Texas Ranger Dispatch - Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum

Transcription

The
Issue 24, Fall 2007
Texas Ranger Dispatch
™
Magazine of the official Museum, Hall of Fame, and Repository of the Texas Rangers Law Enforcement Agency
In this issue
Sgt. B. Burzynski Honored
The Aten Brothers
Company B Cookout
Company F Firearms Qualification
Ranger Elliott’s Colt .38 Super
Wild West History Assoc. Created
Before They Were Rangers:
Ed Gooding, Soldier
page 30
This issue of the Texas Ranger Dispatch is funded in part by a
grant from the Texas Ranger Association Foundation. Their
generosity makes this publication possible.
Founded in 1964, the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
is a nonprofit historical center owned by the people of Texas. It
is hosted and professionally operated by the city of Waco, Texas.
It is sanctioned by the Texas Rangers, the Texas Department of
Public Safety, and the legislature of the State of Texas.
Dispatch
Robert Nieman - Managing Editor (Volunteer, Museum Board)
Pam S. Baird – Technical Editor, Layout, and Web Design
Byron A. Johnson - Director, Texas Ranger Hall of Fame
Production
Team
Sharon P. Johnson, Volunteer Web Designer, Baylor University
Christina Stopka, Archivist, Texas Ranger Research Center
Tracie Evans, Collections Manager, Collections Division
Rachel Barnett, Research Librarian, Texas Ranger Research Center
Texas Ranger
Texas Ranger
Dispatch
Issue 24, Fall 2007
C
O
N
Contents
Click on title to go directly to article.
Click on Texas Ranger emblem at top of article to return to Contents page.
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6
8
18
Ask the Dispatch .....................................................................................Staff
Sergeant Brian Burzynski Honored ..........................Captain Barry Caver
Three Shining Stars: The Aten Brothers ...........................Chuck Parsons
Ranger News ...........................................................................................Staff
Ranger’s Prayer
Son of Ranger’s Prayer Author Passes Away
Company B Cookout
Retired Ranger Glenn Elliott Honored
Company F Firearms Qualification
24 The Colt .38 Super and
Ranger Glenn Elliott’s Colt .38 Super.......David Stroud & Robert Nieman
28 Before They Were Rangers: Ed Gooding, Soldier............Robert Nieman
39 Wild West History Association Created ............................Chuck Parsons
T
E
N
T
Book Reviews
40 Police Forces of the World by William Watson
Review by Rachel Barnett
41 Land of the High Sky: Stories Along the Rio Pecos by John H. Wilson
Review by Nancy Ray
43 Famous Texas Feuds by C. L. Douglas
Review by Chuck Parsons
45 Tascosa: Its Life and Gaudy Times by Frederick Nolan
S
Ask
Ask the Dispatch
the
Dispatch
Last night, while surfing the Internet
and to my pleasant surprise, I found the
newest online edition of the Texas Ranger
Dispatch. Although it was very late, like with
any good book, I couldn’t go to bed until I
finished scanning the entire issue. Now, I am
looking forward with eager anticipation to
absorb each article in detail. Keep up the
good work.
Ralph Wadsworth
I have a friend that asked me to clean
and oil an 1858 Remington New Model Army
Revolver. I was trying to get it as close to
original as possible and was wondering if
there might be anyone that can assist me
with that process. From the research I have
done so far, it seems that the Texas Rangers
were equipped with this style of weapon.
Thank you for any help you can give me.
Terry L. Taylor
Cleaning antique firearms should be
done only by specialists with laboratorygrade equipment. Although tempting,
cleaning even with 0000 wool or supposedly
non-abrasive compounds will remove
original finish, cause microscopic
damage, and significantly lower the value
and authenticity of the firearm. Collectors
seek weapons in the best original condition,
not remanufactured, refinished or
destructively cleaned. “Looks better than it
did” often means “authenticity destroyed.”
Unlike classic automobiles, any restoration
of firearms reduces their condition and
value. Some dealers will offer to clean
weapons, but this should be done only with
shooting arms, not antiques.
We usually suggest handling with
washable cotton gloves to avoid acids and
oils secreted by the skin, lightly oiling with a
high-quality firearm oil, and avoiding
working the mechanism. Under no
circumstances should an antique firearm
ever be fired. This is crucial due to potential
metal fatigue, differences in the potency of
modern versus 19th century black powders,
and possible flaws in the metal that could
turn the pistol into a hand grenade.
Just finished reading Lane Akin’s
report regarding Phil Ryan and the
extortionist. I thoroughly enjoyed the
gripping details of this well-written
account of the crime. It accurately
describes commonalities that most Texas
Rangers routinely face in their course of
duty.
Thanks to Lane Akin and the Dispatch
Staff for publishing this event.
Ralph Wadsworth
Texas Ranger, Retired
Contents and design of the Texas Ranger Dispatch™ are copyrighted by the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum and other named copyright holders. Permission is granted to
print copies or excerpts for personal use and educational coursework. Commercial use or redistribution requires written permission from the Office of the Director, Texas Ranger
Hall of Fame and Museum, PO Box 2570, Waco, TX 76702.
4
Ask the Dispatch
I am a regular reader of the excellent Texas Ranger
Dispatch, and when I mentioned that to a friend recently,
he informed me of a monument to Big Foot Wallace
located in Lexington, Virginia. Lexington is the county
seat of Rockbridge County, where Wallace’s biography
notes he was born. The monument is located on the
corner of Main Street and Houston Street in a residential
area. The inscription reads as follows:
“BIG FOOT” WALLACE
1817 - 1899
WILLIAM ALEXANDER WALLACE WAS BORN ONE
MILE SOUTH OF THIS MARKER IN A BRICK HOUSE
STILL STANDING WHICH WAS NEAR THE
DWELLING OF HIS GRANDFATHER SAMUEL
WALLACE WHERE THE FIRST ROCKBRIDGE
COURT WAS HELD IN 1778. AT THE AGE OF 20
HE WENT TO TEXAS TO AVENGE THE DEATH OF
A BROTHER WHO WAS MASSACRED BY THE
MEXICANS AT GOLLAD. HE SERVED HIS
ADOPTED STATE AS INDIAN FIGHTER, RANGER,
CIVIL WAR SOLDIER, AND POSTAL CARRIER, AND
DURING GREAT ORDEALS RECORDED IN
HISTORY. HIS REMAINS ARE INTERRED IN SAN
ANTONIO AND THE STATE OF TEXAS HAS
SIGNALLY HONORED HIS MEMORY.
Big Foot Wallace marker
in Lexington, Virginia.
WALLACE MOTTO – “SPERANDUM EST”
ERECTED BY HIS VIRGINIA
AND TEXAS ADMIRERS 1935
Thank you for the photo. I did not have it, nor was I
aware of the marker’s existence. It is most assuredly
appreciated. I wish we had more people like you to assist
us. There is one error on the Virginia monument.
Wallace is buried in the State Cemetery in Austin
.
Check out Big Foot on our website at the following
locations:
Ì William Bigfoot Wallace, TR Hall of Fame
Ì William Bigfoot Wallace by Steven Moore Dispatch 12
Big Foot Wallace grave
momument in Autstin,
Texas.
Contents and design of the Texas Ranger Dispatch ™ are copyrighted by the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum and other named copyright holders. Permission is granted to
5
Sgt. Brian Burzynski
Sergeant
Brian
Burzynski
Honored
by Captain Barry Caver,
Company E-Midland
Sergeant Brian Burzynski
In recognition of his outstanding and significant contributions
to the accomplishment of the Texas Ranger Division’s mission of
conducting criminal and public integrity investigations and the
protection of life and property in Texas.
Sergeant Burzynski’s thorough investigation techniques and
his determined perseverance in seeking prosecutorial action
against the sexual predators responsible for this abuse undoubtedly
played a significant role in a comprehensive investigation being
conducted at each of the Texas Youth Commission facilities in the
state.
Sergeant Burzynski’s initiative, diligence, and commitment
to pursuing prosecution against high-ranking members of a state
agency responsible for offenses against juvenile inmates reflects
the high moral standards the public has come to admire and respect
from officers of the Texas Department of Public Safety and the
Texas Ranger Division.
6
Sgt. Brian Burzynski
These well-deserved words of praise were delivered by Colonel Tommy Davis, Texas
Department of Public Safety Director, on September 1, 2007. The person honored was a
Fort Stockton Ranger, Sergeant Brian Burzynski.
The citation is the result of Ranger Burzynski’s investigation of the West Texas State
School, a maximum-security, all-male correction facility for juveniles in the city of Pyote.
In February 2005, a troubled math teacher who volunteered at the institution contacted
Ranger Burzynski with a disturbing story. The teacher revealed that several of his students
had come to him saying that the assistant superintendent was having sex with many of the
young inmates.
Ranger Burzynski immediately went to work. During the next two months, he conducted
or was present during 44 witness statements. He also interviewed 74 of the prisoners and
secured 354 pieces of physical evidence. By July 2005, Ranger Burzynski had identified
3 prison employees suspected of having sexual contact with incarcerated inmates.
Gathering his findings, Sergeant Burzynski presented his conclusions and evidence
to the Ward County district attorney for prosecution. For almost a year and a half, Ranger
Burzynski continued to gather proof while the district attorney decided what to do. Frustrated
with so little action, Burzynski talked with the Texas attorney general’s office in November
2006 and was able to generate enough attention to proceed with the prosecution of the
sexual predators.
As public awareness of the lack of prosecution grew, the Texas State Legislature
wanted to know why the original three suspects presented to the Ward County District
Attorney had never been prosecuted. Sergeant Burzynski was asked to present testimony
before a joint oversight committee regarding his investigation at the Pyote facility. The
Ranger’s testimony was so compelling and forceful that the committee and those attending
the hearing gave him a standing ovation.
Ranger Burzynski certainly kicked open a Pandora’s box. As of this writing, the Texas
attorney general has assigned a special prosecutor and several investigators to assist
Ranger Burzynski in bringing these sexual fiends to justice. Board members and several
key administrators of the Texas Youth Commission have resigned, and investigations are
ongoing as to whether several of the TYC’s officials may have tampered with government
records.
