The renowned historian’s classic study of the Texas Ranger Division, presented with its original illustrations and a foreword by Lyndon B. Johnson.
Texas Rangers tells the story of this unique law enforcement agency from its origin in 1823, when it was formed by “Father of Texas” Stephen F. Austin, to the 1930s, when legendary lawman Frank Hamer tracked down the infamous outlaws Bonnie and Clyde. Both colorful and authoritative, it presents the evolution and exploits of the Texas Rangers through Comanche raids, the Mexican War, annexation, secession, and on into the 20th century.
Written in 1935 by Walter Prescott Webb, the pioneering historian of the American West, Texas Rangers is a true classic of Texas history.
Sea Dog (retired)
4.0 out of 5 stars Law and Order In a Tumultous Era
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2013
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An excellent history of Texas Rangers, who were basically a quasi-military state police (3-4 companies, at most 300 men) which dated from the days of the Texas Republic (1836-45) until the present, although today it is more of a traditional state police force. Webb (whose edition has a foreward written by Lyndon B. Johnson) addresses primarily the first century of the Rangers, with the subtitle "A Century of Frontier Defense."
Operating within the borders of what is still the largest of the lower 48 states -- someone once remarked "you can drive across Texas all day and STILL be inside it" -- at a time of limited communication and mobility, the Texas Rangers were a group of men who were dednicated to enforcing the laws of their state and dealing harshly with those who violated them.
At the time the Rabgers were formed, there were still remnants of Indian tribes and the border with Mexico was easily crossed, with resultant cross border cattle stealing at a time when cattle raising was the a major part of Texas commerce.
The difficultly of bring law and order to such a vast region with so little men cannot be imagined. However, operating singly or in regional companies, the Rangers slowly did so. They often stalked known lawbreakers when they were sleeping or otherwise unaware, and in many instances when the found them the lawbreakers were shot on the spot and were not brought back alive (imagine the difficulties a single Ranger would have bring multiple prisioers to a county seat court). That said, the vast majority of Texas citizens at the time clearly believed the Rangers were neceaasry and needed to enforce the laws of their state, and in fact the behavior of the Rangers over time has given them an enviable repuration as fearless, frugal and fair.
One example from the book may make the point about their effective methods. A company of Rangers under Captain McNelly was chasing a group of Mexicans who had entered Texas and stolen 250 cattle and taken them across the Rio Grande into Mexico near Brownsville. With the aid of Casuse, an older Ranger of Hispanic descent, they tracked the stolen herd. As they came across suspicious Mexicans who might be spys for the rustlers, "Casuse would talk to the Mexican a little, and then tell our interpreter what the Mexican was. If the Mexican proved to be a citizen (of Texas) we let him go at once; if he proved to be a bandit spy we took charge of him until we saw a suitable tree.... (where) Casuse would put therope over the bandit's neck, throw it over a limb, pull him up and let him down on the ground until he would consent to tell us all he knew. As far was we knew this treatment always brought out the truth." After determining that they had all information, the spy would be turned over to Casuse, who then put him on a horse, tied a "regular hangman's knot," and hung the man: "We caught several spies on that scout before we caught up with the bandits and the cattle, and Cause dealt with them all alike, showing no partiality -- he always made them a present of six feet of rope."
McNelly eventually entered Mexico, killed many of the bandits, recovered the cattle, and returned to Texas. Much later, US Army General Ord -- whose troops had remained in the US while the Rangers crossed the Rio Grande into Mexico -- later testified before Congress that "The officer of the State troops (Ranges) had learned of the whereabout of this raiding party by means which I could not legally resort to, but which were the only means of getting at the actual facts. He had caught one of the members and hung him up until he was made to confess where the rest of the raiders were."
The next and last sentence in the chapter was a final summary: "Affairs on the border cannot be judged by the standards that hold elsewhere." All prospective readers would do well to keep that summary in mind.
The earlier Ranger methods may have been harsh by today's standards, but they were fair and highly effective.
Book Reviews by the Reluctant Retiree 