,.

I

\

...

-

/

'. •I I

r
/I

_!~~
c·,1('f :\ ... •

j-\ouse vt r._?It:,:...vntJl•-.IC:O

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

•)<"

 VOLUME
--==="==;;;:.
- ~-~
-

Testimony of

c.

Valle

- - - - -

Col . Aurel io Farfan

"
"

"

D. F. Strickl and

"

" W. A. Anderson

1f

"
"
"
II

".
1t

J . J. Busby

622

--- - --

- - - - - - -

Thomas A. Johnson

"

611

--- - -

"
"

"

2.

--- --

- - -

-

644
649
664

- - -

---

- - - -

--

------ - - - - - - - " Ed Bi xby - - --- -" G. M. All sup
- - - - - " A. J . Wal lendorff - - - - - - - --J . E. Lesl ie - - - - " c. w. McCain - - - - - - - - - - - - - --" J . B. Dodson
" James B. Wel ls

1f

667

676
722

725
729
738
745
746

Investigation fil ed in Adjutant General' s Department
751

regarding various char ges
Testimony of J. T. Canales
(Recal led

-- - - ----- -- - - -- -- - -

855
995

Correspondence between J . T. Canal es, Governor
888

Hobby and Adjutant General Hobby
Testimony of
1t

"
"
"

c.

B. Hudspeth

" E. M. Sorrenson

-------

964

- - - - -

1023

--

1044

- - ----

n

Octabiano Narveas

1f

H. N. Gr ay - - - - - - - - - -

" J . z. Gar za

------ - - - - - - - -

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

-

1056
1070

 ~----

SATUHDAY, FEBRUARY 8TH 1919 .

MORNING SESSI ON .

The J oi nt Com.rrdttee

o~

the House and Senate to in-

ve stj f.!et.t e tJ1e charges against the State Ranger Force convened
at 10 :00 o ' clocv

THE CFAIM.AN :
Jh . C.ANALFS :

A. ~.

Gentlemen, the Cowmi ttee wi 11 come to o rd.er .
:Mr . C"hainnan, I have some vlitnesses, but they

are no". in the roori1 .

Shall we proceed to irt roci.uce d.o CUY'l.entary

evide.rice jn regard to my cl...ar.9;es?
CRAIF~

THE

'

AN :

MR . CAfTAI.ES :

How is th at ?
We have son•e witnesses, hut shCt.11 we proceed

w:itv. "f·he jntroduction of my. documentary evidence .
anyon~

rresent that is a 1itness in the case

o~

I s there

the killina of

Ernest W. Richberg, that knows anythinr; about the killir"" of
Rjchberr ?
GENERAL P..ARLEY :
~ave

one

~crA

Mr . Cc.;'\alr-c:: •

ritnesses are not here .

\l/e

we·would like to put on .

THE CHAIM.AN :

All rie-ht, call him .

C.

r. .

VALLE,

'bE.ing fjrst duly sworn , testified he.rore the Corr:.M.ittee as
follo·,..,s :
.;.,-··

...

EXAHI NED BY MR . KNI GPT •
0

Hr . V· lle, you live at Rio Grande CitJ?

A

Ye:;, sir .

Q How
A

lon~ ~ave

you resided at Rio Grande Citf9

We 11 , I have be en the re, I have be en reared around there;

my f· -'-1-er O'Vned land before I .vas born, but I have made my

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

61 t

 1

residence the re ever since 189?, when I came l)ac r from the
No rt!:, you kno

Q You

ar~

A No, I
ta1

j

1.

a Texan,

bo~n

in Texa5 °

1af born in the Republic of Mexico., but I have been

n("' rr.y :papers -- my primary papers nhP.n I

so0n as I

car.le from the North .

pleted ahou+

~ifteen

became of age, as

My full citizenship was com-

or sixteen years

a~o .

Q Your citizenshi p i s complete ?
A

Yes, sir .

Q

V.'hat is yori.r busiries~ ?

A

At preserit ?

Q.

YPS.

A

I

or

air.

ti1 ret~

in the m~rcantile busjnes5 .

I

used to ~e until two

yea.rs arro a ranch man .

Q Have you st ill ranching interests?
A

No , not at present .

Q

You are in the mercantile business at Rio Grande Ci ty?

A

At Rio Grande Ci tv .

O

The re has been rather tt1rbulent times down the re on the

Border, particularly sirce the war situation obtains, be~inning
hac~

in 1914, 1915 and 1916?

A Yes, sir .

r

A

~reat

·deal of

MR . CA1IA.IJ:i:S :
wj

tness .

unea~iness

I <1oulc like the gentleman not to lead his

If you .1ould like to make a speech, I would like you

to be und.er oath .
THE

CFAIH~ :

Make y our objections to the Committee and do

not lecture other counsel .
MR . CANALES :
MR . KNIGPT :
THE CPAIRI-AN :

MR .

KNI Gr~ :

I obiect, because it is lead i n,,. .
The gentle~en know if we had insisted on that -Go ahead . T'"is is not a ,jury trie.l .
T~at

is what I thou~ht .

6Texas State Library and Archives Commission

I certainly have not

 invo' ed trose technicalities .
TH11; CHAIRIY.AN :
MR . KtHGPT :

That is all ri"'ht, J udc-e -- -"roceed .
Q There has heen a great deal o.P rrigration

from this side to +he other side"
A

J'efore I answer that question I would lil<e to explain to

this Cm11T1dtt.ee that I have heen connected for some time past -THE CP~~Iffi1AN :

Kindly answer specific questions addressed to

.rou, and t .i ten if explanation is necessary afterwards it will
b

e cal 1 ed for •
Q,

There haft heen more or less migration to the other side?

A Yes, there have been hundreds of ~eo'Ple ~oi~r across the
River .

Q,

What connectiop. have you had --

A

I

am Ar·oeal Agent for the Government •

I was a)pointed

+he re hy Ma.i or Townes some time la st year on account of certaj n irr~t.;ularjt.ies committed hy the local board .

He an-pointed

1'!'l.e Appeal .Apent to lool{ after those thinps and the great nurr-

ber o~ deserters that have heen go i n~ on del i nquents, etc .
Q,

You have heen dischar isin~ the duties of that office since

then"
have been hold i ng

t~at

office

an~Nay .

A

I

Q

And came into contact vlith the neople more thar orcinarily

by rP.ason of ·it"

A .Certainly .

o Now, Mr . Valle, you have observed the Ranc;er servjce down
there jn i·he:i_t country since you have been there?
A

Yes, I know the Rant;ers and the River Guards, I know most

of' the Rangers .
Q

I s the Ranp-er sendce valuahle or not in t""e development

of that country
A

In

m.v

do~n t~ere "

country the:,r have been a help, everyhody is sati s -

fi ed '.dth them , all I see of them .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Was there any serious objection to t.hem at all until this

Q.

war situation obtained in the last three or four years?
A

l

I· think so , and I don ' t think that ~ood neople have ob-

.i ectcd. to Ranp:e rs in my county .
Q.

When has the ant ipat Yiy ar;ainst the Rangers been most

acute with reference to the last elect ion there in November?
A Well, I tell you , the complaints that come of the Rangers
di scl!a.:re;h1g their duties is on account of the Loyalty Act .

The deserters , there have been lots of slackers, they call
them, r,oin~ across the River and coming back .

They have not

FOOd feelings !or a rood officer an~1ay, down where I live .
Q

Do you kno•.v of any conduct on the part of any particular

Ret.nger or a."ly sneci~l i nstances of the Rangers y.iernetrating
any delihf!rate outraee on any of' the citizens down the r e or
any of the aliens?
A

Not deliberate that I know of .

Q Fon have they conducted themselves in the discharge of
their duties .
A

J ust tell the Committee in your own way .

Well, I have observed, you kno.v , .d th those boys stationed

there, now we have some boys, at present working under Captain
Wright, I

cannot recollect all their na.~es .

There is a fellow

by the nau.e of Lawrence , Hutchinson and Wells and Edds .

think he is a Sergeant, actinp Ser~eant there ~

I

I

have seen

them working there rir-ht alonri:, and I never heard of any complaint until I

came here .

I

came here and heard ahout the

c'r>arp-es, n. c;B.inst the Range rs, ana e sDeci ci.lly against Sergeant
Edds .
Q

Starr County is your county?

A Yes, sir .
Q

Now the re was a great exodus fro'Yll Starr County as well

a.s the o~he r horder counties a.ft er the "Draft La .1 f/a s inaur-urated;
I aill ask you to state whether or not you talked to the

•

61 State Library and Archives Commission
Texas

 different Mexicans going back to Mexico as to the occasion of
their going and to 1hat cause they attribut ed -- I mean the
Mexicans that went across there, the deserters and slackers .
A When the first crowd vie missed, there were two or three
of my boys ,rnrking in my garage and about ten boys working
under me a.3 chauffeurs and hands around the r,arage, tnere were
some fellows that started to
I

advised t!•e ... not to go .

around and talk to then , and

17,0

said to thE.1_ , it don ' t lo ok rii:i;tit

I

for us being of Mexican descent to act in such a way, after
living here and heen in this country for so many years .

The

way I fir;ured .vas reca:ise t·1ey sent to me a list of them .

I

remember .ve 11, they said they could possibly go an cl. stay he re
a.nd the netter cla:>s of Mexicans they did not send, it seemed
that the best class of Mexicans around there they did not send,

and se:Gt those _poo1· rlevil.,

1'1.3.t

had no representation whatever ,

in my opinion around .vhere I lived, is i1hat caused these young
boys to go across

Q n· · they
d0. n t:.e

th~

clai~

River .

they left on account of the

R~~gers

bei ng

·"' ?

A

Not that I kno ,-, of .

Q.

i)ir you hear anybodJ make that statement "

A

I never

~eard

anybody say they

~ere

leavin~ ~or

the

Rc..vir:e res •

Q Are you acquainted vit'
A

Q'h,

c~

tain H

nso~ ?

yes , I kno .. C<.. . Jtain H<:l.nsom, I think 1fe ·11as in offic c

at. tbe -t"ime, 1896 or somednere <:..round therEl , the first t i me

I 1.rnew him as "Deputy Uni ted States Marshal, and I th ink I had

tho 1)leasure to be the fj rst man in my county to meet him .
Q

J ust give that Cammi t tee your opinion of h i m as a man

and. an officer , _:>re<Ucated on

\?}1u.t

you kno.1 , .vhat you have

heard and uho. t you have seen -- don ' t put any
A

li~ni t

on it .

I don ' t think there \till be much .rnic:ht in my opinio n

Texas
61a State Library and Archives Commission

 ,::j th this Committee, they can tell

som is a

!'."OOd ,

ny lookina; I kno :: Mr . Han-

strai ~ht , upriv.:ht man ever si nee I have kno ~1n

him, and one of the best officers ever in that part of t~e
countr,f .

less

~10

I

a.m mi ?;hty Glad. to see him, necau~e he is a tire -

:rker .

Q I Jill ask you if, prior to the election in 1918 , in
Novemher, you heard anyone outside of ...,roba'lJl y the la.1-breakinp.;
class criticise, I mean asperse, slander
official and personal

ot'

evei. criticise his

con~uct ?

A

I never heard anybody around there .

Cl

Do you kno . Cc..}Jtain Vlrig'· t ?

A

I c'o .

Q

What kind of a man and ihat kind of an officer is he ?

A

I always heard he was a f ine officer .

The first time I

knew him .vas .!'hat we call over the re at the Doffi t trial f'or
murder .

That is the first time I met Ca;:>tain Wri~ht and fOt

acquainted wi t:'l him , and I always seen him to be a fine man ,
no cocnplaint

0

fr1atever that I ,:no.1 of in my county .

There is one other officer I desire to ask you about and

let. tl-i> Co mittee have t:1e benefit of your v~e.1s in ~he mat ter, and th at is S"'rgean ~ J ohn Edds .
A

We:.!. , I .,a,y this much al?out Se:. rgean·

J o,..,,n Edds .

Tr.ere

is o. certain element - - by " certain ele'lle?1. " I '"'lean those
fellm:s in my humble opinion , and most of the

""OOd

citizE:ns,

thi r,, element is the one ~hat controls tht.. Starr County politics ,
the political bosses in other wc>i'ds .

I have heard once in a

while a littlf~ t::..lk about J ohn Edds .

I .v:ill say this much for

hi n , he is a good officer of the la. :1, and for the other bOJS
around h:im , I thi:ri:--: he :is one of the best boys in the Ran.o;er
force

o·f

the State of Texas .

I t,hink they do not like J ohn

Edds because soree time last year he

~ot

into a stealinG case

and cau ..·ht one of our so - called most -prominent people in my

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 c:lunt.r .

Tr3r Coi.f;ht him with different head of cattle .

~ nt ove!· th re aYJi i'ixeri i t

l!J,

anti

T' ?Y

they never said a ,,,-ord ,

and -- ·THE CHAI K~AN :

Do you knoll thjs of your o..vn personal kno.7-

le(lrre "
A
or

I know j t for one of the~ told me he had been pai d fo r ty
do l lar s to keep quiet , Mr . Chai nnan •

f j fty

Evjdence of that kind j~ not adm.iss i Dle .

TVE CHAI RMAN:
A

All ri n-'1t , that is uo to you , Mr . Cliai rman .

THE CP.Aim:AN :

l F. . KNI GHT :

A

Y s,

We

Q

the

;ri 1 1 l eave it out .

You say he arrested one of the prominent. men

S~er i ~~ ·

D

ar~ment

the re :as noth i ng said

a'1out jt, and I th i nk that is the reason he is disl i ked by a
certain element do .m there .
~

Q

Di

A

They re c ov e r ed .:.)a r t of thb cattlt! , one or tvvo head of

J ohn Edds recover cattle "

them .:ere returned to Mr . East , the cowboy told me abotit it .
TH:W. CHAI RMAN :
A

1hen r1e returned the cattle?

No, sir .

TEE CH.AI R.J:AN :
A

Were Y.OU ffesent

Y

~

Do you understand 1hat I am sa inr "

, si:: •

Tl-':E CFAI R'~AN :

You 1ill not tell matters ,rith reference to

S')ecjfic transactions that you only ~now by hea r say .

I trust

you dlJ. not make it necessary to call your- atte1tjon to i t
ap;a.in .

Matte r s of general information as to general conditions

down th .~re must of ne c esni ty be oro v en hy hearsay, 'but operat:ion.:> of ncn with re f e r erice to s•)ecific t r ansac t io ns of that

character cannot he uroved by hearsay .
MR . KNT(}""1T :
atj

T'-11:1.t i s the rule no\/ under !hi ch we are oper-

·?

THE CHAI R:AN :

Y~ s .

·rn .Library
KNTGP'T : t vrill hear it in mind and
Texas
State
and Archives Commission
61

try the 'best I c an

 to enforce it .
MR . CA"til'AIE S :

Q You o :m a r~arage the r .... ?

, at present .

A

Yt

Q

An~

A

Y ... "' .

Q

n~

A

I n wh:i.cli. ·flay'>

Q,

Do they h i re your cars vhen they need then ?

have bad for four or five year"' ?

th

Ranue r s use your c a r s ?

A I don ' t beli eve they eve r h i red m;

c~r s , the Rangers .

0 ly in one s, ec i al instance •1he r e Mr . Hansom .;as there t r y i ng
to find out about some i nvestigation , an ,~l& ction .ihich I

turned in and I didn ' ~ charge ona cent fo!· the service .
think that is the only i nsta1ce •/here
the

th~

I

Range r s eve r used

I •

You say you oimed

A

No , I a.on ' t no 11 , I sold :it Otlt .

Q.

You are in the minority in that ool i t i cal fac t i on over

there :i.

c,,.

ranch .

Do you ovm :it still?

Q

S arr Colln+ y ?

A Yo1 say vhat ?
Q

I

the Ti nority?

You are among the

fe\1

there who consider

yourselves the hest element '>
A

No , sir , Ur . Canales , I

1as in the political party over

there , in office
Q

Mi no ri ~

A

Whc..t do you mean by "minorit.)r" ?

Q

Tfie ones that cannot get in 9

?

You are tryi ng to get in

the noli ... 1cal s j tuat i on there , and you have been beat out ?
A

I s:...y this :'oi· ·'iyself and for those that a r e here : I v1as

in tbat political pa r ty , Mr . Curran rras the poli t ic al boss - not •ecause he Nas zny

oli+ical friend, lftr . Curran

t i ca.1 hos s and was not my political friend , and I
Q

..

YoP

~1ercl

made to quit 9

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

.1a~
qui~~ .

poli-

 A

No , I .1as not ma..de to qu1 t .

-1111 sbo.1 , I
I

wa~

;he

The last time, the :---cords

ran for Count., J udge of th.., County o.;- Sta.rr , ancl

duly ele c ted a-c the primary election 1ith a 1"i.,. , over, 10.jocity-, an:. I

i

ianted to use ree ani I

re::>ie;ned. 'hecausb I sa.1 the crov1d

res1~ned .

,rnuld have to take iny l)lace .

I

old them somebody else

I t is of record here, and I .• ill

11 ri n,. the pa.rt i ~s , witnesses , here to sho .v that .
you- c~ll-him was present here yesterday ,
m~r ex ensi:..s .

Mr . What - do -

W. W. J ones - - he paid

H, s:...., ... , A.Ll rip:f1t, Co."1tain, I c'on ' t .iant you

to be out your money that you spent in the prim;...ry elect ·on,
of his

O\m

free will and accord .
~ai nst

Q.

You. ran

A

I ran against him , my fri cmd :Mon roe .

Q.

And defeated Monro ... ?

A

So the records sho .1 .

Q.

Ans111er the question

Monro

J ud g\3 Monroe .

11

Y(:.S " or "No " .

I aay you d0feated

?

A

S11ce .

Q,

Aid then Monroe is out t1itf1 you:c Jarty and it is the

" irs u."ld the outs " ?
A

Ou ,

ure, I have no party .

THE CHAI RMAN:

tha t ,

~e

ron I +w go

MR . CAllTAIB S :
Q

Y"l

A

'

~he

Rangers had something to do :ith

..

in~o

Yes .

consider Sergeant Edds and his actions there a.s an

example of the
Texe, "

Unles3

~ype

thut OUO'ht to be valued in tht: State of

?

I

1

no .1 what you c:.r8 trying to lead to , al10ut killing - -

I don ' t believe in

killin~

a

m~n

in any way

myself ~

but in

regard to the santi ment of the peopJ..1.:; , I 11as not the re , I never
heard anyhody

the first informatior I ,.,ad , I r.ad through

one of his f]rst co...tsins --· thc.i.t he

~a.nted .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

I :' the Co......mittee

 wants ir..e to , I

~'Till

tell you d'nerc I heard it .

Answer 'the question .

Q

A You are leading :u.e to something , 1'lr . Canales - }fR . CA1-TAIES :
an swerinr-

1ny

.1i sh the gentleman .rnuld co .'1f i ne himself to

I

quest.ion·.

THE CHAI RMAN :

You aslc him a specific question, a.nd in so

far as I can I nili request the gentleman - A Mr . Chainnan, he is putting me in u
TPE CFAI RMAN :

it

posi~ion

We.it until I r;et through talking .

I trust

will not be necessary for us to be in any sense disagreeable
I a.u: going to ask Mr . Co.nales to ask direct

or unpleasant .
questions .

You make specific answers to them , and then if counsel
who
Mxx ~RX ~/piaceiyou on the stand thinks it necessary,
he

,ri 11 ask you f

MR . KNI GHT :

a.n explana.ti or .

01:

Let him ask the questions

THE CF.AI RMAN :

o~~

at a time .

I am g-oing to ask the witness to a.ns11er and

then quit .
MR . CANALES :

You consider Sergeant Edds an exempla.ry man

Q,

in the Ranger forca ?

A

I n one way I do .

SE~ATOR

WI LLIFORD :

MR . KNI GHT :

I aP.

A

Ans·.ver "Yes " or " No ".

Suppose he cannot !

unu~r Odt~,

~nd

when I say it

for me to say, let me explain and I
consider exemplary and
n1e

1

o

Sc..Y

~.ion

ould be pretty hard

,,rj 11

I don ' t .

say \lhy , .1hi ch I

I t is pretty hard for

so:uvi:.ine; tfl.at is not borne out by facts .

THE CHAI RM.AN :
VR . CANALES:

i t as far as I
TF]! CEAI RMA.W :

Go ahead , Mr . Canales .
I asked him a quest ion and he has not answered
know .
He has answered about half a page , I · don' t

lcno':J uhat more you .1d.nt .
1 R . CANALES :

Q,

You ,rnuld recou.11e'1d to have ir.en of his type

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
•

 •

anc conduc t in serv ic e on the Ranger force for the orotection
of ::hat you tenn to be law- abiding citizens of Starr Count.r?
A

For the lan- abidinf citizens I do .

Q

I Qelieve that is all I

SENAT0R WI LLI FORD :

care to ask this witness .

You eid say a vhile afO you thought Edds

was one of the hest officers in the service ?
~jr ,

an~

A

Yes ,

the reason why - -

Q

That is al 1 right .

Do you thinl<:: an officer in the ser-

vice in that country is a good officer who will so to a house
looking for a deserter ~nd not search the house ?

Do y~u think

a ~ nger is a good officer 1•1ho .1i 11 go to find a desperate man

and find him

ei.Sle1;,.l:-'

a.ml .1alk u!" close enough for the desferate

man to grab his aT"!l?
A

of

I n such a case I d.o not , but I don ' t kno11 the particulars
a case .

:Ji.lC."l

MR . TI DWELL :

Do you know of any instance in which Rangers

have been intoxicated and shot up the to.vn of Rio Grande City
and enBaged in other acts of intolerance and overbeari ng actions ?
A

I

don ' t know of any such in my to\;n , I don ' t kno.v about

other to .ms .
Q.

~

Do you kno.i of any instance in which

treated or mistreated a cicizen in any ..:d.J ?

A

No~

in ny

to~n .

Q Have you heard of any such instance §?
A

I

n0ver hear d it until here yesterda.:r .

Q

I

am not tall<ing about vhat you heard .

A

1 never heard it ' exce9t ah out that

Q

J ohn Edds nas born and raised there ?

A

I

don ' t knod .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

--

Ra.f"ger has mal-

 COLONEL AURELI O FARFAN,
th~

being first duly sworn through

testified throuah the said C . Valle
foll<>

O f~icial I nte~ure~ er
befor~

C . Valle ,

the Committee as

'/S :

EXAMI NED BY MR . CANALES .
Q. Your na·rr.e"

A Aurel i o Farfan .

Q You a r e a Mex i can citizen?
A

Yes .

Q

What offic i al , i f any - -

.1hat is your profession"

A I am ·a mi litary man .
Q W".nat grade have you acquire( ?
A

Colonel.

Q.

I n whose army"

A Colonel

o~

the Mexi c an Army .

Q.

Under what reg i me ?

A

Dvr i n~

Q

Did you g r aduate f r on the Mi lita. r y School of Mexi co ?

General Di az ' administration .

A Yes , sir .
Q

Do you kno .~ St. rgean t Edds "

A

Yes , ;-.ir .

Q

Hcl. v0 JOJ. seen h i m he re "

A

I ltave seen

b. i !~!

some·.1he re b a.ck the rd .

Q Uo you remember v1hen Sergeant Edds and another pe r son
came to arrest you in Ri o Grande City some t i me last year , i n
J une or J u l y "
A

Yes , I do .

Q,

Will .rou please r.e l ate to the Committee .vhat sort o f

treatment you re c e i ved .
THE I N"TJiJRPRETER :

He says he would li '<:e to ask this Corn.mi t tee

i:: he would be allo.1ed -to sc..y and state every fac t i n co nne c tion

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 \~ith

it , or he wi 11 tell you in a few .·10rds .1hat happened to

Q Tell him first to relate that incident
by questions we Nill bring up the
A

and then possibly

ot~er .

.1as at Rio Grande City on the 13th day of Auc~ust .

I

was at a dinner ~iven me by a merchant , A.1tonio Renego .

I

After

the dinner he said he laid down on the bed , laid doNn on the
cot .

I .vas lafi ng th ere readi n~ a paper ahout three or four

o ' cloc"k in the evening Nhen I heard somebody runriinf inside

of

th~ f~rd , ~nQ

running

I sat up , and I noticed Sergeant Edds come

xf'Xxx JrnX.JrnED

tib rx«±x .!ith a pistol in his hand .

Well ,

he took ;>ossess i on of the grip , ....nd this fellow he !lI!istJ.ed

for his other friends to come , und then came a fello v who

.li::l.S

sitting bC:lCk here by the name of Roy .
Q,

Roy Collins?

A He l{:nows there i.J RoJ on it , he don ' t knoil .lhcther it is
-t:he first or &econa name .

( Roy Collins stands up for purposes of identification . )
A

Yes , t:r..a t is the very man .

He .1ent to open my grip, and

I .1e nt to open it for him after he ... O.J.d me , then he cursed
me , he says "Cabron ".

Q I s that tantamount to "Son- of- a - bitch " ?
A (B.t L 1terpreter )

I don ' t kno,,r , there is .rnrds for tha.t .

insultin~

Q

I t is a very

A

(By I nterpreter )

A

( By Witness )

7ord , isn ' t it , in Spanish"

Oh , yes , sure it is .

He says , "You cahron , shut up there ."

I

retl:lrned and sat up on my bed , and he took charge of the grip
again .

Trc. n he told

1i1B

to come up here , he made me stand by

the door leading to the yard , then he told me to raise v.p my

pants, .Probably thinkin& I .ora.s anned - - I ,,ras not .
him.self T.nat I
re ... olc. :me

vO

~vas

To sati s.f'J

unarmed and that he ha.d no danger from me ,

get out of tr..e house and put the pistol

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

ag~inst

 me some·.1'1e re Cl.round 1ny stomach or the 1' ack somewhere, "then he
snapped
shelJ. .

i~

1ithout probably Knowing that it .:as not on the

He had a loaded c.na.nbe r , but ,: i th the idea. to fright en

rr,e of it .

h~

T'J.en

pu..'1c!1t.:cl 1i1e

. ~i th

the muzzle of his gun and

carrit::d me that Nay up to the closet, hit me with his gm1 .
punched me

He

'lith the muzzle of the gun , and then he hit me with

the gun over t'rie head and took me to the closet riThere he locked
1

me up .

,ms there probably about one hour .

I

or ten minutt s

c.:::.._.ie tu sec me .

fl....,

you come out of here I

About every five

He cursed u1e and says , "I f

.1ill kill you ."

A" out every five or

ten minutes he .;as visitinp; me duri'!lg the time ?le had me in
the close't .

I

requested him not to treat me ·cfia.t ,1ay , but .rn

arc used. to treating that

10.y

only certain people .

I

.1as not

accustomed to that treatment and reqvcsted him to treat me
bettc.;:r .
the
I

My head .vas bleeding .

Ji.7,ness paid no attention , and he says he sho,1ed me that

was bleeding .
~o

11.e

He never paid any attention ,

I

never noticed it myself , and then he told

clee:tn up and thro ,fed me a handkerchief , and the re it is

( cxhihits a handkerchief ).

That is the same ''1.andke rchief.he

thro#ed me to wipe my blood .

Q.

11

Where .1as Sergeant Edds at this time ?

A He was investigating the grj p of Mr .

Farf~n .

Q

I

askwit .1\.e ther Edds sa / Roy 'trea.t him l.hat .'la:f .

A

I

think so , becac1se I heard Edds calling something to

Roy , and I kno,·1 ..:hen he called him he stopped his activities .
Q

From there where were you taken ?

A

They lcept me in the closet there about on., hollr , and they

.vcr(, abusing ne not only by .ll'ord but by deed .
of ~he army ca1.1e .vi th some soldiers .

T:ben an officer

T11.e n -c"rie activity of

these oa rties was very diffe rent or c lane;ed entirely .
Q

T' en you .1ere tr--ated courteou.sly by \,he military officer ?

A Very

..

nice~J ,

yes , sir .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
624

 Q.

From there .vhe re :1ere you taken ?

A

To th_, Fort Ringgold and I .1as .. orkin~ around there ,

around. tht. Fort , three da., s .
1':le re .1e rt! you ta1cen?

Q

From there

A

I

Q

Do you :know Captain W. M. Hctn.som?

A

YE; s , sir .

Q.

Where did you know h:iin?

A

I n San Antonio .

Nas taken to Bro 1msvi lle .

Q Did you know him at the time of that attemrted counterrevolution
A

I did .

Q

Where vere yo .J.?

A

I

Q

Did

. as at the time i" Loder C&lifornia .
yo~ COille

A Not at
Q,

Reyes ?

o~ G~neral

th~t

to

s ~n

Antonio ?

time .

T believe that is all from the ·,vi tness at present .

EXA!llfI NED BY MR • KNI GHT :

Q.

Where do you reside a.t this tine ?

A

Dtc to the fact that I am still pending 'before the Fed-

"ral Co irt in Bro .msville , and being under bond , I have ....lade
my re ~idenc ~ :i .-1 B .:o

Q You are

~

mi:»V i

lle .

citizen of Mexico ?

A Yes , entirely .
Q

You are an officer in some anuy do.vn there , are you not ?

A

I belonged to the National Army of Mexico -- I don ' t care

vhether i t ;i/as Diaz ' army or Huerta ' s anny or anything , but
I belonged to the Mexican Army of the Republic of Mexico .
Q,

You have belonged to th8 anny do.m there during all these

revolutionary periods ?
A· I
•

~ervcd

my country up to the time

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

hat the Mexican

a~..ny

 was disoanded during the administration of Huerta .
J~R . CA-.~ALES :

J ust exlJla in the balance of it .

Ht. sa.1s he

served under Diaz and. under Madero C:1.nd then under -A

served all my time under General 'Diaz , HuEdta, P resi -

I

den

Madero a.1a. a.11

-~he.'.

--

Was any ~orti on of the anny to .1hi ch he vVas

MR . :RNTG'HT :

attached operating in Texas August 10th last year ?
A

No, sir .

but not
I

Q,

revo lu ~ioni~~ .

lidn ' t ask h i m that .

R . CA'N"AI.ES :

the

~ich

The fitness made a very 1mportant <::1.Y"SY:er

I nter~reter

h:R . C. VALl.E :

I

Of course I cddn ' t ex:i-ect him to

it .

ad.mi~
l

~

At the time , yes , sir , he 11vas in Rio Gr eillde

did not 1nterpret .

I don ' t .1ant any reflection on the I r.tt:rpreter .

.alk thine;s , it does not

he sei.ys hi:! was in Ne .r York .

flO

~j th

the date ,

01

August 10 th

I misunderstood him , I thought

he said the year before last : 1.e said he ;1as not in Rio @rande .

SENATOR PAGE :

w1~at

is th1:: ans#er to the question 9

Knight asked hiu if there ,·1as an An1i.Y

o~

Mr .

Mexico operating in

Tt:::)Ci.S d>n A lGust 1 0 th , 1918, when the .vitness ;{as in R1o Gra.nde
C~t->' ?

A

No , ..,i r .

MR . KNIGHT :

Q Wasn ' t Colonel Cc:..vazas on th"' Texas side at

th<:l.t time ?
A

I

do not know .

Q.

Hadn' t hE:. crossed over from Mexico about three days

before , and wasn' t he following him for the purpose of joining
him?
· A

I kne\1 that he had crossed , because I read it in the

papers , hu+ I

-;as not the re trying to join hin. , 1'ecau.se I

C:t.Irl

a professi ond.l military ma.n , .,rhile he ..ras no"t . ·

Q Didn ' t thev all leave San Antonio --

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

A s~

him what rank

 Teoteofal o Vasques had .
A

I naver kne,,r him in the anny at all .

the time frow

S d~

He

ias 1i th me at

Anton i o . ·

I n SC:1.n "D i ego at that time 1i th V-i:-n -- I '".:iean Rio Grande

Q.

Ci t.J?
A

Yes , bd c ause we got together and d r ove in the same auto .

Q He was also a Mexican so l dier?
I don ' t kno7T, I never sa.i him in the army in Mexico .

A

Q "Didn ' t he accompany the witness from San Anton i o to Rio
Gra.nd~

A

Cit., ?

Y1;:s , .1e vorl<ed together .

Q A. c. Cavazos .vas just ahead of them a dc..y or t

to ?

A

I said already , I testified that I .«ne .1 it b.f the pa1•er .

Q

Yes , only .

A

He sdys that calls my attention .

No.: .1hat about J esus Es. C:<.rz a.?
I t is funny to me you

ment i on that ma.n here .1l1en he did not accom~any me .

That man

lives i·:i Rio Gr ande City .
Q.

He ·ilas in Ri o Grande Ci ty 111en he and th i s ma n Va s quez

1:ot

th;; re

A

Y es .

,

~1asn '

t he ?

Q Was he a Mexican citizen?
A

Which of then.?

Q

E sparza .

A

Yes .

Q How long had he been in Rio Gr<:1.r.de City when he arrive d

there ?
A

I don ' t know .

Q.

WC;;..., he a member of o ne of those armies i n Mexico?

A

I kne ~1 he 1a s i n the Ac c ount i ng "Department of the Cu s toms

House in Matamo r as .

Q He was a Mexican official on the other side?
A

Yes , sir.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q,

"Do you kno v Guillermino So to ?

A

Yes .

Q

Vla.s he in the Mexican Army?

A

Yes , he \was an officer in my regiment .

Q He was

a

CdJtain in

~our

regiment ?

A Yes , he 1•1as .
Q,

He was ,:/"J.ere on the 10 th day of AuP'ust ?

A

With me .

Q

I sn ' t it a fact that Captain Guiller..nino Soto \ias in Rio

He has lived .d th me for the last six years .

Grande Ci ty at the same time but in another part of the town?
A He .1as witfi me over there but I

1as invited to a.ttend

the dinner and that is what made us separate .
Q

Capto.in Soto ,;as in the lumberyard, .iasn' t he ?

A

Yes, sir .

Q

W'nat Nas the object or occasion

o~

the mobilizing of so

n.uny of the Mexican soldiery at that time in Rio Grande City?

A He wants to know which party you mean .
SENATOR WILLIFORD :

Ask him why there

~vere

so many officers

and .;old] e rs in Ri o Grande Ci ty at the time he was the re •

A

I

.'las not :1ith him , I don ' t kno.v .

together .

Myself and Soto .vere

We .1ent there for son:.e other purpose .

SENATOR 1tfILLiffORD :

many Mexican officers

Ask him .fhy , if he knolls , there were so
~nd

Mexican soldiers in MKx Rio Grande

City at the sa.n:e time .
A

My object in going to Rio Grande, I

law prori bi ting us from traveling
Q,

i~

Tell h im to answer my quest ion .

about the la.v prohibiting him .

I

don ' t kno N of any

the public .
I

don ' t care anything

asked him why so many Mex-

ican of .fi cera and soldiers •JVe·re in Rio Grande City .
A He is trying to talk so much about it .

He sai d he didn ' t

go by himself , if there nere soldiers there he kno.vs noth i ng
of it .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q Tell him to answer the question and not try to evade
a."lsNering the question .
to make him ans.ver .

I f he does not, we· ;;i 11 find a .vay

Tell him this Committee .1ants to kno:1

.mat so many Mexican officers and soldiers were doing in Rio
Grande City at the same time .

I f he knows , he must state it ,

or we will make him tell it .
A

He says he was not accompanied by any military men or

soldiers .

MR . CANAIES:

Ask him why he went to Rio Grande City .

SENATOR WILLI FORD :
question .

Wait , I have· asked him a ve r y s i mple

Some of these gentleuen

s~y

he does not know .

I

want to kno .CJ .;hy so many Mexican officers and soldiers were
in Rio Gre::.nde CitJ at the same time .
say so; if be knons , I want to

A

I f he don ' t know , he can

kno~ .

I don ' t know .

MR . C.ANAJ.ES:

No N why wo.s he there ?

MR . KNI GHT:

You w ai t now .

Q.

How long had Esparza been there Jhcn }-(;. arrived?

A

I don ' t know .

Q Rio Grande City is off of the railroad?

sir .

A

lfo '

Q

That is , it is Off Of the railroad?

A

Yes , sir .

Q

Fo .1 far is it fr on. the nd lroad?

A

I

Q.

l/llJ.at proportion of the popul~tion of Rio Grande City is

cannot tell exact.Ly; I don ' t kno,1 .

Mexican"
A

I don ' t know .

Q.

I sn' t .Practically all of it ?

A

I don ' t kno,., the town very well myself , I didn ' t stay

thLr~

Q

long

eno~gh .

I sn ' t it

G,

:'act ar.d don ' t you knO\'! that there is not

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 fi ftec11 An.eri c an families in the ~1hole county-?

A

I

cannot te 11 you , be cause I do no"L kno ,, the town .

Q You and your associates

~11:.;r.c tu.cned

over to tha United.

Statee authorities ?
A

And Esparza a lso, a.11 three , n.y-se lf , Es1)arza and Vasquez •

Q 'Didn' t the soldiers attempt to put you to
said you

·1~ere

\I/Ork

and you

sick and the doctors exa.mi led you and said you

were not sick?
A

I t is not so; I went

afLenJc...rcis

lli:f

arr.1

1.0

.vork without saying a vrnrd , d.nd
~1ent

swelled up a.nd I

to the doctor to

tr~Ct.t

n.e , and he t reatecl n:y head also , but I never s-aid a .\'Ord to
then. •

Q 'Did le say that the doctor treated his head?
A

Only rr.y arm .

Re treated m1;; , I never told hi!n anythi ng

about n.J head .
Q

What .1as the matter ..vi th his arm?

A

I presume the infla.nm.a.tion ccu.te caused by the blow from

the gun of the other man .
MR . CANAJ:..ES :
MR . KNIGHT :

He me ans in warding off the b lo ws .
~

'D idn' t Captain Guillermina Soto tell the

military authorities .to had him in charge , Cl.dmit that you
.~ere

there for the purpose of foll.owing Ca.v azas the revolu-

tionist and .vere going into Mexico ?
A

I don ' t kno. ;1hat re said about iL ,

.:.etbt-r he said. it

o :i: not .
Q.

And is it not a fc..ct thC:l. t

C ava~ a s

c1 id cross and das

arrested in this country?
A

He said already I saw in the

pa.~er

tha't. he had c rossed

over 'Lht.. River .

Q.

Ask him if he does not know in the last few days that

Cc::o.'V7azas

r<::.E

cor..e oack to this coimtr;y and ;as arrested and

c;~rrie::d

to Brounsville and th.at he is there no .v?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 A

Yes , sir , it is true .

Q Did you or any of those Mexica.n soldiers

01

officers

ha.ve on uniforn1s ~•hile in Rio Grande City"
A

Myself , yes , sir , I had it tte r .. , I J.on ' "' kno .J about the

ro.lance of 1.hen::. .
Q,

H_. had .Iha t ?

A My mi li ta:cy uni f on.1 , complete , of course . ·
Q,

Did you have your uniform on in Rio Grande City?

A

No , sj r .

Q.

D1C1

he have anjthing- -co indicate -chat he was an alien

o ff'i cer"
A

No , sir , no insignia

~

Nothing external?

A

No thin?; .

Q

I sn ' t. it a

sl:o vinr.:

.tOl-r

f~ct

O!"

anythi

1 ;.

that. he had visitinb cards , ho.1ever ,

rank in one of those e:uinh:s do.m there 9

A Yes , it is co:m.mon and customary for a.11 officers to a.o
i:hi:l.t \IU.f , because they have never been discharged because the

Mexican Congress is the only one that can disband them .
~

I don ' t care anything about the

c~stom .

The fact is ,

the only evidence of your rank in the Mexicc..n Army

,~as

your

vjsiting cards"
A

Yes , sir , it is so .

Q "Don ' t you kno
August , that th ere

1

.:hen you 11ere the re on -che 10 th day of
~1as

a state of ,1ar existing bet.1een the

different factions in the Re~utlic of Mexico ?
MR . CANAIES :

Mr . Chairuan , the:t.t is a notorjous fact that

they have been fighting out there , and are still sc rapping .
Why does he want to incumber the record .vith that ?

MR . KNIGET :

~

Ai..~

don ' t you know

t~o.v

the United States

,1as at. \Jar 'idth Gen:iany o.nd with the Ce.ntral Powers , and

didn ' t you kno.: tho. t the re .1ere a great 11,a.nJi sympathizers

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 along the border escaping to Mexico to avoid the draft , and
Hasn' t it your pvrpose and the purpose of those

. 1i~..-;:i.

y·ou to

mobi ~i ze there as rrany as possible of th~ Revolut i onists to

take thea over into Mexico ?
A

No , i t is not so .

Q,

Were you connecteC. in any nay ·Ni th the Ger_:an propaganda

or an effort to induce Texas labor to return to Mexico ?
He says Mr . Hansom is here present , and he can testify

A

better Vlhethe r I am able to d.o such a thine; or not , to be a
Ge rnian )ropagandi st .
He said. he did. not kno.i what C olon~J. Forte se:dd aoou:t

Q.

j o i ni nt, Colonel Cava.zas ana. int ending

MR . CANALES :
Q

I .., Colone:.

"LO

join them --

He said he didn ' t Know anythinp- about tha.t .
Guilleminci ~

Forto here as a .Ji11ness?

A Yes , he is he r e .
You are under indictment sti ll, you and Captain Forto,

Q,

on

~ccount

of your conduct at this time ?

MR . CANAJ...ES :
Hb did not

Sby

MR . IOTIGRT :

I beg your pardon , he is not under indictment .
he was under indictment .
Q,

I don ' t care .

Are you under i nfonnati<n1 ?

Are you held by "'t-he a,Lbcrities?
A

Our cases are 1'ending JC t .

Q

You are still under bond to ans.1er "Lhis charge , are .1ou

not ?
A

Until this hearing is tab.en up I .:ill stcv here all my

life , if necessary .
Q,

I sn' t it a fC:1.ct t:tat you cl..no. Ce:i.1)tain F orto are both under

bond to the Federal Government to answer this charge ?
A Yes , sir .
Q.

Who c...re your at to rnt-ys ?

A

S~l~lla

& Canales .

Q I s that Mr .
A

YE-s , sir .

C an~i~s ,

here ?

63
~ . State Library and Archives Commission
Texas

 Q Noi1 then , .Jh en Mr . Edds located you. a.nd attempted to
arres ... you , ho.1 long had you been on those premises - - I ,;ant
1,,0

CO:Cr'E::Ct that .

HO;J m.c..ny men w/E.r(; ;;ith Edds wlhen he .1as

arrested?
A

There were four of them , four of them came inside of the

hOUSt: .

wen~

Q

Who

tbt.y , in ad<U ti on to Edds <:tnd Royal Collins?

A

Two other men whose names I do not know .

Q.

Who was it he claims beat him up with a pisto l.,

A

Tna t gentleman sitting back here •

THE CHAIPJJ AN :

J'R . KNIGHT :

Get his norr,e in the record .
Roya 1 Coll i ns .

A Royal Coll i ns .
:V.R . KNIQJ-!T :

I s Roya.L Colli ns

Q

(;I,

Ra.nger?

A

I

don ' t know .

Q.

'Don' t you knoi;r that Ro.raJ. Collins is now , and Nas then ,

a. United Si:.a-ves Scout , and never has been a Ranger ?

A

I

knofl it now ; I did no t know it then .

MR . CANALES :

I

~rnuld

his cros$ examination .

like for the gentleman to finish up
There are quite a number of .\fitnesses

out there .
THE CP.AIIDIAN:

MR . KlHGET :

He ,vill , Mr . Canales .
Q Ho11 long had you and this other mc..n been

hi ding in Rio Grande Ci t.:r 1he n you •.1ere arrested by these men?
A

We were not hiding .

For myself , I had been there four

or five d o.ys .
Q.

How lo ng had Capta in Forte been the re?

A

He was t.here since I came there , s i nc e I arrived there .

Q,

Ho,., long did he say ?

A

Five or six days .

Forto arrived "Lhere since he arrived

there .
Q

Ho" long had Vasquez arrivea there ?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 A
Sd.lJl~

At the same t i me I arrjved th~re mys~lf , he .:1as in the

ce:tl •vi th myself .

Q

Ho,\• long had J esus E sparzci. been there ,:hen they arrjved?

A

I don ' t know ; I

said. before that nG ljved there in Rio

Gnmde .
Q.

How long after h i s arrest befo re he employed Mr . Canale s

as an attor ney?
A

coul d n ever emp l oy ci.ny l awyer before I wa s a r rest e d to

I
)

deft.no. me .

Q How lone after he was

~rrested

no~1

before he employed Mr .

A

I na.ve him empl oyed

Q,

How l ong a.fter the incident befo1e he employed him?

A

When I am notified .vhen my case v1as "Lo be heard the 2d

day

on ac c ount of this c ase pendi ng .

of Nove:m.ber a.t Bro\msvil le , I employed him to go di th me

'to f i nd out the reason i,1hy I vVas detained or kept around that
court .
Q,

W110 r e commende d h i m to employ Mr . Cana l es ?

A

I a.on ' t remember .

I t l ooks to me li ke I saw the names

of all tht l a.vyers i n the pcq> er , and I pi eked out my cho ic e .
Q,

WJ1at paper ,•1as that he saN thC;l.t in?

A

I

saw it in the paper publ'iflhed j n

Q Were you acquai nted ,,ith

~i:r .

Bro~msv il le .

Canales on the 10 th da.f of

Auo-ust laf!t year?

A No , s ir.
Q.

I s i t not a fa ct you have lived in Brotmsvi l le at one t i me ?

A

I know Bro\msville , yes , s i r .

When I Nas servi ng i n the

Mexi c an Army my duty was from Mont.erey to Mata.mo ras .
Q,

How long Nas he i n Brownsvil le ?

A

Tnree or four days at

Q.

But

.he

August last

..

~

time on several occas i ons .

never knew Mr . Canales prio1 to the 10th day of
ye ~ r ?

63'i State Library and Archives Commission
Texas

 A

fiv~

He said I have been livi ng in the United States

years ,

been in Loi:; Angeles, C alifornh~. and all over the United States
several. times .

Q I s it

a

fact you have been in Bronnsville and Matamoras

the le ng~l1 of time you say you have and did not know Mr . Canales
prior to the 10th dc..y of August last

y~ar ?

A I said once, no.
e~er · ~rrested ,

Q Were you

were you ever a prisoner prior to

tl:a t in Brownsville?
A

Yts, sir .

Q.

When

A

The first time , i :f' I am , sure , was in 1915.

Q.

For what"

A

It

Q

\Via .10uld love to hear it ; we 11ant

that ?

vlO.S

~Till

be a long tale if I had to tell it to you .
"LO

hear it .

Them long

ta i es are interesting .

THE CHAIBUAN :

No, no, let ' s not put any long tales in the

record .
MR . KJHGHT :

A

Wasn ' t

{By I nterpreter )

THE CP..AI R1JJ:AN :

it for a violation of "the Natrality Law?
He is

~o i n~

to refer to a long tale .

Tell the 1/itness we haven ' t r,he time to listen

at any unnecessary explC::Lnation , for him to ans.;er the

s~ecific

questions asKea him .
A

The only time , I have been called 't.1ice by the I mmigration

Office <:t.Uthori ties , I have not been arrested , never .
Q.

Wasn ' t he apprehended tv1i ce doun there for a violation of

the Neutrality Law?
A · No , sir , I have not made any infrctct j on of the Neutrality

Laws .
Q

"Lells

I don ' t. kno vv ho 11 to get at it unless he goes ahead and
hi~

long story .

SJiJNATOR PAGE :

As.is: him if he .1as no1.. apprehended t\li ce for

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 a violat i on of the Neutrali ty La~i s of the Unite d States .

Tell

him to answer "Yes " or " No " .
A

I have been arrested , yes , si1 .

Q Wasn ' t you arrested by Captain Hansom of the

l .R . KNI GHT :

I nte l ligence

B ure~u?

A

Yes , sir .

Q,

When he belonged to the I ntelligence Bureau of the Nat io nal

Anny of the Uni ted States ?
A

Yes , sir .

Q Where di& that occur?
A

The t:10 times that I have been brought up to Brownsville ,

t hat is

~he

man I

h~d

to face .

Q.

Tre rran he had to face ?

A

( By I nterpreter )

Q,

When was he arrested those tvrn times , \that year was it?

A

I don ' t

Wo..s brought up b<:;fort:: him , Captai n Hansom .

remember the fjrst time , but the 11:1.st time was the

10th of August last year .
Q,

When was the next t i me prior to that ?

A

That date I don ' t remember .

Q.

Was it a year or more prio.r t.o t.ho..t ?

A

J"ust some months , ·I think ; I am not sure

~1hether

it uas

a montr. or two previous to this last time .

EXAfHNED BY :VR . CANALES .
Q.

Please state Nhy you went to Rio Grande Ci ty on that

occasion .
A

(By I nterpreter )

He sho .1s a letter here and says the

reason why is be cause a certain fellow mentioned by the name
of Thomas Cunningham who was vvorking under him >'Jhe re they were
building bridges during the Revolution ... hci.t ,.ere burn;;d in
Mexico , gained

~11

his sympathy and he is out of funds and told

!dm if he \iOUld come up hC;. .muld give: him a check for $7 , 500 .00

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Mexican silver to bring up , and in bringing it up to him he
heard a.bout a fello .v named Cunnin{.".ham in S an Antonio and he
ma.de

i::l

t ri l> to see if he could. find him ove1 the re .

Q Please translate that letter .
A

I nterpret~r )

(By

This letter is written at Tamp ico .

The

let'ter ls out of Tampico Banking Company , shows to be April

o,

191t, , and j s a ddre s sed to Don Aurelio B . F arfan , E l Paso ,

Texas .

My dear Sir :

jn our hands .

Yo ur kind lette1 dated 15th ultimo is

I n ans11er to Sci.file .vill se:i.y that Mr . Thomas Cun-

ninghC:1.111 had presented. a check .vith your signatLire covering all
the

~Jnounts

that had been deposited in this bank by you .

Due

to the fact i :tat the callee 1.0:t' of the Cut1to11. House has given

u::; order not to pay c..ny mom,y

"GO

any person , ,1e have refuse.d

to pay

, o ·Mr . Cunningham until he could. present

order .

Tre first da,t of December of last year he presented us

the order with the signaturt of the

C ommandin~

a

competent

Officer of the

Plaza to be delivered to h i m the amount of 7 , 500 pesos to Mr .
Cunningham , according to your check

~'Ve

have made it to pay --

c...nd .1e have in our archives all the papers in regard to this .
Of yotH' S vt:1 y attentive .

I cannot makt: out the sie.;nature .

Q.

'Di c Cunningham ever get that mont...t ?

A

Nt:ver c1 iO. •

Q

You :rnnt over to Bro.msvilJ.l:l in J uly

1.0

se(,

that Cunning -

ha1r. v1as the man the,,.- had t cu<: en that money from ?

A

Yes ,

~dr .

Q Now Colonel , I ask i f i t is not a fact that the first tim<:.
that you saw me ,11as in the comity jail on..: Sunday <1hen ue went

the re to have religious serv j ces .
THE I NTJ!!RPRETER :

You mean he was in "the county jail?

Q Yes .
A Yvs .
Q And you ·.tere among the prisoners

c-~nd

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

you listened to the

 religioua

se?~rices

we

h~d

there 9

A Yes, sir .
Q

That is the first time you sa

A Yes,
Q

~i

1

me to speak to me"

r.

That is all.

EXAMI NED

BY

MR . BNIGHT :

Q This letter i s dated three years nri or to the time you
were at Rio Grande City9
A Yes , sir .
Q

I en ' t it habitual for the German propagandists and ap:ents

o~ the different factions dovn in Mexico when they ~et caught

en tr.is ~ide to have letters and other documents to establish
al ibi~ h~, and don ' t t~ey all h~ve them 9

A

I ron •t kno.i that pa rt of it .

Q You had t}'lis ?
A

Y<>s, sir .

EXAMI NED :BY MR . I.ACI<EY .
Q.

A sk him what it was Mr . Edds sai d to Mr . Roy Collins xmit

whe11 Ro.r Colli ns was

him •11ith a uistol .

I con ' t kno·v , they were spealci n"' En,rrli sh .

A

En~11~~ mysel~ .
~nd

I'ittin~

Thev were speaKin" to one ano+her in

I don ' t spealc

0

A~k

him

I don 1 t

spe a'k-

E11~lisn,

En~lish .

7hetner or not Mr . Edds snake to Mr . Colli ns and

Mr . Collins ceased to make th i s assaalt on him .

A Yes, sir, it is very true .
Q,

Ask him if he went from San Antonio direct to Ri o Grande

Cj ty .

A Yes, sir .
Q

Gr t nd
A

Ask him ho.,, }'le expected to +'ind \(r . Cunni nP"ham at Rio
~

Ci •

~.

lfot only in Rio Grande Ci•

I ,,lave looked him up -- I have

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
63~

 lo oki.::d l'iim up for the last three years o l' t
Q

City

Did you have any info!'lll.ation that he was at Rio Grande
1~en

you

~ent

there ?

A

Yes , sir , I had been in-Po:rmed he was .

Q

Ask him if he had a.ny o-<'

uhen
A

110 .

h~

l

is uniform alon("' in his grip

went do1m the re .

No , sir, when I went to Rio Grande I did not have

wj

th me

any military uniform or anythinp; to show .

EXAMINl!:D BYMR , T IDWELJ~ .
'

q

Where 1as your military uniform .1hen you went to Rio Grande

A

A+ San Antonio .

Q

Vlh~~

A

Because I nas livincr . . at the time in $(:;,n Antonio .

Q

Dirln' + you kno·1T that Fort Rinrrrold was right close to

-ii,;: you leave it. at Sc.,n Aritonio ?

Rio Grunde Ci ty?
A

No, sir, that was my f irst vjsit to Rio Grande Ci ty .

0.

Di cln 1 t you kno-.v that under the President ' s 1Jroclarnation

al iens were riot permi tted to go within three miles of any fort
with in the United States ?
A

I did not .

puhli sl"ed

Q Wasn ' t the P resident ' s proclarr.at ion/in A~r il, 1917~ ir: all
:x.x.K.xxNm:~x:si:xxx

the nape rs that aliens must not uo 77i thin three

miles of any fort in the United States i<Vh ile the ;;ar was going
on with Germ.any?
A

No, sir , I did not .

Q.

Didn ' t you ro out to Fort RinfJ'r·old and kno>v ''That was out

there ?

A No, sir .
Q

Who defended you fhen you were first put ir: ja;lll in Browns-

ville arout trree years auo ?
A

I had no lawyer, all that

·as necesrary was to g-ive my

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 infonnation to the I mmirration Officers and they turned me loose .
Q "Did you have any trial about three rronths ar.o

1hen you

were at Bro·msville 9

A Ye$, sir .
Q

Who was your laNyer?

A

No, sir, I was not nlaced under arrest, they just keut me

th~re un+jl t.:re irvestifration, but· I needed no lawyer .

He says,

I was arrestea around San Benito and taken out to the outposts
They treated me very nicely and took me to Bro·Nns-

s 01new"'1Pre .

villo, where I spoke to Captain H~nsom and they turned me out .
Don ' t vou kno.v it was contrary to the President ' s proclama-

Q

tjon for ei.lji:;n offjcers ":".o be in the United States and

0'1

the

border at this time 9

A I die not .
Q Didn ' t you knov that the United States Army officers were
not :pe rmitted to ro across the Rio Grande 9
A

do~ ' t

I

know, sir .

Q "Don ' t you knoN that there was constant warring between
t

United St ates troo11s on the horde r and t:hose on tne other

}'10

side and that. they frequently enga~ed in encounters alon~ the

Rio Grande 9

A I don ' t know, sir .
Q

"Didn' t you kno.1 that when they went over there in p ursuit.

cf ene1-.h:s t"hat triey had to · immediately return, under the orders
cf'

tYi i ~

Gove rm:· ent ?

A

Y~ s , s i r , I kn o .i that pa rt o f' i t •

Q.

Didn' t you hice the fact that you Here a u~ember of the

Arrerican Army from the ueople in San Antonio and Rio Grande,
the

A ir.Lrj

ca.n people both in San Antonio and Rio Grande City?

THE CHA1:ffiL:AN :

J udge, you a.on ' t mean that - - you mean Mexi ce:..n

AnT'y .

Q I
A

me~n

the Mexican Arny9

Not~iP~,

ahsolutely .

Texas
6 1. tJ State Library and Archives Commission

 Q.

Yoti n1ould not have ap·peared in Se:..n Antonio in an officer ' s

uniform , ·.vould. you"
A

r • has been five years since I nut my unifonn on .

SENATOR WI LLIFORD :

Q.

Vihat side were .rour sympathies in the

war h et ween the Al l i es and the German Empire "
A My sympathy has he en •Ii th t'1e A'11eri can people .
Han~om

knoYl8, and a l so there

Captain

lots of Americans who have my

an~

sym.pathy and who a re my friends all over the Border .

MR . TIDWELL :

Ask h i m if he did not st ill have his commission

:in ti.e MexJ c<:l.r Army on the 10th of' Au.o-ust, 1918 .
A

I had no commission wr i le I am i n this country s i nce my

Gov ~ rrur.11n+

fell .

Q

As 1 r 'him .hen he ceased to be an officer i n the Mexican Army .

A

Wren "Mr . Carranza took possession o.P the Presidential chair

in l ex ico and the Army was disbanded at the Teoloyuca Treaty .
Q.

Ask hi m if he d idn' t say a while arro :Vhen he first came on

the w5tness stand , that re was a Mexican citizen and. had been
an· officer in the army all the t i me .

A No -- you mean when he
Q

ca~e

to this country he said --

When you first p;ot on the ·nit.ness stand wh ile a!'J"o , didn ' t

you te 11 Mr . Canales you were a

Mexic~n

citizen and an of-ricer

in the Mexican Army at this time "
A

Yes, sir .

Q.

No •t wasn ' t

10 th o f

la~t

he sti 11 an off'icer in the Mexican Army on the

Au(l'ust \'! hen he was in Rio Grande City"

A No , sir .
Q

Ask him if he was not hidinu from the army officers of the

United States the fact that he was then an officer in the Mex i c c...n Army "

j

A

I

never tried to hide i t .

Q

Ujdn ' t you refuse to admit that you were then an offjcer

n the Mexican Army"
A

B." .ibom"

State Library and Archives Commission
6Texas
J.

 Q To anybody that asked you_ that had tht. rio-ht .

A

When I +alked to intelligent

eople like the A1!!eri can

n eop le I always tell the•n the truth , but when I tall<" to a certain kine of
Q,

~eople l i ~e

Mr . Roy I never tell them anythinc .

What he tells us no,U' iB de p endent upon ho.11 he regards us ,

as t.o whet her it is the truth or .not .
A

I t is not that I tried to cover from h i m

m~

posi t i on i n

the army , but that he refused to listen to me .

Q Where is your commiss i on now ?
A

I have no commi ss i on here .

Q

l)j

dn 1 t he have some kind of commiss i on to shoN he .' las an

office r
A

I am a refueee here .

)n

I huve

the army?
not~ i ng

with me here i n this count r y .

left all in Mexico .

At the War

O f~ice

Q

Who toov up h i s commiss i on?

A

He says , my t i tle as to Colonel

my record

nobo ~y,

He s a i d he
mi ~ht

be there .

because that i s

a t i tle l i ke any other t i tle .
MB . CANALES :

Li ke u o ctor or Lawyer .

A My com.mission ceased 11hen the army was disbanded .
MR . TIDWELL :

Ask him if. he has one of those "Colonel Cards "

Nith him .
A He has not got any -lith him riP-ht at the pre s ent ·.

Q Rave you
A

~ot

any at Brownsville or San Antonio ?

He don ' t kno·.'i .:hether he has, but p robably some oi' h i s

frit~nds

in Bro.vnsv i lle has one .

and

not any, but i f i t

ha~

He says he has none .vith h i m

i s necessary, nrobably s ome of h i s

fr i ends ha& kept o ne .
Q

Ask h i m i f any of h i s fr iends here have any o f h i s "Co].onel

Ca r ds 11
A

•

I don ' t see anybody here that misi:ht have one .

JiiR. KNIC!ET :

Didn ' t you have the "Colonel Cards " wj th you

fren yov we r e at R jo Grande City, had them in your sui t - case
when you were o.t Rio Grande City and you we r e a rreste d , didn ' t

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 you?
A

It

i&

~ robable .

Q :Mow isn' t i t a fact that he had s i ('"nal wh istles or p olice

whi st.les i n h i s g ri p and that Capta i n So to had them i n his g ri p ?
A

Yes , si r , he had one , he says one of them , he says you can

buy them at Kress ' f ive -c ent sto r e i n San Anton io .

He .don ' t

see anything wrong in hav i ng them , anyone c a n use them .
Q

Those are s i gnal

A

No , sir .

w~ is t l es ,

a r en' t they ?

Q Hon f ar c an they be hear d ?
A

T don ' t knon .

I don ' t li ve bJ the borde r, I c annot tell .

Q

Give us just one toot .

A He says you c an b l o;1 i t
Kn i ght ) .

.

MR . KNIGHT :

( Witness tenders uh i stle to .Mr.

I beg you r oar don .

THE CHAI Rl'JfAN :

Gentleme~ ,

th i s record i s bei ng unne c e s sarily

i r c· umhe rtld .

MR . KNI GHT :

Q.

when Caotain Hansom SU".'.llmonen you to exami ne y ou , d i dn ' t

No vi

he tell you to
A

Al l ri ght, Mr . Chai rman , I am ao i n g to abb revi at e .

f'"O

a c res s the Ri ve r ana :::.tay t }"le r e ?

No , d r, he nev er to l 0 -ne to ,.,.o to Mex i co , Mr . Hansom .

Q "D i An• t he tell you to co across and stay away f ro:i:r.. the

Border ?
i

A

No ,

0.

A.,,c wasn ' t that p ri o r to Av.rust 10, 1918 ?

!:

Y .

A He never sent me
Q

h acl<

to Mex i co .

Wasn ' t the r e a memo rancu"T hoo"k found in h i s g rip sh owing

64 3 0 - ZO

~ i :les

de live r ed at De l Ri o , Texas ?

A

He s ays if the gentleman san 1. . (.,. .

Q

D i~n ' t

'

wViy don ' t they ge t h old

they get hold of it and _,. ind them and. haven ' t the,>r

got it ?
A

I

is not true .

H~

sa~rs

he eot bacic every-thing e l se but

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 a

1allet containing money .

Q Do you swear tnat you did not have in a memorandum book
con... c:.i ned in your gr i p ~1hen you were arrested on the 10 th day
of Autrust, a me'norandum sho;1in"' "Delivered at Del Rio, T exas
'3 0 Z0-30 rifles ".
A

No , sir .

Q,

Th.e:i.t is all .

J . J . BUSBY,

bei llf':" first duly s 10rn , tt:sti fi eel be:'ore tr.e C on:..n~i ttee as fol lo vs :

EXAMI 11ED ;BY MH . CANAIES .
Cl.

What are your initials , Mr . Busby?

A

J. J.

Q You live at Mercedes ?

A Y"'s , sir .

Q What is your business?
A

Fa.nning .

~

Hon long have you lived in Merceces?

A Ever since 1910.
Q

Mr . Busby, do you

remerr~ber

some time in J ure or J uly OT

<:<.bout an :i nsta"lce last. year

findin~

in the roae

bet~een

Donna

and Mercedes, nicking up a Mexican with a wounded leg?
A Yes , sir .
Q

Do you remember that Mexican • s narr1e ?

A

I nelieve his riaae .'lci.s Aurturo Garcia .

Q.

W}d

A

I

Q

What time of the day ms it ?

A

I t was l)ratty early in tne morning , about 8 :30 or 9 :00

ch .vay were you rrninr, at thC:l.t tin.1:;; "

,,•as r·oi IW to McAllen .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 o ' cl ocK -- 3 : 30 I guess .
did you f i nd h i m?

Q

Wh~re

A

About a mi le and a hal f th i s side of

het~eer

Q

U onn~

D onn~ ,

east of Donna ,

and Merca"es .

I '1. .vhat condit i on di d you f i nd h i m?

A Hc was lying on the rai lro1:1.d r i ght - of- way fhen he ho l loaed
to me .

I

•.rent out to where he .1as at and asked h i m what was

the matter .
you do i"', ?

He sai d he had h i s leg broken .
H " said , I

Mr . Brooks , "ho was
gation

C orr~_pe::,nJ ,

.10

fell off the train .

of

t~e

And Q,bout that t i me

rking for th\;; Rio Grande Land al'ld I rri-

drove up i n one of those tr l cks and I c alled

hirn to co .e out there , and. we made
of~

I sa.i d , ho.1 did

ground

~n~

a:rran~ements

got him in the

true~

to

~et

sa j
j

j_ ,

C1.

I sa,ys ,

~1here

He said , yes , thc.. t

.1ere you at and ,1ho shot you?

Be says , I :las over in East Donna .
Scdd , I

t1acro r:i -

hole in h i s trousers , and I

you are yarninc; to me , you are shot .

o ti·u.:: , I am shot .

UD

to ret him to town .

While lF .c . Brooks 1ent back after his truck and c;ot a

she et in then: I noticed he had

him

I said , .1ho shot you ?

He

1as ov::!r there in a room Ni th a 'iOmet.n i n Ea8t Donna

and a 1nan came in and. smoked l'Tle out .

Sv

Ne

go+ h i m i n the

true!' an' I carried h i m to :Mercedes and turned h i I:" ove r to
C

tu.il"l

S ~.J )h~ns

a'1d he m.c..de a further investigea.t i on .

Q.

Ca 'ltairi Stt::phe ns made further i

A

Y Js .

Q.

n; c you see h i m afte r

~ards

nves~ir,at j

0'1s?

or have any f'urther conve r sa-

tion 1ith him about th i s i ncident ?
A

Yes , I beli ev e i t ,1as about a week aft erNar ds I .vas up

the re to see hiu1 a b out some men he had to ,"/o rk .
Q,

About what ?

A

Arout a week aft e r #ar ds .

Q Where

nas tbat ?

A

There i n Uerc edes .

O

'Did you have any conversation 1i th h i m 1i th regar d to

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 this iriciden.t ?
A No , .'3ir .
Q.

~

r . Bvsh.f , (1 0 you rememher the i ncident of about s e ven

Mexicc.1.ris found dead rirht near Eheneze r , rir-'n-'- near to a f arm

near to E0eneze r ?
A

I have hear d of it .

Q Did you see thos e men?
A

I saw the b ones a b out f ive o r s i x months a ft e r ,va rd s , t he

skeletons .
=.any were- the re ?

Q

Hf)

A

I only seen four .

Q

Do you kno 11 1ho k i lled those men?

A

No , sir .

o

Do you re,._emhe:r the incident that tool< p l a c e i n ~1e rc edes

1

of a J!Oung man t":!at c ame o n the t r a i n f r om B roNnsv il le .fith
his hancl i n a s li nc- and be i ncr talcen by s ome Range r s tl-ier e and
shot , t hi n.ki
c.

fl."'

he was one of the f e l l ows that we r e engaged i n

down the :re on the Rive r ?

fj ,

h1

A

No , s :i r , I don ' t remember that .

Q.

He was under t r eat ment of the local do c tor at Me rc edes?

A No , s i r, I don ' t rememher that .
O

Hovi many dead IJex ic ans d i d you see besides those f our

d1·rin--; that t i me ?
+~j~~ ~ here

A

I

Q

I h-'l:ieve that i s all .

was one more bes i des that one - - fi ve i n all .

EXAMI NED BY MR . KNIGHT.
Q

Mr . Bushy , ifh i ch i s your county?

A Hi dal r; o .

Q Does that

r'O

doITn to the River ?

A Yes , s i r .

Q Tre

Ran~e r s hav e

x:m±

been do1n ther~ off and on fo r a lone

time, haven ' t t.hey?

.....

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
-

~~-

---~~------

-

 A

Yes , sir .

0

Tell the Corn.mjttee ·1hether or not they have rendered val-

uab1.(:l servic~ to you '!_)eople ao.m tr.ere ?
A

T1·~f

Q

What •'l'OUld be +"'e results if t"iey were taken a\vay?

A

Well, I

Q,

For whom?

A

For everybody

Q

You lmo.1 Cautain Wrio-"ht ?

A

y s.

()

;)0

A

y

Q

Ho.1 do they stand in

have, tTOOd service .

t?.;uess it Nould be k i nd of movinp- day .

you kno-1 Ca'ltain Hc..nso("' ?

s.

neople dovn there -c..n~

all la·N- abjdinl" citizens .

the estimc..tion of the real la.v-arid:in,g:

eople t~c..t are opposed to i~re~ularities

crhuc-.. in the administration or execution

A

EvP.rybodf around where I live sp.eaks N8ll of them .

Q

Do you knou J ohn Edds?

A

Yes .

Q.

Wl'at kind of a Ranger is J ohn Edds ?

A

Vlhy, I

Q

r~

A

Yes, sir .

Q

Hc..ve you kno.m him to peroetn..te any inte'14 io•1al outrage

,1ould consider hhn a Good one .

he a quiet ,

dece~t

boy?

do .m th ere on anybody?
sir .

A

:No ,

Q

I ~ill ask you to state, you Jere asked hoij many dead

Mex:i cans you had seen do rm the re in that ti me and you said five - how many dead white men have you seen, Mr . Busby?
A

I have seen four -- three soldiers and one

Q

Some of the soldier boys uere ki lleo ?

A

Yrs .

Q

Sone civilians were killed ?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

civilia~ .

 A

Y ES .

Q

Ar

A

Yes .

Q

All those dead Mexicans lyincr around there, did the sol-

diP.r~

A

n

Run""ers
heen k illed down t..,,.ere in t~at country"
:>

o~en

to get ~o~e o~ the~ occasionally"

I <ion ' t kno:1 , hllt they were 11orkin~ t'tirouP'h there, just

as '.'>'ell as the Range rs .
Q.

Doesn ' t exirencies arise.when no Jrote c tion is ayailable

0ither f' rom the army or the local authodties ana· the citizens
t.he·r:selves take
A

Y~s

P

T~e

la¥ u"'.> ?

, sir .
civili ans of the

MR . CANALES :
coun-+ J ?
A

~he

coun~~ ?

Do you say ihere nas a Range r killed in your

P:. .... a::;e name hi' , if so .

There ·.rn.sn ' t none killed in mJ count.r , no, s ir .

MR . KNIGHT :

You didn ' t und.ersta11d me to <:i..sk you if it

Q,

was in your county there , did you , Mr . Busby"
A

No, sir .

MR . L.ACK"EY :

Q 'Do you

kno~1

-Hhether there have been any acts

on the r1c:.rl of any Ra.nger do'~.rn in your section of the country

'r rein he has been ove rbeari n"" or has h een o.ut of the line of
his duty
A

th~t

snoula be investigated by

t~i2

Co"l.lllittee "

No, s ir, I don ' t knoa of anything at all .

MR . C.ANALF.S :

Q,

Have you seen the Ad.iutant Ge'1eral "hefore you

came h l:!re - - that p.;ent leman the re ?
A

I '!'let h i m he r e i n the hall and around .

Q You went to his office , didn ' t you 9
A

I .vas in 11is office , 'but I didn ' t have any conversati on

Ii tv1 him .

}ff< . R"NI GB:T :

There ,11as so·,11.e"-"'1. in"' b cen

s~ic.'

here a.hout the

rcpali a or riress of' tv-.e Re:..nc;ers be in~ peculiar .
to state

~het~~r t~e re

1as

a~v

I

1ill ask you

?e rcc"'.)tible difference in the

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 costume or reo-alia or the dress o~ the Ran~ers ~nd the Customs
House nen and. the c~w men jri that country and thP Scouts"
A

1

Q.

C

none .

lf'f"IJ,
11

any man tell t'be d:i ~~erence betYTeen t'hose classes of

men fro111 the appearance of
A

No, i::;ir .

q

Tnc,1, t

is all .

MR . I1.A.CKJi:Y :

A

Y

'O\ ,

·1'J.·:p~ ?

4

Q,

Do t:1ey also dress l:i ke t.he deputy shed ffs

and lots of fanners do Nn the re .

D . F . STRICKLAND,
he:inr: first duly sworn , test:if:ied before t"1& Co>run:ittee as fol -

lows :

EXAMINED BY MR . CANALE:S .
Q.

Your name isD . F . Stricklart<l "

A

Yes .

Q

You are an attorney"

A Yes .
Q

L:i vin[ at Missjon"

A

Y s.

Q

Ho . lonr- have you b ee11 l:i vi no- at Mission?

A

Since

J anu~ry ,

1912 .

Q You are a brot'rt.e r of' Sena tor St r:i ckla'nd?
A

Y es .

Q

Do you l{no ii the core 1-+- ions that. ex:i sted :i n Hi daJ.po County

from 1915 up to the present t i me \V i th regard to the conduct of'
R'-'rie:ers an0 thei :::- treatment of Mex:i cans and other p ri s oners?

.... .i.-.

A

Well, in a p_;enen.. :i. way , I 'lever 6.:id try to as c 13rtain :in

detail the facts c:.oOilt anyt'... inl'l' except just as they 1ould co"'le

•

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 to myself like any other citizen .
Q

Have you seen some of the dead bodies?

A No, sir .
q

HG.ve you seen some of the Rangers stationed around Mission?

A

Yes, Si! .

Q.

HON

are they dressed and ho.'1 do they conduct themselves

wi tYi. regar d to their appearance , do they carry arms on the

streets ?
A y

., '

sir .
you seen any of them drunk or disorderly?

Q

H~ve

A

I

Q

I ..., :rbat other ulo.ces ?

A

I r.ave seen t""e·r. drunk in Brounsvi lle .

Q

LJO YOU kno

A

No , si ·r , I no the company nut I don ' t lmo .7 +ne na.-.yies .

have not in the Mi ssj O"'l vjcjnity .

N

tne i.,. riames ?

Q Wrat company is that ?
A

I t was the company under Captain Fox at that time .

I t has

been four or five or s i x years afO .
Q Do you knoH any of tr:te names o·f' t:rie persons?
A

I

a on ' t

kno47 .

TJIB CHAIRVfAN :
p~:ny,

~.fiR .

I f i t i s with reference to Canta.in

Fox ' ~

com-

I understand they are all out of the service .
CANAIBS :

the record .

There nere 'only f'ive disclarged , accordi ng to

Tr:tey were i ncorporated in the other compani es .

THE CHAIRMAN :
MB . CAliA.LES :

All right ,
Q.

eo

ahead .

Do you knoi71 of

~ny

a i sorderly

co nduct of the

Rc..ngers in your county or i s it a notodety that it was o-enerally kno .n there that they had done some - A

YE;s .

I don '.t kno.v .vhC:l.t scope the investigation has taken .

Mo st of J:hs..t is hearsay tha.t I
Q

kno~1 .

I

U d

not see i t .

You have been pract:i.cin;:- la.1 -f'or all these years ; I .1111

ask you what :i. s the sentiment in your co "Ununj ty there vi th

65(1

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

J

 regard to

req1irin~

safe~uards

against Rangers .

Well , 1e have had :'lore or less trouhle ·lit..,, Rangers i"l our

A

vicinity .
bu: I

None that happened ahsolutely under my observation,

am. ft:.miliar .;i -.:11 the transactions .

Q Go

~~ead

and crive it to us .

A You want the i ncidents detailed?
Yes .

Q.

A Well
MR . MOSES :
but

j

Mr . Chairmari , pardon me for maki np- the suq;gestion ,

t o cci..1rs to me this is the rankest so rt of hearsay and I

do ' t t'1ink i+ is fair in this investigation ""or t"1e

'litness

to take "1earsay tes+i'llony ihen the process of' the Committee is
ouen to get

i t!lesses \tho lrno / the particular facts, and this

i · a record rr"ade for the 1)enefit and ..>roperly so, f'or the bencfi t of

t>-i~

people of the 1v'1'lOle St1:4te

to have an interest in this matter,

w,10

~nd

have and have a riP-ht

it occurs to me that

::here he~n3c.ty is being induleed ) n it is unfair to cast as·oer sions on this force by that

charact~r

of test imony .

:Vno·1s of any i nstance of' any sort under the

purvie~;

I f he
of the

resolution adopted by the Lecrislature, of course thi:; Commi ttee
has

rii::rht to kno ., i t , and the people

rnuld have a ri""ht. to

know it, but it occurs to me that this sort of testimony is
unfair to the investiB::ation .
THE CP..AIR1f.LAN :

The Co.,.·:mi t tee hl::l.s he re to fore ruled that those

rrattl'-:rs that \'Vere under public i nvestigation a11d that were of
such eeneral notor iet y as to lead a witness to reach a moral
cert~inty

or moral conclusion as to the truthfulness of the

al1f~gatjons

has been heretofore admi tted .

having started

t~e

I may be wrornr about

rule, but Ne have started Mith i t .

I will

suy, it is our purpose l{here .vitnesses have had spec i fic transactjons of misconduct on the part of any Ranr;er, that hearsay
\d 11 not be admitted .

•

I f it relates to that r.> orti cular kind of'

651
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 occurrence and the

Ii tne ss can he had, this kind of evidence

iill no+ be heard, but we started nith just a little broad
jnterpre;tation cf t'his rule and we "'Ot ourselves in trouble by
doinc: it .

I nould be glad to p-et rid of' it entirely .

MR . CANALES :
A

Go aread and relate these transactions .

Well, t.he:re has been more or less feelin.o- between the

Ron~ers

and

so~e

citizens ever since I have been in the Valley .
~eneral

You ,iust wa.nt it in a

way?

Q.

Yes .

A

Statinrr '""'S opinion and the public opinion, to a large

extent, a, I have p;at he red j t , .Je think the re c..re a g-reat "D.any
~ood

men in the

in the cciunt ry .

Ran~er

Force and have done a great deal of good

In fact, I t.hi nk the Rc:.ng er Force in the nast

1-ias b ren ind i suensable· to the

s+ ate, bu+ f'o r many reasons I

think bad men ere p into the Ranp;er Service, arid "th ere are
~ood

ones and bad ones, and those bad ones they pive the Ranger

Force a very bad reputation in my section of the country .

Q

I thoue:ht you vvere a-oinQ' to refer to some s·oecific in-

stances of ""ene ral knowledo-e there and repute .
A

1rn .

Well, the Ranger company --

:nnmIT :

The only quest ion ahout. that is ·1hetl-J.er or not

they are of i:reneral kno lled""e, fie don ' t 'kno»r - - if there are
siecific instances -THE CF.Aiffi1IAN :
MR .

CA~AIES :

Mr . Canales, can ' t you so f'orin vour question -Q

Mr . Strickland, was any of those persons in

t r'i s sne c i "':i c in stance
he

~otten,

are they alive today so they could

that you refer to ?

A

Some of them are not .

Q

They are dead .

t :ion .

No~

:it is imuossihle to pet the i nforma-

The:..t :i ~3 the inf orma.t :ion Mr . St r i cklancl gave me .

TFE CF....AIR'{AN :
MR . CA"HAIJES :

I ndicate ·vhat it is .
Q.

With regard to the conduct o.f" the mistreatment

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 of prisoners , the ki l l i n&r of prisoners after they were arrested ,

and thine& of thQt kind .
A

Tnere vere t

10

Mexicans, one o,p them named Da'!'luel Estapa

and another Mexican .that I don ' t remember his name ; Banuel E stapa
11a.::. c.:.ccused of res i sti nP- a State of 4"ic er on a charge of some

·n etty offense .

A troo-p of' cavalry under Ca"'"'tain Mc Coy made a

rc:da a.n<J cantll.red these tno Mexicans and brought them to Mission
and Captain McCoy ' phoned the Sheriff ' s office to send and ~et
... hose t

10

prj son~ rs, and several Rangers car11e, so I am info nned ,

and to ok -t.heri. in char ge .
MR . KNIGHT :

Does that come within the latitude of your rule "

SENATO R PJGE :

Vr~at

information did you have that

th~

Ra gers

iid th·i "
A

J ·st li 1.<:e we kno

that McKinley t:as shot .

I

We had general

l<no .11e dre •
Q.

Who said so ?

A Everybody said so .

J ust like I kno.1 Geors:i;e \Vashin !'ton Nas

Presjoent of the Un i ted States .
~ere

I t is an accented fact, they

delivered to the Rant:rers to be taken to Edinburg, and they

never arrived -- neither one .
JJJ.R . CANALES :
Will you
A

~ive

Q.

the

Do you 1cno 1 the names of those RanP-ers"
na~es

of the Rangers"

I cannot but

J'R . KNI GHT :

J ust a moment .

THE CHAI RtAAN :
MR . KNIGHT :

Gentle·nen of the Commit tee

1 as'lclrDt for +he names of th(. Rangers .

I f everybody kne 1'1 it a.nd saj d so , so•nebody OUP'l'it

to kno·1 the names of those Rangers .
A

I heard at the tjme --

MR . KNIGHT :

My point i s this : that the ordinary rule of

humanity, to say nothi ni:r of law, j f a thint:r is SOJf general and
goes out throurr"h the State , here
a'1d everybody

stat~d,

and I

j

s a th i ng that everybody kne.:J

1ant to asl< if the man who "las P"iven

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 this reputat ion to the apency of +"he la.v and the ·admi n i stration
of .iustice, not a sinP'le nctne is piven .
THE CHAIRtlA.N :

uation .
ask

think the evidence so far is clearly ad~iss i ble .

I

~or

I think you are rather anticipati:ip the sit I

the names and tried to get them .

MR . KNI GHT :

vant to examine the Hi tness , o:' course .

I

MR . CANALES :

You say you kno .v the persons r1ho lrno·N the names

of' thosP. Range rs?
A

I

vno

11

men who ouc-1"t to kno N .

Q Who "
A

T "'~

Q

He has been

A

Y s, sir .

Sneriff of' Hidalpo County .

]{R . KNIGHT :

suin~oned "

I f he has the sheriff here '·e irnoNs about these

matters --· it seems it would be better to put

THE CF..AIRMAN :

hi~

on .

He is aski ng about an entirely 0ifferent matter

now .

MR. KNI GHT :
co~ning

I understand that these sort of

thin~s

have been

up for sever.al dCJ..ys , these insinucttions and vav-ue 17.en-

ero..lj +i es and aspersions and criticisms that have occun:ed bc..ck

yonder five or six years ago .
SENATOR NILLI FORD :

Every member of this Corrrnittee is a law-

yer exce )t Mr . McMil l i n and I

think they can regard that testi~iven

mony anci. give i-t -:1hat weight it should be

ii' it is co11-

si de red. .
MR . KNIGHT :

I knovv , Senator , and hei

wnat frailties we are heir, and' I

'1""

a lawver I knov1 to

take no chances even with my

own kind .
MR . CANALES :

who used to be
A

Yes, sir .

Q

Yo

A

Y ?. s, sir .

l

Q,

Do you know h is name -- Antonio

~~e,

C ommissioner ~

say he 7las Count -r Co 'nmi ssi oner at one time"

65'f
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q

'Do you kno-1 h i m n ersonally? ·

A

Yes, sir .
What sort of man was he ?

Q.

A He was as aood a Mexican as there

~as

in the Rio Grande

V lley , in my judgment .
Q,

Wh(;j.t ham)ened to him?

A He is dead .
Q.

Who killed h i m?

A

I

Q

Do you kno / .vhat company did that ?

A

I have been told

d.m informed the Rangers ki l led him .

TPE CHAIRMAN :
A

Have you any way
~ ;hat

Well, I know

Cb tain Ra Bma ,
llliR . KNTGPT :

~he

company it was .

onlJ

R~ngers

I t was the company under

in the county at the time .

Do you know whe:tt company was in that country?

A Yes, and that was all the Raneers at that time .
Q

Do you kno:1 .ihether the Re:tngers did i t or not ? All you want

to say is you kno 1i1 wnat company was in that vicinity?
A

Well, I know who did it, J udf.Te .

Q Were you there ?
A

No .

SE:N'AT0 R PAGE :
A

State how you knov1 .

I kno.1 it by hearsay .

of n;.y infonnation .
nam.eC. Da.venpo!'t ,
J. R .

Ali~e.Q_

11~

I don ' t mind givintr you the source

I overheard a conversation between a Rang-er
.1a.s talkin~ to the Tc...X Col :_ector named

and I thi nl{ to the Sheri +-f of the county at the

time , he d idn ' t mention any ni::l1'r.es hut it was tno or three days
aftur th8 Arturo Beban k illinrr .
shoi. clear off of his body .

I knew Beban ' s head had been

M:r . Davenport

.l:at~dt

referred to

it very intima.tely and said that he loo1<ed l i ke he had been
s11ot "li th a cannon o :r something of th at so rt , and the re was a
"'overnment :ins-oector o-f" some kind na•.1e · Lee Di c! ens, he told -THE CP.AIRr.IA.N :

I heli eve that ic: r;ettinf off a little too far .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 A

I think 'ie l'ias nres.ent .

Q You think he .1as present and sci:~1 the killi n~?

A But I

~ot it throu~h a different source, I

din not ~et it

t'"lrou.o-h him .
MR . CANALES :

Do you kno

Q,

!f

about the seven Mexicans that

were found dead near Eb enezer?
Mr . Chai rm.an , we now reauest that counse 1 fix the

Mn . MOSES :

date , jn order that the Comrrdttee may be able to kno~v , and the
people of Texas, because they are readinr, th i s testimony in the
paper, so the Cor!lmittee may be able to kno.v 1hat Rangers .'/ere
responsible .
MR . CANALES :

I would like to find out nhat position Mr .

l.ioses has .
MR . MOSES :
at - la ,

~nd

I
I

a~

C:ilf.

here as a citizen

here

~o

o~

Texas ard

~n

attorney-

ins) st in the investigation of the

fetct s of this case on my own motion and at the request of the
Ad,jutant General of this State .
MR . CANAIES :
THE CHAIHMAN :

Then you are attorney for the Adjutant General?
Unless there is some further obje c tion on the ·

part of this Committee , the Co nmi ttee will recognize J udge
Moses at any time .
MR . CANALES :
la~vy~r

I don ' t 1vant to ob,i ect to J uc'ge Moses or any

--

THE CHAIRMAN :

Mr . Canales, that is a closed incident .

Un-

les£- tile Committee overrules me
Q,

I ·Nant you to fix the date ;vhen these rr.en Be ban and AU{"uerre

vere killed .
A

I cannot say . whether i t 1Nas

1

15 or ' 16 .

I t was about the

latter 9art of the s~ri ng or summer of one o~ those months .
I

c~n

fix i t by incidents in my mind .

SENATOR lflILLIF0RD :

We 11 , it was be fore the ad.mini strati on

o.&' Ge nttra..1.. Ha.r-;ley?
A Yes, sir .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 MR . CANALES :

I Ni 11 ask you to fix the date of these men

Q

who took- these two 'nen on the road to Ehenezer a.nd never reached
t'tiert'! Ni+,h t!'lelr'. .
1~

A

was the same year, snri n"' or summer .

Q Of 1916 ?
A

191~ or ' 16 .

Q,

Do you think that puttini::r the Ra.np-ers under 1Jond ~"ill de-

am inclined to think it nas

I

1

16 .

st.CO.>' their efficiency?

A

do not .

I

Q Do you think that putting a Ran~er under bond like other
peace officers •/Ould. make us select a hir,her class of men?
A

t.hink so .

I

Q Do you tnink that the present Ranr--er force is all tha.t
could 11e desired or that they could be materially improved as
to the personnel?
A

I think it could be materially improved .

me make a suggestion, I

I f you will let

think the fundamental trouble ~vi th the

Ranrer Force is you don ' t pay them

enou~h

money .

I th i nk one

RLnaer drawing $150.00 would be worth a company .
Q.

You ml::!an the same kind of RanP'ers we have now?

A

No , I mean the men that Nould ~e

Q

Do you think the u resent Ranger Force, the present per-

1orth ~150 . 00 .

sonnel, tends to.varci ir1pr-ovement of law anil order li}ce that,
or has other tendencies 9
A Has the contrary tendency .
MR . 'I 1DWELL:

Q.

I

•vanted to ask him if that happened before

the Legislature met in 1917 , these trans a.ct ions he spoke of .
A

I can fix it by incidents so they could be ascertained .

SENATOR PAGE :

1

Didn' t you say in

A

I

Q.

Wel.J.., that 11ould be priof' to

15 or ' 16 ?

think so .

UR . T1DWE LL :·

I

1

1? ?

•.rant to know positively that it occurred

prior to 1917 .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
65

 A

I fix it by the incidents and with a little research I

conlc t;;ive you in fiftei3n minutes, it was the same time the
non~

Q

issue was on at. Do nna .
I

asked you . ;hether the

that time

A
I

Ran~er

Force has improved since

to t.he present time , or 1vhether it is the same .

UIJ

I am inclined to think i t has improved to some extent .

think they have a better grade of men down there than I have

seen .

EXAMI NED BY MR . KNI GHT .

Q Mr . Strickland , you spoke of Captain McCo y ?
A

Yes , sir .

Q,

Re

is dead"

A No ,

~e

Q Ho /

lon~

A

i s in France .
has he been there ?

Since the war

he is a Colonel now .

Q Now you sp oke of one Davenport - - what was i t he did ?
A

He was talking in the Di st:d ct Co urt room to some fello ws

ubout tht. Beban ki l l i ne- , he was descrihine; how he was hit .
Q,

What was :b is business ?

A

He was a Ranger at that t i me .

Q,

He was a Ranger at that time ?

A

Yes , Sir .

Q He is not now?

don ' t kno11 .

A

I

Q.

How

A

I don ' t knovv 11:r..ether he is ..vith the force yet or not , I

lon~

ago Nas that ?

don ' t know .

Q You practi ce law at Mission ?
A

Y "s , sir .

Q,

Now there was a case down there

pendin~

age:t.inst certain

individuals all of V!hom are not Mexicc:.ns, arrested by the Ranger
force !or assisting a German lieutenant to e scc:.}e into Mexi co'a

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
65h

 A

Yes .

Q,

Do you reinem.be r that inc :i d.e nt ?

A

Yes .

Q Wro is defending those
A

peopl~ ?

I have defended "':h.ose people .

T11.•J Grand J ury refused to

indict therr. •

Q

No~

most of the instknces related by you are predicated

on comn1on knowledge annd antedated 191?, didn ' t they"

A J udge , I won ' t attempt to fix these
Q

Tl-ie Davenport matter?

A

Well, tha.t dio , I think .
:hie~

in

Tl-1.;re .vas just one bii:; outbreal:

so u.any n·.en 1ere killed in that cou!'ltry .

Tf'at Has all

a1)out six tt.onths .
Cl

T11.at was prior to 191? ?

A

Yes .

Q.

Who iVas the representative of the Legislature in that

count !'J :in 191? ?
A

I think it was Representative Strahan .

Q He was representative from the- Bronnsv:ilJe distr:ic+. at
that time"
it

A

Proba~ly

Q

Who was the Senator?

A I

~uess

~as L ~Jrence B ~tes .

it was P arr .

q

When did M:r . Canales first get to the L e["islature ?

A

He •.1as in the Legislatur-e before I

11ent to that country .

Q He has heen :in there ever since , hasn ' t he ?
A

I t.hi nk he has be en out some .

Q.

Ho•iy lor•g has he been continuously in the Leg i slatu.re up

to the present time ?
A

I

first knew h i m :in 190 7 , I

L e~islatur~

hink he was a member of the

at that time .

Q Ee has been ccr+ir iously 5jpce ?
A No .

Texas
65~ State Library and Archives Commission

 Q.

He was i n the last Legislature pric- r to this ?

A

I think he was .

Q And the one prior to that ?
A

I don ' t kno

Q.

You l<no

'I

he 11as , in 1915 and ' 13 ?

THE CH AI RMAN :
yourself .
peatin~

1.

su~gest

I

that you are probably misleading

You are stating dates the::.t the '<Vit.ness is not re-

after you .
no n ' t you kno "' ilbether or not Mr . Canales

Q,

· MR . JOTIGHT :

hus been R1:..)resenta.tive there for the last t;vo ad.rr.inistrations?

A

I don 1 t. kno

~

vbether he has been Re')resent.at ive for the

la.st two a.drr.ini strati ons .
off and. on

~or

ten yea rt', I

He has been in there two years and
on ' t kno

~.

Q.

Yo, mean t rn yec...n.; :r:rior to the present time 9

A

I

rl.on ' t know .

Q You don ' t really know that ?
A

That is in another district from where I live and shty

Q.

Mr . C<::1.ne::.les nas in the last

L e~i.lature ?

A Yes , I think so .
Q

T ose clients of yours , have they actJ.ally been discharged ,

or "-.re "'h<.:y still under bo11d?
A

T'i .y hc.ve been di sc1' C:.l.raed .

Q.

T"' re i

E

c:a

strong pro -G erman sentiment, or .12..s, in that

Yidni~ .; ?

A

I

I -P you will permit me to go into detail , I

'hink not .

will ex-plain the:tt to you .
Q

It

is just with the Com.mi ttee

I

don ' t c are anything

about J.....l.. •
THE CHAIRMAN :

A

J ust ansvrnr s 1lec:ific questions .

He is askin"; matters that reflE..ct on re, au I take it ,

a.r,. representing men accused .vith an offense aga.inst the United

s+co.t e ci Government .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 THE CHAIIOCAN :
A

You are not on tri c.l.

I am not on trial , thc:i.t ' s the reason .

lJ'.F . KNI GHT :

Q.

You say very 1JrO)vrly that occasionally a bad

ma.n gets on t:te Ranger F orc e ?.

A Yes , sir .
Q

the

I ;:;n'

Pat true o:f

constc..hh·~· ,

S'1eriffs , Constables and

·O l i c E;; f orcE: ?

A

Statjstjcs have not been com.i;>iled .

Q.

Could you corr.pile the stat:hitjcs on this basis?

A No .
Q

Do you kno·1. anybody that has ?

A

No .

Q

You are exyressing your

A

I

don ' t

cU n

opinio'1?

expressinG the opinion of citjzens .:ho are la11- abiciine, ,

vjol~te

the la·1 .

Q Yqu have got an
A

0.1'1.

ef~icient

man for Sheriff?

Yes , sir .

Q One of the bes t law-enforcers in all that land ?
A

I understand so .

0

Ho" many of those raids that th(:; Rangers have been on has

Ca._ ta.il Baker led and direc.&;ed "

A

I

could not say .

Q.

Ho: n.any Pad men ' s ca.reer on that Border ha_s been broui:;ht

to an end ty h i s

unerr i n~

ai~ "

A

I could rot tell yet .

Q.

Could you give -the Co.r.mi ttee so:rie idea?

A

No , I don ' t

Q

I ~n '

that

ex~ect

uny --

t he tte one man in thc.t country who ha.s o.. record i n

n~~a.rd i::s.

that i s the envy of c..11 other men v1ho are fo r

la1.r C!.fld o rde r do im the re ?
A

I don ' t know about

Q,

T1-,

~ R C;..~~ers

th~t ,

~e

is a very eff i cient office r .

have 1..,een very actjve do.m there s i n ce you all

had your election i n November?

66
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 A

Yes , sir .

Q

Do you Imo / of a.ny crargE-s on the pa.rt of c..ny

on~ ,

by

ncU vi d.ua.l or by reason of 'the co - operation of ·-11,,.. :....uthori · i es

j

1ho inaue;urate an invest]gation ·of the Ra.1gers duri ng th i s

Leg ] slatv.re pri or to the elect ] on in November?
A

I non ' t kno•1 as I catch your q_uestion .·

Q.

Do you kno •if of etny purpose ·on the part of any ind i vidua l

or oombhiat i on o f i ndividuals to inaugurate C:1.t th i s session· of
th1.: Legislature thi s investigation aga i nst the Ranger Force 9

A No ,

I ne v er heard of i t .

~ir ,

Q Nov Mr . Stri cklanc , you need not ans,;er unless you .'lant

I

1o .

~hink

a man ' s poljtics

~nd relj~ion

are

s~cre~ :

With

1hich crowd did you. herd durjne the P"'1r-Glasscock imbroe;li ?

A

I

Q,

Which indhric'ual cid you support. ?

A

I voted for

id not herd Rith either .

Q Do you

P ~rr .

kno~ C ~DtC::;.i~ W ri~l

t?

A

Ytf: , sir .

Q.

I s he down there no,1?

A

YE.s , sir .

Q

Ho1 do~~ and ~is men conQUC~ themse lve s?

A

I liavt:! heard c.. great deal of cri·Ucism of Rangers lat--1.r ,

bu"'" I Jo.1 ' ~ kno.. ..:h ether it refers to Cc;.ptain Wri -:ht ' s company
0

C ~ptain S "L~ phens '

r

Q
c:..

COm,tJany .

Pe rsona.l ly , what is your opj n i on i1i th

ref~ren c e

to him as

ma.n 9
A

of

I have onl y met Ca ...Jtain Wrie;l:t casue:..lly , d.nd t

hi ~

men , he has one ...o.n .vho

1H:.l.S

.10

or three

ljved at .Mission a good l ong

while .
THE CF.Al. RMAN :
A

w :.0 i 2 '1 t ?

.Jesse P erry .

MR . I.ACREY :
head 1)dng

~hot

Wr.en you

he~rc"i

D1::1.venport 1-alki ng about this man ' s

off , i:.hat it looked l i ke it had

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

~.,1;;oen

shot off

 wjth a c annon ,- d i d you know t1hether he wa.s present ..'hen he \las
shot ?
A

I have been to l d he was present , hut I U.on ' t kno·.;.

Q He didn ' t say he
A

~ ~s

~resent ?

No , sjr .

Q Yo 11
voted jn

sa.~·

you c an fix the da.te by r0cord of the bond i s sue
county?

th~t

A Yes , s j r .

O Were you up here durjng that issue ?
A

No , I

\las

d.ovm there ,

'1u., I

passing bc:1.cl< a.nd. forth

.wi::ts

:hen t.r:e s e bodies were found. at Ebenezer .
Q

You were not i n Austin during that time ?

A

No , .... ir .

Q

'Did you make any complai n1. ahout those t\10 men .1ho .1e r~

st.a.rted to Edinburg a.nd. did. not get
A

We macie con.plaint i n this

i10.y

then~ ?
--

I cdd not make i t , but I

underst a nd c omplai nt was made , and probably u copy of i t

i s on

file in Governor Ferguson ' s office .
Q

You

SetY

you don ' t know .vhethe.i any of those Rc:.ngers are

on the for ce now?
A

I don ' t know .iho are on the R<:1.nger Fore t.

three I see c..rounc Mi ssion .

I

i:illl

exce~t

t.rn. or

inclined to think son.. e of \.hem

are on the for c e noJ .
MR . TII>WELI.:

Q

I want to i<:no / ho , cl.o sc. Fort Ringgo l d. is to

Rio Grande City?
A

I judge i t is

t~10

mi les .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 W. A • .ANDERSON,

being fi1·st d.uly s.10rn , testified before the Commi ttee as fol 10·,~s :

EXAMINED BY CRAI W.AN BLEDSOE .

Q Your netrile i s W. A. Anderson?
A Yes , s i r .
Q,

You are an a.ttorney- at-Law livin,a; at San Angelo ?

A

Yes , s i r .

Q HoN l onf have you l ived there ?
A

S ~n

Q

Forme rl.>" of Bell Coun"L.Y ?

A

Yes , sir .

Q,

T' ere has been son.e testimony

being

Angelo

arn;~.tcd

~ifteen

years .

.~ith

r~fercnce

to a negro

at San Angelo and carrj ed to S .,e(:,t.1ater a.nd. in-

carcerated in jail \li'vhout pro c ess .

'Do you

anythi ng of

kno,~

thbt.t. occurrence ?
A

Yes .

The most I knoN about it. is hearse::..y , for my i nfonu-

1'1.ti on e;..bout it

v~as

in the early part of Fcbruc:..r; a year e:..go .

I '••as em. loyed by h i s •.1i fe .

I

Q.

What .1as the negro 1 s nan.e ?

A

Thomc:.s A. J"ohnson .

He was sur:1moned <:1.t the same time I .1as .

ms employed by his .1ife to find where Ton. had been carried ,

a.nd .'lhat foi , and .what the charges were .

has been a porter i n

s ~n A n~elo

for a

goods house for a number of years .
howbver , unti l th i s i nc ident ..

H~

is

Cl.

negro that

fuolesale and retail dry

I u.id nov knod h i s nam1;; ,

I invt:stjgated and found he hctd

1::1bcn a.rn.stec by t<No Rangers ncrmed Hodges and Myers , tha1. i s

he Nas e:..r-rested by Mr . Hodges and ho and Mr . Myers togethe r
first put him i n jai 1 on Saturd<:ty , I beli eve i t I/las , and o n
Monda.y after.1a r ds they took h i m out and hand.cuffed h i m and
carri<:;d hh1 to S .leet.1ater .

I .1as emplo,yed by his .1ife to l ocate

him and find ... hat· tht: charges .1ere , Cl.no to represent him if

Texas
66 State Library and Archives Commission

 :rccvssa.rJ .

I sent my partner , Mr . U},lto11 , to S\1eet\1ater , I .ias
~nd

unable to go at the time ,

they found him there and :frumK

bronrnr. nil.1 ba.ck , and he is here and can utll you .1hat they did
and said to him .

No charge :1as

for any crimE. 1hatever .

~v1.;,r

filed against the negro

He .1as brour)lt bacK to San Angelo and

.rn had his bond ready nhen he arrived , cmd •.ie turned him out
and had process issued for those gentle:men , I don ' t kno\.., v1hether
it was served or not , and
ex~mining

file~

been

tried to get the State i nto an

w~

trial but they p ersisted in stc:.ting no charge had
a.nd none Nould be filed , and we never could get a

trial , anc. no charge .10..s ever filed ago.inst him .
Q.

Have you knovm this negro for son.e t.ime ?

A

Yes , sir .

Q Wliat kind of a. negro is he ?
A

As good a negro as you .1ill find , a.nd he is ont: that his
1

houst; vilill .make any kind of a bond for .
W'ho · does he ·Nork for Baker- Hemphill Company , wholesale C:l.nd

Q

retail dry goods company .

He was working for them at that time .

Do you kno·1-.r what charge: , or did you 0ver "Lalk wit.h ei 1..hcr

Q.

of the Rangers to ascertain ,Jhat the suppose:d charge 11as age.inst
him ,

~my

A

i..1'ey were carrying him a.1ay ?

No , but I have talked with others : it gre"' out of this

kind of a complaint , in a general wo.y , a .1hite mc..n was arr.ested.
about

h~

same time -- it gre,: out of this Kind of a tra..1sa.ction :

those different mercantile houses had been filing claims
th~

~1ith

ndlroad company for lost goods in transit, , c..nd there .1as

c..n attt!mpt m&.de to make this negro etdmi t thctt he had been stealing some of the stUff .
swLe time thc..t
~os~ession

Another negro .vo.s ·arrested about the

orked foiA another house , and he v.ras found in

.11

of some stolen stuff that he had stolen out of the

stor0 , but nothing ha.d been _prOVt!l1 against the railroad compc:t.n.f ,
and so local parties ha.d. been working on it , anO. then Mr . Hodges
cam-: and laade the arrest , and I hc..ve talked with part i

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

~s

.ino

 .11::rc.- in i.l:e company at t.he time and

Q

He is here h i mse l f ?

A

He is here , and I

kne\~

o.11 about it .

./ill su.y t.his , that he has the re_..iuta-

tion of being honest , ;:;ruGh1ul and laiV- abi<i i ng negro .

EX.A.MINl!"m BY MR . KNI GHT:

Q

T h~y

did find , one of the drivers at another place he had

somt::J of t.he e;oods?
A

Yes , that .rnrked in a different store .

Q

They made a mistake in arrestine J ohn , did they -- tney
...-hat about the .1hite mc..n mixed up in it ?

did get one
A

He had been an employe o: tht S"'ntc::, Fe Company and he ,,as

C:1.rrest~o.

a.t "the same ti.me c,_,arged .1ith o. number of other articles

but. no col'!lplaint .tas ever filed
and kept , I

e::.g~inst

h i m.

He was put. i n jail

th i nk , over-nie_:ht .

Q He was dischar ged?
A

Yes , sir .

Q,

Tht:: other darkey is ·Lhe only one thc..t was found with any

1:oods on him?
A

Yes , sir .

Q.

Mr . Hodges is not .:i t h the Rc..ngers any mon, , is he ?

A I

on ' ~

knoJ .

MR . TIDWELL :

Q,

Ho.; lon e: \!as i t from the time t.his negro man

was carried to Sweetwater unt il he

A
I

~1as

returned t.o San Angt; .lo?

He \las C1.rrested on Sd;tui de:..y eveni YJ.

looked at m,y books before I

take he

~vas

~,

is my recollec-cion ,

ca.ma and it I

don ' t make a. mis -

arrested SaturdC1.y e:..nd pm. in jc:dl at San Angelo and

carried to Sweetwater on either Monday o t' Tue sday , and I

sent my

i:JC<.rtner , Mr . Upton , up there , and Lhe;y b roughth i m back the next
day .

I

l..hink pe rha.p s he ,1as kepi.. t

viTO

da.ys a.nd one night , or

t\vO nights a.nd one day , at Sweet.1a"L~r &nd brought back to San
Anbe lo .

( NOON RECESS )
Texas State Library and Archives
Commission
6{ilJ

 AFrERNOON SESSION, :FEBRUARY 8 TH .
THOMAS A. J OHNSON,
being first duly

s~orn

by Mr . Tidwell of

~he

Committee , testified

as follows :

EX.AMI NEU BY MR . CAN.ALES.