Sergeant Burzynski’s investigations were also the catalyst for a complete statewide
review of the Texas Youth Commission’s common methods of intimidation, sexual assault,
and sanctioned oppression. In addition, the TYC has instituted its own investigation team.
“This is why we have Texas Rangers”
- Senator John Whitmire
The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum and the Texas Ranger Dispatch
proudly endorse Senator Whitmire’s words.
7
Aten Brothers
Three Shining Stars:
The
Aten Brothers
Texas Rangers of Company D, Frontier Battalion
Austin and Catherine Aten and their family.
by Chuck Parsons
T
hrough the decades of Ranger history, there have been several sets of brothers
who served: the Siekers, the Joneses, the Durbins––and the Atens: Ira D., Calvin Grant,
and Edwin Dunlap. These three young men were born in Illinois, but they became Texans
at an early age and chose the dangers of enforcing the law in frontier Texas over tilling the
soil in Central Texas.
Ira, Calvin, and Ed were the sons of Catherine E. (Dunlap) and Austin Cunningham
Aten. Austin was both a minister of the gospel and a farmer.
Calvin (Cal) claimed Knox County, Illinois, as his birthplace, whereas Ira believed his
to be Peoria County, Illinois. This may not be a contradiction; the two counties are adjacent,
and the family may have moved several times. Youngest sister Clara B. stated that the
8
Aten Brothers
family moved to Texas from Knox County “to escape the cold weather.” The Atens eventually
ended up in Round Rock, Williamson County, Texas. They arrived there on October 29,
1876, because it was the end of the line for the International & Great Northern Railroad.1
The Aten boys worked on their father’s farm until
leaving to lead their own lives.2
We know a great deal about Ira Aten’s life
and career as a Ranger due to his numerous
autobiographical writings. Harold Preece also
visited with him and published his life story. Cal
and Ed were also Rangers, but unfortunately,
their memoirs were never recorded.3
Calvin Grant Aten
Calvin Grant Aten was born in Abingdon,
Knox County, Illinois on December 7, 1868. One
is tempted to speculate that his middle name was
inspired by General U.S. Grant. After moving to
Texas, Cal remained on the family farm until April
1, 1888, when he joined Captain Frank Jones’s
Company D of the Frontier Battalion.
When Cal walked into Jones’s camp near
Realitos, Duval County, he had no weapons. His
brother Ira, already a member of the company,
saw his predicament and came to the rescue.
He handed Cal a pistol and revolver and told
Austin and Catherine Aten
him to put it on.
Certainly the most dangerous incident of Cal’s career happened on Christmas Day
1889. John R. Hughes, Cal, and two others were near Bull Head Mountain in Edwards
County. There the Rangers challenged Alvin and Will Odle, two wanted rustlers who chose
to fight it out rather than surrender. Both Odle brothers were killed in the exchange.4
1 Jean Shroyer, Williamson County, Texas, 57.
2 Travis County Census, 67. The family lived in precinct #2;
Betty Allen, “Frank Lincoln Aten” in Williamson County, Texas, 57-58. The Aten ancestors
came from Holland in 1615 seeking religious freedom. The 1880 census shows the name
as Austin Q., whereas the Betty Allen article identifies him as Thomas Q.
3 Ira Aten, Six and One Half Years in the Ranger Service. This was also serialized in Frontier
Times in four parts Vol. 22, numbers 4-5-6-7 (January-April 1945). Frontier Times
published numerous other articles by and about Aten. A bound typescript of Six and One
Half Years is preserved in the Center for American History, University of Texas, Austin;
Harold Preece. Lone Star Man: Ira Aten, Last of the Old Texas Rangers. (New York:
Hastings House, 1960).
4 H. Allen Anderson, “Calvin Grant Aten” in the New Handbook of Texas.
9
Aten Brothers
Cal served faithfully until he received an honorable discharge on September 1, 1890.5
One of the most famous Texas Ranger group photographs shows Captain Frank Jones
and thirteen of his men with their weaponry prominently displayed. Seated to the right of
Captain Jones is Cal, who is holding a Winchester, wearing a Bowie knife, and carrying at
least one pistol.
Following his discharge, Cal returned to Round Rock, where he married Mattie Jo
Kennedy on May 2, 1894. The couple later made their home in the Texas Panhandle,
where Cal worked on the XIT Ranch from 1898 to 1904. He then established his own
ranch near Adrian, Oldham County.
Cal then requested to be commissioned as a Special Ranger to serve without pay,
which was granted. He gave his personal description as age 49, 5’ 9” tall, “brown gray”
hair, gray eyes, and florid complexion. His warrant of authority shows he began his Special
Ranger service as a private, enlisting on June 1, 1918. Less than a year later, the state
recalled all Special Ranger commissions. After some delay, Aten returned his on February
22, 1919.
Calvin Grant Aten died on April 1, 1939, at Lelia Lake. He is buried in Citizens Cemetery
in Clarendon, Donley County.6
Edwin Dunlap Aten
Edwin Dunlap Aten was born September 5, 1870, in Abingdon, Illinois. Family tradition,
which has been accepted as fact, relates that Ed resented the drudgery of farm life and
became somewhat of a rowdy. In 1890, he was sent to live with older brother Ira, then
foreman of the Escabarda division of the XIT Ranch. Once there, Ed still lived the wild life
and became involved in several unpleasant incidents in local saloons. Brother Ira asked
his former Ranger Captain Frank Jones to take Ed into his company as soon as an opening
appeared, which was done. Ed, perhaps with reluctance, became a private in Company D
on September 16, 1892, mustered in at Marathon, Brewster County. Fortunately for the
family and the Rangers, Ed became an enthusiastic member of the force.7
Ed’s service records show that he served under Captains Frank Jones and John R.
Hughes. He began as a private, promoted to corporal on March 1, 1894, and promoted to
sergeant on July 25, 1895. He served until he received his honorable discharge on July 6,
1898.8
Certainly the most memorable event of Ed Aten’s Ranger career involved the death of
Captain Frank Jones on Pirate Island, near San Elizario on the Rio Grande. On June 30,
1893, Jones and a squad including Carl Kirchner, J.W. “Wood” Saunders, T.F. Tucker, Ed
5 Service records of Calvin G. Aten are found in the Adjutant General Papers, Texas State
Archives, Austin.
6 Robert W. Stephens, Texas Ranger Sketches, 15-16.
7 Stephens, Texas Ranger Sketches, 18.
8 Service records of Edwin D. Aten are found in the Adjutant General Papers, Texas State
Archives, Austin.
10
Aten Brothers
Captain Frank Jones and Texas Rangers
Group Photo 1888
The famous Texas Ranger group photo. Standing from left: James W.
King, B.L. Outlaw, Riley Barton, Charles H. Fusselman, James W. “Tink”
Durbin, Ernest Rogers, Charles Barton, and Walter Jones. Seated from
left: Robert Bell, Calvin G. Aten, Captain Frank Jones, J. Walter Durbin,
James R. Robinson, and Frank L. Schmid Jr. Taken at Realitos, southern
Duval County, in 1888.
11
Aten Brothers
Bryant, and Ed Aten were
searching for smugglers, who
were members of the Olguin
Gang. These outlaws were
described as “part of a gang
of thieves, murderers, and
smugglers that have for years
infested an island that has
been a sort of neutral
ground.”9 The Rangers were
ambushed and, in the
pursuing onslaught, Jones
was killed. Was his death
avenged? According to Ira
Aten, “Twenty-one members
of that gang of outlaws paid
the death penalty, one way or
another, in the years that
followed.”10 Captain Jones’s
body
was
eventually
recovered from the battle
scene, and today a Texas
state historical marker
Ira and Imogen Aten wedding photo.
commemorates the event.
On July 6, 1898, Ed Aten
resigned from the service due to illness. His work in such West Texas communities as
Marathon, Pecos, and Alpine has gone largely unrecognized by historians. Following his
service with the Rangers, he operated a saloon in El Paso for a while and then worked in
Shafter as a faro dealer and bartender. In 1906, he became a special officer in El Paso,
working for the Southern Pacific Railroad. On February 20, 1915, he married Gertrude
Bacus Aiello, a widow from Las Cruces, New Mexico. Ed continued working with the railroad
until he resigned his position in 1947. He died on January 31, 1953, and his remains were
laid to rest in Rest Lawn Cemetery, El Paso.11
9 San Antonio Daily Express, Saturday, July 1, 1893, citing a report from El Paso, June 30.
10 Aten, Six and One-Half Years. This may be an exaggeration, but Aten certainly knew of
what he spoke. Here is contemporary evidence that vengeance for Jones’s death came
quickly. An item in mid-July from El Paso reported that a “Mexican named Jazo” was
found hanging to a tree on an island occupied by the gang “that murdered the ranger.”
The man had been hanging a day or two when found and “there is no clue as to who
hanged him.” - San Antonio Daily Express, 17 July 1893.
11 Stephens, Texas Ranger Sketches, 19-20.
12
Aten Brothers
Ira D. Aten
Of the three brothers, Ira D. Aten is the best known. Only highlights of his career can
be covered here.
On July 21, 1878, a significant event happened that caused Ira to direct his energies
towards law enforcement. The town of Round Rock was still excited over the foiled attempt
of the Sam Bass Gang to rob the local bank. One gang member and a deputy sheriff had
been left dead on the street, but Bass and gang member Frank Jackson fled out of town.
Bass was mortally wounded, however, and Jackson left him and escaped the law. The
next day, Bass was found in a dying condition and brought into town, where the Reverend
Aten and his three sons happened to be at the time. At that point, young Ira, sixteen years
old, decided he would become a Texas Ranger. Rangers had broken up the gang, and
Rangers from N.O. Reynolds’ Company E had trailed the wounded Bass outside of town
and brought him in to either stand trial or die.
His service records show he enlisted in Company D under command of Captain L.P.
