Evening star., 1924-09-28
BAD MEMS GRAVES
ATTRACT TOURISTS
Boot Hill Famous Burying
Ground of Pioneer Gun
Fighters in Texas.
Special Dispatch to The Star

special Dispatch to The Star
iASCOSA, Tex, September 81
DuIiHs the past summer many auto
mobile tourists, on their way ia and
from points in Texas and New Mex
leo, departed from the regular route
OF travel to visit the famous Boot
Hit Cemetery here. where only men
who died with their boots on were
buried While the hectic gIories which
once made TaScosa the most notori-
Gus town on the TexaS-New Mexico
frontier have departed the oId-timc
burial ground still remains as a relic
of the riotous past.
Tascosa, in Oldham County, has the
distinction of being the Oldest town
in the Texas Panhandle. At one time
there were 40 unorganized counties
attached to Oldham County, and We
n1remen were drawn from d terri
tory larger than most States.
1t was in 1875 the town site Of
Tascosa was laid out and there may
yet be seen traces Of some of the
adobe houses that were built Shortly
after the founding of the town viii
liam Boney, better known as Billv
the Kid, put in his appearance and
added notoriety to thu little frontier
settlement. With the coming of Billy
the Kid reign of terror began which
was only ended when Sheriff Pat Gar
rett of New Mexico brought that no
torious gunman's career to an end
Guns Settled Disputes.
Like other Western towns of the
early days, Tascosa was place
where, when the settlement of a dis
pute was in order, the men involved
took things into their own hands
without the formaIity of court pro-
ceedings. Feuds, rivalries and diff
ferences of every character were set
tied when foe met foe and there was
generally an addition to the popula
tion of Boot Hill" after the conflict
When the fallen one was buried "A
board with the inscription, This Man
Was Killed" was placed at the head
of his grave. Most of these boards
have fallen down. There has not
been an interment in Boot Hit in
more than 80 years
TascoSa was at one time the out
fitting post of great cow country.
Ranchers came to Tascpsa 200 miles
and more, to get their supplies, and
they did not leave without having
what they called d wide time"
Like many another frontier town
whose inha bitants We're made up for
the most part of a motley crowd of
adventurerS and outlaws. Tascosa was
nndlly brought to state of compare
tive reformation and the placing of
higher value on human life by the
Rangers. To Lieut.. Crude Britton Of
the Ranger force more than to any
other man belongs the credit Of
cleaning up the town. Britton went
to Tascosa in 1892 Train robbery
and other crimes We're commonplace
occurrences at that time.
Cleaned Up Bad Men.
Absolutely fearless, Britton soon
had the bad men of the community
subdued. They did not remain long
after the cool, determined officer took
control of the place. Occasionally
when a cowboy came in from neigh
boring ranch and drank too much,
Britton would take him by the arm
and suggest that he go back home.
The range rider usually needed the
suggestion and returned home with
out carrying out his intention Of
shooting up the town.
After finishing his work of trans
forming the town into a respectable.
law abiding community, Britton re-
signed from the Ranger force and
went into the saloon business at Am
arillo. With the coming of prohibit
tion he went to Fort Worth, where
he was killed shortly afterward by
Night Police capt. Tom Blanton.