Q What is your name ?
A

Thomas A. J" ohnson .

Q,

You remember the occasion -.1hen some officers took you from

S.....n Angelo to Sweetwater?
A

Yes , sir .

Q.

When \{as tha. ~ ?

A

Tha~

~1ha t

"'as , I don ' t kno , exactly

da.y i t .1as , i -c v>'as

last year some time .
Q.

Will you relate that to the Committee , relate the incident.

to the Committee , state i t in your
A

I

o~m

'l!Ords .

·,1as .vorking for Bake:.r- Hem.1:)hill Company C:1.nd .wrked there

on Saturday evening , and a Ranger came by and run right in my
pockets wh ile I had my back to him , as if searching for a gun .

I to ld h i m I had no gun .

He said , WLll , I am looking for you

e:..nyho.v- , says I want you , come and go
time 'there .1as four or

fiv~

~vitn

me , and in the mt.;;o.n-

o "hLrs standing on the corner , but

tcey scatt ered .1hen he got me , and they taken me do.m to the
I

think the Newton Hotel , and

l~tbr

on the other arrests came

in one by one , and Mr . Hodges , I think that »las h is name , he
"Lalked to n.e concerning stealing from the railroad and different
t11ings , abov.t the frei ght coming in lo st .

I

told. h i m I didn 1 t

know anything about i t , because I never had anything t o do
it , never been around the freight depot in any way .

~1i th

He s ays ,

well , you do kno.11 something about it , and we are go i ng to find
it out , a.nd you have g ot to tell us .

And so la.ter I beli t:ve

a rua.n by the name of Mr . Futch , I believe , came .

THE CF.c.AI W:AN :
A

Who ?

Yr . Futch cam.e in ,

~.nd

Mr . Simmons and. Mr . Myers a.nd the

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 otht- r gent::.t:rr-en , I have f o ro-otten .

Mr . Futch com.m.enced talking
~10

rked

he said he haa lots of things I

h~d

to me a.nd told me r1hat he had d.one to another boy that
dry goods store ,

at~

stolen and I

~nd

,1as goini:s to tell them what those things .vere and
s~eal

ho,, came me to

stolen anything .

them c..nd everyi.hing .

I

told him I had not

He said , you have stole it , you have got the

things you have stolen .

I

told him , That is all right if I had

stole it I was willing to have a penalty for it , so he cursed
me around and abused me a whole lot .

THE CP.AIR1.i1AN :

What did he c<:1.ll you?

He called me bastards and. everything , b<:1.d names he could

A

think of , and so I just sat.. "there , I never said anything f.or a
.vhile , l)ecc..use they ,1ere strangers , I didn ' t know either one
of t.hem onl,y- Mr . Simmons at i..hat tinie .

He ta.lked ·co me and

o.buseO. rne a.round a little bit , a.nd later Mr . Hodges came to me
c..nd i:.allced to me a little bit and said tht.y were going to lock
me up , aaic. I

kne·w something and I had bettt:r tell it .

him I knew nothing to tell , so
me up , .. ould.n ' t

th~y carri~d

I

tole.

me on and locked

let me go to see my boss or send any ;vord .

Mr .

Hodges lo eked me up and would not let me send any word at a.11 .
A~

vlt

vere going on to the jail I called

cl.

colored fello:1 that

1--iE;lOnf"ed ,o my lodge and told. him tb ' phone my wife and tell
her that they put me in jail, I didn ' t kno.i .1hat for , and he
corsed at him and told him he

bet~er

not do it , and I

~old

him

to go ah £::ad and do it anyvN:.q , so ne didn ' t do it , and so la-cer
my Ni fe found it out and came dOh'n to the boss , and they all
tried to get me out and they could not .

They said the Rangers

had me arrested and said they could not do anything with it .
They kept me in there all that day , so Sundc..y Mr . Hodges , I
or
believe it i1a12. , a.nd Mr . Nye rs ca.me up there/xxrit Mr . Fut chi . I
b~WE'

fc rgct ten which , and we .re!·e talking about

~1ho

stole this

stuff arid wanted to kno.i if I kne•.v anybody t.ha.l- v1as stealing
from

th~

stO!t or from

th~

depot .

I

~old

him no , sir , I didn ' t

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Kno ,, a,nyone: that was steali ng .
going 1..0 1..ell h i m .

He said I dia: knO\J and I \vas

I se:..ic. I didn ' t see ho.1 I could tell any-

thinc; 1.ihen I didn ' t knOJ it .

He just ke1;t on cussi ::cg rub .

I

'LO .... a. him before I woul6- swear a lie or tell a lie on anybody
else I would suffer my throat cut from ear to ear before I
would do it , so he stood there a few minutes and left , and la.ter
Mr . Simmons came up and talked to me •

Q Who is Mr . Simmons ?
A Mr . Simmons said he was employed as Railroad I nspector
or something , I don ' t kno~v exactly ~v-hat he is , there in San
An~elo ,

else .

so he tried to get me i:,o tell something on somebody
He said , Of course· we kno\v you , I h<:tve

a long t irne ,

.1t

kno .1 somebody is si:,eaJ..ing,

11e

be~n

kno .vine you
~oi:,

kno .i you have

t.o tell it , and you had just as \vE-11 come on ou-c .tith it and
1

get out .

I -colo. him I ai dn ' t know anything to tell on nobody

and I could not swear a lie .

He st.ill contended , and I tola

him no , sir , I nould not say

anythin~ .

He kept talking , but

I would not say anything else to him , and he finally left .

And

TuesdC:t.y morning , I think it was , he came about 4 :00 o ' clock in
the morning, Mr . F-odges , and taken me to the Orient depot about
4 : 00 o ' clock that morninp: , ea.nd when

~ff.

at t.he depot and took U.i:J .11ith us , ano. I

got there Mr . Mye1s nas
net a colored fello11

and tola him to ' phone my .1ift. tney were ta.king me off on this
n.orning ' s train , but I didn ' t kno.1 .:here to , "they would. not tell
me where I v.as going to and cursed this man .

His name 1r1as

Cho..rli e Miller - - and tole. him he better not do it , but he did. ,
aria when we got on the tr·ain I asked them where were they ta.king

me to , he would not tell me , lc..ter on - - he never said anything
to me .

I asked him .again .

He said. , I am taking you to the

fj rst stop , v1hj ch would. be in Sweetv1ater .

I told h i m all r igh-c ,

and never said any more to him until Ne got to Sneetwater ,
he said we

~·1ill

change here , so

\le

P'.Ot off there and he taken

me up . He askea. for
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
me on cto..vn and. locked

some jailer , I don ' t

 know his name , he .1asn' t there , and he told the other man that
was in his place to lock me up .
jail

~nd

He searched me and put me in

kept me in there all that day and that night and the

next mornine Mr . Upton came after me , and I was there hungry
and cold .

I didn ' t have no cover .

I had one meal all that

time .
THE CF.:..AI RMAN:
A

For how

l ong ~

I t was· i n the morni ng from e i ght o ' c loc k o f that day to

about ,

~bout

one meal .

might ' near twelve o ' clock the next day .

I had

So Mr . Upton c ame , and he asked me how I was feeling .

I told him I was feeling pretty bad .
he .1as coming .

He asked me did I kno\1

I told him , Yes , sir , I heard

~mrd

something

about hilii. coming , a boy the re .1as a trust,> and told me he \las
comiri.cr , that someone .ms coming from Sa.n Angelo , that BakerHemphill had. sent someone after me .

That made me feel better .

Mr . Upton said , well he was going out to hunt for the Rangers
and he was f,Oing to take me back or stay there a month .
course I felt pretty good .

Of

Later on some Ranger , I don ' t know

his name , se:dd he was coming to Austin , I think , or Houston .
He came back

a.11 d

got me and t alee n me to the hot e 1 , and the re

we met Mr . Hodges and Mr . Myers and we l\11 cC:lllle to. the train
together , and when we got to the train , why I met Mr . W. M.
Hemphill , the man I .mrked for , he was just getting back from
Ne,v York , him and his ?life .

He come out and shook hands .vith

me and wanted to kno,7 what I was doing there .

I to l d him I

didn ' t know , and Mr . Hodges stood there a few minutes and called
me away from h i m, and I went on back and s at down , he didn ' t
want anythi n g , and later Mr . Futch called me , h i m and some
other gentleman , I imagine it was the jailer , after so long a
time , and talked to me about the stealing , said I knew I done
it and I knev1 who done it and there 11as some more i nto it .

I

told him I didn ' t kno;.1 anything about it , I could not tell no
lie on .:nysel

..

.t:'

or nobody else , and the jailer , I think that 1as

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 .1ho

it \/as , so.id , well

11e

c..re going to get you and you better

ce kind of easy , because I am going to come through there in a
fe 11 days and bring my cro .1d over , and I am going to pi ck you
up and you will never kno ,1 i1hat becwne of you .
THE CHAI RMAN :

Who was it said that ?

I think it ·nas the jailer at

A

Sweet~1ater ,

I don ' t know his

na"lll~ .

Q,

Was either of the Rangers present at that time ?

A

'l'hcy called me away from the Rangers , Mr . Futch and· the

jailer nere t.ogether , they v1ere on the side of me at the depot .
They passed me , so I Nalked back close to the platform ."/he re
Mr . Hodges .1as, and later Mrs . Hemphill ce:une out and shook
~ands ~1i"th tnc ,
~1as

:'.>oth of them were together , and asked me if I

,.. oing home , and asked me if I had enough ..noney .

I told

the.n I didn 1 t have any , but I thought. they were going to pay
my do..y baclc .

I helped them wi::.h their suit - cases on , and Mr .

Hodges called me ba ck and put me on .at the other end , Ne a.11
got, on and started back , and him and Mr . Hodges and this Ranger ,
I don ' t knoi/1 his name , they stood in there and talked a good
little bit and pulled out a list , and later before the train
left Mr . Futch called Mr . Hodges out and told him something ,
and he ca111c on in and stood there a little while , and goes in
c:.nd talks i:;o Mr . Hem.._;hill in the back coach and shm1ed him a
strong of thin2:s that he had on the re. that he had \lent do,vn to
my house and found in my house , he said that I had stolen ,
and he never identified nothing that was there .
home ne talc en n!e on to
tw~ned int:!

th~

Wh~n

I got

county jail , to the court house , and

ovt}r to Mr . Wayne Green and told him to lo ck me up ,

and when he locked me up - MR . KNI GHT :
A

Who was Mr . Green"

He .1as the jailer , at least he uas the deputy under Mr .

Harvey Allen , and later Mr . Green ca.1e bacK. and called me and
told me to come on out , that my .vi fe ,;as outside

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

1iC:d ting

for me ,

 and so I came on out and my \Yi fe had got the bond from Mr .
Hemphill and Mr . Pri c e and Mr . Felix Mann , tNo of my boss ,,,.1;,n

and another .

I got out o.nd

\Verit

do.y and .rnrked half a day , but I
~ny

longer .

I

bac K to

ms so sick I could not work

Nas weak over the trip and could not stand it

and ha0 to go home , and I Has off duty
i::Lble to

f!O

rnrk I think the next

t110

weeks "before I was

back to work .

Q.

Did they ever fil'::; any complaint against you?

A

Yes , when he got bac.K he filed

C:1.

complaint of seven J:)ai r

of shoes at $7 . 50 a pair .

Q Ho .1 many?

A

Seven pair of shoes at $7 . 50 ~pair .

I!R . KNIGHT :

$7 . 50 a pair .

Q Were you ever tried

~or

it?

A They set tne trial and they put it off , and they set it
a~ain . and

t.hey put it off, and it never did co1ue i...o trial.

They fina.llJ tnrowed it out , and the morning that the trial
was to be , Mr . Hodges of the Re::.ngers :Nas in town , every time
the ca.se was called they could not be found , could not locate
th~..

any .1h~ re; .

THE CF.AI RMAN :

Ho.r ],.Onf did they have you in custody from

the time ,,ou .rnre arrestea. Saturday afternoon until you .'!ere
turned out on bond?
A

Let ' s see , anu. Sat..irdaJ , Sand.a..1 , '1adme from vha-c Satv.rday

unti 1 that, Wednesday evenin~ , tha.t next coming WednesdaJ evening .

EX.Al~I IDJD

BY MR . KNI GHT .

Q Mr . Hodges was the man that did most of the talking to

JOU

of th-:- Rangers ?

A.1

A

Y...,s , sir .

0.

Thd nan they turned you over to

't.lo ;1as

A

OYJ.t!

vhen you

of your local deputy sheriffs?

Yes, siT .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

i'~ot

back to San

 Q

And at Sweet·Nater you were turned over to one of the local

of:' ice rs the re ?
A

Yes , sir .

Q

T~.cre

:'lad heen so1ue stealing going on there and the./ found

some of the things vii th another co lo red boy about tilat time ?
A

Yes , sir .

Q,

And you1· matter never came ui:i at all?

A

No , sir .

Q,

And you 11ere acquitted of it ?

Do you kno,v .1hether Mr .

Hodges is still in the Ranger Force or not ?
A

No , si r , I don ' t kno11 •

Q Tne man that said

t~at

he would be bJ San Angelo and 9icA

you Up and destrO,/ you , :;hat 11a::, c.. local man av S 1eetvrn.ter?
A

Y..,s , sir .

Q 'fhat .1as not a Ranger c..t all?

A

No, it ·. 1as not no Ranger , it was a. locQ.l man at S.11eetwatcr .

Q

'f liej r effort •vas to get you to confess something you were

not sruilty of?

A Yes , sir .
Q

Did you form the opinion that they thought you .vere guilty

or no+ ?
A

No ,

3i~ ,

they seemed to think it

for~

vhile , but later I

could 'te lJ. t,ha.:t
Q

T'.,.Jy began to 1iTeaken on it , to de c i<i.e you .vas no-c the man

they ,1anted ?
A

Y1;; f!' sir .

Q

Tnat is all .

MR . LACKEY :

Q,

You say you only r;ot one meal from Tuesday

to We cl ne sd ,.f 9

Q.

I n the S"Veetwater ja.il they fed you?

A

Yes, :::d!" .

Q

\Vhat thne did you r:et to S, l'!twater?

Texas
_,, State Library and Archives Commission
6 I •.S

 A

Eirht that morriinr .

Q They f'ed you then"
A

No,

Q.

When Cl id tViey feed you ?

A

~:hat

~i

r.

eveni nr, .

Q You state they didn ' t

~ive

you

anythin~

from e i aht o ' clock

Tuesdu.v unt:i 1 the next morni n"' , Wednesday"
A

Yes , sir .

Q

Gave you your b rea1cfast Wednesday"

A

No,

Q

What "time .1ere you takevi out of' iail"

~ir .

A Ahout twelve
Q.

o ' cloc~ .

Di c1n' t "1.ave any

hrei::l.kfa~t ?

shoes, or just f i le a
A

co~~laint "

Jrctt filed. a comp:ai-rit .

You

MR . KNI GHT :
~'OU

D' ~ they in..:; ict you :"'or those

l""Ot

back to S<-.n A'!"ll"elo, as I understand it,

Nent up to S .1eet.1ater on Monday morninrr early?

A

I t Nas on Tuesday morninrr .

Q.

And. Mr . U·rton came up there that ·c1fternoo11 ?

A

Y~s,

Q

Ard you l e ft there the next

A

ye C!, si r .

Q

And

sir .

~ot

bdCk to

S ~n An~~lo

mornin~ "

that evr'

i~n ?

A Mr . U ton ca.e up that 'nOrninr- on the eirht .
Q

About ei r:'1t o ' clock; you

11:;-f't

the re tba t afternoon?

A Yes, s1r .
Q Went bacl< home "
A

Yi ., , ,3i r .

Q.

A-"'ter Mr . U0ton rot there , d1d they rive you anyt!Jinrr to

eat ?
A

No,

Q.

He .vas your attorl"ley , wasn ' t he "

A

Y~s,

~i

r.

sir .

He sair,

thou~h ,'

·wuld ro..,a1re them ::"eed

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
67

T'J.8 ,

 but I saio I d i dn ' t. ;ant

anyth i n~ .

Q You decli ned to take anythi nrr ?
A

Yes, be c ause i t spoiled all --

Q Exe:t.ctly .

to eat

Di d you ask the ja i ler at S"1Petwater for anythino-

1hile you 11e r e the r e ?

I <.'lid.n ' t ask the ja i le r out I asked the boy ibo ..vas a

A

trnsty , and he sai d t"'ey •rmuld not r.-ive me anyt".-J i 111.$ .
Q He was a pr i sone r?

A Yes , Rir .
When you rrot b i:lCk to San Anr·elo t'lley rrave you someth.irirr to

Q.

ea.t o..nd tr ea... e~ you nice ?
A

T'\.it=?y trAated me n i ce , but I

Q

You were out i n a li t-+;1 e ·vhi le and lrac'l{ to your Yiome?
Q

l'R . TruWELL :

or

0

0

;vas

out i n a little .-h i le .

From San An,..elo to Sweetwater i s a.bout 85

ile":!?
mi le s .

A

About

Q,

The o ff ice rs di d not mi str eat you on the ,journey go i nr up
rl'~

the

85

... l"at morning ?

A

No , b1At •rould not let me stop ana r i nrr my vi fe .

A

No , sir .

Q After you got to Sweetwater

1-ie

A

No , sir .

Q

\1rnen

~id

the of'·":i cer started hack

mistr~at.

1

they mi streat you i n

~ai l ?

i t11 you on 'lfedYle sday , n i d

you i n any way of'ter you left the ja i l i n S !lleet -

A No , only onc e i n a wh i le he wouln curse at me ab out some trinr·, tryin"' to make me swear somethinO' .

Q Did ha swear at you , or just i n a
A

~ene r al

J ust cussed at me, that •11as all .

MR . KNI GHT :

Q

'Did he vse any violence on you at all -- just

talkinp to you rou-1-il y ?
A

way ?

Yes,

~ir,

i~

::as

ai·~"nl

rowr!ily .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 J A1.1ES B •

r

0

~JJilLL S,

in,,. -f'irst duly sworn, testified hefore the CO"Mmittee as -!"ol-

10.1~ :

EXAMI NE'D BY laR . CANALES .

Q Where do you res i de, J udre ?
A

Broimsv i lle , Cameron County, Texas .

Q.

Ho'·1• lon;: hu. ve you resided.

A

Since ah out 9 : 00 o ' clock on the ni ~·11t of the 2? th. day of

t~1e

re ?

J ur0 , 18?8 .
Q

Are you acquai nte<'l

clear io Rio
'Y\.

Gr~nde

ri th the condition f" f'roY" Bro'.rnsville

Ci-:y, in the countiea of' Hidc..le;o, S ... Ct.rr

C . . eror ?

A

..: iP .. i""'ately .

V

Riv r .

I

I liv~ almost rroin"'" un and down tr.e

have heen )ractici11i;i:

la11

ville and u!l.L;il .1e -ot rai lroadE I
ho rse·hei..ck urit i 1 ·ve ri-ot rai lro ~ds
Q.

You were l i vi no- there in

since I lived at

Bro ms -

1ould rro in hac1.cs and on

.