Sieker on June 1, 1883, and served continually until August 20, 1889. By May 1, 1887, he
had risen to the rank of 1st sergeant under Captain Frank Jones. As a private, he earned
$30 per month; as a sergeant, his pay was increased to $50 per month. After he had years
to reflect upon his exciting and dangerous career, he left this thought, which is perhaps
true for many other young men who joined the Rangers:
At that time [of joining the service] I was a mere boy of twenty, but, like most boys, I
wanted adventure and the romance that goes with it. I was always expecting the
impossible––like we see so often in the moving pictures these days––such as attempting
to rescue some pretty girl from the Indians in a daring attack, or from the bandits who
infested the Texas border along the Rio Grande. But, that kind of romance never happened
to me.12
Ira Aten enlisted in Company D in Uvalde County. “Our work,” he recalled, “was mostly
in the counties bordering the Rio Grande, I might say from the Pecos River to Rio Grande
City, some 800 miles.”13 He stated that the “most disastrous fight I ever had” was near San
Ambrosio Creek in Webb County, some eighty miles above Laredo on the Rio Grande.
Corporal Benjamin D. Lindsey was in charge of the scout, consisting of Ben Riley, Frank
Sieker, C.W. Griffin, and Aten. The squad saw mounted Mexicans, whom the Rangers
suspected were horse thieves, leading horses towards the river. The groups saw each
other at the same time, and the suspects headed for a “high, rough, and rugged hill on the
banks of the river.” It was Riley who rode up to the Mexicans first and demanded their
surrender on suspicion of being thieves. Their reply was to shoot Riley off his horse. As
he fell, he fired back. Griffin‘s horse fell on him and broke his collar bone, effectively
putting him out of the fight. Sieker and Aten were also shooting, and Sieker shot one of the
12 Aten, Six and One Half Years, 1.
13
Aten Brothers
thieves in the shoulder, but he was shot as well. Aten heard him yell “Oh, my God!” and
later wrote:
It seemed to me like a death cry, and I could not help but look around although the
bullets were whizzing past. Sieker was reeling backwards off his horse, pistol still in his
hand. He had been shot through the heart.
The Mexicans escaped over the hill and found refuge in some adobe houses along
the river. Lindsey rode up and yelled, “Where are they?” Aten pointed to the houses, and
Lindsey responded, “By God! Come on, let’s go and get them.”
If the Rangers’ enthusiasm to continue the fight had not been calmed, the gun battle
would have continued, with the Rangers probably losing their lives since they were now
vastly outnumbered. Instead, a “big Mexican” came up, said he was a deputy sheriff of
Webb County, and stated that he would arrest the Mexicans for the Rangers. After some
parleying, it was agreed that the two wounded Mexicans would be taken to Laredo for
treatment, followed by the Rangers acting as guards. Ben Riley had been shot through
the thigh, and arrangements were made to deliver him to the Votaw Ranch some 15 miles
away. The injured Griffin and the body of Sieker were delivered to Eagle Pass, 80 miles up
the river.
At Laredo, the Mexican prisoners were turned over to Webb County Sheriff Dario
Gonzales––but then the Rangers were arrested by Gonzales for “assault with intent to
murder” and jailed! Aten managed to talk Sheriff Gonzales into letting him out to find
someone who would post their bond. He found a Mr. Grant, who graciously did so. Telegrams
to the governor and adjutant general resulted in the Rangers being released. The Mexicans
who had fought the Rangers were also released, and they crossed the river. Aten learned
later that one of them died from his gunshot wounds.14
After this tragedy, Aten and others were sent to Brady in McCulloch County to work up
cases against cattle rustlers. At the end of one roundup, they had between 5 and 600
head of mavericks, which are cattle with suspicious brands. Those animals whose
ownership could not be proven were turned over to the county, and the money was
deposited in the county treasury. The Rangers arrested “several of the better-known cattle
rustlers,” but they were “generally turned loose.”
Aten and the group were then sent to Menard County to hunt fugitives. However,
many of the “boys” hated the cold weather and begged the adjutant general to send them
back to Uvalde, where it was warmer. As Aten mused, a nicer climate was not the only
thing appealing to them—the boys also had sweethearts living in Uvalde County.
In 1884, Ira Aten was sent to Val Verde County to assist and protect the tax collector.
Along with one other man, they used arguments and hard looks to convince the squatters
and others that it was best to pay their taxes. After a month working with the unidentified
14 Aten, Six and One Half Years, 4-8. The gunfight that cost Frank Sieker his life occurred
on May 31, 1885. Sieker was buried in Eagle Pass.
14
Aten Brothers
tax collector, Aten recalled that they had gathered between $4,000 and $5,000 dollars,
mostly in $20 gold pieces.15
Over the next months, Aten was sent into Lampasas, Brown, and Navarro Counties to
work up cases against fence cutters. Here, Ira created his “dynamite bomb,” which he
believed would prevent men from cutting fences:
I fixed the bombs so that when the fence was cut between the posts it would jerk a
small wire laid under the grass to the cap and explode the bombs. I evidently did not
care much what might happen to the fence cutter after he had cut the wire. After trying
out several lightly charged bombs which worked to my satisfaction, and feeling rather
proud of my job, I boarded the train for Austin to report to the Adjutant General.16
Ultimately, Aten was called into the office of Governor L.S. Ross to explain his actions.
The governor had quite a reaction:
That bald head of his got redder and redder and when I had finished my story it was
on fire. I thought he was going to have me court-martialled and then shot. However, I
had grown to be a man by that time, and was not very much afraid of even the Governor.
Aten was ordered to go and retrieve all the bombs, which he did––by exploding them!
That settled the fence-cutting problems in Navarro County.17
Jaybird – Woodpecker Wars
In 1888, Fort Bend County, Texas, was the site of a vicious feud between two factions,
the Jaybirds and Woodpeckers. The bad blood had its origins in the seemingly continual
conflicts between the white and the black communities. C.L. Sonnichsen stated that the
Woodpeckers controlled the black vote, and with the numeric superiority, they
(Woodpeckers) “ran the country.” The Jaybirds hoped to someday change the balance in
their favor.
Fort Bend County politics may not have been much different from other Texas areas
until August 2, 1888, when murder entered the picture with the fatal shooting of J.H.
Shamblin, a Jaybird. A few weeks later, on August 30, Jim Bearfield rushed into town with
wounds in his neck and hand and accused H.H. Frost, a Jaybird, as one of his attackers.
On September 3, someone let loose with both barrels of a shotgun at Frost as he walked
home after dark. Bloodhounds trailed the scent to a plantation, where several men were
arrested and lodged in the county jail. To prevent a possible lynching (or possible jail
delivery) 30 men were posted around the prison.
These troubles between the Jaybirds and Woodpeckers developed into the TerryGibson Feud. The threats, insults, and name-calling between Woodpecker Kyle Terry and
15 Aten, Six and One Half Years, 9-17.
16 Aten’s description of the dynamite bomb is from “Fence Cutting in Navarro County” in
Frontier Times, February 1945, 130-32.
17 “Fence Cutting in Navarro County,” Frontier Times, February 1945, 53, 132. Governor
Ross served from January 18, 1887, to January 20, 1891.
15
Aten Brothers
followers of Jaybird Dr. Gibson and his sons became a shooting affray. Terry was wounded
but was not so bad off he couldn’t challenge his adversary to a duel. On January 21,
1889, Terry found Gibson on the street in Wharton and shotgunned him to death.
Of course, these events were noticed in Austin. Finally, Governor Ross took action
and sent Sergeant Ira Aten and a squad of Rangers to Fort Bend County in August 1889.
The presence of Aten and his men quieted things down somewhat. As a result, the initial
squad of seven was reduced to three when events elsewhere required Ranger presence.
If the other four had been retained, perhaps the bloody street battle that followed would
have been prevented.
On August 16, the Woodpeckers and the Jayhawks met in front of the courthouse in
Richmond, ready to fight. Rangers Ira Aten, Frank L. Schmid Jr., and Alexander McNabb
were unable to prevent the gun battle. The tragic result of the confrontation was Ranger
Schmid being wounded in the stomach by a spent bullet and suffering a severe injury in
the leg.18 Several citizens were wounded and four were dead, including Sheriff Thomas
J. Garvey.
Now a new sheriff had to be selected. To prevent the political conflict of the two
battling factions settling on whom to elect as Garvey’s replacement, both sides agreed
that Ranger Ira Aten would be a good candidate. He was appointed Fort Bend County
Sheriff on August 21, 1889. Aten recalled that the two factions could not agree so “after
many conferences, Governor Ross offered me as a sacrifice, and I was appointed sheriff
and tax collector of the county.”19
It was not a job Aten had wanted. In fact, with Schmid and McNabb both out of the
picture, Aten was alone. He describes his emotions:
. . . [this had a] depressing effect upon me. I felt so lonely I went to my room at the
hotel and there wept in silence. [I] was left alone in a strange land and among strange
people. The governor was expecting so much of me and I prayed that I might have the
strength and courage to go on and do my duty.20
Of course, Aten did his duty and served faithfully until he resigned on November 4,
1890. By December 1 of that year, he settled in Castro County, some 50 miles south of
Amarillo. He intended to live out his days as a peaceful rancher.
On February 3, 1892, Aten was in Austin. There he married his “old sweetheart,”
Imogene Boyce, promising her that he would never seek public office. However, he was
once again requested to take the position of sheriff, this time of Castro County. His
accepting the responsibility on May 9, 1893, “almost broke her heart but she was true
18 Stephens, Texas Ranger Sketches, 125-131. Doctors were unable to do much for
Schmid’s leg and it ultimately caused his death on June 17, 1893, in Austin. He is buried
in the Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri, where his family resided.
19 Stephens, Texas Ranger Sketches, 73.
The summary of the Terry-Gibson feud is from I’ll Die Before I’ll Run by C.L. Sonnichsen,
186-226.
16
Aten Brothers
and stayed with me.” Not only did she stay with him––she became the county jailer! Aten
served as sheriff until January 1895, when he resigned.21 The Atens then moved to El
Centro, California, where he remained until death called him home on August 5, 1953.
He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery at El Centro.22
22 James A. Browning, Violence Was No Stranger, 7.
Bibliography
Allen, Betty. “Frank Lincoln Aten,” in Williamson County Texas: Its History and Its People, First
edition. Austin: Nortex Press, 1985.
