The true character o
In the Rangers becomes clear only in tn
q light of that knowledge which come
As from an acquaintanceship with tn
roe nature and disposition Of their foe:
md the Mexicans on the one hand and tn
tod Indians on the other.
rm From long experience with the Me,
leans the Texans had come to distru.
ted every word and deed of the rae
nv They doubted their honor, feared the
ter mercy and despised their valor-le
ury sons dearly learned at the Alan
,rn- Goliad and San Jacinto. From the l
in? dams, whose position on the We
,wn has already been indicated, they al
hat took hard lessons The Comancl
lace warrior was a terrible foe, courageor
,ous cunning and cruel, an adept in all 4
MO, practices and subterfuges Of partis
he's warfare, and in order to meet him t
old. Ranger had to adopt his tactics. F
be, example, the Comanches always cal
ants suddenly. mounted on the fleet prail
that mustangs, which they managed vi
~ consummate skill, and which be
belt them away with the spe ed of the will
the Faced Torture and Death.
ates Again, the Comanches never p
the mitted themselves to be made capt
title and to become their prisoner me,
olive torture and death. Here were
both ready-made rules by which
Rangers had to fight. They were
or. necessity superb horsemen, using IL
open legs mostly for mounting and stick
that on. They were sure marksr,en, sh
nglo- Ing great preference for the revolv
tlan- six-shooter They were verned in VIC
half craft and possessed an uNcanny sc
com Of direction, and they knew the
the of the forest as well as that of
Tex plain. Col. John s. Ford, himsel
d be- Ranger, soldier and newspaper n
iians, summed up their qualities In II
yrest- words.
ce In "The Texas Ranger can ride liz
ID en- Mexican. trail like an Indian, 81
like Tennesseean ard fight llk
found very devil" Above all, these 'front.'
: sit. men were the embodiment Of ind
we're, ualism. II was their outstanding t
wise. their chief characteristic. They :