191~

and 191'3 dur i n,g; .1hat was

cc...lled +!1c b ~1ci.i ~ trouhl"' ?
A

Y"f:, .ir, a"Dout those dates , I don ' t

dates

~L~

Q J urge,

~~~: co~ae~cea
~id

re>neniber the exact

and ·ended .

you have occasion to

~o

on tte roads through

the co urrt r f r u ri n;- t ha. t t i . ,. e?
A

only

Y ;, I

ve11t ni,..,.1-it and day, the same a. I always .1ent, the

,.q4'~1'.!rancc

1as at that time we r.-enerally witmt i'l auto -

nobiles .
0

J udge, did you haunery to see aome

extraor~in~ry

scenes ,

I me ctn by that some dead bodies around th ere, a no i f' so

vr. ere ,

state the time and more or less tht. cj rcumstances .
A

it , I

D 'rine the ban( it tro fblt), or rather to\vards t:be close of'

'hink - - :,res, si .... , I

Q

W"fle re ·1e re they?

A

A )arty of us, I

vas

sa.1 eleven. dead men .

attendin~ Di~trict

Texas
6 .,,, State Library and Archives Commission

Court at

E~inhurg

 and. had o+>:er business at Donna and would f'J"O down the road and
s~on

at +he hotel at Donna and ('!'o up in ~he mor~in~ hefore court

convt::ned and. co:i~e rack in "'-;1'!e eveni'1"' , and a nu•nber of us, I
think Mr . George B . Meriweather was one of us, it ~as ~is
r ac""ine, :it rV"asn ' t mi ne, four or five or si:x or us, and. some t1"inrr ..,.,s,.t- ened Lo .... he ma.chine .

I had noticed several di::t.ys

nass i rw this .Jlu.ce, i "": Nas a lit t lt: station on tVie Brovm sville
road they call E~ Ebenezer, I had noticed several times
a hac:, einell and noticed the 'buzzards swoouin('!' dovm, I kne.y
ras raised a. cowboy, c::iome dead bo d~r or cc...r-

what that mea'Ylt , I
ri on

aroun ~

T~e

+here :

car stou1ed

~or

some raason and they

l"Ot ou+ iri the roo.d. +o ·"ix somet'Aing, I don ' t remem1:>er his na1.c; ,
~ent

he lived at uonna,

off in the brus'.i , and he ca."'.11.e "hack

<'lirectly looki•1e; rather excHed and :perttrred ,
lo~

uaa a

I ~· WUE'

.jo1<:ing .
trees .

~an lyin~

of dead

just thert .

sayin~

there

I thou-ht he was

at the place i7herc> I Sal these buzzards On the

He said, come see, 8ure eno U"'l- we went in tl-iere and

there .vere four dead men , Mexicans, lyinn· there side by side
ini +:r t}iei r clothes on and everythina, ana. the huzza.rds fiad
oj eked "'"he j r eyes ana :faces and t.'rie hair f1:1.lli nc- off, it .vas
si~ht,

a very gruesome

carrieri in
to

t~ere

o~e ~iae,

they had evidently been shot and killed,

frorn the puhlic road, the r1a.i ·'1 road nm alon'"':

t~ey

lay there, they 1ere too

~ar

decomposed,

you could see nullet boles rirrbt above the eyes, £reat hiu
..,,oles yo

t

could stjck yoiJ.r i'in('!'er in, +,he onlY thi"l"' to indi-

cate the· wounds or ho·,1 tr.ey had been killed .

We 1alked arou.nd

across the road ah out the same distance to Nhe re we 'had seen
these oiher "j:)uzzards, Md t:rere were seven more over there the
sa'ne way -- eleven of' them ri ,.,.ht the.re
Q.

to~ethe

r.

Descrjhe tbe dress o·f' those men that would indicate

rhether they had been rnrkin;:i.: or vhere they had been taken from .
A

long .

I 0.on ' t kno.7,
Ore or t

70

i-'.;

was S'J.cn a sirrht I did not care :o loo1r

of them had on u"'iat we call these cheap

Texas
67' State Library and Archives Commission

 overalls, 1-1ith somet i mes a sort of ""aist to them , suspenderlike, that

~oes

ove r a lls .

They .fere evidently .1orkin c; men , from the ir dress ,

over the shoulder , ano the others were brown

one of them I reT11embe r not i ci ncr just cau"''l-lt my eye , one l y i no;
dead, he had ont: o-"' -i-hese little watches, little cheap leather
fob :li ~h a medal on i t t:r at hunJ)' down by h i s waist, that is
the only

thin~

I noticed particularly on any of them, they

were all clothed .
'Did you kno\v Antonio Longerio who used to be Commissioner

Q

of Hidalo;o ?
A

I knew r_h1 lfhe.n he .7as a boy, when he lived on a ranch

+n~

iP

Q

1V11.at

A H
kne

h~ck

'I

part of Hidal.o'O Co unty .

ki~c

o~

a

ma~

was he ?

1'ore thi=> re-rutation of beinc- a. very rrood man .

anythiric- 1ronf; vit'n Anton i o .

I never

He was Count:: Commissioner

and was called a leadinO' MeYi can cJ.monc- the Alllericans .
~a9pened

Q

What

A

I can only te ll you from hearsay .

to him?
I was .in a land suit

with Mr . S . W. Se cfqry on the other s i de , and he was one of the
nrinc i nal v.ritr1esses

~rid.

part.1es, he and h i s

father -i n-l a~7 ,

a

very well kno\vn Mexican Nho owned a ranch out there , and when
court convened t'1e first dar or two or court we we re go i no- to
t1·y the case and t'ie attorneys carne and said they had just

l"eard tho..-'- A1t onio and ris 'brother and his father- L1- law had
het>n killed out on the ranch and that th.s>ir qoaies .:,re r e out
there , that they had been k ill ed by Ran.c:-ers rie-ht near the
Sanso"11 Ranch, and ;ve .voul d have to uost-oone the case f'or them
to ir.al.e rart.j

-lS

or endeavor to secure other test imony from

some other s ource, and we did so , continued +he case, and the
entry on the docket shows the continuance on account of the
deat h of both of those men .
O

I

fill ask you .vhether or not you kept fairly >Nell po sted

:'i tn what was O'O ing on durino- those years and uc to the present

Texas
670 State Library and Archives Commission

 time ?

Yvs , s i r , I take a

A

lon~

so

those

~ o od

and knew everybody .

t'h i

o~

deal
I

interest, I l i ved there

1as not interested i n any of

1as not against the Re. nf ers or anyth i nc:r , I ·.1as

l1CS, I

a man of family l i vin.()' there , ip business ,
of course I
was

knowi n~

everybody

come i n contact wi th them , acquai !lted Ni th what

heinl'l' said, and so on, and more or less acquai nted

~ti th

the bandH ': <.ctjvities and the Un i ted States troops , and we all
to0k inte r est i n
Q

th i n~s

Aboui. how maay Mex i cans were executed that you know i n

Ca~eron anc Hidal~o

A
[

of this k i nd .

coun+ies 9

I don' t kno'1, I sup-pose from the best information I haci,

f'r0·n t vo hundre1 an<'! f i fty to three hundred , that mi ght have
been
Q

exag~ erated , thin~s

of' that

~ind

rener•llv

~re exa~pe rate~ .

Do you 1<:no / anyt'1.in"' o f that kind in Starr County dur i nq;

that peri od?
A

I

don ' t re c a l l that anyone was k i lled there or that they

had any troub l e in Starr County .

don ' t say that ther e was

I

none, nut I don ' t r ecall any .
Q

"Do you recall ·Tlhet')-ier there was any Ran.c::rers at that t i me

A

I

do no+, bu+ I t fui nk not .

Q

I

Ni 11 ask vou 1het'her or not you have represente d and

unhel& the a c t i ons of the Ranpers i n

doin~

the ir duty ,men

somehorly des i res to puni sh them f'or do i 'l"" .Jhat they beli eve
to be their duly 9
A

I have ali·1ays been a Rani::e r man from my b oyhood .

I n my

hoyhooa I s c outed 11i t!J. McNulty ' s old rnen and Lee ·Ha ll ' s men ,

\

a.no I am i n f a v o r of Rane:e r s
cont ro l led

~nd

no~v .

respons i ble men .

I th i nk they ought to b e
I don ' t th i nk anyone should

be r; iven )0'"/e r o f life and death by armi ncr them and i:ri v i ng them
~h

r)o·ne r of taki n.o: your 1 i fe and a rrest i nr: you Ni thout s ome

accou~tab ili ~y .

Tre r e seems to ht a misapprehens i on .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

I

thi ~k

 ...
our reople down th.ere are in favor of the Rang-ers .
as a rule
mus~

~ost

I think

well informed men where they are· needed are and

he in favor of the Rangers, and it is only complained

arc..inst t'1e imnroper en:i"orcement of the law and pennittinvever,v Tom, "Dick and Harry thrOUO''l bei11i:r soecial RanO"'ers or
lovalty RaviO'ers or somethinrr of that kind - -· neople 1ho ou"'ht
not to carry o-uns .

I

am a Ramer man all the time .

Let me

answer further . You asked me about defendinll' them . I don ' t
of a
kno" xxx/tkR men since I have lived in Brownsville, forty- one
yea.rs, and Cameron and Hidalp-o and Starr and Nueces, that I
~ave

not defended

the~ volu~tarily,

of-f'ered me corepensation .

I

thourrht it was my duty and I never

took o cent of compensation .

aef eno ed
.co,

and they have several times

Defended several

~or

murder, I

th :ree Ranpers, and I defended Levi "Davis on t.vo dif -

rent accusations for ki l li n" r1eh, he was a Rani:re r -- tri.e time

Lasi=:iter .1as employed to 0rosecute him from Ft . Vlorth .

I

kno

1

I

don ' t

of a Ranp-er scra·oe down there that I have not de f ended

as t h<d r friend, and did it voluntarily and without compensati on .
Q

One of the objections of -puttin('!" the Ran@"ers under bond

seems to be that the:.r tould he orosecuted improperly and he
held responsible in

da~ge~

i~

they were so put under bond .

the /hole Valley NOUlCI not voluntarily surrender their services
to protect tre"l1 .1hen +hey were doini!! tf,.:dr duty, their actions
in dischar.crini:.· their duty lawfully .
A

I think they .1ould .

,,.cod., had and indifferent .

Lawyers, li}re everybody else, are
There mir-ht be somebody would

.....,rosecu+,e t'bem, althou.o-h I think all our reoutable bar would
stand hy them .

That is merely my opinion, hoNever .

Q Do you think
re~ulation ~or

nuttin~ Ran~ers

the purpose of

under bond or reasonable

elimi~atin~

t0 bz eliminated ·vould cripple the force ?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

characters that ouvht

 A

No, I don ' t

recall w'IJ.ere anyone, constahle, sheriff or

an·ro'l1 , iR rri;,ren a ris:rht to carry ar1s and use the!r.. in t!1eir
discretion a~0 also arrest and take the liberty of a citizen

an1 may be his life, that is not required to rrive bond, and I
tri n'\r it is a very salutary rule .

men

j

I th ink we have enough o-o od

n Texas to uay fair wages -- the men have not been well

nai d .
clo

Ho y'/ oc:hi/the Ranl!er force compare in personnel with the men

Q

who served in McNulty ' s company and Cantai YJ Hurrhes ' company
and

t~at

A

kind of men?

T1 O:Je men t'1at serve'": .1ith McNulty and Ca""'tain Huc-;hes,

yon talce such me11 as that and you never heard any suc:r trouble
er c0mplaint against

Ran~ers .

complaint as:rainst :!lcNul... y '
Hv l'.'l'hes '

''1"'11

~

I

don ' t rereemher

~earin"

a

m"'n or Lee Hall ' s men or Captain

f'or violatini:r their duty or imuosin,.,. upon anyone .

Q

ni d you ever heo..r of them takinr<' a pri sone:r and s'hooting hi in?

A

I never did .

Q Uid you ever hear of them takinp; a man out of jail and
havin~

him executed summarily? ·

A

No, I never did .

Q

Fave you heard of that complaint lately?

A YPs .
tiori

o·~

As I saio, all

the law by

Ranr-~rs

t~is

trouble and

complai~t o~

viola-

seems to have occurred .7itrin the

last year, and that is not {ith all companies .

I don ' t

t~ink

I ever h(•ard of' any complaint of violations of the law by Cantain
Q,

Wri~nt ' s

men .

Cautain Wright has been stationed very lately in Bro ,ms-

ville?
A

Yes, and bei nf a very excellent officer, and the

cent that trouble J ohn Edds was

testifyin~

m~n,

ex-

about .

Q

Do you kno.1 Ca,;>tain Ste-phens '

comnany?

A

Yes, Ca'ltai n s +euhens -- there is '!here the trouble all was .

Q

The Cor.:rtittee is interested in :.f'iY'ldino- out what was the

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 trouble :1as and what caused it .
A

I con only relate such instances that came under my uer-

sonal obse r vat i on .

.

I knew two .v'ho sc..id they were Cautain

Stephe"'ls ' 'nen, they said , actinp- under orders, o-oini:r to Po i nt
I s~bel

and arresting one of our Commissioners, Mr . Eddie Ed -

wards , oni= of the most urominent men in our communi ty, arrest in.o· him !Vi thout any warrant and dragp-inp- him around ;Vithout
allo•Njnr him any bond, took him by Brosnsvill-e and took him up
to So.n Benito .

Remark you , I wa:.o not present, I detailed this

case from him and ot'l-ie rs, statements to me .

He wanted to ao

to ...,he ' phone, they ·.voulCI not let him e;o to the ' phone .
said he 1anted to talk to get

a~

He

attorney, and tried to get,

to do somet'hi ric to be turned loose, and they would not let him
ro to his home .

I asked "iim why he did not get me

011

the ' phone,

he was a warm friend of mine, and he said they Nould not let
hir.i, ana. finally at Sc1.n Benj to about

ei~hteen

miles from Bro .ms-

v)lle, after dragfl;in,g him around the day before and all nio-ht,
they seemed to have made out so'ne sort of com-olaint agai nst h i '31
at Sun Benito .

T"iey had had him under arrest and had hifil out

with them in camp, .ti thout any warrant of' arrest or complaint
against him, and at San Benito they went before that old deaf
Justice, you may remember his name, and made o. complaint chargin--; him ·.1ith selli ng l i quor wit:rout a license , somet:binrr in
conr.ection

7i~fi

liquor, then he de11anred to t"ive bond and they

.10uld not let him , then started on with him

throu~h

Harlinrren,

1;hich is north about ei,...ht miles, and he aeain demanded there
he had some friends -- to be allovved to i:rive bond, and they
would not let him, and they then took him up the road about
twenty miles into Hidalgo County and put him into the United
States military

~uardnouse,

and a friend of his and of mi ne

met them on the road betneen Harlingen and Mercedes in

Hidal~o

and as soon as he got to Mercedes -- to Harline-en , he ' p:boned
me

~hat

they had told

~im

what they were uoing to do .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Colonel

 Slocum,

.fho testified before this c.om.mit tee, a very :Jann old

friend., at ..._,-ie time was corriJT1andi ng at Brownsville .

I

1

phoned

him and. asked h i m i f the Unite d St ates had any charge against
Mr . E d 1ard.s that
itary

~ua rdhouse

heard of it .

I

muld narrant him bei ng confi ned in the milof +he army .

He said none whateve r, he never

to l d h im I thou<:7ht it v1as crooked •vo rk and un-

authorized 1'1ork .

He said Ma,jor Saye rs .vho is under me com-

mandjnr at Mercedes is sitting here talkincr to me now , fortunately , just wait until I can ' phone and I will let you know .
I

waited , and after ten or fifteen minutes Slocum ' phoned me

ur aP-cdn and says , you are ri p-ht , it is crooked .rn rk, and he
says , I have given the commandi ng of fi c e r i n Colonel Sayers'
ab s enc e i nstruct i ons at Me rc edes to inform. Ca ptain Stephens
that I will g ive him thirty minv:es to cret that man out of my
guardllouse or I "Will turn him loose , and he said the tbirty
minutes was nearly up .

Colonel Slocum nas stirred up, angry

at the proceecUngs , and talked ver:1 positive . Directly he
•
called me up again and said he was out, they did not take the
thirty minvtes, that he was out, the Ranrrers had taken him Md
...,.one down the road with h i m .

I t was the thi .ni day , I o;ot a

hllinlr bond c::nd sent Mr . West of my office and told '·1im.to

as fast as possihle, I

1ante( to

t!O

et him out on bond if I could,

bnd when West r.ot to Harliri""en they ::ere ,just comin_g in there

with him .

T~dY

there, and I

rode verJ fast,

~.h i nk

an~

VHnn , our

S~eriff,

was

he apl)roved the bond c...nd told them they had

to turn him loose, and

fi~ally

they did so .

I thi nk it «as

tl'c next da.y \7l'len he returned horr,e .
Q,

What da.y was it he was ar rested, •.vi th reference to the

p rimary ele ct i or:.,
A

I ..vould not be certai ri, I think it. was i rr.n ediately preced-

inr; or the da,.)7 before , the day before the primc..ry .
Q.

Ho .. fc..r is P oint I sube 1 from Merc{:des ,:he:. re . . h~.f -rook h i m?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 A

You would have to t:ro by San Benito and out to Ha r l i no;en

the main rca.o , tlie road we always FO , I ,judge it was -"'if'ty
miles more-.
miles .
Q

01

lesr. , · e.nyuhere fron1 forty- five to fifty- f i ve

Merc edes is i n Hidalf-O County just over the li ne .

Di d you also have so1r.e con1pla i nt

01·

know sometl-:li ti'S about

sannj nr· some Mexi can deput j es , persons well kno v.,., in Bro Nns-

d]

vi llr. , h,y Cc..ptai n Stephens and h i s mel!?
W}.at ' s the name of that li ttle felJ o If! tho..t ' s

A

£1.+ S v.nta Mar i a ?

I

Ha sc:Jd. he had corr.e do.m the road that

day wi .i.h "his ..,...,i s+o1 on .

C

oS

con stal-t le .

I knew he had been el ec"ted and cmal-

He said he had met Ct. 'ltain Stephens and

S t-.phens and ruen , and they hc.d

taL

coristable

had. h i m to come to me and make a comp l a i nt ,

very 1uch frip·htened .

i fi ed

th~

th~eatenecl

him .:ri th

violt:nce B.nC took h i s gun a1·1ay and said if they c aug.."'J.t h i m
,i 1.11 a

rj

.

~un

or1 aga.i n, he had no rit;ht to carrv one - - that '1as

st.c:.t ~me nt to me .

T ""e re were blO of' J o

to me , they were re l ated to h i s

w i ~e ,

T i.lrne r ' s men came

two of the Lo n ge rj o boys

ole .cjtizen tlie re - - they are relatjvee of h i s wife -- nephews
somet~in~

or

of the k i nd -- had been airested and put i n the

ljttle local lockup or ja il you mic-ht tenn it at Sa.n Beni to ,

and ... ,.tyhad l1ad abandij.:; fif,ht, a. little scc.tterinf" fight in

tre nicrl1t rigrt be : ov:, they were arrested and place d i n then, ,
they d i 0 not knm: ;1'-at for , ... 1-iere \tac no 1.1a.rrarit. , and all his

f:rectnnn

";'.c;...t

l:'1e had i n hh; fanlily, old. p;uns and Pistols ,

taken too, and he· came to me to see jf I could not get them
for hhn and a.l?o +he next dC::iy t"r'te so t vrn men he:td been tal<::en
out o-P ,jail i n the nip-rt and turned over to the deputy sherjff ,
t~.1'"Em

out and huna, out in the .voods , hun" or shot .

Bot'\-i of

t'hesP Longerio s .

Q,

Did ·yov kno.7 Ped r o L enna?

A

I have known Ped r o Lerma ever s i nce I have hee1., i ., Brovns-

v i lle .

Q \Vnat sort of a man is

~e ?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 A

He bore a verJ

renutatjon,

J:TOOd

o mer do.1n there

propert~r

ever sh1ce I have been there .

Q What

offi~ial ~osition

thE: timE: Ca. tairi Stephens '

l'l

·n were stationed there .

A

What official county -positjon"

Q.

y s.

A

He helo :::;omethjnr.r , I don ' t kno11 what .

Q.

We.. f: he a deputy she rj ff ?

A

Y &s .

0

Wo s

A

He was one of General Parker '

he di sar;ned "

the b::i.nait troubl ... .
11

was he holdinb last year during

scouts and

~i

es during

Ft. came to me ve1.:y much :orlced up and tolcl_

e t..,.,o..t he had been absent from. home down at B rownsville , eight

or nh1e or ten miles from .his ranch , e:s.nd thet t

Ranp:eri:3 had cou.e there and fri ·rtened his

some of Stephens '

/ift;J and do,Ul•hters

to death , .1ent all t:broucl1 the house , broke open trunks and

st:arched them and the roorr. , and had taken awa.1 a lot of o l d
firearms he had there, olcl tlme shotr;uns , muzxle - loadinrr, c.:nd
li1,1 le li:

c1;ic3 a Sl•ta.11 target rj fle , fjve or six of them ,

ti"Lol::.~

ta.ken ther1 and gone off

l'!i

th thel'Y' , and he wa::i ted to kno .! Hhy

ht: .1as treated so and rvanted to know
anns hac:< and

1~

j

•

I could not ge.t the

ave i t ston ad, a.n<' I o.p lj ed to Cc.. tain Ste -

nhens to know why he did. it, and. '-le gave me no satjsfoctlon .
I requested him to return them, and b.1 1l:at rifht he took them ,
and b.., ..rhat right he went into that house and searched
told him our

C onstitl,~.jon

s~ ia

rather

do~gedly

He gave

1e

I

no satisfac -

that he dld lt .

Vann rrot very much wo rl.ceo up about ii. •
instance~

t .

forbade unytrinf of that kind Jlthout

a search \1c.;.rrant or Dro )er -process .

tjon but just

j

H~

Our Sher iff

had ht;.ard of other

a.no so ,/b..en Ca_1tain Willlcur Hanson ,

.rho seems to have

hec•n authorized -1:.o take charge of that country by the Goven1or
or th

Adj utan+ Gc:ierc:.l or some.thj nr.r , a.ny\'1ay ~e claimed to

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Ht- came there and investigated

exe rch;e !!i s authority to do it .
+he~e ?u...tters

, or +olr? me he did., and he sa.i~ t"hat Stephens

oP.r.ht to be removed , tha~ s +ephens was the cause of all the
We 11, r said fron1 wha- I "lad seen o ~ s -ccphens

tro ible there .

ratr.er lH~t:d him ,

I

I tt-i i nk S t :!Phens

j

s a n-ood man , o.n~ I

thin 1 · S tephens is a e;ood man bu~ I i:.hink he has got a s;relled
hebd , I ~hlnk he has got too big an idea of his little brief

authodty
bet-t,er .
sciJ

,

1:1.rrd

perha.ps now that the ob.jt-ction is made he will he

So Cc, ".)+c.dn Hdnson arran!"ed a meet inn; that n i ght .

if you

Ji 11 so.y the wore' I

ti 11 get him a.1ay .

I

He

says,

1ould not lL<.e to do St·chens l:l.n in.just)ce , :nay be every hint"'

I

Ji i: (::et along all ri .-·ht , and he arranred. a meeting- that ni "")lt

at my house , my farr:ily was cone , Cc;. tair Stephens an'_ Hanson
c.c~d 11 ysel f

S c:riff, but .ve thou.crht

-- he had arro.nr,ed for th

l'>est to :eave th~ Sreriff 0•1t, aP he anr' S ""'phens were not
frifmci~ .

WP three talked the;; trouble over, Ca9tain Stephens ,

Hc..nsor. u.ncl myself .

hi ~ ,

asked

I

•hat riF;h"L or .varrant he had .

He suid he didn ' t pretend to rave c.._ny , he just did it .

The

excuse he had , that Lerma and thjs cons'table and others -- I
p:ot a little hot myself , I

said

ii:h rr~ , I lrno' ruy rit<""h+s .
.ti th yot' , I 1·no .1 you .
1-1 e

He suys , oh , no , I

sai ·

I

s• ~phens you would not do it
muldn ' t

do i t

those other men ' s ri ~ht s should

equG..l b 1:;fo:ce the law , you ure sent he re cy the State to pre-

vent violations of the le.. ,

da.y .

I

.;as c:. lit.J.:le hot .

if you .v"ill let me kno
house , I

.nd you are viola.tin::; the l<:irv every

ii 11

~hoot

enough ilien you

co~e

i

ant +o tell you somethi n-; ,

I saiu , I

Nhen you 1ant to coree to search my

you het !leen the eyes i
1

to the door ,

~nd

.e-

I can shoot strai r-'IJ.t

if such men as Pedro

Lerma had shot you they would have been ifithin their rin·hts .
HL said ro , }e
~·ot

Q

~oul d

not do it to me .

T ~at

broke i t up .

We

uretty wan:1 , a.nd th at en dcd it .
Do you bell eve the pre sent

force and their conduct now

~ct j

~ould

ens and personnel of the

improve conditions i n

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

c ~ ~ron

 and Hidc:..lvo
T~c:..t

1:ors0 "

and.

C o··.ntie~

~he

V<..!.lle., , ur ... oulC. they u:ake n:atters

is, ·.10ulC. it he hettei' to have them of:' altogether

or to !'..ave tre:rr.?
A

Yoi didn ' t get the sequel .

1anted to wind up .:rith

I

Ca. tC1.iL Stephens \Jhile I arc on that subject .

Mr . Hanson ca.1ne

down ar.;ci.in &.nd we r;ot to to.lking &.hout Stephens ' conduct , thc...t
san,.e kin<:i of occurrence , he also a.rrested Hc..rry J effry the
same

l'l<:J.y

and jerked him around

vithout any warrant , took him

t c H.... rli np-e ri and kept h i m ::?r i soner in cc..mp with out any warrant ,

he c<:w1e h CJCk and said , di dn ' t I
let me have Stephens removed
had not b

~en

for you I

1oulc1 have had him rcr...oved

it ought to have been done .

Q,

I

o " y-ou ought. to have

coulci have done it, if it

!:l.nd I

that other sho or- do.m a.rout it .

r~pea.t

uell you

I

... ai~

,

I

n:.ckon I

:e '1a.d

.<Y.'"'c.1

1as

mis~8ken,

No / you ask me another question --

1lea~e .

jt ,

asked you 1hether , ravinrr Ranf;ers .1ho behaved themselves

as these

cople have been hehavin[!' themselves there ,

1hether

i t vdll help to straighten matters out there or make matters

rsr:. "

.JO

Rc..11gers behave thcmselv& ..~ ?

A

I -" th

Q

Y~~ ,

A

I think

Q

I

A

0 h , no , it has been the cause of more people

i"..~

b~en behavin~

themselves .

make mc..t'ters bettt-r .

.~ill

..w.y if they behave c..s they have been behaving?

River

th

an those people have

th~n

the slackers -- they are scared

'CO

over

co in ~

death .

Q

'D o yo11 l :rio : Lon C. Hi.11?

A

Yes , I t11i nk pretty much everybody lmov1s hirn , he lived

there u lonp; time .
~ret.ty

muc}1

eve1~yone

I

say pretty much all -- I

Sa.J I

think

around the re knows h i m, he has 1 i ved th ere

for sor;,e ti:rre , came there after the railroad came in .
Q,

What so:rt of an officer has he been making aroun.d.

A

I don ' t lrno.1 , didn ' t kno /

an officer at all , Gnd I

~eard

~xce

)t from heresay th&t he •. as

after1ards that he was a special

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

6

t~1er1:1 ?

 Ranger

~nc

carri ed. a gun all the time .

Q

Ho / has he been treating son.e of the Mexicans there ?

A

Tna t

I !rno .i from hearsay only .

SENATOR PAGE :

He is not in service

MR . CANALES :
SJ~:t-TATO R

He is on the list .
Hc:.ve n ' t

PAGE :

GENJi!RAL HARI,EY :
MF< . CANAI,ES :

placed on tbe

pl~ced.

they all been di sclmr~ed. ?

Yes .

What. assurance have we that they will not be

R~nger

SENATOR PAGE :
be

no~1 .

force after this

jnv~e~jgation

You have no assurance

tha~

is over 9

anybody NilJ not

on 'the force .

MR . CANAIES :

I

rculd lil(e i.:o be furnished

7i th the _present

list of special Raneers .

Genera:_ HG..rley me.de a state11:ent that the

'J'fil1; CF.AI PJlAN :

Cat tlt. I nspectors are the only special Rangers ;>racticall.,r 1;hat
11<...ve been appointed -- is that corrt.ct ?

GENERA!, HARLEY :
but not ir.any .
A

Yes .

T' (:;r~ are ,,ome excctitions to tha.t ,

The old list han not been re-ap 1ointed .

I 'think I heard that he wo.s fjrst appointed by F erguson ,

I c..rn not certain .
THE CHAIP.MAN :

Wi 11 you fur11i sh u ... a. list of any S_t.iec i a.l

a.t this ti· it::. ?

R nr:ers you have

GENERAL F.ARIJ.i:Y :

You !nean up to the presc:nt tin:.e ?

TFE CF.AI RMAN :

Yes .

CE1'1ERAL PARLEY :

I

hi n.., I

8,ve •

No , you. gavt. me not hi nc exce _ t a list of the

TH'E CRAI RMAN :

Co.1..tl... . I ns ectors , .Judge Moses gave me them u..ncl you gave me a
4

lj st of your regular Range rs .

I Q.Sked you for a list of any

si.ecials t.hot have been appojnted t.his year .
GRN'ERAJ~ HARI.EY :

'J'PE CF.AIRMAN :

con:i n ·

Y bs , I . ill get that for you this evening .

I .rish you .ould. , for the' matter is a1,1ays

uri .

THE WITNESS :

L et me add ,

rit.h reference to General Harlt.Y ,

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Mr . Hanson cei.r..e r. ack the se.cond .i-ime after .1e had. so much mo?"e
trouble Hi t,r Ca_.tai n Stephens, c;.nd after tha ~ Capta.in Stephens

was removed e.nd. Ca:pta]r1 Taylor sent the1
Cc.. tai'1
'l.ilaS

S veph~ns

c;.nd I don ' t thir.k

has beeD there si11c1;; , c..nr' I am satisfieci it

done by G ~11era:J.. Harley actinv: upon these complai nts .

I

d ·m ' t. know who preferred the-,,., I never ·preferred a complaint

at all c-1gainst anybody in tht. Adjutant General 1 s offic e .

I

want to add for General Harley , ii. is my experit;nce I never
went to General Harley

fo!~

anything that he did not t r eat me

wii·h the u-:;most courtesy and kindness in ever.1 instance .
Q,

What t.rnuld you suggest .1ould. be a rer-ulc...ticn or restric -

tion that should be
of th,

R~1gers

pu~

a safeeuard around the

in o?"der to p!"o

~ct

a.c~ivities

the citizens from

ou~rages

perpetrated by them .
A

I

can ans.;er in a general .vay c..s a lav"'er , as 1it.h all

men tho carry arms etnd have di scret icn of life and death and
u.rrest , I

don ' t kno1V -- you kindly sent me a copy of .1our bill

but I have been auay from hollie attending home n...o st of the time ,
in Corpus , Rio d rande CitJ and DallaR -- I have not read it
carefull~r

bi 11 .

- - I should say somethin: alone; 'tl e linE- of your

I coulo not say exactly ')e cause I have not

or study enough to be fair about

thou

h~

such

~estructions ,

~nd

I don '

...

l v •

I

~i

ven it

think some

think everJ To. , Dick and

H ~rry

OUf,ilt to be appointed a Ranger , and I think there are entirely
too many f)ecid.l Ra.ngers , loyalt.i·

R~"lc;ers

and God

kno~1s

what

all .
Q.

Do you i;hink whenever a District A'ttorneJ , Distri c t J udge

and Sheriff of the county requests the ·remove1.l of the Ranc;ers
from o.ny county , do you think it is a good provision 1JrovicU ng
that they should. be removed"
A

as

<::..

I certair..ly do .

Th" re mir)lt be instances Nhere the of fie -

general rule I t.hink it .. ould be a good prov i s i on .

State Library and Archives Commission
6Texas
~,

And

 ~oing

right there , if you are

to µut the

Adj~tc..nt

General at

the head of your Ranger force , r,ive h i m some say too and let
then act in conj"t.<ncticn .

I believe Texas is big

AC.jutar..t GenE-ral and has one right

wi

no~;

~nough

to have

rho .:i l l do r i ght

.:henever he ha.s the prope1· info:rTuat.i on to enable h i m to see
what oue;M.. to be done .

P erhaps that oueh-c to be done .

know .v-hether your b il l puts i t that \'lay or not .

I don ' t

I th i nk there

c& :ctai nly shou l d be some positive che ck on i t .

Q Uo you tl::i nk the bond feature 1s a
A
m~r

Well , I like t:be bond

fe~ture ,

~ c od

feature ?

it v1oulc. be a poor com-

t.a:c J UJJOn the State of TexaR to say you could. not. get one

hundred men wl::o Nould. not be able to five bond as Rangers out
of our poyul~tion ,

~adt;y

C:mQ

as I sa.~ , rJ/:.x.x:taxi~ of reasoning

r;:very li tt lE: old consta..hle in every precinc't. in our Stc;,te .'las
to give bond and tt.e sheriffs ["ive bona , c..nd I don ' t kno .'I ,

and i t ' s following the anala g.1 of' the la1'l , :"here there is a
man who

'i

~

ha~·

the po.ver of carrying firr;:arms wh i ch the c iti z en

1•rohib:i te( fron. c arrying , a.nd having 1.he povver of making

arr~sts

and in their discretion to imprison mt-n , and perhaps

in the i c

cU scret ion take his life , the re should be some safe-

guard thro.m around tne life and propert.} of the ci t izen .

EXAJi.U:NED BY MR . MOSES .

Q The troub l e about which you first testified wi"th r egard
to f i nc i nf. the bodi es of Mexicans who had

be~n

k il l e d , that

o c curred duri ng wha t i s known as the b a ndit. da.}rs ?

A

Yes .

Q

During 1 9 1 5 and

A

Ri ~ht

0

To be a cc urat e , wa s n ' t

A

Duri ng the year ,,rhat "

Q

1 915 .

A

I t .1as dur i ng the l atter part of , I a.m not a c curate ,

1

16 "

a lo ng in there .
i t duri ng the year 1915?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 the. latter part of 1915 and the early part of 1916 , some 1here
ria:h-t
Q

~lonr:

there . ·

.With your intimate kno Jledge of the conditions i n "the

Lower FU o Gran de , .JouJ:d. you say thci. t. the Rangers .. ere ir: o.ny.1a:1 responsible for the comruencement of that trouble , that is
~cts

o~

violence ?

A The bandit trouble ?
Q,

YE-s .

·A

No .

On . the contrary, it wao Callsed by De la Rosa and

Ca.vazas and others raiding across there and committing all
sorts of .... cts of la;.vlessness .

Trtcy were both from B rownsville .

I l c.ve kno .m them all my life .
their raids through

Hidal~o

Thl-y act 1:-;d as chi eftair~s in

anQ Cameron counties , and the

Rant:,e rf, came the re to "'rotbct t:he p eo t•le .

Q.

Those acts .1ere occasioned by men crossing the River

from Mexico into Texas a.no committing those e:..cts of violence ?
A

Yt.s, sir .

Q,

And the Ranger force vvas then consi derahly increased ,

or at least the Rangers v1ere in thc..t vicinjty , considerably
increa2ed shortly after that
A

tim~ ?

Yts, ond I repeatedly said - - Gc.1t.ral Pa.rker and I

.vann frit-nd &

,

he had about

2~

.1ere

,000 ... en in tht Lo .~er Valle.f of

the Rio Grande - - and I have said that two or tnree companies
of Ranrers did more good tr.an all those

troo~s,

being

un~is­

ciplj ned and not kno Jing the roads of t he lo,ver country .
Q.

It

is true , isn ' t

i1:. , l-hat there

XXR

·.:ra.s a great deal of

e:..ur.rehensj on and terror on the part of the _people .rho lived
in those an,a.11 towns adjacent to the Rio Grande and those 11ho
lived in the interior ?
A

Why , lots of people sold out , and if they coulc not sell

out just cibo.ndoneo_ their littlE- ne,,.r homes a.nd left ,7ith their
fe:uai lies .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
6.J

 Q,

I n addition to the .Ranger for c e 1..hat was in there and

had been sent in there , it is also true
i z en

~osses

~ere

ci t -

I s that your i nformat i on?

I c an ans .1er pretty near home about. 1-hat .

,.,ent off to the Army about two
nigh~

the r e

scout i ng both in Cameron and Hi dalgo Count i es ,

'.veren ' t there ?
A

~hat

y~ars

My two bOJS

a.go , ...nd they vvere out

and det.y with c arb i nes and automob i les going all over

the '.\!hole count r y armed and e v e r ybody else ..1as do i ng the sarne

Q,

That .1as la.rge l . >,. "Che cl.A st om of a ver.; la.rge m.c..j ori ty of

the white or A..erican citizer s in those tuo

coun~ies ,

.~as

it

not ?
A

Oh ,

:fO s

Q

No

dui·in g that t i rr..e th e re .1as a great de a l of exc itcu.t:nt ?

A

I ..ri l l -ce l l you C:1.not' 1er thin,c; abouc.

J

.

that occurred c..bout the killin"· of
Ranger or

c1.

Ran~ers .

~hose

That trouble

men , I never heard a

Rc...nger Captain -- there were several kept do .vn

there anc a good many Rangers -- that were ever cha.r ged Ni \.h ,
as faro.. I .1rno1 , .1ith k i llini::; tho s e men and do i ng that .

Q

That was the corpses you sa.1?

A

The corpses I sa.1

vV'ere· about .

1here the

buzz~ r ds

So Capta i n Ransom , JOOl fello .'I , he has gone over

the Long Divide , and .John SC::Lnders , I don ' t bel i eve the r e was
a better Rc;.nger Captain ever l i ved , never heard anything charged
ag~ins~

him and ne v er

he~rd

anyone charge anything agai nst

CaiJtain Wrigl t , but agai nst Ra.nsom I heard a great deal of ta.L.1:. t
but ,

a~

I

said , the .tJOOr fel.Lod i s gone and we haven ' t h i m to

deal with he re today , but everybody .. as tryi ng to prote ct h i mself .
~

On that

A

Y s , .re .1a s k i 1 1 e d •

Q.

Up at SweetNat er?

oint ,

C ~?ta i n R ~nso~

has been

J

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

u~~d

someth i ng

l i K~

 A

S o~ewhere

up there , yes , sir .

Q.

That condition of terror and apprehension on the part of

those men who had famili es in that country, isn' t

i t true that

trat condition existed in the count i es of Willacy , J im Hogg ,
Brooks , Kl eberg and. J in. Wells ,
that

countie~

A

~ordered

a.S

'.1e ll as it did. in these

on the Ri o Grande ?

Yes , C::1.fter you get th1oue;h that fringe twenty- f i ve or

thirty miles of mesquite timber , you cone out in all those
co1mtiHs _you mention on the open prairie , c..t H1:;bhronvi l le e:t.nd
J h1

Ho~g

band.it

T,,~t

and in Willacy Countjes it. is all in )asture .

t;(;i.l

e commenced out in the Ki n:: country by gett i np-

throuo;h the t i mber fringe on the Ri ver C::..nd then getting back
in Mrs . King ' s pasture in that open country , and it is where
that b

j

e

rattle oce;urred a.t the No rias headq.iarters .1here the

bandits tr1ed

vO

take it

that is where the .1hole thi

ri ·

first

commenced .
Q.

I .V'il 1 ask you 1 f it is JOur info nr.ati on that at thb.t time

farmers ·,.vho were livir.g in the country on their farms up a,;;) fe:..r
north as Brooks and Ji m We ll s Counties , ihere they .1ere able
to do so , N1;;re niov i ng into to,;n so as to be ahle to have .:hat
they regC:l.1 ded as better 1rotection from the dC:Ulger that everybody vas api)rehensi ve mi o:h t come to them?
A Everybody , no sane man thcl.t loved his family

~vas

go i ng to

leava them out at niP-ht alone under the circumstances •
. Q.

That was , then , about the condition of the public mind

shortly after that bandit trouble began and at the time the
Rangers

\le

re sent in the re i n considerable for c e 'la assist in

clearjne up the situatjon , that time of terror continued c.bout
s i x mont}s , didn ' t it, .-.·hile the bandits were operating so much?
A

S ix months ,

~nd

perhaps longer , before it died out .

.1as somt:+r i nr>; like a ..1o l f in the night .
quiet
Q.

~nd

Everything would be

next morni ng you wouln hear the bandits made a raid .

After that time , there we re occasional raids across the

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
t ,
6 Jo

Iv

 River , occasional assassinations or attempted assassinations
of sentinels along the Rive r ?
A Yes , that extended a ll the Nay from Brownsvi lle ' way up
to the latter part o-f' Hi dal1?;0 County .

The last one , I think ,

,,as cl.t ~" over e i gh~ mil es above, it was a sanguinary
~ight ,

too .

Q,

About what t i me was Captain Ransom removed from the Valley?

A

I

Q.

Was it a.L')proxim~.tely t.w years ago ?

A

Well , about that

don ' t know .

but I could not be certain 1hen

tir..~ ,

he 1as taken away .
Q.

You }no

v,

as a matter of general information , that for a

considerable time he was stationed at Aust in after he was removed from down there ?

A

I last saN him here .

Q,

And still later , your information is that he •.Jas sent to

Sweetwater with h is headq_uarte rs at that p lac e , a nd it wa s a t
Sweet water that he ..Jas ki lled?
A

Yes , s i r .

Q.

By whom was Captain Ransom succeeded down there ?

A

Ce:.. ..Jtai n J ohn

s ~nders ,

vi t?i headquarters at Alice , ,fith

his men was through that c ountry but Sanders to l d me that he
was ordered not to interfere or go into Ransoln 1 i3 ter ri to.cy ,
~hut
JOU

.territory on the Riv er .

I i1as j ust tryine; to thi nk

~v-hen

asked the quest]on -- I thin:< Stephens , but I .muld not

be certain .
Q.

I s Ca.1.Jtai n Sand.ers sti 11 stationed with his headquarters

at Alice ?
A

I think so , I have not heard to the contrary .

Q.

B J general information his men go on scouts v7hen theJ

t:h i nk i t is necessary doHn through Brooks and Kleberg and in
.T i .w Wells Counties ?
A

Anet Willa cy , al 1 over that country , yes , and I never have

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 heard a co~plai nt agai nst one of J ohn S a~ders ' men .
hear

SOlfle

I

did

little talk about a man naa1ed Morine and someone

0lse turned over to him by the Sneri~f of Kleberg CountJ , end
it ;as sct.id t hat t~ey .'lere not heard from since , out I don ' t
1

think anybody c ried about that .
It

Q.

is you:r infonr:ation that Captain Sa.nders was .._)rior to

the time he entered the Ranger Strvice S}ieriff of Cald11e11·
Co unt.y for a good .man::r years?
A

Yes .

Yes , I have knovm Sanders since;; he .vas a l i ttle boy .

I eave hiin a very strong letter o~ recommendation .vhen he got

his a_ l)oint~.ent , .1rit?l a great deal of J:)leasure , and will give
him another one tomorrow.
~

You have detailed ;hat you reg~rd as some acts that you

believe were not ...ro.ce r acts e:u1d not .vi thin the la.1 -- they
.vere done by Captain Stephenc ' mt;n?
A

Yes , sir .

Q

And Captain Stephens was removed from that part of the

country about the latter .ra..c t of August last year?
A

don ' t

I

re c ollect when , but I knou that he went away and

this m&.n -Q

Taylor?

A

Ji

i

Taylor , isn ' t i-: "

GEN:E:R.AL µ..ARLEY :
Q

W. W.

Ta~lor

- - Will .

Ca. tain Will Taylor , W. W. TaJlor , 11e ,11as sent to Bro.vns-

villt:: after Ste.)hens was removed .
A

I never heard a .rnrd about what T<:t.ylor did or his men .

Q From your kno11ledge of Taylor and observation and ac qua.intance you have had a.na your experience with other peace
offic~rs , \7hat ty9e of man , as to Nhether he is hu,nane, just

and a

fai~

officer , do you regard
hi~

c ~~tain T ~ylor

to be ?

as a good offictr .

A

I regard

Q.

A ':H...n of dhicretion?

A

Yes , sir , and I

~hin~

a man of large discretion .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q You kno1v Captai n W!'ight , of c0urse ?
A

Yes .

Q,

Yo u have

A

Yes .

Q,

You r e g ar d h i m a s a ;;ood offi c er a nd a good lili::l.n?

A

A good man and a e;ood offi c er , li ke so ne of the re s t

kno~m

h i m a goo d many year s '?

of

us he gets h i s head a l ittl0 s e t s omet i mes , but he d on ' t get
f ar · off .

Q

I 1J<:! l ieve Ii th the exce )ti on of one man i n Captain

Vf .ci ght

's

compa ny , and that .'la::> Si..rgea'1t Edds , you hQ.Vt: heard n o c omp l a i nt
of an,t of his men?
A

Whosd l!lcn?

A

No , ana. J ohnni e

t~svi""it:d ,

I no-,iced in the pai:iers , i1hat

I th i nk refers to h i mself - · J ohn Edds - -

Q Do
A

3

ou knoJ J ohnnie Eads ?

I have been a c quainted .1ith E dds , the bo,t was raised. rjght

a ro und. Ro c kp o rt , J o hr.mi e I had not kno Nn so mu ch , he wa s a
nephe.v of H0nry E dds -Q

h~

r~re.1

up

Leaving out ':hac pcu- icu.tar unfortunate trQ.gt:dy .1hich

o c curred , if it iid , for wnicr r.e has been

in..:ii c t~d ,

i:)rior to

tha t t i me ·i1hat has been the re:plltat i on of J ohn Edds a s i;o
,1hether he was a huma ne , effi c ient and fai thful offi cer'?
A
Cit.; ,

I aant to be vary frank sith you ; the peopla at Rio
Cl.

goo cl 1nany of them ,

~ound

a goo a. deal. of faul t

Gr ~nde

G 1au he

.. as dictatorial ~nd over1)earing , ancl. I ..,alked to Wright about it .
Q,

Wo.s that p rior to the timt- of this hon..icidv '?

A

Yes , and I said something about g i ving peop l e the dev il

and o ne th i ns e:..nd another , which J ohnn i e said he ciidn' t do ,
and :'ecling so .!luch interest I
~o l d

ua.lked t

W i:;;ht about it and

him to teli J ohnnie that these -u eoole
here ki c:: i nu
about
...
u

it , they t/(;;;re

~ood )eO_.Jle

c..ncl tni::l.n.f of then;. his friends , and

eo on a l l rie;ht . I ,,ulKccl
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
everytr. .i n<~ ...roul d

to Ca.ptai n Wr i ght

 .Lvnc:;tr.il.Y r.::.-oout i-:. .

~v.i t,\;;

Q

Ou.,side of the cod.._:>lai nt of some people up there at Rio

Grctndt: C1 t.f , ..;as he generall.Y

1"1;; 6

0.rded as a '"'ood officer during

the tir.G he .m:::; i n the Rancer S.;;rvi0e '?
A

I could not

t~ll ,

oO;ue

people thour;ht

a

good. deal of him .

T' is inter_.neter you had here this morning and some others I

have known a long time regarded him as a fOOd officer .

Q Do you kno ~1 Royal CollinoJ'?
A

I have seen his na11e in the FE.der<::<.l Court , I have heard

of him.
Q.

I

.Jill ask you if you have inforruation that he· ,,ras fonn-

erly a scout and .1as not a Ranger'?
A

I a.id not understand t"ic..t he .. as a RG1. nger .

Federal Court

1here he testified as a Govern,ne11-.

some infro.cl>ion of the la.1, of thE- FE-dlir .....L la.1 .
understood

·l..:CK... l>

I sa;; in the
~vitness

.;o

No, I never

Collins had anyt i in-; to do .1i th tht: Ranger

s . . rvice .
Q.

I t

is true , isn ' t i t ,

d~Cl.i:.

a great many 9eo_ple in Mexico ,

BroH!IBVille and other points , including L aredo , El Paso and
other points , crossed into Mexico for the pur...Jose of avoiding
the draft "
A

Yes , sir .

Q.

Anc. it is true , isn ' t

it , that a great ::!an.1 of those :1ere

not even Clvizens of Texas ?
A

Y ~s ,

a great

Jiany

o:!: the , _1ic1.ins cotton and .1orking on

farms tempo ra:ri lJ llaking a cro ~ , as 1ve sa.y, (:j.nO. th" roads wen:
just black with them and their fa.rnjlies going in"Lo Mexico .
Q,

What I was getting at -- you probt:1.bly did not catch my

quest ion : i1' is true that a g:-ee:a,t many iJeople from other
st.ates not only

~rnnt

to the part

dhor~

but at that pa.rt and other parts near

you lived , Bro.ml:>-ville ,
th~

Rio Grande from dif -

ferent por+ iono of the United S uates t:1.r1d crossed the River
into Mexico fort he

~u.rpose

of avoiding the draft ?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Y~s , and I

A

am satisfied th~t a great many spies and Ger-

n.an s got out "th.at .IC..:l too , ~eo.i;ile

1ho

tent i n'to Mexico for -i;he

nvrpose of .wrking again st the inta.rests of the United Sta.tes .
I >::>n ' t it tru.e ..,J.1at there was a greaii deal of misap_pn,:.en-

Q.

sion t.t.nd misunderstanding among a great many 2eo_ple i n your
<.;o-u.ntr.r
dtcUl

01'

Mexi ca.1. des c ent over the fear

i:.i1at

every abl.e - uouiad

would be _put in the Anny Yvhether ht: .1an"Led to go or not

and whether he Nas a d tizen of the United States or not , that
b~lief

A

.vas _pretty generC:tl?

I t was l)retty general .

T •1t;

rt:aso

1

that,

C:1.

great many of

my old Mexican friends .1ho 11ad boys ; anc 1.:;:ven thef ,

C<.

::i..o v of

tht.-.4U , .Jent across - - a. good u1e:..ny of them stayed , of· course .
Q.

B.; reason of t.he fa.ct that. Cameron county is on the R.i. o

Gnmde River and. a part of Brovmsville
of Mc..tamo.as , t.Yli:<,v a. great deal was

t-ing oy9osi te the to.m

i;.:x.1 ,ected

of all the officers

to prE-v&nt -vhe exodus of men who shoulct be in military servic e ?
A Yes , and we had i nterest all over that country along the
frontier and Mex ico that was thoroughly unders tood to "be i n
control of Gen.nan ;>ro pagaada
Q

I t .ms so gene rally believed r.hat they crossed the River

into Mexico and in that unha.l-'_)./ countr.r there were a good .,any
people . .x: r.na.J:.:> inf J.. Uenced b ... Gc:::rman eold , 'to stir up a.11 the
trouble they could i n the Un1c:.ed S-r.att1:> , _Jeople on the
3i't;;:

A

0,,9 1 JO -

Riv~r .

sia.e of the

Well , I .1as fortunate in r.aving the confio.ence of t.he

Fedtiral

S ecn~tx

Service inen , che o.rmy

ovm loca.l officers , as well as

th~

of~i

Cclrs as

w~ll

as our

Rangers , all friends of

mine , and it .rnnt beyond belie 1i'R -- it .1as so --·
Q,

It

A

T h~

iC..o

true ?

first , 11hat the Mexi cans call

~ °"

~
, .'le

ca.11 it a

" c-oa.Gtr ", the Mexican paper gets ouv a little extra. , -chc..t is
.1r.at it is .

T :. first appec..1ed ovt-r inMe).ico is .. her"

thing origina.ted .

As soon a.., I sa.: i.., I

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

l\.n~ .. i t

v:~is

.as nov l-'rinted

 by a Mexi ce:..Il .i,;ress along the River .

I

after.1ards found out

fro•1. S1.;cr:.:!t S .... rvice men in San A 'ltonio thc...t the "thing .1as
printed. anci d.is"Grio..ited from th\;;; G......:-rr.an prtss in Mex ic o , and
he said thi s

ir...an

De l C:t. Rosa.

,1C::Ls

.1earinq;a $50~ . 00 diaiuond ring

which was made a pre sent to him - · I don ' t, have much - -

;1t;

1rne \-J that the Ge rm.ans .rnrtl behind it .
Q,

Along the R io Grande River , e.s1eciC::Llly below the City of

B1·ownsville , from there to P oint I sab8l the c ountry is very
brushy?
A

All that river country is, do.vn to ivs extryme mouth .

Q,

I t is very thick

A

And that extends ' ,1ay ba.ck frow thd Rive1 on both sides .

Q.

That extends "bc..Cl( fro:o1 th ... River on both sides for a num-

~ith

mesquitL brush and cactus?

ber of mi _es"
A

Yes , sir .

Q

I v L> t.cu..a and has b1::en for a great ,nany years that there

has been a great deal of

smug~l i ng

along the River there , along

th& Rio Grande River from Mexico and from this side to Mexico ,

isn ' t thai:, true ?
A

Trt:i

s11!U~fling

frontier--· getting

Q

I see .

is not any violation of th<:: laN on lhe
c~ught

is .

And sinct3 .1e ha.vc Lt-C.Ome by la. .• a dry State thbrc

has been a e;ood deal of smuggling , or b.Y gtn1:ffal report thert
is c... good nea.l of smuggling of intoxica"ting liquo.c across "the
River fron Mexico into T ex.as -- is i:;hc..t not true , or do

.fOt.A

lnoi1 it by e;eneral report ?

A

I have seen very .tJoor vlhisky 1~here it is solu at $7 . 00 a

bottle , North a.bout tNo b i ts , since then -- yes , a great deal .

Q A great number of officers have been killed especially
oo.:n ht:.:10./ the to.m of B ro.msville , Sll!J})OSed to have been killed
by snrncglers"
A

I recall one Ranger of S r.e.phens '

com~any,

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

one killed in

 the Bend , right there at Bro.msville , and a very fine officer
by the name of Tate , .1ho .vas tr Jing to stop the i llee;al ex::iort-

at ion of

Q.

su~ar

and lard - · I recall three k illed around 'there .

Th1:::re vre r e a number of outposts of the

m~litary

service

been k illed since 1915?
A

I

do not recall how many up C:1.nd do.m the Ri veT soldiers

have been k illed or wounded .

Q A great man y of the Mexicans who lived i n Cameron County
c...re Lmeducated.?
A

A~

a rule , all of them are practically -- of course men

of means send -chei r cbildren off to have the-1 euucated , bu . . I

mec..n as a mass the.{ o.r" n0-.. •
~

A~

a 1C:1.ck of

appr~ci~tion

of our national condition it

·:as f;ene rc;.lly believed by a. large number of yco ple of Mexican
desc-=.r1t in that country tnc...v .l'ithout regard to 11hat .'le knoa

and understand to be the provisions of the Draft

L a~ ,

they

unoerstooc. and. believed i.hat .;;1,ll able-bodied mt:n .vt:rr:; go in.&>· to
be put in1,o the Army , even if tht;y were not citizens of the
Uni teQ Sta.te s ?

A

I "atc:iea. _f'..a"t very closely , bt.ca1se our bOJS .. ere .(Toing

and our hearts .rnre a..Ll in it .
regul~L

~rov~g~nd~

I am satisfied there .. as a

on this side , induced by Germans and by

Mcxicci.ns , 'to get th3u to believe that , and that furt.ht:.r if t.ne.r
.~e1·e

)Ut in tha Army the.1 .1ould not be trca.,ed li:,e .1e •ere

but like dogs d.nd got out of the

.~o.y .

I ., .vas due to thai:: 1-1ro-

' a(·C:1.nd.a thGi.t the majority of them we.re go ing a.cross , a great
m.C:1.,jority of them believed i t .
Q

The facts are that a great many , for various reasons , all

jn then: , c:..long t,h.:: bo n.1.t:r

~:1er~ ,

especjallJ those of Mexican

<0.xtrac ci on i1ho Nere subject to mili tarJ duty , as c.. matter of
"c;;.ct did cross tf'e Rio Grande and \!er.: n1;;ver inciucted into the
Arv ?
A

A graat manJ.

State Library and Archives Commission
7Texas
li

•'

 Q.

I .1ill ask you if it is nou true 1,,hat during the time

A

A giAcat many did. go ....nd a great many of then crossed .

Q,

A grE-at inany 11ent and made splendid soldiers?

A

Yes , made fine so.Ldiers .

Q.

I .1ill ask yoJ. if dur i ng t:!:iat tiIL.t, after ScL' ter.bvr , 191"',

.ihen th- first drafted troops
true

.1~rv

called out , i

it is not:

of'

th"' Rangers c:.cted in conju:iction of th1;; officers of

v1.:tv

the Uni b~d States Gove.f'rnnerit by .1hateve1· na.me tht-f micht h.~ve
beJ_1 <.:alled. , in the matter of appreheading deserters ..lnd those
f~iled

who had
cicizen~

to report for .militarJ 1uty ,

1hether they 1.1ere

of that countr:, or· dtizens o::' other portion:::> of the

Uni tcd Sl..atbs?
A

T'1ey did , yt-s , sir , I think they did , and I think th.ey
J'oi~

t-roper.J.y o.iei too ,
Tcxc...s '
Q
140$r

.1~r

this

;iTaS

United S·1.atcs '

.il:l.r and not

-- Cl.id c...11 they coulo. .

I have some

OOJ

s in thE.- arny too , and I ci.gr"'e

.i~:1

.1ou ,

r ro9erly .
1

A

And I 1..hink the Rangers did right Nhen the.>· did it .

Q,

T'

~re

.vas a feeling out at different

to thi., Gvrrru::. n propaganda , that

'"~e

tiI.v~

refer.ring l:;"'c.h.

strang~

all

M"xicans or

those .rho 1ere believed to have their domicile on the

011.

er

side of th" River objects of very grave sus·;i cion on the part
of tht? o .ffi cer s ?
A Yes, :>ir .
Q.

Arr"' since t:he Revolution started i

that Mr . Maciero inau?;ura.ted his cam_"'ai

Mexico, about tne tillle

1

'l,

"Lhere ha.ve been

evidences of activit rat different times on the part
jcu..ns on t'1is
into

~.ide

~rrrec1L.ent

affairs of that
A
over
Q

or

o~

Mex-

to violate the Neutraljty Law by entering
conspin1.cic~s

~overrunent

on this side to

on the

ot~er

enpa~e

in the

side ?

We would say to organize the frame - up to ma1rn a dash
the:·l~

cPcdnst what was then the Carranza P"Overmnent .

Uncer those conditions, J udge, by reason of the unhappy

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 banfitry that started in 1915 by reason of this misapunehehsion
on the

of the Mexican popul ation as to the ::ioli cy of our

1H:1.rt

Government with regard to puttinp- men i·'1. the ann.y , i t made a
condition of
frow other

~~"'fairs

portio~s

of tre S+ate, did it not ?

War con<1itions niade different conditions e very.1here,

A

ev erythin-i; l j ke I
rroi

alonp the Border that Nas. vastly ait'ferent

say, all gettinp: j nto the" army , our boys

nc-, ever vthi nr upside down an c trou"ble ever in Mex ico , and

in a war conJition sucn as this country has had in the last
tvo or t1ree years JOU cannot keep anyhody down to the quiet
level like vou did before .

When your boy .c-oes and you res'1ond

to t"'at ""'eeli'lr it is natural, a man "knows that, he Nill symnathize in

r·o

else

~hat

feelin.o-, in that direction i n makinQ' everybody

makes a

~reat

deal of di fference .

Without.rep-a.rd to t"'c iner-its,

Q,

i~

not

1~het~1er

I

ani

interested or

the controversy that you have lately harl in that

senatorial distri c t that comprises what we call the Valley ,
there i"" a very snirited contest noth jn the contest of the
~ri~ary

and the

~eneral

A Y

~,

Q

vill ask you

I

election of the State

between Mr . P'rr and
i~

~r .

Se~ator?

Glasscock .

it is not true that it is believed by

some •)eople do vn there in that country that the RanP,;ers or
t"hf' Rani:;e r forces was unne ce s sari ly or imnroi)e rly used with
re~ard

they
~r .

to that contest, and it is helieved by a

wen~

~ood

many that

used for the purnose o""' advocat inc the candidacf

o~

Glassc0ck over Senator Parr?

A

Yes, 1;..nd I tri nk it is so,

investigatin~

Q And I
~eal

I never heard of them

but one side o""' it .

iill ask you if that fact has not caused a great

of criticism of the

ac+ivity i·n

too .

behal~

Ran~er

force by reason o""' the alleged

o""' the candidacy of ::..rr . GlC1.sscock?

A Yes, a great deal .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
7 t ...

 Q,

No

the facts di t1'1 reP'ard to the killino- of -perha·9s two

r

or three men in Hi dalp-o and Cameron Counties , those fac ts ,
and believed by a g r eat many neople t11at l ots of the :men killed

were innocent nen -r;rn re k i lled and shoulr not have been killed ,
-:nat is true "
A

T~ere

is no doubt about

t~at .

I

~now

a nwnber .

I

~ant

to add that there ·w ere a lot more that should hav e been k i lled .
Q,

That were not k illed?

A Yes .
Q,

T1->cse -r.,ct!S

term it that

:i+i-1 res:ru.rd to the im,:'ro0er killini:r, if' I "W.Y

my, of Mexican citizens or Mexican pe rsons 'Ne re

as we 11 known in 1917

1}ien t''le Legislature convened as i t is

dur i ns:r 19lq, ·1afJ it not ?
A

I "' i t

11aR

not as well kno1vn, I do not see any reason why

it snould not have been known .
Q

Yollr di"'trict was renresented at that time by meml:>ers of

the Ler•islature a·,1

~

Senate, I believe Mr . Bates was a memhcr

of -f·.he Led ::;J.at1ire from the Brownsvi lle country?
was at one time, I have foraotten the session .

A

H~

Q

Via-= Mr . C - '1a le s a mernhe r ?

A 1lir . Cc.nales ms a member of the last session, and is now .

Q

The fact was that Mr . Canales 71as a memher of the Lerris-

lature, then n.,sidinc; at Brownsville, .vhen the Lecri sla.ture
con-vened a:. Austin in 1917 , and he is a. mernher frou: that same
district durinr 1919 "
A

I think so, Masn ' t you, J oe "

JOE :

Q

Yr s , F;i r .

I '1.3l ieve .rou said. that yo11 heli eved the Ran,q;ers were

really

jndjs•)t~nsable

stance

t~at,

~id

to that country dorm there, or in sub-

you not -- if they were

~ roperly mana~ed

had nro11er saferuards around the1• "
A

I n my opinion, I tliink

t~ey

do a

~reat

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

deal of

~ood .

nd

 I used to watch those boys .lith bUtlles, and yov could hear
\

them comin~ a mil e, they were o:~ o d men , United States troops
a comnan.,r

o~

Rangers will do more

~ood

than a re r i ment .

I have

al11Iays been of "'.:he same opinio n about the Rangers .

Q There r.as heen somethinp said ahou+ +he manner in lhich
Ra~rers

dress .

I s there much cifference bet.veen the ilay the

Rangers dress and hetween the way the United States Sco uts
dress 1hen they are ridinp aM.X or
A
li~e

scoutin~

throurrh the country?

Well, the averaq:e Ranfer dresses l i ke an olcl cowboy, about
I

~ressed

~or

~al~

a lifetime .

Q

The Ranrrers dress ,just like a co.-1boy?

A

That is

t~e

reason they do uood, a man sees his dress

and they are not able to say , the r e is an of'fi cer, like :torocxe:
they arP ab')ut a man with a buo·le and 1ini -f'orm, and trien ah le
to !"'et out of his way .

I want to say another +hincr : I no '10t

+Y>frik the Ranr.ers fiave heen half uaid,
t0 T"erf0r··n
Q
~ral

A
~e

th~ir

l'hether o·f'ficers or men,

duties i n the way trey ourrht to be -oerformed .

J udC'e, you have hereto f'ore testi ·f'i ed that you knew GenBarley ana vou· res--1ected h i m both as a man ancl an of·ficer .
Yes .

I never came to Jiw Harley ahout anyt'hi:'l·": yet that

nid not treat me l i ke a

~entleman .

I have yet to ask any-

thiner in reason that I asked him to do .

I n any

o~

this in-

vestip:ation h8.ve you ev er 1<novVn me to come to you or make
complaint ahout anyth i ng -- have I ever laid any complai nt
hefore you?
GENERAL FARLEY :
A
lie~

No,

~ir,

I

~on ' +

hAlieve you have, J udue .

I never have at all .

T~ere

told here about my Op)osition to the

ca11'!0+. ·f'ifld a thinrr in +he record .

~as

heen a

Ran~ers,

~ood

many

and you

M-;..r ouinioh and others is

l i ke the hest men you have had here today on the stand .
Q.

Since .Lne admi n i str ation of' General Harlev, I '7ill ask

you frorJ. the manner in which he f>as corid.ucted the a-l"fair s of
t:re o f.(.'ice, if it is your oDinion that General Harley is

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
7'·' "t

____

___

_......
;;...-:-:-

-

 t ryinr to,
Ran~ers

sinca he became Adjutant.General .

A YPs .
I

1"'ethe r or not he is, imp rovi ni:- the service o'f' the

I want to be frank .

As

t~e

friend of General Harley ,

t11iP1< perre::)S unknorn to General Harley, tha\a'.!1->ole lot of

peo9le have been impo si 11rr on him and tryinfl" to carrY. a c:un
and Flay loyalty, that only

l~sted

to tpeir door - stens and "lot

carry tr.em to !/here there is any shootin"',, ,just to P,;et to be
jmportant snecial offjcers f'or the
I

con ' t thin 1.r it

is ('retti"l,,.
Q,

nrivile~e

of carryin"' a gun .

'lill continue, hecause I think Gereral Harley

'ise .

"Jon ' t you +'h j n'k General Harley, or , ·noever may s 11cceed

rini hereafter, s'bould use very rrreat care and caution in the

P-rantin('J'
A

commi ssi ons to snecial Ranp-ers ?

of'

On, yes, there is a 1orld o"" 'barn done in it .

General

Harlev cannot know ever rthin.o- that occurs every\vhere and 11hat
the trutn is .

You know ro

1

~rone

we are +o ?j,,.n

reco~mendations

ori request, we all do it, and there is no man more likely to
he misled in that resnect than he is .
Q

I + has he ~n sup-ge sted, and it is true, that a numhe r o""'

s~acial R~n,,.ers a~~oi~ted hr

many or them, vere
s·'"'ec+or~

~irst

General Harley, in f'act a rood

an~ointed

by his nredecessor : in-

for t.he Cattle Raisers ' Association o-r Texas - - you

are famjlia:r '•'li+.h that ?
A

o~

I t'hink everv one

those men, so far a$ I have met them,

are 1:irrh class 'nen, anti I +.hink ever-r on€: of
tnat

~ower

t~em

shoulc'l have

to enf'orce

Q

You are

A

Well, all those Y>laces wher.e they shi ·'.'.> cattle .

Q

T'he nlaces where some o-P +,hem are stationed in that

sectio~

ure

fa~iljar

iitn +re

Ki~~sville,

con~ition~

at Kin,,.sville ?

Beeville

A

All of them do·1n t'l-te Ve. lley there .

Q,

Eave you ever 1-le ard of'

~nv

serious corinlai nt 'Ii tr ren-ard

to any of those men, special Ranf!ers, #ho have been fl'ranted

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
7•'
,)

 tre]·r co1Jrdss i ons because o·P ttie ir em_!>loyrnent iYith the Cattle
Ra ] se r s '
A
they

A ~soc ] at io n ?

No , Ri r , nev e r hear d an i nt i ma ti on , and s o fa r as I know
~re

a f' ] ne set of men and necessary f'or thP

•he cat•·1e
·j

+h

i n•eres+~ .

~rotect i on

I thi nk it w·e l l that they should he ar..ned

that autl-ior i ty , be cause somet i l!l"'fl i f you don ' t stou

vhen he o-oes

a chute ,

UD

of

1he n we see i t

ci

h ~f

should not rro, you ,7i 11

neve r see h i m apai n, he wi lJ o-o to Ft . Wo r th , Omaha or Kansas
City, yon ha7e to stop hh11 rii:·ht the re ; and also have
sav to the man that i s shi v "i nr; him. ,

DO

ver to

.rl'1at are yo" coi'1,.... vii th

that stolen beef? - - you have to en:'orce the law .i.here or never .

EXAMI NED BY I1n:R . CA N"A.LES .

Q T

h~lieve

Harley hhs

you stated ,

he~n

J uo~e ,

mi s i nfonner hy

that

yo~

bel i eved that G neral

people and i t is due to

so~e

tha+ f,,ct that he has +his informati on f' rom the vronf-"

~ources

that i s real ly the cause for the auuo i ntment of undes i rable ,
no-+- only as spec i d.l Ranrre rs but also re rrular Ranise r s ?
A

a

By ner?onal contact \//ith Gener al Harley , anr I knov1 he i s

he came f rom - -

~entleman,

Q Do you knoa W. M. Hanson 9
A

Yss ,

·ir .

Q He iR the I nsuector over the r e ?
A Yes, s i r .
Q

Do you

thj n'l{

Mr . H· 11son i ~ a v ery rel i ah le man to r i ve

i nf'ormat i oh as to vho snould he on
A

t~e

Ranger for c e ?

No, ::;ir .

Q With

re~ar d

t o that German

n r opa~anda,

do y ou r e c all

whether or not I too1c 1)c:rt in uneartrin('" some Ger-nan -:->roPar:anda
in 191? ?

I

1111 recall to you the i ncident of Fathe r Hennann

anr o+>ie r German "">ri ests trat we r e scatterin(I' it .
A

I recolle ct you

navi n~

two u riests arr este d on a ccoun t

of i t , that little red - headed German pri est t hat used t o be

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 at Lometa and another at San Benito .

Q What official posi tion did you hold in the State at

th~t

time ?
A

I. 'on 1 t remem"h er , but I

N~tio~~l

of

Defense ,

co - o:~rated

Q APd

a~d

.vas a member of the State Council

aa sti ll .

·itr t~e co~~and i n~ officers in

EXXX?J: ~ro~ns ­

vi l:e in l1i.nn:ing down t:his Gennan propaganda?
A

Y"Es , CJ.nd I "Vent further , my.relations a.re all Catholic

:ma my

rife and mys el -I", c.rd my

ir: cliurch work .

.~i fe

tal<es cui te an active part

I ;vent myself' to +he Father s· )erior

.~nic1"

is

under that organization , and I told him that +nose t·110 ori c;ts,
t1:.e y rrnre not in sympot'l-v Ii tr. the Gennan ~, ue re very un •ri ~:e,

j .(:'

and if

:b1~

cl j a not :1ant the church mi xed u) w·i th i t, wh ic h I knew

he did not, h"' had better

i;epr'!

ther. some'.·1here r>lse or story

n:ou+ns, J.11.c..t theY: ·:vere Fett ing- in .·ronl"" abou+
Q

It

of +re

i.,. hrou(J'nt ou+ n r re ,..,
Le<"'i~lature

two yearo

r

tni~

1/I.r . Moses t'ha+ I

a~o

ir

very bad .

ras a

and +not '11 these

had taken place then , and that I d i d not co

trt.

menih

-"r

ou~raP,es

anv"~ i ~~

at that

+i we jn 0roer to brinP' the attention of' t,,.,e neoule and. of the
Governor ":. o '·""

:zr at t er of' these o u~ ragP s : D

you lrno !I

~·he t

'le r

or no+ I made any ef'-f'<'rts aloncr t.hat l i ne ?
A

I lmo•'.' you WE"rP. very ze2lous C1nd dilip.;ent in ao i n()" every-

t.h i nc· yon
Ir~'r

0

('0 1

I t was you triat went to General Parker , to

110 .

rn kn owled ~e

.

Q You ir.i sund erstood me ; I am talkin"' about calling the
at tent j on o"' Governor F r"'uson to

+h

··se o vt rar,e s durinO' the

k,jme Governor Fer;ruson asl'ec f'or thi s S'">ecial Ran,...er Lari .
A

Y ~s ,

I

vent.

lit.h you to see Governor

you wo11ld not op 00 se thE> Ranr.e r La.,if .

Fer~uson,

I t ola hi "1l I

he wished
1

·ras always

a Ranp-er man , hut I tho lrrht :perhaps they did not have sufficient
1

restrjctions, e;..s your hill has today .

Yo11 wantec to see the

Mexjcc.:.n pt.-or le.and the :Ve~icC::lr interests protecte~, a.nc I
w i tYi you and we had e;. lonr'. j nterv i e\r 1ith h i m.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

1ent

 Q.

uid or not Governor Ferguson a~sure me t'-'a.t those matters
c or re c·i: eo
v·1 ould hE: /G:rm.atsoc and improner men would he recall ea on calli nO'
h

i s at t e nt i on the re t o?

A He did, in n:y presence .
De' you recall also that he n:ade an an~eal to me that i t

Q

was al" in )roper matter at. that

.i.

ime to make a

-"'j

-ht against

tri s meas111·e, ori accourit of the fact that we VJere <:tlready in
any opposition from me

t'he war ari0

livee

1

nC lih rties

our citizens?

·a.nd yoy :cepli ed you mule'! do

A

Y

Q

I,., renly

~,

o~

muld perhc:.')s endanger the

+ o +noi:i e

... •

l

srentleme n +hat we re killed, Ran re r Sha \I

tha.t was "k"illea, isn ' t i i a fact ... re.. . Ranl!er S11aw was killed
by

1hen SG.linas was ac+ har in self defense at the

S~lim.rc

A

So.linas ~

Sha•:: practically coYJ•mitted sPicide .

~atrier

youn- S linas that killed hirn, was an old client of

Lhe

I looked into it .

He was

About four n ilef. helo.;
1

lrj

tre

o·~le

Bro~msville
'f"'o'Y'~

at Tomato ' s Ranch .

ever done litn

of

~in~ .

These

and had a patch o-P melons and

had 0Pen used to co,...jn,... in there and stee:ljnt""

c_nr; corn and he haC! been watchinrr thPm .

melor~

i'rt" "

lled under +:he se c:ircu'Tlstances :

Salinaf lived <md they han a

corn, e:nd )

t

S~linas

ahout the

noise and he pot up, you

mi~ht

qcrape .

pnootin~

call it a

tar~et

No'-ninr

1as

1

He heard a

ri~le,

~eard

a noise 011t in the corn aho11t nine or ten o ' clock in the dark,
anr1 rc.i.ri out there thinkin,... it was some o-1' those thieves .
?>e

1:i-01

~i~,

-1-~>

1a~

th

corn a ·r;an

~crin~

hout ten or

tr.rouuh th

fi~teen

corn, and they

other alrroet instantaneo 11sly .

~1''1.en

feet, rirrht at

bot~

E~ot

at each

Rancrer SY.a.AT had a r;un .1it"1 slup;

or shot in jt, he nearly tore the side of

th~

Fe sYi.o"" at t.he Same m0• "!nt and Y-illed $1->aw .

face off of him .
TY,e fa.th.er heard

+1-J.e srootinc- and ran out and found '-hem lyinrr there, and they
(::l;f""ermrl)

saia the.+ i+

wa~

S'-P.phens ' men thc:.t went -to. the house

anc hroke open a trunl<" and toolc a.ray a lot of old -Pi rearms and

a j"'

,j )1 fit a~

tr er

pleased th ere ah out it .

7•Texas State Library and Archives Commission

These are the facts,

 I inoni red closely , Sra'" committed su j cjoe, what he was doing
trere at that t j me of n i rht I aon ' t know .
Q,

The otrE>r Ranger killed was Seraearit T im'--erlake"

A

He

vas k jlled do.wn i n the Bend, that was ,just

a,

:"ree firr!'t ,

trey vere after a very 1' ad man that the country ,Joulr -nave heeri
bettE>r of.r. :if' tl-iey had ldlleci , a Mexican bandit, a smuo-gler
the:.r~

over

tllC;..t

~mugi::,:led

from the other si <i e of the River, and

they .croi· to shoot.inf' around in t'l-ie brush and rattled and exc j t ed ,
a."ld I don 1 1- tr :i nk today :...ny sonrce but Goo 1<nows who did k ill
Ti~h

erlalce or w:ho shot anybody else .

Q

The mc..ri Tate was :orkin::r "for the Federal Goverw!ent at the

t i me "

A

Yfs , sir .

0

A~d

A

Y~s,

Q

An<"1 he was k illed -f'or arrest :int; so!!le man for smug,Q"l ino-

vas a most excellent man

~nd

officer"

sjr .

s om"' la rd , vasn ' t be "

A

I also went to +he bot torr of tr..at, in this vrn.y : Th .... FE.d-

cral Governrr,en+ 'had placed e:tn
2~nd.

esnecio.lJ:,' su.-:ar
ahove Bro!msville
C:t

cross, they

~ere

en1bar.~o

upon taldng cor~ and sugar ,

lard across the River,

on~

was e. crosf;inr:

•here they 1ere occ:Jstorr.ed +.o take thinn-s

out on

(;l.

scout at ni f"T"ht , the mbl.n

re S'-"..e riff but died since of' pneuJYloni a , e:md
+rey 0ot

t~ere

on~

,ho ..vas to

or two otne rs,

or two mil t!S ahove Bro nsville and passed a large

covc:.ced wa ·on on .vrich rnre rHtin,... a

NO~an

and a man

he •;ent a little f'ro!!' i t in an autotEoh il "! and

tV10

of th.os-e officers, and they passed a little buri:ry

d.~ivin,,.

or t'b.ree other

dth a

bo~

a littlE; frisky boy that they hc..d in .iail -- onE> of them r e -

rrar1<ed , What L· t"he 'natter lfi+h that war-on , it i s .o'O ino- i n the
cjrec+jon of t..,,,a+ cros$inf"T" nin

or ten o ' cloC'l( at ni . . .ht ,

good ueather , all covered uu lit!'. a ta.r:-aulin, lE;t ' s go
a:nd seo.rcl

j

t .

i"'-h
bac~

They. tur11ed <:..nd wen+ rack, and ·rren they p;ot

r i p·ht up to the wagon ancl C!:llled to the-n to halt, the mc..n on

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

--

 the wagon .jumyed out -- it '.1as jn t'b ic k brush, .lith a sixty""oot road, ijd::t a11ove .... he

hunt ir!r.: --

.~l;rr.ped

r·. . icJ.r

ou+ and fired .

lriln nhere

It

1e

~it ~im

sho~,

Tas nir:·ht , accidental

mi rrht have sho+ all ri ~r.t and not hit him -- the first
r.e Tired

~o

co:rr..>>J.only

in the back of the head

~nd

killed

~hot

hi~ .

And

o+ner man with him ran off and left Tate dead in the road ,

thf

and when they ca:rr.e back of course they were all c:one, c:.nd that

woman t ol<'I me who tre man was , he was a noted

smu~"3:ler and

des-

perbdo, and just as he fired +he shot he dived into the brush
~t.

a run, hc..d to :run ah out a hundred. o :r a hundred a:id fifty

yards to uet to the River, and had to s 1im across the River .

That was the last of

~im ,

Yo , have lived. iri Cc..-.e ro·1 County since ' 79, I ht: lieve .

Q.

Outside of that randit trouble, outside of those

year~,

triat

year , do yov bel i eve there .-vere .as many mu1·Q.ers comn:itted in

Cc"r'\ero.., County as in the C) ty of'

Dc,ll~fl"

I do,., ' t knovmuch a.bou+ Dallaf:, I don ' t like to critjciF:e

A

my nei c:i·hbo rs nore or less, but I think vve vrnulrl comp are favorahly

, j tri tr. em, very favo rahl,{, I don ' t kno ,; •

Knj~ht

nere is from

My f·ri end Mr .

D~llas .

EX.AMINE D BY 11 R • } OSES .
Q

I .,. it or not your in""orn:c..tio11 +hat the sons of this ma.n

Sc. li n<::J.s or some of them \Vere slackers or deserters"

A

I

on ' t know, I don ' t knov

nhet~er

they are or not .

Q Or were at that t i me, I mean "
A

I could not say to save my life .

or less, but I don ' t

remember .

Most -people I kno·.·1 more

I think S ... l i na.s had two boys,

but I don ' t renJ.err.ber whether +"he others wen"' or not .
l.l:R . LACI<J!:Y :

Q You saic you think the Rangers ou.P-ht to be:

under boDd as all other peace officers were : Are
~r-

B.~')~rnsville

D

uty Sheriffs , are they under bo11ti"

Ri;;<>r

C i~y

nolice

G'ards you have dom there or the

of

or

t~e

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
7 \)

 A

Under the p:ene ra l laws of the State - - you ure a lawyer

and a pretty rood one, you our.ht not to ask me i:: deputy $:b eriffs - - u.lJ deputy sheriffs are requ ired to i:rive bond .

I ron ' t

know 11hether poli ce.,.,1er> are or not .
those FUa.rds --

0

Ar~

A

Th e :V.oun'teo I ns1ector o: C.lstor:".s .

MR . MOSES :

hat do they call them down

Army Scouts

t~er 0 ?

s on1:;; .

j

I never heard of' the men attached to the A r.aJ Scouts hcdno-

A

und.er

ho11c~ .

Q I

it a

sta"ble~,

A

t'-"lat the only ones under bond are co1-

deputy sheriff::' anr1 th•

All

j-f.P,

f~c~

peC;.,ce officers -- I th i nk

t~e

~1.:1.1•;

)OU

sheriff'~ .

<:tnd constableg .... n'l de.vmty

stc"'a t'-.,e

S!'eriff hi nself ?
are riryht, the sherI have always under-

to be that a deputy sherif.P had to ""ive bor'i to

S OUle 1:; 0 d.y •

Q.

No , that is a ' j 2tc-..Jr

A

'D0'1

1

t

J

•

a deputy 3heriff have to n.:ive

MR . KNIGHT :

No, only the Sheriff C:1.nd constGJble .

MR . TITlWJ!!LL :

Q.

You r...c..ve related tbe fact thb..t some MexicC;..ns

have beer. killed do.m ther"' .

sorr.
A

R

the
A

I ,,1 1 t

it a fact thc..t

~))1;r}{

also

1()'ers have been killed.b.V some Mexicans ?

I r1on ' t recall hut ,j 1.rnt t'J.e three, Srt;., ! anr Ti!!!l-:e rlalre

and T c;1.te -Q

bon~ 9

tr. ere

may have b ecn one o!" t ...:o more .

Wi 11 you inc'l i cate to th° Co ,.,-.,i ttee vi1hy , in your op i nion ,
pl~cjnu

R~~uers

cf'

under bond iould lend to their effici

I "'hink so for sE:ver<:tl reasons, yes, sir .

any mun
observe

ho
j

1

~c

I ":.hink th<.1.t

•af' the uro-oer res,...,ect for the lalV is ruore apt. to

i:, and I

think too i.hat :i t

~ifill

tend to

~et

a hip'he.r.

~

and hetter clC1~s of men .

As

to

the bond, I never crit ic ally

I +ninl< it .1oulc be no hard::.1-ii) to give it .
ro,Jld not tend. to ircrease treir eff'jciency, but I can!"lot

It

sav +r:...t :it

Q,

f()1;lc1 be

any harclshi

Cc...n you. su,....ge st anf"

Tht Ranrers ll'vould he Nhat yotl v1oulo ca.lJ the

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

7

~ milit ary

?

 arm,

ou~

f4ide of the No":ional Guc":.rd the military arm wouln be

t}'e ~olfUers, privates, captains e::.nd Xifi lieutenants -- the

cantains or lieut<:;nan... s,

ma,jo!~s,

lieutenant colonels and col- .

one ls -- ncr!e of those o f.Picers o.re unC.er bond , are the:,~ "

heard

o~ onf

o~

under bond .

+he~ bein~

Q Dcr. ' t you bF>lieve if tlie Acjutc:.nt Gi... 1eral had on intelJ j PE nee man, like the Colonel hos , don ' t you believe that trirourrh

+r is

A

i ni, e lJ i e.::nc e mc;,n an.onp- the Ranr.:ers he could remove those

Yv2, I •r.in'Y you are yiroha"bly rir-ht .

With a : roper man

hE c...d of eac·, corr.pany held responsiblt) .

Q Here is
A .ivtan
o f-f ice r

t~e

ide~,

you didn ' t

G '1erc-.l .vere· furnished dth;;...
ilio

I~

catcl the idea .

the

rivate intelli"'"ence

iOUld run down all these comula.l nt s 11hcn mc:i.dc

carefully inspect o.11 those men, would not +h.... t

~nd

remove the

qnestion yov have pointed out "
SENATOR WILLIFORD :

There is a vast

r~guJ.ations F.;Overnin~

hetm-::en military rules and

A

any
Q

and
A
I

A l~

in the

~overn j ng

differ~nce ,

vorl d , heretofor~

ther~

not ,

soldi ers and

I ·o not think there

h~ve

been

the Rangers .

No comnc..rison between the regulations
thos~

is

~cvern i n~

i:rover'1 i ~~

the R...

~ers

so l c j ers "

Th .. Rc..'1gers a.re jv.s t fre (.. -- Mo , sir , I

"l-tave reacl e:.• P"Ood deal .

I

~upoose

Jn ' t

suppo ce so .

the f i nest bod.y of con-

st c..bula1·y that the world has ever seen - - I read a crood deal
ahou.t them -- i s

1}1at is vno "m as tht: Ro fal No rt"'Nest :Mounted

I>oli Cf, of' Canada. -- over th"1.t immense '.'Ji l~ country - - and I
.rnuld like to have some men I

1... no

.1 ,

.he

I

i1ave a. fri enc .rho

wants to do what is riD'11t and hest, to read a description o:"

tr en
an

-- .;.hey are the fine st body of constahularJ i n the .• orlC.
nc1 O(iy rret s a :e:.y ;:-ro:r1 tht.

•

State Library and Archives Commission
7 Texas
,.,

 Q n o you tr..:i nk a ma.n \'lho can"lo•
swrvice of the S+ate o!

A

I

4

bone ou,...ht to be i n the

T ex~~ ?

bink the life and liberty

~het"1er

rr..an ,

~jve

Rane:er or not .

o~

a citizen

~ises

a~ove

any

I 1 the times of McNulty I neyer

r.earcl -- or Lee Hall ' s men and those rr.en , a? I have said about
Ce: tai n. Wrj rrht ' s men and Wi 11 Tc.ylor ' s men anc1 J oh'1 Sanders '
~ i aht

men - -· there

have been some indiv:iciual instances, as I

I heard anout th i a boy Ea os -- these neo·ole are almost

s<: i(

like ·ny own 'E".:Oule, I

vas raised .1ith them --

outf'~oe

of that ,

and men o.c·tin;.r under S tephens and men c..ctirir.r under th i s cocall~'

Re-,

o-er

Hanson , I nwei- 'earci anyt'hinp aho1lt these Ra.n -

(fers .
Cotld you ..,.ive any practical sucgestions a.s to the better-

Q
tr

ent of the Ranae r f orcE- ?
A

I liardly lcno

exceyi -- but I

1

a.'11!

ihat Mr . Canales ' bill coYltains about thi:: ,
ready for the organizat ion of the Ran!'l"er

f'0rc , and I am cistinctly in favor of nayinrr th3l"' adeovate
wa~:es ,

nen Nho have nei:rer o-ot over half' enoucr,,,., .

A ~jd.e

f'r om

that , I have no fixed ~ :i ews , asjde from the ~act t~bt I th i n~
yo·1 a

Lel7i ::;la to rs should do cverythj nr that can 1'e done con-

sistent

1jtn the pro.,.)er en-rorcement of law and order and the

laws of you.,.. S-t ate -- -:nen \iho drag

Count

Co mi ::>d o-rie r !::!.round

-r·or thrt::e or four d::i.ys and ni,....hts and do no"'.. even allo.v him to
rd~

to.lk · to
<...P

<

laNyer

O?"

"'ive bond, I

hink you our·ht to malre the•n

ccounta"ble to the la•;l]s as the law makes you. and. me, i

violate them, an" I cc..n(lot think that we ,
Tcxae , that such a

reflectio~

should be

th~

ca~t

-F'

:e

in"t<:l.bitants of
on thie State that

we cannot f:et one hundred or ont- hundred and fifty pi eked 'T.en
a

Rc,.11r-e.rs .:ho Ni ll obey the la'l and not vjolatE:: i t .

Lc..,jority of men I have kno1;n

MR . MOSE S :
you kno.
A

I

a::;

Ranrers never viol<:tted it .

Ref erri n.r:< to the Mount ec' Polj ce o:' Ca riada. , do

~hether

or not trey are under

lon ' t kno ,, bu., I !:no

1

~o

~

9

this, thc..t .;ht::n they ki l l a rietn

7 Texas State Library and Archives Commission
rJ

T""e

 and draw thejr gun fjrst they have r.-ot to malce a m.jr:-hty clear
fro~

case of ravjnf had to draw it or they will be djscharged
th

s rv :i. c:e .

Q

T'-·Lt \'jll relate to thej:r rerrnleitjo1.s ?

A

I "' OUfht to relate to the

Q

B t yov. a.re not advjsed as to

A

No, sir .

MR . TI DWELL :

I ::n ' t

t'·e; Fores• Rar'p-crs of'
police syste·

in the

jt
H,

re~ulations

of all of the• . . .

ihethcr they are under bo,.,d ?

alF;O true that tht

F ~dera:!..

Governmsnt

F(:;deral Governmerr' , i s the best

~orl~ ,

that

dnd they are not under bond

they havt: the best scouts and the best insµectors -A

I he:..ve not the remotest id.ea .hether they give bond or

not .

I

.no / •hey :Cc..ve "" very :fj ne set o <- men , they ca.re saiO.

to be one o:' the finest forces of men there tu-e .
MR . LACKEY :

You c..re pretty Nel.L acquainted in Hida.l.o-o

Q.

anr' Ce=meron Counties - - you knoH most of the JTOOd Mexicans ,

don ' t yon ?

A

t

Q.

Di 0 you 1·ecoenizt- any of tho sc eleven men .>rou saN out

non ' t knoN any but POOd ones .

thPre :in

A

t!H~

brush "tho.t mornjnt" ?

No, I don ' - think their mothers wou:!..d

T e buzzaras C.jd not leave -- even

j

h~ve

knoNn them .

f they did , I never sc..;1

any of them jdentjfieo e:t all?

Q

w~re

A

Not as far as I

~mo

.

I

tever knew anyt.....,j'Ylp ahout

th~m

tXce 1 seeirw •he· •

•
G Didn ' t modt of them come from across the River on the

A

I

-io1 ' t

kno ,, but to he i·j!'"ht frunk wiith you , I exriect

that js not unljkely .
·~en .

T~ey ~ere

o:icked up by the buzzards,

any , o.;.. I se:.. , +hat I

Texas
71~

MR . C.Al'TALFS :

I ijc not set c..nythinf faudlh .. r

Q,

an~

I

~aver

iith
s~:

recornized at a.11 .

Do you rememher C

tain Ho.nson sho,dng you

State Library and Archives Commission

 his invt: ~,tj r:at i on ahout the killin g of Li sc..nd ro Munoz by
Sergeant E dds "
A

Y s , .. d r .

Q

::ii d you tell Cc.."'t8.in H. . . nson after · t.he killinr'l' that tha.t

E dds

A

pui lty of manslavP-ht.- "

V!a.s

on ' t. knc

T

what I

I

:ould rather have C· 1tah H<inson to hear

ic..ve to state .

ms on the trai n , he ca.lled me to

It

h i m hnd aflked me to si i. down hy h i m a.rid -cook out this n- cord ,
s~io

so to spuak , that be

wc..s the

orj~inal

ves~j,o·ation ,

of that k il l i

to moke .

asl<"ed rr.~ to look at i ,v , a.m

H

result of tnat in-

that Ge·1eral Ho..rlev had

1 ·,

S~'1t

him

I

J + .as ~he ~ffidavit o~ Ee 's hi~self and tre o..f~idavit of the

perhaos t
ret~(Jr

I

I

.

E){"anirn. that

rill tell .rou 1hat I

recollect

<-~nc

see if that. is or

lid ask him .
.

A ·I an very fond of Edds c..nd his uncle Henr
th i n1<: , on<:! of the
0-!"

cton ' t

ctTI.)hOo.> 1::lse uent or not - - three or four or five or

sjx aff:idavi ... f'
Q

.10 - -

h:

I

:r

as

fj

""
nest men we have in Texan , and urn very fond

C::.

little indir:nant whe?1 I read the thing ,

a.nr" I r ecolJect one ~hin

I

aid; I sai · , What f"'Oose or .1hat

f'ool rro" that boy to ma.lee the.. t
MR . MOSES :

I

E eds is, I

sta.t eme, "

the Co nmi ttee please ' I rion I t kno\: Nhether

that has been offered i n evMbrice or not .

I f it has not,

1e

have no objection to it be inP- o +-f ered , bm, T clon ' t th i nk the

question is proper ; I

1on ' t

Wellf; our·ht to 1'e askeo ,

cl.S

of +ha,t testiriony at all .
no ny he i

n.c.r

d

~uestion tha~

s~.j(·n ,

J

ge

to 1hat he thinks about the ef' cct
We have no ol>je c t]on to that testi -

o f'fered i r evide nee , hut ,'le don ' t th i r:k 4:hat

oJ'Y morfl of' J •.l )ge Wellfl tha
rooer .n

thiLk it is

I

co ,

bu~

I d

•+

• ecause ..hci.t ie a matter that

~hink
tn~

j

s a

it is a

Cmrmittee

cc..r 01-cttrrdne for themselves if tre testimony js offered .

THE

CHAIF~1.AN :

I th i nk nroh~bly the st~te1 ent or the irvestj-

State Library and Archives Commission
7Texas
,,

 e;at i on might he ad...,:issihle, but at the sutTe;estion of counsel
it :ls not

ro.>er to ask J ud!""e Wells

l

H"'re is the reason, not. the>.+ I

MR . CANAJ:Ji;S :

J:l:is opinion is on tr=i.t, 1rn
re~arcl

tc C

rant to offer it hereafte1~· niih

tail Hc:."'lf:on ' s statelr,ent to thf Auiute:.nt Gv 1eral .

He q_uote. J i
that it

I

1an't to ask what

rrE:

V/ell~

as s.ct.vinn" that J ui ge Wellf) anc I

.as manslauf;hter .

old r•im

I Nunt to as.tC him 1hether he made

+nat statl3nent, not what his opinion wa.s, but ~v:nethe r he made
+,nat statelllent t0 Cc..i?tain H·1 1so.., .
"'~R .

I c0n 1 + think it is material at all .

1ros:rJS :

The; re are some charges tha. t C . . 1i:;ai,.., Hanson is

THE CHAIR1 AN :

no1

f i t and rrope.r person -- that he bas not been impartial

ci

in his h1vestir:i;ations .
of

.f.

I t micrht be ad.missiblt! on that phase

he i r vest i "'at i o ll •
I .... occurs to me

MR . MOSES :
evid~-

c

~ and sl101.\'S a

c..

Edds a1ir'

if the re cord is int roauce d i r.

state of con~Pct on the part. of the R~ ~rrer

tai n Hanson should }>ave recomn.ended hi c di zc"hs.rn-e

and did not do it, that speaks for itself .
THir~

I -" he undertakes to jv.stif.Y 11i .self by the

CHAiffi'AN :

1

convers<.".°'t.ion had wit"h J u ge WellR, t:hen it mir·ht be >:?aterial
a.s fa; a

C·

really occurrHd
MR . MCiSJ:li S :
~bets .

I

HaY\SO!l is ooncer'!ed, as to what conversation

ta]

~etween

Mv attitude in this matter is only to rret the

"o not

t~in~

e couE .iv.stif

no

them .

I

ma

artisan at all , and I don ' t

see

C:.. 1tain H... nson, assuminr- thc:.t this is a

record. t:hat shows impro er, harsh, cruel and tyran...,ica . . . conCluct

on the part of

<::.'1

of"'icer -- ho v could. an officer justiff him-

self' beca11se somc:.bocf else told h i m that it vas all right or

somethin;r els ... "
THE

CP..A IRl~N :

T"his investigation

of it relattP not to E dds or his

~t

t~is

~isconduct ,

time,
bu~

t~is

phas8

i:;o the supposed

conduct o.,, Cc..._)taj'1 P.: Cl.nson in not recom.mendincr that Edds be

removed from service .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

7 tJ

 MR . KNI GHT :

Another important matter to my mind is thc:.t this

'r.atter was investi.:;c..ted"by the local au~horjties of that tom ,
all of 1hon: were Mexicans anci they refused themselves
MR . MOSES :

He has been incicted .

C HAI Rll~N :

THE

Yes, he is under incictnent at this time .

MR . KNI GHT : · I s this the case in Nh i ch the indictment is found
ao_;c;j ns i. E dds ?
MR . CANAJ..ES :

MR . MOSES :

Yes .
That is "hat I thouo::-tt .

~rn . KNIGHT :

~his

Is

the case of the killir<:r at Rio Grande

Cit "
TRE CF.:.AI Rl".AN :
V.illin~

-- be

s~id

SENATOR PJGE :
Nhc..t

I t is the only case tha

I i<.:no ; of about the

he killed him .
t~stify

Don ' t you think if we let J udge Wells

his opinion is, i + ,,on ' 1 affec+ us -- te have our opinion

urout the effect of that evidence .

We have the

hi~hest

respect

for J udp-e Wells
M~ .

MOSES:

I know J udre Wells would not object to ro·iving

any answer, he has plenty of nerve to r;ive any
a.ny matter he knows .

ans~er

a':iout

I am :making that objection with regard

to, no / if the facts are presented to this Co:::J'littee, t:ten the
Co mittee can drat its own
J

i-_..,

Q.

Di d you tell He:..n::;on

that it was n.anslau;.;ht.er?
SENATOR PAGE :

'j

~fter

T.hat is iha+ I

iw1~terial

o~ini

Nhdt

on is .

readinp that ,

rnn;:; to f i rd out .

On that statement submitted .

No , sir , I didn ' t tell him any such thing , and, if he had

l:i sterned • o me he knows ii" .
before .
true .

-- it is

S i th o. Da.fcon Moses or anybody eli;;>& '

MR . CA.i.'f.AIY.S :

A

co~c~usjon

I have had that reputed to me

I trink he made that statement

he knows i t is not

I so.id Jhen I read it., be cause I am very fond of Edds ,
~nd 70t

and run yet , What goose or nhat fool Nent
make that statement ?

I sai d that a

ma~

that boy to

could almost convict

hi:rr. of' so1ne r;rade oi' offense connected lith it , gro .•1 ing out of

7 Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 -:he killing , under Yiis own statement , leavincr i t unexpl ained - ~o

He is a mere bOJ ,
:is what I said .
kno~JS

go make such a thing and sign it - - that

I :' he is s:i:tin"'" ii"' tno;, sound of my vo i ce , he

that is just exactly .J''1at I told hi•_ .

I n ot·1er .vo.rds ,

they have .i ust. --:ot the boy
MR . McMILLIN :

I am no.f just. exactl..t clear on your ideas ·

Q.

of bond:in:- these Rangers .
individ1a~

the

Do you mean to bond the officers or

Rangers as well?
ri~ht

I mean both, but if you get the

A

the men thaJ

don ' ~

~eed bondin~ .

class of

L-.t Hdll didn' t need it ,
c~'!E:

McNulty d.idn ' " need L, c..nd others that

after vhen: didn ' t

need. i"t -- there is .1.1here the thin.er commences .
a

ro e1

juO.~ t- ,

....e

C aJtainiJ ~

I f you have

i 3 g.:>ini:r to run the c0urt ri r:'lt an0

rand.er

j :ist ice .

I

Q

the present condition ·1ould you favor bonding officers

bnd letting the men go 9

Without pivi'1g any very.materh.. l thought or readino· Mr .

A

CanaleB ' bill of t.he wnoimt of bonr , I c...m inclined to think
thC;;. t

would noi. do a.ny ha11n to bond them all, "but that bond-

j t.

:i "J. I"' thE:: of +-1 ce rs alone
O D0 you ti1in1c it
:ivin~

t.h'-

be suf fi ci en t •

rnuld be fair to bond the officers and 110"':

them the )rivilege of select:in..,. the men

t1~at.

serve under

.t 9

A

No , I +.hink they should have tbe privil~pe , that no man

~.ppoi

be

10 uld

nted a Ranger by tht. Ac jutunt Go;.;

mend<;...t j on o-f' the

C a~tain

of the company .

1C

rc..l 1i thout a recom-

I r other. .rords , he

.vould be chc:rged upon h i s responsihility in recommendino- irn.-

proue r men .
Q.

Kno111finp; all the difficulties Ni th

1hi ch they have to con-

te11d , nc..ve:: you ever J;cno m of c.. R-...ng-er, officer or
1hos

A
th~.

~>rivate ,

on

bon& you .rnuld go 9ersonally ?
Y s , I Jould go on his bonJ

I

ould r;o on the bond of

S "'riff - - I ha.-ve 'nc-..ny , n.any times .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 IQ;R . LACKEY :

Q.

Don ' t you th i nk i f a R<-..nge r •uas unde r a

$ 5 ,0 00 . 00 bond , anyo ne he arr es.t.ed mi

~}lt

ae:-C:;.i nst h i u. . , f'our or f i ve parties mi r:
at one t i me
·ork

3.

file a sui t aga i nst h i m

a l o c ::tli·~J .ihe r e he .l'as not kno.m ," that i t mi rht

h'-'-rdsh j r OYl them and prev ent t!lem from
i~ be

1cul&

ir1

t

hav e u. gri e v c:.nc e

·:iY i r:~

1'011c1

better to m~ke the b ond payabl e at R~x Trav is

Count.)'· 1hcrJ t.h-.:: conplc..inant .;o ulcl h1::1.-ve to f"O , a l s o be
i"li<,

e::;~.l:'unsc

or

,

of c0ino-

t~

~mt

to

Travis County i n order to prosec l'te a

suit a,'.'"a i nzt the'· . .?

A

I

;h i nk -- '"'nd -then agC:t. i n there is somethi n;- "the r e i n

f a.var of .iha.. t :1ou suggest .

H,,,rc th" St<:4tl O"'""i cers Noul d be

here ready to protec t h i m i f he shou l d hav e cou.nse.i o:r i f the

•

R.:.vnger is not :.J')le to employ counse l to defend a daJne:;.ge si.l.i t -,;;ould he a measu:r.., of just i ce to make the opi)osite

I •lJ.i nk i t

uu

pc..rt.t

right _na I

h i nk justi c e to th

tl:e theory of th-ese lc..nd suits ac:ai nst

a ec oun ,
Q
l~i[·

R...

t'~t-

~f'E.r .

St.C;t.te ,

Yo' :.ake
o~

that

hoEe reasons underly i n: j t , the venue i s made

Don ' t you
:-..ct .. ,

• '1c;;.~

~h j nk

i [' th1

v~ry

~ere .

RG1.n.r;e r .1c..s made respono i b l e f or

he mi t::"ht be ke t busy .;ith dmna13e su i ts brourht

by outlc. . .. ;:i ?
A

I

P1e lilc..L . . , .iOCci.l feel i n;; .oul d he aGa i nst h i m, c..nd it

·;:oul d. bE; u nf<:i.i i· to h i m .

MR . TI DWELL :
in th.., C

Q.

Do you thi nk i t

. ould be sufe to

alt:s 11 i ll that the united a c vion of

th~

i~c orpo.rctte

Co unt..1 J l.t.. ge

c..t1c: t;1,,, S t>riff .rnuld be .:.uffic:!ent to co.use c..rsolutel:,- .1ithou.-t..

c..ny otner <-..uthority ,

A

the .1it'1d.ra.1al of th1;; R... ngcrs from-... coun\._, ?

A"' I o:>ci.id a ,/ . . il..; &f o , • h,,, Ac:j utan ..

G ~.nerc...l

should ha v e

some sa.y i n i t .
Q

You rnuld not favor a. bi l l that ga.ve the Commi ss ioners '

Court u.n<i the Cvt.mtv- J .;.lge th"
A

WelJ. , if you c 01._hine "'"h

.Jho l e Co uni ss i oners ' Cou t ,

po,·;l~r

S 1.. r i ff
_it;;.., .

o-" r<::rr.ovi nr
c..nl'

~h'"'

R a.10,t; _ ..., ?

ClJUnt v J J.cige and the

Y ou have to J?resume thvr.., is

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 honesty and fC;.irness in nomebod.1 .
.vould j ll::iti fy your thout;;ht .

I ho..ve J.Cno .. n :inst ....:1c...,s that

You mie;flt get corru(Jt things of

m.c..jor.1'... ., of inotc..nces if you :requL1e:: Lhe Co.J.nt.., Coni.missioners '

Cv rt
. i

J..::

th<.;, Count v. J u"ge an .. s·.~ri::'f ' I

U!1U

tin:£~

don ' ~

out of a hundred , cet .vha t is ri c;ht ; I

you .Jill huvc

a

t111.- Re-.' ·en's o_ui
Q.

h i nk you .Jill , "1i::ety-

f:n:..'Ile - up -- the countJ -overnment Nould no.i- e;et
o::' t!1-::re unless they ourr'l-j, to be out .

Do you think ,

$_.. ~riff anu

beli £.;Ve

c<.

the requc st of t11

t

Co"'.missioners ' C

C

nt

J

<

'ge , ~... he

r".; , t':lat th"' A ,jutan"" Gt:.13rc..l

should. helve c..ny objection ur ~ ,,..,ll o:'fi cers should leave "thEcoum. . y ,;ri tllin -:en d.o..yc or i 1
No, I think -- you

A

k jut cm

~~- ,

..:;iO

i'acto cease to be an offict.r?

ut the control of th

Ra. .gers in the

~ake

hin. responsi'wle "'or it a:1d :hold him
.
t·espcnsi blv .f'or the cond. uct of t.he i r force , an· I ""h i n:: ric,ht
G

v·ou

there , even vi th the action of th1::: Co....mi soi one rs ' Cvv.rt , 1...he

AJjutc:.nt. G...,·1~ra:i. ou.:;:;ht to hc-ive some.
kno.v
i~

of

~J.O.v

.fOll .10u1.1 frame it .

se:..iri to tht.

regir11e~1t

-vl1c

C011...Tet.:C,y '

a.ga.in:;;t their n.cn .

ri~

h ...

~

tb.tt is "t!;.e: he<...d

or .vron , if nothing is

t'.int, goes lik0 il-.,

hav~

Poosihly

Y.. l::!

,

You

S~t;ak

Bc:i.Ck to

SU.JS .

Gl.Ild.

Wi ll

any complaint made thac I . . mo / of
30 •• e

hc:c.ve been testified. to

hE-1 ...

I nav1::: kno.rn

v1.,,r y ,;>J ll o+' C ei~t~~iu Satlclers '>

J o~1n S C;.r.d~r;:;

reason for my interroget.tion ,

A

I don ' t

I ton ' t knoN of -- the olQ Rangers did not .

SENATOR PAGE :
A

11~an

rione of the :cest of tilobe men like Mr . Wri,,.ht

Tc..ylor anr J o •• S .... '1d.ers ,

t~at

He i s the

in it too .

-- just lik::: a refiinent

controls t.n...

t.rn

Sa.J-SO

Yiv.., , sir .

ever ::dnce he

_yOU :!\:no .. R . B .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

;as a bo.r .

c• ..,"'-gcr

o:~ BL uJns-

 ••o ., .. o;;,)ed c.. n~<,,K in the to.m o1 Bio .msvil::i...... ,

cE;rte.in mc:;.n

chot by t.h<:. o c cu~c..r1::o:s of thE: re:i.c'
c,.c,c,cordinc:
t:::>

"GO

o.nd .. ent to his ho .._ ... , t:..nd

CreCl.f·er Ca.otC1.iu SCl.ndt:l·s
C>

:as

•

some of his mi;;m .1ent

ci.11ci.

to hi~ hou;;,;;; , 1Jroke into his house over the .:.Jrot c st of the
fami l.r , anci tooK t!1e Mexi ca.n the refro_. , .... nd the ME.xi caa , in
j

s c.ying ::.d,a.1~>:l.aent , s . . . id th.... t one 01· thos~ RC:t.ngers shot him

in the back , c..nd Ca.~tc..in S"'nders re:nur1<:E-d , "I f this shot goes

not kill yo.;. , .:e ,dll E,ive you c. damn s:igh't rn.or~ " - - o.o you
kno.., c:.nyt-.::.i ng of tho. t

ci rcuinstaacc ?

for got. ct.bout it .
Q

'Do you kno •. c;,.n.,rthinc: about that , of youI· oNn kno\;l1;;d._" ?

A

No , I he c..rd i

th8 next, dC:.y or c... day or t

.10

Cl.fter,;c..rd.s;

1as a.1ay froIJ. horn~ a.ttendin · court and heard it about

I tr.in\. I
e:..

~

week 1 .... t er .
Q,

You kno.v no-chine about it of your o.vn knodledge ?

A

No , .,jr .

Q,

I

the event those :!:'c..cts wer ... true , .mule you have to .cc -

1

vise your opinio n
A

o:

Ca..tJto.in S . . . uders ?

Oh , yc'ti , if the.> .:er.; true .

e:1.nythin~

Q

I

A

I

ho-.

I never kne.1 of J ohn doing

o.i that kina. , unless his men clid .
~ou~ht

not myself .

U.o n~cal.J. this , there .1er ... J.oca.l fc...ctions 'tb.er~ , ci.nd

I .rccol .J. e c i:. all cha paople sith

110 .••

I

... ali{ed , ,,hoL I

11E::o.n , contradi cti ng Mr . Creager be c ause he probably :Li.eard it

on thd Ovher side , that justified Capto.in SCUlders '
c...OOU1..

Q,

ci.

,Je;;;-=:1.. Ol

"CNO

a1tt:!

.'/d.ids .

We '.1il l hear hin.. t.ell his o.rn story about it .

kno.1 a Mrs . Y1;;ager ,

kno .1 just

~1h&

re ?

,:10

action

Do you

lives son.(;!.1here in t:::a ... co...;,nt • .t

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
72

,

I _.:on ' t

 I have hec:.rd her name , I could not recall her , ,,ould not

A

kno / her • .
You ,,er1.; conrected. .vith the Natio'1al Council of Defense

Q,

and tbe:. Ste;.ti;:: Council of Def(:;11se - - do you know

nether or

i

no'~

s· c..tes

Unitt:r

~nY:-~'i1.1.--;

~bout

is lady .1as sus.i.)"' cted o:i:' di slogal t.1 to the

v '1

or aiding slackers , and in Y.our duties d.id you

co1.10 l n cone a.ct

ch her ?

,\fj

No , sir .

A

MR . LACKEY :

Did you have an,y conn1:;cvion or jurisdiction

Q

uµ in Duval County in th"" Ne<. ti on(;l.l Defense Counci .L?
A

I t.h:ink 'le hC:1.d , but I <ion ' ., th ink .1e t;Xcrcised it much ;
thin}{ .ve kne .1 very much (.;..hout 11hc.. t

on '

I

.:ent on up '-hei

t,; .

ED BIXBY,
1' 1,d no- first duly s .ro rn , test if j e d be fore thv Co.m11ti tte E- a.o:> f'ol-

1ow s :

EXAMINED BY MR . CANALE S •
Q,

~nat

A

I .., j

&re your

r:n

i ... "Ed. " •

MR . KNIGHT :
A

I don '

"L

Does this refer "to 'this Rc..n g,jr trc..c1sc..ction ?
kno.1 -- I

MR . KNTr..PT :

in to :i

t,

ini~ia:s ?

c;,.m. f1~0.

Rc..nger .

:on ' ·., see a.n,rthinp to be subservcd. bJ" _Ging

I

further ,fi th t/1i s man .
Th~re

THE CHAIRJl/LAlll" :

the investigation .
MR . CANALES :

Q

It

is

so.tr.~

relat~s

question .a.s to the che;.ract1,,r of

to chcwges against Ce:i.t:-1tain Hanson .

You state your narue is E d Bi xby?

A Y1:...., , oir .

72 ...

Q

Yo~

A

Y s , sir .

Q

W'nc.."'.:. is you.r

live in

R ~nger ?

_~osi-:ion ther~ ,

. hc..t is your professio::l?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 a~

~he

A

I

in

real cStdCe and oil business .

Q

Ho" long did you resjde ther..: 9

A

Eleven filOnths .

Q Did you kno.1 Mr . Ernest;

Q

Yt. s .

A

Y es .

Q,

Ho~1

Richber~?

lone- have you known him?
I clon ' t

MR . KNIGHT :

think there is any ro.1 on it -- let ' s

fet to CC:t..i:JtG.in Hanson ' s par1,, of it .
THE CHAIR\fAN :

It

is alleged

tna~

Ca 1tain Hanson &id

no~

make

a J...1rompt and. efficien.t investigation of .,.his matter .
Read the 1 ast question .

MR . CANALES :

~~r .

THE CF..AIRHAN :

CANALES :

MR .

Ho-:1 long have you kno.m him?

Q,

kne~v

A

Well , I

Q

Do you

A

Y bs , ..,ir.

kno~

Canales , as.K the lea.st que s don .

h i m before he died about t.vo months I

suppose .

hod he died ?

Q Will you please relate it .
A He .ms shot .

j

Q

Who shot him?

A

I

th~

n

could not say ,,rhi en one shot hirli .

I

can tell ·.,ho ... as

shooting .

Q.

\1lho flas in the shoo t i ng 9

A

There

Q.

W'ne re .vas he shot "

A

You mean :ihere 11as he 11ounded?

Q,

Yes .

A

He .vas sho1, in the le.g , in her"

a~s

Barry Nalle and J ohn Bloxom .

a:1d

b

.LO"

,/-rf.,l)OU1,,

an inch and a ha.l.f

the ht:ar·t.. .

Q

W'nere did. the shooting "Cake .J:)lace "

A

I n the bac k of his businesc , back end of

Q

What 'kind of business"

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

i~ .

 A

Prouucv bus]ness .

Q Was the r>:! o..ny gan1bling going on the r~ at the
A

I n h]s

Q

Yvs .

A

No., as I ever seen .

Q.

No eambli ng house connected with ]"(, ?

A

No , not

Q

Did you ever hear thi::l.1- the persons

~ilne ?

pl~ce ?

~5

THE CHAi ffiU.N :

ever seen .

I

--

T.h]s investigation is not taking -che tnmd

th:.i. ... I "'..hou.glrL it .. a.6

c;oin,~

to ti::l.1.(0 .

I .1. this t;Vidence Cd.n be

mo.te r]a.l a.s to anything that ]sin issue a't al.L , it is to the
chc...ra.cter of investigation thc...t
of report 1nade .

ms mc..de by Hanson arni 't:1-:: kind

A s to 'the Adjutant Gt.ne:rc..l or .;hat tilis m~n

kr1t:.1 about that , about ga:i.•bling in that pla.Ct> , I cannot see

th1:: .mc:1.-c.e.nG1.ll r:,y .
CA..NA I~S :

MR .

It

is 'bec a.use you have not rt.ad the report of

Mr . Hanson , because in that report c..l.L the .1itnesses say that
this 'lvas a gc..mbling house .
THE

CF..AI RMAl~ :

MR . CA't\TALES :

I

v~ant

All right , go
Q,

'to prove

1..hc;.. t

·Nas no·l, true .

ahe~d .

Did you eve1 near of any gambling going on

in Mr . Richryerg ' s pla.c1:; ?
A

No , sir .

o

no

A

T .t<no.f h i m , yes , sir .

Q

Do you rn!llember the time hz waz making the investigation

you reu:.tm'ber met dng Ci::l.ptain

H~nson ?

in November or December?
A

Yes ,

~jr .

Q Did he c all to see you?
A

Y .... s , sir .

Q

Did you give h i m

A

We t alke d. a 1 it t l e •

~ny infonn~tion ?

Q You told him .:hat you kne., alout i
A

No , sir .

, a.ian ' -c you. ?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
72"f

 G . M . ALLSUP,
be~ng

first duly s .rn rn , t e u ti f i ea, b cf ore th\., Co!i..:rd ttee a.s :0 .1..-

J..0 .: ;:;) :

EXAMINED BY MR • CANALES .
Q,

WLa."L i:.::; y-our nwne ?

A

G • M• Al 1. sup •

Q

Where d.o you live ?

Q. }fo,.r

lon~;

have you lived in Rc..ne;er ?

A

About (:dfhteen 'onths .

Q

D i~

A

No , I .. a.s not_ a.cq..iainted

you knciJ Mr .

E~

es

Q Di o. you kno.1 hi,11 plact:

Richierg ?
~d

o:

th the rr.a.n .

busi ne .ss ?

A

Ye s , sir .

Q,

Wbat sort of business ..ras th""G ?

A

Produ ce .

Q

Do you

A

No" tna t I heard of or kna.;r a.n,ri. •ling &bout .

kno.~

MR . MO ffiS :
SC::UIW

,vhether

ch~re

.1us any '::ambling :o i ng on t.h~ re ?

I f the Con.:rni-:tee pleas;;. , I c'"'n tcstifJ to

th in,· , I expect •

~b.c

T ..: rv was a hundred people in Ranger

, o coulo. test if.>' to the samt; thine; aboui; any- othc r pl acl:! iYI
tom , tha.t there ,;as no ca.l·d e;a!T.e e;oinO' on .

there ever .vas

a.

ca.rd. gar..e going

UL! .

I don ' t kno .. thc..t

Un .1..1.:;;:; ~

the

ti v-riess is

shown to have kno.:n so .ething o:.l10ut i
s.ho ,;n to h we lived so clos e 1-0 i "L that he

know there .vas gambl i ng eoing on , but to

1ould bt: li :<:e l.f ·co

kno~v

that there ..'as

camhlfr1F~ to j :-15 on C:i.t that p lace --

TPE CHAIRMAN :
111rR . KNIGHT :

Canales has .
t.!1cn::

Qualify the ,.ri tness .

I "takE.. -che ,)osi'tion -- I

don ' t kno.i ,1ha.t M1 .

I f he has any statement froi.1 Ca.p'vc:dn Hanson that

.as ga1nb J.i n_:: th;:?rE: ,

Jlc

. .
ca..1 introulACt- 1"
~

Ca. >tain Ha.n:;:>o11 }'!..as neve1 so.id 'tht;..t · gG..mbling .. as go in g on th..:1 .;.,

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 because he .. asn ' t

THE CHAIEAAN:
MR . KNI GHT :
absurdi~.Y

I have

no~ examined

the record .

I a.t.. going on record to sho .1 the C o~i :.te~ the

of such an i~vestigation as this - T :Lt. re is a very rn;rtinent issut:; in -:his .

MR . CANAIE S :

Go a.head .

THE CHAI RA:AN :

Q

MR . CANALES :

A

there and don ' t kno.i .

Do you know C . T . Christopher ?

No , bi r .

Q Mr . J . S . Yeary?
A

I uo not .

Q.

W. H . Bo1ers?

A

No , I aon ' t be li :;;ve I uo .

Q

C . E . Bootl , Frc:..nk Uv llgle::.s ?

A

Y.... s , I kno.1 Douglas .

Q

What is his .:.)rofession?

A

WhJ , he is thE: la.N of

Q,

Watchman of the Prairi~ Oil and Ga.cl Company?

A

.My understanding w-as he .'las c.. db 1..mty .

MR . KNI GHT :

::;01.1e

kind .

Deputy vvhat. ?

A

I don ' t lcno.7 , o'!: t'l-J.e Sht.riff or canst.able or SOllJ.ethi::ig .

Q.

T.e other yG..rties

A

No , sir .

JOU

don ' t lmo.-11?

Q Tl.<::1. i:. i s <::1.ll.
TRE CPAIRMAN :

Who .1as in business .:i th Erne st Richberg ?

I don ' t knoJ his p<::1.r~n&r ' s name - - I Qidn ' t knoJ this

A
other

rlli::l.n .

Q.

You sa.y you· l ived thero a.bom: eigh-r,een months ?

A

Y1.; s .

I ·Nas a'l1ay .1hen -r,his l<:illinf!; taken place .

not be o;:: n th ere , you mi Q:ht say ,
tim~

a.nyhow .

I

1.. 0r

I have

more than a third of 1.he

,.yas irnrkinf" ou-c e:u.1 the time and hard.ly ever

Q

W"~c..t

A

Rig bui 16.ing , in t. c 0i 1 f ie.l.dS .

business are you in ?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q

'You had nt:ver been o. citizen o:!. the.. t

to .m Uil1. i.J.. the oil

e.xc i 1:. eme nt ?
A

No , l3i r .

Q

Are not very .. ell a.cqilaint.ed 11ith the Ci1.izens there ?

A

No , ni r .

Q,

Ho~1

often did you st-e ;.,flc Ra.nger::) C!.round there ?

A Oh , about every day .
Q,

Did you c:ver- have o.ny eA.peri ~nee .vi th them?

A

Well , I had

Q

'i.'ha t .1a.s nis nci.11.e ?
Huc)le s .
Jbu[ZK/.
I cion ' t kno .1 .Jhe t .er h1;;

A

so~e

expc1'ience .1ith onu tha.t .1as SU_JJ?O.:ied co

.1ao e<.

Ra..nge r or not. .

I

am no"L ci.ble t.o find om. .

Q Do _you kno\; his ini tic..ls?
A

No , I don ' t •

Q.

Wra. t. other Rc::.nge rs diQ. you ::rn..: arc und then:; ?

A

I

kno~1

SCl.,.,

The.; cw .Len hi.L. An.,te lo HawaRx Hugh es .

B1;;;.r ry Nt<.llt; <;.,nd this man they ca..11 J ohn -- I don ' t

what his la st name

1/Cl.S .

Q

Did you see this man Hughes in co~pa.ny .Jith B~rr.1 Nal.J..e

A

i. "'fes , I havb seen him .. 1th 'them .

Q

Did .he or not go d.r :ne d ?

A

Y1:s , sir .

Q

Din. you

t::.v~

r ~1t: ar him or either of thosb o l...her men m.axe

a state111ent as to .1hether .he .1as a Runger or not ?
A

I hctVt:; heard him make the s tati;;ment. "thd. t he .1as c:. Ranger ,

hut never did d.Sk the others if he •va.., o. Ran6er .
Q.

What s ort of look i ng man was he ?

A He was

~ red - comp~ected

man .

Q Bi?; man or a little man ?
A

About my size .

Q You So..Y _you had s0 ...... 1:1 cx.l:"ericnc~ ,/ith him - - .• hat .1as it. ?
A

Hv

~C:l.L{en

me in the of ~ice one night and oed.t ree up one

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 night .
0 ur infoni:ation i s he .;as a depu".Y consta.ble

MR . MOSES :

and not a Ranger a11 all .
Tho.t is .• hat I said. , I o.iun ' t kno; .• u~t.her he .1as or not .

A

He .i'assed. a::s a Re:.nger arid a lo" of .i:)eo.ple thou,c·ht he Has a
Ranger .
Q.

Was ei t..h.;;r of the Rangers .1ith him ;1hen he beat you up ?

A

J ohnson

Q.

Were either of the Rangeri3 ?

A

No , ne j ther

Q,

Nei tner

A

No , sir .

there , 't.he de put.> Shtriff .

1laS

Ont!

Has Hug}1E;.s ever been on .1our force ?

GENERAL HARLEY :

tru t

of
of .

or Nallc 9

B.LOXOU:

THE CHAIRMAN :

ncur.c: .

of 'theru .

I

don ' t think so , I don ' t .o.no,,

We only had t

Range n>

I don ' t kno."'V any RC:l.nger of thc;;.t

he u. spec i al Range r at
one

:10

tn~re

SO.ill~

0..1..·

<ID.Y w.o.n

he rc. , ..,o fC:t.r as I J.\.no.1

mi.11(:; ,

it might possibly

;>la c e , but. I don 1 t th ink we had

ai.. all .

MR . MOSES :

Sergeant McKenzie says he 11as a ueputJ constable

c...nd vll'as noi.. a Ra.nger a.t al.1 , Serr01::4nt Setn. McKenzie .
SERGEA~T

SA; f ..,,foKENZIE :

I .Kno:; it to be a fc..ct , J udge -- he

was a de.L-'utJ constab.Le •
THE CHAI RM.AN :

:.R.

KNI GHT :

busi ness , av

That is al 1 •
Who had JOU brought do.in here a re...> fro11 your

~he

s ~ate ' s exp~ns~

-~do

you kno

~9

A

I could not tell you .

Q.

Do yoLl kno.1 nhat yurpose they brouo;ht, you nere --

THE CHAiful[AN :

He was broug·nt he re ut tho;; suggestion of a

.a,en.ber of the House of Representatives , -and I am sure he Nas
, rought he re i n g oo d f e:.i th .

720 State Library and Archives Commission
Texas

 A . J. WALI..ENDORFF ,

be i ng f i r st duly s ·.>1o r n , t(;;stified before tne Commi ttee a s fo l l ows :

EXAMI ~D BY MR .

Q.

Where do you li ve ?

A

Ranger , Texas .

CAN.ALES .

Q Ho .v l o n;; hd.v e y ou li ved the r e "
A

About five and ·one half u on .. hs .

Q.

Ho.11 lon• nad you l ived in Ranger , Ttxas before "he killing

of R i chnerg?
A

Could not sc..y .

was u.lon..; the nd Qdl ...

I a.on ' t kno\1 jus
..flct.I

Di d you

A

Whe:..t

Q.

Die you .i.<:no .. h i m?

A

Who ?

..

l"'

when I cu.n.e th ere: , it

of October .

him?

Q

kTlO#

"t;

u

i {, ?

Q Mr . Ri c hbe r g .
A

I kno.Jed h i m , yes .

Q Dia JOU .i.<:no~ his place of busin&ss?
A

He .1as

Q

HON f ~r did y o u l ive from him?

A

I l i ved c..bout a block e:..nd a half from h i m at that time .

Q.

'D 1d yo u k no u o f d.ny g i::tlnb ling going on i n h i ::> p l a ce ?

A

I d,i d no"t .tcno .1 of an_y •

Q,

Wt-re you

c1.

.._)roduc e

~h ... re

~'lan .

at the time Ca.ptai n Hanson IIlC<.de an investi -

ga..t i O!l of that k il l i ng of R i chberg ?
A

No , I viTas run out of tovvn ctt that t i m1:. .

Q,

Do you know any Rangers 'thvre ?

A

I kno .'I a coup.Le .:hen I see

the i :c

no.11.1~ s

the~ ,

is all - - I a.on ' t kno.1

.

Q Ho . .; d o y o u k no ;1 they t1ere Range r s "
A

I viT a s ·t ol d -- I kno .~ J ohn , they c c... l .... h i m, -che b i g , l.all

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 J o:i'ln , ... hea.t is the

fello w - - I a.ia.n ' t knon Na..Llt> oui:, I knod Bi
on~~

only

I kne 1i1

.vC:i.S

a Ranger .

Q I s "thi::!.t J ohn Bloxoru?
A

Y t:.s .

Q.

Be~ides

A

No , I a.on ' t

those , d.o .fOU kno., i::l.n.tbod~ eJ.se ?
knou e:1,ny of the rest of them .

I ha.ve se1:::n a.

number of oi ficers , d1:!1Juty constables and oopu'Ly sheriffs .
Q.

Were you. evc1· mistrea.~t:ci b.t the Ra.ngers "

A

I

Q

When?

A

Bcf'O.cc .,h C:Ll. Gt a.ncl J u1·y .1cn"t in St: ssion i.. Ec..stland County .

.1c:..d

Q Who
A

neci to l~a.v~ to ,,r n or ge"'i.. bumptd. off in the

mibtr~ated

c.. on '

I

vii::!.l

i:.

kno .1 .

officel'S o.na.

V1.t.

k.

you "
A cond1)i 1 o.cy seerr:.ed to

t-vidt:ncc of 1.his Gra.nc't J ury ,

the;

di::!.:i:

t

i

o r.n then~ to crum

U.on ' t kno.: .hether the

Ranger forct. .vt::rc in it or n·o , ou-c tht J us"Lict:.

of the P1;,ac,1:: , S . R . Bl""c. , seemed to have an o..ctive part in i

,

ana. the.f ~ve !' e under th1::: iJn.1:H'E.-S.Jion t.hat. I

.Jas esta.0lishi.1.r some

evidt:nc e th.... r~ , c..na. tha.t is the reason I

ot run out - - I think

that is the reason, I could n~ver find out .1hy , but in a numbe :r
of 0ccasions they r4....u jeopardized .ny lifl! <:l.nd finally told mt:
I .1ould get bUin.i.)ed off in the d<:<.rk , took

ir...e

to jail and cocked

a six- shoot er on me - - this .mi3 a night .va tchub.n d.i d this u.nd.
son.e of tht: 0onstables .
MR . LACT<-:F.!Y :

of

~he

I don ' t

sc::1;;. .1ha11 connection this h<:t.s , if none

Runger s 11.a.d any ... ning to a.o .Ii ~h it •

THE CHAI RI.dAN :

Tne numbt:r of complaints thc.i.t hc;1.ve co.ne ~lith

reference to Ghat si tuatio 1 ought to be investigated ; even if
it is a little out of thi:. usu.al runnin<-> I wish to . hear it .

A

I

.. ish to state tl:at I

.:.ave bec.1 requested by J udge;;

Bur.K1:::tt o. thE; DistricL Co J.rt to bring about evidence by t.he
.county offi cers of their mistreatment of men or a citizen .
The re is evidence here I .1ould. not

ca.r~

to e s"Lc::1.bli sh in regard

to c..<.:.ts o:r the county officers , but it i11ill be revealed to the

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Grand J ury vlhich nill convene next
conc~rned

~n

~rnek

some time - - wno .vere

this plot .

Q.

Le ' ._ talk about the Range rs a while .

A

I

4on '

t

.Kno.1. anythinzi; about the Rangers , only Bi g- J ohn • .
ni~ht

He ccune into a dance hall one

I .ms Norki ng on a :vell -- he vOla
and to 'beat i" or I vvould

1hen I
I

ffi(:,

~1as

1as rro in0: to
:;:.>

\-,o

rk _;_

not wanted thert: '

bumped. off .

{reG

Q.

Bir. .John !Vas the constable "

A

Y0s , I r;ot arrested the r~ and "'ot fined or shook do,m for

a fin"' .
t ~~t

It

.:as either pay a f i ne or go to jail .

1as the J ustice

o~

the

he nas

P ~ace

Of

shaki~g

cours~

men

v~tbe

down for ...he money .

Q

W'nat u~rt: you arrested foi "

A

I don ' t

Q.

What did they charge you .vi h "

A

With disturbing 'the peace .

kno~

-- nothing .

After I ,1as adtr.itted to make

bond -- I cou~~ have made a $50,000.00 bond that evening
but refused to corue out of jail -/+,h~re a.rv ien here .Tho offered to make my bond , and the man
that

c~ne

P ~c..ct-

1

b

into the office 1as run out of the J ustice of the

01fice by so.nt: man , I Jon ' t kno•:r .vho he

said he .1as

o · I
Q

o.

vas , but he

Ranger , "tu-c !le told me to beat it out of th ere

/ o uld st a.; i n j ai 1 •

Di d Bi r J ohn hdlfe anythine to do with

arresti~r;; ,/OU

or

... o eking you up?
A
I

No , they flere looking for me for some .rt."3ason or other .

Jent do1m there to fi::id out 1hat tLey wanted , a.nd "that is

tre result of jt - · I p;ot put in jai 1 .

j n

Q,

.You have not been back?

A

Y~s ,

I

reminded the

Di ~trict

Attorney

Kansas Ci t.1 , Missouri o f' the act ion , I began to take· it

before
I

I have been huck .

th~

Federal Gran d J ury for constitutional rights, but
it
'irst olanted to brin:r ~/refore the courts of th~ State to

be invest :i ge;.ted. .

73l
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q.

Do you kno: any other R<A.ngers that hc..ve been there besides

NalJ.e and Bloxom"

A

I

~hink

I kno .. a man sit ti ni; ov c:r there , but he has

violo.ted the la..: in a.n.1 1e..;/ ,

I nave never seen him .

01

Q

That is Sw.1McKenzje ?

A

I think so .

·Q.

Have you ever seen Bills do.m

A No , I don ' t
Q,

kno~

n~ver

then~ ?

h i m.

A liti.le fellow uith a. gray mustetc}e ,

u.ic'k action and

quick talkiri:, "

A

Y..;c , I '1ave seen him do .:n there -- I rli0n ' t kno' him .

Q.

Arr all they said to you was that you

and t·i-: "'ie r heat it or get bum_ped off in the

~1as

not ,;arited there

dar~ "

A

Beat

Q.

What did you understand they meant by bumping you off

j+

or- pet bumped off in the dark .

a ark"

in the
A

Murder i n~

me , undouPtedly .

Q

Did you beat it"

A

Yes , you bet I beat it -- you see , there we r e two occa-

sjons -Q.

vr~1ere

A

I

l-..lll

in the

a.re you fro'l"
in the oil husi11ess .

~ells fro~

I worved in various -f'ields

California to

- ----

Q You say you had a conversation on two .occasiol'1.S, t
occa~iors ,

ferent
A

~ith

10

r"i f'-

him"

No, but on one occaejon he told

I

cc..me out 'to seG \,hat the trouble was, ,, e called me out of' t"l-ie
dc..nce hc:dl , I st orped to look
r.-ojnrr

~

o

~10rk .

j

n tlie dance ha 11 wr i le I

Four clays c..fter that he ca<"1e in, -+-1,e ni,..ht -

v:atchu.an and the deputy conf'Jturle , I

,,<:ti

my pe:t.jl ready· to ;;:o

+c t;ork +hat njc-J1t and uent on the to·rnr that
sent a man out to -rork .;

Q D'

~

vas

11

yo1· seri ou s::..y

'1 L".Y

r "'lj

place and

:nj~· r.t,

a.n0 I

·ent to Ft . Worf..,., .

ve they woulc ,,j 11 yo1J ?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 A

I

Q.

1) jd you knoN Richberrr tl-tat was killed ?

A

SlirThtly .

Q,

Were von ever around his nlace ?

~no1

they

~ould .

Q Dia you ever co in his place ?
A

o~

A

1)

Q

Were you acquainted Hi th i...1-ie reputat i o;- o-4" th c:..t place,

A

This man was very welJ located, seer ed to be a lerritimate

several 6 i fferent occasions .

T

"

buc: in ess man .
Q

Dio you ever hear it callee as a r,amhl i r,.,. house

be~ore

tris kilJin--?

A No, +r.ere was no

--~~blin~

house, I Aon ' t +nin¥ .

·as r h-:: f'd. rt ner ?

Q,

Wbo

A

I c\on ' t

Q

I "' '1" st i 1 J the re?

knor.v .

A He is r.rone, too . The nro-'l1ce house Nent into SO're otl-1er
·,..i '1"'<1 of husi ness, t..,...ey closed it up .

G.

T""i:: felJoA: left .rren his po.rtner was killed ?

A

Y rs, !='ir .

Q

Burkett is your

Di~trict

J udrre ?

A J ;dne Burkett .
Q

Do you lcno ; ·1h ere he is in session no

A

I 4.on ' t know where he is in sessior now, but he toln me

1?

to est2hli Br rnme ev i denct" trere
ri~· ht

-- I am just

askiri~

Q

That is Rll

A

He may be ir Ahilene; they are holrling a

I heli ev .. .

""' fJ
Texas
State Library and Archives Commission
4'.)f)

wrt::re re is .
sessio~

there,

 EX.AMI 1lJ!:D BY MR • MOSES .
ol~

Q

Ho

are you"

A

Thj rtv- one .

G Mc.. rrj en mari "

A I

ras married .

G

I say vou. are marr j ed "

A

Yes, s ir .

Q

Yo u are not marr j ed now ?

A

I am div0rced .

Q

P.:o'l-lonp-

vere you (ijvorced "

aO'O

A Abovt sjx or seven months
\/~c·'"'HB-,

tric+ Co1r in

)j

a~o,

the

~econo

div]sio~

of the

Kansas, J ..i're Thornton, -oresic'ine:

.i ud,g:e •
Q

How lontr s i nce you livE"d

i+h yo 1 1

A

I -·on ' t knon

I ca"!le out of' +'be army

'

was

ji.

· 11;.en

•

wife ?

'

ri,....11.t

after I cone out of the ann:.r .

you

schar&red "

O

W'hen ue r e

A

5th

Q

And. you 11ent i n+o +ne o]l husiness to recover"

A

I 'bave reeri i n there lonp. hefon

I ·vent
G

j

oj

of last Ue cemher & year

d~y

a~o

-- Athlet ic heart .

I saVT tr.e army and before

ni o Ranp-er .

You

~ryo~e

o-P hav i nO' your pail troinr. to

vork

iVhat so rt

o .P a pai 1 "e.s it"
A

Dr~winr.

0

Have

A

Ye::; , s ir .

ail -- I

a~

70·1 he~n E=>ntral"ed

an oil and tool rustler .
jYJ +}iat busjness exclusively i n

Q Any other business .
A

I have been work i nl'." Iii'-' real estc...t e . nou

ei

nd then, sel lino;

a lot nov and then .
conviec+-e~

vjth the daf'lce hal1 or +"he Ce.rce school"

Q

Were you

A

I was un t'here a con:ile of· nj ,.,.,Ats -- I "'1anao-ed 7.hat nalJ

• ·o

nj~i·+fl,

I waf: u-p +-r.0re or run j t .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q,

Yo" separatec f r orr. your .1 i fe in Kansas, I presw1e?

A Y "" , sir .
Q.

I

11 1

tna t the reaso'1 trie of f'i cers rrot af'ter you

i ' true

t

out i.b ere at Rano:e'r - - you spoke about h< v hi,..,. to oay a fi ne :

I wi ll ask vou if i t is not true that i t was i n regar d +o a
womo n ?

A

Not as I kn o :: o f .

Q

T~~y

A

No,

~d

Q

A~n

you ua i 0 a f i ne

di~

never

tell you that, d i e they?

r .
~or

d i sturhinP the peace ?

A "Di stl rh i nr; the pe a ce .
Q

Pled. ,.,.,,i l+.y,

A

YP~,

Q

Are you the persoYJ.al representative of' J J.c'lp;e Bu·rkett do m

~ i dn ' t

jrot ?

sir .

her13 ?
A

No , sir .

0

1 understood y o u to say someth i nl'l' ·bout J udge BurkE::tt .

A

No, he told me to r;o down there and establ i s'1 some evi -

deDce in

res~rd

the county

~o

exclusively .

re r e ?

Q,

Ani'i co ... e

A

No , not J1e re -- I

t~~t

o~ficers

courty, I

~~ i n~,

ras ge; n+ h erP h·r a representat i ve o -"'
i~

the Leajqlsture .

Q.

T"'e:v 1-iac' · Granc" J ury o""' Eastland in J onuar.r?

A

Y s, !:dr .

Q

A n~

A

YE~,

Q

I r

.MR .

tht

G ran~

he jn

J ury is ao i n- to reconvene at Eastland aca i n ?

-o i n~

to call a

~necial

session .

l i we that i s a ll.

J~ ACI< F.Y :

Q.

HO'"' c a-r;.e y ou to pay a f i ne ou t ther e if yo u

w're not ru i lt y ?

A
I

I t '1vas a ciuest i cn of payi>:rr a. f i ne or

i n jai l .

'as not ar" i +ted to bond nor coul0 not he adn:i tted .

Q Eo : mar!y i'i "le s did you pc
A

..

freez i n~

1?

0 °

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 MR . TIDWELL :

Q,

Where were you born?
Co 1 m~

A

.Jefferson Ci"': ·, 1U ssourj , B l"'

Q

Where were you marriP.0 ?

A

K Yisas Ci+., , Mi sscuri .

Q,

WhE:.1 "

A

1914 .

Q,

Hei.v(;; you ever been charr.;ed with any kina of cri"Xle ?

A

Well, mj sd emeano rs, I rrot. in a fist fi 0 ·h.t

Q

A"l/ others ?

ihe ri I was a boy .

A No .
Q

H~ve

_~id

A

Well, yes, several times in the pollc'3 co 1 i.rts .

O

Where did JO'' pay those -firi•

you

~ines

for that before "

q?

A Kansas Cit-, Kansas .

I

Q

Ho.v lonr- oid you live in Kci.nsas Ci+·, Ka.nsas "

A

It

is my fa.trier ' s home, tie live.a there e1hout

~jf"·~t

years,

believe .
Q

Wer~

A

Yi::s, I

Q

No

-f'o r

c:

o

1

~

you with h i m?
.v'as sixteen or seventeen yearf' olr\ -- ei["'-1teen .

yov s,...,o,,,e ah out

ue rson

A

No, e i r .

Q.

You are a

A

No , I

wheY' I

w r1d nr. vn some ev ice nc e out th"' re

are you a secret serv j ce man?

r0rldn1, laoorincr man in the oil -f'ielr' "

c e:m e 1/c;..c "!-· and out m_,.

Ci::l'1H''

CO"'lP,

cil nt h e+'o re J ud l!.e

B11

r}·et t

bock frorr: Ft . Worti-1 after tri s trouhl"' occurred,

and he 1->eld o. court of inqPi ry there
Q

I~

th~t

A

The DiAtrict

the District .Judge ?
Jud~e,

yes - -

and he told me to

a0

down there

ancl estahlish 1.hiA ev:idence, and ne said estc.hlis'1 :it in ree-arcl

to yot'r orm case <H1d come

b~fore

a court of inqu:irv .

Q Have yo1; rro_,_ any chjldren?

A No, sir .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q

That Ranger that talked to you, did. you understar.d that

statement that you 70uld he bumpe0 off in tne da r Y as a threat
to you if'

JOU iii~

riot l eave or that he

1as

rri1~j.,.,,.,.

you a lit+le

A

I r1on ' + Jrno...,. -- I don ' t kno1 i'1hat he thou.r-ht ; I knor w'r..at·

Q

I asked y ou wha t y ou u nde r st o ori i t to h e .

A

I unde r st o od hiw to make th i s t.nrea t to . use v io 1 ence .

Q

'D j r you unde r s t and i t as a threat ?

A

Y

Q

.P

Q

Have yoi.1 e:ver ri.ac a

~ ,I

und erstoon i t as a threat .

a threai froll' }lirr; ?

any )revjous trouble

convers·~ti

0'1

Ii th 11 i "'ll h 0 fore or had

li .... 11 h i "'1.?

A

No , s i r .

Q

Ever talk to "i.i rn 2.t all ?

A

I talkea

Tith h i m one n:orn i n,.,. .

Q Ho / l onrr hefore that?
A

I c1 on ' t lrnow, ebout th rne we ch=; before that .

Q

Did you xxxx have a djf'ference

A

No, Bi r .

O

Di

1ith h i m at that ti»ne ?

An' t + alk ahout any "?li sconf< 1 ct, a'1d 1-'e O.i1' n ' ... talk about

ariy misconduct on

~rour

part ?

A

No,

Q.

Wht: r e ao you. board out there ?

A

I ....m hoa r d i

·ir .

rio;

.ius~

at one restaurant and another ; I ?ay

co sh for my n:e a.ls ; .vh i c 1'eve r re st au.rant I r;et close to , I r·o
ir antl cat .

Q What is your l i ne ?

Q

F.o-~

loni='" have you been

worl' i n~

at that l i ne ?

t"l'3
Texas
' ' State Library and Archives Commission

 A AhoiJt e i r'."'l..t year s .
Q.

I n Range r "

A

No - - Elc1o r ad.o , Cushi n("!" , Dnunwri fht .

Q Have

JOl'

b?en out to •.10rl:: u) evide:nc

in a.

tra:"lsac ~ icri

before of any k i nc "
~i

A

No ,

Q

TbiE.' is your .f' jrst exnerience as a ""ecret serv i ce man ?

A

I

Q

That i s r.tl l.

~

r .

not a sec ret se r v i ce man .

Jl~

J .

•

Ll!! SI, I~~ ,

beincr first. ouly si·rnm , testined before th1:;; Co....,,mittee as fol Jows :

EXMH NED BY 111\ • KNI GHT •
Q,

Where do you li ve "

A McAllen ,
Q Do you

H i dal~o

hol~

County .

any official ro ·ition down there "

District At'-·orney of the 79t1 1 J t " i d al Distr ic t .

A

I

Q

How loriu "lave you been Di stri c"'" A+i orney do m the re "

A

I th i nk i t

Q

What co11n+ies a re i n your distri c t "

A

Ji ~

Q

uo you remet'!lher the circumstance -- you 'k-no: J ohri E d0s ?

A

Y'" s, sir .

wi

We l ls,

as J une , 1015 .

~uval, Ji ~

HORP , Starr and Hi dalro .

Q, How lonrr ha v e y ou known h i m?

A

I have known J oh n n i e Edds p r actjcally ev er s inc e I have

1'eP.n Di

~tr ic t

Attorney , I th i nk Yi.e was hail i f f -for +he fir s t

Grana J ury tbe r e i n

H i dal ~o

County .

Q ·Do you re'1.errr e r the + i "l"'e that one G rc i a and I hel i e v e

<..not '·""'r Me:xicen - - ... r.,,ir bodiee ·1e r e found down the r e i n 0'1e

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 A

T 10 Mex] cans ' bo0ies ?

Q

I +hj YJk so,

A

I rel"emrer the occasion o<' '!hen two Me:xica"'ls started 1it11

anot~Pr

Mex ican to Jim

Tr at is

Q

Garci~

+1-J.

~

i

1af)

Hou~

.,H~tance ?

on~

of tYien: -- prot-iablf .iust one .

Countr .

W1i e. r ~ were you holo i n!'T' court at

t,,_.,a+ tir1P ?
A

S tarr County .

Q.

What i s the county seat of Starr Coun+ r ?

A

R]o Grande

C :itv~ .

Q Jonn nie Edds ,;as there attenci i nrr your court at t'1at

~i"lle

c..t Rio Grande Cit ; ?

When re r-·ot i YJ.-Por·•ation ... 'c.at this G rda had hre-.:1

Q

oy t11.e se Mexi cc1r
A

Y

f ,

~i

ar rest e~

R?

r.

J1R . CA:t>TALES :· I t was no ... Ge rcia -- it was S e:1l i nas .
Tr.at i s t.re man -- d i d J ohnnie report to you that that man

Q.
ha~

h en captured and ask your advjce as to h i s ro i na there ?

A

T11P. way that vras , I think that hap )ened on Mon6.a.y , court
la~t

usually does not

/\las se+ for

~ o ciret

Ol1'!

lon~

in Ri o Gr1ndP Ci+y, and the criminal

o ' cloc 1

Tu~sday .

A'•ou... five o ' cloc 1<" in

-1-1,e evE n iri~ J ohnnie Edds c..nd another Ranver ca rie
'!h~r

to the hotel

J nr:r;e Taylor anc1 myself' were stop)i nf! , and told us t'hat

a Mexi car1 har 1'een cauf"ht out there .vho had COm'nitted t'-lPft'
a~d

t~a-1-

he

nao

to ~o out i~ere

- - men+icned .here they 1anted

to takt him -- and. we to lei h i m that he could i:i·o out the re but
that he must be back the next day at one o ' clock,

:strictly to understand, bt-ino; the only
rad,

Q

1~1m

and +ne otner

Ren~ers

~ave

him

ti tness that the St ate

--

r -1- was yours and the J ud.c·e ' s instructjons to him as·a

;jtness

atte~a 1 ~~

your court?

A

Yts , s ir, .... olc hire to l)e hack promptly at t11at +i,i:e .

Q

With -':"'1at uncers+aridin"",

ri~

he ,.,.o over

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

+n~re

wher e they

 A

I

Q.

Fo

+~ i nk

re d id .

far -ras +.he :?O i nt where he told you t:ba t uian 1:7as

!

~rom

l<lo Grande Ci ty ?
A

Well, I c;on ' t recall trc. t he +olr:l n.e where the n:an .ms .

Q

He war at

A

I don ' t kno11 where I zao-uerra ' s Rane"\ is, I understand it
in Ji m

i~

Raner ?

I zeo-uerr~ ' s

County .

Ho~rr

Cl

Fe left .i'ith t:he other Ranrrer?

A

Yes .

Q

They rere rack at one o ' clock?

A

Bef'ore one -- yes , 'hefor .. O""!e .

I remer.:.ber I consu1+ed. him

jtn refere')'"\cn to +he case .

Q

Di~

A

I t:hink he s-cated that he sen+ r i m on .ith two 0th.er Mex-

re tell you

7~at

~e

did

1ith the prisoner

·

S ~l i nas ?

ic..;ris .
Q

S -. nt hi "'11 on to Hehhronv ill e ?

A

Yefi, sjr .

Q

Under your i nstnict j ons, could he have done anyt"Vi i nrr else

aYJd r.rotte"YJ. he.ck there i n co'Jl')'"\lianct, vith your orders?
A

Vlell, h

County and
Q

co 1 ;.ld not fio.ve -one to the jail of' Ji

retu~ned

in

t i ~e

l

Hon-n-

Pora trial .

V.fhere was t.11.e offeYlse ·fhich r..e

1as aller-ed to have com-

ir.ittec really co""rri++e", "11-tere was t:r.e iuri 0 r'lic+ion ?
A

I +hink it

wi t ·h tre

in

J i~ He~

him to Rio Grande City untjl he
)roceeded

vent

from doing that ?

A

I

thin~

he

wa~

charaed

~o

~ ini shed

his testimony

Hehhronvjlle -- tv1ere was not'r i n,,. to pre-

No , the re was no+"l-ii nr; to rave prevented him that I kno
Uo you kno

A

·nty .

A nd under the i nstructions, he could have

Q.

and i.hen
~ir

c~

t.rt'ft o.;- I za,..uerra ' s .._,o rses and cattle .

MR . CAJ\TAI.:ES :
hrou~~t

wa~

1

1

o{.

.rhetrer th.one t ro Mexicans rad 1J een in" icted ?

•

No , they have .never been in'iic+ec un to the prese"YJ..._ +. i rpe .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 :tR . KNIGFT :
A

Has t!ie Granc1 J ury investigated it ?

Q

investje-ateo it last term, bu·

T'1e

I O.on ' t

recall

thether

they voted no bill or deferred
Q

I "'

A

Y es , sir .

10.s

Q At

one of' your grand ,juri ts ?

~}1ey

ulJ. events,

A

No, cir .

Q

And you

A

Y

~,

kno,~

did not f i no a hi 1 "J ?

that they did investi.cTate

i't ?

sir .

EXA1•1INED BY CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE .
do:7n.~h&rr- ?

Q Do you have C:1.ny railroads
A
Rio

We have a r ilroa.o +o

•

Gran~

In

nl~<

acrof!s -t:he

Q.

twent.r- f'o·r "".ilef'I from

is no railroad from Rio Grinde

T~ere

·ni~~ fro~
co~ntry ,

sann ,, c01mtry --

S a·~fordyce,

~o

an•

nt~er

HebhronvilJe to Rio Grande Ci tv you "o

I tr i n1<: +,,..£'.·call it n inety ·11il es, and very

ninety mil eP hetween the tvro count.>' seats .

Was k±x the attendance of these two Ranr;ers ahso lut ely

material

011

this court at that t i me , or could you , in order to

have 1 rc'l)f'rly prote cted the prison er and al lo n them to disc11arge their duty , have exctised them fo:r t.10 or thr1::e da\'s?
• +

A

Ti-. :;y .te re

Q

Was tneir attendance a11solutely necessary , or ·oulr it

hav~

"for

ne s se s .

11een pos:ible f'or you
~r

~

o excuse the-rr. tuo or th.:ee ca.,rs

n to have disc'l1.ar(l"ed ... nedr off'icial duty and -orobahly

saved the life
A

11 ,

o~

the

~r i sone r ?

That was -the only case we 'ri.ad to try at that term of

co11rt , a11c the case was set .

Of course by continuinc the case

... hey could have taken the man to Hehhronville and returned, we
coulrt he:..ve tried i '.:. at that term .

By

wa i t i n~

on them t

A By

waitin~

and

Q

10

~olcin~

or three days you could have tried

the

jur~ .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Don ' t you

Q

trli~k

it is a risky pro·oosjtion turPincr the

rrisoner over to a couple of MeYican cow- punchers in that

crnn1.rv

conrlitions the way they wer ?

aP<"1

I t d j dn ' t mea>'l but one tI'inP-, did it

Q,

no t /""et to

that they would

.i a i 1 ?

I r1on 1 t know abovt that ; I r. ion ' t kno 11 the Mexicans he

A

~hern

turned

over to .

I

co

know MexicC<n citizens he coui'a ha.ve

turned them over to ,/ho would have delivered :ax safely to ,jail
officers .

a8

Q.

Uncer the circumstances it was

A

I + turned out to be .

Q

A.-. a

"1

risky proposit i on?

nroposi·don , wouldn ' t you sc.:y thc..t it ·1as ,

~eneral

not. only i

C;t

"t:bat particular case, hut don ' t you

+-i-.

in:r it

1as

danrerous -practice for an officer to indulre in?
A

Y .. ~, cir, I

Q

You 11/01.lld not have done i t , !TOu.ld vou"

A

No, Pir .

Q

W<::.re you adv1sed th.at those sairie two Mexicar.is had arrested

s:boulc1 t11in"k so ; I 1rnovv I would not take any

1

~jp

oav

thM

he~nre

and had him in

t~eir

custody

A

I was adv; sec" subseauent to that time .

Q

r~

amul~

had
~our

A

they had interded to murder that fello

hadn ' t they

opviorturdt J -- tl-iey would not rave carrieO. 'h i m dr,,.,in

miles of Hebhronville, would thPJ ?
No,

~be

facts are these : I 0op ' t recall that Mr . Edds

d j scloi=:en t.o us what 11e i ntended do i nf"
he

1,

overni~~t ?

r - o~~

on•

of~ic~rH

~.l;erc

there .

at all .
H~

rith the Mexicans after

I cssume orohc.hly there 11ere other

saj d they had h i m

und~r

a rrest .

I after-

war<is learned that t'l-iose · t,rn Mexicans were cor1 h ... nds o""' I zat"'Uerrc... '

Q.

c,

"'lie ones that had him uncier

c.rre~+ .

Ar 1 had ',, i , in custody twentv- four ·ours ·~efore he i;;ot

down the:ct- ?

7 .1f" .., State Library and Archives Commission
Texas

 A

Yes .

Q.

I :' they were '""OinG to murder r.im they would. not have sent

for Rc-..ntrers J:o co"'le co,m and interfere , rnul<i they"

A

I

Q

Yo1 djd not hai:e any mo ... jve in the world by requ1rin,,. him

·or • + know where they captured the man .

to come rack the next day at one o ' cloc 1 r ?
A

W"'l'en 'rn sa.id they v:ere under arr!c'st, I ci.SSl'med '4·here was

of' .... hE.J" out there ana he uas i::·oin.rr out to id0ntify hi"l1. .

~n

Q

You Clon ' t vno7 that

'h~

understood t,.,e situc,tjo'1 ri.,...1sel-i>

!hen he left Rjo Gra11dP. C.;+y, cio you ?
'1 ori '

t }·r o

~-

A

I

•

Q

When he "·ot there and f'ound

t11V0

co 1boys wo r1d nrr f'or one

of' t'h•" .n· ncl•e rs re co o·rdzed ar. he i nr relfa.hle and ·.vho had re en
i yi c"';:.i.rpe of' that man for t"Je nt.y- four hours - - he 'J.iad a o-un
on 1hen

~hey

arrested him -- and 'lias assured "hy the f'orl""'.an of'

t,,,e ranc>1, ric you

order t1-iem

j_t was any inc'iecretion f'o.r :!-'i'Y'l'l to

t~in1·

take hirri on com there, in order to comply dth

t:o

your ord erc-i ?
A

Well, I +1-ii,,,,.

that no

o~f'icer shoul~

That is my

Q

H~

thj~,

vj

arreste~

1as not

I +hink not .

a"l" Ii.ad
Q

"'"urn him over to a nrivate citizen .

ew of it .

orivate citjzens did
A

"'"h.u.t where a :!nan is under arrest

by the

~ronrr

in

of~ic~r

arrestin~

I understand

~tey

-- do you

·~in~

those

thi. bandit "

cau.rht hjn• ir. the

e;

ct

a. ri O"ht to arrest ,.,i •