Anderson, H. Allen. Entries on the individual Aten brothers in the New Handbook of Texas, vol.
1. Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 1996, pp. 276-277.
Aten, Clavin G. Service records, Adjutant General Papers, Texas State Archives, Austin.
Aten, Edwin D. Service records, Adjutant General Papers, Texas State Archives, Austin.
Aten, Ira. Six and One Half Years in the Ranger Service Fifty Years Ago: the Memoirs of Ira
Aten, Sergeant, Company D, Texas Rangers. Typescript copy in the Center for American
History, University of Texas, Austin. Also serialized in J. Marvin Hunter’s Frontier Times, vol.
22, nos. 4, 5, 6, & 7 (January-April 1945). Bandera Texas: 1945.
Browning, James A. Violence Was No Stranger: a Guide to the Grave Sites of Famous
Westerners. Stillwater, OK: Barbed Wire Press, 1993, 7.
“Fence Cutting in Navarro County” in Frontier Times, February 1945, 130-32.
Preece, Harold. Lone Star Man: Ira Aten, Last of the Old Texas Rangers. New York: Hastings
House, 1960.
San Antonio Daily Express, Saturday, July 1, 1893, citing a report from El Paso, June 30.
San Antonio Daily Express, July 17, 1893.
Shroyer, Jean, and Hazel Hood, comps and eds. Williamson County, Texas: Its History and Its
People, for the Williamson County Genealogical Society, Inc. First edition. Austin: Nortex
Press, 1985.
Sonnichsen, C. L. I’ll Die Before I’ll Run: the Story of the Great Feuds of Texas by New York:
Harper & Brothers, 1951, 186-226.
Stephens, Robert W. Texas Ranger Sketches. Privately printed, 1972.
Travis County Census: Enumerated 18 June 1880 by G.W. Malone.
For further reading:
Stephens, Robert W. Walter Durbin. Texas Ranger and Sheriff. Clarendon, TX: Clarendon Press,
1970.
Utley, Robert M. Lone Star Justice: the First Century of the Texas Rangers. New York: Oxford
University Press, 2002.
Wilkins, Frederick. The Law Comes To Texas: the Texas Rangers, 1870-1901. Austin: State
House Press, 1999.
17
Ranger News
Texas Rangers Awe Youngsters
at Michael M. Murphey Event
Retired Rangers Max Womack, Howard Dunham,
Brantley Foster, and Glenn Elliott.
Linden, Texas, native Michael Martin Murphey returned home to sponsor his Piney
Woods Gathering on October 4, 5, and 6. Headlining the event were Murphey and the
Heartland Cowboy Band, Carin Martin and the Pony Express, Red Steagall, and the
Texas State Symphony.
Retired Texas Rangers Max Womack, Howard Dunham, Brantley Foster, Glenn Elliott,
and Cass County Sheriff James “Troop” Estes opened the ceremonies on Thursday night.
Hundreds of adults and youngsters eager to hear real Texas Rangers tell honest-togoodness Ranger stories gathered close.
Max Womack opened the procedures by advising the young people—and the adults—
that to be Rangers they should always tell the truth, be honest, and mind their parents.
Brantley Foster followed with several Ranger stories, and Glenn Elliott then gave a
motivational talk. Howard Dunham closed the events with a reading of the Ranger’s Prayer.
18
Ranger News
David “Tex” Hill Passes Away
The
Ranger’s Prayer
O God, whose end is justice,
Whose strength is all our stay,
Be near and bless my mission
As I go forth today.
Let wisdom guide my actions,
Let courage fill my heart,
And help me, Lord, in every hour
To do a Ranger’s part.
Protect when danger threatens,
Sustain when trails are rough;
Help me to keep my standard high
And smile at each rebuff.
When night comes down upon me,
I pray Thee, Lord, be nigh,
Whether on lonely scout, or camped
Under the Texas sky.
Keep me, O God, in life,
And when my days shall end,
Forgive my sins and take me in,
For Jesus’ sake, Amen.
––Pierre Bernard Hill
Chaplain, Texas Ranger
Son of P.B. Hill,
author of the Ranger’s Prayer
Another member of the Greatest
Generation died on October 11, 2007. David
“Tex” Hill, a member of the legendary Flying
Tigers, passed away in San Antonio at ninetytwo years of age. Hill, portrayed by John
Wayne in the 1942
movie The Flying
Tigers, had a definite
Texas
Ranger
connection. His father
was the Reverend
Doctor
Pierre
Bernard (P. B.) Hill,
author
of
the
Ranger’s Prayer.
Dr. Hill was the
Rev. P. B. Hill
pastor
of
San Ranger’s Prayer author
Antonio’s
First
Presbyterian Church when Governor Dan
Moody appointed him chaplain of the Texas
Rangers. To give the appointment even more
distinction, Adjutant General Bill Sterling,
appointed Dr. Hill a Texas Ranger captain.
General Sterling described Captain Hill as a
man “who looked like a Texan, talked like a
Texan, and thought like a Texan.”
Captain Hill took his assignment seriously.
He became a regular visitor at Ranger camps
around the state. One thing every Ranger
knew: the chaplain was always ready to help
any of them with a prayer or, if needed, a sixgun.
The Texas Ranger reunion is held
annually at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame
and Museum in Waco. There is a memorial
service for Rangers lost the previous year, and
the Ranger’s Prayer is always recited.
19
Ranger News
Company B Cookout
Danville Farm in Kilgore, Texas
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
After Co. B’s bi-annual qualifying, friends of the Rangers
prepared a cookout of chicken-fried steaks.
Jerry Byrne, Smith Co. DA Matt Bingham,
and Kenny Ray.
Max Womack, Glenn Elliott, Ralph
Wadsworth, and Bobby Poynter.
20
Ranger News
Company B Cookout
Smith Co. DA Matt Bingham, Ronny Griffith,
Phil Ryan, and Lee Young.
Glenn Elliott, Phil Ryan,
and Richard Sweaney.
Retired Ranger
Glenn Elliott Honored
Retired Texas Ranger Glenn Elliott is no
stranger to the citizens of Texas and the
readers of the Texas Ranger Dispatch. On
June 26, he was honored as a past president
of the East Texas Peace Officers Association
at their annual banquet in Jasper. Incoming
Tom Davis of Nacogdoches presents
ETPOA president, Texas Ranger Tom Davis
Glenn Elliott with a Colt 1911 A1 .45.
of Nacogdoches, presented Elliott with a Colt
1911 A1 .45 to show the organization’s
appreciation of his nearly forty years of
service to the citizens of Texas.
Elliott was honored again at Longview’s
Sacred Spur Ranch annual book, film, and
music festival. Congressman Louie Gohmert
(R—Texas 1st Congressional District)
presented Glenn with a cypress cane made
especially for him in the Texas Department
of Corrections. On one side of the grip is an
engraved medallion of the seal of the United
States House of Representatives, and the Congressman Louie Gohmert presents
other side has an engraved medallion of the Glenn with a cypress cane made especially
for him in the Texas Dept. of Corrections.
Texas state seal.
21
Ranger News
Company F
Firearms Qualification
All Co. F photos courtesy of Captain Kirby Dendy, Co. F Commander
L-R Matt Lindemann, Rudy Flores, Joe Hutson, Sal Abreo, Marcus Hilton, Jim Huggins,
Matt Andrews, George Turner, Mark Reinhardt, Tommy Ratliff, Joey Gordon, Kirby Dendy,
Garth Davis, Kyle Dean, Jesus Ramos, Rocky Wardlow, Frank Malinak, Al Alexis. This photo
was made at the back side of Ft. Mason.
THP Sergeant Danny Briley, Rocky Wardlow,
Tommy Ratliff, Sal Abreo, Al Alexis, Marcus
Hilton, Kirby Dendy, Garth Davis, and Frank
Malinak.
Marcus Hilton, Matt Andrews, George Turner,
Sal Abreo, and Joey Gordon (only his gun is
visible).
22
Ranger News
Lt. George Turner
Co. F
Firearms
Qualification
Tommy Ratliff, Rudy Flores, Jesse Ramos, Mark
Reinhardt, Rocky Wardlow, and Al Alexis.
Matt Lindemann
Kyle Dean, Jim Huggins, Rudy Flores, Matt Andrews,
Frank Malinak, Sal Abreo, and Kirby Dendy.
23
Colt .38 Super
Guns of the
Texas Rangers
The
Colt .38
Super
by David Stroud and Robert Nieman
©2007
C
“ oming!....a new Colt.” This was the introduction in the
manufacturer’s first ad in the American Rifleman, December
1929 issue. It proclaimed the Colt .38 Super to be the “ideal
One-hand-gun for Big Game” that would “stop any animal
on the American Continent” and guaranteed the interest of
the “Arm of Law and Order.”1
After the Model 1902 .38-caliber automatic pistol was discontinued in 1928, Colt
began producing that popular caliber with a load that increased velocity and power so
much it was named the Super .38 Auto Pistol Cartridge.2 The Government Model .45 1911
Automatic frame was utilized, the barrel was bored and chambered for the new cartage,
and the pistol was designated as the Super .38 Automatic Pistol.3 Because Colt considered
the Super .38 a distinctive model, its serial numbers began with 1.4 The weapon’s popularity
was proven when 34,450 were sold by 1940, and then the 1940 production was limited.
The mode was discontinued with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and production resumed
again in 1947.5
After reissue in 1947, Colt began numbering the Super .38. The series began with
1 Douglas G. Sheldon, Colt’s Super .38: the Production History from1929-1971 (Willenie,
MN: Quick Vend Inc., 1999), 3, 13.
2 Charles T. Haven, & Frank A. Belden, A History of The Colt Revolver from 1836-1940 (NY:
Bonanza Books, 1940), 213.
3 Haven, 213.
4 Sheldon, 5.
5 R.L. Wilson, Dates of Manufacture: 1837-1978 (David Madis, 1985).
24
Colt .38 Super
number 40001 and reached 202188 by December 1969. In 1970, Colt preceded the serial
number with CS as one of two ways to maintain accordance with the Gun Control Act of
1968; the second was placing the weapon’s manufacture’s name on the right side of the
receiver. Therefore, Serial Number CS001001 became the first so marked Super .38, and
CS00202.388 the last in December, 1970.6 Although Colt produced the Super .38 after
1971 within the 70 Series Model O line, 1971 was the last year it was listed as an
independent model.7
The left side of the slide markings of the Super .38 are:
COLT’S PT.F.A.MFG.CO.HARTFORD, CT.USA
PAT’D APR.20,1897,SEPT.9,1902,DEC.19,1905.FEB.14,1911.AUG.19,1913
The right side has the firm’s trademarked rampant Colt holding an arrow in its mouth.8
To the right of the trademark is printed:
COLT SUPPER SUPER .38
AUTOMATIC (below SUPER)
When the company began production again in June 1947, the patent dates were
eliminated. A few months later, the firm’s name changed. The right side of the .38 Super
remained the same, but the left side was roll died with the inscription:
COLT’S PT.F.A.MFG.CO.HARTFORD, CT.USA.9
The Super .38’s standard finish was blue. The pre-World War II blue was “mirrorlike,” but after the war, the steel was “tank blued.” Nickel plating was available from 1929
through 1941, but amounted to no
more than 2% of the line. This may
be the reason that this finish was
not offered once the war ended.10
The standard stock for the
Super .38 was ‘”machine checkered, select walnut” until
phased out before 1943 and replaced with plastic.11 Ivory,
pearl or stag-horn stocks were available from the Super
.38’s introduction. However, only ivory stocks were available for
carving prior to the Second World War. After the conflict, carved pearl
stocks were offered.12
6 Shelton, 9
7 Sheldon, 13-15.
8 Sheldon, 13-15.
9 Sheldon, 24
10 Sheldon, 21
11 Sheldon, 59
12 Sheldon, 61
25
Colt .38 Super
Ranger Glenn Elliott’s Colt .38 Super
Curley Smith presented a Colt .38 Super to Texas Ranger Glenn Elliott in 1956. The
gun’s history is unique, to say the least.
For many years, Curley Smith owned and operated a restaurant on West Marshall
Avenue (Highway 80) in Longview. Many of Curley’s patrons believed he served not only
the finest food in East Texas, but also in the entire state. Most of his clientele were the elite
of East Texas. Entering the restaurant, there was a coat and hatcheck stand, certainly not
something common in most places in Texas. He always had a first-class band, and his
dance floor was second to none, including Longview’s legendary Reo Palm Isle. The food
his chefs served was unsurpassed anywhere.
In the early 1950s, a man named Black was released from prison. He was Curly’s
brother-in-law, married to Smith’s wife’s sister. The day Black got out, he arrived at the
restaurant before opening time and almost immediately got into a heated argument with
his wife, who worked at the restaurant. Black was mean, and it was not surprising when he
started beating her.
Curley was in his office and heard the commotion in the kitchen. Seizing his Colt .38,
he rushed to stop the beating his sister-in-law was taking. Perhaps fearing a shot would
strike his sister-in-law, he started hitting Black and continued until Black collapsed and
died shortly thereafter.
Curley was charged and tried for murder in Gregg County. His attorney, Fred Erisman,
had a simple defense. His client was only trying to stop the beating his sister-in-law was
suffering; if he had meant to kill his brother-in-law, he would have shot him. The jury
bought it––they found Curley not guilty. The pistol was returned to Smith, and for many
26
Colt .38 Super
years, he kept it beside his cash register with a towel over it. This Colt .38 Super had been
shipped from the factory on January 31, 1950, to Ogilvie Hardware Company Inc., 217
Jones Street, Shreveport 82, Louisiana. It was the only gun in the shipment, and it had a
blue-finish 5” barrel and factory plastic grips.13
At the time of the murder and subsequent trial, Glenn
Elliott was a Highway Patrolman stationed in Longview.
For many years, he and his partner Lloyd Webb stopped
by Curley’s, drank coffee, and ate an occasional meal.
As time went by, Glenn and Curley became friends. Glenn
long admired Curley’s .38, and Curley was aware of this.
One day in 1956, he pushed the Colt to Glenn and said
it was his. A year later, while serving as a Special Ranger,
Glenn carried the .38 Super during the wildcat Lone Star
Steel strike. When he became a Ranger in 1961, Glenn
carried the pistol many times on a regular basis.
Eventually, Glenn decided to enhance the gun and
took it to Lister Custom Gun Engraving in Boerne, Texas,
owned and operated by the famous W.E. “Bill” Lister and his son Weldon.14 Weldon removed
the blue finish and decorated it with scroll. On the smooth mainspring housing, he engraved:
GLENN ELLIOTT
TEXAS RANGER
Weldon then nickel-plated the beautiful Colt .38 Super and shipped it to Glenn in
Longview, Texas, on October 7, 1986.15
As for Curley Smith, he had a problem. Every time he got a little money, he headed for
the nearest gambling hall (they were all illegal then), and the inevitable happened. Finally,
Curley had to close the finest restaurant in Longview, and he kicked around East Texas for
several years before passing away.
Glenn Elliott retired as a Texas Ranger in 2007. As of this writing, he is eighty-one
years old and still going strong.
As for the Colt .38 Super . . . today it is in the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
in Waco.
If you want to know more about Glenn Elliiott, he has written two books: A Ranger’s
Ranger and Still A Ranger’s Ranger. Both can be purchased through the Texas Ranger
Museum Gift Shop.
13 Kathleen J. Hoyt, historian, to Colt Company, July 26, 1993. Did not list what type of
grips, but were probably plastic.
14 Business card of W.E. (Bill) Lister & Weldon E. Lister Jr.; Buckles by Lister magazine ad.
15 Invoice of Weldon, E. Lister, October 7, 1986.
27
Ed Gooding, Soldier
28
Ed Gooding, Soldier
Before They Were Rangers
It should come as no surprise that many Texas Rangers had exciting, even
death-defying experiences before pinning on their badges. In coming issues
of the Texas Ranger Dispatch, we will present some of these men “Before
They Were Rangers.”
Ed Gooding, Soldier
©2007 Robert Nieman
I
t is doubtful that there has ever been a better-liked or respected Texas Ranger than Ed
Gooding. Known throughout the Ranger organization as a great storyteller, Ed could (and would)
entertain with his Highway Patrol and Ranger stories, some serious and some funny. But there
was one part of his life that he never joked about: his years as a combat veteran in World War II.
Ed was born on a ranch near Ingleside in San Patricio County, Texas, on July 10, 1924. He
was the oldest of two boys and four girls born to Papa John and Mama Nellie Winslett Gooding.
Ed spent most of his life on South Texas ranches before being drafted into the Army in 1943. He
was fond of saying that he spent the better part of his life either chasing cows and outlaws or
dodging bullets from Germans or some old thugs.
After completing basic training, he found himself onboard the Queen Mary, which was headed
for Omaha, a sandy beach in Normandy, France. He, for one, was only too happy to see the
battle-wracked Omaha Beach—or any land, for that matter. He had been violently seasick the
entire voyage from New York.
The initial invasion had started four days before Ed’s arrival. Until the day he died, he never
forgot his landing and going ashore at 2:00 p.m. on the afternoon of June 10, 1944. He remembered
the bullets pinging off the tank traps, and for some reason he could not explain, he couldn’t forget
the boots remaining on the dead GIs. Graves Registration, the group who handled the dead, had
cleared most of the bodies off the beach by D+4 and were working frantically to get the rest
cleared away. As hard as they tried, there were still a lot of dead GIs and pieces of their bodies
scattered all over.
Fifty-four years after that fateful afternoon, Ed tried to watch Saving Private Ryan, but he
could not get past the landing scenes. The movie brought back his vivid recollection of the helmets,
rifles, and ammo belts strewn all over the beach. Ed found it so real that the emotions started
welling up deep inside, and he had to leave the room. Another memory that the movie brought
back was the sight of dead fish on the beach. All the shells hitting the water had killed fish by the
thousands, and there was a row of them approximately three feet deep lying on the sand at the
waterline as far as you could see.
29
Ed Gooding, Soldier
As realistic as Saving Private
Ryan or any war movie is, there are
a two things that cannot be
captured on film: the smell and the
blood. The smell of death has an
odor like no other. When Ed landed
at Omaha Beach, some of the
fallen men had been lying there for
four days. Add the stench of
thousands of dead fish, and awful
doesn’t begin to describe it. As for
the blood, it was everywhere––all
over the ground, all over the
equipment, and all over the
soldiers. Ed believed that unless
someone had been there and seen
The dead on Omaha Beach. Notice the bodies
it, no one could imagine the amount
strapped to the stretchers.
of blood on a battlefield. “I don’t
care if you live to be a hundred
years old,” Ed said, “you can never wash it all off, and you can’t get it all out of your mind.”
Ed’s first encounter with war left a mark on him that he would carry for the rest of his life:
Until I saw all my dead and maimed comrades, even my enemies, it didn’t really hit
me just how real and brutal killing was. Not even when I was a little boy playing cowboys
and Indians had I thought of war as anything but a game. Like most teenagers, then and
now, I thought I was bulletproof—until that moment. Youth gives you a feeling of invincibility.
I suppose that is why the military wants young boys to do the fighting. Older heads know
just how non-bulletproof they are.
Before June 10, 1944, I had another great misconception (one shared by many): “It
might happen to you, but not me.” What a crock! Looking at that carnage and the destroyed
bodies on that beach made me realize again just how wrong I was. Suddenly, like a bolt
of lightning from God, I realized I was nothing
but meat and bone, and there was a pretty
good chance that before this war was over, I
would be dead. Even worse, I might be shot
to pieces and still be alive to exist—exist, not
live—until merciful death could take me. Let
me tell you, that’ll wake you up. As I lay there
in the sand looking at the dead and mangled
bodies, I knew without a doubt that every one
of those boys probably had thought they, too,
were bulletproof. You learn real quick that
bullets don’t discriminate; they don’t care who
they kill or maim or if you are young or old,
American or German. I don’t mean to preach,
Wounded children––a sight not often
but unless you’ve been there, unless you’ve
associated with Normandy.