T1" ey cau d

"'-

him anCl 1'rourrht him tc tr - ranch and had him

h1 c1.<stoc'y t\1c::nt.y - -f'our hours "

A

Bro~p-h4•

Q

Do you

him to I zar-uerra ' s .
~:rink

it is e:u1y le:

ck

,..:Ojccretion to trust +he sarr.e men
'101Yrf ,

·1i ... h carr •i ,.,- 1-iim

t"'rou~,.,

of' .-·ood sounc' .;urir·ment or
~ho

had 'had him t enty-four

t'-:.at country in bro art dayl i rr'1t

to the .jail, ,iv.st as a P'l<-.n nrooosition"
A

Well, you .just 1-io.ve "to a.cce')t a man ' s ,judrment on tfi<::t.t .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 I

rould not r.ave do11e

(leca11se I

j t

.rould not ""a:.re taken any

chanceQ on the man esca )i ng or any+l-iiri;
sel.,. , but many

o~he

haonenin~

to h i lll my-

r men I"li r-'1t ha.ve "·one ahead and done that

very sa,me
Q

You thi nk you -roulr have been mo re caut j ous in re,,.a.rd to

A

I lrno : I .rnuld. .

Q,

0 ,,,ers ndn:ht ta,,.e a rljfferent view of' thot ?

A

Yf.r: , :Jir .

Q

A• Cl.ll events, the l'l'!.an was iri t.hejr cvstody twenty- four

' 01

rs he fore , ..:-hey a rre s~e d him and he :vas their r:ari anywa,'r?
That is my infonr.ation .

A

EXPJlI1TBD BY MR . CANALES .

I P1 ' t

Q

jt a :"c.ct

prjor to the time of t"'ie cominr of

i~a.+

Ee 1 s the-.Y did not !(ill him , and isn ' t
+i F

A

y

i t remarkahle that

...fter

tall:ec1 to Edds he was 1d11ed with i n t1velve hours a.:fterNards ?

Well, I could not say so ; i t loots like i f they were ro inrr
t~ey

to ldll hhn ,

could

hav~

k il 1ed liirn in that first twenty-

T'o,,r hours as 1ell as they coula in that last twelve, aY"J.1 i t
looks like jf he bad Nanted to
eflcar•t> i
t11

e

11:1.~t

Q

It

ri

t~·e

~e ~ ould

have tr i ed to

first t 1enty- four hours as 1ell as he coulf i ":.

t 1e:i..ve -- you
j

esca~e

s also

Cl.

ca.Yl

also put it that

~CA

•

fact that this man .1as killed after

~..,,ose

t.rn Mexico.m; '~c'l received b rd.er$ from Edds, and yet they had

him in th .. ir

"'0.1rnr

and coulc'.' have killed him before E eds ro.,_

therP -- isn ' t that a
A

Trat i s the facts i n the case .

TP.E CHAi hMAN :
A

f~ct ?

Di d they rring i n the

bo~v. ?

I understand that they· d id not , thC;t.t they .vent on to

He')''ronvj lJ e, on...:: I hPli eve Mr . Ac 1 rr1an or some :-eo ple 1ent out
t11 crf' ar,d

~·ct

reuorted the

the bodv .

T'1ey came ir1to Hebbronville and.

vill in~ .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q.

Do you kno ·; · re"";lner r.e st i 11 had on. his hand -cuf'f or not ?

A

I +.hin1r I

.:as bus.r

i~

the courtroo.,, at the "i•'!J.e those

.1i+nesses r:ere before the Grani4 J ,,ry .
uresent , and as +'ar a.B I

e1·c d to writinv .

I

'o"1 ' + recall heinc

rememher. the te.stiM.ony

I don ' t

t~10

~;as

not rE: -

recall havinr· seen ·a ny statenent

over there of the defendants or cmy w:itriess .

I kno,v I .vas busy

in the court room at the time it was under investiqation .
'Do you kno.1 .vhethe r the i nvest :i ()'·ation indicated that he

Q.

Vias

~hot

in front or behind?

A

No , sir .

Q.

YN1. have no infonati qn about t11.· t ?

A

N0, sir .

MI; . C.AFAI.ES :

The ir..vestigat ion here shO\iS that it

vas in the

back .
A My understandircr fro"l'fl t'he foreman of the Grand J ury is
-':'1L...

tre fellow ..as runnin,... av:uy from him and that he was shot

in the bac]( .

C. W. MC'C AIN,
°l:'eincr "fir:::t duly

S.IOY-n,

t

stif:ied ht:fore thb

C o~..mittee

as fol-

lO\ S :

EX~.:I NED

Q

What is your na·'l'J.e ?

A

C • W. McC""' i n •

BY NR . RNI GPT •

Q Wnere do you res:ide ?
Benito .

A

Sa"1

Q.

How lonr: have you resided there ?

A

Six years .

0

Ranc1urci r ?

A

F

rier .

Q Hrve you ohserved tre conduct anc services of +h e

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Ra~~ers

 cinrir•f" the time you have been dovm there "

A

S

e, not much, rir·ht smart .

Q.

Are they

A Y ,, I

n~.cessary

to protect you neonle"

hi nk thef are .
~wuld

co" ·

Q

I " they were done a.vay with, what

A

I .11ould r<::t ve to get away myself or move , I ex0ect .

Q

0

A

Y s.

Q

n:;j.t is all.

d

or the other"

THE CBAIRMAN :
a~k

yo"u

Urider the rules made by th

Co...,,rnittee,

/e

.:ill

you not to introc'_uce any further evidence on fenen.:.l con-

ditjons .

J . B . DODSON,
beinr: first duly s.rnrn, testified hef'ore th.., Comnittee as -f'ollows :

EXAMI NED BY MR . CANALES .

Q You are the stenographer of

th~ s~,enty- Ninth

A

Y s, sir .

Q

Do you kno / Mr . T . Wesley Ho0l"?

A

Q.v He well.

Q.

H,, testified here 1ith regard to a

District"

transact~on

that took

plac,... in Fc.1lfvrr ias some time last year , an (..ncounter betwe€:n
}'1fr1

an0 Cai:itain Sanders , at 111hich he says you .1ere i:>resent .
1

Do you re!nemher that transaction"

A
that

J ust~
j

lit tle bit of it, I

~ot

there about the end of it,

s about all .

Q You sc:.id you -·ot th ere about the end of it .
:..

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

J ust tell

 the Cozrmj ttee here ./bat you heard and .1hat you kno
A

I

'as jn an ante - roo.,_ o-f'

1

about it .

he court house there . up- stairs,

a.tt.endi.,., "'o some lit-&le thinp, I ~on ' t remember no.1, and I
yoic·
heard o./£n..."lX o ;t.siC.e of ... he door sa.,r "Hold on, hold on, " f'omethinP' to tr.at effect , anc I

t"Ot

up and. .rnnt to the ~oor and.

looked out, and Mr . Hoo k was standina: there, had his hand kind.
of' tbLs way ( im&tates ) and Ca1tain Sanders was facir:g him , and

I heard CC:t.ptain Sanders say "I am sorry it. happened " or "I beg

.1our ;a.1·00 " or " I apolol!ize " or somethin,,., then I learned
aften•ardf'

and there

1hat it was ea.bout , and that is all I know about it,
~as

another R~nger there on th~ st~irs .

Q,

Were Capta.in S~nders and the other Ro.neer armed ?

A

As usuo..l .

Q YE. s .

Wa., Mr . Hook unc..rmed ?

A He said he was not , I think .
Q That he was not armed.
SEN.ATOR PAGE:

hold on ".

Q

That is all .

You say you heard somebody say "Hold on,

Who said that, Nhat voice ?

h~lieve

that v1as Mr . Hook ' s voice .

A

I

Q,

You .mllced out then and. looked?

A

Y t.s, sir .

Q

When you looked, r;'J-iat 'las So.nders rloi n..,. ?

A

H

Q

F~cing

A

I

Q.

W'fJ.at did he have in his hand, if anythino; ?

A

I have tried to ren em1)er w1'1et:,.,er he h<c~d his f'.Un in his

.11;;.s faci113 Mr . Hook .
hin. , hut .1hat vas he doinp- with his hands?

don ' t kn:HT .1hat he was doing with his hands .

hand or not .
Q,

That is very material :hether he did or not -- don ' t you

J'(jt.emhe r

A

I

t1- u. t

fact ?

Looks like you .rnuld .

does look like I .10uld, I i.:nou .

his .i)istol i·n his hand .
it u •

:..

I con ' ... +' i n..ce he

r..c..ci

My recollection is he nas ji).st putting

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q.

Ycur recollection is he

ms ,just puttin,... it up -- then ha

must l'::a ve hac1 i + in his haYlr .

. .... .in his

:i+hout he.. Yi r,r·

1

Ho / could he have put it

u~

han~ ?

v

...

in his hand he for

·ot out then, .

I

A

H

may have had

l

Q

F

may have

i:, in his hc:.nd l'e fore you --ot out there .

};.ad.

v

Dir he have it in his hand when you

A

H

fac.in("~

.ms

70t

out th er,. ?

this·way .

Q Did you testify a moment arc vhat he

~~s

putting his pistol

u-o 1hen you •"ot out th ere ?
A

hour.ht he .!as .

I aai (. I

His

h~nG

.1as back this 11a.y , to

t"l-J.e he st of' :ny recollectj on .
Q.

Re was o..:-olopi zing to Mr . Hook· ?

A

H

saic " I

Olll

f"orry it hap:Hmt"Ja " or soreethinf.l'. to that

ef t.c+- .

Q.

\~aat

A

Oh, Hooks said, "I f' you 11ill just put that gun up " .7hat

did Hookf say?

he would co , you kno.1, take '1im outt;.ide and clean up on him .
Q,
~-'OU

Hooks n2i-1a1·keCt , "I f you 1dll put your gun
outddc and clt.::an u

1

11

?

U'l

I

vlill take

W:bat kin11 of reputation has re ?

He is a la.1yer there ?

is a lawyer in Kinpsville .

A

H~

Q

Do you kno .1 11iT

A

Q i tti .rn:!. •

Q W'n.at kin·i of' a

well ?

m~n

is he, '!fr . 'Doc son, if you kno\ ?

A

I <on ' t

Q,

Do yon th]nk that .vould be neces$ary ?

A

Mi

Q

You prefer not to state then ?

~ht

1ant to have to scrap Mr . Hooks .

be .
W(·,11,

j

s his reputation

in that corar..iunity c.1.s a peaceful, la.;,r- abidinr· citizen g-ood or

think he js a peaceahle, la·.1- ahidinp: citizen .

A

I

Q.

That is all .

I rlon ' t kno

'I

that I care to r:-o into his

r(,putation alon.c- any other line .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 !'J.R . LACKEY :
A

Did you see o..ny pistol .!/hen you went out there ?

I -+,hi nk the Captain vas putt ing h i s p i stol up .

1an~

to Sflear to somethin,... I am not absolutely positive of ,

but to ·th.;; be st of my recollect j on - - you kno N
j

t

I r\on ' t

in

e1.

:ix

he ca.rri es

and. his hand 11as b a.ck then: somew"l-J.e re , I

holst.e:c

I never sa.1 hhn l"it M1 . Hook or hit at Mr . Hook, I kno.r

think .

that .
Q.

You d i d not see h i m wi th h i s p i stol in his hand at all ?
:1i -7. tin,.,. or anyt hi n@' like that .

A N
Q

D~

A

T'

n ' t see hir~ poki nr; H. at him , or anythin,... of t:-oat ki1 c ?

c...

tai11 10..s t:::lli n,... h i m, seemed to be , that "le

very sorry i t hap:pened, sornethi ni: to

Q Was the deputy sheriff

t~at

1as

effec+ .

ther~ ?

A

I

.hink Mr . Porter c2.J11e tlIJ there a'\:'out tv.at time .

Q

Could

A

I ron ' t th ink he could .

Q

Di a the deputy s!ieriff catc'., Cd.)tain Sc:.nders ?

A

I ,: on '

h~

~-

have seen any more than you di( ?

he li eve he did - -

th~

Ca YCd.i n aid not need d.ny

catchinr; .

Q,

deputy she riff' did not .1c..lk u

T

th~

·make him put up

A

Not tha:

Q

Ho

.) OJ

,:r

1

sa.; ,

I

J

t,

S

de rs th.en and

pistol o: d.nythi 1 ?
?"0 •

r:t. t to

cloze did t:ne deputy she rif~~

M

. S c. ..,6.ers .. en

-:ht. rt: ?

lookin~

Ff

Q,

DH

he say anyttJ nr; to Mr . S nders or Mr . Hoo"l{s ?

A

No-t

that I

Q

Di d Hooks s ay ri1-"ht there if he

~e

ms uoout

a~

A

1ould do to

A

T

1-> c ma.O.e

C'

A

~hink

t:-ia t

far as fi·on. here to the corner of tnat

rememher .

rnuld put

his gun •.rri.at

h i~ 9

·nen Hook saw that r.e was

~bsolutely

stat em e1 t .

er the

U!l

c'e_u~J

sheriff cru1e

?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

safe ,· tr.~t

 A

I

mo.y have been after th

C· tain rut h i s rrun up any.vc..y ,

if' l-ie ever !-iad it out .

THE CHAI R\llAN :
u1y1·jl

7 :r• o.

I t has been suc·.:n;ested. that thP COYr!T.ittee rise

I s the r e any ·object'io"'l to tho"' ?

( Wh ~reupon thrc Covr_r!l.ittee rece~sed , to rt-conve'1e at 7 : r"O P .M.)

FEBRUARY

8 T~ ,

L910 .

EVE:NI NG SESSION .

•
Thi J o i nt Co .uittee of the House c..nc' St:..r1ate to i n vc~i

in-ate +he char!'"'es agai n st the St et.t1:· Ranr;er F ore t? reco'1-

Vt.:.:l1E:d

at 7

: ~O

P . M.

Texas
75lJ State Library and Archives Commission

 In connection wi tri his ei'Sh.t'll ch.arise , l'r. Canales introduced in evidence the record of the :i. nvesti~ation of triat Platter from the files of the Adjutant General ' s Department, which.
follovrs:
STATE OF TEXAS
Adjutant General ' s Department
Austin.
Oct , 9 , 1918 .

w.

From:

Captain

To:

The Adjutant Genera.l , State of Texas.

Subject:

JI. v. Bentl ey assault on waiter in San Francisco Cafe , San Antonj.o, Texa.s.

1.

M. r;:anson, Austin,

Texas.

I h.erwith be~ to hand you file in this case which

is self-explanatory .

2,

I went into this matter not knowing th.at Bentley

had been dj sc"Ytar~ed from service on October 1st .

You wil l note

tha.t t'Y\is offense was co:mmi tted on October 2nd, therefore, we
have no furt11.er interest in the matter.

W. M. i:ranson,
Captain of Texa s :Ran~ers.
STATE OF TEXAS
ADJUTANT GE:N""ERAL' S D:s:PARTI(ElIT.

Austin,
616-618 Frost Bldis. , San Antonio , Texas.
5 October, 1918.

To:
From:
Subject :

Capt . YI . J:. tfanson,
C. tf. Arnold
R:l.n~er W. V. Bentl ey.
Ser~eant

I am informed that PJa.m~er VJ, V. Bentl ey of Ca.:pta.in Willie ' s Company a,t Del Rio , Texas , was in t'rte city a day
or two a~o and whi l e at the San Francisco Restaurant he had an
ar~ument

with one of the waiters and pulled his gun and hit t~e

waiter over the head.

I received t~is information from Aaron

Frank, Cl othier :Merchant at 112 West Houston Street, t his city,
and li.e furthe r stated th.a,t Bentley ' a actions were a11 uncalled
fo:t:.

Texas
7a State Library and Archives Commission

 receivin~

After

th.is information a Deputy Sheriff

Stevens phoned me at this office that complaint has been filed
Bentley.

a~ainst

Respectfully submitted,
r,. H. Arnold·
Ser~eant

State

~.n~era.

ORA: GLS

San Francisco Cafe #219t E. Houston St.
Will

su~1?;est

you suspend from service Ran&i;er

i~ inveeti~ation

w.

V. Bentley pend-

assault committed by him in San Francisco Res-

taurant some days ago,
Hanson.

Oct. 6-1918.

TKLEGRAM.

San Antonio, Texas,
6th October 1911;,-.';:I
To:
Captain Lon Wjllia,
Del Rio, Texas.
Will
Bentley

su~isest

you suspend from Servic e rantSer

pend:~ investi~ation

w. v.

assault committed by him in San

Francisco Restaurant some days

a~o.

( Si~ned)

W.M. Hanson.

616-618 Frost

Bld~.,

San Antonio , Texas,
6 October, 1918.

Captain Lon Willis,
Del Rio, Texae.
My

dear Captain::
Confirming

my

messa,£Se of today with reference

to the suspension of Ranrser Bentley, will add that J h.a•;e i nfor
mation that some days

a~o

heh.ad an argument with. a waiter in

the San Francis co Cafe, th.is city, and struck him over the head
with h.is pistol.
l am

havi~

an

investi~ation

made of this matter and

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 E.-c.

will send file to you as soon as finished.
General ~arl ey
Force of Texas

pend1n~

has plac~ me in char~e of tlte Rancser

hie return fr.om
Very

Washin~ton.

truly yours,

Captain State-~n~ere.

WMG: GLS
616-618

Fr~m Bld~·,

San Antonio, Texas.

6 October, 1918.

Mrs. G. L. Shaw,

618 Frost

Bld~.,

San Antonio, Texas.

Dea. r Madam:
Please see SertSeant C. H. A:Pnold or Ran£?;er

Lon~

and

say tltat I will SW?;.!?;est that t ''ley ca.11 on 11..r. Aaron Frank of 112
West Houston Str., and also tlte people at tlte San Fra ncisco Cafe

t :mist Houston St., and

219

else tltat has

knowled~e

~et

of the

statements from them or anyone
alle~ed

assault committed by Ran-

W. V. Bentley in the San Francisco Cafe on a waiter some days

~er

Vail all statements to me c/o Adjutant General's Office,
Austin, Texas, at their very earliest co nvenience.
Sincerely yours,
\'I. M. Hanson,
Captain State Ran~ers.

WMH: GLS
616-618 Frost Bld&S., San Antonio, Texas.
7 October 1918.

To:
From:
Subj eot:

Captain W. M. ~anson,
Ser~eant c. H.. Arnold
Ran~er w. v. Bentley,
! find a warrant for

w. v.

Bentley, dated October

5, 1918, in the sheriff's office, char'?; ing; him vii th disturbing

the :peace.
The witnesses are:

Tom Papas,

J~'hn

Thermis, F. Olivares,

and G. Galindo, a.11 of the San Franciwco .Ca1fe, and Aaron Frank.
Respectfuly submitted,

C.H. Arnold,
State Ran~ers.

Ser~eant

C?.fA. GL sLibrary and Archives Commission
Texas State
•

T

 Ex:.

J.{.

FRANK.
-- - -- OF--AARON
- - ---

STATEIOOTT

San Antonio , Texas, October 7 , 1918.
I was
ni~ht,

nesday

eatin~

supper at the SAN FRANCISCO CAFE Wed-

October 2 , 1918 , when three men who had finished

their supper stepped up to the Cashier to pay· thej.r bil l .

I

did not know any of t hesle- men but afterward learned one of them
~n~er

was

Bentley f r om Del Rio , Texas.

Bentley asked the cash-

ier or waiter tf they char15ed 40,rt for oysters a.nd the waiter spid

"yes".

About this time one of the three men (Not :Bentley) s:poke

up and sa.i a, "You a.re cltar'?;inss for eomethin&S th.at you should not
cha.r~e

for as the milk in the oyster stew was sour" .

life then '?;Ot

the bowl of milk, the waiter ask ed him where the oysters were
a nd he said trmt he had eaten them but couldn ' t eat tlte milk on
account of its

bein~

sour.

Tlte waiter then explained to him

that they had no sour milk and didn't serve sour milk and t old
this

~entleman

eatsup in it.

the milk in the bowl was sour because he had
Then Pan£Ser Bent ley lti t the waiter with h i s

p~t
~un,

the boy then turned to Bentley and asked, " Why do you hit me like
tha t , Jam-I was not

talkin~

to you, J was

talkin~

tleman, " w'1.en Bentley swore at him and po inted h.i
if h.e meant to shoot.
~nd

if

trouble.

~un

at h.im as

The boy ran to the back part of the Ca«e

Bentley stood with his
expectin~

to this gen-

~un

in

his hand,

l ookin~

around as

When Mr. Pappas came Bentley paid the bill

and left.
T"'1.e above statement wasma.de to me by Mr. Aaron Frank wh.o refused
to

ei~n

to

~ et

on account of him

bein~

a business man and didn't want

mixed up with i t .

c. H. Arnold,
Ser~eant .

- STAT:F.ThfEMT
- - - - - OF- G.

- --

GALINDO
...

~---

San Antonio , Texas, Oc t. 7 , 19lff.
I am a waiter at th.e SAN F.RA1TCISCO CAFE, #219i- E. Housl

75~

ton St. , San Antonio, Texas, employed by

Texas State Library and Archives CommissionMr.

Tom

Pappas.

 Ex:.

'I'{.

I was in
came
11

runnin~

t~e

back part of the

Ca~e

when John Th.erinia

back with blood running down his face and said,

A man tried to kill me."

I then went to the front of the Res-

taurant a.nd saw Mr. Bentley, the man who hit Thermis, and hie
two frHmds as they were

leairi~

the restaurant.

(SGD) Gerus Galindo.
STATEME.N'r OF F. OLIVARES.
-------------San Antonio, Texas, October 7, 1918
I am a waiter employed at the SAN FRANCISCO CAFE, I was
workin~

Wednesday

ni~ht,

October 2, 1918 , when t h ree men came in

and took seats a.t a table•

Everythin~

sters, and trout.
a

~entlemanly

They ordered oyster stew, friedoywas quiet and these three acted in

manner.

At t hat time there were three ladies and one ma1'l bein~

served at the tables and John Therm.is was behind the counter

at the cash
a nd

~ ot

ready to leave Mr• Aaron "Frank came in and took a sea t at

t h e lunch counter.
They

Just a s t he s e men finished their supper

re~ister.

I ma de out t he bill for the three suppers.

then stepped to the cash

asked, "Do you people
answered by

sh.akin~

sa id, "You are

cha r~ e

his

chargin~

re ~i ater

40¢ for those oysters? 1'

yead, "yes. 11
for

with the bill.

Bentley
The:miis

Th en Bentley spoke up and

someth.in~

you should not char'$e for

because the milk in the stew was sour."

Then some one .tS Ot the

bowl with the milk in it and s 'rtowed it to Triermis who then asked,
"Where are the oysters?"

Th.e pa.rty said, ! ate the oysters, but

not the milk because it was sour."

Therm.is told him," We serve

no cour milk and haven't any sour milk, "and wa s explainin'S to
this party that the milk in the b owl was sour because he had put
in ca tsup,

whic~

contained

Bentley struck h i m with. a
he was

h. i ttin~

v i ne~a r,
~un.

him as he was

into the stew, when Ranger

Thermis th.en asked Bentley why

talki ~

t o thi s

~ e ntleman

when Bent-

ley drew his ~un on him as if to shoot and called him a son- ofa.. bitch. Then Thermis ran to the rear of the Cafe to Mr. Pappas

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 and told him, "This man wants to kill me."
( SGN)

Florentino M. Olivarez

•

STATEMENT OF TO}{. P4PPAS, .

San Antonio, Texas, Oct. 7, 1918
I a.m the owner and maina~er of the San FRANCISCO CAFE,

#219i E· ~ous~n Str., San Antonio, Texa s.
On th.e ni~ht of October 2 , 1918, between the hours of
9 : 00 and 10:00 P.M., as I ws

came
blook

ru nn i ~

to the back part of the restaurant where I was, with

runnin~

him or was

leavin~ my restaurant, John Therinis

down h.is face and stated that a man tried to hill

~oin~

to hill him.

I at once went to the front of the

restaurant and akked Mr· Bentley why he hit this boy they way he
Mr. Bentley stated, "I hit

did and asked w'hat th.e boy had done.
''lim because he disputed the word of

my

friend.

11

Bentley's friend

the n spoke up and said , "You should not ha ve hit t'hat boy." ( (iuestion by

c.

H. Arnold)

"HaYen't you h ad trouble of this kind

here before?"
(Answer by Tom Pappas) "Yes, several months a~o with a man from
Laredo" .

(SGD)

T. B. Pappas.

STATEMENT OF .JOHN TtfERMIS.

San Antonio, Texas, October 7, 1918,
I am employed at the SAN FRANCISCO CAFE as waiter wan
was oroduty Wednesday
re ~ ister

ni~ht

October 2 , 1918.

I was at the cash

when three men who had just finished supper stepped

to pay their bill.

up

One of these men asked if 40% was what we

cha r1?;ed f or ayster stews and I said, "Yes."

Then the man wl-to

ate the stew (not Bently) ~ot the bowl of milk and said, " You
are

ch.ar~i~

is sour."

for

somethin~

you should not

char~e

for as the milk

I tol d him we had no sour milk and didn't serve sour

milk, then I discovered that he h.ad put Catsup in his oyster

75t>Texasstew
andLibrary
the vine~ar
in the Catsup
had soured
State
and Archives
Commission

the milk:

I told

 Ex:.

ff.

him what he had done and then Mr· Bentley hit me with a pistol
I then asked him (Bentl ey) why he hit me, that I was not talkin~
to him but to this

~ent leman- -

then he pointed his

~un

at me and

called me a damn son of a bitch and I rant t o the back part of the
Cafe.
.John Thermis .

5 SA HA 11 COI,L.
Del R:io , Tex 940 A Oct 8 1918
Capt W M Hanson
Care Adjt Genl Austin Tex
Bentley was suspended Oct First

Left for Austin same day

Willis
958 A

75' State Library and Archives Commission
Texas

 (Mr.

Canales introduced in. evidence statements of Frederico

Lopez and Sabas Ozuna, regarding the killing of Jose Ma . Gomez
Balinas, and letter from Captain Wright .)
MR . CANALES :

In connection with that letter accompany.ing

the investigation , San Antonio, September 16 , to James A. Harley from

~.

M. Hanson---

SENA 'P OR V:ILT,IFORD :

Have you any evidence that this man

Edds had anything to do with that except to authorize those
two men to carry those two fellows to jail?
MR. CANALES : All I have i s hearsay but I have evidence upon
which I really believe that he authorized them to kill him.
MR • .MOSES:

In justice to the people of Texas , ilf there is

any evidence to show that this man Edds conspired to have this
man murdered he is not

~ orthy

to be a member of the Ranger

service and the testimony ought to be offered, and if there are
any witnesses to be subpoenaed process should be issued now
in order that proof may be developed before the Qommittee and
in order that the Adjutant ueneral may discharge that man , if
there is any such proof of that character.

In justice to M:r .

Edds, if there is no sub stantial proof of that sort the statement
of the counsel, we think , is unfortunate.
MR . CANALES :
J.ffi .

IiOSES :

\.hat statement did I make?
The statement you just IDBde.

HR . CArTALE S: I said I had information but it was hearsay.
HR . :.mSES:

Ue would like to have that testimony. We think

that testimony ought to be given us and a full investigation
made .
MR . CANALES:

I am offering thi s in showing that Mr. Hanson

in all this investigation seeks to justify the Rangers, that he
does not make a fair investiga tion but seeks to cover up the
affair.
SEI~ATOR

V"ILLIFORD:

MR . CA NALES :

.-

It is not offered then on the---

It is offered on the conduct of Mr . Hanson,

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 SlIPplement-2

not as affecting Edds.

I am offering this on the charge

that I.Ir. Hanson is absolutely unfit for the office that he is
filling and that he is a partisan investigator.

In connect-

ion with that I also bff'er his investigation of the case o:t
Lisandros Munoz who was killed by ::>ergean"'1.1 Edds .
~ffi.

TIDR'ELL:

Before we pass to that , if testimony has

been communicated to Mr . Canales that to his

OV\'Il

knowledge is

hearsay but there are witnesses that do know that Edds did
authorize the killing of that

priso~er,

this Committee is en-

titled to hear those witnesses testify to that and I w.ant to say
that I frankly believe that they ought to be brought here
under the process of this Committee.

\ e will be glad to have

Mr. Canales state who told him .
SENATOR PAGE :
MR . CAN.ALES :

Who told you , Mr . Canales?
I got the information from a relative of the

deceased who called my attention to this matter and that is
the reason I say it , end that was a common report about the
Izaguirre ranch where he had been living.
SENATOR PAGE:
MR . CANALES :
fact ,

It was just a report.
It wa s just a report. There was no actua 1

witnesses to the killing are still working at the Ize-

guirre ranch , they have never been indicted .

If they are

brought here before either side gets to them I believe they
will admit it .
SENATOR PAGE :

You believe if you bring the two accused men

here they will admi t to the killing?
~JR .

CANALES :

Yes, if those men are brought here I believe

they will tell you who gave the order . They testified they
arrested this man before and had every chance to kill him but
they never killed him until after Hr . Edds had given orders to
go over over and then you can see from his testimony that they
tried to cover up , they say two or three times, "we want to
emphatically state thet we never received the order from Mr .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Edds,"

two or three times, you will notice, "We want to

emphatically state that Mr . Edds did not give the order ."
That aroused my suspi cion that they were being prompted to
cover up Mr. Edds.

I never offered that

wi~h

regard to the

transac t i on. Mr. Edds has testified as to that. I am offering
it with regard to the class of i nvestigation that Mr . Hanson
has made, like this other investigation.

Mr . Edds has also

testified about that killing of 1.!unoz .
MR . MOSES:

Just a moment . \Ve would like now for Ur. Can-

ales to suggest, he said " before ilnr e ther side got to them,"-I don 't know what he means by that . I don't suppose counsel
who appear in this case will be a party to suppressing testi-

.

mony but I assume that propably hae reference to some office r-MR. . CANALES:

The officers and fr iends of Mr . Edds. He has

relatives the.re.
MR. MOSES :

I suggest that .Mr . Canales suggest an of fie er

to serve the process and bring those men here and we would
like to have the Committee issue process and Mr. Canales suggest some officer to go after them.
MR. CANALES:

I would like to do that but I want to finish

up with these charges.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
7l> lt

 EXHIBIT D-1.
In connection with his Ninth charge Mr. Canales introduced
the record of the investigation or tne killing of Jose Ma.
Gomez 0alinas, from the tiles or tne Adjut ant ~eneral 1 s Department
as follows:

-------......-------616-618 ~1rost Bldg., oan Antonio, Texas.
16 ~eptember 1918.
t.:reneral James A. Harley,
Ad jutant General,
Aust in, 11exas.
My

Dear General:
I am herewith enclosing you my report on Edds matter.
It seems that a forsman on Yzaguirre ~anch had been suspected

for some time of rendering assistance to the man that was killed,
Jose Ma tTomez balinas, in the way of stealing horses from that
and other ranches.

When this last horse was stolen from Antonio

Perez he was very anxious to assist in the capture of tTomez in
order to prove that he llad in no way been connected with..ihim.

it

is barely possible that this foreman and the two Mexicans who
kill ed tTomez had an understanding to kill nim as they might have
though that after being incarcerated he woul d turn against them.
Of course, it wo ula be impossible to prove this as two ot them are
indicted for his murder.
l

believe t ne man was muraered because nis body was found in

the middle of the road, hand-cuffed and shot in the back. 1ou will
notice in the statement of the two Mexicans, Ozuna and Lopez, that
they say he was running and had just ant ereo tne brush.

lf this

be true his body could not have been found in the middle of the
road unless they carried it there after they shot him in tbe brush.
I believe they simply shot him, either because he was a thief or
because they or soDl.lleone wanted to keep him from implicating others

v. bdwards, Special ~anger at Laredo, says he
has posit i ve information that uomez was implicated in the . ~ast raid
in the thefts.

.Mr. ~.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHiBIT D-2.
and was a noted thief.
I believe that oargeant ~dds told the truth in his statement
and that be was in no ways implicated or had 1mowledge of this

man's murder and that he acted as any other officer would, being
placed in the same circumstances.

lt was an unfortunate occurrence

and deeply deplored by ::>erge ant .i!idds as wel l as Capt • .vvrigh t and
Capt. wright llas given instruct ions to his men that in· the futnre
they must not, under any consideration, turn a prisoner over to
anyone but a duly authorized officer and that tney must get a
receipt in all
1

cas~s

~ergeant ~dds

believe

gentleman and

for the prisoners.

1

to be a splendid officer and a thorough

do not believe under any consideration, he would

knowingly be a party in the murder of anyone.
you write

~ergeant ~dds

i

will suggest that

and caution him not to repeat the occurrence,

He and Capt. wright are very badly hurt and l do not believe there
is a possibility of a re-occurrence of a similar matter.
1

further believe that the .American citizens inciliuding tne

District Judge, f that .lJistrict, believe the Mexicans did a good
job in killing tnis man !or the District Judge, in the presence
of Capt. nrignt, maae such a stat.emen t .
~incerely

w.

M.

yours,

tlanson

Captain t;tate

~angers.

l!i.NCL.

-------------------l.!i.DAl

TO
INV~ST1GiTION

J. J. EADDS.

MUliDER 0~
JOSE MA GOM.EZ SALINAS.
1

Pages 1 & 2 i::>tat ement Eadds.
Page4

i::>tateme nt oabas Ozuna.
otatement Federico Lopes

Page 5

Stat ement

Page 3

~dwards

Izagurri

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT D-3.
~.

Page 6

0tatement

Page '1

Exhibit #1, Letter.
Authority, Eadds to Mexicans to transfer prisoner

Page 8

L. Wright

to jai 1.
.Jieport on case, vv.

Page 9

1vi.

tlanson.

_______

_.,..._..,.,,

Statement of 0gt. J•

..i.•

:hidds, Co.

i<.

'.rexas Hanger ]"orce.

lt had been reported to me on various occasions that
Jose Ma Gomez 0alinas was stealing cattle and horses in Starr
and Jim Hogg Counties,

and

we nad been working up cases against

him but had never been successful in apprenenai ng him.
known in tnac couhtry by tne name or "ilamaica".

.tle was also

on tne 1st of

September, this year, mr. ~d. ~zaguirre, who owns a rancn in Jim
Hogg Uounty, just north of ~tarr uounty, 'phoned me at tiio Grande
Uity tnat a norse nad .been stolen trom Antonio Perez, whD lives
near tne Yzaguirre tianch, ana 1rom investigations maae by them
disclosed tbe 1a.ct tnat Jose Ma. U-Omes, alias, Jamaica, was tne
thiei.

After discussing ~he matter witn Mr. rzaguirre it was agreed

that his cowboys follow tnis malD. 1 s trail and tnat l would take my
boys and try to cut nim off from where we supposed he would cross
tne river about. tnirty miles above 11io urande Uity.

ne went to

this point but railed to locate nim, ana returned to 11io urande
uity.

Mr. rzagu.irre, later on, inrormeu me tnat ne nad received a

'phone message from the ranch, staLing that his cowboys naa captured
t nis man and tnat ne was at his rancn in Jim ttogg uounty.

As we

started out to t his rnnch to take charge 01 tnis man l was summonea
to appear betore tne lJisLriut vourt tn en in session at .tlio Grande
Uity.

i

tnen went to see the J)isiriut Attor11ey ana. iniormea him

of tnis arrest ana tried to get nim to excuse me in order that I
mignt go to tne Yzaguirre tianCil and take charge or tne prisoner
and transport nim to .tieboronville, tne county seat of Jim tlogg
uounty, and in wn1cn county tnis otre11se nad been committed. The
uistrict Attorney rerused to ao so but rinally gave me until twelve

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT D-4.
o'clock tne next aay to report back to tne 0ourt, stating at tne
same time cnat nanger nutchinson woula also be necessary as a
witness neAt aay .

inen, accompaniea by Mr. lzaguirre ana nanger

Hutchison , 1 went to tne I zM11irre itancn in a car.

ne arrivea at

1,.e.11..t morning, early,. Mr-£ Yzaguirre

about 10 o'clock tnai. nignt.

s ent Ior Antonio .Perez, trom wnom tne norse naa been stolen, in
order tnat .L mign t nave descripi.i on 01
man was

Gile

thief.

uor~~

anu proo.L 1.nai.

.Perez came over ana conv1nuea

man na<1 stolen this norse ano.

1urnism~u

i

nis

~6 ~uai. ~nis

me w11.nes::;es, etc., l t.nen

found myselt in t ne preuic i.amen t of having to oe oack at .t:do Grande
City wittn lianger .t1Utcninson and Mr. rzaguir.ce to obey tne mandates
01

tuat court at lG o•clock

tna~

aay, wn1cn on ty gave me about

three !!Ours to get tnere over a very oau roaa, ana wi tn a prisoner

on nano to oe transport.ea

10

.tteboronv1ll.e, a a1stance or about

torty miles tnru very heavy sana.
with re1erenue to ge i.t.ing

r.ne

J..

tnt:w consu1 t.ed Mr. Yzgguirre

ur1soner i.o neo uronv1lie, ana. ne

OIIeree. to l.et me nave 1wo 01 nis mosi. tru::;teu men ti take tnis

prison er to tne .tleb oronvi 11 t: Jail.

l consia.erea tne se men to uc::

per1ectly reliaole ana saie anti uaa. uo ia.ea tnaL i.ue prisoner woulci
oe killed. or molesi.ea in any way, becau8e, tney nad been present
aria

ass1 st. ed in tne cap i. ure 01 t ais man tae ua;y ue1 ore, ann

aJ. tno

he was arm~d ana was ~ons1~~reu a aau~rous cnaracter, tney nan
no~

inJurea. him in any way, but d.eliverea. him

~a.u~l.Y

as any other good citizen wouia nave a.one.

to -i;ne orricers,

I felt sure, and had

no reason to suspect any other than good treatment to my prisoner,
becaase they had been and were recommended to me by Mr. Yzaguirre,
who is thoroughly reliable and who stands well as an honorable
ge4tleman and r·ancnman in t.nat community.

I instructed these two

men, 8abas Ozuna and Federico Lopez, to transport this man, Gomez,
to Hebbronville jail, naturally supposi ng that they would do so
salfely and not dreaming that anything woul d happen to him.

I wrote

a letter .directed to Mr. Faul Perkines, State .tianger, stat foned at
Hebbronville, or to Mr. Oscar Thompson, .!!ix-sheriff, l::>f>ecial !!anger

Texas
76~

State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT D-5.
Captain Home Guard, and leading rancbman of that county, with
reference t o filing the case, etc., against uomez, which is fully
explained in exhibit attached, marked No. 1.
Mr. Yzaguirre, and tianger Hutchinson.

1

In company with

returned to rtio Grande

uity, arriving there just after 12 o'clock, mid-d_ay, in accordance
with my promise to the uourt the day before.
uourt in the afternoon,

1

After attending the

went up the river on a scout, arresting

six men that night, and arriving back at camp in tiio Grande City,
Texas, about 4:30 next mo?1ling.

Upon my arrival, rtanger wells

informed me that be had received a messa~ from liebbronville to
the effect that Jose Ma Gomez nad been killed by the two men
transporting him, while attempti ng to escape.

Knowing that Captain

right would be notified by the officers, and being very busy with
W
my official duties, I awaited instrction or advise from eaptain
Wright.

In the mean time, I sent rtanger Hutchinson, in company

with Mr. Yzaguirre to .tleb bronvi lle to meet Captain wright, and ma.ke
explanations and assist him in the investigation. My inrormat iom
was tnat the two men, who · kolled Gomez, were promptly arrested by
/

Ranger Connolly and placed in jail at tlebbronville, later giving
bond.
I have been an of fie er many years, and know that as such,
I have a right to summon citizens as a posse to assist me in the
execution of the law, and have done so on many occasions.

I

firmly believe that the two cowboys, that Mr. tzaguirre had
recommended to me, would transport the prisoners safely to the
Hebbronville jail, and as be f ore stated, it never entered my mind
that anything would happen to this p~isoner.

I beg further to

add, that the reason fornot taking him back to Hio Grande Uity
was because Judge wells, _who was attending court at Hio Grande
City, and after hearing that this man had been arrested, suggested
that 1 bring him on to ~io Grande City, and 1 figured that Judge
Wells might try to give him bond on this case, and assist him, as
he had asked me also whether this man would be able to pay lawyers
fees.

,,

I did not want him to get bond just at that time, beuause

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT D-6.
1 had reasonable information that ue nad stolen tnirteen
head of horses from Mr. izagu.irre ano. two norses r·rom .Mr. J.
~ lariage,

an a prooaoly otuers, ana

l

JJ.

wantea tililt:l in wn1en to get

my evio.arwe in snape to eo nvict nim on tnese otner cases, as he
was consiaered a very aangerous tniet, who nau Deen depreaating
on t ne goou pe opl e of tnat country for a gooa wnile.
(Signed)

J. u,

Jdds.

-------------Statement of
On tne morning
whom

1

01

~a bas

Ozuna.

oeptemoer 2nd, 1918, Mr. rzaguirre, for

workea on tnis rancn in Jim ttogg uounty, notified me,

toge th er wi tn several otne rs or nis workmen , that Jose ma tromez
a..Llas, Jamaica, nau stolen a norse rrom Antonio ferez, our
ne1gnbor, that ne nau talked over tne •phone witn 0gt. Edds
and that it nad been agreed tnat we take tn1s man's trail and 1ol1ow
him up, and arrest nim ror tne t11e1t
tnis man uomes and arrested nim

abou~

01

tnis horse.

~e

tolloweC1

iO O•clocK; ne was armea

witn a pistol, and on i;nree d.itrerent occasions, wnile maKing tne
arrest, trieu to get nis pistol out ot his sadda.e pockei.s • vve oia
not wish to kill nim but uaa ample opportunity to ao so in a
JUStitiat>le man11er, ana, a1ter ma.king t.ne arrest, deliverea. nim
sal ely to

1. ue

Yzaguirre 11ancn.

.after i:)gt.

~do. s

Yzaguirre .l:{ancn Mr. Izaguirre selected myse..L l ana

arrived at tne
~·ea.erico

LOpez

to trai1sport tnis prisoner Lo Heboronville jail, and gave us a
letter to deliver to the .11angers of Mr. Oscar 'l'hompson, at tlebbronwe left the Yzaguirre tlanch, en route to tlebbronville,
ville.
with the pri soner, about 9 o'clock A. m. we were riding horseback,
each one having his own horse.
having the key.

The prisoner was hand-cuffed, ~'ederico

~verything went all right, until we arrived within

four miles of ttebbronville, the prisoner riding in front, and
~ederico add 1 a few steps behind him.

As we were passing some

brush he looked around and at the same time putting spurs to his
horse and dashed into t he brush, when we fired at him, killing
him. we onl y fired one shot each, both bitting him in the back.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
7Hh

 EXHIBIT D-7.
Prior to shotting we called on him several times to stop, but he
paid no attention and continued bis attempt to escape.

He fell

dead from his horse. He was about fifty feet from us but in the
brush. •11be only order that 1:>gt . Edds gave us with reference to
this prisoner was to take him to jail safely, but to watch him
closely.

tle nor anyone else told us to kill hi m, but we considered

it our duty to kill him rather than let him get

~way.

was not in any way to blame for our shoot in him

and

responsi bility.
aga i~st

Sgt. hdds

we assume all

we had never lmown this man before, had nothing

him, and simply thought we were doing our duty when we killed

him to prevent his escape.

This t he the first case I ever bad in

court, never was arrested and taken before t he court for any offense,
am now, and :ave always been a hard worki ng man , and have been born
and rai sed in

~tarr

this ti me but never

County, Texas.
had

l

had seen

~gt. ~dds

before

any communication with him, and had never

been :ixtimili::ai:Ha intimated with him.
anything Sgt. ~dds said to me that

1

l

did not understand from

had a right to .shoot this man,

but as befor e stated, simply had a right to shoot him if he tried
to escape.

After we saw we nad killed this man l rEl.maine d wit h

the body and J.i' ederico went t o .tie bbronville and not i fied the officers ,
and a Hagger and a Judge ret urned to the scene of the killing.
took t ne body to Hebbronville for burial

and

we

we were arrested by a

Hanger and put in the Hebbronville jail, later on, we were released
under bond to await the action or the lirand Jury of that County .
I wi ~n to emphatically st~te that ogt . 14idds was in no way responsible

in th i s matter.

( Signed)

Sabas Ozuna.
I have bear the above statement of Sabas Ozuna read, and
translated fr om ~nglish into ~pan i sh by Mr. t zagui rre in the

. L. wright aind Captain w. M. ttanson and it
presence 01 Capt . w
is true and correct in every particular.
(t>igned)
Federico Lopez.
..

761
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT No. D-8.
Statement of Mr.

~d.

Yzaguirre.

I am thirty two years old, and my ranch is situated in
Jim Hogg County, Texas, about forty miles from Hebbronville,
and about forty five miles north m:rom Rio Grande City.
heard the statement of Sgt. J. J.

I have

and it is.true and correct

~ods,

in every respect.
Sabas Ozuna has been working for me three yea:rs, but had worked
for my father for several years.

ne has alway-s been perfectly

reilable and honest and a good worken and I have never known him
to be accused of any offense of the law before.

He bears a good

reputation throughout that country as a law-abiding citizen •
.tt'ederico Lopez has been favorable known by me for about
twelve years and has at various times worked for myself and my
]'ather.

ne bears a good reputation in that country of being

a quiet peaceful and law-abiding citizen, and l so consider him
such.
When Sgt.

~dds

requested that I give him two of my most trust

worthy men to transport thms man Gomez, to Hebbronville jail, I
unhesitatingly named Ozuna and Lopez.
ever knowp.

~omes

l

do not think that they had

prior to this time, and l feel sure that tney had

nothing aga inst him, and 1 was greatly surprised when I heard they
bad killed him.

Ido not believe that they would have killed this

man without justifiable cause.

when

~gt.

~do s,

requested me to give

him two of my best men to take this prisoner to Hebbronville jail,
I felt sure that he reiied wholly

o~

my judgment on selecting them,

and that he had no previom acquaintance with. them, and also felt
sure that his prisoner would be tran sp1'rted safely to jail.

I hold

a Special Hanger Commission, and was appealed to as an officer by
Antonio Perez, Who had lost his horse, and had no other interest in
the matter only to assist tne otner officers in eAecution of the
law, and see that the guilty was punished according to law. As a
l aw abiding citi zen I beaieve that the law, in all cases, should be
supreme, and am strictly in favor of the law being supreme in all

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
76b

 EXHIBIT D-9.
cases , and that every man sh ould be proven guilty before being
punished.

i f there has been any wrong done, I unhesitatingly state

~gt .

Edds was in no ,way to blame , and am posi tive that he ac t ed
i n the matter all the way thru i~ a per fectly honest manner, and
lil
that ne in no wise was a party to/thi s killing.
that

( Signed )
Eduardo Yzagui rre.

----------------Statement of Capt . vv.

r1rignt.

L.

I first heard of this ki lling at the 'l'orrecillas Hanch wher e
I was on

a scout.

Ranger Connolly notifred me of the a1I air , and

asked me what to do with the man, and l told him to arrest them and
1~ext

put them in jail, wnich ne d1a.

morning I went to .Hebbr onvi l le

but t hey had been reeeased under bond to await the action of the
Grand Jury, bJ the Justice of the Peace, and returnea home .
1

have known 8gt . Edds for many years, he having served as

my deputy when l was Sheriff of Wilson Uounty, and as my sergeant
since I have been in tne

~anger

service .

tle is a very careful

officer, and I am positive that under no considf;ration would he be
a party to tne wrongful nmrder ot any man.

I feel sure that in this

matter he acted with t he best of int entions, and was in no way a

feel that he acted in tllis matter
as any officer woul d have acted under l i ke circumstances, and believe
tnat ne relied wholly on the selection 0 1 these men by Mr . rzaguirr e,

party to t he killing ot this man.

l

who is a1so an otricer and a gooa citizP.n

01

tnat uountry.

l

immediately made a full investigation of thi s matter, and made a
r eport to the Adjutant General ' s Department, and if 1 had t hought
that from my investigation, that Sgt .

~dds

was in the least guilt y

of any wrong doing l would have discharged nim, and precede d against
him as the facts in t ne case would have warranted.
( t>igned)

w.

L.

nright.

-------------------C U.Pl .

;;ept. 3rd, 1918.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT

c o .P

~10.

~eptember

r •

Paul Perkins,

~tate

3rd, 1918.

tianger or

.Mr. Oscar ·1 hompson, Hebbronville, Texas.
1 am sending Jose ma uomez in by tnese two men, place nim
1

in jail and tile a case against him immeo1a~ely, so tnat ne wont get
out on a writ of Habeas 0orpus as Judge Wells asked me about him
yesterday.
~·ile the case in conformation w1tn the following data:

Offense:
Committed:
Witnesses:

The rt of one horse, property or Antonio Perez;
ln Jim Hogg vounty, ~ept, 1. 1918;
.Antonio Perez, ______.0aldana, .Pancho .Longorio,
Juan Hamierez, Matilde tiios, ~abas Ozuna, Federico

.Lopez.
This man has been stealing for som~ time and it tney make bond
fro nim arrest nim again and hola. him !or me until l can get the
evidBnce in snape.

ne has stolen 13 he aa ot horses from Ed.

Yzaguirre in tne last 9 or 10 months; 2 horses from J. 1 • .llildrid.ge
in July.

And we nave oeen trying to eaten him al l year.

caugnt him yesteraay.

hd's men

I could no~ go on to ttebbronville as District

court is in session and .Hid, myself ano. .tianger Hutchinson have to
be in tiio Grande Uity toaay at noon.

1

saw tne vistr1ct Attorney

yesterday evening wnen we got back ana ne wo u la not e~cuse me, so we
came nere las~ night as tney nad tne prisoner here, and we nad to
sena him by tnese men as we nad no one else to send tnem in by, and
1 did not wanl. to take to tlio l7rano.e ui ty to Jail as I was atra1d

Juoge wells would get nim out on a writ

01

ttaoeas uorpus it tney

at tempt anything like tna·i; slip nim out

01

jai 1 and ta.Ke nim to

Lareao as tnis · is too important a capture to let get away just tor
lack of getting our evidence in snape.

vve .cias uevn implicated in

some more stealing but we naven't got much evidence on him yet in the
other cases. 1 will go up to Hebbronville as soon as l can get
away from court.

r our friend.

(Signed)

J. J. ~dds.

770Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT D-11.
September 3, 1918.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

These two men are authorized to

convey Jose ma Gomez from .Agua Nueva to tlebbronville (to jail).
Any courtesies shown them will be appreciated by me.
(S igned)

J.

J. Edd$ ,

Sgt. Co. K, Texas Bangers.

--------------Laredo, 1 exas.
1

7

~eptember,

1918.

Jas. A. Harley, Adj. Gen.,
Aust in, Texas.
Dear General :

You will find enclosed copies of letters which will explain
therasel ves.
I beg to state that l was at '.J.•orrecillas on the evening of

the Jrd when

1.

received a te lenhone call from ·1·om Connolly, one

of my men at tlebbronville, telling me that two mexicans, iederico
Lopez and

~abas

Ozuna,

nad

killed

they were bringing in f©Jr J.
to do with them.
which he did;

J.

a

prisoner, (Jose ma uomez) whom

iiidds , and wanted to know what

I told him to arrest them and put them in jail, wi

l took a freight train and wen t on that · night.

I

investigated the case and found that they shot him in the back on
the road four miles from tlebbronvi lle.

ae was nandcuffed when

shot; they claim that he tried to get away.

The next morning they

were taken before a Justice ot the .Peace, a mexican, and allowed bond
of

~500. 0u ,

letter from

which they gave at once.
~gt. ~dds, ex~laining

rou wil l please note the

to me how this happened.

An uncle

to this man Gomez is here now to see tne Mexican Consul.
We caught a German on our
Department of Just ice.

~cout

and turned him over to the

l will appreciate very much if you could

come down; 1 have several things to go over with you.
Yours respectfully,

w.

L. wright,

Captain Co. K• .Hanger .l!-i-o rce.
ENc.
771Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT 1)...12.
~eptember

Captain w•

.L.

12, 1918.

nright ,

Laredo, 1'exas.
My Dear Uaptain:

Replying to your letter of 1:::>eptember llth, beg to advise that
i want the matter therein mentioned thoroughly investigated and

if l::)ergeant hdds is responsible fo r turning a prisoner over. the
irresponsible parties, Edds will be held accountable.

we cannot

stand for that kind of dealings in the Hanger Force.
very truly yours,
Jas. A. nar ley
'l'he Adjutant General, 1:::>tate ot Texas.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
772

 EXHIBIT J-1.

In co~nection with his Ninth eharge, Mr. Canales introduced
in evidence the record of the investigation of the killing of
Ernest

w.

Hichberg, from files of the Adjutant General's

Department, as follows :
_..,......

_____ _

00.t't.

Headquarters Ranger
Adjutant General's

~1 orce

~epartment.

Austin, Texas, January,

~'

1919.

SPECIAL ORDER

No. 1.

1. Captain
Joe Brooks, John

H~

w.

M.

Long, C.

Hanson, in company with Rangers
~.

Blackwell, and

c.

J.

tlanson,

wi 11 proceed to Hanger, 1'exas, where they will be put on detached
service relieving Rangers J.

~.

Nalle and John Bloxom, Jr., who

are hereby discharged from the service by order of

w. P.

Hobby,

Governor, effective l1 riday the 10th day of January, 1919.
1

BY ORDER OW

W~

P. HOBBY, COMMANDER IN CHIEF

JAMES A. tlARLEY, '.f'fili CHIEF OF STAFF.

OFFICIAL
W. v. Ci ope, Major

The Assistant Adjutant General.

-------------------Ranger, Texas, December 29th, 1918.
State of C.

'1'.

Christopher:

My name is C.

'l'.

vhristopher and I live at Range r, Eastland

County, Texas and I am a barber by trade.

I am manager of the state

Hotel Barber 0hop.
On the dat of tne Hichberg killing, 1 had a room rente<1 within

a few feet of tne room in which the killing occured and used it
as a beo room for my barbers who were occupying it at that time.
Their names were Billy Bowers who was in the toilet at the time
·
y
y was in the room above
of the shootirg; the other barber, ~ . J. ear ,

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT J ...2.
menti oned.
Mr. ieary i s still
Billy Bowers.

work~ng

for me as is the case also of

n. m. nilliamson who was also

wor~ing

for me was

also an occupant of this room at the same time but I do not know
where he was at the irmnediate time of the shooting.
B.

A fourth man,

'.J.'urner was also an occupant of th is particular room who is

M..

still in my employ.
it was generally rumored around my shop that gambling was
going on in this room occupied by these barbers and Ed Bigsby told
me to investigate and put a st op to this gambl ing.

This room which

I had rented was only a few feet from the place where .!ii ch berg was

killed.
l

had beard it frequently disuussed that there was gambling

in that vicinity.
1

have lived in .tianger, tast land uounty since July, 1918.

I make this statement voluntarily and of my own free will and

accord and in the presence of witnesses.
Given under my band, this the 29th of December, 1918, at
Ranger,

~astland

uounty, Texas.
C. 'i. 0hristopher

Witness:
Wm.

11·.

;:;t John,

~ast land ,

Texas.

-----------Ranger, Texas. December 29th, 0918.
Statement

t;f Mrs

V"iola Christopher.

About three weeks before the killing of Mr • .tdcbberg of
of
.Hanger, ~astland county, 'I'exas I suspected my husband/gambling and
called the attention of the tiangers and other ofr1cers who were
stationed at .!:\anger, especially Deputy ;:;he riff Faircloth and requested them to make an investigation and if possible to catch him.
l told them that in my opinion he wss either gambling in a little

room in the locality in which the killing took place.
l designated ~ this

1

'l he

reason

place was because about three weeks pervious to

this time my husband, C.

i.

vhristopber had taken his b~dding and

trunkState
from Library
our house
told me Commission
that he was rooming in that locality.
Texas
andandArchives

 EXHIBIT J-3.
l his room that 1 descii bed to the officers was within a few

11

feet of the room in which Mr •.i:dcbberg was killed.
I knew that !JlY husband gambled because he was in the habit of
gambling whenever he had the opportunity

and

sometime prior to the

killing o·f .Hichberg, on or about the sixteenth of December, 1918,
be nad told me when reproached by me for not coming home one night

and upon my stating to him that the officers were looking for him,
he staGed that if he nad gone home he woula. have saved twenty!li ve dollars.
On three ditferent occasions 1 called the attention of the
officers to the fact that l was almost sure that my husband was
gambling somewhere in the vicinity 01 where t ne kill~ng took place.
lianger John ..t3lockson accompabied Deputy i:::>heri ff .1.1·aircloth to my
house the first time 1 sent tor an officer and. the officers prom± sed
me that they would render all assistance possible in looking after
th e matter.
My name is Mrs viola vhristpher, wife of

tbe e. f. ~hristopher

I live in .Hanger, ~astlarld Qounty l exas and have
1 1

above mentioned.

lived in .Hanger since July, 1918.
all of whom are under age.

l

1 am tne motner or four children,

make the above statement voluntarily

and of my own free will and in the pr esence of witnesses.

~iven under my hand at .Jianger, 'l 'exas, this t ne 21th day of
December, 1918.

Wm.

~.

Viola uhristopher.

(t>igned}

witness:
w. ro. .tlanson

i::5t J obn, .lliast 1 and, Texas.

------------Statement of Mr. S.

d•

~eary, .liagger, Texas.

December 30th, 1918.
My name is

s.

am work~ng tor C.

reary.

J.
1.

l am a barber by profession, and

Chritopher, who is running the 0tate tlotel

Barber Shop in .Jianger, 1l1e.x.as.
I was rooming in a small room back of ~d ~igsleys real estate
ot!i ce, and within a few feet ot the room in which Mr. nichberg was

77,J

killed.

On tne nignt

01

t ne kil1ing 1 was sitting in ·my room reading

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT J-4.
and l heard some one say open up, and it sounded as if this
was sai.d at the door of t ne room occupieo. by .tdchberg, in the
adjoining builo.ing but immediately in rront 01 my uoor which was
standing open.
I heard some one moving around in the
heard a shot, tnen

1

~ichb~rg

room, tnen I

heard more noise, then two shots, and some one

hollowed then a pause and anot ner snot tired.

1

did not hear Hichberg

or any one hollow out until after the secona shot.
anyone say anything only some one say open up.

i

did not hear

Later l went in the

room and saw a ~ead man lieing on tne tl~or.
rrior to the killing 1 nan neard that it was tnougnt that
gambling had been going on in tne locality or wnere rtichberg was
killed •. A driller told me that tne law was looking ror 0hr1stopher
and l told him and ne rang up ni s wite

and

she to la him that sne

had reporteu it, and wanteu him to quit gambling and come home.
I know tnat. tne room we nad nad been usedz,on some occasion tor

playing poker.

J.

neard that. one or tne oil men, J. tnink a tool

dresser or driller, was around tnere once playing cards.
Witness.

(Signed)

::>. J. Y.eary.

--------------Statement or Mr. n.

n•

..1:5owers, Hanger, 'l'exas.

Decemoer 30tn, 1918.
MY name is

w. rt.

nowers.

1

am by profession a Barber, gid

work for Mr. Christopner~ wno run8 tne ~tat.e rtotel ~arber snop, in
on tne nigm. ~na~ Mr. nichberg was killea, 1 had
.Hanger, Texas.
jusi returnea. 1:rom up town, entereu. my room, Look o:t! my coat,
secnre CI a lantern, anu was in

Lne

·i;o1lt:n.

W!le11

t.ne

shhoting occured.

I a id not near any worus spoke prior to t ne snouting, and tile 1 irst
1

neard was at least two shots f1reu.

and sww some one run oy me.

I pui my nead out ol i.LJe aoor

I was uaaly exc i tea, ana a.Ll tne

snooting I heard was in tne nouse ana tne onli thing~! hear~ anyone
say immediately after the shooting was when one of the Hangers they

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
77b

 EXHIBIT J-5.
call John met me and asked me for my ,Lantern.
hollow out in the house after the shooting.

I heard some one
1'here were four

barbers generall slept i n there with me , and our room was with in
a few feet of where .tt ichberg was killed.

'i'here had been a game

of Poker played in our room, prior to the

kill~ng,

and after I

returned from Kansas wh ich was the day before the killing, I heard
thst while

was absent they }Jad some go od games.

1

I understood

that the games in this room was played by the Barbe rs and town boys.
but l do not lmow of my own knowle nge who part ic·~pat ed as I was
absent for about 15 days , and when I returned heard them talk about
it .

This is all I know about this matter.

Witnes$:

{Signed)

W. !:i. .oowers.

----------------December 30th , 1918.
Statement of Mr.
My name is

u. E.

two miles out of town.
Prairie Tank

~1 arm

u.

1.

Boothe , of Hanger, Texas.

I live in rlanger, Texas, about

Bo othe.

f am now working as watchman for the

and prior to the time of the killing of Mr.

Richberg in Hanger , was in the grocery business here.

In either

September or October, 1918, I had a talk with Mr. Hichberg in
his store, about as follows:

I

was buyi r.g goods from him and we

were well acquainted and very friendly. tie asked me if I played
poker, and I told him I did not, but had a partne r that did; he
said tell him to come around, and l asked him where they played and
be said in the back room, I understood it to be in his bed room, back

of his store.

I told my partner, Mr.

~1 ran k

a day or two after th is conversation.
store again to buy goods and I told Mr.

Douglas what he said,

Douglas and I went to hi s
~ichberg

that this was

Mr. lJOuglas, my partner who I had to ld him was a poker player.

'11hey

they had a conversatmpn about it and I heard Mr. vouglass tell him
that he did not like to play in town but for him to come down to

• L.

77,
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT J-6.
his place, tn at he was afraid the officers might catch him.

tle

replied that the officers would not come around there sticking
their beads in, and that they had never bothered them and would not.
l

was buying goods wnile they were talking about it, and did not

hear all of their confersation.

I bought a lot o+ goods from

Hichberg, such things as eggs, butter, vegetables and the like.
We spent probably twenty dollars a day with him for such t hings as
he had for sale.
Wi tness:

This ia all I know abouj his gambling.

(Signed}

C• .!<.:. ooothe.

*---------.. .-Rang-er, Texas. December :r>th , 1918.
~·rank

Statement of Mr.

Douglass.

My nane is Frank Dluglass, and l live in Ranger , Texas.
I am a watchman for the f rairie Oil and Gas Company.

~rior

to the

time of the killing of Richburg was in the grocery business, at
'.l'iffin about two miles below Hanger.

Mr. v•

.H;•

.i;ootbe was my

partner.
About the first of October Mr.

~othe

told me about a poker

game in Rang-er, at the store of the froduce people , meaning
Richberg•s store.

He said they played in their back room.

I

asked him how he knew and he said .Hi chberg invited him to play.
He said be told them that he did not play but that I would .
Within a day or two, Mr. Boothe and
to tne

went in to buy goods and went

store, and I told Boothe on the way up there to tell

Bicbbe~g

Hichberg that

1

was the one that played poker, as

1

to approach me instead of me approaching him.
out to me when we arrived, and he went over

and

1

wanted Hichberg

lie pointed Hi ch berg
tola Richberg that

I was his par tner, the one that would play poker with him.

Mr.

Hichberg came over and . shook hands with me, and repeated what Boothe
had told him.

game

talked to Mr. nichberg in regards to the poker
and asked him what they played and he replied that they played
l

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
77b

 EXHIBIT "11-7.

draw and stud poker.
t hey played.

They left it up to the majority as to what

I asked him where they played and he told me in

the rear of that building.

1

told him it looked a little

dangerous to me, as the off&cers were all around at night, and to
much cnance of getting caught.

He said t here was

po

danger, as be

was the change for any officers that come butting around his business.
I asked him if there was any take off in the game and he said no
only occasionally there was a t take off for cigars.

ne asked me if

I was coming up, when I got ready to go, and I told him no. tte said
there is a good chance to win four or five hundred dollars if a
man got lucky.

1

told him that I would not take the chance with

the law for that money, but to come down to my place, and ir' he
could beat me he could win a thousand doll ars and there would be no
r isk of getting caught.

tte replied we play every night, and there

is no chance of getting caught here, becau se l don't l et, and damned
pistol taters

inter~ere

with my business.

substance of our conversation.
1

l

~·his

was tbe sum and

saw him again several times and

would ask him how the game was prcllgressing and .he wo1LLd reply

"Oh very well, sometimes he would loose a little and other times
would win a little, that if he ever got lucky he wou l d win some
money off them."
(Signed)

~1 rank

J)ouglass.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT M
-1.
In connection with his Ni nth Char ge , Mr. Canales introduce d
in evidence the recora. ot investigation of the killing of 1 i sandro
.Munoz from the fi l es of the Adjutant General ' s Department , as
follows:

l H.U.EX ....
Report
of
I nve stigati on of
Lisando Munoz-- :::>ergan t Edds.
Matter.
Page 1.

Hepor t to General Harley from Captain Hanson.

Page 2.

& 3.

::>tat ement ot Bergant J. J . Edds .

Page 4.

statement of Zaragoza Sanchez

Page 5.

:::>tat ement of J-esus Sanches

Page 6.

~t aL ement

Page 7.

statement of Monroe Wells.

o:t' ]'ederico Saldana

Page 8 to

11 inclusive

Letter from V. Valle to Captain Hanson .
~.

Page 12.

Affidavit or Gabriela

Page 10.

Lei,ter from H. Oosterveen to Governor Hoboy .

Page 14.

.Letter from H. n. vurm to Captain Hanson.

de oanches .

~------------ --

616-18 Frost Bldg., uan Antonio,

~'exas .

G3 October, 1918.
1l'o :

General James A. tlarley

Brom:

Captain W.

Subject :

Lisando Munoz - - Bergant Edds .

1V1.

tlanson

l herewith enclose you affidavits and letters in tl:ns matter,
properly indexed ana paged for you r inrormat ion.
it

seems tnat tne Guerra boys who are in tne bank a" .tdo

Grande uity, i'exas, are very much against the Hangers , and especially

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT M-2.
Sergant llldds.

~urther investigation shows that they have a line

of customers, kinsman, and old f riends, who are guilty of smuggling,
assisting deserters and slackers and thieves.

ln accordance to ynur

instructions to all Hange rs to assist our united states Departments
Sergant ~dds has been very active and to my knowledge has given very
valuable information and rendered spil.endid assistance to the Department of Justice, Immigration Department,
ment, and ais~ to Captain Aldrich.

}11ood

uonservation Depart-

~y doing so he has gained ever-

lasting enmity, and they being considered the · political leaders
of tbat county and bac ked by Judge wells, Canales, and otners,
they are trying to give the tiangers, and especially Edds, all the
trouble they can, but on my visit there I talked to a great many
citizens theee and sane of the l,ci ty officials and they are very
loud in their praise of the Hangers, especially Edds, and they want
this detachment of tiangers left there for their protection.

I have

not closed this case yet as I am awaiting the receipt of petitions
and letters in favor of the tiangers and showing why certain people

are against them.

I will furnish these at an early date in order

that they may be placed with this file .
I am throughly convinced that oergant ~dds was compelled to
kill tnis man in order to save his own life, and while it was a
very unfortunate circumstance and greatly regret teo. by all, especially
Captain wright and ~ergant ~dds , yet under the circumstances as it
did I do not believe that uergant Edds is in any way to blame.

~oth

Judge wells and Mr. 0anales told me that a<;eording to their legal

opinion, after knowing al1 the circumstances and reading all the
affidavits, 0ergant Edds was guilty of manslaugnter, but I do not
believe that there is a jury in the ~nited 0tates tnat woula convict
him o:t anything in connect ion with th is, taking into consideration
the circumtances at the time of tne killing.
tiespecyfully submitted.
W. m. tlanso n.

WMH/GLS .

Texas
7~1

Captain State Hanger torces .

State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT J-3.
Statement of J.

tJ.

~adds,

I am ~gt. In Company "K", ~tate Hanger Force , under Capt.
W.

Wright, and stationed at Hio l:Trande City,

L.

~tarr

uounty,

Texas.
On tne afternoon of October F'ifth, 1918, I was informed that

one Alonzo 1:>~chez, a deserter, whose name was posted on the post
office in the City, as such, and who had been in Mexico for some
time and who had been in tne na.bi t

01

coming over tne river into

this c mntry to his home about 12 miles west of .t{io Grande City,
near the town of

this county, was going to cross again, and

l:!Oma,

would visit the home of his iatner , Jesus oanchez on that night.
I reported this to my Capt. w.

L.

wright, and asked for pennission

to take some of the 11angers and ma k:e the arrest if possible.

ne

readily gave me permission, and about two thirty A. ru. on tne morning
of the sixt h of October, I took Hangers M.
and went to Jessu 1:>anchez house.
Henche, and I went on ahead
men.

and

M.

vvells and .H. w. Lorenz

we tied our horses near the oanchez
located the house, and returned for my

we then all went together to tne house and found there was

a nigh picket fence around tne house.

l stadoned Hangerwri"Xs .Lorenz

at tne corner of the house that fronted on the street or road, and
.t{anger ' wells and l went down the 1ence looking tor a gate.

1

stationed wells where he c@uld nave a gooa view of the outhouses
and

back y811d, and 1 went arouna the fence and found a gate and went

into the back yard.

After I got into tne back yard, I saw

another yard enclosed with nign poultry netting, adjoining, and
could distinguish two persons sleeping on separate cots, and went
into that yard through a gate.

upom arrival at the cots found two

young men sound asleep on tne cots, they never nav ing awoke. 1 had been
given a description of the deserter, Alonzo oanch~~' as having a
small black moustache

and

was also informed tha~/there were two young

men at the house one of them wou la pro baoly be the desterter as
only one young man who was smoothe shaved lived there.

Arriving at

the cots l examined both men before they awoke, and saw that one
of them was smoothe shaved and the other nad a small black moustache,

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
=: =

 EXHlBlT M- 4.
and l naturally thougnt he was the deserter Alnozo oanchez.
awoke him by calling him, Alonzo seve·ral t i mes.
his cot, and said in 0paniah, "Que - uvo,"
is it.

l

ne raised up on

meaning in Jglglish, what

1 rf'plied, "'l he .Hangers, John .!!:adds."

He eased off tne

1

cot towards me in a crcncning position, ana I told him in Spanish
to sit down t bat I wanted to talk to him, and kept" .asking him nis
name, but ne did no'L reply , but suduenly sprang towards me , catch i ng
my winchester that 1 bad in my hands.

l tolo . .him to turn my gun

loose tna.t l was not going t o hurt him, but he did not do i t , and
we scutrled back towards tne tence aoou ~ lo teet.

vvhile we were

scuffling 1 called to tianger w el~s to come to my assistance, but
as ne nad to come over the fences, one of tu em being the wire
netting, ne was delayed.

~uring all this tim~ I thougnt tne man I

was scuffling with was tne Deserter Alonzo 8anchesz.

ne kept trying

to wrench tne gun out of my hands, and was a more powerrul man
than I.

rte was about to get tne gun, and l pulled the trigger

and tne ball nit him in tne leg, and by tna t time l1anger wells
got to me and assisted me to release his hold on the gun.

He

lived only a few .minutes as tne oall haa. cut an artery and ne bled
to death.
When the shot was fired, tne otner young man who was sleeping
on tne cot awoke ana asked wnat was the matter, and I tola nim that
I hao nad to kill Alonzo~ and he askea ir ne was dead, and I told him
that

l

a ia not know but ror him to examine him without mov bg tne

body, and it ne was not dead we wo ula get a doctor. .

ne did so and

said, n•1his is not Alonzo, but Lisandro, ana 1 asked him wnat
1

Lisandro, and he replied Lisana:oo Munoz, my cousin • .- (!who was also
a cousin of Alonzo ~ancnez).

l tola him 1 was very sorry that it

naa occurred, but it was unavoidable.

1 then asitea tnis man wnat

his name was, ana ne replied. ••zaragosa oanchez." nanger Wells and
I staid tnere and sent tianger Lorenz and Zaragosa to t ne nearest
telepgone, with instructions to noti1y Captain ~right and tne
Just ice of tne Peace.
.
I

g

tney arri vea abou"

I

our nours later aua.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT M-b .
held an inquest, examined the

g.rou11<i

aud made

investigations ot tne grouna wnere we oau
took

necessary

scu1~1ea.

ana later

irom all witnesses.
The family acuni t tea. thai. tu~ Deserter Alonzo 0anchez had been

sta~eilien~ s

taere tne nignt oerore, saying
ar ter mianignt, for Mexico .
yards

and

all

Lna~ ne

1.!8.U 1eit tnere shortly

·1he ttio 1.:Traude .ni Vtff is aoout 4uu

rrom tne uanchez nome.
1 naa no previous a.cquaint.&H;e wii;n

tu is

.wau Lisana.ro Munoz,

nad never neard of him prior to tne kil.J..ing.

there

J.Jid not know· that

w~s

such a man on earth.
I tiimply aetea in self de1ense, and shot this man , simply

because I was afraid he would get the gun and probably Kill me with
it.

Lat er on I heard that several deserters in company with

Alonzo ~anchez nad brought over a lot of mescal, and had been
drinking there the nignt before at the danchez home .
J. c.1. .riiadds.
(Signed)
bUbscribed and sworn to before me this the 18th day of
October, A. .u. , 1918.
(Signed) li. O. 0$terveen.
Qounty Attorney, Starr uounty, Texas.

____________..._
Statement of Zaragosa 0anchez.
M.y name i~ Zaragosa San«hez and my fathers name is Jesus

Sanchez, we live in the Saenz nanche, ab out 12 miles west of Rio
Grande City,

1exas.

11

Starr uounty.

l am 20 years of age .

My

father is over 50 years of age.
On tbe morni:ag of the sixth of October, 1918, I was sleeping
in the yard at my father's house, in a yard enclosed with wire
netting, on a cot, and Lisandvo Munoz my cousin was sleeping in
same yard with me on a cot .

we

bad gone to bed about four o'clock

A. ivi. 'l'he same morni~ of the ki 11 ing. 'l'he first 1 knew of the
affair was when the shot that killed Lisandro awoke me. I dressed
and went to the body that was lieing about

a)

the corner of the fence but near the fence.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
~---

feet from the cot, near
l asked ~adds who it

 EXHIBIT J-6.
was laying over there , and he replied it was the man that was
sleeping with me on the other cot, and I asked permission to
go and see tbe

body~

see it if was Alonzo.

and

be

replied to me'· all right go over and

replied that it could not be Alnnzo for

l

be bad left thr house a bout 12 O'clock.

1 then

the

~pproached

body and saw that it was Lisandro Munoz ,y cousin, ·and so 'infonned
Eadds.

I pr 1 tested to Eadds for killing my cousin and he told me

he thougnt it was Alonzo who he wanted to arrest.,

and

that he had

jumped on him, and had been compelle d to shoot him in self dffense .
l

also told .llJadds that probably be had the right to arrest Alonzo

but did not have the right to kill him.
anything before the shot was fired .

I did not see or hear

My brother, Alonzo Sahchez is

a deserter from the U. 0. Army, as he did not want to go to the war •
.tie ha.s been in Mexi co about one year .

.tie has been in my F·ather's
house twice that 1 have seen him there.
This last time be came
over, the night of the killing, he came to a dance given at the
School house in the 0aenz

~an.ch,

and

l

talked to him.

tte carne over

at night, both times l saw him on this side since he has been a

deserter, and only stayed a littl e while, probably half an hour or
an nour.

The last time he was over here ne staid about two hours

If he was armed

at the dance, and danced with the girls-

l

did

not see his arms.

My opinion is that ~adds thought Lisandro was Alonzo, and for
this reason tried to arrest him and when he resisted him, thought
i t was Alonzo resisting him, and killed him.
t;igned
Zaragosa 0anches.
Subscribed an<i sworn to before me, this the 18th day of
October, A. .i.J. , 1918 .
(Signed)

B. O. Osterveen.

County Attorney,

~tarr

County, Texas.

----------------statement of Jesus l:)anchez.
My name is Jesus Sanc.hRz. I am b3 yearsbold ~nd~~~~a!~z
~to~r county, Texas. l was orn in
.
Texas
StateRLibrary
Archives Commission
anCh , u and
~
Los Saenz

 EXHIBIT J- 7.
Starr uounty, Texas, and I am an American Citizen.
I was in my house at 1os 1:>aenz Hanch on the morning_
~f

the 6th of Oct ober 9 1918.

tbat was fired in my yard .

I was asleep ·and was awoke by a shot
I immediately got up· and went out and

saw a body lying by the fence and my son ZarBgosa.was sitting on the
cot, and saw John ~adds standing in the yard with a gun in bis
hand standing near tne body.

l started to the body and was stopped

by John .l:!ladds and Zaragosa explained to me what Jo.hn said.
~o

l started

thr body and was stopped by John Eadds and Zaragosa explained

to me What Qohn said.
stopped me and
was.

~adds

I started to the house and Eadds again
then told me to go to the body and see who it

l did so and found out it was Lizandre.
~adds

asked me if Alonzo was there and I answered him that

I did not know.

1

was sleep and did not know anything of tnis

affair until l heard the shot and ran out.
any

1izandro was without

clothes except drawers and undershirt and was also bare-

footed • . Lizandro never spoke after the shot, but just grunted.
Lizandro died within five minutes after the shot was fired and
dia not speak a word.
The following people were on the premises tbat night.

MJself,

my son Zaragosa, my nephew 1izandro Munoz, my wife Gabriela Garza
de

~anchez,

my daughter Carmen 16 years old, my daughter I sabel

14 years old, my daughter

~rnestina

9 years old and my daughter maria
people on the premises that night .

'1

12 years old, my daugnter Anita
years old.

There were no other

Myselt and family were all asleep

in the house when the shot was fired.

Myself or none of tne members

of tne family beard anything prior to the time the shot was fired .
•11he

shot awoke us all up.

Alonzo t;ancnez is a desterter from the

U. u. Army in Mexico and bas been over tnere about a year, tne above
mentioned Alonzo ~anchez is my son.
Lizandro Munoz was about ~3 years old, nas father and mother
and 3 brothers, two younger than himself and one old.er. They all
live with the ir father and mother in Los SWwskK oaenz tianch .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
78h

 EXHIBIT J- 8 .

( Signed)

Jesus ::>anche z.

;:,ubscribed and sownr to before me this tne 18th day of
October, 1918.

H. u. Os t erveen.

(Signed)

County Attorney, ;:; t arr uount y , Texas

-~ -....

-----------

St atement of Federico l:)al dana.
My name is Federico 0a1.dana, and l am janitor at the uou rt
House in tiio Grande City , Starr Uounty, Texas.
::>anchez.

About 3 or 4 months ago

met Alonzo 0anche z on the

l

r oaa be tween Vi boras ana :::>an 1'0man , ;:;tar r
he was armed witn a winchester and

1 know Alonzo

he

IJ

un ty, 'l'exas , and

nal ted me, but a!ter he

recognized me he told me that f cou l d proceed that he thought
I was an of ficer.

At the ti me I met him I knew that he was a

deserter of the United States Army .
(Si gned)
Subscr i bed

and SW9tm!l

J!'ederico t>al dana.

to before me this the 18th day of

Octobe r , 1918 .
(Si gned)

rt.

o. Osterveen.

County Attorney, 0tar r uounty , Texas.

-----------------Statement of Monroe wells .
My name is Monroe Wells .

l am a 0tate Hanger stationed in

Hio Grande uity, utarr County , i'exas , unel.er tne command of
Captain Wrignt.
given by J .

J.

l hereby corroborat e each and every stai.ement s

Eadas i i n regard t o tne killing of 1izandro Munoz

at Los uaenz tianch in Starr uounty, Texas, on tne morning of the
6th of uctober, 1918.
(Si gned)

Monro e well s

~ubscr1bed and sownn to before me tnis the 18th day of October,
1918
.
o. Osterveen. uo. Atty. ~tarr
Co.
Texas State Library and ArchivesR.Commission
Texas .

 EXHIBIT G-1.
In connection with nis Seventh Charge, Mr. Canales introauced
in evidFnce, the record of Investigation, from tne files of the
Adjutant General's Department, wnicn follows:

----·-----------October 9, 1918.
From:

Captain W• .M. l:ianson, Austin, Texas.

To:

'11he Adjutant General, otate of '.1.'exas.

Subject:

Hanger lJ. t. Barnett snooting Mexican.

1.

I enclose letters and file on this matter and you

will note that

1

wired Captain Gray to re-instate Mr. Barnett

as it is not shown tnat he shot tne Mexican and · that Mr. Davis,
Deputy

~herifr

6t Presidio County takes all the blame it.
W. ro. .t1.anson

Captain ot 'l'exas Rangers.
October 18, 1918.
Capt. Jerry

~ray,

Marfa, Texas.
Dear ::>ir:
l have been away tor sometime, but on returning nave gone
into tne matter

tne

01

and, atter thorough

sta~emen t

of Harnett and the trouble there

investigation, l fina that Barnett was acting

perhaps indiscreetly, but nevertheless, not ent irely to blame for
the transaction.

the mat t er will be

over-look~a

tnis time provided

you advise him to be more careful in future and not to be using his
gun to promiscously when not necessary.
Thanking you for your prompt act ion in tne matter, 1 beg
to remain

H/A.

Yours very truly,
Jas. A. .t1.arley,
Adjutant ~eneral.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 llHIBIT :0-2.

Adjutant General's Department.
Aust in,
Aoctober 9, 1918.
]'rom:

Captain

To:
oubject:

11

1.

l he

w.

ro. Hanson

Aust in, t•e.x.as.

Adjutant General, 1::>tate o! Texas.

Ranger lJ.

'l'.

..tSarnet t, snooting Mexican.

I encaose l etters and file on this

mat~er

and you

will note that l wired Captain Grey to re-instate Mr. ~arnett
as it is not snown that ne snot tne Mexican and tnat Mr. Davis,
Deputy ;:;heri!1 of Presidio County takes all tne blame it.
.tianson,

'ti. M.

Captain or

~·exas

.rtangers.

--------------Austin,
October 9, 1918.
,li"Tom:

Captain w. ti. nanson, Austin, Texas.

'l'O:

'l1he Adjutant General, otate of 11exas.

::,ub ject:

.liangers

~1rank

.Answering snot

1.

u. 0ri t tenden and
OI

s.

~·.

t;chuman

Carransa solaiers at .t{Uiaosa, Texas.

I sent you a eopy of tni s to vvashington.

.l do

tnink any rurther action is necessary in tnis matter.

not

it strikes

me tnat tne tianger naa a rignt to return the fire rega.rd1ess
who tired upon them first.

w. m. .rianson,
Captain of Texas .liangers.

---------------10/1/18/
Gen. Jas. A. Harley,
Aust in, 'l1e.x.as.
Dear l:)ir:

~nclose fina sta~emeut from Crittenden ana

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

jjClluman

about the

 EXrllBli' G-3.
~nem.

Mexican solttiers firing on

'l'hings are getting in baa snape out nere a.nu if tnere isn • t
J.ik~

a cnange by the tirst o:I .Novemoer woula

to come in and

;l'he banaits came across

~·rid.ay

nignt and

stoltt lo saaalt:: norses from tne .lli Vt::r \illaras·
Here is

tnat got snot in
place.

arm.

tn~

x.

D.

barnett

a mexiean

abo~t

ne is a goou ooy out was in tne wrong

l uave suspended him ror ten days awaiting your

instructions.
l

statemeut 1rom

al~o

The Mexicans claim they were trying to kill tuem.

ia1rnn tuem botn, Davis anu .oornet t, be tore tne court toaay

tntty

01 un :
~o

t

t

rnnk it worth 1ool 1ng

but

w1 th.

please tell me iI you tnink

it

Oest to

r i~e

I:Sarnett.

Yours to commana.

'

Jerry Gray.

(8igned)

---------------------'l'HE t>TAi1jtj 0~1 TRXA.S.

OOuMTY 01 P.HESIDIO
Berore me, tne

l

undersign~a

autnority, · a notary public in

and ror Presiaio County, Texas; on tais aay personall.y appeared

D•
and

.L•

J:5arnett, wno being oy

saJs:
My · name is

~ewster

v.

'l' •

m~

auly sworn upo il ni8 oath deposes

.oarnett, my perme.aent nome is in Alpine,

Uounty, 1eAas; at

tn~

present time I am locaieu in

Presidio; County, TeAas, as a memoer
autnority

01

01

tne ~an~r ~orce, unaer tne

Capt. Jerry Gray, with headquarters at

Mar1a,

TeAas;

tnat I have oe~n a memoer or tne ranger rorce ior aoout six weeks~

during tne larger portion ot saia time
W.

'J.'.

I nave Oeen stationed at

IJavis' rauch, in the southern part ot .Presidio County, Texas;

such rauch is rourtet::n or 1ii1.et:n miles ±rom tne 11io Grancie .ttiver
and is located North of Polvo about fourteen miles. I was sent to
Davis' Ranch by Capt. Gray and especially instructed to keep a

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT NO. G-4.
look out for and to prevent Mexican bandits from crossing
the river and stealing cattle, and when the shooting occurred, as
hereinafter detailed, I was engaged in such work and was riding the
range with w. '1 Davis in his pasture.
1
•

On the 24th day of 8eptember, 1918, Mr. W. 'l'. Davis and
I went out i~ his pasture

to pick up some cattle for Mr. Davis;

about one o'clock th't afternoon, when about two miles from Mr.
Davis' house, we saw two Mexicans, who were horseback, in Mr. Davis'
pasture; they were about three quarters of a mile from where we
were.

We picked up a bunch of cattle and started back to the

ranch with them; we missed a portion of the cattle and went back
into a draw to pick them up and found these two Mexicans following
us; when we came up on them, Mr. Davis asked them why they were
following us.

One of them replied:

what the hell is it to you."

nwe are trailing some mares;

When the Mexican said this, Mr.

Davis rode up to the Mexican and hit him with bis pistol.

At that

the Mexicans rode off and Mr. Davis and 1 shot three or four times
each; we were shooting in the air over the Mexicans for the purpose
of keeping them from following us.

ne were not shooting to hit

the Mexicans, but for the purpose of frightening them and to ~eep
them from following us further.
The Mexicans rode off in a run and l did not know that any
of them had been hit by t he bullets until afterwards I was infoimed
that one of t hem received a shot wound in the arm.
which one of us hit this Mexican.

I do not know

He was evidently hit by a

glancing bullet, as when they rode off they rode along side a bluff
and my opinion is that one of the bul l et s hit the bluff and glanced
off.
Mr.

w.

1'.

Davis is

a d~puty

sheriff under t>heriff Ira W. Oline,

of Presidio County, Texas.
(Signed)

..
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

.LJ. 'l' •

.Barnett

 EXHIBIT G-5.
Subscribed and sworn to before me tnis the first day of
October, A. lJ. 1918.
(Signed}

tl.

o.

Metcalfe ,

Notary Public in and for
Presidio County, Texas.
****************

October 3, 1918.
Captain Jerry Gray.
Marfa, Texas.
My Dear Captain:

-

With reference to Ranger R. v.

~arnett

you state that in

your letter he is a good boy but was in the wrong place.
affidabit he states that he was sent to Mr.

w.

In his

'l'• .LJavis• ranch

in the southern part of Presidio County, Texas, and was especially
instructed by you to keep a lookout for and prevent bandits from
crossing the river and stealing cattle and that when the shooting
occurred he was engaged in such work and was riding the range
with Mr. Davis in his pasture.
He further states that when the two Mexicans who were f ollow1ng
Mr. Barnett and Davis, were approached by Mr. vavis as to what they
were doing they replied, ttwe are trailing some mares.

what the hell

is it to you?" Then Mr. vavis, who is not a Ranger but Deputy Sheriff
of tbat county, hit the Meiican with his pistol and that as the
Mexican rode off both Mr. Davis and Batnett fired in the air over
the Mexican's heads and did not try to hit tbe Mexicans, but
that one of them was shot through the arm, presumably by a stray
bullet.
In as much as Mr. Davis is the Deputy Sheriff and seems to
pave been taking the lead in this matter and as there is no evidence
whatever that Mr. ~arnett shot this Mexican, I have wired you to
re-instate him pending General Harley's return from washington and
no doubt you will hear from him immediately upon his return.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT G-6.
You have done e4actly right in suspending Mr. Barnett pending
advice from this office for I feel sure that General Harley wants
the Rangers to be very careful in the use of fire arms in such
cases.
· If you have any evidence that Mr. Barnett 1 s statement is

not true or in any way was to blame for this occurance, I will be
glad if you will let me have it.
I will a~so thank y0u to get statements from the Mexicans in

order that we may have both sides of the question.

You also state in your letter that the bandits Ca.Ine across
Friday night and took sixteen saddle horses from the river guards.
Please wrwte us fully as to this occurance; as to whether they
were bandits or soldiers, or whether they forcibly took these
horses or not and who were the owners of the horses.
me fully.

Please wrdte

Very truly yours,
W. M. Hanson,
Captain, l:)tate Ranger 1' orce,
1

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT No. E-1.
•
In connection with his charg-es, Mr. Canales introduced
in evidence, the following from the files of tne Adjutant
General's

Depar~ ment.

-----------Galveston, Texas.
April 27th, 1918.
From:

w.

To:
Subject:

Gen. James A. Harley ·, Adjutant General

M. Hanson

Complaints against Capt. Stevens. ·

Judge Wells and Sheriff

called me

Vann

~teve ns

office and notified me that Capt.
~herifft s

harmony with the

to

Judge Well's

was not working in

Department of Cameron County and

was disarming good law-abiding citizens of tne vounty, was
arresting people in .Cameron Uounty and taking them to other
jails, and that several other matters had been reported to them
against Capt. Stevens, which

l

will mention further on in this

report.
Judge wells wired you, resquest ing that Capt.

~tevens

be called

to Brownsville in a conference, in order that this might be
straigiltened out.

Later in the afternoon Capt. Stevens called

up over the 'phone and
which he did.·

1

suggested that he _come down imme0iately,

Upon his arr ival

l

informed him oft the complaints

that had been made against him and t hat l had an engagement for
he, Sheriff vann and Judge W
ells at 8: 00 P. M.
lie refused to
attena the meeting, said he had nothing to say to Mr. Vann, and
seemed to be very much wrought up against him.

I insisted that

for th e sake of every one, especially at this time, that he see
these g-en tleraen and arrange the matter satisfactorily.
that

1

He replied

could tell oheriff Vann for him that if he ever needed

his assi s tance, or that of hi s men, that he cou l d call on him
and it would give him pleasure to serve him.

He then suggested

tba t he wo u d be willing to go to Judge wel l' s residence and

79...t talk to him, stating that Judge Wells was his friend.
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

We at once

 called on Judge wells and Judge Wells informed him that he did
not think that he had done the proper thing in disarming a
Mexican by the name of Pedro Lerma, as Lerma was one of the oldest
Mexicans citizens in that Country, was a large ranch owner, and
a peaceable and law-abiding citizen, and that all his life against
the Mexican and in favor of the American, that he and his
family and several of his influential friends, had· served Gen. Parker
and Major Blockson in their efforts to punish tne raiders of

1915, and that he thought Ranger

~adler

had used very bad judgment

in disarming such influential citizens as 1erma ·and others who
had been disarmed.

Capt. Steve ns said tbat he did not know anything

about t his especial case, but would look into it.

After a great

deal of heated discussion of this and other acts of Capt. otevens
they parted about as they had begun.

Capt. Stevens further

r emarked that he wou ld execute the Law in the future as be had
in the past, and that if this was not satisfactory they could
move him.

l

do not think that this satisfied Judge wells at all

and was very unsatisfactory to him.
I did not deem . it advisable to get Capt. otevens and Vann
together, as both seemed very much wroyght up over their
differences.
Judge tvells and ::>heriff Vann informe d. me that the Mexicans
had reportea and was of the opinion that a Mexican by the name of
Garcia, who was kill ed a few days ago below Brownsville, had been
killed by Rangers.

I ninvest igat ed t his mat t er and found that

Garcia was a robber who had been posing as an officer and roboing
Mexican smugglers going from Texas into Mexico, and that he was
killed on t ne banks of the river by smugglers and that the Hangers
had absolutely nothing to do with it.
Sheriff Vann reported also that one Harry Wallace, a very
disreputable character and a mortal enemy of Judge wells, had
been going with the Hangers and making arrests and searching
houses and taking guns from Mexican citizens. l asked Capt. Steevens
about this and he said he did not lmow anything about it.

Texas
79tJ State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT E-o-3.

Sheriff V:fPUl and others reported to me that th.e Rangers
had. been reporeed as having arrested a cattle thief suspect by
the name of Garcia, from the Jessup Ranch, and that from that
time to this he had not . been heard of.

Capt. 0tevens informed

me that he did.not know anything about this and that he supposed
if his men arrestee him, he nad left the vountry .fo~ Mexico.
I feel sure that this man just alluded to was one of the men who

stole the 37 head of Jersey c,owe from Mr. Jessup.
Sheriff Vann further informed me that Modesto Turner and
Mercado, another Mexican, had been arrested in Cameron County
by Capt.

~tevens'

men - that the families and friends of these

men had reported to him tnat they had made inquiries at the
Cameron and Bdinburg Jails, but had been unable to locate them.
'l 1here f ore

they supposed that they had been killed by Rangers.

Capt. Stevens informed me that his men had arrestea these two
men for cow theft and that he had turned them over to a Deputy
Sheriff of Hidalgo Cuunty and that so far as he knew they were in
Edinburg jail, pending bond, and that he felt sure nothing had
happened to them.
Sheriff Vann also informed me tnat outside of the first
arrest t nat Capt. Stevens had made

i~

Cameron uounty, that in every

instance he had. taken his prisoners either to tne uyard House
or to some other jail outside of his uounty, and that in this
respect Capt. l::)tevens had not treated him with courtesy. Capt.
Stevens informed me that the first arrest he made in Cameron County
were some cow thieves that he had caught in the act, and that at
or about that time his men had taken a lot ©f guns away from bad
characters and that later on t>herif! Vann wrote him a letter and ·
personally objected to his disarming Cameron County

citizens~

and

from this I inferred that this was tne cause of the friction
between Capt. i::)tevens and
On t be day that

l

~heri!I

Vann.

was talking to Judge vvells and oheritf Vann

several Mexican, who tney tola me were gooa citizens and who
assisted General Parker and

79

~lockson

as spies anu iniormers during

~ the bandit raids oI lYlb, and who were kinsmen of Hepresentative

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT J-4.
Canales, came into that office very badly excited an.a complaining
of the taking of the arms from Peo.ro Lerma, before mentioned, and
seemed very badly excited ana. afraid the .rtangers woula do tnem
harm.

I reassurred tnem that it was certainly a mistake on the

part of .Hanger

l:)ad l er and

-tnat

l

was sure Capt. L>tevens would not

approve of his action and tnat l, personal l y, woulo. become responsible to them tor their future safety.
anc1 alli, that it might

be

·11hey

all agreed, Mexicans

all rignt to take guns from roving

Mexicans, but tney were very much incensed over t ne taking of the
guns from Lerma.

Judge wells wi 11 be in Aust in Monday or 'l'ueao.ay and take this
matter up with you in person.
Sherif! Yann seemed to feel deeply gri evea because Capt.
Stevens aia not want to meet and talk t his mat ter over with him,
and stat ed tnat ne felt sure tnat had ne done so, the matter
would have been fully explained, and tna~ tpey woula have reached
an amicable working oasis.
'l'he way 1 see it is tnat Cant. t>tevens feels tnat it is his
duty to take gu ..i s from tne Mexicans as the oold.1 ers nave been
doing ana that in doing so ne is fully protecting the interest of
our Governme nt.

~yhen

tne guns are taken by tne rtangers from the

Mexicans t ney at once run to a::>heriff Vann for protect ion from the
Range rs.

On account oi t ne f ol itical condit i ons of that County

especially at this time, ~herift Vann , no aoubt, feels more deeply
interested than he wou10 at any otner time, as it seems tnai in all
probability ne may have opposition for re-election.

Judge nells

believes that this condition .unless righted quickly, will probably
lead to a very bitter fight in that uounty and tne re-opening of
m~y

political wounas.
I believe that both parties have been honest in their

differences an.a feels that tbe other bas been in the wrong.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

I

 EXHIBIT E-5.
I believe tnai at ter talking to Judge rtells you will write
me a letter that if necessa1'Y l can show to Capt . otevens, giving
your wishes in this

maL~er,

we can straighten it out.

Capt. Stevens will be perfectly willing to nave
cut out ot his District ana

1

I believe

~ameron

uounty

am not sure but what tnis would be

t ne quickest and best way to seLtle tuis matLer.
l will return to Brownsville trom here and if, in tne meantime,
l

hear from you in answer to Uol. i:)locum•s letter, suppose I

will go up the river and you may direct your answer to me at Hio
Grande Uity, c/O Capt. Ii. L. ~right, ~anger Camp.

I will see

Major woodul in ttouston tomorrow ana personally go over tne situa. tion with he

an d

our mutual frie nu, Mr. Kleburg,

who

is waiting

for me there.
i:)incerely yours,
( t>ignea.)

W.

tlanl:jon,

.M.

bpecial Operative.
Adj. uen. uepartmen t.
-~----------------

bl6-618 .trost .tslag.,

i:)Bil

.Antonio, Texas,

June 6,

191~.

Major Walt.er F. woodul,
Assist.8llt Ad. uen'l.

Aust in, 'l'exas.
My lJea.r- Major:
ln a.ccoraance witn a promise maa e me by Junge

w.

n.

Jones,

ot .l:3rownsvi11e, ne sent me a staLement ana wrote a letter of
explana.Lion in tne
~augers

ilorenc~ o

trarcia. case, in wn1cn tne tnree

are auvuseu oi uIUruer.

w111 please

pl~ e

l

nerewith send to you ana you

tn1s wi i:·.t:J. your rile that

As suggtsteq oy General Harley in nis
wil~

l

sent to you yesteraay.

nota~1on

on saia rile,

l

suggest t.llat you derer action until nis return, tnen we will

a11 geL togetner

and

nold council or war on tnis matter.

8incerely yours,
¥Y. m. nanson, !(anger $nspector.
( i:)igned)
Texas State Library
and Archives
Commission

 EXHIBIT E-6.
Brownsvi!Le, TeAas.
June 4-1918.
Uapt. n.

m.

rtanson,

.l:Uag. ,

618

~·rost

~an

.Antonio, TeAas.

Dear Uaptain:
l'in<.;losed pleaso i'ind statement ma.de by a young man by
tne name of bterck.
very manly as well,

Tne young ielLow is very
81H1 11e ~· i

situation down 1nere.

int~lligent

and

ves a pret iy general de t ail of the

I have not been able to

i~terv1ew

the

witnesses yet., but am informed that this automobile, which seemed
to nave followed these people from foint Isabel, was a red car
going from tlarlingen to Pt. !Sabel, be tween where this Mexican
was killed and the Point, and

l

understand that the r e were two

or three others, Mexicans, in the automobile.
Now, as you see from
else in the car when it

~terck's

statement, there was nobody

overt~ok ~terck

and the soldiers, and in

all probability, the parties who did this foul work were brought
up in tnat automobile, because tmis party driving the automobile
ascertained from ;:;terck the night before in .1;1t. lsabel, that they
were all coming north the next morning, that is, tne solaiers, the
deceased and the rangers.

~·rom

what

l

understand about it, it was

in .an open place wh ere they turned this Mexican loose after they
bad tried to get him to divulge who the various cow thieves were.
I talked with the tiangers behinf closed doors, and
it just as deeply and as 1horoughl y as

l

~nt

into

knew how to go, but Lhey

absolutely disputed any fact of having harmed this Mexican, or
any other Mexican, and after discussing tne thing at length,
asked me if

l

the Mexican.

~adler

didn't think tney had a good defense if they killed
1 asked him Where his def ense was.

.tie said" if it

were tnie tnat they kill ed him, then a proper plea of lunacy ought
to clear t hem.

tle said

1

ought to know that they were either crazy

or they didn't kill him, one of the two.

tle said he believed

to charge niin with this crime was equivalent to charging him and the

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT E-7.

other

ran~rs

of being crazy; that if they were going to pull

off a thing like tnat, tbey eertainiy would not have left the
identification evidence there with which to be tormented and
prosevuted througp the ccnrts of the country.
Now, 1 want to say again in this connection, that there is
a very

promin~nt

citizen indeed, and whose name you heard two or

three times during the morning that we were at the court house,
telling a certain officer of this county that he expicted to find
a dead man just about where this Mexican was found, but he thought
it was going to be a different cow thief altogether, and he was
surprised when he found out it was not the other cow thief, so by
thi s, Captain, you will have to conclude that pPople generally are
watching men of t his type in this country, and that his death could
have come to bi m from many other sources than these rtangers.
Somebody else might have had a motive in doing this work; the
Rangers, so far as I am able to gather, did not. ·ne said, f!wm
what l understand, that he was going to come across the railroad,
that is, the .tdo Grande liai.lroad, and wait till the train came
along and then come on to Brownsville.
bad money enough to

p~y

~hen

his way, he answered that he had.

just general information that 1 am able to
can make a thorough report,
I promised you I

wo u~d

tney asked him if he

l

do it.

That is

As guick as I

g~t.

will take pleasure in so doing, as
i ·have heard no comment on t ne case,

practically , since you were here.
I will ask you to hold this letter confidential, furtner
than to, i! you desire, to show it to the Adjt. liBneral or to
the uovernor, because it conLa.ins an eAtract oi

sta~ement

made by

tne defendants tnemselves to me, wh(ich or course you will readily
appreciate are privileged _and protectea communications.
desire me to do so, you can write me about what
the liangers and their operations in
glad to answer tbe

let~er,

but

1

~nis

l

If you

think about

section, ana

l

will be

want tne l etter to be in snape

that l might do so in response to inqui ries directed to me.
wil l be glad to hear from you at any time.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

I

 EXHIBIT E-8.
'l'hey are trying to put my name on tne docKet for District

Juage against Judge Timon
going- to ma.tre the race.

01

Uorpus vhristi, but i am not

ttowever, tne boys at uorpus vhristi and

at Kingsville swear tnat tney are going to put my name on.

I

unaerstana that JUage ulasscock, from ttidalgo uouµty, is going to
make the race for uta(,e l:;enate against Archie Parr.

My wife has

been at worK to a.ay on ner commenceaien t of organization oi tne
women folks.

~he

is a Hobby citizen

01

course, as you know.

Barnes nas announced himself as a canoidate against vv. i . Vann;

tells everyone tnai ne is running against him.

I am asked today

•

what l thought of nis running , ana I told him l tnougnt that ne
was walking.
Let me near from you·•

Yours truly,
WBJ/k.

(Signed)

YY . .tt.

Jones.

-·-----------~

Btowsnville,

~exas.

June 1, 19ltj.
I,~.

ft.

uterck, Jr., make tne rol1ow1ng staLement with

reference to wnac

1

know in connection with tne killing of

l.i'lorencio Garcia:
Along about tbe 1st ot April , tne exact date I do not know,
I was at foint lsabel, Texas.

service or tne

~angers,

l

naa been for some days in the

and other people, as guide.

un this

particular occasion at _!Joizit lsat>el, two or tue !{angers, to-wit,
Mr. uadaler and Mr. Lock, came to foint Isabel ana naa with tnem
ilorenc10 Gareia.

ihey stayed tnat nignt in Point lsabel, and

tne next morning abo111t 9 o•clouk tnree 11angers, tne above :aamed
two, togetner witn mr. oiduer ruta two solaiers, myselI and

~lorencio

Garcia, left iioint !saoel coming towards the c1 ty of Brownsville.

. .. Texas
BUI State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT E-9.
Aboct five miles out from foint I sabel, the two solu1ers
ana. mysel1 turned off on tne ..t:trownsville road , tne tnree ~angers
together with .1.dorencio Garcia, proceeding on towards t>an Henito.
I naard lat er tnai what was supposea to be tne remains of
.tdorencio tiarc1a, was rouna. some two or tnree miles !rom tne point
wnere l turned ort ror
ab oui seven miles.

~rownsvilLe.

.M.Y home is south ot .Brovmsville

llorencio tiarcia lived about one mile :trom

where l lived, ana oore the reputa~ion in tnat coll1.l.Ullni~y ofbeing
a cow thief.
down tne

l.'or some time oauk, various people .,living up and

~ruer

on tne

~io

Grande

~iv~r,

had been losing tneir

cat r.le oy r eason or tne same having been stolen and carried into
Mexico.
01· course tne people genera.LLy, wno naa been losing tneir

cattle, and stock raisers, did not li ke ~· lorencio Garcia, as a
thief is generally disliked.

It is generally understood, also,

that this Mexican, F·lorencio Garcia, nad many enemies across on
the Mexican side of the river.

lt is generally thougnt that this

man Garcia had .helped to steal and get across the river, cattle,
as an evidence of this, the deceased rode a horse which was slick
shod with rather large shoes, and was the only shod horse on the
plantation, or in this section close to where about thirty-two
head of cattle were stolen and drivnn across the river.

The

place where tne cattle were driven a~ross the river disclosed
t hat, among others, the tracks of thi s horse were plain to be seen
where the horse had dodged backwards and forwands and evidently
in helping to pass said cattle.

In other words, it is the general

opinion of everybody who saw the tracks and know the horse.
1he reason
1

1

make this feat ure of the statement is that 1

was questioned as to whether there was any bad feeling against
this Mexican by people on tne other side of the river, other than
any feeling the 11angers might nave had against hi m.

bad feeling what ever which the .l1ange rs had for
I will state f urther that

1

l lmew of no

~·lorencio ~~r\.i ~Q.

have not known of any rough handling

they have ever given to anybody, and did not see them do anything

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
801.,,

 EXHIBIT E-10.
out of the way towards this Mexican while 1 waS'.'lWith them.
Shortly after

1

had left the Bangers, when I was on my way from

Point Isabel, at a distance of about four miles, l was overtaken
by a Meocican in an automobile, he passing me coming on in the

man who passed by us knew that the
Hangers, together with .1.1·lorencio !.:.Tare ta, were going to leave Point
direction of Brownsville.

Thi~

I sabel on this said morning.
I was born and raised at my home seven miles south of
Brownsville, where my

fathe~

lives, and

1

know the tiangers very

well; have seen them very often and have been with them a great
deal, and 1 lrnow that t hey do not abuse and run over people, and
l

do not believe, from what

l

know of them, that they are guilty

of the charge made against them.

uO far as l lmow, the tiangers

did not have it in for this man or for any other man, and there are
plenty or people, to my mind, who would have had more motive
than the tiangers.
~· lorencio

It was generally understood that this Mexican

Garcia, was likely to tell on some of the other cattle

thieves at any time, and he had been asked to tell on them, and
it is not at all improbable that ne could have been kill°ed by
some of these people to keep him from te 11 ing wnat he knew.
I merely make this suggestion in as mucn i:lS I have been asked

my ideas of it - my living where

l

do.

'l'he set of thieves operating

and stealing cattle f rom the American side, are a very smart and

daring set of men, and of course

1

take it that they would not

mind doing any kind of crime they tnougnt was necessary to protect
themselves.

l have no interest in the case one way or tne other

further than tnat l have been

~sked

to give as much history on it

as l knew, and also to give my opinion about the things l have
spoken of.
l have never been in any trouble of any kind.

MY

~'ather

has been here all his life, and if ne was ever in any trouble, I
do not k:now ©f it.
(Signed
Chas. W
. Sterck, Jr.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT _ _ _-1.
In connection with his Ninth uharge Mr. Canales

introduced in eviaence the following letter, to-wit:

----------Brownsville, Texas,
October lo·, °1918.
110:

Jas.

From:

W. m. rtanson, Ranger Inspector
General Conditions.

Subject:

~

narley, Adjutant General

I nerewith enclose you report on assassination
of t>gt. 'l'imberlaxe, ana am in receipt of information this
morning tnat his slayer, Delgado, in addition to his many otner
acts of lawlessness, had been transporting slackers

and

deserters to Mexico for a long wnile and cnarging tbem from
five to forty dollars, each.
As I wrote you, Captain 'l1aylor returned from UvalC1e
yesterday, ana Captain wrignt arrived
men,

tna~

n~gnt

before last.

you ordered down nere, will be temporarily

about tnir ty miles above

~rownsv1lle

at

~auta

tlis

staLion~d

Maria, and 1 will

suggest that you, i f necessary, can communi(.;ate wi tn nim t.b.ru
Captain ·1·aylor, .8rownsville,

'l'e~as •

.Botn uaptain '1'aylor and Captain wrignt will .b.ave
telephone

~oanections

witn tneir di1 1erent camps over the

military line, as t ney nave been very ni ce to us ana orfered to
allow tne tianger Forees to coilllect

w1~h

their lines.

'l'he banaits from across tnt:l river, crossed somewhere
aoove

~io

Granae Uity, and n1gnt oe i ore last were raiding

rancnes thirty Jllil es South of .tfebbronville in Jim Hogg County.
The Sheriff of Jim Hogg Oounty and a detachment of Oaptain. Wright•s
Rangers are on their trail, and Captain Wright yesterday ar ranged
with vol. Slocum to have the river guarded above Hio

Gr~de

and as far as Ramireno, anci sent a detachment of nis

~angers,

City
who

are stationed at tiio Grande 0ity, with a squad of soldiers froip.
1' ort Hinggold to intercept the bandits near the river. The river
1

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT NO

2.

is very high and near~y impossible to cross, therefore we hope
to be successful in coming up with this marauding band •
.
Captain wright reports that some days ago the store
at

~alineno,

above tiOma, which is immediately on the bank of the

river, was robbed· by a party of men from Mexico, all dressed
alike in uniform and armed as the Mexican soldi~rs are armed
in Mexico. ~·hey were, .presumably, Mexican soldiers. 111his is the
same store that has been robbed two or three times during the
last several months.
On account of the scarcity of liquor in Texas, the
mescal business from Meiico is flourishing.

lt is • very cheap

on the other side, worth probably, two or tnree dollars a gallon
and on this side it is worth up to ten dollars a quart. ~!here­
fore ,you can see that their is a great incentive for this class
of illegal traffic between the two countries.

The fa ilure of

the Mexican officials to co-operate with the military and i:>tat"e
Officials of all other departments on tnis side of the river,
makes this a very eomplieated situation.

All officials and

citizens on this side of the river are expected to so conduct
themselves and execute their ofticial duties in such manner that
a better feeling will exist between our two governments; yet,
dangerous characters cross into 'l'exas, murder our officers,
violate all State and Federal laws with
of 1'exas demand protection,

espe~ially

imp~nity,

and the citizens

from the civil authorities

and Ranger f orces.

lt is a very hard proposition to solve and
when
I am very much afraid that/we do our duty and protect American
lives and property on tnis side of the river, we will be accused
of fomenting trouble between the two governments, and disturbing
labor conditions along the river.

We are acting with great

prudence and conferring with tne civic organizations in · the border
towns, and we find they are with us to a man, and are vehemently
demanding protection from us.
I am going to have conference with the new military
commander, General 0ayers, and the new American uonsul, Mr. willson,

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXHIBIT No

3.

tomorrow, and I am going to suggest a conference with the
Mexican officials, including the commander from the other side,
as well as Mexican Consul, ~arcia, from ~ownsville, Texas. l
will report later about this conference, if I am successful in
arranging it.
As soon as I can get away from here I will continue my
investigation with· reference to the mistreatment of mexiean
citizens at Donna, Texas, as well as the killing of Lizandro
Munoz by Sgt. Edds, above tiiO Grande Uity some time ago.

I

had a long talk yesterday with our mutual friend, Representative
Canales, and I find that ne is rather bitter, and seems a little
bit unreasonable, as usual, and that he as well as all other
Mexicans believe the Mexicans should not be killed regardless of
the facts of justification in the case.

I am positive from what

Captain Wright tells me, that 8gt. !dds was perfectly justifiable,
yet, I think it necessary to fortify your department with sworn
facts from both sides of the question.

l

wiil do this as soon

as I can get matters shaped up here · in a satisfactorjly manner.
It will be next to impossible for me to get away from
here very soon, and l will request that you have Captain Anders
meep me posted o.n the court martial of Williams and Evans at Camp
Travis.

I have intormation that one of tne derendants, Sam

Williams, is very ill, and that Sgt. Arnold, upon advice of
Dr. Elmendorff of 8an Antonio, has transferred him from the Bexar
Oounty jail to the Hase Hospital.

l

think it very neeessary that

you inform tne ce.mmanding officer at Camp 'l'ravis and Fort Sam
Houst~n,

.

that

0am

Williams, who is now in tne Base tlospital and

under their care, is a very daneerous character and now under
court martial and they should take extra precautions for their
safe keeping and that they should put a heavy guard over him.
If they do not do this he will surely escape.
uol.

~locum

will be the commanding officer at Fort Sam

Houston; General Sayers will tak~ his place here.
Respectfully submitted.
Texas State Library
w. m. Hanson, Banger Inspector.
(S and Archives Commission
igned)

 Brownsville, Texas.
May 24., 1Yl8.
Ad. Gen. .11ar ley,

Austin, Texas.
Dear

~ir:

Duri ng your recent

vi~it

here, you assured· me that it

was your purpose to clean up your Rang~r Force until you
nad a body of decent men, and. t nat you would deal severely
with any departure from tnis principle. iully conridant

t nat you are sincere and mean to exert every el rort to
at~ain

your ideal in tnis,

1

am sending you,

tne enclosed report on tne arrest or

~confidentially

~·lorencio

Lrarcia,

hi s subsequent disappearance and mncidents that l ead to the
belief that he met with fou l play in the nands
1

most

si~cerely

01

tne Hangers.

nope tnat you will do all in your

power to set an example with tnis case, and ir you so w1sn,
1

will advise you of later developements that we expect on the

·mat Ltir.
rours very tru.Ly,
.If. l~ . Gray

Oare .Meri can 0onsu late.
~ ·········· · ···········

On the 3rd O! April .

191~,

about 1

~.

m., three

Hangers, Locke, oauuler am.a tne tnird probao ly

~tate

~itler,

came to

Las Tr anquilas liancn, also known as t ne .t'iper .Plantation, and
arrested a laborer named

~·oorencio Garc~a.

This same three

Rangers arrived on or ab.out April the 4th., with Garcia as a
prisoner and in their party were included Uhas. 0tark, Jr., whom
I understand was acting as guide, a non-commissioned officer

...

811 ..
Texas
State Library and Archives Commission
-

'

,

 2

and a private, and two sons of Atenojenes Uribe from Palmitos
Ranch at Point Ysabel.

They asked pennission of Mr. Chas.

Champion to pitch camp in his ye.r.i and asked him for the loan
of a lock and chains to chain the prisoner to a post.
Champion told them that it was rather rough

tre~tment

Mr.
to give a

pris.oner and volunteered to hunt Judge l!idwards and get them
permission .to locik him up in the town jail,

wh~ch

pennission

was readily granted and there Garcia spent the night.
testimony of Mr. Champion, Judge

~dwards

The'

and several others

shows that the prisoner was ridi ng a "gacho" eared brown mare
mule.

Antonio Valente, oWBer of the Magnol ia ~1 ish Co., Point

Ysabel, testifies that while Garcia was in confinement in the
jail, that he (Valente) was passing by and t hat Garcia called
him and asked him to

~all

1;uadalupe Pena to the Jail for him,

and that he was afraid to incur some re sponsibility and did"'·not
call Pena.

That Gare ia told him to tell Pena that" Florencio

Garcia, his firend, (Pena's) needed him. Valente further
states that he, in company of Leopoldo ~spinosa left Point Ysabel
in an auto, some three hours after the Rangers and their party
had le ft with Garcia, next day after their arrival, and that he
overtook, at a point about ten miles from Point Ysabel, the two
soldiers and Chas?. star k, Jr., leading the same mule that Garcia
had ridden into Point Ysabel, but that l7arcia, nor· t he Rangers
were with the party then.

'l'hat he and his companion then

speculated as to the mate of Garcia.
we made every effort in our power to iboe.ate Garc!ia since
his arrest.

:1.'he Hangers claimed that he bad been turned to Fort

Brown but the officers showed me the records and his name had
never been in their records. The Mexic an uonsul and I then
went to tne Piper Plantation and could ge t but little information
there , besides the statement of Mr. nill i ams , foreman, who told
us that Garcia was a good laborer, that att ended strictly to his
duties and that he woudd not take him for a crook or a cow thief.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 A few days ago we got word that the .Hangers had been seen with
Garcia at Point Ysabel and about three days ago, we were notified
that the remains of a man were found in the Brown Ranch and from
the description of tne clothes, we suspected

~im

so we called the father and three brothers, the

to be Garcia,

~heriff's

department and Judge Kirk, J. P. and proceeded to the scene
where the identification of the clothes was complete and beyond
any reasonable doubt.
We were absolutely in the dark as to what charges if any
they arrested Garcia on, but we are inclined to believe that it
was mostly on unfounded suspicion that he was in some way connected
with cattle thefts across the river.

vve have letters 'from

reliable business men that have known Garcia since his boyhood
and t hey

claim that he never has been arrested for any crime, nor

even suspicion for crimes or misdemeanors •
.J.1'rom meager details we have, I think that the co.nduct .of
these same Rangers towards Atenojenes Uribe, when they passed
through with Garcia, bears investigation.
Incidents like these , are of a most unpatriotic and direful
consequences, just at the time when the country is so badly in
need of Mexican laborers and tnat a

~overnment

oftice has just

been opened here in an effort to relieve the labor situation and
save the crops which are in danger from

~ack

of nands.

J;ad news

travels fast and if tnis incident is left unpunished some way,
the wide

publ~ei ty

it will no doubt attain, will rebound directly

against the farmer and his crops.
Brownsville, Texas, May 24-1918.

**••···········
Governors Office.
May 28th, 19lt3.

Hon. Andies G. liarcia,
inspector General
Charge d'

Aff~ir~,

l!.:lpaso, 11exas,
8ti !JTexasDear
Mr.Library
Garcia:and Archives Commission
State

 Your letter of May 24th, relative to .lflorencio Garcia, is
being reterred to Adjutant General, James A. ttarley, in order
that proper investigation of the matters contained in your
letter may be made.
Sincerely your s,.·

CC. to Gen'l Harley.
.H1orwa.rded,

Governor of i exas •
1

Woodul.
S];.l:NICIO CONaJLAR

M~XICANO

Consulado General en

~l

Paso,

May 24, 1918.

Hon. n.

~.

tlobQy,

Governor of Texas,
Austin, Texas.
My Dear t>ir:
l

wish to call your personal attention to tne matter

of the arrest on last April 3rd of tne Mexican citizen
Florencio Garcia, who was on that date arrested on suspicion ·
by Rangers

~addler

and Locke who belong to Captain Steven's

'l hey .have stated on inquiry before that they
Company.
arrested this· man but t urned him loose, and tne strange and
1

unacuountable thing is tnat no one has since seen him nor has
he returned home, nor is he in the jails of Cameron or Hidalgo
Uounties whe.r e he should have been placed if he was 'under arrest
for robbery as originally alleged.
1 ask you to give this man and this matter your personal
attention that this unfortunate man may be located, or if as
suspected, he was murdered, that his assassins be brought to
trial

and

punisneci.
{0igned}

tours most sincerely,
Andies l:T. uarcia
Inspector Lreneral uharge d • Af rai res.

Texas
State Library and Archives Commission
81
{1

 GOVIHN.ORS

OF~IOI

May 2'tth, 1918.

Hon. Oacar

c.

Dancy,

Brownsville, Texas.
Dear Mr. Dancy:
tour letter of May G3rd, duly received and nas been
read witn interest. ey reason of tne Ranger iorce ot tne
State, being directly under tne supervision of the
Adjutant General, I am referring your letter to General,
James A. tla:rley, in order that proper investigation of the
matters contained in your letter, may be had.
Sincerely yours,
IJC.

To Gen'l Harley.

Govenior of Texas.

Brownsville, 1'e.A.as.
May 23rd, 1918.

Hon.

w.

~.

Hobby,

Governor of 1iexas,

Aust in, 'l'e.x.a.s.
Dear

bir:
An incident has .happenea here which is of a great deal

of moment, specially in view or our reaations with Mexico, and
I deem it my duty, as County Attorney, to lay tne matter

before you.
t;.

About the first oi April, this year, Messrs.

vv. t>adler and two others or · tne l"{anger .ll'orce stationed

in tnis City, arrested one ilorencio
Piper Plantation below this Oity.

~e

l7arcil~

at or near tne

nave evidence St witness

who was present at the arre st1i1 and divers

and

sundry other

witnesses who saw the said Uarcia in tne custody ot said

~angers.

I have talkea in person with a credible witness who was present

when tne arrest was maae, ana nave absolute reliable intormation

from witnesses wno will be supoened tnat Messrs. 0adler and

Texas
81 L State Library and Archives Commission

 others were seen when tney le!t

~oint

Ysabel with said prisoner

travelling in tne airection or .i:srownsville.

NO one ever saw tne

prisoner until May 21st, wnen a boay was found near the road
between

~oint

Ysabel and

witn .ttepresentai.ives

01

~rownsville.

testerday l, in company

the ::;herirf department

~Cl

tne Justice

of tne .Pea.ue, .Mr. Kirk, went to t.ne ple.ce where ·tne oociy was
found and founu tne bones of a man, and nat, coat and otner
clotning, positively identi f ied by numerous witnesses, snowing
tuat tne bociy of tne man was tnat

01

r·lorencio uarcia.

l wish to state in conneution tnat tne deceased was not

only

01

t L1e .Mexican race, but was a .Mexican citizen and tne Consul,

Mr. uarza, was also present at tne inquest neld over t ne remains.
'l'he situation is tnis.

1t is shown t nat

t.ue

prisoner was in

tne custoay oi tne 11anger force; thaL sa1a prisoner was never seen
aiive alter seen in such custoay, and nis abserwe nas never been·
explained, - in other words, said .ttangers nave never accounted
for

~ne

prisoner, so i a r as

1 s1!1

informed.

'And the untortunate

thing about this is that the German propogandist will spread. this
report all over Mexico.

I am today taking complaint made by

the father of the deceased, and am filing it in Justice vourt
and will have an examining trial in a !ew days.

l

at 'first had

intended to s imply wait and send you a transcript of the testimony,
but have all reasons to believe that uerman Propogandists on the
other side of the river will make use of this information to the
damage of our uovernment.

I thought that it was proper that 1

should give you this information at the earliest possible moment,
and hence 1 am writing you.

I wish to state in tnis uonnection

that so far as the .nanger .f.! orce under the command of Captain
1

Stephens are concerned, tnat they nave extended to me, personally,
every courtesy possible in helping to suppress crime, and in
writing to your ~xcellency I am not in the least ma.king any
suggestion as to what course that you or the Adjutant ueneral,
pr any one else should pursue in regard to this matter. I simply

81
..; State Library and Archives Commission
Texas

 feel that the information should be laid before your Excellency
as soon as possible, and assure you that

l

will be ·glad to

co-operate witn anyone from your department ·in handling this
matter according to law and also so as to preserve our friendly
rel at ions with Mexico.
rours truly,,
(Signed)

Oscar O. Dancy

County Attorney

OCD-gv.

Cameron uounty, Texas.

R E ·P 0 H 'll-.

From:

W.

To:

Gen. James A. Harley, Adtj. General of the 8tate of Texas.
"Florencio Garcia."

Subject:

11.

Hanson

In accordance with your suggestion,

1

went to .Hrownsville

and ma.de an investigation of the "Florencio Garcia" matter, in
which ~angers Geo. w. Sadler, John Sitre and A. P. ~ock, are
accused of his murder.
Capt.

~tevens

informed me

th~t

above Hangers arrested Garcia

at what is known as the"Piper Ranch",· just a few miles .below
Brownsville, 1lexas, a few weeks ago, and took him to "Point Ysabel"
on the coast, stayed all night and left with him next

mo~ning

in

the direction of Brownsville, accompanied by two soldiers and one
~arcia

of Chas. Stark's sons.
using as a pack animal.
leading towards 0an
that after they

was riding a mule, they had been

Arriving at a fork in the road, one

~enito,

~ eparated,

the other towards the fiper Plantation
the

~angers

turned Garcia loose,

did not kill or maim him and they know nothing further about him.
C.ounty attorney, Dancy and Mr. Gray, Carranxa' s representatives
in Brownsville, gave me the same information substantially as 1s
contained in their letters and statements hereto attached in file.
On

~aturday,

at 11:00 A. m., the

~angers

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

were arrested by

 Sheriff Vann, and released th~•, under a $3000.00 bond each
for their appearance at the September term of the District Court
in Cameron County, Texas -- they are accused of the murder of
Garcia. ·
Capt. Btevens believes the boys are innocent, and thinks his
assoeiates in crime murdered him to keep him from.going against
them.

-

Leading up to the handling of
state:

~arcia

by the

~angers

will

A committee from Brownsville Texas, headed by Mr. Jessup,
called on Gov. Hobby and yourself in Aust in, i exas, and asked
1

for .Hangers to be sent below Brownsville , and l was instructed
to go to tnat section and inquire into the reported stealing of
stock, etc., and to place Hangers there if necessary.

upon my

arrival, I found that Mr • .J::Srown owner of the "Piper Plantation"
and several hundrea head of fine jersey cattle, had lost about
thirty-seven head -- Mr.

~tark,

near there, had lost six head, and

Mr. Cooper, five head ot cows and mules.
I found that tlorencio Garcia was in charge of the cows and
it was his duty to count them every day and report any loss.

He

did not do this until thirty-seven head had been taken, then reported
the loss. floreneio rode a horse shod in front and the only shod
horse in tnat neighbo~hood, and according to Mr. ~tark a...~d other
witnesses who trailed the stolen cattle, to and across the river
into Mexico, the shod horse helped drive and cross the cattle,
nat~rally

we suspected Garcia -The Hangers arrested several suspects; people who lived on the

"Piper Hanch" and who pad no visable means of
them in the guard house.

li~ing,

and placed

One of tnem made a confession to a

Sargeant under Col. Slocum, and the b'.angers, in writing, and it
was turned over to Capt.
:&ireau, which was lost.

~eiffer

of the Federal Military Investigation

After the accused was sately in the guard

house, denied tne confession and knew nothing about it, although

814 State Library and Archives Commission
Texas

 one of his brothers had made a like confession in Matamoros

'·

to

the Military Authorities.
These were later t urned loose , and tney went across the river
into Mexico -- in making tne investigation, I told these susnects
that they had just as well tell us .all about it as ]'lorene:io and
Monico had, or would tell us about it.

Possibly thinking that

Florencio had or would tell us about it, they killed him.
here are others, high in ofricial circles {Mexicans) that

'.J.1

might have been anxious to get him out of the way also -- I do
not go into details as to these parties, for l have not finished
this case, and I hope to be able soon to make a full exposure of,
who stole the stock and where they went to

I am perfectly sure

that ilorencio and Monico stole tne cattle and passed them over the
river to tne real thieves.
Mr.

~essup

told me tnat after florencio and Monico had been

working for them a few months, Mr.

~town

from reliable Americans in Mexico, tnat

received information
.tt1lorencio

and Monico, were

noted thieves, and nad been run out ot Mexico -- 'l'hey agreed to let
tnem remain and watch tnem.

i make tnis statement, to contradict

the assertion ·in tpe files, by Mr. uray, that Florencio was such
an honest and trustworthy man.

'!'here is no doubt in my mina., but that ilorencio was a noted
thief, and assisted in stealing these cattle, but granting that
it is true , tne Hangers naa no legal grounds for killing him, if
they did so.
lf the ~angers killed him, they should be dischargea and
punished in t ne courts, if tney did not kill him, then tney should
be exonorated.
W.

J.VJ..

Hanson,

Ranger Inspector.

Texas
81 State Library and Archives Commission

 Ex. K.

In connection with. his thirteenth and fourteenth charf$eS
1'r. Canales introduced in evidence the followinss from the files
of the Adjutant General ' e Department:

616-618 Frost Bld~;, San Antonio, Texas.
24 Oct ob er 1918.

To:

General James A.

From:

Captain W. M. Hanson,

Subject:

Miatteatment of Kexicana at Donna, Texas.
I herewith

Rohert

La.nsin~ ,

be~

~arley,

to return to you copy of letter to qon.
Washin~ton,

Secretary of State,