30
Ed Gooding, Soldier
seen it, unless you have smelled
it, you just cannot truly imagine
what combat is really like.
First assigned to a replacement
depot, it was not long before Ed,
who had been promoted to corporal,
found himself on the back of truck
heading for St. Lo, France and his
new outfit, the 134th Regiment of the
35th Infantry Division. “All Hell Can’t
Stop Us” was their motto—and it
could not.
Just as they started moving,
they heard the distant sound of
After the Rangers secured the heights overlooking gunfire and the not so distant sound
Omaha Beach, American soldiers moved up the
of artillery. Except for the sergeant,
cliffs and inland.
the “old war horse,” to a man the
green troops hunkered down as low
in the truck bed as they could get—as if the truck bed’s thin wooden sideboards would
stop a bullet, let alone an artillery round. Only a few later these tenderfoot soldiers would
be grizzled, combat veterans, and would join the old warhorse in laughing at such behavior.
They were not yet combat veterans, but raw recruits on their way to quickly becoming
battle-hardened soldiers. Traveling only a few miles, the truck pulled to the side of the
road and the soon to be combat soldiers piled off the trucks. The 29th Division had been
cut to pieces trying to take St. Lo and didn’t have the strength to launch another attack. It
was now the 35th Division’s job to take the German stronghold.
Ed and the other replacements had barely unloaded when an obviously battered
sergeant came up to them and started calling off names to follow him. Ed’s name was one
of the ones called. He led them to an area where dug-in soldiers who had clearly already
seen too much combat were
waiting. In a lifeless tone, the
sergeant told Ed and his
comrades if they followed the
veterans lead exactly, they had
a remote chance of living.
The 134th was an old
National Guard unit from
Nebraska, and almost everyone
in the unit had known one
another for years. They had
Motto of 134th: “All Hell Can’t Stop Us”
trained together in the States,
31
Ed Gooding, Soldier
shipped over together, and many had been friends their whole lives. Some were neighbors
and others played football, basketball, or baseball with and against each another. Ed
knew how hard it was on them every time one of them was killed. To them, every time a
man went down it was like losing a blood brother. Of course, Ed was not from Nebraska,
but they treated him like he was. Ed said that if he had not been from Texas, there was no
place he would rather be from than Nebraska.
Ed said he would always remember that tough old sergeant. Looking at Ed and the
others recruits, he started crying. One of the veterans told Ed he was crying for all the
buddies he had lost in the fierce fighting, buddies he had trained and been with in the
States. Most of them he had known for what must have seemed to him forever. Through
tears, he said to me, “Corporal, I know you have your rank, but I’m going to put you to
carrying ammunition. But don’t concern yourself with that. The way this war is going, you
won’t be doing that long. You’ll be leading a gun squad soon enough.” He pointed up
ahead to a light .30-caliber machine gun and said, “Corporal, there is your gun and back
there is the ammo dump. Get you a couple of boxes and dig in.”
That sergeant was not wrong. Ed started moving up in rank fast—too fast. Within a
week he was the assistant gunner. Almost as quickly, he was the gunner. A few days later,
he was the squad leader.
The 134th’s first assault of St. Lo was on a place called Hill 122 on a military map.
From the safety of their positions far in the rear, Army planners decided the best way to
take the Hill 122 was by a night attack. With seasoned troops, a night attack is, at best,
organized mayhem. With green troops who have never fired a shot in combat, there could
only be one ending—slaughter. They would eventually take Hill 122, but many soldiers of
the 134th would die doing it.
As he looked out over the
field of battle, all Ed could see
were rows of trees; at least he
thought they were trees. Getting
closer, the trees turned out to be
what would go down in the history
of the Normandy Invasion as the
infamous hedgerows.
The hedgerows in Normandy
are ancient. Originally planted by
the Normans hundreds of years
before and they were fencing for
the various fields they encircled.
They had a dirt base anywhere
from three to six feet high with
hedges and other types of brush
Ed’s first major combat was at St Lo —
growing on top so thick you could
what was left of it.
32
Ed Gooding, Soldier
not see through them. Everywhere you looked, all you could see were hedgerows
zigzagging all over the countryside. Of course they had no way of knowing it at the time,
but it would take weeks to break through those hedgerows—and buckets of blood.
The 134th had been fighting and moving constantly, but there was finally a brief lull.
Ed got a chance to talk with an ammo bearer in our gun squad, or at least he tried to, but
he was not very talkative. Ed later learned the man he replaced had been a longtime
friend of the ammo bearer. They had trained together in the States and had become very
close. As Ed talked to the ammo bearer, tears began swelling in his eyes. “I shut up. I felt
terrible.”
Many a soldier has been discharged because of a mental breakdown not caused by
cowardice, but because they had lost to many brothers. “In combat, that’s what your fellow
soldier is—your brother. I know this sounds hard, but I’m glad I didn’t get to know that
ammo bearer. Later he was hit by a mortar fragment in the left side and leg. He was
evacuated and I took his place as first ammo-bearer. I never learned his name or even if
he lived or died.”
During the night Ed’s squad leader came to his foxhole and told that whatever he did
to stay away from holes cut in the hedgerows. The Germans had cut the holes and had a
machine gun trained on each one of them just waiting for some poor, unsuspecting GI to
stick his head into the opening.
Despite their best efforts weeks passed and the American Army was still stuck in the
hedgerows. High explosives and bulldozers did not make a dent in the hundreds of year
old root system. That left only the Queen of Battle (infantry) to do it the old-fashioned
way—slug it out.
Ed described the hedges as being so thick that they would climb over the top just like
you would climb over a fence.
The only problem was that once on top, you were exposed to enemy fire. That was
as far as a lot of men ever got. If you survived the top of the hedges and got on the other
side, your troubles were just starting. You were in open ground, and no sooner would
you hit the ground than a machine gun would open up on you. You wouldn’t believe how
small an object you can crouch your body behind if it offers the least bit of cover from
that murderous machine gun fire. If you moved a muscle, you could count on a burst of
machine-gun fire ripping up the ground around you—around you and not through you, if
you were lucky.
You wouldn’t be there long before the mortar shells would start dropping like rain. In
a lot of ways the mortars were as bad, if not worse, than the machine guns. The Germans
had zeroed in on every inch of those fields with their machine guns and mortars to the
point that they could almost put a mortar shell in your hip pocket.
Occasionally, when I’m watching a football game on television and I hear an
announcer say that a kicker is going to try a long fifty-yard field goal, my thoughts will
sometimes go back to 1944. Let me tell you just how long fifty yards is—sometimes it’s
an eternity. It was common for us to fight all day and all night to get across a fifty-yard
stretch of open ground. Our reward wasn’t making three points; our reward was living.
33
Ed Gooding, Soldier
Before combat, Ed did not see how anything or anybody could stand up before the
blistering fire he could lay down with his 30-caliber light machine gun. Being a machine
gunner was great—until he saw combat. Reflecting back to those days that seemed like
and eternity ago, but in actuality was only a few days, he realized how naïve and foolish
those had been.
Because of the scorching rate of fire, he could lay down made usually made Ed and
his fellow machine gunners a primary target of the Germans. His enthusiasm for the machine
gun decreased even more when he found the life expectancy of a machine gunner in
combat was approximately two minutes.
Ed had been thinking of some way to beat those odds:
One day I told my gunner that I knew we had been trained to set up a position and
stay there until we received an order to move, but I felt that one of the reasons the
Germans killed so many of us was because we stayed in one place too long. Training or
not, I wanted to do things a little differently. It seemed to me that by staying in one spot
as the book said, it allowed the Germans to zero in on our position with the inevitable
results. Those German mortar crews were so good that they could drop a mortar shell in
a bushel basket at a thousand yards. I considered sitting in one place until ordered to
move was pure suicide. I suggested that as soon as we got the gun set up and in firing
position, we should immediately start looking for an alternate spot where we could still
cover our assigned target and keep it under fire as per our orders. But instead of anchoring
ourselves to that spot, after firing a few minutes, we should move to the new spot that we
had picked out.
My gunner didn’t see it that way. The book said we had to have permission from the
squad leader to move. That was how my gunner had been trained and as far as he was
concerned, that was how we were going to do it. Obviously, that wasn’t what I wanted to
hear. When I got a chance, I told our squad leader my idea. He, too, was out of the old
school and vetoed my plan. He wanted us where he knew our exact location, not moving
all over the front. That was all fine and dandy except for one thing: we had received no
training for fighting in hedgerows. I don’t guess anyone had ever thought of having to
fight in them, even if those hedges had been there for hundreds of years. I decided right
then and there that if I was able to survive until I made squad leader—rules or no rules—
I would move my gun. But for now, I was the assistant gunner and my gunner said we
would play by the book. Well, he followed the book and we stayed put. And he died.
Ed’s quiet time of reminiscing did not last long—the hedgerows waited. He remembered
how eerie the roads were. They were all sunken to a depth of five to six feet, the dirt
thrown along the road’s edge. The hedgerows themselves were an assortment of plants.
Later, Ed said that whatever the growth, everything seemed to have thorns—big, long
thorns that would cause you to swell up like a “poisoned pup.” There were wild roses,
black thorn locust, and some fruit trees. The fruit trees were mostly small apples, and
there were some grapevines. As bad as it was on the roads, the fields were oftentimes
34
Ed Gooding, Soldier
If you got caught in the hedgerows, there was just nowhere to go.
worse. Once you stepped out from behind the hedges, there was no cover. “Talk about
feeling naked!”
One day we had gotten about halfway across one of those little fields when a machine
gun opened up on us. We all hit the ground. We hadn’t been there for more than a few
seconds when, sure enough, just like clockwork, the mortar shells started coming in. We
really started to sweat. Sweating was all we could do. If you moved, you died. Any
movements would have gotten the immediate attention of one of the German machine
gunners. We lay there, being as still as possible, and played dead. We were hoping the
Germans believed they had done their job and killed us.
I was utterly terrified lying there in that field. You don’t have to see but a couple of
arms, legs, and bodies go flying up in the air or have what is left of what had been a
brother seconds ago splattered all over you, and you get so scared you can’t think. I’ve
seen men in this situation crying, cussing, or praying—some all at once. I’ve seen men
so scared that they wet their pants or worse. I never did, even though I was so scared I
couldn’t move. But I guarantee you one thing: if I had, I wouldn’t be ashamed to admit it.
We all had one thing in common—fear. I said earlier that I don’t mean to preach, and I
don’t, but if you haven’t been there, you can’t imagine the fear. Death could be—is,
probably—only a split second away. But scared or not, you can’t just quit. If you do, you
die for sure.
I have never known fear the way I did that day lying there in that field. As the bullets
and the mortars slammed all around us, I was totally convinced that there were only two
types of men in that field: the dead and those of us who would shortly be dead. We had
35
Ed Gooding, Soldier
to do something and we had to do it quick. In the end, we really only had two options: lie
there and be killed or make a run for it and maybe, just maybe, a few of us would make
it. Given those options, there was really no choice. The sergeant went first. He and one
of the ammo bearers jumped up and, to our amazement, they made it to safety. Once
safely under cover, they sat up their machine gun and started laying down some cover
fire for the next group. Again, to our amazement, this group also made it. With more
cover fire, the odds were getting better. Hey, I might, just might, make it out of there.
The sergeant called out for me to make a run for it. I was so scared I couldn’t think.
I was shaking and I had my eyes closed so tightly that I’m surprised I didn’t push them
through to the back of my head. I was also grinding my teeth so hard it’s amazing they
weren’t ground down to the gums. But scared or not, I jumped up and started running as
hard as I could. I remember that run like it was yesterday. With every step, I expected to
feel a bullet ripping through me. I don’t remember, if I ever knew, if I was even being shot
at or not. I assume I was. That run, even then, was just a fog in my mind. Like the other
guys who made that run, I was almost blind with fear. All I know for sure is I ran harder
than I’ve ever run in my life, and I made it!
The first thing I remember after the fog began to clear in my mind was hearing the
sergeant yell for the last gunner to come on; we would cover him. But the gunner didn’t
move and my heart, along with everyone else’s, sank. The sergeant yelled again, “Come
on! We’ll cover you.” But the little guy still didn’t move. We kept watching for the slightest
movement but we saw none. We hoped and prayed against hope that he was playing
possum, but I think we all knew the truth.
It was close to sunset and the sergeant said that as soon as it got dark, he was
going to check on the gunner. Sarge had pushed Lady Luck to the brink of the grave
getting out of that field once; to go back, even in the dark, was suicide. But, you know, it
never entered any of our minds to try and stop him. How could we? And how could he
not go? One of his men was down. Finally it was dark and, thank God, it was very dark.
The sergeant pulled off his boots, dropped all his gear, and crawled out to where the
little guy lay. He came back soon. After crawling back to us, he didn’t say a word. He
didn’t have to.
One by one, all the original men of the 134th were being picked off and new men, like
Ed had been, were replacing them. Considering the extreme short lifespan of a machine
gunner Ed was advancing in rank real fast. In a manner of weeks, he gunner and a sergeant.
The first thing he did was revise his “move the gun” plan. He told his assistant gunner that
they would move their gun from position to position and not give the Germans time to zero
in on them, but never would they forget their assigned target. Until the day he died, he
honestly believed that moving his gun around is what got him through all those months of
combat. Ed’s sergeant never gave him permission to move around the way he did, but as
long as he covered his assigned target, the sergeant did not say anything.
The days turned into weeks and still the bloodbath in the hedgerows continued,
especially in the roads. They were death traps for anyone caught in them—American or
German. If you got caught in the road, there was simply no place to go. If you tried to
advance, more likely than not an enemy tank would suddenly appear from around a corner
36
Ed Gooding, Soldier
with its cannon blazing and its machine guns spewing death. If you tried to retreat, you
still had the German tanks to contend with. The hedges were so tight and thick that going
through them to get away was next to impossible. Needless to say, this was extremely
costly in both lives and equipment. But costly or not, the American GI’s got the job done
the old-fashioned way—with their blood.
It was in the small French town of Mortain that the 134th had one of the hardest fights
in its history. A spotter plane advised Ed and his comrades the road they were moving
down was clear for several miles. Tragically, for a lot of American soldiers, the spotter was
wrong; he failed to a pocket of German Armored Infantry.
Suddenly the GI’s were engulfed in the fires of Hades. Coming from behind them Ed
could hear the squeak, squeak sound of a tank track. At first the Americans thought it was
their own tanks moving up, but then they heard machine guns firing and the whine of an
88-mm cannon. Ed knew he and his buddies
were definitely in serious trouble.
Worst of all, an 88-mm cannon on a tank
meant only one thing—Tigers. The best tank
the Germans had was the Panzer Tiger tank.
It was bigger and better than anything we had.
It was literally a moving pillbox. Its diesel
engine gave it the power plant for its massive
size but above all, it had that 88.
An 88 had the most spine-chilling sound
you can imagine. It was originally designed
as an anti-aircraft gun, but it became so
versatile because of its flat trajectory. The
Germans started mounting it on tanks and
wheeled vehicles and also using it as
stationary artillery emplacements as well as
in any other way they could think to put one
into action. It made a dreadful whining sound
when fired from a long distance and an awful
swish-bang when fired up close. I know I am
safe in saying that if any soldier who lived
through an 88 barrage heard an 88 today, he
would immediately recognize it. That gun was
An 88 had the most spine-chilling
bad, bad news and very powerful: an 88 could
sound you could imagine.
shoot a hole completely through the four-inch
steel turret of our Sherman tanks like a
hammer hitting a pane of glass. Once it pierced a tank’s armor, it would leave a mess of
shrapnel behind ricocheting around inside the tank, usually killing all of its four-man
crew.
The Waffen SS Panzers were the best fighters the Germans had, and the 134th had run
into a full battalion.
37
Ed Gooding, Soldier
On the afternoon of August 12, 1944,
The Tigers were tough, but they could
the
Allies
finally broke out of the hedgerows.
be knocked out. Every company runner was
sent to the rear to request that tank The Germans knew the battle was lost and
destroyers be dispatched at once. Waiting started surrendering in droves. Most of them
the Americans hung on by their fingernails. had run out of ammunition. They simply
Thankfully, help was coming in a hurry. stood up as the Americans approached and
Bazooka teams from every company in the started pleading, “Kameraden nicht
area, followed shortly by tank destroyers and schiessen.” (“Friends, please don’t shoot.”)
P-47 tank-busters, soon arrived and started
pounding the Tigers. “What a joyful sound
In the next issue of the Texas Ranger
that was!”
Dispatch, we will follow Ed Gooding
It was not long before the Panzers
to the end of World War II.
started to pull back, but they left several of
their Panzers and a host of infantryman
laying dead. ‘ed says, “My little .30-caliber
machine gun wasn’t of any use against a
Panzer’s armor, but it was devastating
against the cloth blouses of the infantrymen
that moved with the Panzers.”
Many brave GI’s were also laying dead
on the field. Ed lost a gunner, an assistant
gunner, and one machine gun before “that
dance was over.”
For further reading:
Ed Gooding - Texas Ranger Dispatch 3
Ed Gooding Memorial - Texas Ranger Dispatch
Ed Gooding: Soldier, Texas Ranger
Available in Texas Ranger Museum Bookstore
38
Wild West History Association
Wild West History Association Created
by Chuck Parsons
WILD WEST
HISTORY
ASSOCIATION
Fifteen enthusiasts of western history that deals especially with outlaws and lawmen
and with Texas Rangers and gunfighters gathered together Saturday, October 13, 2007,
in Phoenix, Arizona. The National Association for Outlaw and Lawman History and the
Western Outlaw-Lawman History Association had both decided to consider the merger of
their two successful groups into one larger and more vibrant organization. After considerable
thought and several meetings between representatives, the decision was made to form
the Wild West History Association.
Among priorities thoroughly discussed at the October meeting were the publications
of a journal and a newsletter. Both will consist of six issues annually, and an expanded
newsletter may be available on the Internet.
The WWHA Journal will contain well-written articles showing original research. The
intent of the publication will be to feature works showing original research contributed not
only by amateur historians but also by writers who have already earned a high degree of
respectability among their peers. These include Joseph G. Rosa, Frederick Nolan, John
Boessenecker, Robert M. Utley, and Robert K. DeArment.
The newsletter will provide reviews of published works dealing with outlaws and
lawmen. It will also contain news of members and organizations relevant to the history of
the Wild West.
The NOLA and WOLA groups each chose representatives to meet and work out the
details. They selected fifteen members who will serve on the board of directors for terms
of one, two, and three years. It was also decided to hold an annual convention or roundup.
In 2008, the group will meet in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
39
BR: Police Forces of the World
Book Reviews
Police Forces
of the World
by William Hall Watson
Review by Rachel Barnett, Librarian
Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
©2006, Zeus Publications, PO Box 2554, Burleigh M.D.C.,
QLD, 4220, Australia. 437 pages, soft cover. ISBN 1-92100563-7. Australian $39.95 plus postage.
Police Forces of the World is a survey of approximately 220 national and state
police agencies in 67 countries. It does not attempt to cover the thousands of
municipal, county, or provincial agencies, as that would require a multivolume work.
The book is written in brief, fact-book style for police enthusiasts and collectors
desiring ready reference. Each departmental profile provides a brief history, photos
of insignias and badges, and a description of ranks.
Watson undertook the task of writing to each law enforcement agency listed and
contacting even more to discover the rank structure, insignia, and some history of
each organization. With a genuine affection for the subject, he painstakingly compiled
the information from a variety of official sources and secondary works. Some of
these references are now outdated (for example, the rank of Texas Ranger “private”
was eliminated some years ago), but this is to be expected when dealing with a field
as fluid as law enforcement today. A second edition would benefit by a bibliography
for each entry noting where more information could be obtained.
Each police force description provides a glimpse into the history and traditions
of the agency it describes. Those desiring an easy-to-read introduction to world law
enforcement will find this study useful and informative.
40
BR: Land of the High Sky
Book Reviews
Land of the High Sky
Stories Along the Rio Pecos
By John H. Wilson
as told to Sue Wilson Dawson
Review by Nancy Ray
El Paso, Texas: Land of the Sky Press, 2006. 86 pp.