ernor qobby, also letter from Mr.

Lansin~

D.

V.~

from Gov-

to the Governor under

date of September 11, 1918, also communication from Mexican Ambassacfor Y. Bonnilia.s, under date of

Au~ust

11 , 1918, and direct

ed 'to Mr. Lanaint;;, in whic'i1 is incJ.osed a document under head of
"REPORT" arid directed to the citizen Josi

z.

Garza, Consul of

Jfexico, Brownsville, Texas , and also an affidavit made by Pedro
Tamez,

si~ned

before Mr. E.

County, Texas, under date of

c.

~orto ,

Au~ust

Notary Public of Gameron

1 4, 1918.

ActintS upon yaur instructions I went to Donna, Texas,
On October 13, 1918, and secured eta tements from :Mr. TYiomas Hes-

ter,
bein~

Dru~~ist

of t...,_at little city and whose name is mentioned as

one of the men implicated in these

ille~al

ar.rests.

statement from him, that is self-explanatory, Therewith
J also inclose statement from Sam Bernard

with the affair.

I coUld have

~otten

a

showin~
~reat

This
inclos~

his connection

many addtional

affidavits but did not think it necessary as they would have all
been the same.
After
not believe

t~at

ta~kin~

to some twenty or

triirt~

citizens I do

Arturo Garcia was detained and forced to lend

hie services as laborer in the fields of tha district, but I do

Texas

believe that he was detained and kept two or three hours in a
sma.11 room that wa
State
Library and sArchives
Commission
well ventilated
but had no
oth.er conveniences

 -

:E:1c •

---

-

---

~- ---

--

--

----

-

K.

in same; and I further believe that he was detained because he
was tryirus to ship laborers to Louisiana from t"lat section.
cl ttzens there do not

a.cknowled~e

The

it but I expect they did abuse

him for takin~ the laborers out, but they deny emphatic~l~, men
tionin~

anythirus about the Mexican Government.

The farmers and

ra.nchmen all inform me that they are payirus standard

wa~es

in

that communicty, from one hundred to two hundred per cent more
than they ever paid before, there, r do not believe anyone is
working this year for smaller
towns.
the

From inquiry in

wa~es

wa~es

diffe~nt

are about the same.

tnan is pa.id in

nei~hborin~

sections of that valley I find

In the report before referred to

the statement is nade that, "All these men have been compelled
to flee ~ ni~ht throu~h.

th.e woods, as if they were criminals. 11

The oi tizens of that country

deny this and say that Artura Gar-

cia and Tamez were the only men that were
tha.t sectio!t, and that this order was

~i·ven

~i ven

orders to leave

them because they were

disturbersand were interferring with their lab:orers.

Another

statement that, "They were locked up for more than a day with.out
beirns

~iven

food. or water, 11 is not true for Garcia was out beirus-

was only kept two or three hours and the other man, Tamez, about
one hour.

The several authorities of Danna, Texas, all deny

emphatically, th.at they eh.ot this man, Garcia, but do acknowled~e ~ivin~

him order s to leave Donna.

I talked to Mr. Busby, who lives at Mercedes, Texas,
and he told me that he picked up Artura. Garcia in his automo.bile and that Garcia told h.im that he had fallen off th.e train
and h.urt h.ie

le~,

but that after

seein~

the bulJet hole in his

he told h.im that he had been shot and upon
~Ospital

did tell him the truth.

arrivin~

at Mercedes

Mr. Busby, or some one else,

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

le~

 -

.Ex:.

-

-

----~

-

.....:i..-

K.

notified Captain Stevens of the Texas

~n~er

Force stationed at

Mercedes, Texas, and !Dy' information is th.at he

brou~ht

several

of the citizens of Danna before Artura Garcia for identification
amon~

and that he picked from

them, Sam Bernard and G.

Captain Stevens then preferred
arrested them and

a~reed

char~es a~ainst

~·

Abne~.

these two men and

to a $5,000.00 bond each, for their aP~ave

peara.nct at court, which they

and were released.

These two

men testify in their affidavits to this fact, and say that the
courst did not take any action in this matter for the reason
that no one appeared
the

Ra,n~ers

a~ainet

had, absolutely

them

My investi~ation

•

nothin~

t

shows that

to do with the arrest, de-

tention or release of Garcia and Tamez, but on the other hand,
took prompt action and bound over Bernard and Abney, who were
identified by Garcia as
of the Grand Jury for

bein~

shootin~

his assailant, to await the action
Garcia.

I find th.at the farmers in that section have
crops to harvest and they are not

permitti~

lar~e

anyone to interfere

with their laborers, therefore, I do not believe that any one
could be convicted in that county for
comin~

in and

disturbin~

preventin~

their laborers.

outsiders from

It is reported to me

by the far.mere of that section that laborers contractors, which
included both Garcia and Tamez, did go into their country and
quietly
~o

'SO

a.mon&?; their la.borers promisin'S them fabulous prices to

somewhere else to work, and that several laborers, after hav-

j n~ ~one

with them have returned to that section and stated that

the promises were not complied

wit~.

and that they had been fool-

ed into goin&?; into some other section to

~et

work, and that in

their opinion all that the labor contractors wanted was to

~et

so much per head for shipping them out.
as to the matter mentioned in the second para~raph of the abo.,e described "REPORT" with reference to the whip"Investi~ation

Texas
State Library and Archives Commission
81
(°)
pin~ of a laborer by the name of JOSE HERNANDEZ.

"

 .Ex:.

K.

pa~e

This is fuly expl ained :i. n the second parai?;raph of

2 of the affidavit made by Mr· Thom.as J. Hester herewith inclosed.
~et

I could not

muc h information with reference tl:I. this ma.tter

but r believe as Mr. Hester does, that this man was whipped by
"unknown parties" for the reason that a ssreat deal of stealin&S
had been

~oin~

on in that innnediate

nei~hborhood

and they had

reason to suspicion that JOSE HERNANDEZ had committed the act or
been a party in it.
le~ed whippin~

It is

~enerally

reported that after the al-

of Hernandez the malteet jack, of the value of

$900.00 had been returned to the owner from the Republic of Mexico , he havtrus to pay a bribe of several hundred dollars to some
one in Mexico to return him, and that prior to the whippi:n.g of
tfernandez it had been impossible for the citizens of tha t s ectuon to keep a horse or cow, and that they had lost a ~reat deal
of other property, but that after the alle~ed whipping of qernan
dez there has been no atealin~ and they are livin~ in perfect
security.

I believe that whoever whipped Hernandez should be

punished for their act as it was contrary to the la\v of t'his
State, but under the circumstances I do not believe a conviction could be secured in that county for all the people durin~
the last several years 'have suffered ~reat1y by depredations on
their lives and property from people who live on both sides of
the River in Texas and Mexico.

I wil be ~lad to ~o into this

matter more fully if you t'hink beet, but I believe it would be
impossible to

~et

a conviction.

The people of that whole fron-

t i er are very much incensed on accounl of the enormous amount
of

atealin~ t~at

'has been

~oi~

on along that frontier. for sev-

eral years and while in many instances they know the location
of their stock on the other side they have not been able to

~et

them back on tnis aide, with the exception of a few instances
where t'hey paid

lar~e

sums for their return.

In this connec-

tion I beg to state tha.t I can see but one solution ·t o this prob-

Texas
8 ~} State Library and Archives Commission

 ~.

K .

arra~ement

lem and that ie for an

to be ma.de between the border

states for the iil)lediate apprehension of Criminals and their
quick return for the crimes they comn1i t alorn~ the border.

T'\i.ere

enouJid a.lso be an arrarusement made with the N:exican Goverri.rnent

tha t in return for stolen property that is

brou~ht

to this side,

that they will return the property th.at is tolen from this side
and carried into Mexico .

When the bad people

l ivi~

sides of the River know th.at the two Governments are
and wi l l

on both
to&!;e t1~l e1•

r etu:-en t 'l-tem at once for prosecution under the law they

will deejst a.nd we will have peace and security;

otherwise it

will continue and in a.11 probability iset worse.

Reepectfuly submitted.
( Sgd)

w.

M. Hanson,

Captain, State

Ra. m:~er

Force.

Wlffi: GLS
DEPARTMENT OF STATE,

WASHINGTON,

In reply refer
to Me 311.12/349

September 11, 1918.

Tile Governor of Texas,
Austin,
Texas.
Sir:
I have th.e honor to enclose '11.erewi th a translation,-of a.
note dated Au~ust 31st, 1918, from the Mexican Am.baeea~or at t
this capi ta.1, transmi ttirus a co; y o f a report submitted to
him oy the Mexican Consul at Brownsville, Texas, statin~ that
Wexican laborers are beirus ill- tree.ted by civ i l authorities
at Do n na., Texas.

It appears from th.e Consul' e reports that

ttvo Mexican ci tizene, named Arturo Garcia and Pedro Tamez, were
recen tly subjected to

ee~ere

indj~nities ,

and that Jose Her-

nandez, e, :Mex.ican l aborer employed on a ranch near Donna, was

Texas
8~ ' State Library and Archives Commission

 horsewhipped

by

Rl- n~era,

and otherwise ma.l treated.

The Ambassador requests that orders.be issued

lookjn~

to the prevention of such occurrences, and he ·asks me to exercjse my

~ood

offices to the end t'hat Mexican citizens en-

'Sa&;ed in work at Donna and its vibinity be not molested.
I

to be

made

have no doubt that you will cause a.n

investi~ation

oftne occurrences mentioned by the A mbassa.dor,

a.n.d

that you will take such further action as may be called for by
t~e

a facte ae found.

Kindly infonn me of the result of your

investi&Se.tion, in order ti-tat l may make an appropriate reply to
the Ambassador' s note•
I

have the honor to be, Sir,
Your obedient servant.
(S~d)

Enclosure:
No • .A.-2733

Robert

Lanain~.

From Mexican Embassy

dated Au12;ust 31, J.918, with report.

EMBASSY OF MEXICO
To t"rie United States of Amerjca.
V:a,shi 111Ston.

No • .A.-2733

Excell ency:
The Consul of Mexico at Brownsville, Texas, reports
to me the ill-treatment to which are subjected the Mexican 3.lliborers at Donna, Texas, and report.a to me two spec:i.fic oases
the particulars of w·hich Your Excellency will find in the
two eJOJlosures.
Arturo Garcia complains that the Civil Authoritiee of
Donna, Texas, den:andeeEthat he 1 end his aervic es as a la.borer

in the fields of that distri ct and telephoned to the Consul
of Mexico at Brovmsvill e tel in~ him of -v1ha,t was takirus place ,

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 and t.he Consul SU1?;£5ested the advisability of his tellin&?; the
said authorities that they had no
did, a.nd. respectfUlly to
Texa.e, where he lives.

be~

ri~~t

w-atever to act as they

them to let him return to Mercedes,

Garcia did

BO

and instead of 31ieldin.g

to hie request they abused him for applyirus to the Consul for
his protea-:tion, insul tinis him and. epeakin,;s in disparat?;intS terms
of th• Mexican Governement.

On the

followin~

day the above named Consul sent someone

to make a suitable investicsa.tion, and tha.t person reported as
Your Excellency \'fill see in enclosure No. l, which is a copy
of his report.
I

His Excell ency
Robert Lansing, Secretary of State,
J forward herewith. to

Washin~ton.

your Jfuceellency his enclosure

No. 2 and affidavit sworn to before a notary by Senor Pedro
Tamez.

As your Excellency will see from the report, enclosure
No. l, there a.re several cases of the same kind, and I therefo:re

take the liberty of

be~~in~

Your :Ekcellency kindly to issue such

orders as may be necessary to prevent a repetition of these facts,
seein~

that they are harmful to the

~ood

relations which both

Governments are striving to cultivate and make closer, and J proteot at the sanre time
to

my

a~ainst

the arbitrary treatment accorded

fellow citizens in these parts whose riisnts to travel a.nd

to work should be
enjoyed by

reco~nized

An~lo-American

in return for the same

advanta~es

citizens in Mexico.

Be Please to accept, etc.
Y. BONNILLAS •
.J Slf/ Sllfl.

Enclosure No. 1.
REPORT.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 1!!lc •

K.

In compliance with your directions I visited several
towns of the valley .!S ivin'S special attention to Donna, w11ere accordin~

to a telphone messa'Se f rom Arturo Garcia Mexican lab-

orers are d4tained by force.
~rounds

ln this case l found vecy

for the complaint of Arturo Garcia there

i?;OOd

here many

bein~

cases of Mexicans who have been detained by the Authorities and
compelled to work fo r much smaller wa'Ses tha n they pay in
borin.l?; towns.
n i~ht throu~h

nei~h

All the s e :men have been compelled to f l ee by
the woods, as if they were criminals.

Arturo

Garcia a nd a companion were put in a small room, which they
ca lled jail, without any ventilat i oon or wa te r closet so tha t
t '"i.e p risone rs had to ansv1er the calls of aature in the room.
They were locked up for more tha n a day wi6hout
food. or water.

bein~ ~iven

In the evenint three men, all members of the

Civjl Authorities, one Sam tteard of the township of Danna, a,nd.
the others , M.G. Lubbock and Robert Holl iday of the county,
took out Garcia a nd his compa nion, Pedro Tamez, me.rched them to
a d i stance of about three miles from Do nna and 011dered t h em to
be off om a run.

Vlhile they were

runnin~

t h e sai d authorit i es

f ired about i)i 1?;ht s hots at them. on.e of wh ich hit Garcia in t he
le~ .

completely

beeak i~g

the bone.

Tamez

ma na~ed

to escape

in the dark but hid several days in Ea.st Donna, for wh ich reas on ! could not meet him, but 1 lef t t h e cas e in charge of Senor
Ireneo de la Garza, who has rendered us valuable services in
this and several other mattees.

Garcia

fei~ned

d eath until

his persecutors left a.nd th.en crawled away and hid at about 50
meters away from the

).Ji~hway ,

eta.yin&?; there until the

n~

day

when he saw one Mr. Busby, for whom Garcia had worked before,
comin~

up in his automobil e and when caled by Garcia he took

him to a hospital at Mercedes, where he now is.

Pedro Tamez

reported yesterday

char~e

at this consulate under your

and I

sent him, with a competent lawyer, to make an affidavit rela-

8~·~

tin~ these facts·

Wealso have a very f ull statement sent from

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Ex:.

K.

the hospital by Garcia.

I did not stay l onE?;er in Donna feeling

sure tha.t if the authorities had rea.lized the errand I was on,
! would have had the

same fate as Tamez and · Garcia or worse.

Duri rus my stay in Donna I heard tha.t the
horsewhipped a laborer named Jose Hernandez.

Fa11~ers

had

I made it a point

to vi818 the ranch where the man is , at about ten miles from
Donna , and. succeeded in
~n'$e J' B,

~rove

you~

son of about ten years of age, both tied,

and there told Hernandez that if he did not confess

that he had stolen
the boy.

him and he told me the folloVT i n:?;:

whcse names he doesn ' t know, cs.me to his house and took

him and his

to a

findin~

a

burro they would hanlS him together with

Herna.ndez finnly protested his innocenc e and t h ey im-

mediately put a l ariat around his neck and threw the end over
the limb of the tree,
touched the

~round

pulli~

on it so that

barel y

with his feet , e.nd with anothe r lari at

fl ogi;;ed him until he becan1e unconscious.
the whole

~ernandez

proceedin~s

but was not hurt•

The boy wi t neeeed
When I saw Hernandez

six days had already gone by, but black a.nd

~tellow

stripes

could still be seen from his bel t down to the knees.
ea coUld still be seen well marked.

T~e

T~e

lash-

conditjon in which the

man was about such t})at he could neither sit nor lie down for
several days.
late and

si~n

I have ordered ~ernandez to report t o the Consu-

an affj davit

concernin~

the

o utra~e .

CONSTITUTION AND REFORMS
Brownsvile, Texas,
To tne Ci tizen Jose z. Ga.rst4'.
Consul of Mexico .
~ ROWUSVILLE, TEXAS.

JSlVSDM

THE STATE OF TEXAS
COUNTY
OF CAl~O~'ff
82Texas State
Library
and Archives Commission

Au~ust

15, 1918.

 Before me tlie undersigned authori tY: on this day pel'sonally appeared Pedro Tamez, and

ha.vin~

firs·t been duly sworn

deposes and says:My

name is Pedro Tamez, I am a Mexican citizen- born

at Villa de Allende-State of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, and I am 53
years of

a~e.

Hidal~o

I have resided at Donna,

County-Texas

for the past 11 months, where on the ?th instant I was arrested by two Americans-one of whom is known as Mr . Thos. Herter
and the other an officer of

t~e

law whose name is unknown to

me-and takeri to the To\7n Jail- ther I met in confinement Arturo
Garcia, it was then about 7 P.M.
supposed to

belon~

to the

B:l.~er

At about 9 P.M. three officers
force-opened the jail door

and asked us (Myself and fellow prisoner Garcia) if we were
ready to leavetown.- we told them yes- then they took us out in
an automobile in the direction of Mercedes-and wnen about three
miles from Danna, they ordered us to

~et

out of the Automobile-

and to run away- we declined to run- etatj.nis we had done no
wron~

but being

away-and while

a~ainiold
~oi~

panion Garcia on his

to do as they said- we then \valked

they fired several shots
le~

woundin~ my

com-

who fell dovm-l ran into the timber

and after the officers had l eft I went to the assistance of
Garcia-who was

lymn~

on the

~round-when

within a short distance and I ran

a~ain

saw two of the officers
into the woods-from

where in a round about way I went back to my sister and niece
residin~

at Donna, and

actin~

on the advice of Mr. Irineo de

la Garza, Jr. a merchant of Danna, ! came to Brownsville and
reported the fact a.s above stated to the Mexicaa Consul at
Browne,ri 11 e-Texae.
Arturo Ga.rcja, was seriously wounded and is now at Mercedes-where he owns some property.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Ex: K

Further deponent says not

PEDRO TAMEZ.

Sworn to and subsc(t>ib ed before me, at Brownsvi l le , this
14th

day of

Au~ust,

A.J JD. 1918.
E. C. Sa.rto.

Notary Public Cameron County- Texas.

GOVERNOR' S· OFFJCE
Austin, Texas.
September 18th, 1918.
Honorable Rebert Lansin~.
Secretal'.'y of State,
Was hi n15ton, D. c.
Yy Dear Mr. SecretarJ:

I have th.e honor to
of your cormnunication of September 11th

acknowled ~ e

enclosin~

receipt

the transla-

tjon of a note from the Mexican Ambassador, transmitting a copy
of a report submitted tc him by the Mexica11 Consul at Brownsv i lle,

concernin~

the treatment of Mexican laborers by civilian

authorities at Donna, Texas.
This file is

bein~

t ransmitted to Adjutant General ,

Ja.mes A. Harl ey, tha.t proper investitSation concerninl$ tyis occurrence may be made, the result of which will be communicated
to your Department.
Sincerely yours ,
Governor,
In the matter of inveeti~ation of alle~ed mistreatment of mexican c i tizene at Donna., Y:idal&SO County , Texas, by citizens
and Ra. n.o; e rs.

Texas
Archives
S~aternent
of Commission
Sam Bernard .
82u State Library and

 My

name is Sam Berna.rd, am

here for the past

ei~ht

years.

38

years old , and have lived

About a week before the deten-

tion of Arturo Garcia, as mentioned in the report to Consul Gal."za, the citizens of

t~is

community, composed principally of fap.

:rners, ha,d a public meetin&?; and. a.t said meetinES it was reported tn.at certain people were in thi.s community,

contractin~

la-

bor for Louisiana and other sections, and from reports received
that day, a 1Sreat many

labor&~s

country, thereby causirus &Srea.t
to our

LSOVer~..rnent.

had been shipped out of this
da.ma~e

to us and, indirectly,

Up to this time our laborers had been pe:t'-

fectly satisfied and we had been

payin~

them standard

wa~es

for

their work, which was about double which we had been in the
habit of

payin~

them in former years.

I T was

a~reed

that day,

at this meetinQ;, th8.t we would not allow these labor contract r..:.rs

try.

to further disturb our labor, or take them out of the coun
About a week after this

m.eetin~

Arturo Garcia showed up

at the depot of Donna, Texas, with a bunch of our laborers and
City W.arshall , J.J. Brown, who had been appointed by this mass
meetirus to stop the laborers from bein'S shipped out , informed
Garcia that he could not ship these laborers out.

Garcia re-

plied that he would call up the Mexican Consul and see what he
ha.d to say about it.

Later in t h e day, after 12 O'Clock, prob-

ably 2 or 3 O'Clock in the afternoon, Ur. Abney and I met Ga:t'cia on

t~e

street and

~e

jnformed us that Gar za, the Mexican

Consul at Brownsville, said that he could
h.e plea.sed.
Jail.

~o

and take wh.ereever

Th.en we detained Garcj a and :put him in the C:i ty

Later in the afternoon Mr. Hester detained another

~exicab,

wh.o also had a bunch of laborers for shipment , and put him in
jail .

About sundown Mr· Abney and I went to the jail and turned

Garcia and Tamez out, and warned them th.at if they did not want
any trouble not to attempt to aake any more laborers out of thie

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 .Ex. K.

co:rmnunity.

That is the last time

t~at !

saw eituer one of them.

We did not take them out three miles in an automobile, neither
d:i d we

shoot over their

anyt"tjn~

h~ads

of' around them, and did not 1-tave

further to do with them.
Th.e next afternoon ·capt. Stevena of the Texas Ra.ruse:cs,

came up here and h.ad a talk with us, and the next day sent

S~tt

Baker and Private Fox of h.is company, and theyarrested us and
took us to Mercedes, upon complaint of Garcia that h.e had been
·wounded in the leg, and t',.,at
~av'e

we

were t"1.6

~uil ty

paitlti•es.

Vie

bond and returned home.
I do not know who shot th.is man, and when the day of

our tr:J.als came before the C0 urte we appeared but no one appeared

a~ainet

us, and the case was dismissed.

reported here, after the
h.e

ha~

livin~

shootin~

or

It was currectly

woundin~

of Garcia, that

been wounded by a broth.er of a woman whom he had been
with here but not married to, for sometime.
Th.e Texas Faru;sere had nothin~ whatever to do with t~is

matter and were not in this section at that time.

I wish ful'-

ther to state that the citizenship of th.is country had no idea
of

mistreatin~

ari.s~

I..

these people or anyone else, and we did not want

violation - any violence done to th.em, but we h.ad made up

our :minds that we were not

~oin~

to allow stratSglers to come

in 1'\ere and di stur'b our labor condition by false promises, and
unreasonable offers, which. we knew, would not and could not
be complied with.
I

be~

further so state, th.at

t~ere

is no suc'l-\ man in

this co:rmnunity as Sam Herd, and Mr. M. G. Lubbock and Mr . Robert

~oliday.

'both. live on ranches in other portions of this

country and neither one of t~ese ~entlemen were here that day,
and 1-\ad nothin~ w'flatever to do with t11e detention ei th.er of
Garcia or Tamez.

82~

( SGD)

Sam Barna. rd.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 .Ebe.

K.

STATEMENT OF G.M. ABNEY.

r have t"i.e statement of

l ..r.

Sam Berna.rd read as wt

written above and it it's true in every particular and I
can add

nothin~

to j_t.

( SGD)

G. M.

Abney.

Subscrjbed and sworn to before me this 13th day of October A. D. 1918,
Aifred Lissuea,
Notary Public,

Hida~go

Co. Texas.

Donna, Texas, October 13, 19le
In the matter of

Investi~ation

ican citizens at Donna,

of

Hidal~o

alle~ed

mistreatment of Mg

County, Texas, by citizens ad

Ranise:r.s.
STATEMENT OF THOMAS HESTER.
I am
~ave

dru~~ist

in Donna, Texas"

I am 29 years old and

lived in this community fof thirteen years.

My father,

A. F. Hester, is president of the bank at this place.
heard the report of private
under the date of

Au~ .

investi~ator

15, 1918,

si~ned

forms and directed to the citizen, Jose

I have

for the mexican Consul
Constitution and Re-

c.

Garza, Consul of

Vexico, Brownsville, Tzxae.
His statement that citizens of Mexico had been detained
and compelled to work for much smaller
nei~hbo· rini:s

towns is unturue..

others were

actin~

Louisiana, who were

as

shippin~

and other industries.
made to suffer
a~ainst

a~ents

t~ereby

wa~ee

than was paid in

At this time Arturo Garcia and
for vertain people in the State of
them out as laborers for their farms

The agricultural industries were
and out citizenwhip,

knowin~

bein~

it to be

the State Law for laborers to be shipped out of t"i.e Staee

of Texas, seriously objected, for the reason that we had been
importuned by oun Government to plant

lar~e

this l abor they would have suffered ~reatly,
Texas State
Library and Archives Commission

crops, and without
in fact their crops

 Ex:.

K•

•

would have been a total lose, which would have been very detrimental to our
Garcia Yiad been

~overneent

as well ae our selves.

shippin~ lar~e

Aeturo

humbere of mexican laborers from

thia sec ti on,, and al tho beint.?; warned on several occasions to desist he continued
the day

shippin~

our laborers out of the country.

On

this trouble occured. Sam Banard, a citizen of this sec-

tion, or J. I. Brown, City Marshall, detained Arturo Garcia and
put him in the City Jail about 3 J>'Clock

in the afternoon,

later he was released, about dark the same day.
of my own

knowle!i~e

1

I do

not know

vho turned '.tim out, but my information was

that Sam Bernard, accompanied by someone else, wno I don't remember, on next day or two I heard tltat Garcia had been shot in
the

le~,

F!a.~ers,

and later Capt. Stevens, who is Captain ofthe State
and at that time stationed at Mercedes, Texas, came up

to Donna and arrested Sam Bernard, and one Abbot and took them
to hi headquarter camp at Mercedes, Texas.

They were later re-

leased under $5000 bond each, but there was never

anythin~

done

with them, as when Court met they were there ready for trial
but no one appeared

a~ainst

them.

On the same day the Arturo

Garcia was arre s ted, Sam Berna.rd and I also detained one Pedro Tamez, who also had a bunch of l aborers tha t he was shi:ppin~

in

out of the country to Louisiana.

t~e

afternoon; after

deliverin~

This was about 4

P.~.,

him to the City Jail I did

not see ei th.er Garcia or Tamez, and did not assist nor was I
present when they were turned out of t h e jail, and have not eeE!'l
either one of them from t-hat day to this·
the

Ra~e 1· s

I am positive that

h.8.d nothing whatever to do with their detention, in

carcer&*ion or release, and if anyone did this it was the fal'oo
mere of this section.
With reference to the
do not know

anythin~

whippin~

of my own personal

of Joseph Hernandez I
knowled~e.

ti on is that Hernandez lives a bout ni ne miles

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Sout~

My informaof Donna,

 11lx:.

K.

Texas, near the river, th.at in the community in which he lives
there had been a ~reat deal of stealin~ ~oin~ on.

One fine Jack

reputed to have been worth, approximately, $900 has been stolen,
also several hundred dollars wo»th of harness , and a
other

thin~s,

~ood

many

and that the citizenship of that section had res.-

son to believe th.at Jose Hernandez was the man who had been
doin~

the dtealinJ?;, or had

knowled~e

of it.

As before stated,

! do not know personally about this matter, and all I do know

is from near say, based upon conversations I had with the
iaw-abidin~

element of that section.

ba.sin~

And

said conversattons, I am very positive that the
solutely

nothin~

to do with this

whippin~,

~ood

my opinion on
~,ngers

"'tad ab-

and if this man was

whipped at all it was done by those who had suffered losses in
that immediate section where this man Hernandez lived.

It is a

well-known fact that anything of this nature happens in this
valley it is laid on the Pangers, especially by the Mexicans,
as they think that every man who wears

a . duckin~

suit, as most

of the far.mere and ranch.men do in this country, or carry arms,
whic~

most of the citizens do for the protection of their fam-

iliee, lives and property from euch men like
ae

Ran~ers•

by

taki i~

They do this, also, for

are Tex

reason that they know

it up thru the Mexican Government they can be further

protected in thejr meanness.
of the

t~e

~ernandez,

~n~ers,

This class of outlaws are afraid

and do not fear any other class of officers,

and they try on all occasions, to make it as hard as po•stbl e
for the

Ran~ers.

Thoe. I . Hester.
Sworn and subscribed this 13th day of October, A.D. 1918.
Alfred Lessner,
Notary Public, Hidal~o Co., Texas.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Ex.

I

In connection with

hischar~es

Mr. Canales introduced

the following from the files of the Adjutant Genera.l ' s Department.
STATE RANGER FORCE
SEAL

J.M. Fox. Capt.
Company B
Marfa, Texas •

Marfa, Texas, Oct. 15th, 191? .
Hon. James A. Harley,
The Adjutant Gene.ra.1,
Austin, Tex.
I am herewith. replyin.<S to your request and 'Siving you
th.e names of R:tngers, now in my company also their personal record as they came recommended

and as I have found it since they

have been under :my jurisdiction.
I don'5 believe I quite understand just what you want
but will

~ive

you the followinas a starter.

Five men of this company have been with me for some
time and I have found them

alri~ht

in every respect.

Have al-

so men under recent enlistment, and of course will have to
try them out before I can tel l much about them, and if they
don't turn out all O.K. of course will have to let them out,
and will if t"1ey don't come up to the standard.
Trollin~er

H. C.
been

Ser~eant

years before

has been with me since Oct. 1911 , has

about one years, and was an Officer about seven

joinin~

the

Ran~er

Force.

He is sober and honest

A.q. Woelber has been with me since Nov . 1915 he also
had ei~ht years of experience as a pea.ce officer before enlist'f)
in~

and is sober and honest.
A.G.

Bea~d

h-s been with me since May 1916, he was

raised at Austin, had no experience as an officer when he enlisted but has always made ~ood and is both, sober and honest.
N.N. Fuller, a member of my company since May 1916,
also inexperienced but has made ~ood and is sober and "1onest.
~.c. Holden has been with me since
Texas State Library
and Archives Commission

May 1916, had no

 mx:.

I•

experience as a peace officer but 11.as always made

~ood

and is

perfectly sober and honest.
These are the five men referred to in the

beginnin~

of

this statement.
A.

c.

Barker and C.E.

but seen service in the
years and
have a

Vau~han

~ood

:Ran~er

Vau~han

both recently enlisted

Farrce,..

Barker was with me two

served under Capt.

in

recoi!tl

~~hes

four years, both

every respect.

Bud Weavee, Frank Patt erson, ltax Hewman, J. R. Bates,
and

Ben L. Pennington, also recently enl isted but all had ex-

perience as peace officers, the first three came well recommended by the Sheriff of Kimble County, while Bates has been a
Daputy Sheriff here on this Border for years and Pennington a
Nephew of J.D. Jackson of Alpine also has served many years as
a Deputy Sheriff.

D.

c.

Ellison, Cecil Jackson, Allen Cole, J. F. Parker,

Leroy Cleaveland and Cecil Boyd and W.K. Duncan, all enlisted
durin~

last month, have no officers experience but are well re-

connnended and are Ranch and Cow man from the Border, well acquainted with this country and most of
Lan~aise,

t~em

talk the Spanish

which of course is a grea.t advantage, ·and assistance.

Respectfully submitted,
. Capt. J. M. Fox.

STATE RANGERS,
J. M. FOX. CAPT.
COMPA:NY B.

M:lrfa, Texas.
:Marfa, Texas. November 7th, 1917.
General i:.rarley,
Austin, Texas.
I have just returned from th.e river.

Caranza Soldiers.

I

did not know whether they were earancistas

or Villaistas until I ~ot down there.

Texas

The bandits run over 34 ·

! was in ~opes it was

the :Bandits come over as we want quite a few of them, but found
out
Statethose
Library
we.reand
c Archives Commission
a.ran

zq Sold.; . . . , ._

-=-==:::;;;,;:;::::::;:::::~:::::5-=--

 I•

.Ex:.

out

t~oee

were Caranza Soldiers, who had been sent up the

river to be stationed there and run into this little bunch and
they claim they lost 12 men

thou~h

they may be

runnin~

erythinis is quite except a few cattle and horses

Ev-

yet.

bein~

stolen

a.nd I have 'Sot the places pretty well isuarded now.

Respectfully yours,
Capt. J. M. Fox.
P..S.

I will be in about the 12th or 13th.

I

want to have a

talk with you.

~on. James A. ~arley, The Adjutant General,
Austin, Texas.

My dear General:On Janua.ry 29th, eiisht P.a.ni;sers on a scout went
into t"f1e town of Polvanier a.nd beisan eearchin6S '.Mexican houses
and found some ten or twelve Mexicans in these houses.

They

were carried out on the

invee-

ti~ated

ed~e

bein~

as to who they were, when some of their comrades who

were not in this bunch of
Pan~ers

of the town and .were

horses

breakin~

inttnediately lay down

l~exicans

leavin~

loose and

returnin~

fired into the

Ra~ers.

the

them all on foot.

fire on all

movin~

They

objects in

front.
On the

followin~ mornin~

who is in

Mr. Warren

onel

Lan~horne,

tin~

that they had found fifteen dead Mexicans.

char~e

of the

tele~rapher

Bi~

Col-

Bend District, staThat was the

first information we had, or I had, as to how many Mexicans
were killed.
Those l'exicans who were taken from th.e houses to be
investi@ated has in their possession pocket knives , soap, and
ah.oee th.at came out of :t.=-r.

l'Jr i~ht'

e :Ranch. of the raid ma.de De-

c ember the 25th.
One of the

~"exicans

that was found

amon~

has sent word over to our side ofthe river some
monthaLibrary
a~o that
were ~oin~~
to make a
Texas State
andthey
Archives
Commission

those killed

ei~ht

or ten

raid on the Texas

 .Ex.

11

:r.

Grin~os 11

and what th.ey couldn't carry off with them, they wou:iA

burn.
The Rangers never did know just how many were killed
until Colonel Langhonne notified me the

foll~win~ mornin~

at

eleven o'clock when they ca.lled upon him ao send soldiers to
bury the dead Mexicans, wh.ich he did not do, and the Uexicans
carried th.em across the river and burjed th.em in Mexico.
The reasn that we did not find out how many Mexicans
were killed at th.at particular time was on account of the darkness , l'exicans being in wait for us and \Ve were unable to see

th.em.
YourVery Truly
Captain, Compa.ny B, Texas Stat e
"Force.

~ntSer

HOUSTON CHRONICLE,
FEB.

a..

1918.

RANGERS ADMIT KILLINGS.
By Associated Press.
M:l.rfa, Texas, Feb. 8- Texas Rangers reported on January 31 t h.at
t hey had had trouble with a band of Mexicans at Paarvenir, who
were supposed to have been implicated in the Brite Ranch Riid.
They admitted having killed 15 of the number, The bodies were
taken across the Rio Grande to El Comidor and buried by their
families and friends.
The United States army had no thin&?; to do with. the affair and no soldiers were near t hat pla ce the nitSh.t of the killin~ s.

Instead, a number of Wexicans

eou~ht

and received pro-

tecti on f rom the military at Everette ranch, the military authorities here said.
TEMPLE TELEGRAM.

FEBRUARY 8, 1918.

INVF.sTJGATION TO FOLLOW KILL ING OF 15 MEXICANS BY TEXAS RANGERS.
(Associated Press Dispatch.)
An invest i'Sation of the killin~ of

El. Paso, Texas •., Feb. 7 .-

fif teen Mexican cit izens at Porvenir, Tex., forty miles north-

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

,

 Ex.

T.

west of Presidio, Jan. 13 1 'Ii.as been ordered by th.e State Department a.t
in the

Was'li.in~ton

Bi~

Bend dis t rict of Texas , where the

This was asked
Acc ordin~

and is bein&?; ma.de by t'h.e mili ta.ry stationed

~or

killin~s

occurr ed.

by Mexican Ambassador Ygnacio Bonnillae.

t o a report made Cosme

Bengoeac'h.~

of Presidio , the

fifteen men we re taken from their homes by armed men and shot
to death.

me r ea.son isiven was a, suspicion that they h.ad par-

t icipated in tl-ie Brite ranch r aid Ch.1•ietr.oae da.y.
wholesale ki l lirus were sent direct to

Washin~ton

Details of the
and were only

received by the Mexican Consulate here today.
Yarfa, Tex. , Feb 7- Texas .Rangers reported on Jan. 13
that.

t hey l-iad had trouble with a ba nd of Yexicans at Porveni r ,

who were supposed. to have been implicated in the Brite Ranch
raid.

Tl-tey admitted having killed f i fteen of the number.

The

bod:! es were taken ac1·oss the Rio Grande to El Comidor and buried
by their fami l ies and frjends .

4 June, 19 18 .

Ce,pt . J . M. Fox,
Co • B, T. R. F . ,
Marfa, Texas.
Yiy clear Captain:

General lfarley directed me to fo r ward you G. o.
lTo . 5, T. R. F.

The

m~n

who a.re

dischar~ed

by this order will put in

expense account covering expenses to the
enlisted in the

Fa~er

~lac e w~ere

they were

force.

You will be ata.tioned at Auetjn.
Hopin~

to see you

s~ortly,

J remajn.

Very sincerely yours .
:rncl.

:M:e.j or-Assis ta.nt

Adjutant General.

COPY
tf.EADQ,UARTERS ! !"!US PJ\.H&ER F6!t6B.
AD.TUTA:NT GENERAL 1 S D"EPA:RT:ttEllTT.
Austin. Texa s . June 4, 1918.

Texas
Rab State Library and Archives Commission

 Ex- .

I .

GENEFAI, ORDER.
No. 5 .

1. Co. B. of
8 th day

th.e

Texas

Ran~er

Force will ,

on t he

of June, A. D. 1918, be di.sbanded.
2.

The services of the

followin~

men wil l not be

required further by the State:
A.

c. Ba.rker

All en Cole

Max }Tew.man

Boone Oliphant.

Bud Weaver.

3.

The

foll owin~

men will transfer to Co. D commanded

by Capt . Jerry Gray:
J. R. Bates

A. G. Beard

o. c.
s. 11.

Dowe

N. N. Fu.ll er

Neill

Frank PatteTson.

A, 'R'. Woelber

4.
distJ:>:l ct

Ca.pt. trerry Gray \Vi ll assume command of the Marfa

with h.eadquarte1"s a t Marfa.
BY ONQER OF GOVERNOR W. P. HOBBY, CO:MW.AlIDER IN C1-IIEF
J AlvmS A. HARLEY, TlfE ADJUTANT GENERAL i

CHIEF OF STAFF.

OFFICIAL:
Walter F. Woodul ,
Assistant Adjutant General.
TELEGRAM:

85
B? DAR8

3 EX
Min&!;US ,

Texa.s ,

1210 AM JUN 17 1918

NAJ WALTON WOOD
ADJ GNEL OFFICE

AUSTIN TEXAS

ACCEPT RESIGNATION OF RANGER FOX

W. P Hobby
GOVER'f'TOR OF TEXAS.
715 A. M.
17 June, 1918.

Ca.pt .

VI.

M. Fox,

1'a rfa, Texa.s

My dear Captain:

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Your

as Captain in the Ranger Force has

resi~nation

been turned o.,_,.er to me and I hereby a.cc ept same.
Yery truly yours,
Major--Actin~

the Adjutant General •

•
Th~

report

out by the pres.a wherein it was report-

~tven

ed that Mexican citizens were killed without cause is
vesti~ated

bein~

in-

this Department, and a. full and fair investit?;ation

by

will be made.
The matter so far discloses from the reports we have
of the occurance, that trie l! exicans killed were not residents of
:Mexico, but were

livin~

after the Bri te R:i.nnch

on the American side of the river, thP.t
~id

in which some of the

citizens

~ood

from Mexico killecl and murdered in cold blood peaceful, nnofcitizens of the State of Texas, for the purpose of loot

fendin~

follow in~

inD· and robbin'S a store, the Ranger s

the trail of

these bandits went to the town of Polvanier where these pa.rties lived and found some of the loot that was taken from the
Brite Ranch store.
en

~oods

While they were searchinE?; for further stol-

and quietly

stolen property,

investigatin~

t~ey

were fired upon in the dark and

t h e firei in self defense,
in position

Amon~

ni~ht

re~urned

was dark and they were not

resulti n~

of the pitched

ni~ht.

those that were killed on tha,t occasion was one

who had sent word to the
they "were

The

to know the casualties

battle of that

parties in possession of

t?;Oin~

Ran~ers

tha t sometime previously thet

to ma.ke a raid on

Texae"Grin~oes " and

wwat

we can't carry off we will 'burn. 11

These are the facts as I have them in my possession,
and am

re~iably

informed that they were known to the Grand Jury

of Presidio County, composed of a.a rsood citizens a.a

~Y

land on

earth, a.nd tha. t they did not find it necesaa.ry to take any action
for unlawful

killin~s.

This Department is williniS a.t all
Texas State Library
and Archives Commission

times to rece:ive any

 Ex.

I.

infornation as to unlawful acts of the Texas
they are found to be true the
mis s ed and punished.

offendjn~

We are not

keepin~

Ban~ers,

and if

parties will be dismen on the border to
bein~

murder and ltill, hut to prevent innocent people from

mu:r-

dered and the property stolen and destroJ,led.: Good Mexice.n Citizens of this State and of Mexico w:i.11 receive our entire pro-

tection, and I assure them if they conduct
ful manner the Texas

Ran~ere

themselve~

in a law-

will protect them as it is the pol-

icy of this Department to see tha t a.11 6?;00d citizens are, not
only unmolested, but protected.

This is the pli4t'pose of our

Ran12;er Force.
Marfa, Texas, June 11th,
1918 •
Governor Hobby:I herewith ha ddd you my reei~nation to take

eff ect today.

I

am

resitsnin~

because you have seen fit to dis-

charo1?;e five of my men for the killinis of fifteen Mexica.n bandits
on the 20th da.y of Janua ry , 1918. For if t11.ere was anythints
wront?; about th.is matter of

killi n~

those Mexicans I was wholly

to bla.me and I so told General Harley on the 30th. of May, and
t ha t J wa s the one to be dischar~ed if any one shovld be which
he refused to do, and I then told '11.im t ha.t if You disc'\i.a.rised
t'l1oae men I would reei~n.

Do you not think I would be an inESra.te

to send my men out on a duty a nd because they unfortunately h~
to kill any nwnber of Mexica n bandits to let th.em be discharged
fo x· the carryinis out of my orde:ra?
but I am not.

I

I ever heard of .

You may be built in tha.t way

thjnk more of my men and friends than any job
\"thy do you not come clean and say tha.t tYiie

is purely politics just to ~ajn some Mexican votes?

The five

men you have discharged are good men a nd were the best of officers,

and

I want to ask you and all Sta te ran~ere how you exp ect

to hold up the raruser force under s uch ruling as jn this case.
rt 'hurts me to h.ave my men treated in t h is ma nner.

As to my s elf

! ca re nothin~ because only a short while a~o you sent a

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

man to

 investi~ate

me as to whether or not I was for you for you for

Governor or a
tryin~

Fer~uson

man, so you know that there is no u se in

to have me believe that this ac t ion was

anythin~

other than your political reasons.

brou~ht

about by

We have stood

~uard

to prevent 11'.'exican band its from murderinis th:e ranchmen, . the wom
en and children alo ru;i; this border while you slept on yc ur feather bed of ease, a.nd then to ha ve my men
for me.

Tf there was any

wi~onis

dischar~ed

is too much

done why not lea,ve th.at for

the courts of Presidio County to determine?

From your wise

view of justice you ha.ve found it pwd ent to try t hos e men
without evidence or jury.

You may consjder this my

resi ~nation.

Yours truly,
C 0

J. M. Fox .

PY.

STATE OF TEXAS
Adjutant General ' a Department.
Austin.
July 3, 1918.
Capt. J.M. Fox,
M:l.rfa, Texas .
Dea:t' Sir: -F~p ly in~

your

resi~nation

to your letter of June 11th , relative to

in which you as sail the Governor as

playjn~

:plllit:1cs, I take the liberty of anawerint?; , knowi1w;, as you know,
tha.t the Governor had personally

nothin~

to do with your

resi~-

nation nor a,ny politie.ss bein15 in it.
The evidence dis closed , after a

thorou~lt

investiB;ation,

a.s you knew, that fift een :Mex j cans were kiled \Vltile in tlte custody of your men a fter they had been

arr e~ted

and diea.rrned.

This

is verified by all pro6f even to admission from the parties and
infonnati on

~athered

by this office and by

a~ents

of

t~e

United

States Goverrunent .
We a r e not interested in your polit ical views when a
question of

t~e

hono r and decency of the State is involved.

tltis Department has announced lteretofore, the trouble maker

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

As

 ana lawl ess l'elli$er has no place on the border where international complications can be

brou~ht

on that will involve our nation

in trouble; tha.t will hamper its

pro~re ss

in the war in Europe.

You know, ae all peace officers should know, : that every man whether 11e be whi te or black, yellow or b orwn hass the Cons ti tuticnB~l

r iESht to a tri al by Jury, a.nd tha t he

o r~anized

operatjng under the 1awe of this State has the

ri~ht

band

to coneti

tute itself jud~e and j11ey and executioner and. ehootin~ men upon
provocation when they are helpless and disarmed.
ti n~

We are f igh-

a world war not to overthrow ruthl ess autocracy and do not

propose to tolerate it ·here at home.

You were not forced to

res i&Sn bY'· the Governor for political rea.sone , but your forced
reei~nation

came in the interest of humanity, dency, 1aw and

order , and I aubmi t tha.t . now a.nd hereafter t'-'le laws of tlie Conetitut:i on of this State must be superior to the autocractic
will of any peace officer,

and

tha t vanda,lism across the bo r der

can best be suppressed by supreeeing it on the Texas side fj rs t.
Very truly yours,

Brigadier General-- The Adjutant General,
State of Texas.

! N RE OF TqE

Il~ESTJGATJON OF TµE EL PORVEil!IR FIG~T,
OF Janua.ry 28 , J.916 , in Presidio County,

TEXAS.

Index.
_ Q_ -

STATE OF TEXAS,
County of Presidio,
Tmyn o f Ca,ndelaria,

l

- - ------------- - -- --

Personal l y appeared before me t he
Grover

c. Webb, a private of Troop

undersi~ned,

"k" , of the 8th

one

u. s. Caval-

ry, w'ri.o, bej n~ durly ,·sworn a.cco:rdinis to law, deposes a nd says :
T~at
tainin~

I served i n the capacity of interpreter in ob-

affidavits from
Montoya .Taquez

Carrasco
Texas State Library
and Gonzalez
Archives Commission

 x.

.Ex: .

Fil ipa. Castaneda.
Juana Flo r e z
Estefana Moralez
Alejandra Nieves
Eulalia Vernandez
~rRncisco

Moralez

l'ad e cloni o Huerta.
that the interpretation is correct to

t~e

best of my

knowled~e

and bel :i eve.
And further the Q.eponent sa.yeth not.
GROVER C. WEBB.

Sworn to and su.bs·cribed before me this fifth day of April , 1918.
Patrick Ke]y 1
1st Lieut. , Cavalry , N. A. ,
Summc;iry Court.
Sta.te of Texa.s ,
County o f Presidio ,
Ca.ndelaria.

l

SS

Personally appeared before me the

undersi~ned,

one

!-,.asedonio l-!uerta., wife of )rasedonio Huerta , who , bej n~ dul y
sworn

accol'din~

to law, deposes a.nd says:

That my husband and I with our family of four children
ha.ve livee in Porvinir for one year and four months ; That my
husband was a,n American cit:izen; That a b out January 19 , 1918 ,
riea.r
~et

midni~'rtt ,

up a.nd

t?;O

three men came in my house , told my husband to
wi t11. t11.em; t'h.at they did not offer him vi ol enc e

in the Yiouse, and I did n o't know why t11.ey were

takin~

h i m ou t ;

Tha.t a.bout thirty minutes after they left my house I heard many
•

~uns

bei n~ di sc'1ar~ed ; Th.rt the next morn in~ I 1 earBed tha.t my

husband had been kil l ed by
house.

bein~

shot at a po i nt very near my

Other men of Porvinir were killed at tne same time and

place a.s my husband , which was around a little hill and abou t
three minutes walk from my house .

~~ e

day

fo llowin~

this

ni~h

in which my husband was k illed I took my childred and went acroas

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 the rjver into Mexico .
brou~li.t

About January 21 , 191 8 , Juan Mendez

a paper across the r iver to w'l1.ere the families of the

men who were kill ed were stayinfS , and h.ad us

si~n

hea~

not know the contents of the paper, and

it.

I do

several other wo-

men who si&Sned it say that they did not know wha.t it was .
to my b est

knowled~e

and belief the r e was no investigation rnade

by the amthori t i es of Mexico .
concernin~

Th.at

That I wa.s not asked anythin&S

this affair by any

r epresentative of Mexi c o.
thoroug~ly

This has been interpreted to me , and I

un-

derete.nd the cont ents.
And . further the deponent saye th. not .
MASEDONIO HUERTA •
Sworn to and a ubscribed before me t his 15 day of Uarch, 1918.

l

State of Texa.e,
County of Presidio ,
mown of Candel aria.,

~uqh D. Chamberlan
2nd Lieut. , Caval ry R. C.
S.ummary Court.

SS

Personally appear ed before me the

undersi~ned,

One

Francisco lfernandez Moralez, wife of }fia nuel Moral ez , who , bej n'S
duly sworn

ac cordin~

to law, deposes and ea.ye :

That ·I h.ave l i ved in Porvinir, Texas,

ei~ht

years ;

tha.t on January 28 , 1918, a.bout midnit?;ht two Amer icans who
were civilians with. masks ontheir faces came into my house and
took my husband out without

offerin~

him violence; tha.t

not recognize the Americans who came into my howe; that
not hear any guns fired ;

t~a. t

did

I
I

did

about 10 . 00 A. M. January 29 , 1918 ,

1 lear ned tha.tmy husband has been killed, cmd moved ac r oss tYie

river to Mexico wl th.
ti.gated by

fami l y; that this ma,tter was not inves-

the authorities of Mexico ; tha.t this affidavit has

been interpreted to
And

my

me

furt~er

and

I

thorou~hly

the deponent

FBANCJSCO

understand the contents .

sayet~

Her X Mark
MORALEZ .

~ERNANDEZ

· Texas
8 1·
State Library and Archives Commission
r)

not.

Sworn to and subs c ribed before me this fifth day of April, 1918.

 Ex. !.

Patrj_ck Kelly,
lat Lieut. Cavalry, N.A.•
Summary Court.
State of Texas,
County of Presidio,
Town of Candelaria.

l

SS

Pereona.lly appeared before me the undersi£Sned, one Lib r ada Montoya Jaquez, wife of Tiburcio Jaquez, who, bejn£?; duly
sworn according to law, deposes and says:
Th.at I have lived in Porvinir, Texas, tbree years;
that about

Midni~h.t,

Janua.ry 28, 1918, four masked men in

civilian cloth.es came into my house, made my husband
coverin~

of bed, and took him away,
my

1

~et

out

him with riflesl that after

husband was taken from tlte house I went out to £SO to a nei ~h­

bor' e, and. saw four soldj ers who ran away w11.en they saw me;
tha.t I did not h.ea.r

ftrin~

and did not know that my husband had

been killed until just before sunup next rnornin£?;; that I did
not

reco~nize

any of the men who came into my house, nor any

of the soldiers who I saw on the outsjde; th.at I was prevented
by Mr· '1-{a.rry Warren to

·ISO

and view the remains of my husba.nd;

tha.t I do not know how Jn31 husband was killed; that the day on
which my husband 's bod.y was found I moved into Mexic o with my
family ; that this affair has not bee

investi~ated

by the author

i ties of Mexico to my knowle<i;se: that I si&Sned a paper brouiSht

to me by Juan Mendez; that I do not knov1 the con tents of aaid
paper.
And further th.e deponent sayeth. not.
Her X Mark.
Librada Montoya Jaquez.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this fifth. day of April, J.918.
Patrick Kelly
let I.ieut. Ca,valry, N.A.,
Suromary Court•

State of Texa.s,
County of Presidio,
Town of Candelaria•

l

SS

Personally appeared before me th.e

undersi~ned,

One

Juana Bonilla Florez, vrife of Lon~ino Flo1"ez, ,.,ho, bein'S duly

State Library and Archives Commission
8·1Texas
·t
sworn accordin'S to law, deposes a.nd says:

 Ex I

That I have lived in Porvinir, Texa.s, four yea.rs; that
my husband was a cit±zen of Wexico; that sometime
ni~ht

durin~

the

of January 28, 1918, fou r masked men-American civilians ,

two of whom I

reco~nized

as Ben Frazier and his . broth.e r, th.e

reco~nize

other two I could

should J see them

a~ain,

came into

my hous e and took my husband ou t, struck him w:ith e;uns, a.nd t ook
him a.way; that my house was surrounded by soldi ers, some I could
reCO'?;nize we re I to see them a&?;ain; that the s oldiers did not

t a lee hold of my husba.nd or offar him viib ence; about one h ccr
after my husband was taken away r heard two volleys fired by
many isuns ; that the next
j

mornin~

before sun-up Mr. Harry Warren

nformeo me tha t my husband had been killed;

that I was :prevent

ed by W.x·. Wa.rren from !5oirus to see t'l1e remains of rrry husband,
who

~'" r .

Warren told me had been shot a.nd chopped u:p with a

knife; th.at orm th.e day my husband ' abody wa s found I moved to
}n'exi co with my family;

tri.a.t Colonel :Eti.wardo Forc ayo , Carrano is-

co ncernin~

ta, quest ioned me
do not know if the

~overnment

the

killin~

of my husband;

of Mexico made an

that I

investi~a.tion;

th.a t this a f fidavit ha.s been interpreted to me and I thoroue?;hly understand trie contents.

And further th.e deponent sayeth. not .
t{er X Hark.
Juan Zonilla. Florez
Sworn to and subscrj bed l5efore me this fifth day of Apri l, 1918.
Patrick Kelly ,
CavaJ. ry , M. A.,
Sunimary Cu rt .

1 st J,i eut.,

State of Texas,
County f o Presidio,
Town of Candel aria•

l

SS

Personally appeared before me t he undersiisned , one
Felipa. !7endez Casteneda. , wife of Antonio caa t aneda., wh.o beinis
duly sworn accordirus to law, deposes a nd s ays :
That I had lived in Porvinir, Texas, three weeks prior
to the death of my '1.Usband; t'1 e.tt"ri.ree rna, s'ked Amerjca.n citizens

8 !·Texas
,)
State
Library
and
Archives
Commission
c ame
into
my hous
e about
twelve
O'Clock a t ni~ht

--

January 28 , 1918,

 .l'bc: •

I

.

.

punc hed my husband with ri :f'les, a.nd took him away;

not

reco~niz e

tha.t I could

any of the men; that when they took my husband

out J saw many soldi re and civilians arotu1d my house; t.11at I
do not know where they took my husband; that about on& half hour
after my husband was taken away two eoldeers tied a horse near
rriy hou se and \'Tent up the river; th.at e.fter they passed up t11e
river two shots were fired down the river; that

know the sol-

I

diers were not were the shots were fired: that after the two
shote were fired the two soldeere came back a.nd went down the '
river; tha.t I did not hear mo:t'e than two shots fired durin'S the
rri&?;ht; that

I

live a.bout one half mile from w"1.ere

was killed; that

I

learned

husband

my

husband had been killed about sun

my

up January 29, 1918; that I went to the place

w~ere

all these

men had been killed and saw them well ; tha t they were all kill
ed by bullets, and noBe with a knife; that

I

moved across the

river w)th my family the same day; tha t this was not investitated by the authoritjee of Mexi co; that my father had a paper
in Pilari s, Mexico,

ci.skin~

the

been interpreted to me and. I

~overnment

thorou ~hly

for hle:p; this has

understand the contents.

And further the deponent aayeth not.
Her X Mark.
F el i :pa lt end ez Cas ta neea..

Sworn to and su.bscribed before me this fifth day of April, 1918

Sta.t e Of Texas )
County of Presidio,,
Town of Candelaria.

l

Patrick Kel ly,
1st Lieut. Cavalry, N.A.
Summary Court•
SS

Personally a.ppeared before me the unders ia;ned, one Eetefana Jaso Moralez,

~ra.ndmot her

of Pedro 'f!errera, Bibian B:ere-

r a , Severiano lierrera, who, be:inis duly sworn accordin&?; to law,
deposes and says:
That I have lived in

Texas, three years;

Porvini~,

tha t on a date I do not remember, shortly before
masked American civilians came into

my

midni~ht

four

house and took my three

grandsons out; that they did not offer them violence;

m~at

I

did not recoa;nize any of the America.n civilians; tlia t I saw three
soldiers outside of my house;

that I did not reco~nize any of

. . . Library and Archives Commission
Texas State
~

 the soldiers; that J dtid not hear any altote fj red; tr.at before
sun-up the next
been killed;

morn i n~

I

lee.rned tha t "f!l.Y three

~randso ns

th.at I do not know how they were killed;

"la d

th.at rrry

tltree grandsons were citizens of tlte United States; th.at on tlte
day in which the bodjes of my

~randsons

were.found I moved to

J"exi co; th :::i.t 'J s i~ned a paper brouk}.t to me by a. Mexican w"1.os.e
name I do not know;

tha t J do not know the celhtents of tli.i s pa-

per; tri.a t trie contents of this affidavit h a s been interp 1ieted
to n1e an <'I I

t 'h.o r-ou.gh.ly understand it.

And f urth er t he depenent s a yeth not.

li'.er E Mark.
Estefana Joso More.lez,
Sworn ao and subscribed before me triis fi f th day of April, 1918.

State of Texa s,
Count .' ' of Presidio,
Town of Ca.ndelar:i.a.•

I

Patrick Kelly,
1st Lt. Cav. N.A.'
Summary Court.
SS

PeraonF.! .lly appeared before me the underait?;ned, one
Alejandra r.arez Nieves, wife of Roman Nieves, w"rio, beint?; duly
sworn

a.ccordin~

to law,. deposes and says:

T'l-\at I 'fia:ve lived in Porvinir, Texa s, about seven
yea.rs; tha t en a date whic"'t I da not remember two masked Ame!'ica.n men c ame into my house a t ni£Sht;

t l-te hour I do not 'know

jerked my husband out of bed a nd p ush ed him out of the door
without hie clotries;

th a t

I

followed him out of the door, and

saw t'rJa t my h o i:tse was surrounded by many soldiers, who followed
the civilians and my husband away; tha t the soldiers did not
touch or offer violence to my husband. ; tVia ttri.e next

mornin~

shortly a.fter sun-up I learned tha.t my husband was killed;
I did not iSO to see him and do not knov1 how he wa.a killed;

th a t

the day on whj ch my: husba nd's body wa s found I moved into :Vexi co vri tri my f a,mily;
ve s ti~ated

th.at t 'l1e killinfS of my husband was not i n-

bythre authorities of

~exico;

that Juan Mendes

brou~ht

a paper t o me, which I si &p1ed, and of wl-tich I do not kno v1 tl-te
contents; t'na tmy fiusband was a cit i zen of :r·exico;

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
8·1·.

th.atthis 1ia s

 .Ex .

:r .

has been interpreted to me and I thorou&Shly understand the conte nts .
And furtVier deponent sayeth not .
tter X Ifa rk.
El.ejandra: ~arez Nieves.
Sworn to a.nd subscribed betfore me t't'iis fifth day of April , 1918

l

St a te of Texas
County of Presidio,
~own of Candelaria.

Patrick Yell:>r,
let I .i eut . Ca\ra.1 cy r. A.,
Summary C cu rt.
SS

Persorally appeared before me tlee

one Eu-

undersi~ned,

lalia Gonzalez 1-fernandez, wife of Ambrocio uerna.ndez, who bej nt?;
duly sworn

a.ccordin~

to law, cleposes a nd says:

That I have lived two years in Porvinir, Texas; that
my husband was a citfaen of t'rJe United States;

that about one

o ' clock in the ni~ht on a date r do not remember three American
c Hizene with masks on came jnto my house, puhched my husband
in the ribs with a pistol , and took hJm away;

that I coUld not

recognize any of the Amerjcans; that two soldeers came to my
house first, stood

~uard

t1ere , a.nd then a laro!?;e bunch of ci-

vilians a.nd soldiers came tliere,- cRme up .
then came in by breakirus the door down;

':''1at tlie tliree men

t'r\a.t when they broke

t'l-ie door do\fn my Yiusband jumped out of bed, a.nd then !

~ot

u9;

t1·1t we had not been up befo r e t'rle door was broken down and the
men ca.me in; that I did not hear any s,,,o ts fired durint?; the
th::itabout sunshot

throu~h

l.lp

next

the head;

morni~~'

J found mY: husband dead, bej n£?:

t'Ta.at my husband ' s face had b e en mu tilated

by many stab wounds; that I then moved across the
~"ex:ico

with my family;

ri~r

into

tYiat the a.ut'l'lor:itiee <Df J\t:'exico did not

i nves t.ilSate t'tte killinb?; of m,y husband;

pre ted to me and I

ni~ht¢

thorou~hly

tha t this h.as been int e!'-

understand

t~e

contents.

And further the deponent sayeth not :
tte r

E :Mark.

Eulalia Gcnzales
81 l
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

~ernam.ez ,

 .F.K .

I .

Swo:-i.--n to and subsc rjbed before :me

t'1j

s fifth day of April , 1918 .

Pat rick Kelly
1st Lieut ., Cavalry, N. A.
Summa.ry Court.
State of Tex as ,
Cou nty o ~_Pr es i d io,
Ca.ndelA rJ ~· •

l

SS

Persorally appeared before me theunde r sit?; ned, on e Har:r,y
Warren, w'ri.o , "bei ·"11$ duly sworn accordinis to l aw , d epo s es and says:
Tri.at I am an Ame r i c a.n c i t ize n, and live in Porvini r ,
On t Yi.e mor nin'S of JanuB rv 29 , 1918 , I was informed tha.t

Texn.e ,

?!exican men of Porvinir had been taken from ·Vhei1· 11.ouses by unknovm w'1.j te men a.nd killed.

Scrl'le of t'rie w'lli te men were r e port-

ed to have 'l\andkerehiefs tied over their faces . I we nt wft h J ohn
Dailey and a smal l Mexi can boy and

fo~d

fifteen dead bodies .

T examined tYi.e bodies , and fo u nd tri.at the men had b een k i l l ed

by bullets .

J did not see any of tJe mm who killed t'rie 1,.exi-

And further

t~e

deponent saye t h no t .
Harry Warren .

Sworn

~o

and st.c.bscrjbed before me t'Ytis 26 day of :.arc'ri, 191 8 .
B:usyh D.

CYiamberJ ain,
2 nd I i eut . Ca v • R. C. ,
S,..trnn1a·cy Court.

Gov . qobby,
Aust:i n, Texas.
Dear Sj r : -The statements herein . contained•can all be verified
T'l\e wrj ter tA.kes t ''le

~:co und

t h.B.tyou stand for law and order and

not for midnilSht murder by those entrusted with the conserva.ti en
of :peace .
T11.e writer takes the ground that y cuare not aware 11.ow
t""e

Ra ~ers and others a.ct in~ wi t'li. them a r e doirus .
The

fo llo wi~

ca.n verify t'fiem; as
rs.n ch. L .

c.

~rou

statements are all well known and you
n1ay k nov1, bandits from Yexi co radded a.

Brite ' s on Christmas day, in Pr esidjo Cou nty , '.lex.

killin~ 2 Mexicans a.nd t'ri.e sta~e "lriver , steali~ horses and rob-

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Ex: .

bi~

r.

t'tl.e ranc'tl. store, an d t'Y\a t

they were foll owed even into :?t ex-

i co, - - "by u . S . sol di e:rs.
On

(

the 25 tti. o f the next mont''l, Janua ry, the Banisers

··re nt a t ni~'tl.t to a ranci., a "bout 8 or 10 miles ·. a.l')ove Pilares in
P residio Co., search:ede the 11.ous e took what arms they could fj nd
a nd a,rrested three Mexicans whom they turned loose next day and
who went back to the ir homes·

Three days after tha t - t''1a t

is

on the niis'-1.t of .Janua ry 2 ~ , some Pa n~rer s and rancriment went to
the same ranch took out the owner of the ranch

& 14 others-

a ll farmers & small stock owners & shot t'Y\em to death.

l

was not a si~~le 'bandit in the_l5 m~n slain.

Some of t'-1.em h a d

& raisi rus their small

been li v j

~

stocks.

T.._,ese men were all fe.rmera-- 2 of them were boys about

the re 6 or ? years ,

fa..rmin~ ,

T'Y\ere

16 or 1? years old & p a rtly raised t''lere .

All of t''l.e slain

were on the ranch on Chris tmas day or close a round & noae of
th.em were in the raid o n Brites ' ranch or knew of the raid ti ll
it wa s over• .
Several of the men murdered were not even on the ranc'l1.
w'l1.~n

the raid on Brite ' s ra.nch took pla ce were

movi~

on down

from soPJ.w'l1.ere a bout Pecoa Ci t.Y where they f a.r .cned last yea r. -- "1.a.d
not yet arrived in Presidio Uounty,

After t11e 15 mere t aken

out t;. s'tl.ot- all t'-1.e bala nce vhich were only old men, women, &
children fled to 1.iexi co & 'riave so far fled to r~exi co J.eavi n~
thejr fields :planted. to w'11.ea.t, their cows & ma.res & are afraid
to come back- - about 140.
their

nei~h.bors

The Yexic a n f armei~s a.t Pilares

ec

"tiad been ta'l<en out & shot , e.lso fled to the

other side & so far , have refused to come back J.eavirus their
fields solv ed to ~rain-also their stock.
were bandjts the

killin~

As none of t~e slain

of them wa s simply murder.

T'tl.is unlaw

ful deed ha s e:n .ra.~ed t11.e 1~:ex::ican s on the other side to such

an extent t11.a t we may riear soon of their
on t"i.is El ide.
ces,

& they

retaliat i ~

on the w'-1.ites

It Y.rill be :productive of t'Y\e most evil consequ.en-

ou~ht

to be removed for instead of provin,is themselves

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Ex: .

I.

conservators of trie peace &

of the state, t"1ey a.re prov

di~nity

i nos t 11.ems eJ vee its wore e enemies.

Some days a.so two
I·~exican

with a

ra.n~ers

---

body wa.s found -C'rte re .

1~exican

--

prisoner, Gua.da.lupe Torres, 'by name, .'":. . killed '1.im

near one of Brite'3e gates, they
~ri s

started to 1larfa in an auto

claimin~

thath.e tried to escape/

T'1 ese facts have been found out by t)te

Consul wh.o is desirous of

maint a inin~

th.e .csood relatiou

between t"l.e 2 counties, but his efforts will amount to
as

lon~

a s the State of Texas ma i nta j ns a body of

nothjn~

Rar~ers

on

t"l.e Rio Grarrle who g;o wi t''l r a nchmen at midnil.S'l-tt & murder :peaceful :Mexicans 4.a is trie case h.ere, and can be proven by tri.e wi-

dowe of the

mtn,de~ced

men, who are now in llexico.

The object of

tri.es a.ppeal is to call your a ttention to t"'tis unprovoked,.,. and
wholesale murder by Texa.s R'l l'l6?;e re in conj unc ti onwi th ranch..-rnenRanisers w1-to instea d of ma.intai nintS pe a ce are com.mittin&i; murder
by t'l-te wholesale and to request Your Jroccellency to 1-tave these
Ran&?;e rs removed a t once a.nd others (' who are peacea.01 e and lawaliidi 1~) placed over a ll tri ~t djstr i ct .

No matter w'1.a t wh.:!_te-:__

wash.ed .L·erori_ may 1-tav e been m3.de to you or to t"le Adjutant
General , the facts herein axe true a nd can be pro7en.

Wjtness es i n U. S.
( J )

cap t. Ar:d ers on Co. G. 8th. Cav. Camp Evett,
Val en tine, P . o. , Texas.

and the ( 2) detail of the 12 .l!!.fill he s ent out with. the Ra~ers

the ni-1Sht of the murder--Ande rson evideritly tho ' t t'1e Tu:i,rusers
wanted to a-rest themen- -t"'te soldiers showed the way waited beloo
t'rte ranch w'tlile t'rte Rarusers and ranchmen went to

cans not knowi:n({ t"'tat the

Ra~e rs

~et

the Mexi-

and ranchmen we1,e isoi n~ to

murder t'rte men.
(3) S~t. Bruin.

Co . G., 8t'rt Cav. Camp Evitt, Valentine, Tex.

-r:Ji tneS'S es t n )J::exi co:

·.vidows of Nanual
fl
11

II

8f)
Texas
State
II

•,

II
II

~orales , w~o
Lo~ 5 no "El ores

owned t"'te ranch.
Ambrosio ~ernandez

Alberto Ga.re ia
Gorgonio ~ernandez
Ei
burc:b Jaquez
Severiano Morales
II
Library
and Archives
Eutimio
Gonzales Commission
Uartin r-rerrera
II

 EOC.

r.

Widows Roman Nieves
"
Macedonio 1{ertas,
11
Ambrosio !{erna.ndez

And 40 or 50 mo:re
Mexico .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

wj_ tnesses

in

 MONDAY, FEBRUARY l OTH , 1919 .

vestiedte
ve~~d

T'

J oin~

~r.v

charges against

c o~mittee

of the Reuse and S nate to in0

th~

S ·

t~

reco~ ­

RanP.er Force ,

at 10 :0 0 o ' clock A. M.

MORNING SESSION .

G.,n.tlen!en , tl-i

THE CHAIRMAN :

H ve you no other !itnesses?
l'R . CANALES :
~

~i ~..?lY

I

Co 1mittee

uo

sc.y to

1ill com

<.o on:l'°'r .

you des) re to take

C"·

t'~

!lli~tee

sta·

~:~e

tba+ I

.ras

?

·".)in

o take tae stand to f"ive the testimony tha. . . I . . ., aye, for ... he

benefit of

Co·"'mi ·i:;t et:: , bu·

~h

I

.m i n-f'o rmed by

'11.e~1 -e

rs o-f' the

Ho1IBe +hat trere is a disoos i tion to resc)no the action of'

"rint.in,... of t;,..e testimony in th

t "--.'

t~1i<>

''a.'

+r

of

J ourno..l, 2nd to reC1,uu "'t

CO".mi ttee should conr·ict these hearinl'."S in the floor

HonFJe of R1:.

~ref;entathres .

jus'., simply vc..)t. .t."or a

No / if t.h"' Co nittee

ir11tte or t ro

o.P "; 1"a.t resolutjon anc1 see if ... "-c. H )

·s~

ossible that

~his

"'

or

t)c..sses

r EOlutjon , but there is a stronrr .·oveaent in
!'lumb;:: .c of the UJ....:llio ~ i

dl.l

th~

re.j~ct-s

that

Ho.ise by a

t:1c r~of, .:ho d ~sin;; , i na s·r.uch as it i c

testimony r.i.ay not be

~rinted

for

fiftee~

c r t rent"· days , on the one hand. , or may be a a.isposit)o:n to
r~ecinu th~

+,h

S . . t-.:

action of

G

era.

it

altoget~br ,

bal~nct.

of the inve etisation no:. only .rit:h

test)mony but the testimony

~y

o~ c ~.t~in H ~nson ,

H rley and t>ie other gentlemen that

+o t .etify ,

i~

THE CHAIRll/iAN :
MR . CANALES :

in order to save

eie;ht or tEJn t'tious.and dollo..r .. , that they desire

..;om3

to co.nJue;t tb.e

regard to

printin~

the

H

se .

Yo,; 1n{,:...n

t:-~t

op~~

t,"'r:: H ·sc

T ., resolu. ... ion , I

1ould co'Ue in !:ere

:ill acijourn fo;

mderst:.....nd , is

?

+t~

H lse of R- Jrese ntat i ves • or ,; e 'ha_aric e of the rearin::.; ,

a.nd

1hile

+.h~

Hv 1se is in s<:>esio-: i

ill

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

rec~sc ,

go as

o

 en....bl..: ... hl;i Ho .lse to hear the testimony vci·hally as ";iven !'rom

tr t.

s c.n.· •
Yo, mean -!fe have to wait ht: re fo:c tht: Roust:

SENATOR PAGE :

tv act on the

r~solution

before go in~ a"'ea.d ri th

~'tie

inv8sti -

ation *'urtht:r ?
I have no obi ... ction to r;oin.c· in there , but

TF!E CHAI RMAN :

if tht;f a:ce to hear this , they will have to adjourn

What is the

GENEEAL HARLEY :

~

rio·h~

a.1ay .

puq"JOse of the resolution ?

ora.l?
I "'v is a resolution to reschd

Jyffi . CAN ALES:

't11~

concurrt:nt

resolutiol'l to print the testimony in the Journal.
THF! CHAIRMAN :

many in

th~

.lill say this, thE> .:>rintino; of thi;:;, testi -

I

J o~rnal

.Tv tnal to 1ne

is

exten~

to delay

~o in ~

that

1e

t~e

~rintin~

of the

would not be able to use them

and it has been surgested thc.:t no ptl.rt

tr i"oU._;h

of

~he

testimony tC:1.ken in this investiga.tion should

in

~h

J ournal , hnd

and no pa:ct of it

th~t ~h~t

Ni 11 bt.

printed in th1J J ournc.. 1
adopt~d .

a.nd for that
I

cannot be

Tho.t ,,oulci. be· ID.l vie: of it, bu·.. for inf'or:r.-

cl:ieflJ I _J:r-esu1l!e th<-..t th

lication Of

,

to bd of any practical b8nefit .

tim~

MR . KNI GHT :
~ti on

pcinted

resolution should be rescinded

reasor I t.hi:rik t?:e re.,olv.tio'l should be

done in

b~

<....l.L

this tt::stin.ony ""nd

inclepcndent of -:;h::; J u u.:cn~l

vhC.

ub -

record to be preservt. ,

.

Tr at is a ma.t t er tho. t

THE CHAIRMAN:

a~

mittee contempla"Les

C

1..rollecl uno.t-r a separate resolution .

i

o ulc h c..v e to be con-

T ".: thine; we r1ere tr.>' ing

to avoid is mc:.ny of the bills are printed in the J ournal .:..nd
P1~y

c:ire needed from day to do....1 .

they .lill be a
MR . I<JHGH'f :

. ee~

W

I

late ..rith c...11 vh

are

~u:ite

this evide.,ce is printed ,
J o ffnals .

in sympathy ,d t.r. Mr . Canales

r~ -

rrardin"' the hearing in the Ho use , but my idea rci.s t'-1.at the
t~stimony

• i 11 all be printed and the recorQ

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

,t)i·~ser•!ed

in

 so.me

f

o nn .

MR . McMI LLI N:

A member of the House a while ago b ro ught the

resolution to me and expl ained it to me .

I did not r ead the

re solution , b1.l.I. I -.J.nuEu':.-rt ood it nas the testimony of Mr .
Canales , General Ha r ley and Captain Hanson that was desired to
be heard in the House , as they were supposed to be the most
important 1vi tne sses .

He mieh t not have explained it correc t l y

to me , but that is what I gathered from his declaration .

Of

course I declined to sign it , from the fact that I was a member
of the Committee .
TKE CHAIRMAN :

I should feel i nclined that the House should

hear it, in justice to the gentlemen ; a more extended hearing
can be had in there than is possibl e to be had i n here .

If

it is the desir3 of the Committee to be at ease for a few
minutes to ascertain the action of the House , we will do so;
otherNiae

•le

will proceed at once .

SENATOR WILLI FORD :

I suggest that we wait a few mi nutes to

see "'hat action the House takes .
THE CF.AIRMAN:

I f there is no objection, the Committee wi l l

stand at ease for ten minutes .
(The resolution referred to in the foregoing having fai l ed
to carry in the House , the investigation was continued in the
Railroad Commission Hearing Room t and at 10 : 30 o ' clock the
Committee 1'7as called to order by Chai rm.an W. H. Bledsoe . )

J . T . CANALES ,

being first duly sworn , testified before the Committee with
referenc(;. to the.

c..!l.C::Lrge~

_?repared and filed by him concerning

the State Ranger Force , as follov1s :

MR . CANALES:

.
Mr . Chairman , may I ask, of course you realize

the old. adage that .<Then a la11yer represents himself he has a
fool.for a client - - I don ' t like to be placed i n that attitude .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 I would like to ask to have Representative Curtis or Representative Blackburn , either or both , or Represe·n tatiye Pedigo
to be present here while I am a witness, to represent me .
MR . J\NIGBT :

I think that is a reasonable request.

(Mr. Curtis appeared for Mr. Canales during the time that
he was a witness .)

My name is J. T. Canales .

I was born in the old County

of Nueces, State of Texas , very near to the present town of
Kingsville .

I am forty-two years old, will be next month .

I went t o the public schools of my county, came to Austin and
att ~m d~ _,-

1>usiriess college , from here I went to Kansas City and

graduated in the public schools of Kansas City, Kansas, and
from t he re I went to Michigan and graduated from the University
of Michigan in 1899, and have been practicing law in the State
of Texo.s ever since then as a general practitioner , criminal
as well as civil law .
I was first elected Representative in 1904 and represented
my district in the Legislature , in the Twenty-Ninth Legislature,

190n , and was re-elected in 1907, and was re-elected for 1909,
&~d

then I did not run again until 1916, when I represented my

dist r ic t .

I represented my district in the previous Legis-

lature, Thirty-Fifth Legislature, and then ran for re-election
to t h e present Legislature.
I have lived in Brownsville and its vicinity since 1904 .
I am well acquainted with the conditions there .
and raised on a ranch .

I was born

I was born and raised on a ranch and

am thoroughly acquainted with the Ranger l!>luainess ~

I have

known tht! Ra ne;e rs ever since I was born , in fact my home ; La
Cabra Ranch, that be l onged to my father, has been a haven for
the Rangers.

They stayed there, were stationed there, came

there at all hours , got our horses,
g ot our services.

~ot

meals there, and they

I have known among the Ranger forces some

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 of the noblast a.ad best men that I know , Captain Hughes, Captain Rogers, .1ho is now United States Marshal , Captain Wright,
who used to-be-..8.e.rgeant under Captain Hughes , and various other

----

individuals.

-

At that time they gave ua protection .

They were

a capable set of men , and did not need any restriction because
their own conscience was a self-restraint and law.
I n 1915, so far as my recollection goes , is when the first
gen eral outrages perpetrated by Rangera •began .
began to degenerate since that time .

The service

I will describe the con-

dition of my town and my country about that time.

There was

unquestionably, as has been testified by Judge Creager and
Judge Wells ,

~hat

we call the bandit troubles there , which

had its origin in German propaganda .

I have in my home in

Brownsvilla letters written to clients of mine , not signed
but

thr~atening

their lives if they did not join in the band,

and stating that they were financed by the Germans, and they
need not be afraid because· there were 70 ,ooo German soldiers
in Texas who will take up arms with them .

This condition ex-

isted just immediately prior to the bandit trouble.
those l

·~tt~ r 1:> t<> 111.y

I handed

Sheriff , Captain Vann, consulted with him

and informed him of those things .

At that time they never

believed there was any truth in the Gennan propaganda .
that

th1~

Since

.ve have established beyond question of a doubt that

that Ge nnan propaganda was initiated for the

purp~se

of forcing

ei t he r an intervention or a war between the United States and
Mexico, so as to prevent the United States from enteri ng the
European war .

The

m~ter

went on smoothly .

The Mexican character, although some people have testified here otherwise, but the majority of the Mexicans are
law-abiding and timid and they had hot done very much progress.
and 11ould not have done much progress unless the incidents
which I am about to relate had taken place.
deal of dissatisfaction in wages .

There nas a great

Some of those

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

~exicans

were

 not paid by men who empl oyed them .

Some of those Mex i cans

were beaten and mistreated by what I supposed , or who were
reputed to be good men in my country , who took advantage of
the conditions so as not to pay them , and in that manner agitated the friction between the tHo races .

However , all of this

went on , there was nothing but a general stealing -- si mpl y
stealing

they stole saddles , arms and ammuni t ion and horses ,

but no

of an American in any way was threatened .

li~e

was early in 1915 , as early as about May .

This

The same condition

existed in J une , but more so , and in July, in my judgment
from information I have - - because I made an investigat i0.n of
that matter - - General Huerta about that time tried to establish a counter revolution in Mexico , supported by German go l d ,
and he sent his emissaries to Brownsvi lle to get his men and
employ those men , but in the meantime · General Huerta was
arresten in El Paso by the Federal authorities and he was so
closely watched , and finally he died , that t4e who l e frame-up
fell .
These bands we r e in the woods , as I said they were stealing horses and ammunition and saddles and things of that k i nd ,
but they \Vere not molesting the lives of any citizens .
about the latter part of J une or the first part of
the first trouble commenced .

I t was

J uly that

I t was the incident related

here as -MR. KNI GHT:

June , 1915?

·A 1915 .

related here by several witnesses , and Daniel

Hinojosa, who is now in the Ranger Service , and Frank Carr , a
deputy sheriff of Captain Vann , starting with the prisoner by
the name of Rod6lpho

M~z

f r om San Benito , only nineteen or

twenty miles from Brownsville , at eleven o' clock at night , when
they could have taken him in the morning , they could have taken
him on

th~

noon train , they could have taken him on the after-

noon train , they could have taken him safely in an automobile

850
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 in the afternoon, but they started with him about eleven o ' clock,
and it was gene rally known that he was in concert with certain
citizens, among them some leading citizens not only of San
Benito but of Harlingen.
and a

h~l~

They arrested this .man about a mile

~ron

San Benito where the road turns to the right,
met
an~ a $traight road goes to Point I sabel . There they/Ml!llit.K him,

took this prisoner from them and after torturing him , because
· the effects of the torture were seen in the dead body , they
hung him there.

That incident immediately had this effect :

that every person who was charged with crime refused to be
arrested , be ca.use tfieJ did .aot believe that the officers of
the law would give them the protection gua ranteed to them by
th~

Constitution and the laws of this State .

The immediate

effect , then, was that all men who were charged with crime
would refuse to submit to arrest .
The next incident ook place about a week later.
called the Las Teulitas

~ight.

Jeff Scribner led a party of

United States soldiers and deputies to the Pizana
Las Teulitas Ranch .

It was

Ran~h,

near

They arrived there early in the morning.

Scribner had it in for one of the Pizana boys, and Aninceta
Pizana afterwards became one of the leading bandits , but at
that t ime he :resided at his own ranch .
MR. MOSES :

We cannot understand this testimony, it is

calling for the conclusions of Mr . Canales, and I understand

.

.

the purpose it is offered for, as giving his opinion as to
why people down there of Mexican birth or denominated as Mexicans were at outs or at enmity with the white people, or what
are comr1J.only called Americans.

I don ' t understand that the

specific detai l s of outrages perpetrated by officers or citizens or officers other than Range r s are material to this
inquiry, nhere the Ranger force cannot be blamed by reason of
the outra geous conduct of somebody else .

I

gatk~r

from Mr.

Cara.les ' statements that this particular incident that he i s

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 describing now was not commi tt e d by Rangers , nor were t hose
men who committ ed these outrages, if they were i n the force at
this time , or were at that time .
MR. CURTIS :

I have not been present during any of the

i nqui r y and only came in here at the request of Mr. Canales
during h is examination, out if I understand the purpose of the
resolution~

it is to make a broad inquiry i nto the condi t i ons ,

not only a s to what the Rangers may or may not have done , but
th e conditions generally, so that the House and the Senate may
act i nt~ l lieent ly on the matter when they come to the question
of any b ill that may be p ending or may hereafter be off ered
r egulating the Ranger force , and therefore it strikes me that
co ndi ti o~s

generally in this section of the country ought to

be b rought out before this Committee , in order that the report
ma y gui de the 111e:nbers of the Senate and the House i n the i r
futur e actions.
THE CHAIRMAN :

I n view of the examination , both of their

own witne sses , and t he cross examination of the witnesses
i ntroduced by Mr. Canales: both by the Adjutant General and
Mr . Canales, I think the evidence is admissible .
A The Las Teulitas fi ght:

They arrived there earl y in

the morning
MR. MOSES :

Would you , in detailing t his, to save cross

examin ation, kindly state the dates?
A That i s exactly what I am tryi ng to get the b ook for.
Th is matter we nt into the Court of Criminal Appeals, and the
facts are set out there .

On the 3d day of August , 1915. --

t h i s was about a week after the incident that I have related ,
of the lynching of Munoz
SENATOR WITT :

We r e there any Rangers involved i n t hat

previous lynchi ng before?
A In the Munoz case one man, who is a member of the Force
today, is a Ranger .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 SENATOR WITT:

What is his name?

A Daniel Hinojosa .
SENATOR WITT :

What is the name of that Ranger"

A Daniel Hinojosa.
SENATOR WITT :

I thought he was the man that was killed !

A No, Munoz was the man that was killed.

Hinojosa is

the man now in the service.
MR . CURTIS :

Was he in the service at that time?

A He was not in the service at that time , but has been
placed in the service since .
MR . KNIGHT :

He was not in the service then and is not

in the service at this time.
THE CHAIRMAN :

It is shown that he is in the service now .

It is so admitted, and he is on some special service in some
county at this time .
MR. CANALES:

I f you will pardon me, let my testimony go

in in the narrative form, and not be interrupted here and
there.

If I abuse anything, your Chairman wi l l call my atten-

tion thereto , and I wi l l correct it.

I will be glad to do so .

I hate to be interrupted .
MR . KNIGHT :

I think this man resi gned two or three days

a go and is not in the Ranger force at this time .
THE CHAIR\lAN:

That i s the evidence that we have, that

he is in the Ranger force .

I will say the evidence is admis-

sible .
MR. CA"f\IA.LES :

This was Au.gust 3, 1915; they were out there

early in the morning .

The evidence will show the purpose that

they had in there was not to follow bandits but with regard to
some private matter and some private animosity between J eff
Scrihner on the one hand and Pizana on the other .

They were

out th e re early one morning with a company of soldiers and
su rro unded the house.
fast, ot he rs

~ere

The boys were there, some eating break-

in the corral getting ready their horses to

86
"
Texas
State Library and Archives Commission

 go out and gat her cattle .

The f i ght immedi ately started and

McGui r e , a so l d i e r , was k ille d .
THE CHAIRMAN:
MR . CANALES :

...

I s Mr . Mi lli ngto n in the room?
What was the last word I said?

MR . KNI GHT :

Before Mr . Canales begins , as I understood

the Committee , testimony relative to general conditions down
there was elimjnated some two or three days ago .

The Committee

sajd they knew arid had a l l the testimony they wanted and inforniati on regar di ng general conditions down there .
rect or

Am I

cor-

... ?

no~

THE CRA.IRv!AN :

You are. correct in that to this extent :

The evidence of general conditions down there was largel y .
int redu ced

b:y

the Adjutant General ' s Department on the fir s t day

of this investigation , extending i nto the second day , but in
view of Mr . Canales ' position in this hearing , I believe it
would be but justice to h i m that we should hear his version of
it .

We have refused to hear other general witnesses.

There

will be no other witness admitted upon general conditions ,
except Mr . Canales , unless the Commiti.ee takes another v i ew
of it .
MR . KNIGFT :

This Munoz case is not the same case

~s

the

on e at San Diego in which J ohn Edds was connected?
THE CF..AIRMAN :

MR . KNIGHT :

I t is not .
There is no· specification in any of the

general cl"arges suggesting this transaction at a l l .
TF:E CHAIRMAN :
MR . KNI GHT:

I thi nk you are wrong .
This is the l ast witness for the proponents .

Now we are going to open up again -THE CHAIRMAN:

this

cr~ree .

We had all the evidence with reference to

We have had two or three witnesses who testified

to thj::; charge .

The witnesses have testified repeatedl y to

this particular transaction.
MR . KNIGHT :

P robably so .

I cannot be mi staken .
As I understand i t , the case

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 now being opened up is a case where no Ranger was connected,
the one reported in Southwestern .
MR. CANALES :

A soldier was killed, a son of Pizana,

Aninceta Pizana, afterwards bandit leader, was shot through
the thigh.

The facts are related in this case .

THE CHAIRMAN:
MR. CANALES:

Let ' s don ' t go into all that .
You will see the purpose when I finish.

It is what caused the bringing of the Rangers there and their
actions.
State.

The facts are related in the case of Pizana v. the
In that case Ra.tp:on Pizana, the leader, was arrested,

tried ano g iven fifteen years.
all

t~e

I represented him there, and

facts in that transaction were the first reason lead-

ing to that bandit trouble and this undesirable conduct of
the Rangers.

In that particular instance I state that the

man was ahsolutely s.cting in self-defense.
MR. MOSES:

We object to trying that lawsuit again.

We

are willing to concede that the gentleman ably represented
him and rendered efficient service, but we object to going
into the details of that trial .
THE CHAIRMAN:

Certainly Mr. Canales - -

Gentlemen, you must talk one at a time .

We have only one stenographer on duty .
MR . MOSES:

Mr . Canales can detail having

b~en

counsel,

the so.li ent facts in the trial of that case, without reading

•

the voluminous opinion of the Court of Criminal App eals •
MR . KIHGET:

I may be entirely wrong, but I have no dis-

posi t)on in the world to limit the range of this investigation no :r to suppress a single fact or have a single fact
omitted, but Mr. Canales states and the witness states that
tbese ma,tters are germane, for the reason that they in tend to
show the occasion for the banditry down there, when we know
that Mexican and Texas hjstory is full of bandit rajds from
the days of the famous Cortina at least, back in ' 56, ' 7 and
'9, down to this time.

Are we go ing to go back and show every

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 raid in there for the last fifty years?

'

I cannot see the rel-

evancy of it, in other words .
THE CHAIRMAN :
control this .

Gentlemen , we are go ing to undertake to

We are anxious to limit the extent of this

investigation only to the extent that it will be fair, more
than you gentlemen can possibly be.

We are taking more time

on this than i i should take us to get through .

We will under-

take to keep out all unnecessary matters.
MR . CANALES :
Adjutan t General .
murdered .

This incident has been mentioned by the
He has inquired about white men that were

McGuire is one .of those he claims we re murdered

that is the reason I relate the circumstance.

There imme-

diately they called for the Rangers, and the Rangers arrived
almost immediately after this incident.

The incident that

followed was related by capta in Vann at Paso Real, wherein
these .people were killed in their own house .
the k il line of the Austi ns at Sebastia1:J

Following this,

Fo l lowing this, for

which two Mexicanf:I were convicted and hung, was this Norias
fieht , which is the one -- it is the one in the picture .
that Norias fight no Ranger participated .
but they were out on a scout .

Marcus

In

They were there ,

Hine~swho

was at that

1N (j)
time servj ng under Mr . Frank Wri ght , ~ ay and I believe
p

'\

two solcUers were the ones that stayed in the house and resi sted , vo.ri ously estimated, the numbers engaged, as from
Mexicans
thirty to seventy Mexicans. These five/l\m.l!UdxaNE we re killed
and not a single American was killed at that time, one was
sliehtly wounded .

The Rangers arrived ahout an hour after the

incident , and that picture was taken on the following morning .
Now .Captain Ransom was sent there, as related by Mr .
Creager, and they began to kill Mexicans without giving them
absolutely· rio chance, and those persons proved themselves innocent , on the mere dicta or information being g iven by any man
then: ihe y would go over there and

unc~remoniously

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
86-t

kill him.

 The effect was that immedjately every relative of that Mexican
would go to Mexico with his tale of woe , and it aroused a
strone feeline between them and the bandjts instead of being
minimi~ed .

That feeling increased at an alarming extent , to

the extt:rit that practically the Mexican border on the other
side was at war with us , sympathizing with the relatives of
these

ir1en

that had. 'been wrongfully killed , taken out of their

homes at night after they had said , if .you surrender your
anns we can protect you, yet after they surrendered their arms
these men would go into their homes afterwards and shoot them
at night .

Ten men were killed right near San Benito , right

near the house of the father o"f Miss J anes11 my
Ten men , as I

~

~

stenogr apher .

said , were taken out there - -

MR . KNIGHT :
object any more .

All I want to say is this : I shall not
My attitude is that the witness is purely

stating conclusions supplemented by a sequential argument .
Of coura(: he cannot make his a l legations or shadow his theory

more strongly than he has in his specific.: charges .
~he

to argue

The time

matter has not yet arrjved , as I understand it ,

e.nd. if you gentlemen differ with me and desire the a r gument
and. conclusions , I

shall not object any more , but i n my opinion

in the last five minutes he has been indulg i ng in an oral
areun..ent •
MR . CURTI S:
C omritt~e

I f I understand it , one of the things this

is investigating is the motives of Representative

Canales in making these charges .

I

think in order to get at

the motivt: of Mr . Canales , it is nothing but proper and right
that

h~

should be allowed to state the conditions down there ,

which he i::; doing .
THB~

ti me .

CHAI RMAN :

I think the evjdence is admissible at this

Go ahead .
MR . CURT IS :

I suggest that probably it might be well to

o f.L'er a::> part of the record , the .record in that case - - Give

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 the d tatio n to the stenographer .
MR . CAN.ATES :
SENATO R PAGE:

1 9~d

Southwestern .

I don ' t think that lawsuit is admissible

here at a.11 •
MR . CANALES :

s. w.,

J ust the r eference , Mr . Chairman - - 193

page 671 .

THE CHAI RMAN :
MR.

CANAI~S:

You don ' t want that copied into the re c ord?
No , sir , j us t to give the c it at i on .

Now , the matters , as I said, got gery bad , from bad to
worse , unt j 1 it culminat ed in the wreck of the t r ain October
19 , 1915 .
and

I was active ,

Gentle~en ,

and was in constant touch

I co- operated with the military authorities there and fur-

nished evidenc e to them , and also did my share .

Up to that

time I said , Sheriff Vann was adverse to putting in Mexican
deputies -SENATOR WILLI FORD:

You said the Adjutant General was in

constant ~.. ouch with h i m - - you knew that , did you?
THE CHAI F&'.iAN:
MR . CAN.AI.Ji]S :
I said up

~..:o

He said that he was .
I was in constant touch with the s i tuation .

that time Captain Vann , who had been only elected

shortly herore and didn ' t know the Mexican character very well ,
wa.s a.averse to putting in Mexican deputies .

I i nsisted on

Captain Vann to put in Mexican deputies, because they could
get in touch v, ith those other Mexican bandits and thereby ·
trap them easily .

After October 19th , after that wreck , he

realized that the condition was serious .
was openly

openly , I say

General Nafarrata

co - operating with the bandits

and hel ..)ed them with money and mmmunii.ion .

We knew that .

I

then s1Ae;eested the means of establ i shing Mexican scouts to
co - operate with the military authorities that had camps every
five miles .

There was as many as sometimes thirty , somet i mes

four companies , sometimes half a company - - at a ranch below
Brownsville

C' a l

led

about fifteen mi le s below Brownsv:i lle ,

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Sot>

 all the way up the River to Ri o Grande City -- the question
of .l/atc:_iue the River , so I told him that it .vas necessary to
get the Mexicans that lived in there and had been farmers and
tenant~
s~r~

alone that Border to give out the inf?rmation so neees-

so that the soldiers

coul~

get it , and to act as guides .

The suggestion was taken up by Captain Vann and endorsed by
him .

I went to Colonel E . P . Blockson , who was the Commanding

11~ vr1~

Officer there, accompanied by an attorney by the name of
THE CF.AI RMAN:
A

I gave hh1 my plan , and he endorsed it and gave me a
the orjginal is in my files

letter
come

Go ahead , you can supply the name l ater .

h~r(-;

As I said , I did not

prepared for this matter - - in my files in Brownsa very

ville, which I desire to get as a part of the record

short letter , giving orders to every Cornmanding Officer along
the Border to adn:it into

fu~l

would recon;mend to him .

Those scouts were disarmed , they were

confidence any Mexican that I

not "lo arrest anybody , they were merely to give i nf onnation
and serve as euides for the soldiers in order to catch and
trap those bandits .

They were organized about three days

after the railroad wreck .

I spent my time for three months

.

in organizing and guiding and supervising those , this system
of scouts .

The mi li tary authorities selected from those, two

in eacf' cai1_p , and they were paid by the United States Government as Federal scouts, $45 . 00 a month, I think ; our scouts
V1ere pajc by the County Commissioners a dollar a day ; they
were especially to watch at nit:;ht while the soldiers were in
cam1) , and they were instructed how to come at night into the
camp wi thou1. any risk to their lives .

Now it has been sug-

gested here by counsel that they never arrested anybody .
reason

~ey

The

never did was because thejr function was not to

arrest anybody, but to give information to the military authoritics e.rd they were to do the arresting '1'1hich was done , and
the first bandits connected with the wreck of the train were

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

86

 arrested at San Pedro Ranch on information given by my scouts ,
and two bandits were sure enough bandits and were killed by
Captain

~~ationed

at

S~n

infonr1ati on given by my scouts .

Pedro Ranch , were killed on
Maj or M . C . Butler, who nas

afterwards murdered at Alpine , was in command at that time .
I

have his own letter stating that since the organization of

the Mexican Scouts not a single band of Mexican bandits crossed
through lds Jjne through the efficient information given 'l!>y
these scouts .

I

had also on the other side men whom I had

represented and who were in close touch and would give me information vii th reference to the other side, and I would furnish
tho:t ilru:neoiately to the authorities on this side .

I n December ,

1915, hy that time the raids had been minimized .

I n ~~~
~er ,

1915, General Carranza , who is now President of Mexico , came
J

Mexico, and I was a member of the Committee
who

c~lle:d

upon him .

Mr . Creager was our foreman .

He spoke

in English, and then I spoke in Spanish to him , and we requested
of him the removal of General Nafarrata because we had informatjon and evjdence that he was assisting the bandits , and as
tes1.jfJed to , he soon gave us his word he would relieve him ,
and he sent his own nephew, General

lh-Sg~who

was stationed

there, ano from that time we had no further trouble
bandits .

~'lith

the

But the Rangers had established a precedent , and

that is, \lheneve r a suspect was arrested +hey would. unceremoniously 'Mil

execute~

the road to Brownsville or to the

jail, without giving him an opportunity, and it was frequently
we woulo fino dead bodies , and the ranches were burned and men
killed; a.s described here by J udge Kirk, the relatives were
intimidated to the extent that they would not even bury their
own

rel~tjves .

That condition existed until it was nauseating,

nauseatine , it was terrible .

mo

I wrote to Governor Ferguson,

was Governor at that time, and I told him about Captain

Ransom and his men and +olQ bim what

the~

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Nere doing .

I received

 no information or reply from him .

I came, in 191?, here , and

as you know the special Rane;er bill was passed in the first
called session in May .

I was openly against it , because I

knew of those conditions and knew that the Rangers had not
reformed but that they were living up to the reputation they
had C::1.Cc,.,1jred of killing their prisoners without giving them a
chance to be heard or to prove themselves innocent .

So I was

called to see Governor Ferguson, he sent me a message .

In his

office he told me, You are going to oppose this bill?

By that

time we had declq.red war against Germany.
going to oppose this Ranger bill ?
op~ose

t

j

on .

He says, Are you

I says , Yes, I am going to

the Ranger bill and I am going to oppose the appropriaHe says, I understand Jim Wells is also here against it .

I says, I don ' t know, I think Judge Wells is a very strong
friend of the Rangers but I don ' t care about

~udge

Wells, he

does not control my conscience, I am going to fight this bill
be ca.use i.hese Rangers have adopted a policy that is a shame
and

disgrac~

to my native state and to my .American citizenship,

a.nd I related to him the incidents that I have related to you·
and the number of men that have been killed without any justification and without any opportunity to be heard .
said, Ca.nales, I realize that that is true .
have just entered ir-to war .

Then he

He says, but we

By that time I think J udge Wells

was called in, I am not certain about it, but judge Wells says
he was present, and very likely his memory is better than mine
on that point .

He says, We are just entering into war , I have

reliable information that the Germans are making propaganda
on the other side among Mexicans, you are an .American citizen
and I appeal to you as an American citizen not to make that
fieht, because it will imperil the property and the liberties
of American citizens, but I will give you my word of honor,
I will remove whatever undesirable men, and I will remove any
man you will tell me that does not demean himself as a humane

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 and good officer .

With tears i n my eyes I shook his hand, and

I said , Governor , on that appeal , to show you I am a loyal
American, I am going to take you on that , and I said , Although
the crimes that have been committed are terrible and I know
that these men have disgraced my state and my American citizenship , yet on that appeal , Governor , I am going to show you ,
I am gojng over there and champion that bill; and I went there ,
and Senator

~11

tell you I helped to champion that bill

and it became a l aw .
You gent l emen know the sequence .
vetoed the University Bill .

I t was soon after he

We called him in that matter , and

we impeached Governor Ferguson, and whatever good i ntention he
had to comply wit.h his promise to me , he had no opportunity .
A new Governor was elected and a new Adjutant General was pl aced
in there , and I thought the new ad.mini strati on would correct
the faults of the old , so the matter remained that way .
ther~

While

were occasional misdeeds committed by the Rangers , the

whol~sdle

slaughter had stopped .

This went on in 1917, after

my services here in the House in May , I went to Brownsville ,
and there was a great exodus of Mexicans into Mexico, and the
charge was made that it was on account of the Rangers and also
on account of the registration .

General Morton was in charge ,

and he asked me to make speeches with him in

my

county to show

to the Mexicans, to explain to them the Registration Law and
show to them that Governor Ferguson had promised to put a stop
to a.11 this mistreatment of the Mexicans , and I did .

I t was

printed and circul ated , it was translated into Spanish by
Colonel Forto , and my name is signed to it .
circular .

I wish I had that

You will find it and this interview, the effect of

this interview with Governor Ferguson was incorporated there .
One day I was surprised when I saw a priest , Father Her~ann,

coming into

my

office through my partner ' s , Mr . Dancy' s ,

office , and said he wanted to speak to me .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

He was a very dark

 complected.

1r~an,

e;.nd I thought he was a French-Canadian, and he

was talking to me.

He took issue with me in regard to that

circular , and he said I was go ing to make my name opprobrious
among the Mexican people because I was leading them to believe
the Rangers were not going to mistreat them ,

and

that those

Mexican citizens would be relieved from service in the American
Army, and he wanted me to retract that .

When I argued that he

was wrong , he says, No, I got the proclamation , and he showed
it to me .

Gentlemen , I studied German long enough to say

eighty-dght , and I quit, b'ut I knew the Ge rman literature,
and he showed me a paper in Gernan and my eyes were opened;
about fifteen minutes after that Mr . Alfred Listner, who lives
in Donna, a good friend of mine and Chai rman of the Democratic
Party at Donna , came to my office and told me that the good
loyal Mexican citizens of this country were going into Mexico,
not to avoid the draft because they were above the draft, he
said that he believed there was something rotten -- he said ,
Have you any Catholic priests ?
He said , two German priests .

I says, Yes, what are they?
I said , I want to meet you at

twelve o ' clock, I want to take my lunch .

I went to see Mr .

D. L. Spiro , a merchant in my town , himself of German descent
but a very loyal .American .

I told him about this priest .

Then he gave me his name and told me that he had been with them
because Mr . Spiro was Pres icient of the Rotaria.n Club and had
also signed this circular .

He was taking him to task for

doing so, and he told me they had just found that this same
priest had taken him to task for signing his name to that.
I said, Spiro, have you read that letter of the President that
whenever we f i nd a suspicious character , it is our duty to
reveal his name ?

He says , Yes , what shall we do?

I says,

Talk to General Morton, that is what I want you to do.

He

immediately ' phoned. and asked for an audience with General
Morton ,

ann

we three "1ent there and talked wit:'l General Morton .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 I gave him all the testimony and to ld h i m my suspicion,
and he to l d us that
St ates Anny

he is now Major Gen er al in the Uni ted

he told us that the Catholic Church was very

loyal to the American peopl e and we would not do this thing
openly , d.fld try to injure the susceptibilities of the good
Catholj cs , tnat we should take immediate steps in a quiet way
to invest igat e this matter and to get these German priests
who were doi ne; the propaganda .

Amon e them iNas Father Poe ,

he was cc:i.ught near Eagle Pass trying to escape into Mexico,
ci.nd

forbidden to go because he was recognized as being the

very sa"t1e priest who was also in Brownsville and was the
director of all this propaganda .
That nieht we had a meeting at Washi11gton Plaza .
Morton spoke .

I

translated it .

0

While translating , I saw in

fi teen feet , at eight o ' clock at
ing, the

fi~st

thing I

General

nig~t ,

in a political meet-

recognized was Father Hermann.

While

translati11.e; , I leaned to him and sayd , Do you see Father Hermann

ther~ ?

He says , I can see the blank , b1lank .

General

Morton speaks Spanish , or rather understands and writes Spanish but does not speak it fluently , and I was translating for

him .
From there we \\Tent to Brownsville.
~ C atholic

Lim .

but a loyal Americani General Morton appealed to

He insisted the priests were not under our Bishop and

under orders from San Antonio .
MaJor

Mayor Brown , himself

Br~w11

Then General Morton requested

t0 co.lle to San Antonio to bring that matter before

the e;entleman in command of these priests , and as soon as he
related that incident and the fact that he was then at that
political meeting , he said, You don ' t have to tell me any more ,
this is an evil doer .

He says , I am e;oing to call him in re-

treat in a fe.v d.a,YS I .vill have him from the re .

There were

eight or nine of those priests all together , but all of

t~ose

priests nere under the surveillance of the United States Secret

Texas
State Library and Archives Commission
8'
I

'

l.J

 Service men .
T~e

thine went on .

The exodus stopped.

Captain Stephens

,1as sent the re , and I .1ish to say that , so far as I know, Captaj n Stephens is a good man and a conscientiqus man , and I so

.

told General Harley about it , but I did believe -- and do beno~ -~

lieve

that he was under the influence of two men that

have private reasons for disturbing conditions in my county .
mentioned those narne s to General Harley , and I mentioned them

I

to Captain Stephens when he came to my office .

I told him not

to be misled by those gentlemen , to not to be controlled by
Wjllson on one hand or by those tffo gentlemen on the other ,
but to do his duty .

Re began to disarm our men .

He would take

eiren double-barreled shot - e;uns along the River .

MR . KNI GHT :

I think we ought to have the benefit of the

names of those two men .
Yes .

SENATOR PAGE :

A

Q ft._!}- I

Those two men are Lon C. Hill and Frank ~t .

MR . KNIGHT :

All right .

A Now, I said then that those conditions should not be
pennitted .

They were disanning Mexican deputies who have done

loyal service to the Government of the United States and acted
as spies at the risk of their own lives .
MR . KNI GHT :

We would like to have those names, too .

THE CHAIRMAN :

I f you can , Mr . Canales .

A They have been referred to by J udge Wells , and among
them they

diBa~ued

Pedro Lerma,

~ho

was the deputy sheriff ,

and they disarmed my own brother , who had made a trip with his
family from my father ' s ranch in J im Wells County to BrownsvJllo

a~d

from him.
miles
'1

1

had a Winchester rifle . 22 .

They took his rifle

He had to travel one hundred and t·nenty or thirty

~cross

an open country - - they took his rifle away from

m an•' quite a numher of other Mexjcans that

they~

only

shotguns for the purpose of killing rabid maddogs and rabid

870
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 ~"' ki l led
~t

coyotes ,

their chi ckens .

The condit ion s i n there ,

Gentlemen , were those persons coul d not even have chickens ,
"'ecause the.: w .C nothi -1~ to ki 11 . the coyotes ;vho came stealing
til.eir c!lic"i<ans and wildcats would prey on theJ!l .

The River was

low and you coul d cross it almost at will anywhere .
¥R . CURT IS:

Gi ve the date of that .

A This was in 1918 .

This took pl ace some time , I think ,

in August , 191 8 , the disarming of the Mexicans --

MR . KNIGHT :

That is the time your brother and others

were disanaecl -- 1918 ?

A Yes , sir .
~

Were your brothers and others disarmed?

A

Yes , sir .

Q,

Go ahead .

A The condition of the River at that time , it was very
dry and you could cross it anywhere .
and

The various regulations

provisions were such that people across the River could

not get anything to eat and they \'/ere hungry , and they would
come at night across the River and would steal corn and cows ,
lfOUld steal everything from our tenants .

My own tenants , they

were left ni thout absolutely a beast of burden to protect them ,
and .1e coul-=. !J.ec:.r those _:)eople come from across the River ,
they would corne into our home and take our beasts of burden
from our ovm y-c:l.rds , and. we were c... ~raid to go out because we
haven ' t even a shotgun , they have
condition of affairs .
would

eo

disar~ed

us .

That was the

The Rangers were not living there .

in the daytime and disarm those

~eople ,

They

and at night

sleep in sood beds of ease there at the Hotel in Brownsvill e
and Har lingen and San Benito , and there was our peopl e disanned and at the mercy of their countrymen on the other side
who would come and steal everything they had .
condition .in 1918 , in August .
ha0

exch.o.nee~

letters

~ith

That was the

Captain Vann in the meantime

Captain Stephens , and he has related

Texas
87 State Library and Archives Commission

 his differences .

The r e was a partisan warfare between the two

factions there , and as I said , I be l ieve Captain Stephens was
honest in his op i nion, but he was sincerely misguided by put ting too much weight upon the testimony of ci.tizens

ilhO

had

ot}1er mo ~ives rather than facts of giving that information .
I

condi~ions

saw the

this way - - you recollect the day when

the district officials -MR .

KNIGHT :

Now there , now ne will ask that Mr . Canales

give the motive of those gentlemen unde r whose influence Captain Stephens was acting .
SENATOR PAGE :

I think , Mr . Knight , that

u~der

the pecu-

liar circumstances of this entire matter , that Mr . Canales
oueht to be allowed -- it is my individual view -- to tell his
story to

,~his

Committee in his own \'lay .

On cross examination ,

jf you wish to ask h i m about the motives of any of those
gentlemen , you will have the privilege .

MR . KNI GHT :

I quite agree with the Senator .

That is

all right .
A I t was when they had the district Senatorial Convention .
I was in Austin at the time .

I came to see the Adjutant Gen-

eral , and then I related to him the condit i on .

I appealed to

him to remove c aptain Stephens there , because of the friction
that existed there and because of this condition that I have
related .

H~ loo~eu

stat~ment

is correct , and I have about decided that the best

to me and saJs, Mr . Canales , I beli eve your

course for me i s to remove Captain Stephens there and change
him somenhere else.

I says , send anybody you desire to , Cap-

tain Wr]ght from Laredo or Captain Sanders .

I know Captain

Sdnd.ers , and I will say to the gentlemen that I was absolute l y
surprised at the testimony given here - THE CHAI RMAN:
A

Uon ' t comment on that .

I kno.1 Captain Sanders and 'believe him to be a good

87,)
offic~r .
- - Send one of those two gentlemen ,
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

and good conditions

 will remain , but I don ' t dictate to you gentlemen who you send
there .

He says , All right, the matter will be adjusted .

asked me , What is your opinion of Captain Stephens ?
As a man I believe

~e

is a good

ma~ ,

He

I said ,

conscientious man , and I

"believe he is trying to do his conscientious duty, but that
he is ill-informed .
Satllrday .

He says , I agree with you.

This was on

I went home , and on Monday the order was given .

Captain Hanson went in charge to install Captain W.W. Tayl or
who was stationed there to relieve Captain Stephens and his

.

men .

We had a mass meeting .

I n the meantime Mr . Lon Hil l

and others went around there and informed our ci11.izens that
they uere going to take the Rangers ali'°a.J from us .
1~R .

MOSES :

Were you present when he .vas doing that ?

A Yes , I sa.v him in Brovmsvi lle.

Q Uid you hear him make this statement ?
A I heard him make those statements to various citizens
there .

He says , Don ' t you knov1 , he told it to menlike Mr .

Jessup -- he wi ll tel l you if he i s put on the stand -- men
like Mr . J essup· and others .

He says , Don ' t you know they are

going to take the Rangers away from you , and our people are
absolutely a1arrned , as I sa.t , because we need the Rangers there
but Ne need the elimination
kno1

~hat

Captain

a

ne~

o~

bad characters .

They did not

company was to be stationed there to relieve

St~§fl.~ns,

and. our citizens flooded the Governor and

Aoj utant General .vi th telegrams protest i ne against the taking

of tbe Rangers from the re .
I

Nas

Nov'./ o.fter we had the mass meeting ,

present, Captain Hanson was present and Captain Taylor

was present there , and then the question came up as tovho was
to

bla?1~

for ta1dne; off Stephens .

Everybody seemed to wash

thei! hands like Pilate, and I says , and I arose and told them
qhat I did and the reason I protested against them , and I made
thea.t talk openly in Brownsville .

Ca.•tai n Will Taylor is here

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
87tt

 and 1ill testify to i t that I would not tolerate the conduct
of the Rangers l ike they had been in the past , that •71e .?ant
protect i o.r1 "' rorn them but we don ' t .vant mistreatment f rom the I!. ,

t""o. .... we were in a condition w'There we had +o have the best
qu~li~y

~en

of

to enforce the law , so theJ will command the

respect of the citizens .
Taylor reni(:j.i ned the re .

The matter quieted do,,m and Captain
Nothi ne; :further was done .

The killine of Garcia by the Rangers , Timberl ake and
Saddler and Sittre , was a matter that has been related here ,
and came to me through the channel which I have already testified .
thin1. I
was

11,;

I don ' t kno\7 anything about it; in fact , I don ' t
.'lo.~

in

...)8.:rtner

Bt\'.)

.rnsv.:lle :vfien i

~

occurred .

Mr . Dancy , 'lho

, inforn1ed me of the condition and showed me

thei letter to the Governor .,vhich is admitted in evidence here .
I .vill relate just one incident .

I will go back to Feo-

ruary , 1918 , when -.ve had the last special session , last called
session , I .1as called to the Adjutant ' s office oy I don ' t know
/I/ho , but I found Adjutant General Harley , Colonel F. A. Chapa ,
Capta]n W. M. Hanson and C. C. Olivera , a relative of mine ,
and I was asked in consultation there , and then I <7as informed
for the first time that Captain W. M. Hanson had been placed
in

charg~

of cbe RanGers as I nvestigating Officer and as Super-

visor over all their activities .

I then was asked about this

bill, about those thousand Rangers that we passed, and whether
or not I nould consider

c. c.

Olivera as a good man to be

· placed as one of those Ran03rs .
fact

!~e

r!ati ir1,;r

rel~tjve '1~ '1~'l

I told him , aside from the
t.vo sons in the army -- they

are now in France -- they were loyal Americans , and I thought
they could be trusted with a position of that kind , but I then
related in the presence of Colonel Chapa and Captain Hanson
the terrible conditions 11'/hich I have described existed prior
thereto b.;r

1'ea.l::lo·1

o_"' ";;he Ranger outrages .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

General Harley

 listened to me very patiently .

Captain Hanson spoke and said ,

. . . ho..t. he was going to do his duty and was 1.;oing to correct all
those evils .

Then , I don ' t kn0\7 whether Chapa , Harley or Han-

son , congratulated me fol' being frank in my statement of conditions

~hat

existed there and what I intended to do .

After

it was over , Captain Hanson addressed me and said , Mr . Canales ,
Jirect. whatever complaint you have to me , or wire me in care
of the Ad j utant General and I will go over there and correct
any evil if it can be done.
and he was

Uni~ ed

him in Mexico

~hen

I knew Captain Hanson since 190 9 ,

Stat es Marshal , and then afterwards -- I knew
he was in the oil fields , I have known him

al.IQ.JS , and I think perhaps that v1hile he nas a Republican
I

thought perhaps that he would do his duty .

C ~pt~in

I

know that

Hanson is a very smart man , he is a shrewd man .

Com-

pari sons a1·e really odious, but I am going to tell you I really
believe that Captain Hanson has more brains than the Adjutant
General ' s Department put together .

He is a man that has more

brains than I have , out has not the same quality of brains
th~t

I have .

That is the only difference .

(Laughter )

Cap-

tain Hanson to l d me these things , and I felt at least his
intelligence and shrewdness could be used for the purpose of
weeding out bad men .

He went down there and investigated this affair about the
killing

o~

told me

J '

Florenciio Garcia by these Rangers .
•

!,J~ .;

in

ai~

Captain Hanson

investigation he suggested to the Ad j utant

General that they should be suspenred, i11hich I cannot find in
such investigation .

I

introduced that whole record there to

show his findings in there .

I

found in there since then from

the very investigation he made , that he •Vas giving data with
regard to the acts of

t~10

se men from the very lawyerx who

was representing those men .

Then I found his letter

shovi~g

that a month before that he had already made up his mind that

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
87

 this fe llo n was a big criminal and the community ,fas better
off by having him killes .

Nov1 I didn' t kno1v these things , but

Captain Hanson told me that he had made that suggestion to the
A(1 ~utan-+; General , ancl I believed him at that. time .
An incident took place about the time that Captain Stephens nas removed from there : on account of the condition and
actjons of his men , the people called upon me and other cit izens , and at the suggestion of Captain Hanson , Colonel Chapa
was invited to make loyalty speeches and to explain conditions ,
which took place in September of last year .
I belie'ved that conditions would change .

I went with them .

I believed that

Ge1eral Harley intended to do just exactly like that letter
that was reacl h-:::re sail
me

w ~th

~1e

was zoine to do , and he impressed

th<:lt idea ; Gentlenen, and so far as I know I believe

General Harley is a good man at heart , if he could only lose
his

ha<l

associations .

He impressed me with that idea .

So I

found that Rangers Saddler , Sittre and this other man still
remained in the servica .

Then the incident took place of a

man that was abused , a relative of mine that was abused in
hi a own home in Brownsville .

This took place , Gentlemen ,

a1 o·J..t the first l)art of Oct ob er , Santavo Ti2!fi.eri no , he is a

re la.ti Ye o-::' my mother ' s , he is a peaceful citizen , a man '1ho
had never been before the J ustice

o~

the Peace on any charge .

He was follo:ling tl-1e trail of three co..vs stolen from the
other side and belonged to one of his relatives , and right
near the camp , the soldiers ' camp at San Pedro , on h i s own
mother ' s land , the same l and he \Vas farming , he fo llowed the
trail to find out nhere the cattle were crossed by those
thieves so as to pay a man to go on the Mexican side and keep
up the trail .
e.~nor-.;

On h i s return he was arrested by some officers ,

the-.n th\"::1· e .,1.., r

R .1.;erd i11 Captain Taylor' s company ,

nhose names I could not ascertain , and I did my best to give
the na.me s but I could not do it • He \Vas
8Texas
/ ,,
State Library and Archives Commission

arrested and asked

 what he was doing .

He explained , he mentioned

~ho

he was and

Nho his relatives were, and he was cursed and every relative
that he me nt i :m-;:;d. •..rer'e cursed by this one man in Spanish , in
the presence of those Rangers and in the presence of a deputy
sheriff , who is now Fred Winn .

Captain Vann has got that man

on r..is force , H.nd. be is here . The man came and reported to me
""et
and asked me to/i:tu him a passport so as to go into Mexico
with his family , but he was born and raised here , his brothers
and all tht! fa.mi ly lived here .
fo.r you to do ."

I says , 'No , that is not good

He says, "I believe those men mean to kill

me , I nel:ieve they insulted me for the purpose of me making
some demonstration and to be killed by them on the spot , and
then say I ,.,as resisting arrest ."

They never arrested him .

They only abused him and turned him loose .
was in Bro msvi lle at the time .
the 15th .

Captain Hanson

Th&.t was in October , about

I .vas about to l.ea,re on that day to attend dis-

trict court at Falfurrias , that was lone; before the election ,
Gentlemen -- it was in October --

an~

Captain Hanson called

me by ' phone and told me that he heard about the incident ,
I told. him so and he wanted to speak to me , I told him that
I .vas going to leave on that afternoon train .

He says, "We

are eoine; on the same train , I want you to be my guest . "
says , ••All right . "
Hanson.

I

On the train that afternoon I met Captain

I told him the incident .

it , " he sa,>rs , " that fe l lowX

He says , " I kno·,7 all about

they .vent to catch some fellows

who were bringing in mescal or whisky from the other side,
and they saw him going over there and making signals to men
on the other side , they were waiting to trap him and get him ,
and for that reason those fellows were angry and they abused
him , and I don ' t b l ame them and you would not blame them . "
I says , "C ertainly I do , be cause if he was doing what you s ay
he was , i t Nas your duty to have arrested that man and put
him in jail , even though he

~as

my relative , because he was

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
8~\i .

 conspiring with violators of the law , and I say your officers
have no right to abuse a man, that they ought to arrest him
and put him in j ai 1 and not to abuse him ."
" I ,{j·ll look up that matter ."
Nas done .

That matter

Well, he says,
w~s

dropped, nothing

On that afternoon on the train he invited me to go

in the Pullman , he showed me then the affidavits of Edds with
regard to the killing of Garcia, the same paper that was
shown to .Judge Wells, Edds ' , the other ranger and two or
three other affidavits which have been introduced here with
regard to the investigation .

He says, "Now, Mr. Canales, to

show you how a great many of those things have been saddled
on t:i:e Ra.>'lgers .?hen they are not to blame for it, " he says,
"! am going to give you an incident . 11

He says, "The re is a

man over there at Donna that was taken and shot in the leg "
that is that Garcia that I mentioned there and another fellow
the
that was flogged near Donna, below Donna, and/a Mexican consul
Genera~,and

the Adjutant

General has made me to investigate this matter .

I was talk-

here h<::tS

complained to the Adjutant

ing to Fred Winn here about this matter, and he volunteered
and told me that he was the one that flogged that Mexican ,

and I asked him to give me a statement to that effect .
I did not say anything , but by that time I suspicioned,
my suspicions were strongly aroused as to the diligence as
an officer of Captain Hanson, because I knew Fred Winn never
did e;.ny such

ei ~hing

from Bro"msvi lle .

as that.

This happened about fifty miles

Then that incident in Donna -- he says,

" I got two of the deputy sheriffs , local officers , who are

the sole responsibility, and they say they are the ones that
killed him. "
MR. KNIGHT :

Killed who?

A Not the killing but that shot Garcia, related here
by Mr . Busby .

Now he says, "You see how that shows, it shows

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 that local officers are doing these thin gs and the Adjutant
General has nothing to do with loc al officers; it has to be
regulated through your own Grand J ury ."

He says, "Those

things are being taxed to the credit of the Rangers,

~hen

my

investigation shows that they had nothing to do with them ."
Now he says , "Here is this Edds matter , read that -- I want
your 9pinjon ."

Well, I didn ' t know anythine about the Edds

matter , except I knew the fact that a man by t he name of Munoz
had been killed and that local citizens had requested an i nvestigation , and I read it, and I had the same opinion about
·the man .vho made poor Edds make that voluntary statement in
writing , li"k:e J udge Wells said , what fool made him say such
things as that ?
He said , "What do you think about it ?"

I said , "Why , he

I

is clearly guilty of manslaughter ."

lht/says , ~There is a

possibility the r e that you may inject sufficient evidence to
submit the quest ion of guilt in the murder degree , but it is
a possible, murder iri the second degree, but there is a possibility that evidence may be submitted there that will authorize a charge on manslaughter , but in my opinion it is murder
in the second degree .

He says , "You know there is no jury

on earth will convict him ."

I says , "I am not answering you

that question , I know juries who have acquitted men who were
absolutely guilty and instructed by the court to find him
guilty, ond you were present

~t

the time of the Mc Gloin trial ,

he was the deputy marshal, J udge Boarman, who had then changed
.1)laces 'Ni th the Federal J udge, jnstructed the jury on the ±lllE const rue ti oni:; of the criminal law to find him guilty , s,nd yet the
jury found him not gui l ty .

I do know on the facts re l ated he

is guilty of unlawful killing and an unexplained killing
under the law is ·murder in the second degree ."

Now he says ,

.M:r • Canales , j f that is your opinj 011 about it , I believe then

11

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 that the be st thing is to have no Ranee rs ."

I says , "If the

Rangers are going to do these things , we might just as well
do without them , that is my opinion ."

He was very much pro -

voked at my speech , very much provoked at my judgment .

I says ,

" Captain , you have known me and you have seen me pract"icing
law , I ask you this : go and see J udge Davidson of the Court
of Crind nal Appeal s and show h i m that testimony , and ask him ,
and if he does not give you the sa.me thing I

will tell you

the same thing , I wi l l qu i t practjcing law , because if I have
noi leC:1.rneci in twenty years of practicing criminal l aw that
is an unlawful killing and tantamount to murder in the second
degree , then I ought to quit practicing law ."
conversat1 on or. the road .

That ended our

Caesar Kleberg got on the train

at Nerio.ti , ano from then on Captain Hanson and Caesa:r Kleberg
ha<i a cm.fab for the·rest of it .

MR . MOSES :
A

Had a what ?

I didn ' t catch that .

They were talking about it -- I dio_n • t know what they

were talkine about , a friendly conversation .
at Kingsvi l le .

stopped off

That n i ght I wrote that letter addres s e d :k:Jx from

the Casa Ricardo to Colonel Chapa .
letter ?

I

Have you received that

You have made a request on Colonel Chapa to send it .
•

THE CHAI RMAN:

No , I was not here when Colonel Chapa

testified; I have received no communication from Colonel Chapa
at all .
A

I have made that request through the Chainran , writ -

ten request .

The l etter Vias addressed to him , signed by the

Chairman , saying to produce that letter .
envelop~

Also a self-addressed

-- wr.ich was the l at t er part of October , and some ten

days b t:fore the general election .
~

You recall that Colonel Chapa said he was not positive

he could get this.letter?
A

He stated there I did not complain% about Captain