$25 + $2.06 TX sales tax, media mail shipping free.
Book orders: http://crossv.com/LOHS
or mail to: Land of the High Sky Press
5006 Junius Street, Dallas, TX 75214
Memories . . . That one word describes the theme of Land of the High Sky: Stories
Along the Rio Pecos. These recollections belong to John H. Wilson, as told to his daughter
Sue Wilson Dawson. Mr. Wilson was a rancher, cowboy, oilfield worker, collector, storyteller,
and an honorary member of the Texas Rangers, Company E. In 1983, Wilson wrote the
dedication for this book: “It is a collection of stories about places and people in my life –
that is all.” That statement accurately describes this work of nonfiction, which is full of
tales about the dangers, the joys, the hardships, the people, and the history of West
Texas during the early twentieth century.
John Wilson was born in 1906 on the Cross V, the family ranch bordering the Pecos
River in West Texas. His memories about life there and the people he knew present a
different lifestyle from mine in the modern day. For example, buying groceries in the early
1900s was very dissimilar:
When we needed groceries, Dad would take the list Mother had written out and give
it to Mr. Reppetoe (a neighbor who worked for the Texas-Pacific Railroad). Mr. Rep
would give the list to The Pecos Mercantile in Pecos. The next day, when the local (train)
came out, our groceries would be on it. Dad would meet the train with the wagon. But
ordinarily, we took a wagon to Pecos twice a year. We bought groceries then for the next
six months. Flour, coffee, cornmeal, canned tomatoes, canned corn, dried fruit in 25pound boxes, sugar in 100-pound sacks. We would have a wagon full of groceries.
My, how times have changed!
41
BR: Land of the High Sky
Book Reviews
Christmas was also very different for young John. The Wilsons always decorated a
greasewood (creosote bush) with candles. Wilson says, “There never was one Christmas
that our Christmas tree didn’t catch on fire, and we would have to pick it up and run from
the house with the burning Christmas tree.”
As I read his words, a picture popped into my mind. Mr. Wilson and I were sitting on
the porch in the dogtrot of an old house, enjoying a cool breeze. (He could easily have
had a chew of Garrett’s snuff in his mouth, too!) I imagined John telling me one tale after
another about the cattle drives, the tornado in 1922, and more. I especially remembered
the story of the dog named She, who wouldn’t let Mrs. Wilson whip little John. Reading
these tales reminded me of the times I listened to my own father and his father telling their
stories.
If you are looking for a wild-west thriller about gunfights, barroom brawls, blood, and
gore, this book is not for you. These are short stories about everyday life in West Texas
and the happenings that formed our history. There is no plot to follow, and there are no
issues to debate. The tales are arranged chronologically from Mr. Wilson’s childhood
through the end of his life. The objective of this book was to capture the memories of John
Wilson, and that was definitely achieved.
Did you ever wish you had written the stories your grandparents told? Most people
don’t, but John Wilson and his daughter did just that. This easy-to-read book permanently
captures a lifetime of memories for readers to enjoy. I recommend reading Land of the
High Sky: Stores Along the Rio Pecos. You might experience nostalgic moments about
your past, just as I did.
Land of the High Sky: Stories Along the Rio Pecos
By John H. Wilson
as told to Sue Wilson Dawson
Review by Nancy Ray
El Paso, Texas: Land of the Sky Press, 2006. 86 pp. $25 + $2.06 TX
sales tax, media mail shipping free.
Book orders: http://crossv.com/LOHS
or mail to: Land of the High Sky Press
5006 Junius Street, Dallas, TX 75214
42
BR: Famous Texas Feuds
Book Reviews
Famous Texas Feuds
By C.L. Douglas
Reprint by State House Press/McWhiney Foundation Press. Soft
cover. $16.95. ISBN 978-933337-11-1. 208 pages. Black and
white photos. Index. Available from State House Press. McMurry
University, McMurry Station, Box 637, Abilene, Texas 79697
or the Texas A&M consortium at www.tamu.edu/upress.
This hot-selling book first appeared in 1936, published by the Turner Company of
Dallas, Texas. In 1988, it came out as a State House Press reprint, and it is now issued
with a new foreword by Paul Carlson of Texas Tech University’s Southwest Collection.
Famous Texas Feuds is an attempt to cover the best-known disputes in Texas.
Considering that he had few of the modern research archives we have today, he did a
very credible job. His study covers six feuds, starting with the East Texas conflict between
the early Regulators vs. Moderators and ending with the short-lived conflict between the
Jaybirds and the Woodpeckers, also in the same area. In between, his work focuses on
the Sutton-Taylor feud, the San Elizario Salt War, the Lampasas County dispute between
the Horrell and Higgins families, and the Mason County Hoo Doo War.
At the time of his research, Douglas had the distinct advantage of having men and
women still living who either participated or were witness to many of the events. Douglas
does not indicate if he actually interviewed many people in preparation of the book, but
he does quote Robert Pleasants, the son of Judge H. Clay Pleasants, who significantly
contributed to ending the Sutton-Taylor conflict. Although the memoirs of elderly individuals
are subject to frailties, reminiscences of those who have experienced events of the past
are important and should be preserved in spite of any possible weaknesses.
43
BR: Famous Texas Feuds
Book Reviews
However, there are occasional errors that might aggravate the student of feud history.
For example, Douglas’s report on the triple lynching in DeWitt County identifies the trio
incorrectly. Mason Arnold was not lynched at this point but was shot to death later on the
streets of Clinton. A second embarrassing error occurs by Douglas accepting the writing
of Ranger James B. Gillett, who stated that fifteen Rangers resigned rather than pursue
fugitive Scott Cooley during the Hoo Doo War of Mason County. Actually, there were but
three who resigned: Nelson O. Reynolds, Paul Durham, and James P. Day.
Even with a few mistakes, Famous Texas Feuds is an important work and a must for
Texana enthusiasts, and a first edition of this book is now difficult to obtain. Douglas
avoids a simple narration of ambushes and gunfights, and instead goes further in detailing
the social conditions of the era. That environment contributed mightily to the factors that
resulted in men shooting their neighbors, sometimes over several generations.
Famous Texas Feuds
By C.L. Douglas
Reprint by State House Press/McWhiney Foundation Press.
Soft cover. $16.95. ISBN 978-933337-11-1. 208 pages. Black
and white photos. Index. Available from State House Press.
McMurry University, McMurry Station, Box 637, Abilene,
Texas 79697 or the Texas A&M consortium at
www.tamu.edu/upress
44
BR: Tascosa
Book Reviews
Tascosa
Its Life and Gaudy Times
by Frederick Nolan
Texas Tech University Press, P.O. Box 41037, Lubbock, TX
79409-1037. www.ttup.ttu.edu. 2007. Profusely illustrated,
endnotes, bibliography, index. 361 pp. Hardcover $39.95.
Virtually anyone interested in the history of the American West in general and the
Wild West in particular is aware of the contribution of Frederick Nolan in preserving the
history of that region. His book on John Henry Tunstall was the first biography of the man
whose murder began the Lincoln County War, from which Billy the Kid emerged as an
American icon. Since then, Nolan’s biographies have included several works on both Billy
the Kid and the Lincoln County War.
Frederick Nolan is the first author who has attempted to write the history of Tascosa
since John L. McCarty’s 1946 biography, Maverick Town. For five decades, that work was
the only one available. Nolan’s work now provides a serious study of the elements that
contributed to Tascosa’s becoming a potential queen city of the Texas Panhandle and
also lists the factors causing it to disintegrate into a ghost town.
When the buffalo herds were wiped out in the 1800s, sheep filled the spaces. Soon,
cattle ranches were also established, such as George Littlefield of the LIT and David T.
Beals of the LX. Cowboys and other specimens of humanity also contributed to the wild
region: gunmen, rustlers, fugitives, hard men, and a few women.
Tascosa was a lively place, but factors soon developed which made it a ghost town:
the railroad moved, new towns were established, and a new county seat was chosen. In
1939, however, the creation of Cal Farley’s Boy’s Ranch brought the town back to life.
45
BR: Tascosa
Book Reviews
Many relatively unknown men and women are fleshed out in Nolan’s work, and they
have legitimate reasons to be included. Some were killed in Tascosa, adding to its gaudy
and colorful reputation. Among these are Emmanuel Dubbs, Henry Russell, James
McMasters, the Arnim brothers, Cape Willingham, Tom Harris, and Ellsworth Torrey. There
is a wealth of new information––no rehash of secondary sources here!
Of particular interest for readers of the Dispatch is the section dealing with the Rangers
under the command of Pat Garrett, the Lincoln County, New Mexico, sheriff who killed
Billy the Kid in 1881. In ability or accomplishment, Garrett was not even close to other
Ranger commanders such as Dan Robert, John R. Hughes, or even N.O. Reynolds. His
Ranger stint evolved when big ranchers of the Panhandle urged Governor John Ireland to
provide protection from rustlers. Ireland agreed and put Pat Garrett in charge of a group
called the LS Rangers, also known as Home Rangers. Garrett received a salary of $5,000
per year, picked his own men, and had permission to end rustling in any way he could.
The LS Rangers were not, in any sense of the word, real Texas Rangers such as Major
John B. Jones had commanded. The group was in existence for less than a year in 1884,
and although it contributed to the history of the area, rustling did not end.
Nolan is an established authority on several aspects of southwestern history, and
readers will be somewhat familiar with many of the names and events described within
the pages of Tascosa. Even if the reader is well versed on Panhandle history, Nolan’s
intense digging into virtually every possible archive, public or private, permits him to
assimilate and write a fascinating narrative. This work will serve as the final authority, if
not the last word, on Tascosa.
Tascosa
Its Life and Gaudy Times
by Frederick Nolan
Texas Tech University Press, P.O. Box 41037, Lubbock, TX
79409-1037. www.ttup.ttu.edu. 2007. Profusely illustrated,
endnotes, bibliography, index. 361 pp. Hardcover $39.95.
46

Texas Ranger Dispatch - Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum

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