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Hanson .

That i s exactly what I want to explain about , the

contents of that letter - - the letter is the best ev i dence .
TH:E CHAIRMAN :

Go ahead .

A I wrote Col onel Chara at that time,

~Our

friend Han-

son is double- crossing on us ; he is not making those i nvestigat)ons as he promi sed you and promised me to do ; I have
just read his investigation i n the case of Edds, so I have
been notified by the Guerra boys , and he i s trying to j us tjfy Edds and to cover that transaction .

Go immediately to

see the Adj utant General, a.nd demand that investigation and
t e ll the Adjutant General to read that testimony , and espec ially Edds ' ·affidavit , and I know the Adjutant General is
lawyer enough" -- I think I told him - - "to see the trans act ion , ond I am sat i sfied that Edds will be suspended from
service .

Please do this .

Be not afre:U d about this matter ,

bece.use I have seen that investieation myself ."
gen1:;ral terms what that l etter was .
answer from him .

I

That is in

never received any

We l l , matte r s went on , and then after. that

ele ctjon took pl ace, and you all know how that has been testified the election took p l ace , Captah1 Hanson was sent over
there as investigating officer about these election frauds ,
ann in 11-:li ch I do not care to deal , because it is not within
t. he r>rope i' :province of this body , but all this matter took

place before --

MR . KNIGET :

I think in order for the Committee to get

a full reflex of the situation there , that no part of it should
be omi ti.ea .
THE CH.AIRMAN:

I think we have had reflections about

pretty near everythine down there .
SENATOR PAGE :

I f the gentleman wants anything further ,

he ca.n get it on the cross exa.1ninotion .
A

The investigation efforts were carried on there .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Mr .

 Frank Hamer was made I nvestigation Officer i n Brownsville, I
met the e;entlerr·an only once , it was soon after the Timberlake
ki lline .

He impressed me as a good man , a.nd he gave me the

impression that Timberlake was killed by a glancing bullet
and that the bullet struck about eighteen feet from where Mr .
Timberlake was and somebody remarked, I .think Mr. Gray , the
Carranza representative, remarked something about that he
didn ' t try to ki ll him .

I says

'

"Well

he intended. to kill

'

somiahody, s.nd if the bullet glanced and hit somebody , he has
committed murder in my judgment ."

Mr . Hamer and I had no more

questions -- I seen him in there , ss I

sai~

he was continuing

the investigation in a quiet and orderly .vay , as far as I knew .
About the early part of December I had to go to San Benito to
tr.1 a case .
MR . MCMILLIN:
A

That was De cember last year?

That was n ecember last year , I had to go to San Benito

to atteno to some civil case for a lawyer there that was sick
with the flu and could not attend to it .

I went to catch the

train and found the train was one hour late.

As I had varj.ous

rr atters in my of :Lice, I returned to my office to dictate some

correspondence .

I was in front of the garaee formerly known

as the Harrison Jitney Garage , but now owned by J esse Dennett ,
v1hen I met Mr . Hamer, he was condng in a southerly direction ,
goine possibly to the Miller Hotel where his headquarters :1Jere .
I

1as r;ojne

)n

a northerly direction to the corner to turn to

..,1,e Merchants National Bank where I have my office .

"Herc , I want to see you . 11

I stopped , and he saj r~ ,

He says ,
11

Come here . 11

He says , "What is the name of that S-B- that complained to you
about the Rangers cursing him and ahusing him over at Ri o
Grande City""

I saio. , "I don ' t know that a.nyone from Rio

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Grande City complained about the Rangers cursing and abusing
him . 11

He says , "Yes , you have; you have said ' that to Ca11tain

Hanson , the man that you tole , Captain Hanson . "

I says , "No\;

let me tell you , the man that I spoke to Captain Hanson of
js SCJ,ntavo
home • "

Ti~erina ,

who ljves in ahout nine miles o:f his

He s c.1ys, "No "ff what did. that. S-B tell you ? "

OYm

I says ,

" I don ' t beljeve such testimony is :for you to knov1., that is
my own business about it . 11
w<J,y,

}ljs

He looked at me in a very angry

eyes glistened , and Gentlerr.en I have been practicing

law for twenty years and I knoN when men mean business - - he
t.old n,e , "You are hot-footing it here, between here and Austin
a.110.

complc:driing to the Governor and the Adjutal!t General about

th~

Rangers , e.nd I am going to tell you if you d.on ' t

you are eoine to get hurt . 11

I says, "What ?"

stop that

He saJs, "I f you

are not eoine; to quit it , you are goine to get hut't . "

I sa.rs ,

•

"Mr . Hamer , "'ill you :repeat that to so'lel-ody; I 11ould like
to have a

~1itness

to that ."

I led the way , and. he followed me .

I t was just o. few fee+. from the garaee .
th~re ,

As I nas entering

J esse Dennett started to the back part of his garage ,

a.rid I Ccl.lled him , "Mr . J esse Dennett , come here ; I call you to
list.en to what this man has to say ."

He started to explain

mat. t er:'! .

I sa.,vs, "'Don ' t explain mo. tters; I .vant you to re -

peat :ha+

~

ou told me . "

I says, "Di dn 1 t you. just tell me that

if I iitln ' t quit making complaints against the Rangers to
the Governor and. the Adjutant General , that I .·as going to get
hurt ? "

Mr . Dennett then turned around and said, "Did you say

that to Mr . Canales "" and :Mr . Ha:ner scd d. , "Yes, sir ," and then
Mr . Ha.mer started to explain , and Mr . Dennett says, "I don ' t
want to hear any more ," and he started to go back and I went
to my offi c;e .

I went to see Captajn Vann .

I didn ' t kno.v who

Mr . Hamer v.as or his reputation , but I felt when he mentioned
the name of

C ~ptai n

Hanson as being his L11'0 "'P.lar..t , that Cap -

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 tai n Hanson was put tine; up a j ob on me , e:.,nd knowing the man as
well as I do , I immediately became very suspicious that it l/tas
the voice of J acob and the hand of Esau, so I .vent to Captain
Va.nn and I told him , "Ca11t ain , this threat has been n:.ade upon
me ; V:hat shall I do ? 11

Captain Va.nn told me , " I just l·earned

throutf. J t,dge Wells and Mr . Danc;y about this incident , I just
learned through J udge Wells and Mr . Dancy about th is i ncident ."
He says , "My advice to you is , take a double- barreled shot-gun
and I N1J.J e;ive you a man and go over there and kill that man ."
MR . LACKEY:
A

\tfuo told you. that ?

Captain Vann .

MR . KNIGHT :

CaJ,>tain V<:1.nn held what office ?

A

He says , "That is my a.dv ice to JOU ."

Sheriff' .

s-:..y.s , "No jury Nould. ever convict you for that ."

He

I says, "You

are r;t)t , hut Captain , I" am a Christian , a.nd my religion tells
me I shoulC. not take the life of any man , even if it is to
sav~

my own life , and althouzh I would be perfect l y justified

under the law to do that , yet I prefe..r that Mr. Hamer wi ll
carry out hif: threat rather than e;o over and violate o.. law of
God. ."

That· .1as rf_y answer to Cai. t ai n Vann .

That ..va.s the day

"be~ore .

I

I left there •

1ent to my office and I addressed

to Governor Hobby , the original of Nhicl1 this is a copy , on
Dec enJ:ier 12th -- shal1 I read. that ?
THE CHAHiMAN :

Has it been introduced?

A No , :it has not been intronuced .
wjih my testimony .

Hobey .

It is in connecticn

I wrote this December 12th to Governor

I sajd in that letter the followirg :

(Witness reads letter of Decenilier 1 2th into the record .)

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 (COPY)
CANAL~S & DAMCY
Brownsville, Texas,
December 12, 1918 .

His Excellenfy .

Gov .

~.

P . Hobby,

Austi n, Texas .
Dear Governor :
I write you this to infonn you that one Frank Hayme r who is Sergeant of Rangers in Captai n Taylor ' s Co ., stationed in Brownsvi lle has threaten to do me bodily i njury
if I would continue to complain to the Adjutant General ' s
Department or to you, for the abuses and outrages eommi tted b
by Rangers in this part of the State.

He met me on the street

yesterday and in the presence of a respectable citizen to\Vit, Jess e Dennett, repeated this threat.

It appears that

sometime i n last Oc.tober a peaceful c i t i zen of th i s c ount y
and a relat i ve of mine by the name of Santiago Ti jeri na ,
lives n i ne mil es Northwest of

Bro~msville

\Vas

follo~vi ng

~~o

the

trail in his own land of some cattle recently stolen from
one of his relatives and taken in the direction of the Ri o
Grande , on his return he was stop1rnd by

SO '

.e officers and

Rangers and shamefully abused by them .

He complained to me

about it and \Vanted me tu get him a passport J:' or h i m and
his family to go into U.exico for fear of his life.
suaded him from doing so and

promis~d

I dis-

to report the incident,

I did so to Captain Hanson of the Rangers who had requested
me to report any abuse committed by Rangers .

Hanson d i d noth-

ing but instead told these Rangers that I was maki ng complaints
against them and evidently had instructed then , as the best
·.vay to stop complaints , to threat me in the ltlanner indicated.
Captain
Hanson
told me
personally that
\.;,
Texas
State
Library
and has
Archives
Commission

he is a c t i ng under

 your direct orders and that his men are acting .l8::t under his
(Hanson's orders) it is for this reason that I a pp eal to you
as Chief Executive of this State, and as such , commander of
t he Rangers, for the protection of

rrry

life and

my

person in

the discharge of ny- dutie s a s a citizen and as_ Rep·:r:esentati ve of the peopl e in my district .

I have refused to believe

that you would give any such orders to Captain Hanson or any
other man , and for this reason I am writing you personally
about it.

The trouble·

~vi th

this ruffian Haymer is nothing .

personally but i s acting under instructions, I am sure, of
Hanson, who is using this method in order to gag me.

It is

useless for me to appeal to our Local Civil authorities as
the Rangers claim that they are above them in authority and
are acting under your direct orders .

This man Hanson is a

corrupt Republ ican intriguer whom I know for the last eighteen years.

He served as secret service man for General

Diaz, President of Mexico ; was a co-conspirator of General
Huerta ; wa$ expell ed from Mexico for intriguing and because
he was a pernicious citizen by the Carrancistas Government
ani has ever since been plotting against that Government
and working to force intervention in Mexico by the United
States.

This is an open secret along the border and he i s

the man who claims that is acting under your direct orders
and in charge of all the Rangers and is inciting the Range r s
to connnit unlawful acts under the promise that he is the only
one provided by the department to investigate the outrages
and that he will see to it that nothing be done .

In the act

yesterday of this ruffian Haymer I reco~nized the voice of
Jacob but the hand of Essau; artl: there was no poss ibly way
of Haym.er knowing of the above incident except Hanson would
tell him a nd Haymer admitted that Hanson told him.

I make

this statement so that you would know that the trouble is
not only with this ruffian parading as peace officer, and
calling themselves State Rangers , but that the

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

trouble lies

 higher up in the person of Hanson who claims to be your personal representative.
Governor, so long as you have Hanson as the head
of the Rangers and acting, as he says, under your authority,
we will always have trouble along the border becaus·e he is
and has been the chief instigator of trouble against our
neighbors on the other side ; with him it is a pers onal revenge against the Mexican Government for expelling him as a
pernicious citizen and because he knows that I will not stand
to see murders and outrages perpetrated by the Rangers without raising my voice against such action, that he is now
seeking, thru intiI!ladation, to gag me .

This corrupt Repub-

lican politician who has been made Lord over us, has yet to
learn that I am willing to be murdered rather than, thru
cowardice, refuse to do my dut; as representative in this
District.

I

therefore appeal to you as my Chief Executive,

to protect me from the intrigues of this corrupt Republican
intriguer Hanson and his gang of ruffians, who are called
State Rangers, and claim to act under your authority, from
the threats made upon my life and person.

I

am not asking

y ~u for investigation; for it is useless to investigate acts

of this kind when the very man who does the investigating
is the very man who orders the outrages to be done.

Please

let me know by wire, at my ex~ense, or by letter, whether
you will give me the protection that I am entitled at your
hands as Executive of this State.
Yours truly,

(Signea)

J.T.CANALES.

JTS/ct

December 14, 1918.
Hon . J. T. Cahales,
Merchants National Bank Bldg.,

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Brownsville , Texas.
I

will investigate the matter mentioned i n your letter of .

December Twelfth and see that justice is done .
W. P. Hobby .
Paid- Official.

December 19, 1918.

Hon . J. T. Canales,
Brownsville , Texas.

My aear Mr. Canales :Answering your letter to the Governor of the 12th
which has been referred to me , I regret very much that the
situation has taken such a turn in your sectiou of the country
and assure you that I will endeavor to straighten out the parties you ment ion in your letter.

If there has been any injury

done you, will endeavor to rectify it.
You understand, of course, that the Rangers like
everyone else, make mistakes sometimes, but I do not believe
that they would do any intentional wrong.
As to what you say of Captain Hanson , I faar that you
do not thoroughly understand him or his pos ition.

He has been

acting under orders from the Governor with reference to matters done there and it was fully proper for h im to reprimand
those Rangers , as I understand it, upon being informed that
they were not conducting themselves properly toward you.

I

do not believe he instructed them to make any threats against
you .

He has assured me that he gave no such orders as indi-

cated in your letter to any of the men , but on the contrary
had instructed them·to treat all people with respect and fairness .
As to the matter of Captain Hans on's connection
with any ~~exic an officials or Government, that matter has

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 been thoroughly i nves tigated and was found to be a thing of
the past.

The Governor has recently received a letter from

the Honorable .F • .Frazeros , Consul of :.i.exico at San Antonio,
in which he compliments Captain Hanson very h i ghly and states
he is not objectionable to the Carranza Government.

am go-

I

i ng to make a thorough investigation of thi s ma tter at the
request of the Governor and see wherein the fault lies.

I

trust you will fully co-operate with me and g ive me the necessary information abo ut the whole affair.
I

will be pleased very much i f you will call here

at some c onvenient date and let us go over the matter and
see if we cannot straighten out the whole situation.

I

know

you are p rompted by mot i ves for the good of your communi ty
down there as I have found your advice and information in
the past to be very valuable .

It is my bel i ef that if a per-

sonal d iscuss ion of the matter could be brought about , I
would understand better how to adj ust matters.
Rest ass~red that I am endeavo ring to go into this
matter, and if the \vrong committed by these Rangers was done
intentionally> or with any apiri t of unf ri endliness toward
you , they will be hel d accouhtable.

Please let me hear from

you and if it is possibl~ for you to make a personal call
at this office , I would appr~ ciate it.
With k indest regards, and the season ' s greetings ,
I

am ,
Very sinc erel y yours ,
Jas . A. Harley,
The Adjutant,General,
State of Texas .

Brownsville Texas , Dec. 21, 1918.
Gen 'l. Jas . A. Harley,
S tate Cap i tol ,
Austin, Texas.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 My

dear General:
I am just i n receipt of your letter of the 19th.

in reply to my letter fo the Governor of the 12th i nst. , and
I note wi-iat you say about the Rangers , l .ike everyone else,
make mistakes sometimes .

I am always ready to overlook the

-

mistakes of my fellows provided they do not make the sam.e mis-

-

take too of ten, but the action of Sergeant Frank HaY'mer in
threatening me is no mi stake , my dear General.

I cannot be

mistaken for, a l aw breaker for everybody knows me as a l aw
abiding c i t i zen and I take pride in this.

If this t hreat on

my life by a State Ranger is a mistake i t i s better to cor-

rect it p y putti ng h i m out

~~ere

he can do no harm.

It is pos s i ble that I do not thoroughly under stand
Cap t. Hanson , but I believe , General , that I know him before
even Col . Chapa who recommended him to your Department.
have known Hanson at Laredo , Texas , whil e Deput y
shall in 1900 ; I have knovm him

.wkJfx la::& .W1ltK

u. s.

I
Ma r-

i n Mexi co near

Tampi co where he has some land ; I have known h i m when he was
Gen 'l. Di az ' s detec tiv e on the Government of the United
States , and you know me well enough to know that I sel dom
make up my mind on a question like this unl ess I have reason
and especiall y facts to base my judgment .
You say that "He h as been acting unde r orders from
the Governor with reference to matters done there and it

™- fully

pro:eer

!.2.£ him to rep remand ~~ Range r s ." What

Rangers did he r eprimand?

You certainly have mis11lnderstood

my letter to the Governor, if you think I stated that Hanson

ever reprimanded any Rangers .

When he investigated Range r

John Edds of Capt . Wright ' s Company., for the murder of a poor
man near Hebronv i lle, in J im Hogg County he repr imanded h i m
so well that he, John Edds , within a short t i me murdered another man named Munoz near Rio Grande City, , and Capt. Hanson
showed me a sworn statement of John Edds which shows him

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 guilty of murder in the second degree.
affidavit.

I got a copy of the

John Edds has not been even arrested much less

reprimanded and enjoys the distinction of staying at same
place as Sergeant of
~im

Ran~ers

among a people that ·1ook upon

Judging from that I am sure Hanson will

as a murdereu.

reprimand this fellow Haymer by making him Captain of the
Rangers .
have appealed to the Governor for protection, for

I
I

know my life is in danger from this source because I have

acted

an

good faith in your promis e , General, that all abuses

and outrages connnitted by Rangers will be stopped, and you
have requested me to inform your department of any abuse and
you will correct it.

You have done so in the past, and I

trust you i.vill do so now.

I assure you, General, that ·I

.know· my man aµd have the evidence but will not submit it to
Mr . Hanson .

I shall be glad, if I live that long, to see you in
Austin next January.
Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas, I am,
Sincerely your friend,
(Signed) J. T. CANALES.
JTC/ct
(Telegram)

Austin , Texas , Dec. 23, 1918 .

Ur . J. T. Canales,
Brownsville, Texas •
.Am •vi ring Ranger Frank Haymer to-day that he must make no

threats against you and that he is to g ive you proper protection from harm.

Would like to

date after First of January.

Wire

see
me

you here at an early
if you can come.

Harley, The Adjutant General.

(Telegram)

Austin, Texas, Dec. 23, 1918.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 (Te l egr am )

Aust i n , Texas , De c . 23, 1918 .

Rang er Frank Haymer ,
Brownsvi lle , Texas .
Und er Governor ' s ord ers y ou a r e i ns tructed not to make any
threats a gai nst the lives of any citizen esp ec iall y J . T.
Canales , and that he is to be g iv en prop er p r otecti on .as a
citizen.

Complai nt has been fil ed tha t you have made some

threats.

Without g oing i n to t he t r uth of t h e matte r, you

are instr uc ted to be c areful and c ourtemus at all times and
n ot to ma k e a personal matter of y our off i cial dutues .

Under-

take to adjust d i f f e r enc es as best y ou can without caus i ng
a ny trouble .

Answer.
Harl ey , Th e Adjutant General .

S. P .
Brovmsville , Tex. Dec. 24 , 1918 .
Gen . J ames A. Ha r ley ,
Aust i n , Texa s .
Your wire twent y-th ird r eceived a nd c ontents not ed .

It

would not be possible for me to be i n Austin unt i l January
Twelfth, on a ccount of b us i nes s , but i f you need to see me
bef ore t his I sh all make an effort to leav e h ere earlier.
Rec eive Sea son ' s greetings .
J . T. CANALES .

----··-·-- ------received Decemher 14th the telegram of that date ,

I

the ori ginal of wh i ch i s my files in Bro wnsv il l e .
On Dec emher 19th I recejved the l etter of that date ,
the or1 e.;j rial of wh j ch is in my files in Bro vmsville , an,d this
j

s a correct carbon copy of ·.Nhat Gen eral Harley wrote me .
I

1rotP. t.o h i m on the 21st , and thi s .va s written on the

19 t.h .
On the 23d of December I received the wire from Ge ner a l

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 E... rle~

,

the original of .v hich is in nv files , of .vhich this is

a true co ... .Y .

MR . CURT IS:
whom

yo~

Do you know whether or not the

RaP~er

refer there is still on the force 9

A He is , so far as I know .

He began dismissing some men

from the service as soon as I began to file charges .
kno

/1

'.,hether he is st il l in the service or not .

Adjut~nt

to

I

don' t

I viired the

General on the 24th , and on the 23d the Adjutant

General Vlired Frank Hamer .

A+ 12 M. the J oint Committee recessed, to reconvene at
'"' :0 0 o 1 clod P . M.

Februar~

10, 1919 .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 KONDAY, FEB . 10th, 1919.
The Joint C•mm1ttee of the House and Senate to investigate the

•

charges against the State Ranger

~orce

convened at 2:00 o'clock P.K.

AFTERNOON SESSION.
THE OHAIRKAB:
MR. CANALES:

The Committee is ready to proceed, Mr. Canales.
I believe I had finished with regard to ·the tele-

gram sent me by the Adjutant General of Veoember 23rd and the telegram sent to Mr. Frank Haymer of the same date.

When this letter --

this telegram, was received, I then, in addition to the telegram
of the 24th I read, I sent to General Harley a letter.

~

recollec-

tion is it was dated either the 24th or 26th, I think the 26th.
This i s the letter I have requested General Harley on seveal occasions to produce here, but he has not been able to give me even a
carbon copy; a carbon oopy is in my .office now.

I will state the

contents becomes very pertinent to this matter, and will state what
that letter contained - THE CHAIIDlAN:
MR. i\lOSES :
MR.

CA~ALES:

Ia there any objection, gentlemen?

Bo, he has laid the predicate.
I get hie wire of December 23rd wherein he sai d

that he had wired Ranger Frank Haymer to make no threats against
me and to give me proper protection, and so on.

I said "117 dear

General , this reminds me of an incident that took place in the
life of our beJoved Judge Gaines, Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court , " - and for your information and with your permission I am
going to relate it.

I then stated this instance:

Judge Gaines

loved to raise fine chickens axil he bad a neighbor, an Irish woman ,
who had a very fine garden, and Judge Gaines' chickens will centinually peak on the neighbor's garden and flowers and

~he

con-

tinual l y complalned about these chickens but the Judge never did
a117thing about the complaint.

~inally

she got angry and wrote him

a very insulting letter and went on to say that the next chicken
she caught in her garden, she wa s going to kill.

The Judge then

wrote her this letter:- "Dear Madam, - I mmediately upon receipt
ef your letter I went back into my back yard and called all my

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 oheokens together, and there in a loud and ver7 distinct voice I
read them 7our letter, and I then told my cheokens that. if they
didn't behave themselves and didn't sta7 out of your garden and quit
pecking your flowers, that I wouli oall them together again and
*ead your letter over to them again.
.f ied.
I

I

hope madam, you will be eatis-

Ve:ey truly y ours, R. M. Gaines. "
said, "Dear General,- if Kr. J:1a711er makes similar threats, I

trust you will send him another long telegram.

I

said, I can see

General, from the tone of your letter that JOU don't believe that
these threats and this conduct is a serious matter, and

feel now

I

that the only course that is left open to me is to appeal to the
peeple of Texas and ask them for their support."
That is more or less the letter that l wrote to him; that was
the last letter, the last communication between us.

1\•se letters

that I have read and the telegrams, .are marked Exhibit "L and I
11

here wish them to be filed so the stenographer may ref er to them.
Now, I went on a hunting trip after Christmas and when I returned from that trip I found a compall¥ of rangers lead by capt.

w. w. Taylor, who up to that time

had

demeaned himself as a very fine

officer and so far as I know an enforcer of the law, and had not
meddled in looal politics.

I find that he had been notified that

his company would be disbanded on December

~l,

and one night about

11 or 12 o'clock Capt. Taylor and Capt. Yan came to my house and

talked to me to see if I would write or wire the Adjutant General
or go to see the Adjutant General and keep him from disorganizing
tllat band of rangers.

He got out and came into my house and I re-

cognized that it was Capt. Taylor in the automobile out in front of
my house, and I told Capt.

Van that inasmuch as I had been in a oon-

trovers7 with the Adjutant General, I would prefer if he wotill leave
me out,- that I didn't desire to be put in the position of asking
that rangers be retained there.

I explained to him fD7 embaraseing

position, and he agreed with me and they left.

'lhat company has

been disbanded, but not all of the members of that

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

comp~n7

have been

 discharged from the eervioe; onl7 about four or five were discharged, among them my information ls, a 7oung man by the name of Fox.
Is capt. Ta7lor here?

in your company,- Fox?

Is that the .name of the young fellow who was
He ie a young man who does not, never

gam-

bled or drank, and he was discharged.

MR. TIDWELL:

How many members in that compaD7?

J4R. CANALES:

I don't know.

C~.

TAYLOR:

How ma117, Capt. Taylor?

Twelve.

MR. CANALES:

Jive were disoharged and the others incorporated

in Capt. Wright's

oompa~.

Bow, while I am a prohib1tion1sl, I

don't believe that a man is a low s11111er simply because he takes a
drink, but I will tell you that in ffi7 opinion 9<>% of the ranger
force are drinking men.

Bow. I don't say they drink to excess, but

they are drinking men, what we oall drinking men, and in this instance my attention was very forcibly called to the f act that the
only member in the
even engage

~n

who was a teetotaler

and

who would not

a game of chance, was discharged.

THE CHAIR114AN:

MR. CABA.LES:
THE OHAIRMAN:
KR. CANALES:

oo~parq

What was that ranger's name?
J'ox.
Is he related to Capt. Fox?
I don't know.

No, he is not related to the Cap-

tain; I am sure he is not related to Capt. Fox,- he comes from
another family.
MR. KNIGHT:

Does Capt. Fox drink,-- Capt. Taylor, does he drink?

A I never saw him drinking, but I believe Capt. Taylor takes a
drink occasionally.
of January.
~

Now, I have related on up to the fi'st day

I came here, and I swear to

J"OU

under my oath that

intentions were simply to appeal to the Adjutant General to

remove the objectionable men from the force without forcing me
into a fight, either by introducing the bill which I hal9 introduced, known as the Canales Bill, House Bill No. 5, or by demanding an
investigation.

R&

I knew that this investigation would reflect neces-

sarily on the good name of the administration of our present Gover-

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 nor, whom I supported strongl7 in my oount7, and I didn't want to
even oause the slighest reflection upon his administration.
came here,

~

recollection was, on the 12th of Januar7; I came in

Ul'f automobile, ma.de the trip across count17 in

my wife.

On

I

IIl1"

automobile with

M0 nday I went to the Driskill Hotel and saw some par-

ties there.- JIDnday night I saw Representative Newt Williams f:rom
Waco and while there talking with him I saw Kr. Frank HaJ'Dler, and
his presence was made known to me very marked b7 passing in front
of me, as though he simply wanted me to know that he was here and
on the force.

From there I went to the Avenue Hotel and I find him

there; he came after I left the other hotel, and showed himself that
he was here.

He want me to know it and I know it, of course.

New,

Kr. Haymer had been transferred from Brownsville and placed on the
force here.

He has not done an7thing that I know of to carry out

his threat on me, but has just made it known that he is here and
is still on the ranger force.

I teok hie action as a cha1lenge

that I would be intimidated if I would make aI\Y charges against
these rangers or int•oduce &Jl1' law attempting to regulate them.
On i'ueeday morning I went in the office of E.

c.

Gaines and in ID1'

own handwriting I wmte the bill, House Bill Ne. 5, and Mr. E.

c.

Gaines had a stenograher who couldn't write shorthand but used the
typewriter, and copied

it off for me.

I met General Harle7 at the Driskill on Monday night and he said
he wanted to see me and I came to see him in his office, and I discussed with him these matters •

I was absolutely convinced that

Hanson's investigations were one sided and made for the purpose of
protecting the rangers.

I again told him in the presence of C•l.

Chapa,- 11a3pr at that time, has since been made a Colonel,- I said
right there and then that General Harley wanted simply to gain time
for the Legislature to adjourn and go home and the conditions that
had heretofore existed would continue to exist, and knownglng that,
I introduced that .bill.

9

THE CHAIRMAN:

Now, that is all I have to say.

Are you read7 for the cross-examination?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
}

 GEN. HARLEY:

Does the Judge want to ask him an7 questions.

MR. A. B. CURTIS:
the test1mon7.

MR. KNIGHT:

I

I don't xare to now; I

d~dn't

hear all of

ma7 want to ask him some questions later.

Mr. Canales, as I understand 7ou then, when you

landed here .Mr. Haymer did not leave town?

A I don't understand the question.
Q I say when you landed here, Mr. Haymer did not leave town?

A What do you mean by "landed" here?
~

When you arrived here?

A IB Austin,- I arrived here on Saturday and I saw Mr. Ha711ler on
Monday.
Q He didn't go in hiding because you were in town?

A Bo, but he showed himself very markedly, as much as to tell me
here he was in Austin.
Q Well, you saw others walking around down there?

A MQet assuredly so.
Q Did he conduct himself unaeemingly in any way?

A Bo, sir; except the fact that he made himself knwwn by walking
by in my presence twe or three times there at the Driskill and

then ooming around to the Avenue Hotel later, without absolutely
a111 menacing attitude,-

I

have stated that.

Q De I understand that you desire to convey to the Committee the

idea that he was contemplating any sort of injury to you?
A Ne, but whatever was in bis mind only he and GOd knows.
that

I

He knew

had filed charges against him and the Adjutant General

had not removed him, and he was going to show me that he had a
st•ongller pull with the Adjutant General than I had .

t

What was

in his mlnd, I don't know,- I am not a mind reader.

Q Just a mement ago you indicated that you were a mlnd reader,

because you stated that you saw what was in General Harley's
mind,- that he was favoring the ranger force, didn't you?
A

Yes,

sir.

Q Bow 9 iaa't it a fact. Kr. Canales, that you have become obsessed

9! Texas State Library and Archives Commission
---~

 in a way with suspicion and hallucination regarding the seriousness of this matter?
TH~

CHAIRIJA.N:

Judge, :pardon me, but is that quewtion along ile

proper line?
MR.
Q

Now,

~~IGtlT:

Well, perhaps not.

Mr. Canales, you say this whole trouble-- everything was

fine down there until 1915, January of that year?

I believe

you said the trouble started and that you received threatening
letters from various ones and-I didn't say in January, I said early in 1915.

a

Q And that you did not believe much in German propaganda--

A I didn't say, either, that I did not believe there was no German propaganda because I was one of the first to warn against
German propaganda at that time , but that the average American
did not believe much in German propaganda then.
Q And at that time were not alarmed?

A Yes, sir.
Q

Now, that was early in the year-- wasn ' t in January.

Now, ym

have stated a great many instances of outrages perpetrated
upon the .dexican population down there-- I may not have follcw ed all you said- - but have you complained either in writing er
in your long r ecital here of any outrages perpetrated upon th!
citizens in that section of the country by the banditti from
Mexi co?
A

Judge , I did complain, and I have stated here how I complain&.
I complained to the Governor, at that time Ferguson, and I
have stated my reasons for not insisting on tha t complaint
on the fllor of the house, and

Q

I will ask you again, if any of the elaborate allegat ions
contained here, or in your testimony or recital, you have uttered any complaint against the banditti who have stolen property , operated a smuggling system , committed murder, taken
women and children into hostage- -

9f tTexas
~
AState
That Library
is not true.
and Archives Commission

 Q You don 't believe, then, the facts in connection with the r ai:l

on the Tom East ranch where they held Mrs. East?
A I want to answer your question-Q Wait a minute, have you--

THE CHAIRMAN:

Gentlemen, if you both talk at once the stenog-

' rapher will not get any of it; will not get either one.

MR . KNIGHT :
Q

That 's correct.

You don't believe that story, anyhow, about

Tu~s .

East and her

children?
A I only know from what I have read in the newspapers, and with
regard to what I have said, I cooperated with the officials
and rendered them every assistance within my power , and

~hro"tgh

our efforts we have caught some of those bandits, have caught
some of those robbers, have caught some of those murde rers,
and we have hung some of those murderers that killed the Austins, and I have done everything within my power-- certainly
more than you have done or more than anybody else in Dallas-THE CHAIRMAN:

Just a moment-- don ' t make improper remarks of

that kind .
1'IR. CANALES :

MR. KNIGHT:

I beg your pardon.

You say you did not credit the story of the out-

rage there on the Tom East ranch?
A I didn ' t say

anyt~ i ng

of the kind, I said I only know of i t

through newspaper reports.

I was in Austin at the time and

read of it here , and I take it that a newspaper editolial is
somewhat accurate; I don't know .
Q What do you know about a ki l ling that occurred way out there

near ElPaso

2t

years ago-- what do you know about the Boykin

killing other than from newspaper reports and hearsay?
a

What Boykin k illing?

Q Here are the allegations here-A

Will you refer to that allegation-- what number is it?

18 or 19?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Is it

 THE CHAIRMAN:

Is that the killing for which Robinson was tr:led

in ElPaso?

MR. CANALES:

'
That was furnished me by members of the House;

that is on information and belief, and if you will

re~d

it yru.

will see that it is so stated-- just exactly like a county

a~

'torney or a district attorney files a complaint on inf ormaticn
and belief.

I will produce the evidence here.

MR. KNIGHT:

What year did that occur?

A I don't know; the witnesses are here and they are accessiblemost of them are in the House and will teke the stand and teStify.
Q And that the outgages at the Tom East ranch did not occur, an:l--

MR. CURTIS:

He did not say they did not occur.

MR . KNIGHT:

He denied that any women and children had been

taken hostage-- read the record.
MR . CANALES:

I had refe rence to Brownsville-- Cameron and

Hidalgo Counties-- no women and children were taken hostage
there, and no women or children were molested in any way.
~

And you know nothing of the Tom East raid except from newspep er reports?

A That's all.
Q And never made any inquiry as to it?

A No, sir.
~

Never considered it of any serious consequence at all?

A This is a ranger investigation and I am telling of outrages
committed by the rangers, where they have done things they
ought not to have done, and not an investigation to gather
data as to what was done by the bandits.
Q

I am simply endeavoring to show that there are two sides to
the question-- have the bandits from Mexico done certain
things they should not have done?

A* Most assuredly so, and some were driven to it by the outrageous treatment given to those Mexicans before that time;

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 D9

that's what Mr. Creager told you.
Q And therefore you attempt to justify their acts by treatment

they have or may have received before that time?
A No, sir; I am not here attempting to justify them and whomsoever says so, misquotes me.

There is no such a thing· as jus-

tifying one wrong by committing another.
Q Have you referred to a single one of the cases where the ran-

gers and deputy sheriffs and citizens have taken the law into
their own hands in bringing to merited punishment any of the
banditti you have mentioned, and isn't the reason why you have
not, because of the fact that you have consciously or unconsciously, you understand,
A I wish you would .use more common Engl ish, because I am not
that high class talker-- I don't understand you.
Q Why, you have even quoted the Bible on me--

THE CHAIRMAN:
MR. CURTIS:

That is absolutely inexcusable, Judge.
I submit that the question is immaterial and ir-

relevant.
THE CHAIID.ilN:

I think it is improper, in a way.

However, I

will let him answer it.
Q MR. KNIGHT:

Mr. Canales, have you not consciously, or do you

think it is possible. unconsciously permitted yourself to be
worked into a condition where you are prone to i~~iiiiw the
outrages perpetrated and magnify the casual mistakes of those
struggling with the situation down there, about which you have
testified?
A No, sir; I do not i~ffeit at all-- I say here that the
men who killed the Austins and others down there committed cold
blooded murder-- the ones in the attack on the Galveston Ranch
I don't justify any of them,

'

committed cold blooded murder.

'

but I do say that that is no reason why innocent people shoull
be taken on suspicion and murdered and killed in cold blood-that's what I state.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 D.l.O

Q Now, can you name a single person whom a ranger has dispatch-

ed?
A One instance was related to you here by Capt. Vann, where a
man, after the train wreck, was arrested on suspicion.

Seve:r.al

soldiers were killed in cold blood in that wreck-- and he was
found in possession of some shoes-- the Mexican was found in
possession of some shoes belonging to a soldier, with his name
and number in them, and Capt. Vann arrested him, and he was
the very man that Hanson wanted to murder-- to kill, rather.
THE CHAIRMAN:

You don't mean Hanson?

A No, I don't mean Hanson, I mean Ransom-- was the man that
Ransom wanted to kill.

Now, Colonel Gay, God bless his mem-

ory, is a fearless man and he knew this Mexican well, and he
aske.d what they were going to do with this .Mexican and Capt.
Ranson said "We are going to kill him now; we have the evidence on him.
a soldier."

We took some shoes away from him belonging to
You know when the soldiers were killed their

shoes were taken off of them.

Colonel Gay said "Let me speak

to him" and he spoke to the Mexican and then he said "I have
known this Mexican for ten years; give me only an opportunity
to go to Brownsville to ascertain whether his story is true."
The Mexican had told him that he got those shoes from his son;
his son worked for

w.

B. Hinkley and his son said that Hink-

ley gave him the shoes-- this man Hinkley said that the shoes
belonged to a soldier who was drowned in the river-- Hinkley
ran an undertaking shop, and gave the name of the man, and

.

t~

y

went over to the Post and the sargeant looked up the records
and found the initials and number of the soldier who was dro'Vll.ed, and they exactly corresponded with the initials and numbt!r
in the shoelJ the rangers had found on this i.Iexican, and they
had to turn the man loose.

That man would have been murdered

right then and there if he hadn ' t been given an opportunity
prove his innocence.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

1o

 D11

Q Now, that man was not murdered?
A

.No, sir; because Capt. Vann had him, and not because the ranlJ'rS
did not want to.

Q Do you know that if Capt. Vann-- I mean Ransom, had gotten hal. d

of him, that an opportunity to investigate. would not have beei
given him?

A I know

th~t

the other men did not want to investigate-- they

had already set on him for a victim-- and he was liberated .in
the manner I have told you of.
Q

Do you know that personally?

A

It is a matter of common repute, and was testified to by Capt.

Vaun.
Q You know nothing about it of your own knowledge?

A No, sir; but I know from Col. D. P. Gay and from others.

Col.

Gay is a political enemy of mine, but he is a fearless, God :tearing, law abiding man.
Q I will ask you if you can name a single bandit who was killed

by rangers who did not deserve it, or any innocent people the
rangers killed?
A Those four men they killed after the wreck were men they kil:led, and--Q Do you know that they were not guilty?

THE CHAIRMAN:

Under the laws of our state, they are presumed

to be innocent until their gui 1 t is proven-- are they not just ly entitled to be tried by our courts before their guilt is
established?
MR. KNIGHT:

He said the rangers committed wholesale executioo.s

of innocent people, and I asked him to name a single one that
was innocent.
THE CHAIR1IAN:

The presumption of law is that they were inno-

cent.
MR. KNIGHT:

If that's the ruling of the Committee, I yield.

9•
Tllli CHAIRMAN: It is not only the ruling of
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

the Committee, but

 D12

it is the well recognized law of this state.

1m.

KNIGHT:

Mr. Canales has made frequent complaints here about

injuries done to Mexicans-- I asked him to state the name of
an innocent man, regardless of that presumption of the law, md
I

don ' t think it should be excluded on that ground.

MR. TIDWELL:

Under the laws of this state, it does 1:10t make any

difference whether a man is guilty or innocent, if he is takm
out and killed without due process of law.

MR. KNIGHT:

I understand that, but I simply wanted to show

Mr. Canales' feeling in the matter-- his attidue and views on
it.
THE CHAIRMAN :

If you will pardon a suggestion-- you refer to

to the fact that he made no charges against the banditti of
Mexico that came across.

The province of this Committee is

not to investigate their activity, but to investigate the activity and conduct of the State Ranger Force, and it was not
necessary that any charges be made against those peopl e, or
proper, no reason for it. Now, on this proposition of guilt
or innocence, you can ask him if he knows any man who was executed by the rangers without due process of law or in the
necessary discharge of his duty, but insofar as the guilt or
innocence of the parties executed are concerned, that is absolutely immaterial.
}iffi.

KNIGHT:

THE

CHAI:RMAI~:

I had no idea in the world of trying those cases...And we will not take up the time of the Commit..

tee in going into their innocence or guilt.
MR. KNIGHT :

I desire to call your Honor's attention to this

resolution under which this investigation is held.

It states

that we may inquire into the question of motive of tnose
bringing the charges, and-MR. TIDWELL:

To take a man out and shoot him, whether he is

guilty or innocent-- what difference does it make whether he
is innocent or not?
MR. KNIGHT: You will remember . th.at the majority of thes·e caf:e s

9Texas State Library and Archives Commission

'
%s -

 catalogued by Mr. Canales were prior to 1915, and that he was
then in the House of Representatives, and that up until the
21st day of September he was writing the frieµdliest letters
to Capt. Hanson; that there was no complaint about

t~is

rangl'!:'

force up until that time, and that all the trouble which seeIIB
to have concerned him was since the 21st day of September,
1918.

I don't care to be prolix, and shall not be--

THE CHAIRMAN:

You can question him as to the alleged killing

of any men, but not as to whether they were guilty or innoceit.
·MR. CURTIS:

I want to add to wha t has been said- - it makes r.o

diff erence how guilty a person may be, when he is taken out
and executed without authority of l aw, amt innocent man for 1h e
purpose of this investigation has been executed.
THE CHAIRMAN:

Sure he has.

MR. LAC.KEY:

I understand some of t h ose men were executed af-

ter the trafn wreck.

Are any of the men in the service who

were in that?
THE CHAIRMAN:

~he

evidence tends to show that some of them

are-- one is a Captain at this time, Capt. Andrews.
MR. KNIGHT:

Mr. Canales, I want you to answer one question--

Can you give this Committee a list of t he names of tnose innocent victims kill ed down there by the rangers?
A Yes, the instance of those men who were killed in their own
home where they had a right to be-- it is already in the record in Capt. Vann's testimony.

They were killed, we are in-

formed, by rangers, one of whom is now a Captain in the present force.
Q

Who is he?

A

I think Capt. Vann mentioned him-- my recollection is, Capt.
Andrews.

Q

Didn' t Capt. Vann say that there was possibly two rangers
there, but he didn't know who killed those two men-- didn't
Capt. Vann testify that from the stand?

9'.
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
t)

 .D.l.4

MR. CURTIS:

I submit that Capt. Vann's testimony is part of

the record.
THE CHAIRMAN:

I know you are not intentionally misstating

the evidence, but I think you have two different transactions
confused.

Mr. Canales refers to the killing of a Mexican un-

der a bed the next day after that night.
MR . KNIGHT:

For resisting arrest--

THE CH.AI RMAN:

Andrews was s not at that time and the pris-

oner was killed, and you refer to the transaction on the night
preceeding the killing?
MR. Kl1IGHT:
MR. CANALES:

Yes, that's exactly what I have i n mind.
I know nothing about that · transaction except as

was testified to by Capt. Vann-- you refer to the ranger, the
following day when this Mexican was shot, and was in his own
house-- the ranger went in without any warrant and tried to
arrest him and he shot at the ranger at that time.
Q

Now, that was in 1916?

A Yes, sir; not prior thereto.
Q Did you report that to the Governor or to the Adjutant General 's

office at that time?
A I am neither an investigating officer or informing officer- Q Answer yes or no and let's get through-- you can answer a ques-

tion of that kind?
A I said no.
Q You knew of it at that time?

A Yes, and I reported it to Governor Ferguson in my interview :in
May 1917.

Q Now, Mr. Canales, your first charge is-- you introduced two

witnesses susta ining your f irst che.rge, Mrs. Yaeger and a constable by the name of Ventura Sanchez. You know nothing about
that of your own personal. knowledge ?
A No, s ir; I don't know anything about it.
Q Now, then, this Villareal matter-- you know nothing about that

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

9

\1

 D16

of your own knowledge?
A No, except what Villareal told me when he was attending before the court last December, and he gave me the full details
of this matter in December of last year, and this case was not
tried; the grand jury fai l ed to indict him--whether his case is
pending or not, I don't know.
Q

I will ask you again, you know nothi ng about it of your own
knowledg e?

A No, sir; not of my own knowledge.
Q Now, the third charge, in regard to Sargeant Edds and the
Santos Munoz killing?
A

Yes, sir.

Q You know anything about that of your own knowledge?
A

No, sir.

Q What you know and did know at the time you drew this was that
the officers there at the time and place-- the county attor~y
and the justice of the peace and the chief deputy sheriff, after holding an inquest, had refused to bind John Edds over to
the g rand jury?

A Only from information, that's all.
Q Isn't your entire charge predicated on informa tion-A Most assuredly.
Q And you had information in re gard to what the off icers there
had done in regard to the matter?
A Yes, and I said that the officers had filed to do their duty-_
I still believe that the off icers failed to do their duty.

Q I wi ll ask you; at that time yo u did not concern yourself in

the ma tter except to telephone to Guerra?
b.

What matter?

Q The Muno z killing?
A

No, sir.

Q Did you telephone anybody'?

A No, sir; I didn't telephone anybody-- I received possibly a

9Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 telephone message from one of the Guerras, asking to tell me
about this incident, and I told them to direct themselves to
Capt. W.

!J. .

Hanson in San Antonio or to c·o1. Chapa. ·

Q Now, charge four, you know nothing about that of your own
knowledge'?

A No, sir; except what I find in the records of the Adjutant
General's office, introduced in this case.
Q

You have no personal knowledge regarding that ·r

4

No , sir; none at all and no personal animus either.

Q That man was killed by t wo other i·:lexican cow boys?

A Yes-Q And no ranger was present when it occurred, nor is there any

claim that there was?
A

Yes, sir; some pe ople are very smart in covering their tracks.

Q I mean by you?
A

I said some people are

~ery

smart in

co~ering

their tracks.

Q Now, what ranger was there-- who has covered their tracks?
A

Well, the facts s how that this man was received from two
Mexicans who had ample opportunity to kill him before they
turned him over to the rangers, and- THE CHAIRJJAN:

Wait a minute-- he asked you if you had chargel

that any ranger was there?
A

Where?

MR. KNIGHT:

THE CHAIRMAN:

.n.t the time of the killing?
All right, answer it yes or no and lets don't'

argue these matters.

MR. KNIGHT:

Then I understand that you do not charge that

there was any ranger present when this man Salinas was killed?
a

No, sir; but those two fellows were protected by rangers afta- wards-- I charge that.

Q You don't charge it in your indictment?
A

No, sir.

9 Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q

By what rangers were they protected?

A By the rangers in Hebbronville .
Q Who were they?

A

I don ' t know their names, but you can find that out from
Wright- - he will tell you who they

Q

Cap~

~ere.

Isn't it a fact that the rangers arrested those parties and put
them in jai l ?

A Yes , sir; and it is also a fact that they were given bond for
five hundred dollars and turned out.

Q And you say the rangers protected them?
A Yes, sir.
Q Isn ' t it a fact that they were arrested by rangers?
A Yes, sir.
Q And carried to Hebbronville?

A No, sir; they were arrested in Hebbronville.
Q

And carried before the officers of the county?

A The justice of the peace, and given bond for five hundred dollars.

Q You say they were let out on five hundred dollars bond?
A Yes, sir.
Q Did the rangers grant them bond?

A Well , the rangers-Q Answer the question?
A

I don ' t know who is their bondsmen; I would like very much
to get a copy of the bond, because I think we will get some
very valuable information from it--

Q

Now, Mr. Canales- - I ' ll swear-THE CHAIRMAN:

Don ' t volunteer statements of that kind , Mr.

Canales, because this is cross-examination and when it is completed , then you may make such statements as you desire.

I

will ask you, as a lawyer of experience , to observe the rules.
IvIR. CANALES:
MR • .KNIGHT:

All right, Mr. Chairman.

Q:

They were given bond by the duly constituted

local legal authorit i es?

9Texas State Library and Archives Commission
'

 A I think so.
Q

Yes-- And you don't attempt to say that rangers named the
amount of the bai l or granted it?

A I don't know anything about it of my own knowledge.
Q Now, was the officer there who granted them bond a Mexican or

an American?
A It don't make any difference, whoever it was-THE CHAIRMAN:

You must not argue with counsel-- just answer

his quest ions.
A I don't know, sir.
THE CHAIRM.Al'f:
MR. KNIGHT:

All right ,_ say so.
Q. Now , you have alleged here that a man wes kin -

ed under the orders of Sargeant J. J. Edde?
A Yes, sir.
Q Have you any personal knowledge that that is true?

A I got reliable information.
Q

Just answer

my

qu.e stion?

A No, sir; I didn't know anything about it until after this
transaction occurred.
Q Now then, it is true, is it not, that during all of your ef-

forts in introducing testimony that you have introduced no
proof

s~staining

that charge against John Edds, have you?

A I disagree with you, end-MR. CURTIS:

That calls for his opinion; we object to it.

THE CHAIRMAN:
MR. KNIGHT:

I agree with you.

Q.

Now, have you introduced any testimony or

attempted to bring here any individual who claims to have
heard John Edds at any time-- or anyone else representing
him-- that he had anything to do with it?
MR. CURTIS:

I submit that the record is the best evidence

of what he has introduced-- I don't know what the record is,
having just come in at the requ est of Mr. Canales.
THE CHAIRMAN :

9

I will let him answer the question.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 A I have nothing further except what I have introduced.
Q Now then, we will take up Charge No. 5- - you allege that

Florencio Garcia was killed while in the custody of rangers
Locke, Saddler and possibly Sitler, of Capt. Stevens company,
under circumstances which you state constituted murder from
the investigation made by the Adjutant General's Department.
Have you introduced any reoord of that?
A Why most assuredly I have.
Q From the Adjutant General's office, showing that these men

killed that man?
A Yes, sir.
Q Put your finger on it-MR. CURTIS:

Put your finger on it-- we object to that.

I

submit that if counsel and the witness are permitted to argue
about what is in the record and to place their own construction
on it, that it is highly improper and-THE CHAIRllIAN:

I think the Committee will take judicial cog-

nizance of the facts introduced or the evidence introduced, md
I think the examination has gone far enough along that line.

MR. KNIGHT:

Q.

Anyway, you predicate that charge by. what is

shown from the records of the Adjutant General's office only?
A Yes, and the affidavit of Mr. Charles--- which says that the
last time he sew those men, that man, he was in the custody
of those rangers which I name here in the allegations.
Q Now then, your general charge is particularly leveled at the
partiality and inefficiency of Capt. Hanson?
A Yes, sir.
Q Now, in the Florencio Garcia case do you contend that he was
impartial and inefficient?
A He was both.
MR. CURTIS :
A

I think you are mixed up on that.

I said he was both.
MR. KNIGHT:

Q.Now, this charge 6, the Richberg case- - you

9
know nothing about tha. t except from hearsay,
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
t

end what you ha"'

 D20

introduced before the Committee regarding the killing of Ernest W. Ricllberg?
A No, sir.
Q And the same is true in reference to Charge No. 7, isn't it?

A Yes, I made it from the records of the Adjutant General's office.
Q

And you made your allegations on what his records show?

A Yes, sir.
Q Now, this Charge No. 8-- Ranger Bentley assaulting a waiter

in the San Francisco Cafe, San Antonio-- did you or not know
that the day before the day of the assault that that man had
been discharged; not suspended, but discharged from the force
by Capt. Willis?
A No, sir; I do not know it and I know that the record does not
show affirIDB.tively that he was.

Q Well, have you heard it?
A No, sir.
Q You haven't heard that yet?

A I do know that the record shows positively that he was not
diecharg~d--

Q

otherwise, what was he doing carrying a pistol?

Well• do you ever find men down on the border carrying pistols
who are not authorized by law to wear them?

A Nothing but rangers, special rangers and peace officers.
Q Is that so- - how ·long have you lived down there?

A Fourteen years.
Q

And you have never seen anybody wearing pistols except .r angers and officers of the law authorized by law to wear them?

A Should there be others that carry them, they are hid and not
to be seen by anybody.
Q

Now, you misunderstood

my

question-- haven't you heard and been

told by reliable parties that the fact was that that man had
been discharged by Capt. Willis the day before?

State Library and Archives Commission
9Texas
"

 A No, sir; I have been advised nothing except what was testified
to by Col. Chapa, and his testimony I think is fresh in our
memory.
THE CHAIRMAN:

Is that with reference to the transaction-- the

investigation, by Capt. Hanson, when letters as late as the 7th
were introduced?

MR. LACKEY:

Yes, the oyster soup case.

MR. KNIGHT:

That is Charge No. 8.

MR. MOSES:
MR. CANALES:

Where is that record?
It has been introduced in evidence, I think the

stenographer has it.
MR. KNIGHT:

Now, the 9th charge, charging unfitness as an

investigating officer of Capt. Hanson.

Now, in the 9th charge

you charge that Capt. Hanson is unfit to be an investigating
officer and that in making his investigations he does so with
the idea of justifying the rangers-A Yes, sir.
Q

Anfr

you further charge that in his own knowledge that there

are now in the service men of desperate character, Silld from
investigations made by him are snown to have been guilty of
murder, and that notwithstanding this fact he permits such
persons to remain in the service-- When did you learn of the
utter unfitness and inability to do right on the part of Capt.
Hanson?
A I first suspected him in October, about the middle of October,
because in every complaint that was made, even on strong and
reliable information, he would whitewash them, and I became
absolutely convinced, after I went over the records in the Adjutant General's office, because Mr . Hanson had told me that
he had recommended the suspension of Saddler, Sitler and this
other man that killed Garcia, which is not true, and he also
told me that he had recommended to the Adjutant General to
discharge Capt. Fox, and I find from the records after I ex-

9 Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 D22

amined them here, I find that it was not true and that he had
deceived me in both instances, and he told me positively that
it was due to his credit that Capt. Fox was

disc~arged,

and

also the rangers Sa&dler, Sitler and the other man being suspended, ·and I found that it was absolutely untrue, and I find
also after this investigation that he not only misquoted

Jud~

Wells , but absolutely and deliberately misquoted me, when he
said he told me-- when he said I told him John Edds was guil1u
of manslaughter, when I told him the testimony showed he was
guilty of murder.
Q You refer to the John Edda case as one where he was not im-

partial and did not conduct a fair investigation?
A Yes.
Q As a matter of

f~ct,

didn't you tell him, and haven't you tes..

tified today that nobody but a fool would have made John Edds
sign that statement because it showed he was guilty of murder
in the second degree?

A Yes-Q And this was Capt. Hanson's investigation?

A Yes.
Q And yet in that case the local authorities who had every op-

portunity to investigate the matter did not bind him over-A

Yes--

Q And they all told him that he was justifiable?

A No, sir; they ought to have had sense enough to know-Q I say, those down there in that territory, the local state

authorities, gave him the information, and didn't he tell you
that he had gotten a report from Capt. Wright, and that Capt.
Wright 's opinion was he was justifiable'?
A Well, that is the only thing wrong I ever heard of Capt.
Wright doing.
Q Well, do you know of a single individual familiar with that

transaction at the time or who was connected with it in any

9
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 or with any investigation of it, up until this last grand ju:cy
met, who did not agree with Capt. Hanson's conclusion?
A No, sir; and the facts speak for themselves.
MR. CURTIS:

I think what the opinion of other people is, is

inelevant and improper in this inquiry.
THE CHAIRMAN:

Yes• I think so, but this inquiry has taken

a rather broad turn from the original investigation into the
ranger force, and-MR. CURTIS:

Well, I was not here at the beginning, Mr.

Chairman-MR. KNIGHT:

And your opinion is, that notwithstanding all

that, John Edds was guilty of murder in the second degree?
A Yes, sir.
Q

When was that?

A In 1918, in the year 1918.

Q Don't you know, as a lawyer, that in the year 1918 there was
no such a crime in Texas as murder in the second degree?
A Well, under the common law it was tatamount to the same
thing as murder in the second degree.

I know the law was

changed abolishing the degree in murder, but still the distinction exists at common law-- murder with express malice
is murder of the first degree and murder with implied malice
is murder of the second degree,

and

the facts in the case go

to show that he was guilty of murder in the second degree,
and while the distinctions have been abolished in our law,
yet it is recognized by every lawyer in Texas and-MR. CURTIS:

I was just going to observe that the abilities

of witness and the counsel as criminal lawyers is not under
investigation here.
THE CHAIRMAN:
MR. KNIGHT:

Yes, I was just giving them both a fair show.
As a matter of fact, in Texas the degrees of

murder had been abolished prior to that?
A Yes, sir.

9 J Q And second degree--Texas State Library and Archives Commission
\.-

 D24

MR. CURTIS:

I object to them going any further into this ar-

gument.
THE CHAIRlu.N:
MR. KNIGHT:

Yes, we will take judicial knowledge of that.
Now then, what month was Munoz killed?

A I have alleged it there as closely . as I can from the records.
and the previous killing of a man by Edds and I
there as closely as I can find it.

ha~e

alleged it

I will tell you the month

by referring to the charge-- about October 5, 1918.
Q

Now then, in your letter there wasn't you friendly with Capt.
Hanson after that time?

A Why, most assuredly.

I didn't think that Capt. Hanson was

double crossing me until I saw the correspondence he had with
the Adjutant General.
Q Now, as I understand you, you think that Capt. Hanson double

crossed you?
A

Most assuredly so.

Q Did he double cross you alone or double cross the public?
A He double crossed the public that stands for jSlrness, justice,

decency and humanity-- he double crossed every person who
stands for a fair show for a prisoner under arrest, that he
should be given a fair trial and not summa.ril.Xy executed.
Q

Now, Mr. Canales, you wrote a letter to the Adjutant General
in wnich you say that Capt. Hanson for eighteen years had been
a crooked Republican politician and very bad man?

A How, bad?

Q Had been run out of Mexico?
A

Yes, sir.

Q

And was a spy of Huerta?

A

No, sir; of Diaz.

Q When did you learn those things?

A I knew them all the time, when he would pat me on the back
and I would pat him on the back-- he never deceived me.
Q Didn't you state this morning that you found out he was
!) '.Texas
,, (I

State Library and Archives Commission

 double crossing you at the time you

~Tote

the Chapa letter

in the hotel at Kingsville?
A Most assuredly, and with regard to his good intentions, I
thought that perhaps he had had a change of heart at the time
the Adjutant General put him on the ranger force, and he assured me he was going to do that, safd "I will give you a fair
deal"--,that was what he was saying but I find from the files
he was not.
Q

Now, wasn't the change of heart on your part about simultaneous?

A No, sir; I think Capt. Hanson knows me , and if he knows that
I have done anything crooked in

my

life, let him come and · tell

it-- I want to be shown up if I cam crooked.
Q Now, you say these are your signatures?

A Yes, sir; these are my letters.
Q This one?

A Yes, sir.
Q And the next one?

A Yes, sir.
A And the next one?
A Yes, s ir;-- sit down, let me see .
Q

Don't get nervous, I am not going to hurt you--

A This is from W. R. Jones-- I haven't anything to do with that.
These are my letters here and my answers thereto.
Q Now then, on July 22, 1918, you wrote Capt. Hanson asking

to have you brother appointed a special ranger?
A I think so.
Q And he was appointed at your request?

A Yes, sir; my brother was appointed,
Q And you have complained here as to other ranchmen-- isn't yorr

brother a ranchman?
A Yes, sir; my brother is in charge of my father's ranch property.

My father is a rather elderly man and my brother has

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 charge of his business; we have five

r~nches,

they take in

the counties of Jim Wells, Duval-~

I didn' t ask you about that.

A Part of Kleberg County, a ranch in Jim Hogg County, and my
brother bas to go f r om one to the other.
Q

My father- ~ ·

I declare-THE CHAIRMAN:

That information is not in response to any

question, Mr. Canales.
SEN. PAGE:

The matter perhaps goes to the excuse or necessitr

for having bis brother appointed a special ranger.
MR. KNIGHT :
SEN. PAGE:

I didn't question the necessity for it.
I think he has a right to explain, in fairness to

himself.

MR. A.NIGHT:
MR. CANALES:

I just wanted to know if he himself asked it.
As my brother bas to go from one place to

another, and as he already had been going with the rangers,
assisting the rangers-- my father lost about sixty head of
cattle last year, and I not only requested Capt. Hans-0n, but
also the Adjutant General directly, to appoint him a special
ranger, and he was , and I thank them for it.
Q Now, the letter says: "My dear Captain: My brother, Al bino

T. Canales of whom I spoke to you when you were here, wishes
to be appointed special ranger as he often has to travel from
our main ranch in Fremont to another in Duval; he being in
charge of

my

father 1 s business 11 - - and you requested his ap-

pointment and he was appointed?
A Read the letter.
Q -- "he being in charge of my father's business.

He is a good

friend of your son and your son can tell you that he always
goes out with the rangers and helps them in their work.
will appreciate it as a

pe~sonal

I

favor if you send him this

commission.
Everything here looks fine, and we are gaining ground

Texas
9' .; State Library and Archives Commission

 DB?'

every day for Hobby.

Judge Wells and I went to Starr County

and stayed there two days and got our friends there to support
Hobby, and you will see that

~tarr

County will go for Hobby.

With best wishes and l:igh regards, I am as ever, ·Your
friend, J. T. Canales."

A Yes, sir.
Q

Now, this next letter you wr.o te here is dated August 2, 1918,
"Captain

w.

M. Hanson, 618 Frost Building , San Antonio, Texaa

My dear Captain:

I wish to thank you for your kind letter of

July 31st, and especially for your word of confidence i n me
and your offer of support and in reply I wish to say that whil. e
I never expect to run for Governor, yet I appreciate your goal
will and friendship.

Whenever I can serve you remeber that

you always will have a true and loyal friend in the Rio Grande
Valley.

When I will be serving

at your command."

my

state in Austin, I am there

You were in the Valley?

A Yes, sir.
Q

"I agree with you that it was a great victory for clean government, and I am proud that I helped to put Cameron County
and Starr County on the right side of the issue.

With best

wishes and personal regards , I am, Sincerely your friend, J.
T• Canales • "
A Yes, sir; I wrote that letter, gentlemen, because of the fact
he told me he wanted me to run for governor and would support
me for governor.

That is a habit of Mr. Hanson-- Mr. Hanson

captivates a person simply by making those promises, you understand.

If you happen to be a major, he will call you "Col-

onel", and if you are a colonel, he will call you "General."
That is a habit he has got, and that is the reason why he nei;e r
deceived me. I was playing politics like anybody else with
was for Hobby
him, but I1'i1a•z)im first, last and all the time, and I believed 1t was a victory for clean government.

Texas
State Library and Archives Commission
9'
..
J

 Q

Now, on September 21, 1918, you wrote-- "My dear Captain: I
am in receipt of your letter of the 19th of September and it
pleased me very much to have received same for it has come at
the right moment and I am going to have it published in today's
paper.

I trust this liberty of having it published may meet

with your approval for your letter will help matters very much;
and if you can get Major Townes to write to our Local Board
the substance of your letter it will, in my opinion, greatly
release the situation.

Also, ask Major Townes to write to o"tr

Local Board, that in the event a registrant fails to obtain
a certificate of baptism that he may attach an affidavit of
some person that knows him and who knows where the registrant
was born.

On account of the upset conditions in Mexico the

records of the church and also civil records have been destroyed and often it is impossible to get certificates of baptism or of birth.
I shall be glad to have you come down and go with you into
Starr, Hidalgo and Cameron County to carry on our plan of cooperation with the Mexican farmers and :Mexican ranch owners
and the rangers for protection from cattle thieves from Mexico.
With best wishes and personal regards, I am, as ever, Your
f'riend, J. T. Canales."
A I wrote that very letter, and I will explain to the Committee

my reason for writing it.

Prior thereto there had been a

great exodus of Mexicans down there across the rf ver owing to
the fact that these rangers would go into a man's rs.nch -- and
you see we were very short of labor and a committee from
Brownsville had gone to Washington to see if the immigration

.

regulations couldn't be loosened up to get Mexican laborers
to come in to gather our crops.
·a

Jll8.Il'S

These officers will go into

house and among his laborers end arrest those ignorant

Mexicans to get the $50.00 reward for failing to register, anl
they will be citizens of Mexico, and the report will get back

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 among them, and they are scared and will go into Mexico, and
especially so, because some of them that have registered can't
prove about their birth because of conditions in Mexico where
many of the certificates have been destroyed.

Capt. Hanson

told me that he had seen Major Townes and consulted with him,
and the Major told him it was not necessary to secure the baptism certificates and in case they could not be gotten to get
a man who ·knew them, knew who they were, and they in turn
could make affidavits that they knew the persons were born in
Mexico, and it was with reference to that, which would help
a great deal, that my l etter was written.

They had arrested

a lot of Hexioan citizens under these circumstances in order
to collect the fifty dollars reward offered by the United
States for draft evaders.
Q

Now, Mr. Canales, what was tie date of the letter you wrote
Col. Chapa that you couldn't find?

A It is somewhere between October 15 and October 20 or 21st,
somewhere over there.
Q Now. you spoke of meeting Capt. Hanson on the train?

A Yes, from Brownsville.
Q

And you spoke about the mistreatment of a relative of yours
named Tijerino?

A Yes, sir.
Q

And then this big change came over the spirit of your dreams?

A Yes, sir; when I got his statement with regard to lied Winn being the guilty party, I knew then that it wasn't true, that
he was a ·deputy sheriff in Cameron 6ounty and the Mexican was
flogged in Hidalgo County.
THE CHAIRMAN: What county did Fred Winn live in?
A In Cameron County, a deputy sheriff.
MR. KNIGHT; Now, wasn't there rangers, deputy sheriffs, operatives from the Department of Justice, the Intelligence Department of the Army and other departments of the government

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
,.,,..~--:__...,,

__ = -

 there on the river bank that day?
A What day?
Q The day you say they cursed your relative, Tijerino ?

A I have not ascertained their names, can't find out--

Q Have you asked Capt. Hanson for the names?
A No, sir; I asked Fred Winn and -Q

Why didn't you ask Capt. Hanson?

A The reason why, because Capt. Hanson told me from the beginth~t

ning
and

he knew the whole trouble and had investigated it

those fellows were justified because the Mexican had tried

to give information across the river, and I saw that Capt.
Hanson had his mind already fixed, and there wa.s no use to
ask him anything.
Q Didn't it ·come up this way-- didn't Capt. Hanson tell you

he would reprimand them if any outrage was done to your relative?
A He reprimand who?
Q

~idn ' t

you relate to him a lot of outrages perpetrated on

your relative and ask him to take the proper steps to expose
the guilty parties

.~~eiii:.~~:xmf

rangers who had participated

in it?
A

No, I didn't ask him to fire any rangers.

Q

Well, discipline them, then-- didn't he tell you of the investi gation he had made?

A

Yes.

Q

You told him that your relative was tracing some cattle to the
bank of the river that had been stolen?

A

Yes. sir.

Q And Capt. Hanson told you he had investigated the matter and

taken the affidavits of parties present, and that your relative
and his two sons were caught in a field as they went there-that they went down sneaking, as he expressed it, like a
coyote, slipping and climbing trees, and these men who were

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 there to catch smugglers were given away by your relatives,
and they abused them for giving them away?
'A

Substantially, but not in that way.

Q

And didn 1 t he tell you further that there were seven · of them
and you said you would believe your relative before you would
the seven men, and still demanded that he take some action in
the premises?

A I didn't make any such· statement-- I said if those men thought
it was their duty to put him in jail, arrest him and put him
in jail, all right, but they had no right to abuse him in order
to provoke a difficulty and then murder him for resisting arrest.
Q Didn't he tell you that you were mistaken and that be had t he

statements of those seven men from about four different departments of the United States Government, and didn't you say
that you didn't care, that you would not believe those seven
men before you would that man, and you insisted on bis acting
on the statement of the man who was suspected instead of believing the seven peace officers?
A Possibly I did so, because I know the methods of those officers
in always pulling together and covering any crimes, and they
will all t estify the same way.
Q

Who pulled together ?

A Those men-- I saw Fred Winn and he refused to give me the
names and Capt. Hanson did not give them to me either, but he
told me substantially what they stated.
Q And then about that time is when diplomatic relations were

broken off between you
A

~nd

Uapt. Hanson·t

Possibly so, because that's the time I found out he was not
doing things impartially as he had promised to do, and was
double crossing us.

Q You t hink he was partial to t hose officers in taking their

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 statement rather than in believing the statement of your
relative?
A Most assuredly so, because no man has a right to abuse a
prisoner at all-- have a right to arrest him, but not to abuEe
or curse him.
Q Now then, you made speeches all over the Valley--

THE CHAIRMAN:

Pardon me a minute-- is the record of that

investigation here?
MR. CANALES:

No investigation was made.

THE CHAIRIVIAN :
MR. KNIGHT:

Go ahead.
Q. Now, you wrote th.at you were making speeches

in the Valley last year?
A Yes, sir; I made several speeches.
Q When was the latest?

A I don't know , but I believe it was in September, the first
part of September or possibly as late as the 10th or .12th.
I made several speeches-- my recollection is that the only
speech I ever made from the same platform with Col. Chapa was
at Mercedes.
Q These speeches were made as late as the 12th of September,

and prior thereto, last year?
A Very likely so , you can get the date from Capt. Hanson.
Q How long have you known Capt . Hanson'?

A About 19 years.
Q You commended him in extravagant terms?

A Yes.
Q To the fagorable consideration of the Mexican population?

A Yes, sir; because he had the authority and power to look into
oases, and I always like to be on the good side of those in
authority.
Q I am no christian, that is, I am not a member of the church

but am a christian-- do you think it was proper to deceive

I.

those people and tell them what a fine man
9'
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

he was, when you

 did not believe it?
A Judge, the Bible says to be as wise as a serpent and as harmless as a dove, so I was being as wise as a serpent.
Q So that is your justification. You thought you had a.r.i1ght to

mislead the people?
A Discretion is the better part of valor, and I had to use discretion, because I want to see if he would not do right in
these matters, and I had no specific case against Capt. Hansm
then, but I was watching him mighty closely from then on.
Q

~nd

still you say he was a crooked politician?

A Most assuredly.
Q And was a crooked politician when he came down there?

A Yes, was and is.
Q What is a crooked politician?

A You ought to know it very well-- I know you bear that name, I
have heard it several times.

You don't know what a crooked

politician is?
THE CHAIRMAN:

Mr. Canales, you must not indulge in personalities

of that kind any more, or the Committee will be compelled to
report you to the House.
MR. CANALES:

I . trust it will not be necessary.

Here I am without counsel-- I am not a dictionary

and he asks me those questions.
MR. KNIGHT:

Isn't a crooked politician a scoundrel who will

preach one thing and practice another?
A Perhaps you know, I don't know.
Q And deceive the public?

A Perhaps you know, I don't.
Q

Isn ' t that the meaning of a crooked politician?

A I don't know, I am not a dictionary.
Q

You admit that you were telling those people there, your own
race and your own blood, that he was a good man when you knew
he was a bad man?

Texas
9'.. } State Library and Archives Commission

 A Not as a bad man, but deceptive in trying to get poli tical
preferment, and I thought perhaps he might have had a change
of heart, as I said, and I

was

willing to give him a trial,

especially as he had been placed in a responsible pos.i tion
by the Democratic administration, and I was willing , since th!
Democratic administration had endorsed him , to give him a fair
trial , and if he got up to his old methods, why we would know
in a mighty short t ime.
Q Now, didn't you believe what you were saying dawn there last

September, up until the 12th of September?
A

What?

Q That he was a Ei r man and good officer?

A I believe it was the best thing I could do-- If I had told the
Mexicans that Capt. Hanson was a crooked politician, and that
although he was a crooked politician, he intended to do right,
I don ' t see that any good purpose would have been served , and
so I gave the man a chance-- that ' s the reason.
Q

Now then, you wrote Col. Chapa, according to your own st atement, that you believed Capt. Hanson was not going to be fair,
after you had the last talk with him?

A I wrote him after that incident from the Casa Ricardo in
Kingsville, and that is the letter I have asked and requested
and begged and plead for you to introduce in evidence, and
you folks have refused to put it in evidence-MR. MOSES:

That statement is unwarranted.

Mr. Canales shouJd

know that the letter is not in possession of the Adjutant Gen.
eral ' s Department and never has been in the possession of the
Adjutant General.

I don ' t know who he means by "you fo l ks"

unless he means the Adjutant General an.d his counse 1, Bl1.ll.d we
think a statement of that sort is improper.
MR . KNIGHT:

You called him a Republican politician--m did yru.

ever run on the Republican ticket?

n•
Texas
",)
' State Library and Archives Commission

 SEN. WITT:

I think there has been enough examination of

that kind.
MR. KNIGHT:

Now, the next charge, as to political pets, a

custom of long standing-THE CHAIRMAN:
MR. KNIGHT:

What is the number of that?
Number ten-- "I charge that the Adjutant General

has been using the. present ranger force for the purpose of
showing special favors to his political friends and political
pets of the administration.

I further charge that

t~is

has

been a custom of long standing, but has been markedly abused
by the present incumbent of the office and I wish to call attention especially to one among others that ce.n be proven, towit: In my district large numbers of rangers are stationed a.lil.
have been kept and maintained at the state's expense on the
renches of what is known as the King ranch, which consists
of over 2,000,000 acres and of which the Hon. Caesar Kleberg
is general manager, the same Ceasar Kleberg who is now a meml::er
of the Democratic State Executive Committee and who has been
active ever since my bill to regulate the present ranger for°'
was introduced, lobbying against that bill, and seeking to
influence members of the House to

v~te

against it and bas

brought a number of his political henchmen to act as lobbyists
against said bill.

The said Caesar ig,berg, I charge, is one

of these political pets of t he administration, and, through
his influence, he gets undue and unnecessary protection from
the Adjutant General who details a number of rangers at the expense of the state on the King ranches, especially in Willacy
County where there are hardly any people living except their
own employees and they use these rangers for the purpose of
depriving the people of exercising their rights under the law
to hunt in large enclosures or pastures of more than 5,000
acres.

And these political favors are aggravated in view of

Texas
State Library and Archives Commission
9'

 the fact that the same pr otection has been requested by
other large cattlemen in the state and they have been denied
the same protection, chiefly because they did not happen to
be politicians."

What right had you to make that charge?

What

do you base it on?
A I will ask the Adjutant General if this is the correct l ist
of the special.rangers discharged up to Januaryt 1919?
GENERAL HARLEY:

I am not on the witness stand.

If it is

filed as the list, it is the list .
THE CHAIRMAN:
MR. CANALES:

Is this a list the Committee gave you?
No, sir; that was gotten from the records of

the Adjutant General's office.

He never furnished a list of

those special rangerst a list of who was discharged up to
the first day of Jamuary of this year.
THE CHAI RMAN :
MR. CANALES:

We had a list he r e.
I haven't found it.

I ask you if this is a

correct list of the special rangers today'?

I wSlJJ.t to find out

if this is correct.

GEN. HARLEY:

I guess it is oorrect; yes , compiled from my

&iiiiit2
1rn. CURTIS:

It is admitted, for the purpose of this answer,

that it is correct?
THE CHAI RMAN:

Mr . Canales can testify as to where he got that

li st and tha t can be determined l ater .
1IR. CANALES:

I wanted to get a correct copy-- this is trans -

cribed from their records.

I simply wanted to introduce this

in connection with the answer •
THE

c HAIHMAN:

I

v'li.

sh you would ascertain, even if it is neces -

sary to adjourn the committee t whether this is a corre·ct list
of t he special rangers since you have be come Adjutant General ?
GEN. HARLEY:

I think it is a correct list t aken from my rolls.

MR. CA!L..LES:

In answeringtiii questi on, I fi nd among the spe-

cial rangers the aa.me of \tilbur P.

Allen~

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
~-

I find among the spe -

 cial rangers the name of R. N. Colquitt, insurance, Houstoh,
Texas-MR. HOSES:

Where does Mr • .Allen live?

A Ranchman , Hebbronville, but he stays in Austin most 0f the
time.

Roy East--

MR. KNIGHT:

What is his business?

A Stockman, Norias, son-in-law of Mr . Kleberg.

Here is Eduardo

Y'siguerra-- H. Worth Jones, a kid in Brownsville, son of
R. Jones of Brownsville-- a kid.
County; J.

c.

w.

Frank Rabb, ranchman, Cameron

Scarborough, Kingsville, Texas;

w.

E. Spivey ,

physician, Brownsville , Texas-- permit as a special ranger.
MR .

What list is that?

LIOSES:

THE CHAIRMAU:

The list I asked the Adjutant General to take

time to verify.
MR. CANALES:

Oscar Thompson, Hebbronville, the same man re-

ferred to by Mrs. Yaeger.

There are quite a number of these

men live in San Antonio, Laredo , Brownsville, in every dity
practically from ElPaso-- Alpine to Houston.

Made them special

rangers when they lived absolutely in cities.

Now , these .

that are in the service, I will be very glad to see.

Walter

J. Crawford, lawyer, campaign manager for Governor Hobby--

•

T. T. East, son-in-law of Mr. Kleberg-MR . M:OSEb:

'Who did you state Mr . East was?

A Son-in-law of Mr. R. J . Kleberg , ranchman.
THE CHAIRMAN:
A Lon.

Mr.

Moses, I am going to ask you not to dO' thEt --

c. Hill , cattleman-- if he ever owned any catt l e, I don 't

know it.

Lon Hill, if ke ever ow:r.ed any cattle, I don ' t know

it-- lives at Harlingen.

Rob 't L. Johnson,

lawyer~

R. J.

Kleberg, son of Mr. Robert J. Kleberg. I think a cousin of
Caesar Kleberg, cattleman.

Caesar Kleberg , cattleman; if he

owns any cattle , I don't know it.
Sam D. Lowe, farmer.

He is manager for Mrs. King.

Tom R. Tate , cattleman; if he owns any

Texas
State Library and Archives Commission
'} ·~ •I

 cattle, I don't know it; has been l'IOrking for Mrs. King as a
cow boy.

Joe. Taylor-- I think he is employed by Frank Rabb--

if he owns any cattle, I don't know it; he is mentioned here

as a cattleman.
going on.

Those are a few instances, and show what was

Now. I have passed by the Norias ranch several tines,

sometimes I go on the morning train and sometimes the afternoon
train, and everytime I pass the rangers are there.

It is onq

a little place, nothing but the railroad employes and t he eating houset and I find them there.

This is a prarie country,

open country, sn.d they are always standing out there.

Now, I

find that Caesar Kleberg is a member of the District Board of
Exemption, Houston, and I find that Richard Kleberg and hie
brother both have got exemptions-SEN . PAGE:

I think that would be i mproper .

MR. MOSES:

Aretha rangers to be blamed for that?

THE CHAIRMAN:

Certainly, if they got appointed on the ranger

force to avoid the draft, and it would be a legitimate subject
of inquiry.
MR . MOSES:

I did not understand Mr. Canales to so charge.

SEN. PAGE:

He said Caesar Kleberg wa s on the Exemption Board

and he finds that those

t'~

men were giwen exemption.

That

would be a reflection of Mr. Kleberg as a man, but I don ' t
think this Committee has anythin g to do wi th it.
MR. CANALES:

I was just bearing in mind that tnose two young

men who are cousins got exempted, and they don't work, are ·
rich men, fine men, graduates of the University; I find them
on the list of special rangers and I find that

the~ g$

exempted

too. Now, these are matters- SEN. PAGE:

Did they get exempted because of

th~

fact that they

were rangers?
THE CH.L\,IRMAN:

1m.

CANALES:

Are they married men?
One is a married man and one is not.

Now, these

are the conditions that I find from the records of the Adjutm t

Texas
State Library and Archives Commission
9·~

 General ' s office.

I am a sworn officer, and I thought it my

duty to call the attention of the Committee to these _m atters,
and if I have overlooked any charge and haven't offered any
evidence on them, why excl ude them, gentlemen.

MR. KNIGHT:

Q. Now, don ' t you know that young Jones is employ-

ea by .the Health Department of Texas?
A Yes , but he has no need to carry a pistol.
Q Don't you know that Frank Rabb is a ranchman?
A

Yes , he owns a ranch and has always gone without any pistol
until lately.

Q Don't you know he owns t \'IO ranches , separated?
A

Yes , sir.

Q Now, Dr. Spivey is quarantine officer?

A Yes. sir.
Q Oscar Thompson is a ranchme.n?
A

Yes , sir.

Q

And T. T. East is the man on whose ranch the raid was made?

A

I think so.

Q And the Klebergs are ranchmen?

A Yes , sir.
Q

Sam Lowe, he is in

t1he

Adjutant General's Department?

A Not now.
Q But he was a special ranger at that time?

A These are specia l rangers today- - you will see that Sam D.
Lowe ' s name ie given there as being a farmer.
Q

And he is not an employe in the Adjutant General's Department?

A I don' t know ,
Q

You say favoriti sm has been shown in these appointments?

A

Yes, sir.

Q You· didn't read the name of your brother?

A It is not on her e.
Q

was he a special ranger?

9· Texas
,
State Library and Archives Commission

 A He was; I am surprised not to find his name on that list.
Q Has your brother asked for a renewal of his .commission?
A

No, sir.

Q

Was there any more favoritism shown these other ranchmen than
was shown your brother?

A I don't know everybody on here, it is a very interesting
Q

lis~

And your brother ' s name was there until his commission expired
and he never asked for a renewal?

A I don't know, he ought to have been on the list and his name
was not there.

I

know he was a special ranger, at least he

was notified he was.
Q Now, all the way from ElPaso to Brownsville are many ranchmen

who were appointed special rangers?

A Yes , sir; some

~anchmen.

Q And wasn' t that the very object of the law passed last year

to arm these men against Mexicaµ bandits?

MR. CURTIS :

I think the law is the best evidence as to what

it was passed for.

THE CHAIRMAN:

Yes .

MR. KNIGHT: Q. When was the law passed, do you khow,

authori~

ing these special rangers?

A I think in 1917.
Q What was the occasion for it?

A I will tell you why, even after we had declared war on the
Germans there was a great deal of German propaganda in Mexico
and Texas, and for that r eason that bil l was necessary and
for that reason I refused to oppose it.
Q

And it was in executi0n of that law that these appointments
were made, is it not?

A In pursuance of that l aw, yes.
Q Do you know of any ranchman asking an appointment as special

ranger who was refused , of your

o~n

knowledge?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 A I know that ranchmen have asked protection from the Adjutant
General and have been refused, and-Q

You ducked my question, and I think you know it--

THE CHAIRMAN:

Judge, let's don't do that, the Committee is

not going to tolerate

1 t.

MR. KNIGHT: Q. Very well - Do you know a single ranchman who
applied for a commission and was refused?
A No, sir; I was not in the Adjutant General's office.
Q What ranchman has applied for rangers since Harley has been

in office and has been refused?
A

I

introduce a letter to Gen. Jas.

from Capt. Hanson.

I

a. Harley, September 23rd,

want to mark it Exhibit "IP'.

I

find this

letter in the Adjutant General's file, and-MR. MOSES:

The letter speaks for itself'.
(This letter is here read by Mr. Canales, and
the stenographer has been unable to locate it.)

MR. KNIGHT:
A

Do you know whether a r&nger was sent there?

I don't know so, except by that letter.

Q Now, can you give me the name of a single ranchman who has
asked for men and been refused?
A I don't know, I am not in the Adjutant General's Department.
Q

You don't know-- do you know of a single ranchman who has
ever asked for relief or assis t ance from tbe Adjutant General's
office and didn't get it?

A Of

my

own knowledge, no, but I believe Mr. Ed .

c.

Lasater,

whose telegram is here , that he will testify to--THE CHAIRM.All:

Now, let Mr. Ed.

c.

Lasater testify for him-

self.
A I don't know, of my own knowledge.
MR. KNIGH~: Q. Now, I will ask you, Mr. Canales, if you haven't
every opportunity to know that some of Capt. Sander's rangers
have been stationed right in the center of Mr. Lasater's Falfurrias ranch?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 A I don't know anything; Mr. Lasater will speak for himself.
Q Now, you say v:hen you passed by Norias, you saw rangers sta-

tioned there?
A

Yes, sir.

Q What time do the passenger trains pass there?

A In the morning between seven and eight o'clock and in the
evening, rather late, going south, and I have also passed by
going north , between ef ght and nine o'clock.
Q Now, isn't that place headquarters for Capt. Sander ' s detach-

ment, just like Falfurrias ranch is headquarters for hi s company?
A I don ' t know where his headquarters is.
Q Isn' t Norias

th~

ranch where the bandits attacked in 1915?

A

Yes, in 1915-- no disturbance since then.

Q,

Why?

A Because there are no bandits there.
Q How do you know it is not because the rangers are there'?

A I said it was because there are no bandits there.
Q Have you ever known them to attack a ranch where there were

rangers?
A Most assuredly.
Q

Name the time?

A It is a matter of common knowledge.
Q Name one- - name one?

A Yes, they would attack where rangers are because the rangers
would only be out in the day time and when night comes they
go to a safe place, either at Harlingen, San Benito or some
place people are, and the soldiers were placed out to garriscn
those other places where outrages had been committed, and they
bore the brunt of the battle.

I thank God for our brave Amer-

ican soldiers who never were shot in the back.
Q How far from the river is Mr . Rabb's ranch headquarters?

9:3 J
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 A What r anch . he has two?
Q Either one?
A

One is right near the Brulay plantation. on the river.

Q Lese than a mile f r om the river?

A I think the river is the south boundary of his ranch. ·
Q

How far is the other one fr om the river?

A My recoll ection is that it also abuts on the river, al though
the ho use is a considerable distance from the river, the Santa
Maria Ranch.
Q

Now. this Charge No . 11 in regard to the killing of Mexicans
by Capt. Fox's company- - you think Capt. Hanson's investigation sought to justify that affair?

A Yes. sir.
Q

Now. as a matter of fact, Fox was fired, wasn ' t he?

A Yes . sir.
Q And he was fired on reports made to the Adjutant General' s

office'?
A But not by Capt . Hanson.
Q You are sure of that?

A The Adjutant General's records-Q Mr. Canales, are you not advised that 1st Lieutenant Po.trick

Kelly, United St ates Army·, who investigated the matter, was
under the direction and cooperated with Capt. Hanson?
A I don' t know; I know there were two· invest igations , one by the
United States Army and the other by tl!i.e Adjutant General ' s
Department.

It looks to me like that would be a very nice Wf¥

t o get out of the trouble.
Q

Have you ever asked Capt. Hanson or Lt. Kel ly of the Adjutant
General if that was a fact?

A No , al r; I don't know- Q All right, we will pass that.

Now , the Richburg matter-- I

don't care about that-- don ' t the affidavits you have read
of half a dozen or more witnesses support the opinion of Capt.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 D44

Hanson that there was gambling going on?
MR. CURTIS:

They speak fa,r themselves.

THE CHAIRMAN:
MR. KNIGHT:

Yes.
You read them last night to the Committee?

A Yes, sir.
Q All right, we will pass that up.

Now, the 13th charge, in

regard to two Mexicans being taken out of jail at nonna, and
the wounding of one of them.

Can you name the officers you

have reason to believe they were?
A I don't Know-- I remember this witness was Mr. Gray, he made
an investigation and is here and perhaps will give you the
information.
Q Did Mr. Gray tell you he knew any ranger was there?

A I had information from Mr. Gray and from the Mexican oon:aul
that a ranger did it-- I don't know the name of the man, of
my own knowledge.
Q Now then, don't you know that Capt. Stevens went up there

after that occurrence and arrested two men who had something
to do with it?
A I don't know anything about that.
Q And they were placed under $5000.00 bond?

A No, sir; I never knew anything about that transaction.
Q

In this same charge, No. 13, you say this-- "I charge that in
making this investigation Capt.

w.

M. Hanson sought to fasten

the responsibility for this unlawful act on the local officers
and citizens in order to shield the rangers who committed the
outrage?!.'
A Yes, sir; because Capt. Hanson told me at the same time he
told me about Frank Winn flogging the Mexican, that these officers were going to make affidavits that the rangers did
not have anything to do with this matter, did not shoot at
those Mexicans.

I have reason to believe and I still believe

nit.
it was done for the purpose of shielding the rangers and
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 shifting responsibility from them.
Q Now. didn't Capt. Hanson's investigation tend to clearly show

that there was no proof, and you can find no proof to the contrary, that there wasn't any ranger there, and if

th~re

was no

ranger present, didn't he have a ri ght to say that the rangers
had nothing to do with it?
MR. CURTIS:
THE CHAIRMAN:

His invest i gation is presumed to show for itself.
I will let him answer that.

A I don't know anything about it. except what the investigation
shows.
Q

Now. Charge No. 14-- the flogging of a Mexican by the name of
Jose Hernandez near Donna, Texas, who was suspected of having
stolen a jack, and that Capt. Hanson told you in Brownsville
that Fred Winn, a deputy sheriff of Cameron County, had stated
to him that he had committed this outrage.

Now, Mr. Canales,

have you subpownaed here any individual as a witness to testify that any ranger or rangers had anything to do with the
flogging of that Mexican,

Herna~dez?

A Yes.
Q Are they in attendance?

A Yes, they are here.
Q You haven't introduced them yet?

A No , because they arrived this morning.
Q All right, I will go to the next charge-- I knew that you

had not introduced them-- Now then, wasn 't it about that
that you woke up to the fact that Capt. Hanson

w~s

tim~

not making

fair and impartial investigations?
A I knew that Capt. ttanson was up to his old tricks-- I was
•

awake all the time.
Q

Up to what old tricks?

A The old tricks that I tho ught he had dropped.
Q

Name them?

9. Texas.A State
I told
you, as
toArchives
crooked politics,
and I saw that he was tryLibrary
and
Commission
ing to put the same method over me and my suspicions were
ced ·
~ .. t .. a ~'-_.-..
~ -

 Q This was August , 1918, you allege ?.

Jf.F. . KNIGFT:

A

Yes .

Q,

Now as late as the 12th day o:: September , 1918, you

&.1 r: Cl"apa were .making speeches

commendiP..~

Captain Hanson

as 'being all that was desired as an officer ?
A

No , sir .

Q

Yo u say "I mention this inc id.ent because it was about

this time I \Voke up to the fact that in all the invest ie:ati ons ntac16 by Captain Hanson he ei t.her tries to justify
the
A

act~o1

~
Il

shi~ld

them?

I did. not refer to th&. t, this was the time ii happened
a.r~c1

i r DorY-.c;'.
son ,

s of the Rangers or to

·: i

referred to my conversation with Ca.otain Han-

er was in October .

I sn' t

it a fact you never saw a single investigation

c>de 1 :i CoJtain Hanson unt i 1 you came. to Austin and began

to prepare these charges?
A

No,

Q.

Where ?

A

H~

jt

is not a fact .

showed it to me on

I

th~

saw the investigation of Edds .

train .

Q I s there any other one?
A

No, that is the only one I sav1, but I was convinced

from th<:1.t
Q

No ' ,

JOU

allege and further charge , "I further charge

that there are no1 , and there have been for some time , in
th~

Stat~

Ranzer force men of de s perate character , noto -

riously known as gunmen , their only qualification being that
the.f can kill a man first and then investigate him afterward ; that the character of these men is notorious and well
known and that i n the employment of said men in the State
Banger force the Adjutant General is either negligent in
the select1on of his men or else it is his :Jolicy to have
such c}'_arac'l:ers in the Ranger force to terrorize and intim-

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 idate -t-:re c i t ) zens of thi s State " -- NoV\ then name all those
noto:r)OUl'l gunmen whose only qual)fication i s to kill .
A

Some of them have been d i scharged .

Q

Name them .

A For instance , here is vaniel Hi 1ojosa whom all admit is
a notor:iouB gunman and um10rtr..y , and the.y ,;ant to discharge
him .

They say they onl y wait until he finishes a certain mat -

t er .

There is .John Edds , who is chare;ed over there and he:ts

be;en suspended .

There are several of them that are char ged

there , and they have either been suspended or they have ac kno wledged ""ere tha.t I -Has right about it and
Na e them .

0

vR . MOSES:

We think tha"- is im}ort.o.r + , if

then~

are men of

tl at kinrl on the force .

THE

CHAI RMA.i~:

Edds .

All . right .

He said

n~niel

Hinojosa and .Jclr

He can state any others .

A .John Edds , Daniel Hinojosa and

m;>i

friends above all ,

befort'l they were engaged j ust l ast Frj day in that shoot i ng
a:f rr~y

.

Q Name tbem .
A

Ca.._>tain J ohnson , the man that was killed ,

h i Veale , c.ind Mr . Cunningh(j

,

fhat ' s his name --

1ho .vas suspended , and the

othe r n: enJvleman , •'hat ' s his n<:l.me , t.he ""ourth man"
Q

Ti at i s all right •

Do you k now of any others "

I

I f so ,

just C:t.ns wer the question .
A

No further than what

m.r

evic'ence has shown and disclosed

in 'his i nvest)gat i cn of mine .

Q Give the names of any others .
know t.hl"'m .

A

You are a member of the Legislature .

I have already sta ted , that is all .

Q That is a l l
A

The De)artment wants to

all right .

That is all I have .

9.i,,
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q Now you state under oath that

C ~ptain

Harry J ohnson is

a gunnan -- is tha..t true -- notoriously so ?

THE CHAI RMAN :

He asked you

i~

you testify that Harry J ohn-

son •ias a ev.nman .
A

I

sa~

those are .1hat we call eunrnen, that have no· business

carrying guns .

We Legi s la.tors blre not vi clat ors of the law,

o.no I 0011 • t think it is necessary to carry

ci.

gun up here to

get us to do our duty.
Q,

Now was the re ever any evidence of Captain -- n o you know

whet.her Captain J ohnson has been suspended or not ?
A Yes, from newspapers I do.

Q

~on • t

A

I run glad to hear it.

you know he has been discharged from the service?
The troPble is they have not dis-

c:-iarged enough of them .
Q.

And that it. was done within an hour after it came to the

Adjutant General • s attention?
A

And after the investigation -- before the Adjutant Gen-

eral never discharged before.

Q When you made that charge, did you have Captain Harry
J ohnson in mind ?
A

No, I did .not know

wn eoine to tell you

hal~

~hout

the force , but all I do knpN I

ninety percent ought to be dis -

cr..areeo, that is all what I do know.

I do not kno•i all of

them , but I do believe ninety percent -- for that reason I
as1<: -- thc,-:t is, I call attention of the Committee -- I ask
in this charge that those men he brought here and let them
he vjmrnd for themselves .

Sorr.etimes you cannot see the char-

Qct.ar o·; c. n,C>..n without lookine at his fc:tce .
'he ntCA.de

a~

I wanted them to

c..n exhibit so you folks would see them .

Q What evidence have you that you can furnish the Committee
that Harry J ohnson was e. gunman?
A

None except his exhirition --

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 THE CHAI Rl/.i..AN :

I think the Committee will take judicial

kno11ledge of the character of Ca.pt8.in J ohnson .

I

believe

they al1 know him very N'ell .
MR . KNIGPT :

Q.

All right .

No / "'"hen, your allegation that Hinojosa and J ohn Edds

and Sergeant Hamer -ive re all gunmen on account of the things

yon h<::1.ve a lleeed in here against them -- is that it ?
A
j

No , because they are notorious gunmen .

Daniel Hirutojosa

s a ma.n of disreputable character , a man that killed a

prisoner and delivered him to a mob with full knowledge of
that , anybodJ could have known of that , and yet they have put
hil!l. in the Ranger force .

That sr ows somehody is negligent

some..,·herE: , either +.he Captain or the Adjutant General , and I
do know that the

C aptai~

does not employ the Rangers , it is

the Adjutant General and his Department that employs Rangers .
Trat is

~le

reason I

SC:1.Y

they are negligent or doing it be -

cause that is the character of n.en th<";y want .
Q

Wasn ' t Hinojosa a peace officer in that precinct ?

A Yes , to the disgrace of Cameron County .

Q Yo u knew him well "
A Yes .
Q Did you ever report to the Governo1 his disreputab l e
charactt i

"

A

No , he was not even in my

Q

Do you know .1hether any

o~

preci~ct .

the other citizens reported

his di sre1int.able character to him"
MR . CURTIS:
THE CHAI RMAN:

I object to n:rat other citizens did .
He has already sai d he didn ' t kno\v .

A

I don ' t know what other citizens djd .

Q.

Have you ever reported outside of your controversy \l'/ith

Ha.mer any of those men to the Department "
A

I have testii'jed I reported some

o~

them and nothing had.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 been done and I did not believe there was a disposition to do
an}thire with thos& men .
Q

I sn •t it one of your hoasts that you had Captain Stephens

remov1.::d. ?
No, it was not a boast .

A
in~ ,

I t was , as I stated thi~· morn­

everybody was lik e Pilate , 1asring their hands and want-

i ne to shift the :responsi bi li t.y .
tion , I

When I

found that opposi -

simply told them , "I f you fellows didn ' t have anything

to do , I know I did , because I went to see General Harle y to
have him removed , and he told me he was going to remove him ."
That was not a boast ; I was stating the fact .

•

Q

Was he removed"

A

V/ell , he !Vas removed fron· Bro.msville and vicir;.i+y , yes .

Q

That was after you had reported to

A

Yt s , and I d i d not say anything ; as I stated, I said t ·ha.t

G ~,eral

Harley?

the Captain himself I believed was a good .....an .
ni J you C:l.Sk that Captain Stephens be discharged or re-

Q.

movn1 "

so

A

J ust removed from Brownsville , he and his company .

Q.

You did not ask for him to be discharged?

A

No , sir .
"c.1

As I said to you , I told him , Capt.air:. Stephens

r as I knew is a good man and officer , but he

i ri""onne u

< nd '.ras

~as

mis-

doing us more harm than good .

Q Your sixteenth charge is, "I che:trge that citizens in m:1
cou1 .... ,, and adjoinir.g counties refuse to make charges against

Rangers for violations because they have become convir.ced of

trb fact that the Ad j utant Genera1 • s u epartment , instead of
invtstie~tjng

the officers who are char ged with violating the

law , woul d put saj d officers on notice of the charges made
ab~inst

t}1em and then hold one sided and partial i nvestiga-

tions of the charges aga inst the State Raneers with a view to
justi fyine; their actions ."

Name some cit i ens down there 'ffho

9Texas
.1. ) State Library and Archives Commission

 hesj tat.ed on that account .
A

I have letters after letters here o~ charges , specific

cr.arges , that refused to 5ive their ' real na,es, oecause of the
same condition, and it is for the Committee to find out if
they desire, the number of charges that have been made of the
peO.t)le o-v e1- the re ~1ho didn • t 1vant to make the charges , for they
saw that hardly anybody was removed ; in fact , but instead of
that i.hey would send telegrams like the one to Hamer , chare;es
.ve tell you not to make any

threats against him , just as much as to tell him , Canales
made charges against you , and put him on notice and he would
n~sent

i:, and we have the dev j 1 to pay for it . As I saJ ,

not o lu

n c .,.,meron an~ Hidalgo , but in Starr County , they

.. irr1 1., -s ....,•, "Here , we .:ion • t want to ""'i le an.r charges , for we
don ' t

.vant those fello11s to come over here afterwards and

jump on us f.o r it .
mitt<~.,

I have a number of letters , if the Com-

desires to go into that , giving the specific instances,

hut su.yini , "P lease don ' t

revee:1.l my nau1e , because I know #·hat

wi 11 ha. 2 re n t o me • "

Q Non Gentlemen , I don ' t know ihether you heard my quessim-oly
tion or not - - I asked hinlto name one or more citizens in
e:ithr~~

Caluron or adjoininrr

count.i1~s

who re:"used to make

ci1are;es because t:hey kne:.7 the Adjutant General ' s Department
woulci ·:nake partial investigations .
A

I

1ill :refuse to give their namt: s, 11ecause the men have

given me confidential information and

~~ey

n~.ec

he betraying .their

revealed., and therefore I

~rnuld

don ' t

aa~t

their

conf l Jt: nc a in ine .
MR . KNI GHT :

W"nat is e;oine; to be your ruline; , Gentlemen?

THE CHAIRMAN :

MR . R"NI GHT :

He has answered it .
These e;e nt:l.emen demand to know those na.me s;

thaJ don ' t want an

aspersio~

like that to go out .

9.1.
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 He tende:i:-s the Comrni "ttee t:ie letters , he says .

SENATO R PAGE :
!lR . KNI G-T{T :

th

Wi 11 he tender the Co r·.i "ttee the letters and

Attor~tY G ~ neral

SENATOR PAGE :

can see them?

Sure .

Q I sn ' t it a fact i'len you anu others t ha t Nanted Captain
St

b:JhE.:!lS

tn,ms

~erred. ,

tha. t an e quo.l numhe r practically re-

qu e sted that he he retained down there ?
A Oh , there is alnays two sides to a question over there ,
a:r.6. ao I ;:;tated yesterday , they vere misinformed with regard
to the situcition .

They t ' 1ought the R· ngers were to be removed

a ltoe;et' 1...,r , throug}> rn.is i nfonnation there , but when they knew
the facts they all endo.,.sed Lhe Adj utan"" G rnra.1 1 s conduct
.r~ !' .OVi Jl._;,

in

s... ~:rhens

arid. putting in Cartain Wjl, To.ylor .

I sn ' t it a. .Pact ... hat about an equal numher of people

Q.

demanded his retention there ?
.MR . CURTtS :
Q.

Answer "Yes " or "No ."

A

t

,,.C.;;;,

VY

I submi "t he has already answered .

~·

c;.

don ' t know vhether there .vas an equal number ; there
conshterc:l.ble number that telegraphed h i m to have his

r ~ t Gntion ,

Q

e:su

hut as I sa.id , under a

Wi 11 yo

l

t hek~ -> t,.,l

mis ;j.p p r~h ~ 1sio n .

give the names of .:l.n,,. - other Ran ers or an.,vo ne
0

a.s:-ced to be removed

f.COJll

there that was refused ,

except the one single case of Serg eant Hamer ?

Q,

Yo11 or ... ny other cit i ze'1.?

A

Thc:1.t I

cid

- - I don ' t know

1: at

other people did -- I

did not even ask that Mr . Hamer be removed ; I j ust s i mply
"" i leti my charge , and you are in possession of all the f acts
a2 to i!J.at .
~

Did you asK the removal of any othar Rangers other than

A

F rom there ?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q.

:tea .

A

My recollection is I did not .

Q Do you kno .1 of any other citizens the re Vlho asked for

the removal or any Ranger ?
A

Oh

Q.

Of your o.7n kno.vledge ?

A

No , I do not .

Q.

All

A

.f.:.s far as

th6

I

'

know --

Ho'N was Captain Taylor as a Ranger ?

R~~eers

my knowledge go es , as I have no dealings ,ifi th

except in a professional way somet i mes , he demeans

himself as a perfect gentleman and a good officer .
Q

No •. he was stationed down there , wasn • t he ?

A He was stationed there since Captain Stephens left until
he wa s C.i :;;0!:.0.1 G.... '. o r1

Dec~r.nbe r

~1st

.

Q Fe was Hamer ' s Captain , -.1asn ' t he ?
A

A. far as I

q

Did you ever report Hamer to Captain Taylor ?

A

No , I reported to c aptain Vann t"li s incident , not to

kno~ .

C..i.ptairl Tctylor .
Q.

That is all the charges ?

A

Y"" s .

Q.

T'-

A

A.rid the eighteenth and the ni n.eteent: , I don ' t know

o.r.,':.i

T' 1ere are ei ghtee n or nineteen , J"ude;e , out - seventeenth was excli.lded .

J

ie

~1:>0ut

i"", except those witnesses that I na .. ed there ,

t.}1ey we re fur ni sned me by representatives .

Q.

Yo

A

Yes , sir .

Q.

You don •t knovv anythine; about that ?

A

I d.on t t know anything (;t.b out that .

Q

You understand that Se;. nd s is not on the R<:1.riger force now ,

1

1 !!lc:;..n

the Boykin matter?

do yo i.?

A

I llo __ • 1 kr.o

I'

ho in ';'1a .wrld is on the Ranger force ,

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 I have been unable to find out .
Q
i·' t:

Nov I belj eve you stated that +r.e re were no Rangers ia
No rias -f'ie;fit .

A That is my nest impression at the time of the
were none.

~ight

there

Marcus Hines, Apolos Gay and 9ossibly one of the
eit~er

Hill hoys -- I may be mistaken, but it is

Moses Hill

or J ohn Hill , my recollection is -- and one or t.vo that I
thoupht 11ere either Customs House officers or soldiers, out
the Rangers were oitt scoutinz then .
at the

t

lrne "thj s incidet'lt took place .

They ,..,ere stationed there
They were out but came

in and met tre Sheriff .
Q

Weren ' t special Rangers Gordon Hill ano. Fra.nk Martin

both in that
A

f'igr-~t ?

I .(' 7-' ey r1ere , tbey were not special Rangers at the tin-e .

I thou,~ht t}J.ey were rnerel.1 de_put .,r sheriffs .

My recollection

is one or- the Hi 11 boys was the re , hut they were not regular
R :lngers Cl.t all that I 1mow of .
t~in

Q

They .vere not •nembers of Cap-

Fox ' s company .
.Do you know that Gordon Hi 11 and Frank Martin were not

special Rangers at that time ?
A
·n

r

1

No , I

'on ' t know anythin5 except that they .rnre not

ers of Ca_ tcd c Fox ' s company at the time, ancl the re was

no a 11""..._ ori"':y for special Rangers at tbat time, 'becav.se there
was no bill authorizing special Rangers .

The special Ranger

''il:.. wa$ .'1d.::Sstd in 191? , and this took :;?lace

-;"'1

1915 .

Q TPe raids down there were in 191B and 1916 ?
A

Yes , mostly in 1915 .

Q

When was the main exodus from that country to Mexico ?

A

They began in 1915 during tlie matter of these Rangers ,

and vvhi l~ I ~vas then engaged i

'1

organi :;;i ng the Mexican Scouts .

I t was during that time, Gentlemen , that you could see hundreds
oi' wagons

9[}

j ..... ' .

ne:..,iL::.if-~ , Mexic.:t.i1S nith their wives and children ,

I

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 their household goods , their eating utensils , the cat and the
dog, and everything they had , all in their wagon , going over
·there , c.bout a mile or a milP- and a ho.lf' fro1.:. Brosnsville ,
r...r c' t(i c;;y stood out the re at the Na.+ ional Bridge to go across

the Rj ver .

Some of

twen 'ly- four

::10'tr~

the1~

cla.itned that they had been given just

to leave the country .

I t was under those

condi "i: ion::J nhen I was orgC:1.ni zing that there was a mass meeting
in

B ro.msvi l l~

asking for 500 Rangers , and the par,.er published

were

it,

("~nd

v.rhile I was organizing it , Major Butler and I

th&

s ~n

P edro Ranch , and we sa" a l arge number going by in

at

that cond i ~ion , and I said to Maj or Butler , " I ""' +:nose men are
l~a.ve

go inc; to

their '1omes and go into Bro1msville and :Mexico ,

tile source of' our information is gone ."
t,O ""

re

He sa.i - , "Why d.o t'heJ
re po ct
asked .me , and I told him , "The re is a £mdt/here that

f OO Ro.ngers are coming ."

Major Butler then asked me to bring

hiYfl on into camp at San P edro Ranc"ft ,

d.

very large camp

ther~ .

I 'brought him in there , the troops which ·c olonel Benito was
in

c,h.:i..rg~

of , and he ·made this statement , "You tell t hose

gentl~·ue n

th.at these sold] ers are he re. to protect them , not

only "roin Mexican band.its across the River , but from American
ban,lits , and that I
rc.nch , th
~.nc.

0

cui.

in command of this force over this

San P edro , clear to the head gates of' Mercedes ,

I am givinG in str11ctlons to my of-ricers that not a Ranger

e' ..-.ll come 11i thin ten mi le s of' the line , and if they do they
dill all be put in the guardho..lse and we will stop this thine; . "
I interpreted that for him , I interpreted that to them that
that com•nand had been given to the officers , and then they
went hack wi th their goods and lived peaceably in their homes .
ranches
Th1:1 R&cl1.ga.xx/.1en~ aosolutely abandoned . My recollection ·Nas
the

school~

All

th~

had to stop becC1..use the children failed to appear .

children had gone .

My recollection is , since I

h~ve

se8n Miss Lane here , that her sister was teachine at the Canales

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 school about

~jfteen

miles

~rom B rownsvill~ ,

and she had to

qui ... because all ii.er pupils left , C:1.nd ·vnen that order
given hy Major Butler and ihen }'le anc I

·:10.s

"or •f>ree days organ-

ized. i!:.ese 2·1en .nu e1.3sured them that soldiers would give them

protectio,1 , "'-hat exodus stopped, and I ~m goine to tell you
that to the honor of the American Arny the soldiers. lived up
to those instructions and the re was no Ranger, ooputy sheriff ,
ofncer or anybody else .vent into those line.s , broke through

the

of

lin~s

Lh~

sol'ieca .

They did protect the Mexicans ,

and -t:he Mexicans co- ope rated wi -+-h them and gave every availab le i

rlformat.ion .

I "ldll ask you my 1uestion again , if you are through

Q

maki ne your speech :

what

When c' V

•he trouble bee in down the :re ,

ye,~r ?

A

I + hegan in

sibly

~~he·

exotl.i).::;

191~ ,

as I

;~..;an ,

said , and the exodus

:1ossH>lY , in

Septemb~r

beg~n ,

pos-

and then con-

tinut'!d. i'1. October and Novemher , mostly it was during November
and

j

nas during -- to the latter part of October , it .ms

t

durine; the latter part of October that I rc:::lated the incidents

tha.t is, I refer to that incident .vhich I have just related .
Q,

Thut

:J;,..5

1915c:i

A

T. e:.t.

::;:.~

1915 .

Q

Ho

A

Y

Q

Wl en was .,_"le tremendous exodus

~hol.lt

J

~,there

A My

it in 1916 ?
was an exodus in

recoll~ctjvn

ls

,~

·~a

started again .

191~ ,

JOJ.

spoke of' -:his morning ?

another exodus in 1916, a very

large exodus , one of the largest exoduses .ve had was in 1915 ,
on account of the conditions I have just related; then in 1916
there

~vas

another exodus <'ue to the fC:1ct that Yvhile there were

some promiscuous killings out there and the Mexicans aere

afr< jtl to come in to this side , I ias
·of

citiz~r1s

re~uested by a number

fr·'.>::n San Benito to e;o into Mata."Tl.oras a.nd see +he

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Mexicans- :i.,.. they would return to
sa~e

s ...

l

Beriito and come and en-

:in 10rk, that tile citizens of San Benito would give them

protection , bu"· I refused to do .it because I said. ,

11

As long

to do whatever they please , I refuse

to be

res~onEible

for the

li~~

of the

individu~l

and refuse

to &o ." Sa. n. Robertson, n0\7 in France, was a rnemht: r of that
Commjttee that ca:rae to see me about it .
Q,

you :remember .\Then Gt.nerc:1.l Pershing ' s expedit ion to

"'Do

Mexico occurred ?

d.on ' t recall .

You mean i\Then he went after that bandit '?

A

I

Q

Yes .

A

T don ' t know .

Q.

Was J.... in 1915 and 19H' .-.::hen we 11ere on the veree of 1ar
\I

wi, h :Mexico ?

A We were on several verees of war "ith Mexico .
o

I "''1 ' t

i~ a fact that P erchins

went into Mex:ico in t"'ie

sprinc; of 1916 ?

Aa I don ' t know , possibly it is true .
Q n on ' t you know in 1915 the

pl~n

of

s ~ndiego

was in pro -

cess of fennentation ?
A

I saw the plan of Sandi ego , but I had absolute l y the same

opinion ""'ho.t has 'Jeen expressed here by ot'her witnesses .
Q

\'/hca.t

A

Tl.Cl.tit was due to German propaga.1dists in there , and

th . . . .>

,JC;..-;:,

that

?

.3_p.cec.<.cl it o it the re , but in reality the effect on the

major:itJ of the Mexi cans in
plan o" SC;1.nO.ie50 .

th~rG ,

... h ... y did not take to the

The re .1ere some bad characters who were

fugitive;-; " .cmn justice, and just like a drownine man they
alaay;;; grab at a stra.<1 , and they wer.; tal<:en in with that plan
of' Se: ndiego , but in trutr and i n fact tri~ majority of the
Mexica11::.0

1er::J

not

~aken

in hy such a plan .

You did not regard seriously the plan

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

o~

S

~diego ?

 A

I '>elieve the i ntent i on of the men that conceived -- i t

.vc;.s do11e .1ith harri "'ul i nterests to the A erican !)eople , wricfi

lit::re som ... Ge ·u.a.1s , 1r1... I r"on ' t believe the

<;f+'ect of i t , that
You
is the execution o-"' it had any serious con sequences . / Qj co not
1 eli eve there: was an o rgani

zea cons pi racy to blo,, up ail tre

toNns and cities along the border in 1915 ?
A

Tr.a.t .vas the )lan of Sc-nc1iego in the paper, but I will

tell you an instance that it was not belj eved , that the man
that was cc1.ught, a Mexican at

S c~ndi

a $10 ,000 . 00 hond in Brownsville ,

ego , Texas was placed under

.nd J uaee Burns was then

s :it t ir'lt; as o 1.1·· Fed~.ra: J udge , a very honor~ble man and a just

perso •• , a.nd that f'ello-:1 was kept in jail -f'or abollt • eight months
and nol'>ody coulo give him bo l , and when tre.r brought that boy
and
o~

expL.i~ed

S ndiego

.

.

the circumstances jt vas found that this plan

propagand~

in there

the J udge on his own motion

reduced th1;; bone' from. $10 ,000 .OO to $100 . 00 and let him out
on his o.vn recoe;nizance .
serious

j

T"iere is an instance to show how

".i :r1as considered by as high a.n authority as you could

find ov·:;J.' Lhc.ce .O f course he was a Republican and a Federal
J udt;~ ,

Q

... •

but 11 will mention

Now Mr .

C c..~ales ,

world was leir!._;

1

I will

1,,}~.rea.terl

.s1

you to state if ,1hen the

in 1915 and ' 16 there were any Mex-

Me~jc

A

Oh , yes , thare was an exodus of

Q.

Do you kno,v tihet:her or not the .r joined that exod1-s , 0r

.n

c) ...

i?ens .

any of them"
A

What exodus "

Q Back to Mexico .
A
t'.,,~..i

Oh , some of them , except the poli tbal refugees , of course
'.ad

rather ta"<e chances of reine killed over here to going

oack to Cc..rranza and being shot over the re sure enough , so
they remainec , but most of

9b

the~

left over there and the laboring

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 clas~

who had little here and of course no political interests --

Q

What occasioned the exodus of 19ln ?

A

BecC:1.nse of the wholesale slaughter and :promiscuous

slauehter of many

Mexican~

out there without g:!.·-in:i; them a

ch nee 'to
By whom?

Q

A MostlJ by the Rangers .
Mostly by the Rangers ?

Q.

A Yes .
privu.~1.1

e; i

There were some county officers there and some

t izens there following the exa1a_.1le done by the Ran-

geri:> , yon .vill al"lays find if' your of'-l"icer does a bad thing
+i.

re are other citizens that will follow .
Q

I • 191? and ' 18 was there an exodt·s ?

A

Y ~s ,

Q

Didn ' t you state this morning there was a

in 191? there was a very

con~iaer~ble

exodus .
tr~mendous

A I t was a great exodus , that was during the time we passed
the Ranger Bil: )l'OVi1lir1~ for a thousand Rangers, and. it was

about the time that this registration carne in and i t vvas
thon,)1t that it \Vas due to the passage o.L' both , either or bot'l-i

of those act1:3 , •,ut
reC:1.00!1 'IW.J

<:t.lt~rvards

it was "ound that

Garman propaganda thro

J._, ,,1 ~hP

Ger~an

tr~e

real

press telline;

Mexicans that t!le AL ericans were going to make all of

tr

•

t.herr.. sol<.li ers an'-l send them to Fnince to be slaue;htered, and

they s!_ic'ooed t'iis country .
Q

left

Now do you know ho v many slackers and deserters alone
C anc~on

C o~.~s

ln 191? and ' 18?

A

No , I don ' t know ; I know a great many djd .

Q,

Uo you know whether or not jt was not told and the Mex-

jean~

was not made to beljeve that the age limit would be

rajsetl again to include all Mexjcans ?
A

I don ' t know

~:rhat

they \1ere told, bu"" I know that many

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 lE-

"'t

tr.at xiloul/over there were above the age of the first registration .
Q

~hen:

Many of

left that were above it ?

A Yes .
Q Ho1 many of them left on account of their sons being

ci.cro.;s tb.:: ..':. "
A

I .:0::1 ' i; k:10 7

~he

reasons , 1·rnt I

state for various reasons ,

chiefly du3 to the German propH.e;anda .
Q

Wasn ' t it reported there trat the wives· and daug!'lters

of the Mexican citizens would be conscripted to make nurses
for the Arm:!"

A

Yes , that lie was also considerahlg spread there hy this

Ge nnan propaganda .

Q no you

+: ink that that had any inf lue nee in contri r.u~i ng

to 'the exodus "
think .vi th a great many it did have i nf'luence .

A

I

Q.

Then t'-'lere were a great many influences contribut i ng to

the exodus?
A

Oh , ye s ; ye s , s i r .

Q

No / you spoke this mornine; of your brother being disarmed ?

A

Yes , sir .

Q

Any

A

No , sir , i t Nas not that -- his arms

indigni~ies

visited upon hin ?

He left his anus at "lis

~ather-in-law '

wer~ ta~en

a1ay .

s home , and they came

over there am' disar.ned his father-in -l aw , who was a deputy
I"', and t''ley took llis rifle of+' for good measure . Re
recovered
a.fter·1ards recovered those, but he never n~oc/the sight
sh~ri

on his rifle -- did not .recover the rifle in tle same condition .
Q,

You Si;:tid that this :a1t disarming was done by people

~vho

had bcid motives?

A

I said thci t di sarmi 11 g was done by the Rangers of Captain

Texas
9[) t State Library and Archives Commission

 Q

W' at d.id Mr . Rahb and Lon C. Hi 11 have to do .ii th that ?

THE
A

CHAIR~AN :

To tell

Were they Raneers at that time ?

.,01

the truth , Mr . Rarb bimself had alNays been

very f,;t :con...:;l.r against the Raneers until lately in this controversJ -- thd Parr-Glasscock .
Q

No •.., Mr . Canales

A

I sajd Mr. Rabb has heretofore I knoa been very outsro1en

a ga inst the Rangers and their outraees, and hls support of
them has been rather lately , on account of political conditions
there .

Mr . Rabb is very bitter aeainst J udge Wells, and I

preaumt- '-le has a eood reason "for 1)eing against him, and anytrhz that goes to hurt Judge Wells Mr . Rabb supports , not
be cause Mr . Rabl::> has not himstl ~ been hereto"fo re out spoken
in hie

dis~pproval o~

the action of the Rangers .

Mr . Hill

has co-operQ.ted with the Rc..ngers considerahly, 1"-ecause they
worked rather to his advantaee .
ma.hy .i:)eo::ple

U,,9

The.>r intimidated a great

ther.a t11at he wanted to be intimidated and

1\lhose la.nd he wanted to get possession of, as testified here
bjt J. C . George, and thine;s like that .
than his

He had other motives

~olitics .

Q I believe you stated this morning that this disarming
th(, re was done to he l~"' the t;, ie ve s across the R:i ver'?
A

Oh , it did. help the.n ,

the reverse .

althou ~l1 t'

e 1ntention was just

They int ended to di sar:1. because the..y thought

because in t.ha t way the.1 would establish order , but the re verse ·vo..o
time,

th~t

tnt~ ,

1)13<.;a•lse of the conditions existi'lg at the

the River was lofl and the bandits and thieves

across the River who were hungry would come and steal the
ver~

things C:Lnd

th~

_.1roperty of our Mexican tenants and fann-

ers o..long the River , and they had no arms to protect them
they were between the devil and the dee) blue sea -- that is
the position in Hhich they were .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q I sn ' t it a fact that the only thing Mr . Rabb ever did
was to ucro .1ith Mr . St euhens
in connection ·n ith the election
frauJ.s ?
A My recollection is he did

Q I sn ' t that the only thing he did ?
A Well, as I say, the only thing that he actually did , I
believe you are rigfl.t .

As I said, Mr . Rabb himse l f has here-

tofore been loud, afld he never himself has told his opinion
as to some outrages committed there in

fol~owine

down - - but

his activities after that is because of political enmity bet,vecn J udge Wells and himself .

Q Did you ever hear Mr . Rabb say at any t i me that the
Rangers at any t i me k il led anybody?
A No , I did not hear Mr . Rabb say that , but I say that I
have

he~rd

him in Brownsville openly state that some things

done there should not have been done - - that is what I understood .

Q Were not the Rangers just as active in politics down
there before the l ast election as they were· during the l ast
Hobby

ad.ministratio~ ?

A Yes , just as testified by Mr . Creager -- he told the
truth about i ~ .
Q The only trouble is, heretofore they have been on your
side ,

~na

this

~ime

they picked the other?

A No, not exactly on my side .
me .

I ran on

t~e

One time they were against

independent ticket in 1909, and Mr . Creager

and I were on the same side on the independent ticket agains t
what they called the Jim Wells crowd, and they put the screws
to us , there is no question about that .
Q.

Then you admit that the Ranger act iviti ty ivas just filr±r

as r>est}ferous prior to last year as it was last year?
A

As far as being used for poli tical pur poses .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q,o

That year you broke away from your po li tical pa r ty , they

put. .1.h<:: screws on you?
A

Yes , si.r .

Q,

Outside

o~

that year , did they ever put the screws to

you and your party?
A

No , hecause , Gentlemen , I have sustai·'led the Democratic

t1cket , local , national and state .
swallo~g

l

Somet i mes I have to

a mighty strong and bitter pill , but I do .

They have

een , of course , with the Democrat i.c Party , and they helped

the side on .1hich I .vas , but I did not endorse their acts ,
however .

As Mr . Creager testified , I openly stated I did not

endorse their act ions .

While of course I l i ked the result

of the election , at the same time I do not like the means .
I do not believe that the end justifies the means at all -I do not believe in that doctrine .
Q

Which side were the Rangers on - -· were they for Hobby

or for Ft'.rguson this last t i me , this last election?
A

The first observation of that , they we r e in the p ri mary

t:l&ction , they were there for the purpose of defe ati ng Captain
V~nn

for Sheriff , and of course we were for Hobby there --

the Ferguson ··ae n , you could not find them at al 1 .

I made a

searc11 . ._hro1.i.~11 the county for them and could not find any ,
but in the election there were one hundred votes on that
electjon , and the Rangers were for mat they called the AntiWells ticket, especially a
Sherif~

fig~t

upon Captain Vann, the

- - they "anted to defeat him , and it was that incident

that related to the Commissioner being spirited away i nto
another count y; on the day of the primary elect ion they we r e
very prominent in the var ious boxes there , and m,y r e collecti on
is they went i n one of the boxes , although I wa.s not present ,
and took one of the men out of there , ilOllt told h i m they were
going to t ake h i m, someth ing like that -- they had some
trouhle t.}i ere anyhow .

Mr . Dancy was in another box , and j udge

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Wel1s waf: in another box out the re , a.nd they saj cl they could
tLo.~

not vot1:· ,

J ot: Taylor and some of the Rangers -;ye re out

there and i;1oulc1 not :permit them to vote , and they went down
the re c..nc r.ad some trouble .
~r~ulo h~ve

testified .

These gentlerr. en were here and

I didn ' t know anythi ne about i t .

I sn' t it o, fact tbat Captain Stephens investigated these

Q,

elect.ion fretuos down there at the instance and under t .h e
s~d

comnd

on of the :$lu:.x.tl.i' Attorney General , and not the Ad-

j utant General .
TEE CH.AIRMAN :

Wait a minute ; I don ' t think that is part of

the unlawful or disorderly activithis of the Ranger force or

anything t hat wou ld show a reflectio11 on
co- o ic::n~ted

t h~

then~

in that they

·.lith the officers in enforcing the lai't" .

MR . KNI GFT:
that

their~

This tb i ne;

gte~'I

out of that .

I want to show

Atic..i··ney General jnstructed Ca2tain Stephens to go

a.no Cartairi Stephens asked Mr . Rabh to go with h i zr simply

because he was acquahited with the people , and it was not the
Adjutant General ' s of fice at a l l .
Tim CFAIRMAN:

TYiey had no right to take orders from the

At.i.on11::y General , under the laws of th i s State .
lllR . KNI GHT:

The Attorney Gen er al has no r i ;ht to call the

constahvlaty of this State to h i s assistance '?
THE CHAifa.1AN :

I dor ' t know of any such l aw .

e lect jo:n contest in the build-i n..., ,

<:

We have an

nd I want them to try it ;

I don ' t want us to go into it .
Q

Nor1 you sa.y .vhen you showed up in the Adjutant General ' s

0f~ice

jn February , 1918 , you found Colonel

C ~ara ,

Mr . Ol iverja

and Captain Hanson the re , and f ound Capta i n Hanson had been
placed in charge of the Rangers ?
~"as

so i nfo rme d the n •

A

I

Q.

You did not protest "

A My protest wou l d not have amounted to a row of · p i ns .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q,

I didn ' t ask you that .

A No, I didn ' t protest .
Q You said you had a talk vlith Captain Hanson and he said

he was g oine t·o do his duty"
A

He talked to me and told me that he was g oing to do his

duty .
Q.

Now then, these different cases you have referred to in

your recital, do you of your own lnowledge know of any instance

wre rein he fed led to do his duty"

A Who"
0.

Captain Hanson .

A

~x

Q,

Yes .

A

I

Cartain Hanson"

think I have enumerated enough .

Q I say , outside of those "
don ' t know of any other thine; .

A

I

Q,

Uo n ' t know anythine; else except what you have to l d ?

A

No, sir .

Q,

Ca11tu.in Hanson investigated the deat}1 of Flor encio Garcia?

A

I unden:;tano I'e did , from his corresponde nce and investi-

gatio n papers .
0,

Do you know of any case that he refused to investigate?

A

Oh, no , he was very anxiovs to investigate, but --

Q All right .

A

I am not complaining about his investigating , but the

fact that his investigations were

al .~a.ys

one- sided , they al-

ways covered up the other side .
Q.

I will ask you. if it is not a fe1.ct , regardless of what

the impelling cause was , that the greatest exodus which occurred :into Mexico from this side was at the time and imm edi at ely following Captain Stephens ' removal ?
A

No, I do not beli f'!Ve so .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q

That is all rigl:t .

A

I helj eve that the other was the greatest exodus, 1917,

and 1915 .

Q Now your relative Ti jerina was humiliated and abused in
Oct oh er , 1915 ?
A

Some timE: , I think , in Oc tober .

Q.

What time was it your brother was di sanned ?

A

I don ' t know , it was dudne the time .Judge Wells testified

about , I

don ' t know that my hrother • s arms were taken away,

I nas not in Brownsville at the time but I came afterwards
anc I only heard it , a.nd he told :nie aften1ards that he recovered l hi arms , yes, sir .
Q

Tre man that Mr . Busb: found on the track?

A

Yes, sir .

7

Q Did Captain Hanson investigate that ?
A

I understand so , because he told me he was going to in-

vestjgc.te it , and I find the investigation in the papers 1.rhich
I

introduced in evidence .
Q.

He found that no Rangers were there but the Rangers ar -

rested men for that act ?

A The
a,

inv~stigation

speaks for jtsclf .

Isn ' t it a fact that Captain Stephens did arrest two men

and they vvere put under a $5 ,000 . 00 bond for that ?

A

I don ' t knou anything about it .

Captain Stephens is here

and he can testify to that .
Q,

Have you heard that ?

A

I don ' t

C aptai~

Q,

knov1 anythine: except from the investigat i on that

Stephens djd arrest a man .

You took no interest in that matter , although a Mexican

wa.s ...hot -- you did not kn01'iT anythine ahout that at all"

A No , because he was a Mexjcan citizen and I didn ' t have
bP}t~in~

to do with Mexican citjzens; I nas looking out for

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 .America.n cjtjzens of Mexican descent , that was all I \·as looking after .
Q I will ask you to give the name of a single \7h ite citiz en
down there , .Am erjca,n , that you assisted out of trouble during
all thoee troublous t i mes ?
THE CHAIRMAN :
MR . KNIGP.T :

I d i dn ' t get that .

Any white cjtjzen that he ever concerned himself

vdt}• down there during all this time .

MR . CUFTIS :

That is iinrraterial .

THE CHAIRMAN :
~~y ,

A

I think that is i mmater i al .

'

there are many , many I got out of trouble and I re-

p re sc: nt c cl. 1 hen1 .

THE CHAIRlf...AN :
11~R .

Q

KNIGHT :

That is al 1 right •
We .1ithdra\v the question .

Did you ever lend your friendly services to the apprehen-

sion of the refugees who killed

T ~t~ ,

Shav , Cunningharr1 and

others ?
I don ' t think it is a proper question to ask

Mit . CURTIS :

a p.riva.te citizen , l'klether or not he has assisted in the
apprf:hensi on of fellows who have kilJ ea certain people .
TH:F. CHAI:ffifAN :

I don ' t think trc. t

is -

H_. has made hims elf

more than a private citizen by his actions •
.MR . CURT IS :

I dol. ' t know the testimony .

I t strikes me that

it is
A

I

vill answer the question .

TFE CHAIIDlAN :
A

Go ahead .

Wl1e .... Mr . Cunningham was killed , Nas niurdered , I was not

in Brownsvj) le, I 1vas attending court at Ri o Grande City .
When I returned and I found. out , I :Vent to see Mrs . Cunningham .

THE CH.AIRMAN :
:10 f f

W:-.a. t

time wi 11 it.

prohahly tc..ke to fini sb

cross examim.i,tion?

MR . FlHGRT :

I don ' ... know; ii. jt ot de"'it.hds on how ma.by speeches

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Mr • Ccuiu.:e s

~.ei,ke

s•

I don ' t know

:1ou see ho11 it is pro -

gressing.
T9 be frank a11out it , I beli eve both sides

THE CHAIRMAN :
cci.l~

~lhdric..te

IfR . KNI GPT :

a good deal from the record .
I ,fill put direct q,uestions , if Mr . e anales

will answer teem .

cJ n::ct

I arr. going over his

exc-.1.l'uin<:l.t ion .

THF. CHAIRMAN:

until

I am doing my best .

7 : ~ 0.

I t has been moved. that the Committee rise

I s there any objection upon the part of any mem-

'ber of tr:e Corr.mittee to risine until 7 :30?
( No ohjection being raised, the Co•mi1ted recessed

~t

5 :00

o ' clock until 7 :30 o ' clock P . M.)

MONTIAY, FEBRUARY lOTH, 1919 .

The J"o i nt Conmdttee of

gating the charges

2~gainst

th~

Hot•se and Senate investi-

the State Rd.ngt-r Force, reconvened

at 7 :30 P . M., Hi th Chairman Bledsoe presiding .

EVENING s1rnsION.

THE CFAIRMAN :

Gentlemen, the Corr.mittee •lill come to order .

I t '.i.as been sve;gested. that we suspend the cross examination of
Mr . Cc.ralef; , in or-der to let Senato.:· Huds .i.Jeth testify .

C • B • HUDSPETH ,

"'. jne; fi:rst duly sworn , testLf'j ed before the Committee as fol -

lows :
EXAMINED BY MR . MOSES .

Q

Y0~r ho~e

is in El

P ~so ?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 A Y

S ,

sir .

Q,

You have latel y been elected a member of Co •.gress?

A

Ye~ ,

Q,

The El Pa.so district ?

fro!!! "':he Si xteent~. Corgressi onal Di strict .

understarc the boundaries

I n order that the Co=nittee :nay

o-:: i"'. ,

I ,fill ask you i::' i t is not

true that. that district extends alone the boundaries of the
Ri Vt: r from El Paso to De l Rio " or does it extend - A

The boundary of the district , from El P aso to De l Ri o

anc: Rio Grande , and from El Paso to Mitchel l Counily on the

T . & P., to

G illespi~

County on the east -- takes in Kerr ,

Real , Ednards and several close border counties -- Crockett

Q Ho

N

10110 :have you lived in the City o:: El Paso ?

A

Nine years .

Q,

P rior to that time wt.ere did you reside ?

A

I

resitleci in Crockett Cov.nty on my ranch for fifteen

years .
Q,

You were born in Bandera County'>

A

I thoueht I Has born i n Bandera County unti l the election

came on , an(! they proved. I was born ir Arkansas , but I was
horn i n BC:Lnder(;j. County and livt"d in West Te-xas a l l my life .
Q.

P rior to be i ng elected R

~.rese

"'"c-.itive ir_ Congress you

•r.ere a n.en..1er of the House of R. . .t-'resentat ives and of the State
Se. nate

~o

:- c. hout sixteen yea rD "

A

F ote• ./~ars in the HoJ.se and twelve in the Senate .

Q,

Arv

JO-:J. O.?"

not v:ell acqJo.inted nith the citjzenship who

reside in that portion o:' your Co'1gressional District cetween
El Paso and Del Rio ?
A Yes , sir , I thi nk I know most of them by their given
names , and their wi ves too .
Q

I s there or not a. ve1·y lC:lrge Mexican populC:1.tion in that

tjer o!: c.;c.,unt iee a.djc:.cent to the Rio Grande River , fro!!! El
P a5o to Rio Grande Ri ver'>
A A1·out fort vr ::::iercent of t:,e population

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

o-:: El Paso Cour.ty

 art= Mi:-,....j cai .,. ,

e:i..nd

I

nould estimate that at least one- third of

the O( .:t-r counties fron1 El Paso to Val Verde , Del Rio ,. are
Mexici:ill.

Q Y. .

as a citizen of manJ years in t'2l:tt district , and as

a mei.l er of toth branches of the Leu ' ;;;laturt: , of course are
acq-..u:i,jnt(~c
R~nger

A

with and. familiar with , and have been , .vith the

force ever since

~ou

were a boy?

Yes , my father was a frontier Sht.riff , for l'.Ill::Lny years , and

I have known Rangers ever since I ,vas a boy , have known Ranger

Ca 1Jtairs , Captai! Caldwell and J ones and Hughes , and those
m. en , f o r Illa z y ye ar s •
Q.

Yo·.<. recall that the Legislature in 1917

..

.,

11;;&"·"'""'-~·inc

I

re - dra~ted

the

the Ranger force , do you not ?

A

Y~s ,

Q,

And you rece>ll tho.t a..fter that time t!.. e Rar1ger :orce v1as

as the author of

4

h~·

1 ill .

rr.. ....t . . 1 ic.:J.J..; in creased from what it had been for several .fears

rior irbreto ?

juEJt
A
Th.1;,

Yes , I can ' explain , J udge Moses , .vhf , if you d.esire .
cit~i

r..ens of. Terrell , Brewste.r , J eff Davis , P residio , Huds-

petr , CJ.111t.rson &r.d E l Paso Counties came here to Austin in
a boo.y to ask that the Rb..ne;er force be increased. to at l east

a thousa.nc: men in order to protect that bo rd.er country from
Mexic~n

bandits that were constan.+-1.,r

d.epr~dE.-..ting

upon them ,

i::tealine; t!1t:ir live stock and .1urdering their f<:tLiilies .
Q

Sbnator Hudspeth , you have l ..eard of the killing o: a

number of Mexicans out i

1

that

Bi ~

Bend Country , and it was

"believed and charged by some to have probahly been done by
n:en in t.he command. of Capta i n Fox -·

you r.ave heard of that

d re tun st an<: e ?

A

I h.a.ve heard of i t , yes , sir , I carL familiar uith most'

of it .
Q Wl t!: the exception of that instance , it appears from. the

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 record '.hc-.t Ca;itain Fox is no lon.3er jn the service .

Wit hout

regard. to that controvers.,, C:t.nd ./tether or not ,,he Rangers
were to , lan e , I -dll asl. you if you know of c..n,, com]:Jlairt s
on tee ... c..rt of the ci tiL:enshi ~ , -lo-.he lav:- abid.ing ci ti zenshi.L)
tho;::>~

of

counties , o"" anJ t.,rannicc..l , harsh o:r cruel op,.res-

sion on the r.;art of the Rai.e;ers in all that tier of country
for the 1 ast fi.ve or six years "
A

No , fdr , outside of the killing at RMbt.:x:i::l!.lxE E J Porvenir

•vhic'r> I .:e::.,w in one o'!: the counts in Mr . Ca.ne:tles ' indictment ,

ano

my i1 f'o.1'!ation from reliahle citizens , I

vant

to state to

th€ Co1 tdtt.ee as regard.in& that 1<ilJi11 ; , and I can zive

JOU

t'1e nan.es of as good citizens as there are ir. Texc..s at Marfa
who ha.ve eiven me this information, and
that the Mexicans killed at E: P

.101

can

subpoen~

venir were killed by

them

R ~.gers

and. .;oo' citizens of that section that -nere searching :or
their pro1 e +J

from

J•

T: ey found a good deal of the property taken

•

B1ii.e Ranch at that t i me .

TH.E CHAIRMAN :

We have no obj€ction to you testifying about

the jnfom).(;l,ticn you have as to who tlio the killi1

c,

but as to

the motiv6 , unless you know of your own knowledge -A

I

J.on ' t know only »lhat I nave f:com t:_1:- best citizens out

there .
TFE CFJ\.IRMA.N :
parJers rrlCt.O.e to
1-~R . ~WSES :

I .;ill so..1 to you that the investigation
J

:::.c De ... ia.rtment are already it! .

Witt. regard to that matter , as to ,ihether the

R...l,ngers were at :ault or not , ...,h... t was trouble that occurred
\thf..t .)t.cJ..r '>

A

That occurred some time in the spring ,

earl~

in the

spring or winter of 1918 .
Q

c

4

I believe you have already testified that :.ith that

ijon JOU have not heard

o~ ~ny

e~­

complai nt on the part of

la.r-<=<-' i iing cit.i zens o::' tho.:;e countles of ;;ri soners being

9h State Library and Archives Commission
Texas

 taken and disappearing or " evaporat.ing " on the road or be i ng
kilJea b} Rane;ers , or anythine of that

No , sir , I have not , but on the contrarv·

A
....... 1. . . . .

•C'

so~t ?

\J

th~

Mexicans

cc.ptured in Mexico were taken .:k.B. C:1.fter +he Glen

wen;}

Sprines raid

~ifere

tund trem .

TheJ captured some 1hit.e men , took the .Americans

turne6 over t.o Rc;<...1gers by the men who cari-

.

into Me:xico , and they ca.:.tured thej r capt.ors and th.ey '-Jrought
the:m hack into this country and turned them over to four Ran-

r,ers ut Glen Springs , and they

~ere.delivered

to the author-

itJ(•:.;' a"'" Al.:.ine , tried there anc1 sent to the :penitentiary

one of t.hen1was a Mexican Colo ml in the Mexicar Army , a
Co.. ranc :i stc. .Colonel , and r..ad on the Ul"i "form ,1hen he was cap-

tun:.( ,

n' S'· e1

~ff

Allen turned him over to Rangers at Glen

S.cJrings and they delivered t:hem over to the law .
Q,

Ro

'Fl

many raids have there been in that sectior. from

Al . ine tc D ·1 Rjo in j.;hc last four year ... "
A

w ~1J ,

+,here has been a number of raids from Del Rio to

El Paso -- I don ' t think I am gettine out of the record , Mr .
Chai nnan -- a mass meetine 11as called at Van Horn in Cull">ertson
Count.Y lc..st April , .vhi ch the
r.ysrlf C:J.t.tended .

H ?llO

re °l'le Richard Dudley and

That was a mass meetine of the pionee rs ,

tl:e ranc;J1 men of that section of "'re country , Sierra Blanca
clear ori dovm to :Brewster

C oun~y

-- h"'d that meeting , and

!lr . Dt..dleJ a.,,-:: r..Jself ·1ere a:pr,ointea. to come to Austin o.nd

ask for sj xteer Ranger Scouts , which sixteen Ranger Scouts
were o.ppoi id.ed. by the Governor and placed und\.:r .Lhe co:m.rnand
o-<' Cc...ptair. Ben Knight .

T'1c.Y- were paid , as I recal l

it

no.~ ,

by Adjutant Gere r&,l Harley , and co- operated .1i th us at that
tj11c , $100 .00 a month .

They v-ere commonly known as the Huds-

pe.tr Scouts , and those Scouts were appointed and :placed on
1.h.; Rjver; <'
mandi .n~ : '
9

0~

,~

,1e were also asked by Colone: La11-enorne com-

Ei ehth at Marf , af'ter these sixtee ! Scouts were

ap2oint ed c..nd placed on that R" rer there .vere no more raids

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 no more rnilJings after that time .

Up to that time it was

freqi.ten"':l:> a ranch had been raided anc Glen Neville <1as shot
down in his father ' s door .

Q Vfuen was that ?
I think February , 1 918 -- by M"'xi can bandits ir.. Carranza..sta

A

urd fo nr. •

Q Could you tell us about how many v1hite men , .Americans ,
were killed by Mexicans cluri ng the last four years, between
El Paso and Del Ri o ?
A Belo •• El Pa.so the re was a Ranger cruelly murdered the re
about two months ago on an island that "Pclonged to the United
Ste1.tes , ahout thirty

01

forty •.iiles :'rorn El Po so .

Ee was

murderecl a.nu his body thrown in bushes , al)out thirtJI or fort;>
rei les :fro1 El Paso , on the Glen

s. .

r) ngs road where they 1 ci lled

a lit 1·1e hoy about six years old and a little deaf and. dumb
bro~..,ht;:r

i.hey cruelly shot him , he was trying to put him on

tht:. bed , he was about e)e;ht years old .
fou1~

sold:! ers at that time , and the.f killed young Nevil le

ri~rt

in hi$ ranch door on this side .

tirne co

;1

They killed an old-

oy friend of mine , J oe Sittre,

alo~g

law

I think they killed

the Ri o Gr ande for

~~ny

years .

~ho

had enforced the

The.r shot h i m and

A5 Haverick off of their horses when they had Chito
one o""

~he

C ~nta ,

most noted bandH.s ever ·in this country -- the

Go'iernor oi'f1::rel $10,000 . 00 reward

shot them ofl' o:' their

horst' _ , c..ncl. aftenrards en+jced. J oe Si ttre do,m , i::ll'Id th;s was
done r / Mexica.ns who mostl.>- resided on this side o: the River
t~·

:t

e;.fterwards enticed J oe Sit.tr!:! .:om on the pretext of

catc..,.J 11[~ :;;n,ngglers , and murdered him li ke a dog .
Q

I .vi 11 call your attention to another man , Mr. Bulen .

A

Mr . Hulen -- I beli eve he was hilled first , at the time

when they c5.e coyed Si tt.re , Howa.rd e:tnG Haveri c£ ,
t11 . . . r. out 1\)' -1-.::_emselves i .
1

a.

he n the.f had

1

1: unc· , Chi to Ca.nmt --No , Hulen

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 was

at another time > he .vas a bro"t.her to the Ad j utant

kil~e<'

General Hulen
acrosz
ti or

at Del Rio ahout two years ago they came

stole a l ot

~~(

C omp~nJ .

o~

beeves from the Val Verde I rriga-

~hs R~.gers

One o!

was on this side .

They

noun (lf c' l.itr , and he killed •·hree of them on the other sid"' ,
fighi ing from th i s s i de .

I think that is C::i.11 I recall now .

wore numbers of rajds ,

Ther~

~ossibly

a number of »'hite men

and .A111erjcans we r e ki l led that I don ' t l"ecal l , but I d.o recall
the k i lling of Sittre and Hulen .
Q,

This mass meeting to 1hic'1 ., ou reft.r hav i ng been held

at Va.n Horn was held in the month of A_pril ?
A

A;ril of 1 9 18 '.

There were about three hundred citizens

of t'i:1at section , pioneers ,
driv~ri

from the Bv:cc"ler by Mexican bandits , three of whom had

lived i1 P ies 4 dio and
,, ... 1di t

ith their wives , +;nat were be i ng

J ef~ D a'i~

Countits , anc

~his

noted

Cl i t.o Canna that vorhed fol· J nnin f1P at Va.leritine ,

and knew everJ trail in

th~t

country -- they had a meeting at

VciJJ. F o rn and asked for protection at the hand of th i s State .
W1. . t.n thL Federal authorities , Major Lan[j:J.orne , nas doing
everything rossihle -- but he did not know the country , he
djd not :-;;jve them protection , anri +:re.tasked for protect i on
Lan os of the people .

at th
Q.

I

Reing well acquainted with the people of that country ,

vi l l ask you if i t is not true that at that meeting there

were rer:resentative citizens .vho reeided in tL
R eeve~ , J ~f~

and El
A

P ~~o

Davis ,

P ~esidio , B r~w s tcr ,

Counties

Culbe rt son ,

o~

Huds~eth

Counties , present ?

Yes , representatjve ci1.lzens from a l l those count i es ,

anc1 I think poss i bly one or two froru P 0cos County .
Q.

I happen to know a little somethi ne about it , as I .ms

in i,hai.. country and was in El Pa.;;;>O a ...
:eav.: .. 0

•

.rOJ.

W:.a t Nas the con di ti on of the

J;

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

gentlemen were

u"\. li c mind throughout

 that countrJ , and. i f you kno.1 the condition o: the mi r:ds of
't.'1.; peopl

Rcl.ncl:.e.s

1hose wiyes and children were living on their
~arms

d on their

~ 1i eved .... :1ey Nere

the: r
A

~

,

Tile c;onuition o f

in that countr., ,

~s

to whether

in danger from Mexican 0ancii ts ?

t.h;;..

J:iUblic mind

.10.s

so

ciistu1~bed

they

had broue;hr, their Nives anc. children and ol". Texas 1.wmer1 Hi th
tht:it' sun- bonnt:ts on had CO.Jlt: there "LO that meet i ng , it v1as
so aisturbed thc:,t several people of the:tt sect.ion were openly
advocatine; mov i ng the border to the north side of the G . H .
and S . A . ndlroaet tracA: .

Q

1i 11 as_ you if it .1as not true ·chat the re .:as con-

I

E<i derable discussion amonL 1-he thoughtful

.1~.1

ir:. the C1 ty of

El Pa .. o about the question of movinP-" all of the cc..ttle that
~ten~

loca.f_,ed contiguous to the Rio G. a.nde River , bac::.. a. u.is-

tance of --

~

number of miles -- for

th~

purpose of

~cotect­

ing them from being stolen and horrors of men looking a:'ter
thE:nt on the range being killed "

A

I ~rill svate that a meetinc Nas co.lled b.Y ;he then P n.s-

jd.ent , tht. Honorable Armer Wj1son,
Wes~ern C attl~ R~jsers '

o~

A s~ocia1-ion ,

the Panhandle and. South-

in the First National

Bank Bu ild i ng in E.1. Pe1.so , attended by the execoJ.1..ive con:.nittee
and. a. number of lea dii:.g stock m6n , and I .1as asked to be

present a.s General Attorney for the El
R"" l .::>~rs '

C...... t.l.,

and South.vestern

AsJOCid.tio:1 , e1.nd in their discussion it

advocated by men .ll.!.{(, Gene McKt;nzi b

of th.e;.t count:r., , "'.,,J...a
~oved nor~~

to be

Po.vO

t{t(,

,

,;o.S

reprt:sen.,ing t:he cowmen

cai:.tle ana. live stock woul d have

oi the track for

~

distanc0 of from fifty

to a hundred miles , i;l.nd that the fd.lnilies .1ould have to be
moved i!lto the to.ms , that
Q,

Ai. tr.at t

1 t:t 1.1u~.

A

I

E ....

i~e

P c;;.~o

tbt;:}r

had no protection .

ho·11 many U. S . soldiers ,vere stationed

ct,1.~

A....Jine , TbAe:t.s "

ould say b etae,,n five and six thouse:..nd .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q

T:_e cavalry had t'\-ie i r headquarters at Mar:. a., v.n der the

command

01

Y"'s ,

A

splendjd
Q

Co .J..On~ ..... Lc..ngho r_.... "
under the co.rr.nand o

.Jl!" ,

Co.Lone.L L<:1.n@'lornc: , a

of~icer .

1ill as'< you if it.is not true '1..hC:l.t c.,.nwng tnc c ... vizen-

I

.1~:::

ship genvrci.l ....J out there Colone .... Langhorne

and. rec.l love 1·or the efforts he ha., made to

Colonel

cc..us~

Langhorn~

res..,_,~ct

iJroi..~ct

1..he

)~ople "

lives and :propertJy of those

A

the

has the respect of every ranchman , be-

until recently he rectlived orders to the contrary to

cut out thL3 f'ooli s!l. red ta.pe a.nd follo.tt;d those people across
the bounciar.r "th;;:;.t ca..... ~ OY"5r and too:k their p.copert.> .

Q.

You. stctt ed Co:J..011"' J.. Lc.righorne at tended thc. t ..;:ee:::t ir,g"

A

Yt.s , <:1.na:. severe.. . . o_ his of 1ct.rs .:en. there .

Q,

UJ '"'n ' -r: he <:1.d.dr~ss tho.t l!'lectir. -, ...nd a.m.ong other things

dt."-t~ ,

in

t>ubsta.~'lce ,

TJ-:E CHA I R.l.[AN :

e:..to r te 11

to thc...t lu.rge ga-r:hering of people

Uon ' i:,

;JOU.

~here

think you. had bette.c let t.he Sen-

he said "

Nhi::t t

MR . MOSES :

I f th(;::

C ~_airn_c:.n

of this Committ(;e obj.--cts on

the ground t'ha"L I a:r. sue-gestinc

evid~nct;; ,

I

~,rill

res9ectfully

desist .
TJIE CEAI Rl'llAN :

I

vhink your er.ti

r~

exC:ill1inc1.vion is subj

;;;Ct

+c that objection .
MP . Jf.OSES :

to

th~t

I :b..ad hoped to

objcctio~ ,

TFE CEAi fil~AW :

THE WI TNESS :
MR . MOSE S :

c:.nd

sa:v~

. . l.

Lt!

1

.it:hout being subj

.ith e:.. man like - -

I :' :e let that rule do ~.1 , ,rn 11iill

I

,{j 11

...Ci..

oi:; subj .:.et

state

HdrE:: is .1hat I 1\las trying to gtit to :

1hat posi-

ti 0_·1 , if any , di C.: Colo 1el Langhorne take or advoc,at e as to
the aa.visability of the S i.,c..te e:..i.lthori°tit';S havir.g civilian -SENAT0R PAGE : (Who has just ;...,,.p eareci ) Has "'Cht:. S"'dc..tor fro~

9 t ...
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 P a.~o bee~

El

r _~ he

on the s tc:<.nd very lone. ?

~s

llj s sto:r.Y , I .;ould li k{:: for him to recount i
n i ng , fo; I O.vr ' . .
if :L1e ha.., ,

from the bet.; i n -

-to miss e:.n.;r of his e:.reument .

Ho·.H.ve. ;

o ahead .

MR . HUDSPETH :
I

Cdr"'

~

not f i n i shed.

I

:i l l stc...te ... o

t'1

$ t;

.ator fron. Ba.s-.;rop that

Ilc:<.Ve given most of my testimony- , ct.nu I _.no."l i t

woul ci. bore

you. g r eat ly i f I went over i t age.. in .
CHAIRMAN BI..EDSOE:

S 11atoJ· fro..i. Be:..stro1_, .
ev1dc.nc c::

tha·

I

th~

Q

:t-iOSES :

t:1at u. 1;;etli.

0

W<3 : 1 , I .1ill state -co

,

tr: . .

- ··not your

S ~m..

trying -:o n:.c..ke e:.n c;..r;i:ume1 1. , i

....ir.

ln.l J.i1 e , f or
'" ~ R .

" ~rgumenL "

Ht: s"""1J. you1

.

1·R . HUDSPETH :

tro

You did not get the suggestion of the

~

or

fro~ B et.~­

I tver did in

RWlger force of tho:. Sta.-ce of T"'Aas .
di~

ff.hat pos i t i on

Co.iO!'e ... La..1@:tornc; ta.ke a.t

if he took any position , ~s to ~he advisa.bL.ity ,

if he Sa.id a.ny-t'1ing abou"t:

to be selGc ted to

a~~jst

~i'.t:

advisu.11ility , of ha.ving civilians

in the

~rotection

of the property

a.ncl th~ l ives of .J:.h::OJ.J l e a.l on', the bO!'dt:r?

MR . CURTIS :

I l. stri ktds

1110

tt.c...v Colonel L ... nghorne ' s pos i-

tion .:ou}.d bt- better testifjt;d to by h i m.

THE cuAI .R:f.A~r :

T is is a n.<...r. t' ..e::1.t testified

. irst day --

Go a._ ·"' a.1... .

A

Cc J..one.L L"""nghornc: 1as inv 1-t..,d to

v!:tJ u.~.\;li1ti11

Of

civilian scouts Undt.r the :;x:(.nc"-ion

GQ'i 1re rnor of Texas by tr._.., A jut an

Q

G

t'b.e

.;.;r, • •

'L ?

H ... ztated. ·1.hi s : -cha.t he

B,.rdt- l ,

c.. .;:

··c:..S

doing his best to protect the

t:ve:ryont: can see , :vit.h bi., troops , ~is troops .vore

.any of t.Lem ne., m&n , i:. .:as aver:/ rov ...:
si~e

Of

"J ic r:~ saf .1h.Y , 'ut:caus..., of the ~oldiers not be i ng o.ble

to :b...c..nd le i
A

>ive h:i.:: v:i. f»"/S regarding

o~ E ~

hu.."1dr ed

Peso

1.. iles

~

d i stance of E: P

~o

, ~r.O. very rouc-11 countrJ"

coa.ntr..r , jus~ this

s~venty - ~ive

rer~

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

or a

. . ,.., ... crcs::>in:s on

 •11

.H~;er

not

l~nc

an~

denredate ]n the niryht

k~e

, thc..t h]s men did not knon, and therefore that

are a num"oer of m]les apart, and t:-i:::i.t hie men 6.id.

.. -:;h:....t country and t:ba t the bc.noi ts .\l'ould col"'le across
a~d

travel

t~o~e

tra]ls tI'-at tney
~e

Nas

unahle to cone 7i th ther.-. because his ·ne !1 were unfamiliar 1i th
-l;}'..aT.

section of the country, and that men

th~t

section

r~o

-Nere raisea in

I know he emphasjzed the fact that he

ou~ht

to have men apno i nted who were raised there and 'knev1 all those
c.cossi ngs, and that therefore if the Governor of Texas would
apuo int civilian scouts tr at he would i:rladly co- operate with
therr a"ld that he .z1ould build. a system of ' phone lines so t'hat

these scouts should report to h i m at least once a day or
every nir-ht, al'lci ~·-ie re fore he uelcomed t"le as si stc>nc"' t:1at

t'-1.-.. ci'tize:i!'" offered to

~ive

him by col!linr; here or send.inF

... f>ejr re .resvntatives do·:in here to have t"lese scouts ap' o iri"':e d
ano co - operate wit h him in protectinr· the Bordc.r .

Q

1~2.. s

W':1at

the custo!r., if you know, of +he white men in

t'1...,..1.. couvt r·y d•,u i na
anot~Ar ,

tJ:ios~

times, in ('"Oil1/l from one ranch to

or from one port io n

o~

vh£7,,..er or not they '•ent arP'!ed,
vi ile t.he:: . . . trouble

the country to another,
·~he

early part of'

t~is

year ,

1as oD"

They necessarilr nj<' -o c..rrried, h·~"i. to -·o armed in orcl.er

A

tC' • rctect th ... i
do m

~t

r

ng time

lives, because the.>r ,1ere liable to be shot
fro~

the other side of the River or by ban-

11 .... s on t:his sic'"' .
Q

A .t" ... er the Ran~e rs

ployed, ho

1ere the re ·,nc1 t r.c se scouts ,;ere em-

Ind.ny d i d you say there were "·hut were emvlo;rec "

Siyteen t1':.a.t I rece:1.l -.,on, ?it'· CCI. tail"' K .ir-'h.t as cor".-

A

rr.ander - - Ben KYli<-:'-lt, an olQ.-+,i e Sreri f.f' of t>iat country,
a

:::n.~n

.;ho understood Mexicans do m the r~ and ms

ouc..i nted vith thet'! alonr "the f:;, 'rand

A

'r.e ·rctr>

>'lOt

understoo~

iell ac-

the ir 1.,abits .

a c·un:nan nor a --i:rofessi onal, he rever killed

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 a

.1hili.:;, ht: .1as in charge •

llle:U:l

W:.at effect d.id it have on the cona.i+ion of ·.a'1di'cry a.nd

Q

ou:.10. ... .> on tne ...1art of t:C.t: Mexicans after t!1.1... Rc:..nger force
uas increased out t:here ?
A

There

~ointeC ,

1.c:1.f5

not a sit1gle raid after those scouts ,vere ap-

not a single incuroion into this country .

I believe you stated J-n.at the killing of some of those

Q.

men out

t~~re ,

the

s~ooting

of Haverick and Sittre , vas done

by Mexicans who lived on this side of the River ?

Most

A

th~

of

o~

iL nas done by Mexicans who lived on this s i de

R..:.ye:c .

this side ,

Ti1:ay .1ere Mexicans 1ho had their fa.milies on

a~d

they depredate<l backwards and fon1ards .

Q What is the habit , if you know ,
the re in i,l".<.i:!::• .:)a.rt

o::

o:

those Mcx:cans out

the country , of co - operating with the

o::':'i eer.s in giving information ao to the .vhereaoouts of Mex-

ican crir1.inals who

d~predate

on the lives and .:iropert} o.£' th0

people in that part of the country?
A

T:1e Mexicans .1ho live alone; that River v1ill not give

ir""onnatiori about their oim race -- not in one instance out
of

C:;.

hundred .

Q 'Nhat system of commu1ication have they between tne two
sides theri:l ?
A

Th.~I

have signet ls , I unO.erstd.oc! , signal fires and so

f ori f'_ .
Q,

W'!!aL

"!~"

l:::.

conditiori of th

River , as to

.~hether

it is

fonl.able or not ?

is fordable in a great many places , numbers of

plac~s .

A

It

Q

I believe you stated it was generally understood that

they
A

sign~l

across the

Si~nal

across - - This man

R iver ~

C ~jto

i anna , I unde r stand

f ro!r. re li a'ole information , could be signaled - -

MR . CURTTS :
SENATOR PAGE :

I think
I

t~at

is purely hearsaJ .

1ill hesitate to int errupt t:.e Senator

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 rro11 El Paso , 11ho is so well acquainted wit:':l conditions out
there
MR . MOSES :

s .. riator

I "believe the

~rom

El Paso is certainl.r

as well acquainted vit:1 co"1ditions out there ao Mr . Ca.!ales

SENATOR PJGE :

I thin< so .

A He has escaped capture i n half a dozen instances

.~hen

lhe.; 1'.a( hi1:1 cornered. , by signal fires that were si;,t off .

MR. MOSES :

Q.

There is a 1'lill introduced in the Legislature

hy Mr . Canales +fiat call s for , amone other things , as I .under-

stand it , a very material reduction of tht:: Ranger force and

provides tha,t the Rangers shall g)ve 'bone , a.ncl so on , i:l,nd
other ce...;ula ti o 1s •
on

W°l"ot

.&'" ...

ct do you think it would have

... ,,. -..; ,.,...: o"' secur' .... y of peopl

·.11~

coun~1J

t'.o.t section o:' the

i

i " ~here was a rr~terial reduction

1'ihat do you thi n'k ,

i!"} the Ranger force

, i ,_h your kno 1ledee o:' the condition of

,_..,,""t cour..try , ·;rnuld he tre E""'.('C;;ct upon t11e Mexican populat:ion
o" crininal tende!"lcies on the other side of the li"le or of the
;hite men of crimi nt:tl tE.nd.encies on the other side of the li ne ?
A

dll state -'-nis, ny

I

~ay

or 1 )refacing my remarks : that

I ci.id. not intend. to co'n.e hack to thi!O; L Qislature to looby

re~l1 1.o

have

at o " 9eople """ rorr S ndersor1 to El P <:1.;:,0 , raric"'1;.en
i

~d

rr.e for t"-1.e last ten days , kno.1inz that I kren a

great ma. 'J of .... :_._. mem1)e.rs
part

~o

c::t t

~v:io

~!l!J.' ·

0

...

· 1· c.._~
(.
,,.... ~ ,~,

her~ ,

'ithout

'·o
an., o
1,

lt.. ,

'

riy attempt on my

t

at the request of

rr•. y frit:nd::. , the ra1ch·1e'1 of that sect io1 , I

vlill state that

1he effect will be , accordins to their views , that they Nill
!Hwe to ahandon their ranches alone; that River and move their

:."'arc.i 11 t~!3 into t'rie towns '1here tbey have troop protection , o:c
ab:t?1~0-1
~hat

'·11ei

is the

c live stoc'lr or drive them o"f anci. sell them -'la:! those people feel .

And there e:..re a number of

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 those _people here , like Mr . Brite and Mr . Millican , that will
ht•ar mn out in that statement .

on las ... T'

an.d I ""ou <1

:trsdav~ ,

and. I ' elieve

-'-;~

vr

We came to Marfa at request

large number o:' feople in to'

L

.1 ,

rnre as badly IVOrked up at tb.is time over

the pro s1)e ct of reducinc;; or abo 1 i shi ng th"' Ro.'lger force as
y were last spr i ng a year ago <- "tzr th1;; Neville ri:i.1.id , <:1.nd

... ,

had a rr..a.ti'-3 •11eeti11.£ at Va

as I
Q,

b.av~

1

Hor1 , the peo. 1 1 • are as Norked up

ever seen them .

I n your judgment , based on your kno11ledge of conditions
do you think it would he wise or safe to reduce

out

t?.-r~ ,

th

R... gei 'f0t'ce -- the pre sen+ Rc..ne;er force -- I do not mean

those particular men , but th" • resent number that are atationeQ.
in tha.t

)Or~io11

of the countr,> aho11t

"-'lj -::'

.fOU

have been tes -

ti " j in.... ?

A

I -+-.hink t:his , t'bose hc:.1ndita , and their are hundreds of'

tht:!l!: on the ot'1e:r
wj

~ide

of the R' ver now , V:eep in close touci-.

th conoJ t.ions on this side , that if the Ranger force

I

hbi.ven ' t anythine to say about the personnel -- but i f the
Ranger "force ·v as materially reduced , they .rnuld i1mnediately
make inc11rsio11s in.7.o this
t}'E:

coun1~ry

.ieople and take off tfieir live stock .

almost as q,u:i ck as the people in
Q.

it• all the Bj'-' Bend , nurder

D

you know ihether or

Ill)""

~his

T:.t v r1ould know it

po:rti on of the s ta.t e .

there was any serious exodus

of ]!e4·.. .: .... ~:ls fro ... Texa.s into Mexico about the time and after
,e l"...::..d "..::i... first registration u1
A

Y~s,

~1°

r the Draft L a,v7?

sir , there was a big exodus .

Three thousand Nent

across from El Paso alone , I understand .
Q.

Was that conditioYJ. confined to E l Pa.so alone , or did it

c-xtl:!nd clear down to Del Ri o in your di strict ?

A

I t extended clear down the Ri ver .

droves .

I t got to be .1here

JuU

T'1ey vent across in

could not hi:-e a sheep herd.er

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q.

1)jd you :iear it contended in that country that they .vere

le~vinc because of fear o·~ the. Ru .gers , or was

that

t '1·

J

it suggested

~ere leavj '1£.: to avoi a service i n "'"fie U"lj tea. States

Arr J ?

A

T' ,.; .,.ear of the Re:..ngers ;,ras never mentioneC. at any "'"i "'e ,

an/ I . ras alonG the Bo n:ler duri ne that time some l e ngll of tire .
co~ 1<1 not keep our ran crone'· , in ·" ~ct we had not:n i ag but

W

Mexican::>

our white boys had «One to war and

~~he

sheer

herd.:..rs ""'nd. M.,;xican covi'ooys left by the hundred , at Del Rio
and c...:.1 u:'..one ::'le Border t:1~.Y scattered the propaganda about

coun+ ry .

A Mexjcan came up there fron Sctn Antonio an<'l
that
made speeches to them and scattered rropaeanua , gmd:/ all the
mi;YJ between the ages o f' eighteen and sjxtv~-f' iv-e would be

drafted into the Army and all the r:irls and ;1omen '1-etween +•..,_e
ages between t'l-J.e ages o " -<'ifteen < C: .:>ixty would be sent over
th~r0 ~~ coJkv ~ni nurses .

T~at was scattered broadcast as

pro t>ae;c..nda by Mexi can_s , and th1:;J 1 eft by the hundreds all
over t'r1at country .

to

I t got to where we could not get anyone

NO l'k •

I.

Q,

there anJ other statement you care to ma' e , any

kno .l::..de;e .1it.:.in the sco.)e of' +his jnvestigation wi

:·n regard

to ~he rr.atters tbat are bt;;fore this Cor>1mi ttee and .._,,il l later
"""e

n

tJ

j

fore -4-:he t .vo "bro.nc' es of th"' Legislature c..fter

tne:r ·.1ake

r report ?

A W 11 -Q

I

P .... rdon Ite , but specifically ca.lling your attention to jt ,

rnulo like to know

>'ha ...

you think of one portion of Mr .

Ca.nales ' bill , Nhether you think it wise or unv'lise to have

A

I +hin~ you had j ust as , E: 11 abolish the Rarger force

for t'1.is reason : Rarigers are called jnto diff'erent countries
ca.lled there to put down t11ese

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 f~vrP.

fcud.s

0oth sides are against them .

I f :rou put them

uncler l>on' , the .. would lJe in j ail or 1 n trouble all the tiL. t
?

....

jut\_,_

I see ano . . ~er count in Mr . c~ .ales '

R ~·-gers

th"'

he chu.rges

Rane;er by the naree o-r Ro'hertsoo with 'l{illi ne a

c:a.

convicted. h i m .

h i m t.venty years .
of the ju rJ .

C.
t

u

iv~1.

~ !r.~n~-

in~eny

•

They. first convicted him and gave

The Dj o:;trict J udge set asj de ·\he verdict

I prosecuted him

" ive years .

A1

aea~

n , and he vas convicted

T• e case was taken to t:h"' Co.irt of

e .... ls ..... nrl reversed. about two months ago .

T",e tes -

at t?J.13 trial shm-eu -+;hat he was not a Ra ge r at the

time he committed this killinc, .
c.

I prosecuted that

I .ra.s one of the men that prosecuted

that Ir.an iJ..nd convicted h i m .

ctnd.

of

in 77hi ch I can give first - hand itJ.f0"1r.ation , 1here

//lan at Sit.rra. Blanca in HuJ.speth County .
!!~an :.~nc~

indict~ent

,

R _•._g1;;i , '

1.tt

'la.s

I "".hink he afterwards became

not at that time s R ....ri.ger .

H'--

1as liorking

for tht: T. 0. at the t i me i n E l Pa.so .
Q

Wjth the exception of that homicide , S'tate , i f you know ,

what .ms

~

r·.:..:.'utati OYJ. o ... Rol" e rt son gene rally among the best

\.e;

people o.f tnat countr.Y , leaving oLtt that particular matter '?
A

At the

~

r · al he was represented PJ Hono ra" le I. lL

Burn..,,{ or Ft . Worth , Mr . To
Vi cto:- Moo.rt!
of the
Rt' ert

o:

E: Pa.so .

re!res~ntative
~on

Ne "ton of So.n Anton i o , and Mr .

T" ,y broug! + , I

'.fould s(j.y , f i ftJ

citizens of +he Pal'lflandle section 1hcre

had lived , where i'ie lo.d

ro '.red -ror many years , to

testH'J that he was one of the best citizens of that section
of .. ht...
do·.vn

<.;.Jl->.-~!·.,,

~ J .:

.::l.nd. arr.an .vho ' C;(.J. spent h "s life in running

thieves , ·1araude rs and murders

t.ha t wets the

character of testimony -- t1'1:.J 1.,rOU.<2;ht the County J udge ,
Counts Cler1
I

from +;

roulrl say -"or J or

r

county wher" "le oJv'Orked at Seminole , and
.l' j

f.+;J other

re put abl~=i cit i ze r.s , and I

9. '., Q T' ."'-t i.:> all .
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 EXAMI 11ED BY MR . CANALES .

.. o ,

... ou auare of the fact that in thc.t c!large yo.i refer

A~·e

Q,

ti d not charge , _ ra. ~ at t:be

!li s language is used - - I

very t:i

r_ ~

R.... 11e;e1

"'orce o: Texas, 'u+ ,. e '1.o.d been until verJ

of the killing tr.at Robertson was a

1)efore "'.he killing , and then

a.ft~r

me~1er

of the

s~ortly

that killing and at or

about the time of the first conviction for murder he was
XJI.«..aM~
er~l ' d

A

recommi ssi oned as

~ R anger

Department of Texas

by the Adjutant

Gen~

is that correct ?

My recollection is tha.t at the last trial that he had a

R ane;~r ' .,

commission .

at the time

o~

He ni._ nt have been a Ranger p.cior , but

the ki lline he was not a Ranger , simpl,/ a cow-

boy for,_,; T . O. outZit .
MR . MOSES :

Woul d you min'

~tating

ii' you reme::nber the date

o" th<:1.t homicide a ... Vetri Horr b.; Ror e:rtsol"l?
A

I t was ir'l J anua.ry four years a....,o , 1915 .

I

~as

here in

"::he; Legi:>lature lfhen it occurrcc' , and the ranc11.r11en i n

th~t

sect1or1 11rnployed me to prosecute him .

MR . CANAIES :
vi ·~r.

Q Do you know anything about this other charge

regc..r'<l. to one W. B. Se1.nds , a me111'her o·" the Ranger force

:ir.1 1°17 ,

1

h i le in a very- intoxjcated condition in the Coney

I olanc Sc...loon , a notorious resort in the City- of E l Paso ,
Tt!Jo.c..s , r'lid kill Serge:an . . . 0 ' r Buns ,
~.;, vc

tr!lo for more than t 1entJ-

yt ars '1ud ' )e en an honorable regular sol di er of ....,he U. S .

Arrey?

A

Yes , I do ; I defended Mr . Sands in the Distri c t Court of

El Paso C0unty- and had a hung jury ; and the case has never
be~n

tried cie;ctin .

The fa.cts connected with the killi ng were

t.h~t

he

C on.~y- I :::slan<.~

.11a~

i :1

th~

Sa.loon and that a so l di er

ap,i:li ed a vi l e e p i th et· to him and they had a fi ;;ht , and the
so 1 di r took nis six- s;hooter al'1ay- from him , and after.,rards
delivered it to the proprietor

o~

+he Saloon , Mr . Powers .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 S ~r.d.s

A,;;;

to' i

11....,

.1as in charge of th.,. Sergeant of Police vho was

hi n tr

~ai 1,

as t:.Le.,. reacred th0 front of the saloon

Mr . B lrns came in and ap.._ lied a vi le epi t!let and

mo.1

s .....1d..a

th~

head

you

Cd.:rl

to

t°'rla.t 'lanketJ-1-il";tnk man nas who beat up the sol-

~1here

diLr .

~vanted

said , "I a.."'n. the

.1i:~:h

e;~t

mC:t.1.

11

:::>OL~ier

Tht

a club and Sa.nds kill0d

i

ir11 .

beat him over

T'1at is of recorc',

it from the records of El Paso Couvtf .

Sands was

irn·nediately discharged from thb Ranger compt:eny , and has never
ce:tr1
Q.

or

it l.

a commission as R<.ne;er since trat tjme .

I n regard to that bar· · t Chito Can11a , do you kno.v whether

no~

he is a Villista or

A No, I don ' t kno

1,

11t

c ~rr~nzis~a ?
o 1 ~rated

all over that Big Bend

courd,rJ an' l'leens to receive the • rotection of both V; llistas
an· C rranzistas .
SENATOR PAGE :
R~1~ers

under bond .

C o,·uitb~e

~·1 ·

at

The proposition is rair-ed
We have undoubtedlJ

o:

1lacing the

'1.~d ~efore

this

some evidence of matters that possibly have occurred

'1.ands of the Ranger .i:-orce th<:!.t should not have occurred .

The questjon before this Comnittee which. is generally admitted ,
.ve h.c:we to have a Ranger force , and the question is as to the
restrictions of the Ranger force, whether or not they oue;ht
to be restrained .

Do you tri·1lr it would seriously handicap

the activivJ of the Ranger force if we selected as Captairs of
that fore& such men as were capable of holding like commissions
in tht

u. s . Arny

and placine; them on the same salary as men

in tr.e U. S . Army , and tbat those Captains should be compelled ,
beine reputable men , to give bond fo.c the illegal acts of their

.._)r·ivatP.s and. the oasis for <:1.ny suit upon the bond should be
fixed in Travis County .

I

~dnt

to get your candid judgment

as a lawyer and as a citizen of the Bonier as to .whether it
would handj cap the activity of the Ral"lger force .
A

9.

I am glad you asked the question , Senator

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

P ~se .

My

 judgment is if you place h tm under bond that it would seriously
cri1)!>le their efficiency , for the reason I have just stated .
These Rangers have to be called into counties where the local
$1(.rif.l is not able to cope .1ith the conditions , and. my judt;ment is that their pay ought to be rajsed, that the Captains
ought to :rec1:::ive :nore .noney and that the privates -- Xk I tried
to get a bill t'1.rough , and did raise it in the years past a
vtry .;;mall sum , my j udgment is if.we could pay them more and
let. th
t~i~

thv

Ao jut ant General appoint the Captain and let the Ca)-

s B l~c~

of his men , or the Adjutant

~cts

better

hi$ own men , and make the Captain responsiole for

salar~ ,

and pay

G~neral ,

the~

a

and you get men that would enforce the law and

those matters that have hecn mentioned wouldn ' t occur .

T ~ose

scouts we .:;ot appointed , sixteen , :1eria paid $110 . 00 a month
by

th~

State, anc Mr.

Knie~t ,

the Cartain as I recall nov ,

was 2aid $225 .00 -- ~asn ' t it , G~neral Harley?
GENERAI, HARLEY:

I think some thine lH·e that .

A He is an old frontiennan and was Sheriff of Presjdio
Count ., for many years.

There: was not a man killed , there \'las

not any disturbance , that is

ther~

was not any criticism

durine the time they served , and they absolutely quieted thines
·n

thc1. ~

utt~re0_

Bi? Bend country , and not one harsh word was ever
ct.gc1.in st tb.em .

That is my judgment .

I state to you

gentlemen who are my friends and men I associate nith , that
I think that would be a proper solution

this unfortunate

o~

matter that has come before the Legislature .

I do noJJ thin'.c ,

Gtnt le1r.en , a~> a citizen - ·· I am not one 11ho favors •vholesale
kil~ines ,

hut as a man who lives on that Border -- at one

time I was a Ranger myself , a eood many years
officer ~

aeo ,

and a peace

I trust you will not seriously cripple the Ranger

force, because if you did
out there and these

•

leO:)le
...

Ne

will have :tcr a chaotic condition

1ho have r.one there arid snent their
0

9
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

-

....

 lives in huilding up their little places , as eood people as
live on this earth - - no better , but as good as in any part
cf Tc}.aS -- .vill have to move from tfiis Border .

That is ':I'..Y .

can' · d judgment u1Jon this matter .
Uo you recognize this 'fact : that

Q,

11ave had men on the

WP

Ranger force , as of co v.rse we have had men on the po l ice force ,
that have exceeded their authority ?
A Yes , I recognize that proposition , and they ought to be
re s t r .i c t, l~ U. •
~e

To some extent

Q,

have had men on the Ranger force that

should have been better lPft out of it ?

A Yvs , I think so .
Your idea would be if

Q,

the personnel and get as

.'le

raj sed their salaries and raised

hig~ a

class men as possible to serve

as officers , that nould relieve a great deal the conditjons

Yes , I th ink the

A

way to liquor .

ca: tcd n

Of course that lj qu.or question will soon be a

relic of the; past .

I

o-"' El Paso , I ..dll

sa~r

v.ho

j

should not be addjcted in any

recall one time a Ranp;er on the streets

that jn behalf of my friend J im Woodull
to
s iry ""ri end , made a tall /au-JJl the; Di st.rici A+torney in a

drunken concUtion in

/hie'. be said he was going to take rr,y

life o:n (;.l.Ccount o: m.Y vote on a certc:dr matter and ..1as drunk
and m<iie

~

threatenine; talk to the Di ::,trict Attornes , o.nd I

to
reported himJf :a.n.H/GenerC:t.l Harle.,· and he immediotely went out .
~

Do you

~ecoeni~e.

the -fact that

a~J

R

ger who makes a

threattYJ)nc talk ahout &ny citjzen oue;ht immediately to be

A Yei;J , I reported that inu1ediately .
"Yo,. should not go down that

M., frh:nd saio. to me ,

1a:1 to your farm ."

I

savs
u

"T' c
'

road le ads to my fa..m , <:l.nd I have got half of it and he can

n ,,

have the other r...al-f ,

11

and I continued to go .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

I im.r:.ediately

 as quj ck ci.s I coul d get to Austj n - - I think I .·rote General
Hc.rlv .;, I re1)orteo him , and that mar jmn.edic.te l y 1ent out o~

serv jc; .

A man o: tr.at k i nd ought not to be kept in the

ser' 1 c:t. ,

1;..

nc

I th i nk j t is the du~y of evr;;.r .1 good citizen to

1muedjat e l y r eport Rangers of tr.at chdracter who threaten the
liv~s

of cjtjzens , and I heljeve J im

H arle~

wi l l i mme d i a t e l y

fjre hjm as soon as he gets thejr nrunes .
SiiNATOR WILLI }l"DRD:

Q,

What differenc e does i t make what

county a Ranger is i n with regard to their offi cial conduct ?
I t doesn ' t make any di fference , but sometimes x Rangers

A

from Wt:s'v T •

~s c..:re

se"nt to quell a mob or feud in East Texas

like trey we re in that draft .

Mr . White , a friend of mi ne --

Q

What effec t has it on h i s conduct ?

A

Not at al l .

A:'ter I state this , that was in reference

to the y_n•stion of putt i ng him under bond .

I f he ;1as under

1 ond he could not p l ease l.oth sides , and in many i nstances

he cannot do his outy and please
under

Ci

t.i~h&r

sid.e .

I f you put him

·r ieavy bond , you had as welJ cut :bis head off and take

him out of service , because he would be into a mess of trouble
frou1 the 1d nut.t:: h€ eot th e1

E: ,

from one si dE:: or the other , but

in regard to h i s conduct , he ought to b ... a l a.1- abid i ng man ,
c;.

man who would enforc e the l a·1 in anjf county he went to .

I

have kno rn in m<rn ..: Jnsta.nces where they have he en calle d from

W s~ TJ(as fo places i
or C'
ot

·istma~ de::.y ,

E Qs~

T >os .

I recall the B.ite raid

"lhere :it was led b.>' a Mexican L :eutenant

Cc.._ ta) n ••}lo .vas wearing the Carrancj sta uni form , .1ho shouted

at the head of h:is men (Here the witness repeated a Spani sh
phrase ) -- tr.at means "Ki 11
epi "l:het •

al~

the Arne r·i cans " -- and another

The,> took poor ol d Mickey Welsh Nho drove up in h i s

stae;e-c:o<..C'l· , and hung hiin :in t.ht! back door and cut ris throat ,
c:nd killed two other Mex:i cans •
Q Cnr i stmo s of , hat .>'ear?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 A
of""

Crrist:mas, 1918 -- on C!iristmaf: oo..f .
l'J

Mr . Neal .

They were fought

I .rnuld li}rn ... ,is Comndt.tee to examine Mr .

Neal be cavse he knows all those co 1d i-+- j ons the re c;.no.

j

s an old

dtjzen and 8n olc. Ranger , C:J.nd a Baptjst preacher , or a Crur.:p -

b elli te r>reacher, at that ti me .

S( na tor Neal is his son .
exists
You know at this time there .arx/i:rt~:E in

MR . MOSES:

ci fferent !JOr+. ions of the United States etnd has existed in
Texas fearfuJ

loc~J.

condi t,j ons by reason of strikes o"" labor-

ing people or allee;ed lahoring people , and you kno,, of instc..nces 1be:re state milit.i(:j, hoth of this state and other
ste1.tes , ha:ve been called ovt to quell di stucbancef: that the
lee~:

authoriiies could not quell .

I f this were a proposition

to amend our law regulat:i ne; the mi lit, · a of' vhe country, which
I believe perhaps might have to orjginate i
th

Congress or in

Sic.,tt: Legislature , or whichever body might have authori.,., ,

do you t:hi nk that a rid lit i a force sent out on serv j ce of that
sort , i.,. required. to give bond , could ever do anything ?
A

I ab$olutely think this : if

~ond ,

the~

, efore they could stop riot a

local matters ,
just ~~

require them to give a

~nd

strikes or mix up in

rich the.f .rnula have to mix up in , you had

11E:lJ take their commissjons xca.

dest.coy th:. ;'orce .

a~~ay

from them and

I notice jn Mr . Cc..nales ' bill the pa.rt

,,bere }e alJec;es political favoriteiszr. -- you might charge

"'".c:..t u.1; <...g""inst' :rr'e , like you bave against Mr. Kl eberg , because on r

three rancl'e s in Val Verde and su• ton Counties

~·

there have been and were for man;} years sheep thieves that
local aithorjties could not cope with , no wjres and they turn
their sheep and e;oats loose , and I applj ed to General Harley
and"~

filled

of them on

rn.)

is

th~t

ranch on Devjl ' s River for ahou'I; a year , and

to·~~

t~~re

a

er hC:Lve been

1'.'UJT.'

country full of Rangers and stationed. tno

not~

goat thirf ,

XKIK»

hecaus~

h~

took -- Ho 1ever ,

sent to the peni tt-int iory and one

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Djstrfot .Judge he l d a s..ie""enO.eo. sentence over a numrer of thE.r. ,
c~~:d

prov j

,_ e .> .rnul d move fh e hundred mi lE! s west and neve r

~

come hac • •
N R. CANALES :

You are mo re fortunate than some o: us in

Q,

t;ettjr!._,

G ~r.eral

+ hreatB

upon your l i i'e .

Harl e.>- to remove those fellows i'/ho make

Tht!y were i=tationed in Crodett , Val Vt-rde Count.1 , Maverick

A

and Kerr Count j es , o.nc I

~.on '

1. hi nk I lmrar.:r.J!. woulo arrogate

t

that muc}• ;io l i ti cal f:trength to have Ra 1ge rs placeo all over

'Lh1:tt country .
TPF.

You did not tmcl erstt-tnd the o._ue st j on .

(!'J AI Hl' rAN:

t' a-1- ., ru were mon

He sc:..i d

_,. ··tunate than son.e of them in .;e ... ting

G£11eral Harley to remov

Rc:qzerfl who made threats upon t!1.eir

lives .
A

I unoe:rsteind .

I

~ust

related that one instance that I

remembe re· ' "'he re .
MR . MOSJliS :

Q,

You have heret.o "'o.ce stated that the Rane;ers

tl:roue;l1out that count r .f

.;

Harley has been Adjutan ... General ,

i~

you

i.no~1

of a ny Ro..rigers

out there - - of anf complaints or

~nJ ,a~less

bet teing com-

A

No ...

~

nt., come he re

C
1a:=.

t~

"jne a

e

f

Hal'

force of

c
Hf;

~hat

j

I kno

j

~ers

R
1

n all i::.evero.l timE

f since General

and did.n ' t get it ?

of citizens of Val V
~ ,

'c.e

R<:<.1ger :orce

nd th

Ve.::_ VerC.c C unty an' Cc ... taj r Lee Bradley , as

ever livt-d ,

as at the t:ead of

country anc' was there a e:ood

SRf,TATOR WILLIFORD :

R

relief .,..ro

in~tance .

eingle

'I ill

ou

a..a 1

mittt:(1 and <:1.skjnt., ~ o--

I

-

er force now ,

a~

W'-.o.t is tl

compared

,~ j 1.h

t}1 "

rr.~ny

Rareer
., ears .

status or personnel of
previous years?

A

I th i nk about the same as t1 f::J have lie en since I

Q,

De ,.... see c:J'IY dj f'f'e renc e ?

A

I

'on ' t sec a.n.,

~ , f'.,..

,renc e .

t'1c

;.as a boy.

I "tno / . . ,, · rt. ., year s ago of

R "'" igdrs goi11g and gett i ng in troub l e and killing people out

9 \J
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 through my section .

Pc....,o

t~ere

Ranger::. .

j

I

rcait

to state that frcl'.!

s no-+:. c:.. nunnur rJ

~-he

citiz~-

good.

I co not know about conditjons

:on

........e:,ainst the

Mr . Canales '

jn

coimtr.> , .. ,u.... I think I do know my own di st r .ict •
j

Ri o to El

I coul d bring

cu here ' " do.., ~fter tomorrow nje;ht. five thousc.nd of the best

ra.n0hme n in that sec-:i en who woul6. te l l you if the Rangers
were

a1)0} j

shed their pro pert.> and lives of the people would

be in j ropu rci.J .

I haven ' t heard a murmur

e: 'c.>'"'j

n st the Rangers

1ect:l or: .

in

MR . LACKEY:

You ha.ve \e ard

o complaint of the Ra.ngers

getting d.runk <::1.nd s: 1oting up town.;; ?
A

Not exce!-lt in t!:i s instance I reported t< Gerierc:.l Hct .... 2.1-: ..

of the Ranger on the streets o-:' El P ,;,o .vho threatened my

.·., .

and the li fo o:' the Di.:)trict A+"':.or
u~
~

t' ~Y con:·ct themselves in th

C' ~y

of El Paso in a

.. t.o gjve offense to ai.; El P r;;.;vO citizens , that you have

ever heard of , on the streets ?

A

No, ,.d r .

I n the S:.

J1<.l. t

of 1cnut: on i.1K £,round the;. t

tr i ,._, 1 , c...nd

-4-[,.-

ce:tse we nl.C4de a mot j on for a change

tr e

Re:i>1e;ers could not. get c.. fe:d r

s +e;.te overwhelmin._,1.1

.3ho~1ec.i

that

wj

th the be st

c.itjzen::: of th.at State and. count.1 , a. hundred to one , -'-hat he
~etc.

coul(

~e;ir

TF.]; CHAiff 1 AN :
ae;<.~ins~

A

trial , and I believe he did. get a fair tr]al .
Tl-.e re i
-

!=\

-

a

v..,r_
1 -)ronounceo· feell. r '-'- ' .... .,..,ou~·
" -o~- '

R 1gers ir JOur ci ....,;r, i..,1 , .... thei: .,

I ·on ' t thirk so , I trieo. to

n· could not , nyself and Mr. T'
ec..~

i.ei.ke the Co..irt ' '1:.lieve it

('~:pson .

Q,

I

amenest the citizenslip of your city?

A

I

Q,

Tell me somethinc'; .

I c..m not --

A

I beg your :pardon .

A.........hat ".;imP El P c ... o wanted a

'v'ilJ tell you some thine; , Senatoi-·

l!:J1l!DUt

cant o:nu ent and she wanted i-4- awful be..<' , and a solcii er was
l-jlled one a good manJ o-<-' the business people attributed t}!e
fact sl-e <' ' c uot eet a cantonment , to the killing o: this.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 soldie . · , c;..nd t:b.at created a sentiment against the Rangers, but
th\;, Re:.r gers as a whole a re highly respected

El Pc;;...,o .

'~.1

the people

o-::

Car'tC:i.L. Davis is stationed the re and has 1Je en :'or

.t

He co-operates wi'.h th... S'

when he is called upon .

~11

... imes

I do not, think he volunteers except

when called upon , ond I never have hearcl. a murmu:c against
C ,, tain Uavj s and his men , he seems to be high class and the
c;et~

Cc.. it:..1n

;;,long with everybody , so fa.:r

..

C:i.S

I have been able

to hear .

Ye

Q

A.

c i" · %(:-:rtS
A

--

referred to the f'act
t};,
ki

1

t

~j

t son1e co1nplcdnt of your

they did not get a cantonment on account of
sol~ier

0 of a

Q I 1ill ask you
~·"'

. . . +riliu' ed

•··1

i~

by

s ~ni

•

the War Ue .. ,artment for not ,?uttir?g it there .

111gto11 ~Lc...t Sc.."lds had murd

he wae 1Jeinr.:

--

+hat very reason was not the reason

No , "'".hat was not the reason •

A

t~e

protec~ed.

~ed

T' .!Y made a report to Waf3h-

this man in cold blood and that

by th"' loce>,l avthoriUes there , and

that created a prbjudi ce a.ga:i nst El Pc-.,o , I am prett:>· sure ,

the Wa1

,,. .J

1)

_art.mert , hut I co no-I; thi

the <.:Olld uct of ....'he Rarc;ers as a vhole .

it was on account of

S rds was drinking at

the ti:ce of 'his occurrence et a. saloon .
was ... re .... ty drm
Q

Wa ... n' t

~

I

fe;.ct, I thinl :re

.

it c:;.ho·.At t"-ie same time or jmn:eO.iatl:!l., 2receo ing it

that :...r!Othe! R<- 1ger :.iad shot up a saloon the:r ... , c..nd that crc::ated

a Rreat deal of
A

wao

I con' t

feeli~g 9

recall that .

afterw~rd~

lilled

~3

I

rec lJ th:Lt S rgeant White , ,•;ho

draft violatord , did kill a Mexican

dovm m./ Lor1eta .
Q.

I am speaki ne; about the trouble the re in

A

T'at

.jt-.}.+

harv"!

-i

1

J.. . ,

city .

en; I ""on ' t recall the s!10oting up of

the saloon .
Q

I i:n' t

it a fact thot a great C'eal of feeling 1:ras engendered

9 '- ) State Library and Archives Commission
Texas

 there l)y
A

J

R" ' ertson kill i ne"

h

C.ec...l of :ret.lL.z o..5 ainst Ro'lJertso
a~

n<"~

Ro1 •e rt son 1i11 i ne a "- Si rrc Bl

Th

1,

created a g_ ea+.

nut not against tb.e: RC:U"_g<::rs

a Jho l e .

Q It

~-~

:e~ling

the

of

~~e

of your ver,t

citizens the>

l'est citizens , that he was not a proper man to be on the force ?
A

Y ti , j ,

.,,

ir .
JOVr city "

Q H1:. was t r i i.:: <l

A

Ye~ .

That was the feeling not

onl~

i _

S i~rra Blanc~ ,

but l n E: Pc.. . . o to a great extent .
rR . LACKEY :

When was

th~ t

".

A Kr . Bo3kin ttas :illed in J anuarJ , 1015 .
Q

Robertson was con vi cteci and the case reversed durine;

A

y...,~ ,

~Le

was first convicted and we eot him

twent ~

Jea1s ,

and llkt-! you1· case , they had a co1ri..;t on th... j '!;.TJ a.nd th
set it

~side ,

bn6 then we convicted him again and gave

J

~im

five

years , ana tho t was reversed a few months ago .
Q

I r other ,.:ord.s , there were enoug:. convicts ir "our country

to h ... 1.1:' conv .:i ct a me:.n "
A

I t come

Q.

Ye ·:i. s-poke ahout a special comp

neceE.-.et:c~·

A

jn -~ ~ u:1ty

hand.r ir my and your ca1:ie .
" of scouts .

Wh.,:,- was i t

to estc..bli sh a compctI .f of scout "

01 ac<.:ount

:: -'-he ra.; 0 on the B · t

Ra.nch Cl ristmas d ./

and the IO.id on the Neville. Rc...nch shortly afterwards , ari:
nuu.erou:
aero~·

one~

•

ndds i n the countr.Y ;vhere cuttle hatl 1"'een driven
I be.d one frie:ncl , M

to Rirrock and

m0\6d

the rest l'C:i d. been taken .

1 ..

No,{ey , 1ho shi1med 1600 head

tack in the
H

s~1i ~

200 head .

He said

nQ them in Mexico and coul d

not bring the"P. t-ac:!. on account o J' .. hose depndC:1.tiol s , o..ncl t!1e
F· ' eral al·thorities '1eing

unah~

, on account o: the rough con-

ciitjons of that country -- I coul1' ..._ hardly picture i t t

9
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

::1-ou

 u:; roui.;h c...L i~

is and the blind e.rossings across the Ri ver

i..hc...t are or l.> known

those bandj ~ s , rranJ

1-"

o:

them lived on

this ... i<.le o: ... he River and they kno.i those crossings .

had to select men \tho Nere :::..ik

I

~'.i<.:lrs ,

T:_e .Y

I'..ad to trail the111.

' " ... heir seen: •

Q You had a Ranger force out there

opera~ing

in that ve1J

.Jectior. , a very substantial Ranger force "
A

Mr .

We had a Ranger force I think at Marfe:.. , about eight
CI1<.i....

.cn.c..n , tut eight men cannot co.1trol a

17 5 ir.:i lt- .-. , it is im.r o s s i , •l

Q,

roug~ .

boi·der of

•

I on '"'" it. a fac'-, you ha.6. a much greater nU!!lber, from tl'!ere

!ill the .. ..,..: liack to El P c. so there wad hardly a count.,
not hu.ve two or
A

ll!b.:1 ,

~ore.

Ro.Lgers in i ~

No , Fox' s compon.r

t~a. t

d..i d

?

l'as t!!e only company .

Bi 11 Davis '

compa:.1.1 had not been created .
Q

When they got. those sixteen scouts in . . l .ere the;>: changed

the trine up rizht no .,

A

T,

op~ra.t~

J

t,;ot tho ::e sixteen scout.;i , let me tell you , they

d. , •:l{,., stationed them alonG tht. River at til.ose

crossings and they knew them .

I want to s;<..1 ""his , to .Jl.Y

unuerst.<...rn' ing tl-!e., establ:i s} e . '.i. this telephone

syste~

1here

they could report to Lanr)lorne, those iere men who knew those
Me:.. · c ..._.. s

ai:.

;ell as t:. ., knew themselvEo:· ,

ho lived. on that Ri. er , they anr..ed and "'". . "
they reported to Lanjlorne ever.,
"".ii Jle raJd
Q,

Do

pri~onei

,/OU

..:1.-rt~r

· ~--ed.

in his possessio
:'j ...

i,

o~

k..:.lli! 0 a

man to retain on the Ranger fo:rce "

Q

Say he

unnecessar~l .,
brus~

no"t. a

tnnecessa1-ily , nithout any provo-

Well , ii.. is o.:1ing to how he killed him .

sage

.1C:t.S

+hose scouts were put on tLe Ri ver .

A

tre~ ,

them , and

i.igLt , C:1.nd there

1 elieve C:1.ny .;nan who would. be guil t.r

c::..tjon rnuJd be a

a

'e1·e selected. br v11s

~ook

or eantl dw

him out

a~d

l ed him up

ag~inst

r something of that kir: ,

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 a.nu .Lot lim and him xJx: han.Jc
A

\1/ell , I J.on ' t kno

v,

killi1

Mr .

c:. .airma:::i,

v

ff~d ?

o-:: a

a;;. I "ould sanc+ · u.1 that kL1d

td.nt to tell you some· hir..g --

'm+ I

Q.

I

.rant to get ,your id.ea .

A

I c.lon ' t knoH of CJlything o.r that k., •

'ccurrin~

.in my

section .

Q

I oay if a thine; of that kind did occur , do you think a

man of that kino. ought to be l...ept on the fo.cce ?
A

I f' he killed him .:.n cold. blood , no , bu

those bcL"ld.its

over then: don ' t give a snap f o. ':J our life • .
0

T,_...,t is as long as the., c<.re i!! fiehting trLu?

A

Y ..... ,

Q

Ye

A

Y~-,

i

._,~

r •

are taDdng about a conditjon before the..t surrend.c- ?

1ut I don ' t believe in this , Mr . C, al . . !!:;;.n , in ex-

tencii?'1g \crJ EUch c:i..e.ne ...c..> J;o men who come across that Rii:er
ar!d murder our wives and children .

cU d wi tr you ,
I

No

I

a...'11

going to he can-

t a11f about the moh lc.. .. , if I had i .J., i

11

my power

rould lead a mol in a lliinute against thum , and if you reduce

thes

R~neers

or

curt~il th~m

to the extent that thjJ

c~nnot

copt. .'i th t.he situation b.nd they cont inut! to come across there
:....nd !."'lU!'"der n.:.en and women like t:hey did old. Mi cktly We l sh and
the lit.tle boy J.own at Gl r
.,yj

S:i:"rin~s

an1 Gln. Neville, tht::re

11 1 e people that wi 11 re spo1 C.. , anci I

ri 11 come "ba cl. fl om

Was:.i ne;to11 to lead them if I am needed .

We are go ing to pro-

tect our prope1ty .

Q YoJ are speaking as a citjze1?
A

YE::s , I am speaking as a citi%en of the:t.t country .

We are

not p-ohtc; to stand for those baridj t1:5 to ravage our country .
Q.
h.

A;:, an officer . s.vorn to obe;> the laws of -';he land and
~.in your :possessior , o~./ , as many as f<;>ur or five prisone rs

aP-d the others
SCi:>

i )

or~ · cers

kno1ing that you had them in your pos-

l

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

----

 A Wo u1~· I

Q J
0

r:

~t

Cl.ke them out and murder them , or :p ermi i

.4.

take

the~

~r.e

out in

anc1 leave them t:C. e" ~ .,

woods and murder them

Do JO

J.

it ?
an~

think that ·VOUld be

d

go
:..;, ..

man to remain in the service of th1..; 81,ate ?
A

No , I

Q

Th at ' s all •

th<:~ ,

ould. not do

I

ould. not do th at •

Q Your opjnion was asked about the result of

MR . CURTIS:

placinc R<::1.1gers under a sma.11 bond , e;illd you replied that they
'IVould. .;o into the different countjes where there were

~t!tJds ,

and if they did their duty Ghey could not get j1-ls""ice in those

counLies .

A

Do_1 1 t you tbink that objection would be obviated

Vlell , I

c:Ur.

op:poseC. ,

y F riend. , to taking the authori-l

J

a'.Vay fro?. the local counties .in every case , and I have opposed
1t ever since I have been in the. Le._:islel.ture .

Q I f you cannot get justice ii a
A

c.ln~.gging

peopl e to Aust i n fron. al l over the St a te .

I f the venue nas moved to some other county where they

could get

justic~ ,

to '1.1he bo

c,

a

don ' t you think --

Well , move it to another adjoining county , but I am op-

posed to
Q

count~ ,

you think jt 1ould

ODvi~te

JOUr objection

to a reasonahle oo. d ?

A

I 'hin:k so -- you can do that unc.ler the law now .

Q,

Yes .

A

No , as a man fC:lllli l iar wii.h those conditions out t!lere ,

Ra·1eer cannot .ai

tht: other

~ide

until a Mex.lean bandit behir:d a rock on

shoots at him three or four times , and put down

this le:w1:!.f: ssne ss , you ha.ve ·got to ki 11

·t~

ose Mexicans

~1hen

you

find then. , or +hey dll kill you , as they did J oe Sittre and
T ~e

Mr . Hilen down there .

people raised up and surrounded

those hanc"iit s , c:1.nd when they roi. ioed them up and killed +hem
Q

T:_e fc..c+. that he was under bond would not prevent h i m

from kilJire

~ Mexic~

"

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 A

no~.,

No , no•.. if he did his ciutJ it would

handle thost: Mexicans

•

You cannot

.:. {~h kid glovsi;) , not when they come

twelve rd les be lo., El Pa so and. steal a m · 1c: cow every night
0

r i

WO .

I

Q

.vas trying to g t

j

our idea as to

ihether or not , if

prope t· provision was made so that an officer or a Ranger could
get jm,tice lf sued , if suit was filed on hi::s bond , .vhether
~hen

or no\.

you think a bond would. be objectjonable -- that

was the idea I had .
A

I think it would .

I f a Ranger violates the

l~i ,

Le is

no b E;t te r than a.r" other citizen and he ought to ;.e tried

~nd

convicted if guilt.> , and if you cannot get justice in the
lvc........i. cou:.t ~

,

then l et the District At tor

I!!Otlo!l to change it to another coun+y .
t~at

I Jo not believe th ere is

Ct.

1

J

...lake the proper

I want to state here

county in n., di strict from

El Paso to Del Rio that you cannot get justice or any :man
cannot get justice in .

I "know those Mexicans who murdered

that little boy &ere tr led in Al pine , in Brewster County ,
tiirned over to t.he autho?'·i ties , " Rd.nge1·s , a.ue t:-ic.J .;ere given

li fc :..:.cLtences , I "'"hi r.k from ten to twenty-five .; t-ars , :or
the colcl-blooueO. mv.• d.er right tr..ere ir. Brewster Count.> .

l)JIB

CHAIRMAN :

Yov. C.o not want to be understood as

~ci..t

ir_0

that in rec en• .,·e;ars the Rc:...ngers had ever been cc:..lled out. in
Tc xas to quell an.>' str ' 1 ."'s?
A

No , sir .

Q.

I n dnswer to J"udge Moses --

A

I think it was a

fE::.rrin~

Q,

hypothetic~l

case .

I think it was re-

to the militi'a being called out .

No, be was referring to Ran.Gers .

MR . MOSJliS :

Mr . Chai rnan , you are mistake;n; I

a'nc>ut t!.1;; Nati anal Gua.rti or mi U

bond N.!Je the r

t.~.ep

tj

Aas ta:lki ng

a , i "'' theJ .vere :put under

would be ef ..~ i c.;. ent , I

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

as te:tlkin.; about the

 Nc:1.tio nal Guard .
You referred to Rangers in coru,e ct ion .Ii th

TE&' CH AI RMAN :

the.. 1.

,

"

oo?

A No , I do . . 1 ' t bt.lj eve in murdering people, but there are a.
bad class of men along that River that have to be handled in

a certain way .
SENATOR WITT:

Are those scouts still in the service ?

As soon as their purpose was accomplished , the Adjutant

A

Gbneral disbanded them .
MR . McMILLI N:

You a.p:prech...... e the ft1.ct that the re are im-

proper ie rsons on the Ranger force "

Tl.is man Robertson you

prosecuted for killing Boykir , he was
He was no+ at the

A

he was a RQ.nger

he had

lived
A

Ra ieer , wasn ' t he ?

of the killing; I think afterwards

that is my recollection , at the final trid.l

~ R~nger

Q He provt:d.

ti~e

ci

coffi!llission .
a

5ocd. character by

~he

people }1e had previously

bl..'llO n_;?

Yes , ~e had been I nspector foe the Texas Cattle Raisers '

As,;)ociation at

Matador , and he proved 1)y the citizenshi1) of

t'1c:i.. t county and adj oi ni ng count. · es , they offered .:orty or
fi.f' .. JOoc: citjzt:n::; lo.'"111 t: . . ere , that he was a good citizen .

Q AnJ that the crime that he committed \Vas such you got him
t.'lenty yearo · o. the penitentiary?

in

A

Y1.,., , the c rim~ he com.mi tted was a 1)ad crime .

Q.

ATJ.' be.fore he got out of that
th~

troul)l~

State Rangers?

A

Ylo::;, sir .

Q.

Do yot think that is good policy?

A

No , I do not think so .

MR . CURT TS :

A

he ,7as cor•missioned

What was the date of the :last trial?

Novem1..,er , 1917 , or Decel""1 er .

MR . MOSES :

With regard +o tee qoostions asked b ., Mr . Cu.rtis

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 about eivi n"" bo"l-: , do you. think the average Ranger .vov.ld ' >e
al.>:'~ ,

1ho is a stranger here in Travis County , ,.,ov.ld be able

to lHia:r 1.hE: ex:1ense
sul ts th:.... t .'le r•

count ~.;-?

:' i :Led h are in this

No, I think ·if you L"Jj,,de the jurisdiction of the case , I

A

mea?'1 the
101..~lu

venth~ ,

to lie in Travi::3 County- , I don ' t think you

Rr;1.r1~ar

Gl3t. a.

be rooli h

i~

on this earth to

acc~·:.fJt

the job -- he would

he did .
Q Do you re.nemher the incident about 190 8

MR . TIDWELL:

vhe

emplo.>inc..:; couni:3t;l to represent hin_ in

o~

C w! tai n Bi 11 Mc"Doda.ld ran into a bunch of band.its be-

l

tweo

A

S n Antonio and soraewher ... ,

N , I

.~c~11

readi

ie

int'

t

lone :in therv , a.n.d killed a

paper

som~thine

about

C ~ptain

lf D 1ald 11eing assailed some.1here in thE B J/msville country
at nip;hl

c.r. · 'i1eine shot •

.MR . MO ffiS :

A;:, I recall it , he was on his

~.o.y

to Rio Grande

Cj ·~ ../ .

A

Tt Rio G.ca.nd c: Ci

ts ,

r1hen he was shot •

troubles occurred do m there .'/her
oceti.r ..111ert

I think all those
They d1d not

Cc.nales lived .

I live -- ti ... c:t.re good citizens out there .

J. T. CANALES,

crosu examination resumed '· y M. . . . K'1ight .

Q Mr . Canales , in connection v'lith your favorit.eism charge ,

you menti ored the fact t.ha t Mr . Caesar Kil: eb erg was a me1.J1 e:r of
t:ht- D.:. .. tr le' K_..;

!~)Lio rl

Boe rd , a.nd.

th~ ... yo :t

kne

~

Robert Kl eberg

ar.C:. .,vun"' R:1.,hd.rO. Kl iherg were wealthy , and ... rnr i1._plica.tio11

was: · at they 11ere excused through favoriteism .
YO"..l

to st ..1.te

i~

yo

J.

I

rill ask

clo not know it to be a fact that Ric:!&'.l

9 (4 ,,
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 K::. berg was a married
A

y _.,, ' -Jut

Q.

I

A

y

~

I

1.:11 as\. you
I;) '

~

.it?l a

lI!a . ,

C>

.. .L

.{OU

. .i "e a.nd childrc: .?

know th

"- ?

he is ma rri ae. .

lill

a:? ,·-

v

i ..:- :JO

('J.

l

don ' t also know that he was runnin.;:;

one of the King ' s RC:t.nches "

·-

L orelia.~ ?

Ht. was said to run the Loreli.as Ranch , "hut I didn ' t knm1

A

Richard K.eberg to run any ranch .
Q,

Who was in

A

I

of it , 1 f yot. :. . no.1?

iOUld

go to Ki ngsville , was living at Ki n • s

ch and lived there .

wa~

Richard Kl eberg ,

lior • .. kno. , "'Ju.t I do kno .:r tl ·

eveJ'Y tim~ I
R ~

cha~ge

Uy father has some land there , and he

om Co ._missioner , ::1e could not possi' 1.1

R_nch , and fie
Q

"Un the Lrelias

1as ou·" Commissioner .

Mr . Cat;sai Kl eberg {las runn.inz ,vh:ich ranC;h ?

•

A He is sub-manaeer of some ranch .
Q Uon ' t you knofl

A H
Q
a~

h~

is ChC:t.rge of thb

Nori~~

Ranch ?

spends most of his time there .

De. 1 • t :JOu kno / he is th ere no / and that he is sometimes

$ (;.._1ta Gcrtrudas anc ot'he r places "

rur.s u. ranch al

THE

.ts ha. s to be on it ?
Gs1tleme~ ,

CF..AIR.'lAN :

MR . KNIGHT :

Do you think a man that

I

!lin~

so .

~hat

is purely

J

ansrnr

'dt

arg~~entative .

.iuestiori , and

11.,

\'le

w:i 11 get along .

THE CHAIRMAN :
I

e:ai1

I mean to s ......f

he exaraination is improper .

e;oi ne to ask you not to donduct it .

F urther I t?l.ink it

is an jrrelevant and immaterial matter .

MR . KNIGHT :
!I~an

.·t~s

I

a!;,1.~d

raising cattle to

THE CHAIRMAN :

Q,

I simply

;ill as 1 •

him if he didn ' t

~ .... cd

kno~·1

that that

the ' '>Jd on the other side .

No •
~ii11

that : i.c- yo

.i

don ' t kno.1 ' i s 'busi ness was

the C·J.ttle busines$ , and that was the busines;;, :_

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

was engagecl

 Answer that question "Y s " or "No ."

o , I kno11 he was a cattleman .

A

Y~

Q

'DoP ' t you knoV1 t\...... Ro'-'ler .. Khl)erg is a graduate of the

A~i

.icultural 'DepartmE':nt op ... ht Wici<.;Otlsin U. iven1:-'-.r and is in

c~.o.rge

Ranch
for t

sev~ral

0f'
d.!ltl

~1 ....

dJ~in,s

J

1.c.. ~

thousand acres in cuhiva.tion on the K ine

he is an e.Apert in the matter of mixi ns foods

cat tl~ , tr.ot th1:.y ra.d to feed the re in vast numbers
the drouth , and that h i s serv]ces 1vere indispensable to

the succeesf .il 01)eration of those -ra.nus and those cattli· ?
A

I than'

Q

'Do you

o

Q.

don ' t know

t:l

i

on .

Answer the question .
i~ ?

th~t

Do yot '\. no11

fa VO r i. t

1"'0 nnat]

it or not ?

kno~1

THE CHAIRV.AN :

Q Y0

the ·

~or

i

someone -- that there were charges of

didn ' t you knOv'J ihcn you ma.de that statemen... ,

Stn

that t.., o:..) 1erv both exempted b13"or1;: Co.esar KlC;.1 Lri: .ras on the
B o~rd ?

'D.i.-:-trict Exemptiol'J.
A

I don ' t kno·.v

a.nyt~1ine.;

about it .

ex.empted and ... ht:: v' are specia1 R
Q

ee:ra there .

J u st an s.1er ,,,,J iuestion .

THE CFAIRi11:AN :

A

I 'mow t:.ey both are

J\ . . . t an s.ver the question .

All I , .now is t:_e., a.re exem_ptetl and they are

sp~ cial

R .1.;ers .
Q

Yvu don ' t know that that was done before Caesar Kl eberg ' s

connectio!'! 1ith i ... ?
A

No , sir .

Q

Don ' t you know special Rangerd were not exempted from the

pro vi :3i O rlS

~

the draft ?

A

N:> , I don ' t kno~1 -- I do kn.0~1

G.

Ti...~t

is all right , then .

t ions were given "'-:~'3

a jfferent

'Die'

yo.;.

kno.·1 spec]al instruc -

local bo arcis ·

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

y

tht Adjutant

 ·t:h:...~

G1:.. ..... r:...l

t!:..!t was not to be grounds of exemption"

A No , I didn ' t know that .
Q

kno~ ,

Uid you

o~

in the case

Rober .. Kl ... berg , that charges

o." favoti tei sm were preferred and that hj s exemptl on was sustai nr>d. hy the 'District Board. and that it was forwarded. to

Washington and t'rioroughly investi.;e:t ed by the P rovost Marshal
and sustained hy him"

Did you know that "

A

No , I didn ' t knov1 that, no , sir .

Q.

No

r

Mr . Dt. nnet ~ told the truth u1)out
'li~ l)t't:S~·1ca

gar;;>.t;t.:: in
ci~dn ' t

'

1hat occurred. in t'1e

a0out the alleged threat of Frank H.......1e:r ,

"
u~.

nett - -

~.;1

... tcu1..... lly .

A

M •

Q

J

A

S , stantiall./

Q

Mr . Ho...1er ta.l'<eJ. to you personally , didn ' t he ?

A

Fi r :::; t ,

Q.

Since that time has he had

~t

ans.ver the qtA.estio

y~

"Y i;) "

" N\,, • II

t:rPt::, Jt. , .. :i r .

s , d r•
oppo1~tuni

'-y t.o execute any

thrl':at ,,hat he might have imputj cJ ?

s j 1) ly , I <'on ' t kno

A

P

Q.

Has he done so or attempted to do ""

1.

A Not to •., 'mo 1le r.ige •

?

I have te sti f j ed all I

~no

/ about

'his actions .
Q.

ner

A

Hasn ' t he demeaned himsel.r i.t e. quit .... , la1.-abiding manCVL

A~

Q No

4

J

time you have seen him si net> ?

far as I
1

~now ,

}ts .

you say }Our only purpose in this attack upon the

R'"'neer fore.;; is to have object iond.lile characters removed?
A

Y00 , ~nu

to

reorg~nize

the force on a

high~r

level; that

is, ...mt in the reen t?iat are- God-fearing and law-abiding an<l

jn fosltion to execute tht
Q

Do yon mee:tn ohjectiona.'lJle to the peo1)le along the border

""r m EJ P

9~)

l~v .

oO

to Bro mi:>ville , or do you mean obj ec~~ional le to

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Jcnr own larticular fa1cf or caprice '?

I mean objectionar)le in the sense that dangerous men are

A

o'

~

c~':.

~t

·

ton

' )1 e

l

••1,

to t:he peaceable , peace-lo vine; and la71-abi dine;

ether you live in El Paso , Bro msville , Dallc:i.>

01·

Ft . Worth •
Q

c

.f)ll

name al'l instance outside of you.r partic:ulai· per-

sona1 e;rie\rance in connection ~1ith F ro.n1< Hamer , wherein "'.;he
A ·~ u+.an'" G' neral and G0 ren10r Hobby have refust:;d , dt ""t.e sug-

ze...,t . 0
R. ne;
A

I

../number o.f respectable citize .J '

Of

o remove a

•.,
I have shoiived you --

Q A avrnr "Yei::> " or " No ".
A

Ye:;; , I have shown you in rny files , there was Edds , 11ho

w::::.s objected to and his attention called to i.. .
S.-..ddler , Si ... tre and the other man .1ho
letter from the

Count~

~as

At to r11~y called th

T: . .::re is

o1Jj ected to and a

Governor ' s attention

to tho t matter .

Q.

Vl}ijch

A

Tc

,fuo
Q.

matt~~ ?

Si ~tre ,

Sacdler and the other man 'rilling that Mexican

in their possession as a

~as

~risoner .

Tl t was the man Florencio GCi.rcia"

A Yes , sir .
Q.

T'' • tv10 grand j ui i es who have convened since that time

have:

" sed to indict ?

A

Th~t

Q,

I

is

argumentati~

ill as'...

cit izers

'1

v~

v ol

ever

if

arv i·espectable number of respectable

r~cprsted

the Adjutant

G l.1 er~l

to remove

those three m<.- 1"
A

C ) T!)laint was maue --

Q

Ans.1er the questior "Y "" " ,. ., . . "No ".

A

I

~~Y co~plaint

nae maue , and

therr.. :he:::n complaint was lm:t.de .

T~1e

i~

was their du"" v to remove

facts show t}.eJ ought to

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 h<:i. ve

re en

removed .

Q

Who ma(le com:r>laint excep ....

Jourse:~ ?

A

I

orney complained .

Q

'l!!'lat • s his n<ilae?

A

O ~~a·

Q,

He was on the stand ?

A

y ... l:j

Q

Ht.. is your· le:w partner?

A

He was

l .,j

Q

He 1a

J

A

He

Q.

He ho.s been your partrk

A

He has bet

Q

1) . •

J

ell yo , our Co untv·

'

c.

A.._~

naney .

sir .

la ..1
la

0 l •

partn~r;
i

. ,_ e is not •

partner at that t,i 11 ~ ?

ra.s not .
?

Mr . 'D'a nc" state from tLat stand

-··

WLat the witness testified to , or d.ici no: ,

!.rHE CHAIRMAN:

is a matter for the Coumd ttee .
MR . KNIGHT :

But I : ave

1

)assed that up long ago ,. Mr . Chai :nnan .

Di d Mr . Dancy state that

Q.

h~

had eve1·

G 1eral to remove those three :Range
Yot- mean

THE CHAIRf{AN :
MR • KNIGHT :
THE

Y

CHAIR'~AN :

~ ... 1.U!b<

l

Ad~

the

l.tcmt

· ;:1 ?

the sta1il ?

b •

I stated

ni :.tee kno" what 11as ct.ntl
i!l~.::.

r~om

~e' .ed

~ t...

·t no / .in mj•

,~hat

.rulin~

.....

~

t

the Co

1-

nas not te, .... .. ,.., ed +0 , and I trust

1ill not indulge in t'1at character of examination

furthE r •

A

ev1
Q

Y
·~net":!

, c. nd. the letter

her •

}S

in

t.h~

files

c.r

1

introduced in

I didn ' t have the letter and sho.ved the letter
thd. ... letter

ct.~

.10

.lt the

u· in stigo.tion or sug-

fact at all at t!:e . . :.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

1

•

 c-, ntv

He na

s~me

from the

A+tor1.~,y- .

H 1:. had removed bis o :'.:':ice entir~l.Y

building .

H

o.' out a quarter
d. ~d.n ' t kno
:,.ft~1·

was in the

court:hous~ ,

ci:nd I lived

"' "'" ...i 2.P. aw<v.; , in another bui ldi ."' , c::.nC:. I

a.nyt:nns about it un-ci 1 . b.v be four or five months

~

this i,1·e:1.1sactjor1 .

o:

Q No / you ppoke

~n

exodus of M ~:~a.rts 1rom this side in

Cameron Count .» , arHi it Nas on i::t.ccount of the dread of the
R..,, .e;ers in thc..t county -- I believe ,, o J.:r J 1dtice of tJ:_e P eace

testi "ietl the same .

I

\Till ask you to state L"

.!

he same exodus

did not exte,., : , unly jn a slightly lesser degree, u:p through

anjoinine counties of Hidaleo ,
A

I r·on ' t

extend
Q

knO\l

a.nyt'1ine abou"'" D

a lesser degree in

l~

I 1::1n' t

c"' .

I :_ne1 t:r..at it did
. ._; county .

Hidal~

th~~ .
+~<;..~a

it a. fc..ct

great m1;1.ny deserters ancl slackers

.a.ssod intc Me:dco •}irougr t•
T _ .as ani·

anr Dtva.l?

. , afact that a €reat nv... n.) dese:i1te:rs and slackers

r ~n H

A I cidn ' t catch
Q.

s~~rr

1::

B"'ov<msville part fro.u1 North

'm th~ states lying north and eaot ,

"1

vhere they

hb.d no Rc:. ngers "
n~ R-~ .., r .. ,

yc•1 mean, tu

A

When thtt.r .ua.d.

Q,

No, I mear 1r tl c E st and North anC:

~ t·own:...rllle ?

N"",......~'

Texas and up

to tL.. N "theru St-tee .

A I

~now

ville .

there are some slackers

over at Browns-

I wae not in the • catchil,6 • business .

Q Didn' t .,. g rGat
t.lguc. U .-.

crouse~

\, J\..L.1.t

i

m~ny

of them hail trow Atcacosa and con-

AS -?

A

I don ' t know .

Q.

Now Yr . Canales , you say that -- you stated that the

white cattlemen do·m there underpaid their Mexican help a1'ld
ther~'.,

ore tod a disposi tlon on +h ... i r p iZ"t --

A I tiidn' t
Q.

Wt~

~ay t~e

c ttlemen .

was ! t -?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 A I aa1d persons that employed Mexican 1abor.
That is what I mean .

Q,

A Well, not necessarily cattlemen, oecause there are very
few cattlemen in my country , l1lY country is mostly a rarming

country, we raise something there tor you people to eat .
underp~1d

Wh ~t class or men is it who / 11.11dd Mexican labor?

Q,

A I didn ' t say underpaid; I say sometimes refused and failed
to

p~y

their just wages.

Don ' t you know it to be a fact tha.t ... hb American farmers

Q,

an i American .am ca.ttlement in that country pay their Mexican
labor much better prices than do the Melican farmers and ran-

chers -- don' t you know that to be a fa.ct?
A No , air , it is not the fact .
MR. KNIGHT:

Gentlemen of the Committee , at this point I

reli~ve my

want to

mind of an uncert.:..int y regarding the att i-

tude of the Chainrian :1 · th reference to the proof of the vast

number o"

~eserters

and slac1.ers wi'-io crossed from the differ-

ent countjes into M"lxico .

I have

approach~d that

subject a

number of times and with uniform tenaciousness and certitude
it has been r..tled out .
~~fore

..

that is because

I ca.me into the case that had been 1-""roQuced and

C ~1mittee

sat'afied , or that for some other reason

"!.c Cv::m.1i ""~ee an1l not
other

1 .. ).,., w~ct: P r

I do not

H

.

J.:;, '

:1Q.t I

ord f1·o·!l Ca.meron,

'h "l.own

to

yr.,e~ ~, ""hat

~nown

is excluded .

'.esire to do nol'I .i.s to in trotluce

H1d.

lt,o, st_rr

! con-+-· 6

to

~0us

t~e

Ir

rec-

counties to

sho n the numl,\e rs of l)oys c.tid nen w.i thin the dr ...rt age, the

m. n1 e v- that were enlisted , the number thc..t disapp6o.red and the
numJ,~ r the:. t

act tally enlisted in the service , and I do that

for th:f d reason : the wi tnesa has stated repeat 'ldly , and so
cl.id thi;;. J ustice cf tht.

P~ 1.ce f .... ori B ·< wnsvill~, I :'lave forgotten
tfie
his name, th t/l:"f!ctluse o.r that gr~at exodus was the R·..ngers .

Ne.

I

in foiling that co cl1 JiOn or testimony , I .rant to

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

u' • •,,

 that there ·was '>'50, ::'.'or in stance , +l-.at went a.cross the line
C

i

ero- Ct;>unty itsel .... ,

tutes a ri .)1t formidablP exodus ,
connectio~

t : .....t

~dv~nce

that in

crosoet~-

th

i"':dn itse:f consti-

hich number

"'nc

·ant to show in that

I

to +hP actual slackers and deserters
:!'~llowed

Ri ver· that other people

0

them and

that tht->Y a.re nov1 the re, .nany of them, and that they went there
as potentially showing that they l~ft on account of the military req~i~ements and not because of any Ranger sergice .
want to ch

1

'hy

the witness the num'be r- of 'e se rte:rs .fror... }'.is

o .. r. c,c.u...t.;, a.n: I ;w ' l"l.. sfio~

I f th
j

t

s, sc I can in
rea.so~

f:rom the others as I ge"'" to it .

stand my ruli1 g .
o~

:r feel:::.
I 1!a

c~ combat

it or as Di st "t, that

~.

Before you ca.me 'lnto the case , at the re-

General Harley ,

nu~erous

citizens from Rio Grande ,

and especially from Canter.on County,

h~

testified freely upon

the conditions existing in that V lley .
object ion ·rysel.:' to the incumberi n

0

I interposed the

of the record with this

class of evidence, because after conference
and

1hat

I r. t '.1e rulL,,g, I trust you will not misunder-

THE CHAIRTMN :

quest

i:

Cc, mit"t,ee xe: J1as any reaso ~ , I -rould like to know

is the only

I

underst&nd~r 6 -~~Pir

views on

1

•

~-tth

the Committee

e felt that we had all

the evirlence of the general conditlons that th"'

c

.mlittee

should have, that we had no clisposl tlon and would not in any

sense recommend or entertain the proposition

or

abolish~ng

or seriously crippling or Lljuring th'" R .....ger force .

cognized it

CiLS

W re-

an in sti tut ion necessary to the people of T . . ~.as

tor the proper control of conditions then

existir~g,

and con-

ditions that we might antlaipate if tho ruture, and for that

reason we do not care t
w~

e::.

-t nt.o

that line

I know it has been the private opinion of a

majority of the

c~mmittPc,

tf not all

or

1,.
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
I

)

examination .

I have stated that

tb.011ght to shorten the examination .

repeatedly .

or

the-, that each

t"~e

 I aai <' t
elad

my ruling i

•

:r

I vas in err.or in my r1tll 1 6 I would be

to correct it , but I still feel it would be a needle3s

:ntroduct1on of evidence where I
imously ·1as its mind made
M_ y I

MR. MOSES:

THE CHAIRMAN:

or

the

th~

C rJmittee unan-

t~ .

that ~

heard on

I will hear trom you .

1~

in the interest of savi

clusion which

minds

sure

I !' "'his were a matter for you, I +h:lnk the ob-·

MR. MOSES:
jt~tlon

'h~

im

YO\'

time and reaoh.. r& the con-

la.ve stated tl'ic..t there already exi ... tE! "r the

C ~lJDlittee

the necessity for +1

the R ger force as it affects the force an
be :H-ope-, h•'t the

~

continuance of
,~~~ction

would

innan will remember that whatever 1 c to

be done to thP R--r ~rs will be done by the two brdnches of the
Le 6 1Jlatur~, ~rom

c~

which branches yo

selected to make the record .

m1ttee have been

I t has been stated by Mr . C'l.nales

as a v.itnesa 1n this case and a member ot the Hrnse , a man
who it well liked by his brethren in the House, who have con-

fidence in him . Who do not know the conditions down there, and
I am not taking issue with th.
I

0

bona. fide-ness ot his statement,

am not intimating that he does not belieTe that that condi-

tion is true , but it it 1s true, G6 tlemen , that the same
exodus of men in the draft ege w s had in counties where they

had had no trouble with the R . gers, then it might look like
Mr .

CQJ~loJ

County

o~

\fas mistaken about it .

or

other words , take the

St rr --

SENATOR WILLI:roRD:

sort

I

T chnically , I don' t think

there is any

question but that it would be rlgrt to admit that

te~timQny

in reply to Mr . Canales ' ctatement -- tecbnically

you a.re absolutely correct, but sp ak1ng tor myself, I don' t
think that I wculd regard that testimony from either etandpoint , so far as the settlement

or

this matter is concerned .

Tl ey m1 &ht have had a well rounded fear or aome r " t::>l~t of tear --

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 there

~a

no testimony as to whether they ought to have teared

them or not, or anything concerning that .
it in

th~t

I t is just leaving

condition, and really I think the Chainnan• s ruling

is good , not to incumber this record with so much stuff that

cannot figure in any just settlement of this matter .
MR. MOSES:

The proof in this case, G ntlemen , is going to

show, we belieTe we will be able to show, that a great deal ot
111 will and that eome ot the matters, the outrages that have
been testified about , was occasioned by reason -- and the

,exuunD presence ot the officers

t~cre

was occasioned by reason

of bejn0 there hunttng deserters and slackers from the Army
t~e

of

S~ates .

United

THE CHAIWAN:

What are you going to do with those outrages ,

and you gentlemen trequently refer to them, as having occurred
in

1915 ~

MR. MOSES:

I am not going to do anything w1 th them at all .

THE CHAIRMAN:

How are you going to connect them up with the

sl ckers and eTasion ot the draft in

MR. MOSES:

1917 ~

I am talking about people who went over in 1917

and 1918 .

THE CHAIRMAN:

:But you are connecting them back with the

outrages shown to have been comm1tt t -- I am not saying that
the evidence is conclus1Te by any means -- but specif ic tra.nst

actions as to

hich evidence has been introduced occurred in

1915 and 1916 .

There is not any connection and cannot be

ehown that the draft had anything to do with them .
MR • MOSES :

I am not contending th.at the draft had anything

to do with those transactions in 1915 .
THE CHAIRMAN:

Mo st of them came b &ek .

Your contention is now that this exodus and

evidence being introduced as to their m.otiTe are connected
with tranaaot1ons occurring in 1915 and
MR. MOSES:

1916 ~

l ha.Te not said anything about outrages committed

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 in 1915 and 1916 .

I am talking about the testimony that bas

been introduced in this case , and I say again that we expect
to show that much of the ill will ag 1nst the Rangers and that

the outrages ot hieh testimony has been ottered in this case
before thl>) Committee was occasioned by reason of the efforts,

they may

ha.Te

been misguided, and outrageous conduct on th

part ot the Rangers, I am not contending or defending anything
o t that sort , but that the presence ot the Range rs and much

ot the ill will against the Rangers was occasioned by the
efforts or the Rangers to keep deaerters ·rrom
into Mexico and to force them to

~o

into the

~oing

Arr;J;y

across

ot the United

States .
THE CHAIRMAN:

H~ i'

are you i,.,lng to connect that ill vdl?..

up with reference to the tranaaotions and specific charges
made in 1915 and 19le'
SENATOR PAGE :

But that is a matter that goes to the weiOA'lt

of the evidence and not as to ita adm1ss1b111ty .
at~te

I want to

thiH, that it counsel for the .Adjutant General can show,

Mr . Canales has testifie l from the etand that there was a
great exodus took place in 1915 and 1Ql6,

lso

1~17

and

191~,

I don ' t care what occaaioned the exodus in 1915 and 1916, that

migh+

·~7e

been on account of the banclitti down there ancl

these raids, and Crrales having t

in

191~,

t!fied there was an exodus

1916, 1917 and 1918, testified on the stand that that

exodus was occasioned by Ranc:!.''·rs, I say that
thes

~ontlemen

~

xttJ1•n

haTe a right to show that the exodus was occa-

sioned by the Draft Law.

That is m.y contention and I will

maintain that contention .
SENATOR WITT:
~odue

I n order to determine whether or not th1a

was due to the ill

teelin~

tow

rd

the

Ran~ers

or fear

or the Anny, it has l'-:.:"ien teatified. by :u:r. Canales and other

men from Bro;vnSTille t

t tlle oxodus as due to tear of the

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

•

 L .. 0 .,.~s .

I t these men o&n show as many dra.tt e

haTe statei , i t might

was due to tear
MR. LN:nra'Y:

or

~ '...'t

dera as they

the construction tlla.t this exodus

the A.rmy .

;r dge

Kirk testified about this exodus also,

the :ruetice ot the Peace there .

I think this teotimony might

be admitted .
THE CHAIRMAN:
mittee eTery

Gentlemen, I have inTited those of the Co •

tim~ I

lia.Te ruled on this proposition, I have no

desire to impress my indiTidual

1o a and am undertaking only

to limit this examination within the scope I thought it should

be, under this resolution .
~l)

in

I ha e tried not to be a partisan

.Jenee , I J.on' t thin: I , ve be

1 r you undertake to go into tha.t '

8

, "ut I toll you no

)(osea says , to

J dg

follow up all those counties there , you are building a record
and taki ,g time you haTe never oontenplated , and I think you

will Get in+.o Bome trouble that is

go11~

to aeceasitate an

inTeetigation that was neTer contemplated and is not proper .
I h

~e

no desire to cut the gentlemen ott trom any kind or an

1nTest1gat ion or evidence that oan 1m properly be considered .
When you open that

thin~

up , you are going to open up both

aides of it .
SENATOR WITT:

I think they haTe gQne into pages a.tter p ••

of testimony that is absolutely irreleTant &ULd immaterial,

tor that
hours

or

ma.tta~,

and I have s t here and made no objection to

it, but still I feel that eyen it it takes a little

l"11eer, that this is a matter that is proper , while they urged
c1.

e,ood deal thut was not pr.per on both asides .
THE CHAIRMAN:

You wt 11 probably recall too,

your Ck irman bas

beg~ed

Senator , that

and pled and did all he could on

earth to control that hearsay and imm terial teotimony you

refer "o .
SENATOR WITT:

I t :tms been easier to permit it than to keep

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
=-

 1 t o i:t t and therefore •• let it come in .
I ha.Te not haa1tated to express JIJ' opiaton on

THE CHAIRVAll:

it right straight along t and will eent iaue to do oo •

be governed entirely by the J
SENATOR WILLOlroRD:

introduce the

mat~er

MR. MOSES:

I will

gment ot the Committee .

I moTe that the Committee allow them to

or

that reoord .

Thia comprisea to•r counties .

There are not

m.uiy oorder counties -I haTe said my oay .

THE CHAIRMAN:

I would be glad. to have

you gentlemen express your views ot 1t .
I think the testimony ia admissible to show

MR. LACKEY:
that

thl.~

.1e ..4t

~cross

MR. TIDWELL:

to &To1d the draft .

I " Tin

ot the teatimony or Ur. Canales th t

there was a very great exodus in 1911 , I think counsel tor the
AdJ Utant Gdneral ' s dep rtment haa a r1 ht to allow there vas

as great a number of elackera there as he oan .
THE

CHAIIllAN:

Gentlemen t the Comrlli ttee dee ides you oan ad•

m1t the evidence .
KR. MOSES:

This oaee 1a not beil&g heard ...

THE CHAIRMAN:

J'uctge lloeea, the eT1dence io adm1tted .

I

would be glad for you to go aheed .

MR. JlOSES:

I t the Cluirman c:teolinee to hear me --

THE CHAIRMAN:

I do not declilae to hear you .

ter that has come up tor a ruling .

I

unkind to you, tor I am no\ .

I t is a mat-

J udge , lon' t intimate that

I 4eo1ded that the Com-

mittee oan go into this branch of the 1nTeat1gation .

I n 7our

interrogation or thia w1tneS89 I •111 be glad for you to

con~

duct your examination under the rule a the Comm! t\ee has eata'bliahe4, and eder the ruling that they haTe ma4e that the

Erridence is adm1sa1b1e .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 MR. KNIGHT:

Mr. Canales, I will ask you to state-- you were

very patriotic down there, very active down there in patriotic
matters, you say, and kept in touch with things.

I will ask

you to state if you know the number of registrations in Cameron
County?
A

No, sir.

Q Don't you know it was 6708?
A

No, sir.

Q Do you know the total number of delinquents and deserters in

that county?
A

No, sir.

Q Don't you know it was 757?
A

No, sir.

MR. TIDWELL:

The ruling of the Committee, as I understood it,

was that you were to introduce that testimony.

MR . KNIGHT :

That's what I am going to do.

I wanted to see

if he knew as to these matters--

MR. TIDWELL :

MR. PAGE:

I thought you were to introduce the record.

He is cross-examining the witness.

MR. KNIGHT:

I don't know why you are so touchy about it,

gentlemen.
SEN. WITT:

You can't prove that by this witness, so why not

introduce it?
MR. MOSES:

All right, we will introduce it.

MR. KNIGHT:

Do you know the number of physical disabilities

in your county?
A

No, sir.

Q Wasn't it 2217?
A

I don't know.

Q

Do you know the number actually in the army from your county?.

A

No, str.

Q Wasn 't it only 432?

A I stated I didn't know.
l l)lf

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q Now, Mr. Canales, you are by blood a Mexican, are you not?

A I am not a Mexican, I am an American citizen.
Q By blood?

A Well, Hexican, you may call it, that's true, a Texas Mexican.
Q

.A

Your father or grandfater came from 1'.Iexico?
My

father came from Mexico .

Q How old were you when he came here?

A

I

don't know,

I

wasn't born then.

Q And you don't know from family history or tradition when he

came?
A

No, sir.

Q And all of your people are not Americans, that is, are not

citizens of the United States-- Mr. Canales, have you arry blood
relatives on the other side?
A I have got some; yes, sir.
Q How many?

A I don ' t know, I can ' t tell you, beca11se I haven't been to
Mexico in a long time.
Q Have you any relatives included in this number of seven hund:red

and

fi~y-seven

deserters or slackers?

A No, sir; I don't know-- I don't think so.
SEN. WILLIFORD:

That is not accepted by the Committee as evi-

dence.
MR. KNIGHT :

Have .you any relatives on the other side who are

deserters or slackers?
SEN. WILLIFORD:

That was not your question- - you asked as to

th is seven hundred and something that went across from Cameroo,
Jim Wells, Starr and these other counties.
MR. KNIGHT:

Well, from Cameron, Starr, Jim Wells and any of

those other counties down there?
A

I have some relatives I know have gone, and we disclaimed evm
the relationship.

Some have gone, yes, and we have disclaimed

them as being absolutely unworthy of our relationship.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q How many relatives have you that have deserted from from this

side?
A I don't know.
Q How many that you know of, whom you have disclaimed relationm ip

with?
A I don't know, I haven't made a study about those things.
Q*

~lly,

didn't it concern you?

A No, sir; or anybody else's relatives, that wasn ' t my business.
Q You tell the Committee that you know you have some, but don't

know the number?
A No, sir; I don't know.
Q Is Adolfo Canales, son of Jesus Canales, a relative of yours?

A Yes. sir.
Q Is he a deserter?

A I don't know, I think one of those boys is gone .
THE CHAIRMAN:

Gentlemen, this is a branch of the exammnation

which I sought to avoid, and I would be glad to know if it wre
in the contemplation of the Committee that we go into it?
SEN.

PAGE:

MR. KNIGHT:

I think it is going a little bit too far-Gentlemen, I want to be perfectly fair, and I

have no desire to be otherwise-- the resolution under wnich
this investigation is held authorizes us to

inq~ire

into the

motives of those who bring the charges, and- SEN. WILLIFORD:

You want this Committee to assume that be-

cause Mr. Canales has some relatives in Mexico that he is
disloyal?
MR. KNIGHT :

No, sir; I do not, I simply offer it under the

ordinary rules of proceedings of this cbaracter.
moment, it will not do any harm.

Hear me a

There is a saying that blocd

is thicker than water, and Mr . Canales has stated on the stard
that he had a number of influentia:L clients on
through whom he could receive information.

lo

t~e

other side

Now then, I want

to show, of course, that his clients and relatives on the

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

ot~r

 side, whose names are in the hands of the rangers, and whose
vigilance and work along the border are keeping them over
there, I think it would have some influence upon the ordinary
human mind as to whether unconsciously-- I am not accusing tle
gentleman of consciously having motives that are not v.urthy-but I say that might unconsciouslyinfluence him in this matter.
Now, just a moment; I will follow this up and show the number
of those he is

interest~d

in over there, and shall leave it

to you to decide whether or not, if you put yourself in his
place, you would not be impelled to do probably what he has
done.
1IR. TIDWELL:

Wouldn't it be better to have this testimony or

list of the slackers put in evidence before the Committee and
then estimate-MR.

Kl~IGHT:

Mr . Canales is a very intelligent man.

According 1n

his own frequent prided admissions he was very active in patriotic labors .down there, and it occurs to me that he is pecul iar1¥ situated to know of these things.
SEN. WILLIFORD:

All of these charges have got to stand or

fall on the charges against the rangers.

1IR.

Kl~IGHT:

Absolutely , and can't the Committee be assisted

by seeing the leaning of the witness , either consciously or
unconsciously?
SEN. WILLIFOlill:

By the actual facts before the Committee and

not Mr . Canales' idea as to what he thinks about Mexico .

:MR. KNIGHT:

If he is influenced by these matters which I ha"te

mentioned , unconsciously, and is blaming the rangers for the

.

exodus of Mexicans in 1917, 1918-- and I respectful ly submit
that there can't be a man on the Committee who believes that - I know you possess ordinary, average intelligence- SEN . WILLIFORD:
MR. KiHGHT:

You have gotten off the question.

No I haven ' t , either.

I say the testimony is

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 overwhelming here that it was the activity of the rangers in
arresting draft evaders and deserters down there and in bringing renegades, cut throats and muriers to justice , aiilld not to
their acts in-SEN. PAGE:

The situation is this now-- you have proven by

the witness and it has been admitted by the witness that he
has blood relatives in Mexico, some draft evaders or deserters, and I don't think it would be pr pper now to cal l

t~e

names of "Jesus Garza" and other Mexicans down there who are
related to him.

He has stated that he has SJme relatives who

have crossed into Hexico , and I think that is as far as the
testimony should go .
MR. KNIGHT:

All right.

Q. I will ask you tc state if there

is not in Mexico a deserter who left yo ur own office?
A Yes, sir.
Q Your stenographer?

A Yes, sir-- I am not respons i ble for

my

stenographer.

Q Didn't you make a determined fight before the Local Board and
also before the Appellate Board, the ])ietrict Board, to have
him exempted on the ground that he was necessary to tli. e service of you and- -

A That's not true, aid whoever told you didn't jell you the
truth.
Q Well , what about it?

A I will give you the facts-- He was a young Mexican named
Gustav Duran; he was stenographer for Canales & Dancy at
the time we were partners.

We had two stenographers, this

young man and a young lady , and at the time Dancy and I
separated I gave him the choice of the stenogr aphers and he
took

my

office.

cousin, the young lady, and le ft this young man in my
Prior thereto, this young

man

has a father who is

decrepit and has not been able to work for the last two year s;
he has a mother and five brothers, nearly all of whom are in

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
,.,..---_

 school, with the exception of one that ought to be in school,
but on account of the financieJl. condition of the family, was
worki ng.

He was placed in Class 1-A, era.d the young man came

to Ur. Dancy and myself and explained the circumstances and it
was our duty as lawyers to present these matters without any
charge.

We brought these facts before the Local Board and

Mr. Jessup, a member of that board, and who evidently gave yru.
this information, acknowledged the fact that the boy had a
father dependent upon him and also three or four smaller chi1dren, and they r ut him from Class 1-A to 3, aad he remained
in Class 3 for six or eight months.

Then suddenly, without my

further inquiry or change of conditions
ferred from Clas s 3 to c1ass 1-A.
me alone, and he told me about it.

wha~ever,

he was trans-

The boy was then working :for
I then called the atten-

tion of the Local Board to the matter, as to the boy's father
and the children be i ng dependent upon him, and they had Dr.
Spivey's testimony that he had examined that man, and the testimony of two or three other reputable witnesses, 8Il notwithstanding that, Mr. ·Jessup scratched his head and said "Well,
Judge, they have told us we had to get oome more men and we
haven't got them, and we simply have to put this fellow back
into Class 1-A."

I said that the only thing to do was to

appeal, and I appealed and the District Board sustained the
Local Board, and then I told the boy, I said "Gustav, I know
you are a very efficient stenographer, and you can go ta Camp
Travis, SlilJd I will give you a letter &nd I know you can immediately get advancement, as they need competent stenographers.

P1ease be a man and go up there and make yourself use-

ful."

I said "I know they have unjustly s ent you a:md that

these gentlemen have given exemptions where they were not deserved, and I will give you a letter of recommendation when
you go to Camp Travis. n

The boy promised to cl:> that; he re-

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 ceived his card, and I missed him the next morning.

AS

soon

as I missed him that morning , I went to see his ttncle and we:rt
to see his father

m~

mother , and I plead with them all that

day to bring that boy back.

Since that time the boy has sent

me word he wanted to come back, and I sent word that I would
have nothing further whatever to do with him.

I

said that th!

man who advised you to go, consult him about coming back, and
I would have no dealings with a man who had acted the way he
had-- betray my confidence after I had given him my friendship,
and had become a slacker.
Q He is still on the other side?

A I don't know, I haven't informed myself where he is.
Q You can have the witness, Mr. Curtis.

EXAMINED BY MR. CURTIS:
Q Mr. Canales, I haven't heard alJ3 of this testimony except part

of your examination, so

I

am not very well advised, but there

are a few matters I desire to ask you.

Considerable stress ve. s

laid by Mr. Knight on 'Whether or not you had made complaint af
Mexican bandits, end-SEN. WITT :
~

That has been gone into.

6HAIBMAM:

He has gone into his activities of that kind

very fully.

MR. CURTIS:

All right.

Now, something was asked about the

Edds killing and about what knowled-ge you red of it.

I be-

lieve you went into that on your direct examination, aw to
the statement of Edds that you were shown?
A yes ' Si r; I did.

Q And how you acquired that knowledge?
A

Yes. sir.

Q Now, several letters between you and Capt . Hanson were read,

and the replies were not read-- do you care to introduce the
replies to tnose letters of yours?

1 Texas
t
State Library and Archives Commission

 A His replies to me?

Yes, I would like to very much.

I have

my originals at home, and woul d like to see his copies, especially where he offered to vote for me for Governor and I
refused the offer.

I would like the copies .of the replies to

two or three of my letters which were read and the replies
were not read.
MR • .KNIGHT:
MR. MOSES:

Yes, we will be glad to furnish them.
Here they are in the order in which they were in-

troduced.
1m. CANALES:

For

instanc~,

his reply to my letter of July 22nd

is here, dated July 31st-MR. KN IGHT:

All right, read it.

A I will read the entire letter-- "Hon. J. 1.' . Canales, Brownsville, Texas, written from San Antonio, Texas, July 31st,
1918, from Capt. Hanson.

My dear Friend: - I am today mailing

your brother, Albino T. Canales, Premont, Texas, an application for Special Ranger and as soon as he fil l s it out and
returns it his commission will be sent him.
You, especially, are to be congratulated for your splendid
work in the late campaign for our perless Governor and clean
government in Texae.

I feel sure that you will hear from

Governor Hobby in a few days as it wa s

my

pleasure to acquaint

him with your splendid work in the lower counties.

It was,

indeed, a greet victory, hot only for Governor Hobby, but for
clean government in our beloved state.
I want you to distinctly understand that I am your true
friend and it will always give me pleasure to serve you when
opportunity offers and, honestly, it will give me pleasure to
support you for Governor at some time in the future Sincerely your f riend,"
MR. CURT IS:

Read your reply to that, if it has not be en

rea d?
A Yes, it has been read.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 SEN. PAGE:

Who is it signed by?

llffi. C.AUn.LES:

By W.

1.{ .

Hanson.

•

Now, here is another, dated

September 23rd, 1918, from Capt. W.

1.i.

Hanson, San Antonio,

Texas, to J . T. Canales, Bro. wnsville, Texas.

I will read th:is

letter-- these are the two letters that I wish

t~

introduce

in evidence, this one I will read and the other one I have
just read.
l\ffi. CURTIS:
A

What is the date of that last letter?

September 23rd , 1918.

"My dear Mr . Canales: - Answering your

letter of September 21st, 1918, I have sent a copy of this aiii
and also copy of my letter to you to Hajor Townes with the request tha t he comply with your s uggestion a s to writing the
Local Board.

I

am herewith enclosing copy of my letter to h1m

for your information.
This is not authoritative, but I believe that the affidavits
and birth certificates will be weighed and that all Mexican
aliens will have to do will be to make an affidavit befare tm
board that he is a Mexican citizen and that burden of proof to
the contrary will be up to the board.

~s

soon as we can get

the circulars printed and get matters in an intelligent shape,
I

will come down and we will make a trip up the River.

I

hoi:e

to have everythin g arranged to your entire satisfaction durirg
this week.
Q

s1ncerely your friend."

Now, some question was asked you as to when you became convinced that Capt. Hanson possibly was not deal ing fairly -was that b efore or after these letters?

A

In

o0 tober,

the 20th.

a little after the 15th, it might have been about
It was at the time of tl • is conversation when I Kmile

rode from Brownsville and got off at Kingsville to go to Falfurrias to attend court, Bllid he came

W.

th the Edds investigation

in hi s hand, going to San Antonio-Q

That was subsequent to these letters here?

1 f>
A Yes , sir.
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q Now, Mr. Canales, some questions were asked you about whether

some of those special rangers were pealth officers or quarantine officers, and I believe you stated they were?

A Yes.
Q Do you know whether or not there is any occasion for the arm-

ing of health or quarantine officers in Cameron County?
A

None at all.

I er oss bet we en BI<> wnsville and l\[atamoras, and

there is a public crossing.

There are United States Custom

House officers, United States Revenue officers, United States
Immigration officials-- my Lord, they have go.,t enough men to
stop a whole regiment there, and it is not necessary that the:ie
men have arms.
Q

Now, as I und.erstand you, these different charges, some are
brought on your own personall knowledge and

others on inf orme.-

t ion?
A

The · entire charges are made on information and belief, and--

Q

I believe you want pretty fully into the condition s when the

company of Capt. Stevens was removed, and as to what the people down there throught at that time?
A

Yes, sir; I did.

Q You know the relative numbers of deserters from your county

that went into Mexico in 1916, draft evaders and deserters,

ES

compared to the number in 1917 and 1918?
A There were no deserters in 1916.
Q

I mean the exodus?

A The largest exodus was in 1915 and there was a very large exodus in 1916 also, azlhd tmen a very considerable exodus took
place in the months of May , June, and July, 1917, just prior
to and after registration, mostly in the spring of 1917, and
during the time we were here in 8pecial Session in May.
Q

Now, there is just one other question I wa.:b.t to ask you-- you
were asked about certain of your relatives who had gone to
Mexico.

r will ask you whether some of your relatives have

10Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 gone from the United States to France?
A Yes, sir; and are now fighting in France.
Q

How many?

A Cousins, quite a number-- I can't make any estimates, but
there are quite a number of them.

Several of them are first

cousins, just like that boy of Uncle Tobin's in Duval County,
and some have been discharged.

Uncle A.

w.

Tobin married my

father's only sister, and.there are one or two of tnose boys
in the army, others have been discharged and others are 1n
France-- some are sergeants, soae in the artillery and some :in
the infantry.

Q Do you know whether or not any relatives of Capt. Hanson are
in the ranger service?
A My recollection is that his son is one of the raimgers, one of
the regular rangers, not a special range:r-- I know he was
stationed around Premont and ffal.furrias, near where my folks
live.
Q

Is there any other statement you desire to make, Mr. Canales?

A Just one-- with regard to the testimony of Col. Farfan ; he
stated where I met him.

I never knew Col. Farfan until I met

him in the jail at Brownsville.

We were attending whatt we

call religious services every Sunday, the Mexican Presbyterim.
Church, the young men and young ladies, they asked me-- they
didn't want to go into the jail, so I told tfuem I would go
with them the first two or three times so as to break them
in.

On one of those occasi on I met the Colonel atL.d also

Major Soto, and he tallked to me and told me about his troubla
At that time Judge Sly was his atto:rney, and as he has stated,
I was not employed by him until after the grand jury had adjourned of Federal Court last December.

He came to my office,

because the question was, the Judge simply said that all pria:>ners whose names are not read are here discharged, and his nane
1 Texas
~ I

State Library and Archives Commission

 was not read and he thought he was discharged.

I took the rns:t-

ter up, at his suggestion, with the Judge, Judge Hutcheson,
and he referrec the letter to the Assistant District Attorney
and received an answer that the grand jury did not reach his
case, and would suggest holding him until the next grand jury
met.

That's all the connection

have had with Col. Farfan.

I

have bee:n e ha;rged here that the Carranza Government has hired

I

me to come aill.d make this fight.

I

brought Col. Farfan here

because certa i nly he is an anti-Carranza man, and to show that
I am

not tEk ing sides with Carranza, Huerta, Villa or anybody,

but simply for the purpose of reforming and correcting the
evils that have come to my knowledge, as an American citizen;
that's the only thing.
Q

That's all.
THE c 1.AIR.i.I.AN:
MR. ~ ID.k'ELL:

Anything f ·1rther, gentlemen?
What. was the date Capt. ::>tevens was removed fr<Jll

Brownsville?
A

In August, I don ' t know the exact date.

Q Well, the month and the year?
A

In August, 1918-- it was on a

~ aturday

when acc ording to law

the district convention was held, the senatorial convention
that met at Corpus Christi, and

I

was here and talked to Gen.

Harley, and he was relieved from there the following Monday-I

ean't te:h.l the exact date.

Q

That was after the primary?

A

Yes.
11

Q Do you read Col. Chapa' s paper, "Imparcial ?

A No, sir; I have not had a chance-- occasionally I get a copy
of it.

I very seldom read even the English newspapers-- I

generally read the Houston P0 st because that is the paper I
take, and-You never saw a large page carried by Col. Chapa in 1917
tive to the exodus of Mexican citizens from
Texas State
Library and Archives Commission

&outh T·e xas?

rel~

 A No, sir.
' Q You didn't see that?

A No, sir.
Q Capt . Hanson never discussed the governorship matter except

mentioning it in a letter, I guess?
A About supporting me for Governor-- he was joking and giving me
taffy, I guess, and I told him I never had any intention of
running for Governor and would rather practice law, and as far
the governorship, while it was highly flattering, I wouldn ' t
take it-- I have troubles enough of my own.
THE CHAIRMAU:
MR. KNIGHT :

Any further questions with this witness?

One question-- 1Ir . Canales , wasn't there a good

deal of sentiment, adverse sentiment aroused against the ranger force because. of their investigation of election f r auds
down in that country, and it was thought they were there in
the interest of Senator Glasscock?
A No, sir; Judge, I will tell you frarlkly-- the sentiment was
among some politicians but not among the peopl e; the average
people didn ' t care one continental who was Senator.
Q Among the p:iiticians?

A Yes, eir ; among the politicians-- you may include me, I am
a politician- - but the general average man didn ' t care whether
it was tweedledum or tweedledee.
Q

It was among the politicians that a great deal of adverse
sentiment was created by reason of the fact that it was alleged the rangers were there in the interest of Se~ator Glas~

cock?
A As I said, I have heard it very strongly mentioned by some of
our prominent citisens, men like Judge Graham and J.

c.

George,

who has testified here, and was manager of Governor Hobby ' s
campaign there, and among other prominent gentlemen there who
took an active interest in politics, but so far as the rarlk
and file of the people were concerned , they didn't care.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q Now then, Mr . Canales, isn't it a fact that you supported
Judge Parr?
A I have no objection to answering the question , Mr. Chairman-SEN. PAGE:

I think that is immaterial.

MR. LACKEY:
THE CHAIRMAN:
MR. CURTIS:

I move that the Committee rise until ten o'clock.
Let's finish with this witness.
Before the Committee adjourns, I would like to

state my slight connection with the matter-- Mr . Canales requested that I be here during his examination only, and I shall
not be here any further, as I am not bridle wise in the House
yet and want to get broken in there.
TEE CHAIRMAN:
MR. KNIGHT:
THE CHAIIThfAN:
MR. CANALES:

.Anything further with this witness , gentlemen?
Absolutely through.
.u.nything further, Mr. Canales?
Except with regard to these letters, the names

of the writers whom I do not desire to reveal-- I will snow
them to the Committee, but in order to keep

my

trust, I will

not disclose them to any outside parties.
THE CHAIRMAN:

The Committee, so far as I am concerned, will

not consider them unless they are available to the other side.
Evidence that it not available to the other side is not avaiJ,..
able to me.
Gentlemen, if there is no objection, the Committee now
rises to assemble at nine o'clock tomorrow morning, at which
time I trust the interested parties will be present.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 TUJ:SDAY , FEBRUARY 11, 1919 •

Th~

c~r~es

A.

J.!. ,

J oint Commitiee ot the House to 1nyeat1gate tke

• ainst the state Ranger foree conTened at 9 :00 o' clock
with Honorable

w.

H. :Bledsoe, C 1nD411, presiding .

HORNING SISSION.
'.I • Y. SORRINSON ,

being flr•t duly sworn, teet1fie4 betore the Colil.Dlittee as

~ol•

lows :

EXAllIN'ID :BY KR. CAN.AUS.

Q Where do 7ou liTe?
A Lyford.
Q

What ia your busineoa?

A I am in the real estate business -- do some farming .
Q

How long haTe you 11Ted 1 L)"tord., Cameron County?

A ElGTen years .
Q D you

·now Octabiano NarTa.

a?

A Y s, air.
Q

H s he been worl:.. ng tor you?

A lfo, air .
Q

H a he been working arowid Lyford.'

A

Yes, he has a far.m there.

Q How long haTe you known him?
A

Nine or ten years .

Q

D~

you remember the incident of kim being arrested by

some Rrmgera last year?.
A Yes, sir.

··

r~

3

Q

Do you 1')member tlie tit ?

A

I belieTe it was in Jf

ch, the tore part ot Karch .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q 1918?

A Yes.
Q

What Ra'1gera arrested h"m'

A I und.er•tand Mr . Se.ddler and J ohn St ttre arrested him.

Q Dtd you see those Rangers atter he· waa arrested'
A Yes .
Q Relate the whole inc14ent there .
A

man by the name ot Wallace --

A

Q H rry W
•llace'
A

1'i

a, looking atter some of J oe Jennin&s ' stock down there

dur1 ne, the drouth -THE CHAIRKAlf:

Who is thio

Ootabiano b ntmm Nat"Yaeo .

MR. CAN.AIES:
THE CHAIRMAN:

Has it already been teatitied to '?

I t was teeti tied about going to make bond for

MR. CANAIES :

th1 a man and turnin.£
THE CHAIRMAN':
lf.R.

n ,-ou are asking about'

im lo oae .

I a he the County ColDlliseioner'

CANALES: No' e1r .

THE CHAI:mLAN:

G• ahead.

A J ennings had turned about 1500 head of steers loose on
the common, it was durin

the drouth •

One Konday mo ndng about

a dozen Kexicans came into to n and reported that the night
be:f'o re Kr . Wallace and two or thre

Rangers bad oome out and

arrested -:UR. KOSllS:
Q

We are

oing to obje•t to that as hearsay.

'illere 1a Jlr . Wallaoe'

A He is in Cameron County.
YR. JlOSIS:

We are going to object to that teotimoq, surely

some of thoee Kexicans can be found .
THE CHAIRMAN:

Thia is

identi~ying

the time, it was reported

that certain men had been arrested .
:uR. KOS:IS:

I asa11med that the gentleman waa going to tell

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 what they said after they got in there, he had already told a

portion

of

it .

You won•t let me proceed with this'

A

LeaTe out hearaay and get down te the tacts

THE CHAIRMAN :

that he knows .
Jm. OAN'AIJIS :

Waa th&t inc 14ent you haTe j uat related in

reference to when this man Naryaes waa arrested'
A Yes, sir.
Q What connection did you b Te and what di4 7ou do with
regard to that arrest'
A They came in and asked me to find out where they were to
be tried at or what would become ot them .

They said they ha4

aeked the J uatioe of the Peace at Lytor4 the looation and
they we re unable to locate them.

n.
A.

TIDWBLL:

What 18 that '

Tl.e family ot thia Jf&rTaes tlaat was arrested• and they

aslced me to try and locate th• and find. out about the matter
tor them.
Q

What did 7ou do '

A The next day, I belieTe this was JConday • and the aext
n1 ght I went to :SrownsT ill&, I heard the7 wer

lod ed in jail

in Bramaville, am I went •own there, and. the next 4a.y I seen
j oe J'enntnp down tllere and epoke to him about the matter and

told him those fellows were going to cet o t on bond and I waa
going to sign their bond .

a.bout it, that Wallace

He said he didn' t mow anything

•a• looking atter them,

eo I got tkem

out on bond at BrownsTille and took two ot them baok to · L;rtorcl
with me in a car .

Whi l• I wae ia BrewmtTille they telephoned

down there that this man Yallaoe ....
.
'l'ltE CHilRKAlT: »On•·t go into that, tell what 7ou lcnow 70uraelt.
A

!his 1a what I know 117aelt.

117 wife telephoned me that

they came up there --

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 THE CHilRIUJr:

You are undertaking to 4eta1l, now, hearaq.

A . It· ia praotioall:r all hearaay o

KR. OANAL'IS:

Q

Mter the 11t1ephone meaaage from 7our wife

what did you do'
J.

I came back and stopped at Harlingen to ••• Kr . Saddler,

..r understood he was the man 1a charc• of_
Q.

Do 70\l know lli o 1n1t1ala?

A

George 8a4dler•

Q,

Yae • arYaea with you?

A

Yea, air.

Q.

He had giTen bond?

A Yea, I stopped there and went to

~lle

llangera taere .

••• ·•r. Saddler

and

told him I 1Ulderatood he had gone into • •oputy marshal 1 s house
there at Jqtor4, th&t Jir

~

'Wallaoe had rather, •1th the !lancers

standing there, aad t&ken a .401 rifle and a aix-ahooter troa
~ouae .

this deputy •r•hal' •

I expla1tle4 tlle •tter to Kr .

Saddler and he told me th&t he would return the gun, that tlle

guns we re with Captaia stephens at .ldinburg, tllat he would
return those to me .

I

am .ma~or _ ot. our

little Tillage .

Saddler waa TGr7 nioe about lt to ae and told

return those guns to me,
the guns returne4.

Kr.

e he would

nd write Captain Stephens and lllaT•

Tlley tlten placed those two men un4er

arrest again .

ci What t o'
A

O•tab1nano l'ar.aea and one muted J'•an Korino.

Q They arrested them aaaln?
A ..fes.

Q

Who~

A

SaJ.dle r and Sittre , I .1'elieTe

them

tt waa. !hey were two et
stationed there at the tiae . 1'a lla.oe •ore ollt the

cemplaint an4 tlley a enel. ~he warrant •
..
.
Q »1d you eee Octabinano W&r.Taea

&ft1'

aore?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 A Yes, I eew him about three da.ys attenrar4a, he was lodged
in jail at BrowneTille

Q Wasn ' t

a~erwardn

~ain

and I seen him down there .

H rry Wallace indicted tor

stealin~

tbe very cow -·

A I don• +.

~~ow,

I

derstand th,at he has been i t"IA 1eted .

Waa Harry Y llace a Jtanger?

KR. LACOY:

He used to be

llR. CANAIJlS:

~~~ger

and was with the Ran-

gers at that time .

llR. llOS:IS: When was he a Raiger, K • Canal<. '
THE CHAIRPUB:

D. JlOS:IS:

Wow, J"uqe , don 1 t --

I don ' t want to transgress any rl.•l:lng, but when

counsel makes his statement that he was a Ranger, we think we
ha.Te a right to know when he was a Banger and to know Whether

.this administration is responsible for it.
1fo , this administration is not ·responsible.

KR. CANALJ:S:

He was a Jta.nger before this administration .
TKI CHAIRUN:

Don • t misunderstand me • Kr . Canales was asked

the question by a member of the Committee and not an outsider,
and I object to one counsel interrogating the other counsel.
Kake your requests of the Committee .
im. KOSES:

I most reapeotfully ask the favor of this Cn t-

mjttee to ask Kr . Canales when that man was a Ranger, 1! it
is necessary to do that, because that went into the record,
and in order to make the record complete we think we lmTe a
right, if Kr. Canales knows, to lcnow when the man was a Rl\nger.
He has already stated that .

MR. TIDWELL:

JIR. :MOSES:

I .don' t remElll.ber when he

he was a Ranger .

He said long before this administrlltion.

MR. TIDWELL:

KR. JlOSES :

s~id

I would like to know approximately the date •

SENATOR WI'fT:

Couldn' t counsel wait until the exam1J').a.t1on

is concluded and then ask tm-t'

THE CHAIRMAN:

I am undertaking to haTe that done, and counsel

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 seems to take personal exception to my action .
:MR. UOSJ:S :

I t wa.e a statement made by the witness • Vr .

Chairman, I want to resent your statement that I am taking
exception .

I t there is nothing in my contention, I would

prefer you to say that th ere is nothing in it and o nier me to
sit down if you want me to, but the fact I am taking exception -- I have tried to act respectful about it Rnd we think
in the interest.s of a full and thorough investigation that we
have a right to ask questions, and if they are not proper, for
you to overrule them .

I t it the ruling of your chair that we

are not permitted to ask llr . Canales at this time, in view of
the fact it bas gone into the record, anything about it'
THJ1 CHAIRMAN :

KR. MOSES:

Yes, that is my ruling .

All right •

KR. CANALES:

Q

D 7ou know of your own personal knowle ge

any acts of Tiolence, unlawful acts, or

ny conduct repre-

hensible of the Rangers stationed around in Cameron County'
A No, air, not of my own knowledge I don' t know of any .

:BXAMINED BY MR. KNIG!rf •
~

I didn' t get your name .

A

So rrenson .

~

You are mayor of' what town'

A

Lyford .

Q

What county is that in'?

A C
Q

~eron

County .

How :f'ar out 'from Brownsville'

A Forty-one miles .
Q I n the same county?

A Yea .
Q

You are still mayor down there?

A

Yea .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q This transaction occurred about when?
A I n March of last year .

Q,

1918?

A

y

Q,

T'- ~s

~ .

man Wallace, what was his position or business?

A He vas foreman for

:ro 1 "'nnings, looked after his cattle

down there .
Q,

:r ~e :r~rnings w~s

a ranch man?

A Yest sir.

Q And the ranch was in that v1c1nitv?
A No, sir, it was during the d.routh

am

he moTed bis cattle

from Webb County or some other place near Ltt.redo and turned

them on the commons, about 1600 head .
Q

J ennings had some cattle in your Ticinity in the charge

of Wall.nee , on the commons?

>. Yea .
Q You had located at Ly'fo rd two Rangers'?

A No, they were located at Harlingen .
Q How far is that from Lyford?
A 8 1 ~een or seventeen miles .

Q T y werP- Rangers Si+tre -A I belieye that ' s his name, and Kr . Saddler o
Q,

Saddler and Sittre -- all right .

There was 0. Narvaes,

the Mexican, arrested?
A

Y~

N rvaes .

Q He was arrested at Lyford?
A He was arrested at his home, about fiTe miles trom Lyford .

Q Were you present when he was arrested?
A

Not air.

Q,

D:'.> you know who arrested him, of

yo~

A Yes, sir.
Q

W}i o ~

1Texas
2.J State Library and Archives Commission

own knowledgP?

 A Kr. Saddler and Kr . Si+tre .

Q At whose inatance wae he arrested?
A Kr . Wallace • s .

Q Had there been infonnation lodged against him?
A

I don ' t know .

Q

wr rt was the complaint W. llace had

a~ainst

him?

A As I understood from hearsay, they had killed a steer
belonging to J oe J ennings out there .
Q,

That is his employer?

A Yea .
Q

Y ' mentioned another Krotican .

Were there two of them

arrested?

A There were tiTe of them arrested .
Q,

W"re tliey all arrested at the same time?

A Yes, I believe so, all at one time .
Q

Narvaes and fou r

~ht:trs •

all arrested by those two Ri.ngers?

A Y9s, sir .

Q

A~d

all were accused by W, lace ot taking the steer?

A I don' t know whether b.e accused them or not .

Q That is what they were arrested for ?
A Yes, sir .

Q

aa

a matter of fact, they dug up the hides -- they were

found with the steer -- the meat -- and were forced to dig up
the hide ?
A No, they found the hide in town .
Q T' PY found the hide after they were arrested, the hide
was buried'?

A No .
~

Where was

it ~

A Hanging on a tence with about twenty other hides, on a

tree around in the brush somewhere .
Q Well, you say it was around in the brush .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

What was done

 with the'IIl?
A They were giTen a preliminary hearing at Ihrlingen and
the J ustice of the Peace lodged them in jail in BrownSYille .
Q.

.T11stice of the Peace bound them OTer to the Grand J"urv?

A y
Q.

•

AI d they were then transferred from Ly:f'ord to Brownsville'

A Yea, sir.
Q

You were interested in the meat business?

A I had a small market, I did not run it myself .
partner was running it?

Q.

Y"·~r

A

I had a man employed .

Q I will ask you to state if those men were not accused of
hP:ving sold this beet to your man there?

A N,., air.
Q

There was no rumor to that effect?

A I don ' t know nothing about rum.ors, but it was not accused
to me .

Thay found the whole beef that they were looking for .
particular one?

Q

T~at

A

Y .,, sir .

Q.

B,,t didn' t it deTelop that your man had been buying beet

from N rvaes and those other boys?
A Ne, air, never -- neTer from a Mexican ,
Q.

You did make bond for

N~rvaes

and those .p.w other people,

did you?

sir.

A

YcC'I,

Q

T "'re was something about a d.eputy marshal • s house being

relieved of a . 105 rifle and revolver probably -- now, Kr .
Sorrenson, to refresh your recollection and try to get at the
facts, I will ask you to state if you and

W~llace

did not have

a d1ff 1culty about this matter?

A Y"s, we did, at H · rlingen we did, when I
back.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

rought these men

 D" ~ you or not draw gun on W'lllace?

Q,

A Ne, sir .
Q W re you armed?
A Yes, I got my gun out of the car .

He insulted me down

there .
Q By what authority were you ann d ?

A I didn' t have any more authority than he did .
Q,

YC"U were not a s-pecial Ranger?

A

N~,

Q,

Vl

sir.

s W'l.llac"t?

A N , sir, not to my knowledge .

Q 1' ,t tell the

c ~runittee

the cause of tha.t difficulty,

l'Jhat was the dif:ficulty about,

why

did he insult you?

A Wl en I came back there I met Kr . 5 °-'dler and asked him

what the trouble was at Lyford .

H was up there the day, and

I would like to explain the matter to him .
w~11ace

low

I Raid, "This fel-

io raising hell v\th those Kexicans up there and

will stir up another stink; we don' t want him to do that at
this time, • our Mexicans were law-abiding and peacefu.l since
1915 .

Ai i

Wallace came up while I

~as

talking to Kr . S

~dler

and started an argument there, eaid no White man would carry

cow thieves around

jn

his automobile, and a few other things

like that, and we stood around quite a little while and had
a few drinks together .

I had known Wallace for a good uumber

of years, I didn' t know very much about him, I had met him in
Brownsville a number of times, and I resented that insult .
H

said, •No white man• , he cl seed me with a negro or some•

thing .

I asked him to take it back a number of times, and he

didn' t do i t . When Mr .

S~ddler

and Mr . Sittre went off, I

just told him -- M,. . VI llace is crippled in one hand ·Q

S dler and Sittre were Rangers .

When they left you went

and got your gun?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 A

Y\l& .

Q

Sa.:l.dler and Sittre were Rangers .

While they were there

you didn ' t get your gun?

A I had it in my car.
Q

Ycu did not get it until the Ra.ngers left?

A

NQ.

Q They did not know you were armed?
A

I

-as not armed .

Q

I

ll8an when you armed yourself?

A

N , they were not there .

Q,

We.sn' t it just prior to

this~

time complaints of the steal•

ing of those cattle there?
A

N,, sir.

Q

You heard nothing of tlu t ?

A

N("' .

Q

T~ 1

hide

only one you heard of was this one they found the

""?

A y, •

Soue time previous about six months there, or a

year, I had not hoard of any stealing .
Q Now then, Wallace was not at that time on the

Ran~er

:force?

A

No~

to my knowledge .

Q To your knowledge had he eyer been?
A

N t but from hearsay; he told me that he had beeH.

Q He claimed tl:at he had be e11?

A Yes .
Q

Djd he indicate when it was that he was a member of the

Ranger rorce?
A

N, •

Q,

How long to your knowledge had he been in the employ of

.Tenn1nga?

A I should say probably a year• may be leas than that .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Those

 cattle were shipped in the fall of 1917 .

This was along in

March, six or seyen months .

Q What became of

N~rvaea

and this other man that were ar-

rested there -- case still pendirig against them?

A No, it was dismissed .
Q Who represented them as counsel?
A llmilio K walski.

Q Now you spoke of a deputy marshal ' s house being entered .

Who , did you say did thqt?
A Mr . Wallace entered the place .
and Mr .

H1oo was with Mr . Saddler

Sittre, and went in and took a

. ~0 1 Wi

ichester and a

.38 Colt' s revolver from the house .
Q You say that was a deputy Unjted s tates Karehal?

this was the town marshal, a Kexican .

A

N

Q,

H

was the deputy town marsh ... l ?

A

y

• eir.

Q

H

was a Kex1 can?

A

Yen, American born .

Q.

D\ l thP R_"?gera do that at the in stance of YI al.lace?

A Wallace took it out •
Q

:By what reason or authority did W:i.llace do that?

A Saddler told me it was hearsay , that this Mexican threatened
Wallace • s life .

I inquired about those

there was any R<tnger stationed there .
gun and

Rnnger~,

Wher

I didn ' t know

I heard about this

aix-shoo~er

being taken away from there, I inquired of

Carta in Vann what R

ger it was, I explained the ci rcum stanc a

to him and he oays, •YcP speak to llr . S ldler up there and
explain the matter and that can be ad.Justed all right ."
Q You say that the reTolver was taken by W , lace from the

house and turned over to th
A y

R .ger13?

•

Q W ee you

pre2ent when he took it '?
0

~,,1

Texas
100'1:State Library and Archives Commission

 A

N •

Q

Do you know whether or not he told the Rangers where he

got it or whose it was'?
A

Yes, they Tiere right there .

Q You mean they were right in to1 '?

A T

R gers were right in tront of the house -- I don' t

know, i t is just bearaay .
Q ~td W. llace have any authority as a law officer at.all?

on•t know

A I
Q,

o~

any commission he eTer held .

D you know what he stated to the R , gers when he turned

the guns over to theT11?
A No, only what
Q,

S ~ddler told me .
Is
D /that Mexican etill deputy at Lyford?

A

No .

Q,

Ho

long did he remain atter thpt ?

A Fer several weeks af'ter that he was deputy marshal there .

He talked with Mr . Saddler the same day in Hrrlingen regarding
the gun a.e I c id .

I don' t remember now whether it was a week

or ten days, some time after that Mr . Srddler and Sittre and
some civilians came up there and this Mexican was working for
the K' g people .

'l'ney had a bunch of mares down there and he
J

was a sort of guard watching

f~nces

and keeping track of those

mares, and he was out about a couple of miles out of town
bringing some mares in for shipment for the KJng people and
Mr . S tdler and Sittre came up and told him they wanted his
six-shooter, he didn' t have any authority for carrying one,
and they took him to Hvrl1n 8tn and took him before the J ustice
of the

Pe~ce

there and preferred charges. against him for illegally
.

.

carrying a six-shooter, and the

Ju~tice

of the

Pe~ce

knew this

fellow, he had been an officee there for a number of years, he
said he knew him, knew he was an o f'ticer and had a right to
carry a gun, and asked him what the trouble was, and Mr .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

S P~dler

 told him that he had information that this Jlexican was a bad
hombre and made threats against them•, and

of the

th~ j~stice

Pe'i\ce told them then he might put him under· a peace bond if
he wanted that .

S~ddler

told him he didn' t care about that,

and along about nine or ten o • clock at night the Mexican came
to my house and said that this fellow had been arrested by the

Rangers .

I says, "Probably not, I

believ~

Mr . Saddler

am

this boy are all right, I think they are friends .•

MR. TIDDLL:

Di

you say all tlmt'?

MR. TIDWELL:

Did you say that

A Y J, he told me that .

So I went down to H rlingen that

night to find out whether he had been pl.&ced under arrest,
and called up the

Ju~tiee

of the Peace, and he told me that

they wanted to file this charge against him of illegally carrying a six-shooter and that he had told them he did not care to

handle that, there was no foundation for it . I said, "Wh at did
him
they do with/Xluml'?" H said, "I ron• t know, they may have
turned him loose, and they may have not .•

I t v.as quite late

at night, one or two o • clock, I guess, by the time I got down
there, the roads were bad, and I

lidn• t know where Mr . S

dler ' s camp was or where they had this fellow,

an~

I jnquired

of ex-ShJriff' c -.rl Ry'Ul if he had seen thif! Mexican .

•Yes, I seen him with M • S cdler and
they have him under

arre~t ~"

S ittre .~

H said, "I

walking along with him here ."

-

H... said,

I said, "Djd

on •t know, they were

I Aook it for a mistake, and

next day Mr . S udler called me up and said he was going to take
him to E1inburg and to come down and adjust the matter with them.
I went down to see Mr .

s ...ndler

and the J lotice of' the Peace

and went over there, and Mr . S ddler told me that he had heard
that this Mexican had ma.de threats against him, and asked me
to take his commission away from him as deputy· marshal , and

Texas
1 n·~ , State Library and Archives Commission

 I tol d him, I

.old him I

118.S

willing to do that .

Mr . Saddler

s aid he was not going to carry a gun whether he was an officer
I said, "I ,rork in co- operation here , I don ' t want to

or not .

have these

M~Aicans

and aboye th

feel like they are being protected over

R. gers , ant I

7

111 just tell him he is not to

be an officer any more and revoke his
81.ddler and I agr eed perfectly on

Q

~nd

MJ .

that propoai ti on .

understand you, they arrested him riding a portion

As I

o:r the Ki .1g range looking after
A

com.missio~, "

'?

ma.~

YfJ •

Q How far from the town o t:' L.: ror l '?
~iile

A

A

and a half or two miles .

Q

He was employed by the Ki

11~

R

1

l '?

A The Kl1g people shipped down a bunch of mares .
Q

They were paying him for his worl{'?

A

They had the mares down there, I suppose they came from

the King people .
Q He was in their emplo.1 '?
A

Y'C;s, sir.

Q

H~-

A

I judge three or four months .

Q

A.11c they arrested him while he was in the discharge of

long had he been in their employ at this time'?

t l".a t <iuty ?

A

Yes , sir .

Q.

Ar d yet al though he had been in the employ of the K 1 ng ' s

R ~n~~

four or five months, he was still permitted by you or

your municipality to carry a pistol under the pretext that

he was

<:i

deputy town mar$hal?
explain that

No, sir .

Q.

You can explain afterv1ards .

A

You are insinuating that he was employed altogether by

those

K~

Let

~e

A

ig people .

I

J

~t

answer the question .

you vill let me explain no.v what

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 •

employment -Q,

You

A

I

s~i

d he had. been emplcyed four or five montrs ?

•jsh to indicate that it was not steady employment

t11at js, a. whole day .
Q.

Eo / do you employ your officers , by p d;acemeal or by the

month or ye
A
a.n~

O

'?

;.i

T he deputy marshal there was <;.n appointee of the marshal
ap roveo by the tovVn council .

Did. he belong to the cj ty or only i:elone; to l t .vhe n he

didn ' t have any other employment ?
th~

A He was employed by

this fence and look after
stolen out there , that
~-n

1'1im over

as~

jt

to see that the stuff

~as

not

his employment -- it did not take

hour or two to do that each day , if he did i t

every day , I
Q,

~:as

Kjng people to go out and ride

on' t know.

Do you knori ..rhat the city wa::; paying him for his services
deputy

marsha~ ?

A

J i.st fN· s .

Q

Ho : bj c- a town is

Lyfo1~a ?

A Fo ir or five hundred people , I ryresu1

b .

Q You had a regular town rnarsha.l "
A

Y s.

Q Ho

many deputies did he ha •?

A

One .

Q

An c. it was this mi

'

SENATOR WITT :
su.tj

A

1?

Did they re leas~ him after your last conver-

•1 ?

Y

, I

ent down to see Mr . S cdler and he insisted upon

preferring these charges against h:

1, .nd the J ustice of the

P .... ce made u charge against hi::n , a.nCl the other gentleman went
on his bond •

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Arid he was then released?

Q.

A Yes.

I aJked Mr. Saddler to return those guns , and they

have 11e"l;er been returned .
MR . I.ACI<EY:

Q Do you know of any overt act on the part of

any of the Rangers down there that was not in line Ni th their
dut.t?
A

No, sir , I don ' t know of any .

Q These men were not mistreated , that they had arrested?

A Not to m:t knowledge .
Q.

They v.ere turned loose as soon as they gi1e bond?

A Yes ,
Q

th~y

\\ere arrested once and turned loose --

Mr . Wallace arrestl<d them and turned them over to the

Rc1 1gers ?

A
went

No , ., : r, Mr. We:-wllace

6

u~ dnd

-~

arrested them

ot irr touch with the Rar. 6 e rs and
he went with the Ro..ngers , the

R<:>.••0 e rs we re the re .

Q He searched the house ?
A

Yes, sir .

Q,

D..:.c. he turn the Mexicans 01er t o the Ra:ri.gers"

A

Ye~, he tlla not

arrest thia mar9hal , it

Wda

the ieople

acc ;.aed of stealing the steer .
1

MR . KNIGHT:

This depu+y marshal ' s name is Carazas?

Q

A Yes, sir .
Q I ....,ill as' J"'U to state whether or not he ran your market

house ?

A No, di r .

o

A+ ar(} time?

A

No, eJ r .

Q.

Or

A

No, sir .

l-u~

..}attle for jt , get meat for it ?

SFNATOR WITT :

Q

Y-u spoke

or

insulting remarks made to you

by W... llace : 'D il +:~is R....ne;er, Saddler or Sittre , make any

1 0~ ti State Library and Archives Commission
Texas

 improper remark?
A N.. , M••

s

ddler and Sittre were

~:.st

e.l> 0 ~.1tlemanly .is

could be .

Q I understand they

A

as rar as I

Y~s,

~ere
~as

during the whole transaction?

concerned they were during the whole

transaction .
MR. CANALES:

When these insult 1 ng remarks were made by

Q,

Wallace , they were present , weren' t they?
A

I don • t remember •

thei~ ,

I

0

w~ llace

and I

~re

havJ n6 ' t around

'nss he riad been hitti.ig •t up .

Q You spoke about tLking some drinks in there , anybody with
you or just you and Wallace?

A

W~llace

and I.

Q,

W! th ree,ard to the question of whether they mistreated

this man Narvaes , of course you don ' t know tlu.t of your

Ofn

knowkd~e ?

A No , ..slr.

Q Do you mean to say he was not mistreated atter he was

arrested the second time?
A

I don ' t know of my own

knowled~e

that he was miatreated,

he told me he was .
Q.

That :f s what I want to find out .

You merely state you

did not see any of that done?
A No , sir.
Q But the second time when you brought him from BrownBVille
and got ldni under bond, the l&st time you oaw him yau cay he

nas in custody?

A I n the custody of Mr . Saddler a.nd Sittre .

Complaint bad

be en filed and he had b ecn placed under arrest .
KR. KNIGHT:

Q,

:U:r . Sorrenson, how lone. have you been down

in that country?

A Eleven years .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q

or

During that entire time have you ever known one

those

!lexica.n bai1J. ltu who had been arrested by R....~0 .. rs or any other

officer and after he !lad oeen his attorney Jid not claim that

he was mistreated'
A Wall, I don' t remember many arrests being made by Rangers
down there where I live .

Yi Tery seldom baTf' R...r~ers there.

We had them there dur1n6 'the bandit trouble

1915 .

4

There

ere not many arreate made .
Q

ho

You don' t recall

single one of thoae b idito and tlAioTes

ere arrested and put in Jail by either

R~ers

or locai

otficers who did not atterward.a claim tM.t he was mistreated?

A I don' t know of ar,y, no , sir.

Q

Dc~ • t

knew of any?

A I don ' t know ·Q :By the way, you had some pretty interesting political

times down there in N•Tember'
A

Yes, sir.

Q

The Rangers were pretty busy down there

long in November?

A Yes, air.
Q Do you recall which sido you belonged to?
A

Y~s,

I am one of those parties that Mr . Canales referred

to OTer there as a Republican -- a Cameron County democrat ,
there ain•t no chance down there tor me as a Democrat.

MR. TIDWELL:

What atate are you a natiTe of'

A

I llinois.

Q

This peace officer, deputy marshal, had be been in town

for some time-,

A Yes, he had been in town tor eight or ten years.
Q Did you reappoint him'

A The marshal reappointed him, he was held OTer .
Q. Has he a wite and ohildren'
A

Yes .

Q. He 11 Ted in town?

Texas
10 State Library and Archives Commission

 '¥es, sir .

A

Q Do you know of a single instanoe of an act of the Rangers

that was intolerant and overbearing in any way toward a citizen

ot your town?
A No, sir .
Sober and quiet'

Q,

A Around our
abo~e

t~wn

we had Tery tew Rangers, they had a camp

us, north of us, at

R~ondville .

I know moat of the

Ran6ers that have been down there, and came in contact with
them, I haven't bad Tery much -Are your feelings friendly or unfriendly toward the

Q,

R ai"O er

force '

A The vta.y I teel about this matter, I think Rangers are
necessary.
Q,

Do you think that the country would be at the mercy of the

banditti i t they did not ha:Ye Rangers there ?
A

Not necessarily, but the Koxican population have a whole•

some tear of the Rangers, and I belioTe that they ought to be

rectricted to a certain extent, but we need the Rangers.
Q,

You didn' t put that deputy marshal under any bond, did

you?
A

How 1 s that?

Q,

That deputy marshal tbat was carrying his gun and went

all over the country, you didn•t put him under &l1Y'

bond~

A Yes .
Q,

Deputy

marshal~

A Yes, he was bonded .

Q Have you an ordinance to that

•~feet

in your city?

A I don•t know, I n8"er looked it up, but he waa bonded .
Q,

Don ' t you know as a matter of lah', under the General Cor-

poration Act, it does not authorize you to put a deputy marshal
or policeman under bond'?

i Texas
ll .... State Library and Archives Commission

 A No, I am not a lawyer.
All you know, he was under bond?

MR. CANA.LES :
A

Yes, sir.

What was the amount o t his bond?

MR.. LACKEY :

A

I belieTe it was a thousand dollars; I would not swear

to the amount of his bond, but I know he was under bond .
MR. JlcllILLIN:

you

~c~u~lnted

When you went to bond this fellow out of jail,

fourself of the charges against them?

A Yes, I acquainted myself' with the charges again st then

before I went down there .

Q You ma.de bond tor them and etarted home with some of them
a.t least?
A

Yes .

Q On the way they were arrested the socond time?

A Yes .
Q

W~re

they arrested on the same charge on which they were

first arrested , or on a different charge?

A No, Mr. Wallace filed a complaint in the J ustice of' the
Peace and claimed he wanted to file it on infonna.tion, not of
his o·.m knovrledge but on what some Mexican had told him .
Q Was 1t the same as the fi rst charge?

A No , it was another charge .
Q Did you offer to make bond for them?

A The second time?
Q

Yes .

A No , I told them 1 r those men were in that business of
killing steers, at that time I didn ' t know tne circumstances
in the case and before I had this difficulty with Mr . Wallace
he told me a
him , if those

sto~y
~'lere

about how the thing occurredt and I told
co\1

thieves I am not going on their bond ,

but the information I had before , it was just a frame-up on
them , and I believed that was subotantiated in their dismissal .

1 t) 1. ) State Library and Archives Commission
Texas

 MR. CA'N.ALES:

Do

you mean to say that eyery Mexican who 1 s

arreated there claims he is m1streated1
A No .
MR. J..ACKEY:

When the Rangers arrested them, they had a war..

rant f"r this ma.n, · I understand?
A

The second time .

MR. TIDWELL:

The first time I don ' t know.

Don ' t you know that a Ranger or no other peace

o6f icer had a right to release a man until they took him
before a :me.gistra.te when they arrested him on a \Tarrant ?
A

TLey did not release him .

Q You knew that no officer that arrests a man on a warrant

out of a mag"' st rate ' s court can release a man without taking
him before the court ?

A Yes, but there was nothing

li~~

that in this case .

Q They iid not release him?
A

Nv .

- ......
---~

MISS BUCKLEY ,

havin~

,_

been duly SNorn to act as I nterpreter,

through her
o·cT AB! ANO NARVEAS '

was dulj

s~

r n and testified as a witness before the

a s f ollo.'13 ; tl1"Y'ugh the

sc..~d

I nt0r. . ""eter .

EXAMINED BY MR. CAN.ALES.
Q

w:rere do you live?

A Near Sebastian .

Q What 13 your
A

Agr·· culture .

Q.

no

you

0 \7n

occup~tion ?

any land , or do you rent l<... 1d.?

A Part of it is rented a.nd part of it is his .

1 0.1 State Library and Archives Commission
Texas

CjL.llllittee

 Q How much land do you fann?

A 250 'lcres more or leas.
Q 'Do :J""

t

remem1..,er the time -.v:.E'n Mr. So .... renson who has just

testi:'iei, bot you out of jail at Brownsville and brouLht yl)u
t

H_..,..lingen and you were ae-arrested by the R;. ngers '?

A Yes .
Q,

What did the Rangers do to you?

A They hung me twicP.
Q Ho· did t'.... py

}'._n.., hiw?

A By the neck .

Q Do you remember the names of those
A

N" , sir .

Q Were t: c_, •::e same who arrasted
A

Ye.- .

Q.

Was H..1.n y Walla

A He was
Q,

Ranger~ ?

wit~

~e

~Pou

at H 1 linge
4

?

present ?

them .

Wl.... . . re die +hey hang ye--?

A Near Harlingen .
Q

That is all .

MR. KNIGHT:
THE CHAIRMAN:
MR. CANALES:

Stand aside .
Ask him why they hung him .

What did they hant-. you for'?

A He doesn• t know , except that Mr. Wallace tried to bet him
to te 1 1 \ll.1;1.t h(, did 11ot kno ,7 .
Q,

What dj d they ask you about ?

A

E e wan";ed to force him to say that he was responsible for

a • heft that he had
Q,

~ccused

him

o~ .

What tlme of day or night 'Ras it they hung him?

A About e l even o ' clock at nj ght .
re did t:J.e,f put the rope"

Q

Wh~

A

Around his neck .

Q Were there any trees around there , did they pull him up
1 (t ? ~

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 from the ground?
A There was a tree there .
Q Aren' t yo

l

a witness and have been summoned before the

Gr ......10. J ur.r to testify in this case ?

A Here, he says .

Q No,
A

B~ownsville.

No , sir .

MR. KNIGHT:

Was he ever a deputy marshal at Lyford?

A No, s11 •
Q,

What • s his naue?

A Octabiano Narvaes .
Q.

Does

he kno-r1 Mr. Sorrenson?

A Yes .
Q,

Wi?s he ever employed by either of the King ranches?

A

No , s1 r .

Q He was not employed to handle a bunch of mares that were

sent down near Lyford?
MR. LACKEY:

That was another man .

MR. McMILLIN:
MR. CANALES:

I think you have got the wrong man.
Yes -- Cavazas .

MR. KNIGHT:

I thought it was the same man .

MR. LACKEY:

Ask him who it was that hung him , hung him up ,

That is all .

put the rope around hi B neck?

A He don ' t knov1 .

From the momen+ they took him out of jail

they had his hands tied behind him and a bandage over his eyes
except one eye , and he said they bandaged both but one beoame
undone .
Q

Could he see out

A

Yes .

Q Ask

hi~

or

one?

if he could not see out of that one eye

whet~er

it was Mr . Wallace or the Rangers that put the rope around his
nec1<:?
A He does not know 7hich one of them it was .

Texas
Library and Archives Commission
10.1.State
'

 Q,

Ask him 1 f he is we 11 acqua:l nted with Mr . Wa l lace?

A Yes .
Q

Ask him if he knows it was not Mr .

Wall~ce

that put the

rope around his neck?

A He doesn' t know which one it was .

Q Ask him if he could not see 7hether it was Wall ace or
th<;; Ranger,;J?

A He says there were four , and he does not know which one
of l,h1.; roar !+ Ras.

MR. TIDWELL:

Ask him

hOVI

old he is •

A Fifty-one .
Q

How long have you lived there '?

A

Thirty years more or less .

Q I n Cameron County?
A

Y-es .

Q,

Where were you born'?

A

Msxico .

Q Have you been naturalized in this country?
A

Yes , sir.

Q

Where ?

A

I n Brownsville .

Q

When'?

A At the time he came .
Q How long ago '?
A

Thttty years more or less .

Q Lived down there thirty years?
A

I n the county , yes .

Q,

Where are his naturalization papers'?

A

He has them at home.

Q.

Has he

eTer been arrested bef'o re '?

A At other times .
Q What for'?

A For other reasons that have been brought again st him .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q What did they say you had been

doing~

A For a wagon one time .
Q For stealing a wagon?

A They said he stole it because it was in the corral near
his house .

Q Was the corral on his land?
Right in the edge of the road .

A

Q Was anybody else in possession

or

that corral except

himself''?
A The corral belonged to his father-in-law.
Q Been arrested for any other offense?

A No, sir .
Q Ever been an officer?

A I n Brownsville once .
Q What'?

A

To

watch over dances .

MR. CANALES:

Special policeman'?

MR. TIDWELL:

How long?

A About a year more or less.

Q Did you live in Brownsville at that time?
A

No, sir.

Q What did they do with him for stealing the wagon?
A He was arrested but set tree because they round nothing
against hhr1.
Q

fl.re ~ou friendly or unfriendly towards the Rangers?

A

He says he is neither friendly nor unfriendly.

Q Did the Rangers ever come to your house besides this time?
A

J ust this time .

Q No other time have they been there?
A

No, sir.

Q HaTe you seen the man here that got you down at the jail

in

B rownS"l/111~ ,

since you have been here?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

10.ib

 A Mr . Sorrenson .
Q I am talking about the officer, he saw the officers when

they got him out of jail

have you seen the officers when

they got you out of jail at Brownsville and started back with
you'?
MR. CANALES:

You mean Harli "lgen -- they got him out of jail

at Harlingen.
MR. TIVNELL:
A

No,

I will say Harlingen then?

sir .

Q Who put you in that jail in Harlingen?
A Two Range rs and Mr . Wal laoe •
Q

Are they the same ones that came and got you out of jail

that nl zht 1lc n they hung you?

A The same ones who took me to BrownB"Ville .

Q I want to know if those Rangers who took him out that
ait:,ht when he was hanged are the same ones
A

~ho

put him in jail.

Yes , sir.

Q Did he know who put him in jail'?
A

Two Rangers, yes .

Q "Who were they?
A He does not know their names .
Q Have you seen them here since you

hav~

been here'?

A No , eir .
Q

They are not here at this time?

A He does not know .
Q

How

lou~

ago has it been since this has occurred'?

A He thinks it was in March of the past year .
Q

Would you know those Rangers when you saw them, the ones

that put you in jail'?

A He does not know whether he would recognize them or not .
Jm. CAN.ALES:

You wero acquitted by a jury about that wagon

transa.ction you related , wasn' t you?
A

Yea, sir.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 MR. TIDWELL:

Q

Are you afraid of the Rangers'?

A

No , sir .

Q

I a your family afraid of the Rangers'?

A Plenty afraid .
Q That is all .

MR. KNIGHT:

Ask him when this occurred'?

MR. TIDWELL:

He was asked that .
This is cross examination .

THE CHAIRMAN:

MR. TIDWELL :

All right .

THE INTERPRETER:

I mean the time they took him out of Harlingen.

MR. KNIGHT:
A

He says what •

About the beginning of March or the early part of March

in the pa.st year.
Q

Captain Vann was then Sheriff of Cameron County'?

A Yes .
Q.

Ask him if he knows deputy sheriff Barnes who was acting

under Captain Vann .

A He does not know him.

Q Ask him if he does not know it to be a fact that deputy
sheriff Barnes is the man that took him out of Harlingen

j~!l

and carried him to Brownsville'?

A He took him to Brownsville.
Q Any Rangers with deputy sheriff Barnes'?
A

Not Sir.

MR. CANALES:
b~

the

oth~r

Q

That was af'ter you bad been hung, though,

..Lello·.• s _..

MR. KNIGHT :

J ust a moment .

I t is on that trip, I under•

stood --

MR. CANALES:

I asked him if he was taken to Brownsville

after he had been hun& by those Ra!"'gera .

MR. KNIGHT:

I would rather he would not be led on that .

J ust ask him as to the time when ...

1H5u
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 I don' t think that 1 a leading to ask him

THE CHAIRMAN:

whether or not he was taken on the same trip --

llR. KNIGHT :

I t was more suggestive than leading .

MR. CANAIBS:

Q.

Ask him whether or not he was taken to

:Brownsville by Mr . Barnes after he had been hung?
Ask him when he was taken to BrownsTille with

MR. KNIGHT:

reference to the time he had been hung.

THE CHA!R{AN:

Ask him that question .

A After he was hanged .
Q.

MR. CANALES:

After he was

hun~

where was he taken?

A He wa.s taken back to the jail where he was taken from.
Q

Then when was he taken to Brownsville?

A

After that •

Q When he was hung where were the officers

MR. KNIGHT:
taking him?

A He

~~ys

he does n' t know, they took him out bandaged from

tht. Ja11, outside of the town.
Q.

The R..mgers went in town and took him out of Captain

Vann' o jail, took him out in the country and hanged him, and
then brou&ht h1L£ back -- is that how it occurred?

A Yes, sir.

Q Did he complain when he got back to jail , to Captain
V~1n , of' the out rage ?

A Yes , sir .
Q.

,

Did he complain to deputy 8heri!f Barnes and tell him

about it when they were going down to Brownsville ?

A Yes , oir.
Q Sta.nd aside .

MR. TIUWELL :
a~cused

J ust a moment .

Were you the one that they

of stealing cattle and round the hide of it down in

the country on the !ence , on the bushes?

A Yes, sir.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q Did you sell any of these cattle to Mr. Sorrenson?
A

No .

Q What did you do with those cattle?

A He was sent by Given Gomez to take some hides from some
beeves .

Q Where did you get the hides?

A He says the re were a lot o t cattle tlle re in the pasture ,
it was cattle that were dying .
Q

This h1de that they found at your place was a cow that

had died of disease, then, waa it?
A The hide was not at his place, it was at the oamp ot
Given Gomez •
Q Ask him if he skinned that cow.

A Yes , sir.
Q

Who told him to akin it'?

A

Given Gomez .

Q

What did you get tor skinning 1t?

A

To be paid his interest.

Q How much?

A Four bi ta a head.
Q Whose cattle were they?

A He says that he does not know; they were some thatcaae
from the interior, tha+ Given Gomez had charge of tllem.
Q

Whose pasture was it in?

A I n So1Tenson•s .
Q Was it Kr . Sorrenson' e cow?

A No, sir.
Q Was it Gomez's cow?
A

Yes, sir .

Q

What did you do with the carcau ?

A He took it out into the fields for the dogs.
MR. LACKEY:

Ask him it Mr . Barnes, the deputy sheriff, was

Texas
105State Library and Archives Commission
.J

 with Yr . 1fallace the night he was taken out and

ha~ed, had

a ropt.. '4round his neck.

A No, sir.
MR. TIDWELL:
A

Did they put a rope around your neck?

Ye& .

Q 'Dia they then pull it up OTer a limb ot a tree?
A

Yes .

Q,

Did they pull you up then by the rope?

A Yes .
Q Did you know what

as going on all the time?

A He u.fo when he came to he was lying

~n

the ground, the

last time .
Q

How many times did they pull you up?

A Twice .
Q,

Did you taint?

A The second time .
Q,

Did the rope choke you?

A Yea, air .
Q,

Did they carry you baok to jail then?

A Yes, sir.
Q,

How lo11b did you stay tber

before they carried you to

Brownsville then?
A About three or four days.
Q,

Was your n eek bruised?

A J ust Teey painful .
Q,

Did you get a doctor to help bring you to?

A No, sir.
Q,

Who put you back in jail?

A

The Rangers .

Q Who was at the jail when the Ran«era got there with you?

one.

A

N{J

Q,

Rory do yo

!!now it was the Rangers tha L:lnged you ,

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

hen

 you were blindfolded and cou1d not see them at night ?

A Well, because he knew them.

Q. How did you know them it you were blindtolde ?
A Re says that he has said that he had one eye uncovered .

Q He did not say tha.t, though, at first .
MR.

c AN.ALES :

MR. McMILLIN :
MR. TIDWELL :

Yes ' he did.
Yes, air .
He did not say it was uncovered -- he said it

came unoove red .
Q.

Were they the same men that put you in thero?

A

Yes .

Q. Did they haTe keys to tbat Jail?
A He thinks so, because they opened it .
Q.

Who had the keys when they came and took you to Browns•

Tille?
A

They had them.

Q.

The

Rangers?

A One ot the Rangers came and. opened the door.
Q.

And carried him to BrownsTille?

A Yea .
Q

I s that the same Ranger that helped hang you that night ?

A

Yea, sir .

Q.

You re.Jognized him that day?

A

At

Q.

How is it you cannot recognize him now, after he had

that time he did.

hanged you?

A He says he does not know him now but at tl'.at time he clid.
Q.

Would you know him now it you would see him?

A Yea .
Q.

Stand up and see if you see him in the room.

A

He does not know

Q.

Ask him to stand up and look around

whether he ts here or not .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
1 H5~

~nd

see if he seea

 him in the room anywhere .
(In compliance with the question, the witness arises and
g~~es,

and states that he does not know whether he is here

or not .)
Q.

That ia all .

MR. KNIGHT :

Ask him if he did not have treah meat in hie

wagon when he was arrested'
A lio, air.
Q

Nobody

was at the Jail when the Rangers carried him back

that night after they had hung him'?
A

There was no one.

KR. MCMILLIN :

___ ... ___ _

Now, Kr • Chairman, this Committee aeyeral

days ago decided that we hwl had enough testimony as to gen•

oral conditions -- I think we baTe gone tar enough on general
conditions, and I want to serye notice to both sides when you
get off of speo1tio questions I am going to interpose an object ion . We haTe spent an laour and a half on this W1 tneas,
when .1e should baTO got through with him in ten minutes .

I

will say this with due deference to counsel on both aides and
to the members ot the Committee, I would say further it would
be better that we should designate some member ot the Committee
to ask quest iond, and it any of the other members want to ask
quest ions, to write them out and hand them to that manber ot
the Committee to ask the question .

I take this occasion to

warn counsel on both sides that I am going to object, and
object hard, to any qlieations except as relating to questions
of specific instances .
several days ago .

That ia What the Committee agreed to

I don •t want counsel on either side to mis-

understand my position, but I am going to insist that the
C01l:Dll1ttee stand by its rule

o~

seyeral days ago, and we want

1Texas
15 State Library and Archives Commission

 to shorten this all we possibly can .

---------H. Jr . GRAY,
being tiret duly aworn, testified before the Committee, aa
follows:.
•

llAKINED BY KR. C.ANALBS.
Q

Your name 1a H. Jr. Gray'

A Yes, air.
Q You l1Te in Brownsville noW?

A Yes .
Q What ta your official position, i t any'
A I am special co-operator with the jmer1can authorities
in all cases where the Kex1oan government has a common inter-

est .
Q How long haTe you held that position?
A For about eight years.
,

Q

Are you a native Texan'!

A Yea .
Q

Where were you born?

A Dan Diego, Texas .
Q Do you speak

Spanish~

A Yes .

Q I will show you a report you made and a letter you addressed to General Harley on

K ay

24, 1918 with regard to the

k1 lling of Florencio Garo ia: Did you make an inTeatigation of
that '!
A Yes .
Q

And you reported that ae found in the tiles, is that the

correct report ?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

1t 6

 A Yea, sir.

Q I will ask you whether these Rangera Locke and Saddler
and Sittre , do you know whether or not they had been dis-

ciplined by the Department ?
A I haTe no knowledge wbateTer .

Q Did you make an inTeatigation with regard to the ahooting
of a fellow by the name or Arturo Garcia and Donna?
A

Yes .

Q,

From that report that you made , state Whether or not

there were

of the Rangers connected with it .

a~

MR. MOSES:

I object to that .

Where is that report , x r .

<J.r aY'
THE CHAIRMAN:

I s the report in writing?

im. CANALES:

No , his report is not in --

MR. MOSES: We object to that .

We would prefer the wit•

nesses to oome here and testify to that .

THE CHAIRMAN:

I think your objection is well taken.

SENATOR WILLI :roRD:

He could atate whether he made a report

or not .

THE CHAIRllAN :

He said he did make a report .

I asked him

tor the report- and he 1aid there was none here .
KR. CANALES:

Q,

Were your reports addressed to the Adjutant

General or other otticera?

A I never reported anything but this one case to the Ad•
jutant General -- Florencio Garcia.

Q Who were your reports made to?
A They were tiled with the Kexican consulate in Brownsville .

.

Q You also made 1nveot1gat1on with regard to the flogging

ot tha.t fellow Heniandea'
A.

Yes, air .

~

The witness is with you .

KR. KOSES :

I haTe not had t.ime to read this, Kr. Gray

(referring to report made by witness on Florencio Garcia matter) --

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

.

 KR. C.ANA,LgS:

J'ust a moment, I saot1ced in 70ur report the re.

with regarcl to Florencio Garcia, that you aq he was a •n ot

Tery good charaoter : ~ere did 7ou get 7our intomaation aa to
his character?
A lfr . Kibben kia counsel tor the Piper Plantation and aleo
holds an adminietratiTe poa1t1on in it, told me -Q.

I a that the source ot 7our intormation'

A Yes .
~

This l'lorencio Garcia was working tor the Pipor Planta-

tion?
A

Yes, sir.

Q,

And Kr . Kibbey was attorney and alao ma

ger ot it?

A Yee, air, and also Kr . 'Beebee P who is now in the I ntel•
ligence Department in BrowJU1Tille, who baa known Garcia tor

aeTeral ,ears back and knew llim in Jlexico .
Q.

That is all.

•XAKIN.BD BY KR. KOSIS.
~

Yro:m the 1rrreat1gation you ma.de with regal"'41 to this case,

about what time was it that this man Yloreaoio Garcia was
taken in custody ,

b~

the ltangera I mean?

A I t was along about one • •clock, afternoon.

Q But the date?
A Somewheres along the firat days of Kay, I don' t recall
the date exactly but I think it was 3d of .lpril .
Q,

3d of April , that is your int'onnat1on of the time the

arrest was made?•.
A

Yes , sir •.

t

I t is true, isn•t it , tbat somebody tound human bones

and you went out to the place where those bones were to\Uld'
.l

Yes, sir • .

Q,

I s tbat the time you commenced your innetigation with

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 regard to the matter?
A No, I commenced when the tirat disappear&l'lCe took place •
.ls I said, I went to military quart ere and I went to the books ,

and the man neTer had been confined there .
Q

I n the military quarters?

A

No ,

Q

About what was the time that you went down?

.l

I went subsequently to the Piper Plantation •.

Q

When was that ?

A

About ten days after the disappearance .

sir.

Q When was it you saw those human bones down there?
A About a month or so later .

I t is all stated in tho re-

port .

Q Co•ld you glance at it and g1Te me the date When you aaw
the bones?

(Hands wi tne as report ) .

A On the 21st, three days before the signing of this report ,

21st of Kay .
Q That was about a month and eighteen days trom the time
of the disappearance of this party?
A Yes, sir.

Q What condition did you tind those bones in?

A They had been eaten up by the coyotes and they wero
scattered around, they showed that they were practically
fresh , Just the flesh had been deyoured, and the cattle seemed
to

h~Te

tram.ped around there a good deal .

They ate the raga

and part of the clothes, but the coat and shirt and shoes were
found in good condition .

Q Who found the shoes?

... We looked around tor about
half an hour before we located them.
A

His tather found the shoes .

Q Where were the shoes from where you found the bones?
A They must have been at least fifty
Q

What kind

or

shoes?

y~rds .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 A Low-quarter button shoes •.,,

Q Wow this man Florencio Garcia , was he a laborer down
there 4?
A He bad been a laborer, but he had been appointed foreman

ot the milch herd at better wages and had been working there,
I understand, tor seyeral years.
Q I t was claimed the father of Florencio Garcia 14entified

some of the shoes or clothes .
A Yes , he told us betore·we found them tbat they were lowquarter button shoes and one of them had a hole in the sole,
all of which was corroborated when we found the same .
Q,

What sort of hat did he say ha ns wearing?

A

A Texas hat, and it bad been bought and charged and had

not been paid for yet , and

~e

had the store man and identified

It

the hat .
Q,

He told you where the hat had been bought and charged

and told you they were low-quarter button shoes and had a hole
in t he bottom of one ot them .

This man Florencio Garcia, was

he a married man?

A Yes , with seyeral children .
Q Who lived with him besides his wife and ch1ldren1
A Nobody that I know .

They had quarters there on this

plantation.
~

What was his tather•e name?

A lliguel Garcia, I believe. I am not sure .

Q Where did he liye?
A I think

Ra~ondville,

I am not sure .

~rt

Q

Up in the northern

of the county?

A

Yes .

Q

About how tar from this part of the county where his aon

was working?
A I would say Baymonj"f'ille would be fifty or sixty miles .

1 0()\,

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 His wife eent tor him after he disappeared.
Q,

You don•t know whether he got the .infonnation about the

shoes from Florencio ~ s wife or knew it of his own knowledge?

A He told me tha.t he had been telling the boys to haTe the

shoes mended a few daye before he disappeared .

Q The father had been telling his son?

A Yes , sir .
Q,

They 11Ted fifty or sixty miles apart, how do you account

tor the conversation?
A

He must have been visiting, he talked as it he had seen

him just before he disappeared .
Q

He lived fifty or sixty miles away'?

A I am not sure whether he l1Ted there at the time or not,
but I think he went back there after the -Q Do you know Colonel Fartan?

A Yes, sir .
Q Said to be of the National Mexican Army?
A I know him by sight •
Q,

He is under bond now charged with violating the Nettrality

Law, isn' t he?
A Yes, sir.
Q.

Who else is under bond for that aame transaction with

:Farfan?
A

Guillermino Soto .

Q,

Anyone else ?

A

Why, several, I think .

Q,

Who are they'?

A

Col • Cavazas •

Q,

Can you tell us any more ?

A

I don' t

Q,

I s there anybody at Brownsville or below Brownsville who

recall anybody else Just now.

are charged with it now or have lately been charged with

Texas
1«h. State Library and Archives Commission

 violating the Neutrality Law in Kexico?
A I don' t recall any arrested outside ot those .
Q.

Whether any arrests have been made or not, do yo\l know

ot any complaints that ha.Te been filed?
A

No,

sir.

SD.ATOR WILLIJ!ORD :

A 11 ttle louder, please .

A No, sir •.
MR.. KOSIS :

Do you know whether or not any complaint has

been :filed against a man by the name of f icherina charged
with violation of the Neutrality Law'
A I don' t know about any.
Q,

Did you investigate about that?

A Well, I have knowled1e of more or less actiTities along
those lines .
Q Ot Tijerina?

others .

A

And

Q.

Who are the others?

A Kore or less enemies of the Government that have been
carrying on activities along the line, that are held on sue•
pie ion.
Q

I s it your information or your belief that no complaints

have been filed against them?
A I have no knowledge of any complaint .

Q Where does Tijerina liTe?
A Up the riTer from Brownsville , I should

88¥

some fif•

teen miles .
Q

Do

you know anything about -- did you ever investigate

the matter of the holding up of Tijerina by some citizens and
United States officers'
A I never heard of that, holding him up?
Q

Yes, abusing him and hurting him .

A I heard it through hearsay, I bave no knowledge ot it

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 except through hearsay .
Q Now I didn ' t clearly understand while ago when yoa were
asked what your business 1e -- what is your business now?
A I am hired by the Mexican government to co-operate with

the American authoritiea on common interest cases , special
iDTestigator ot those cases and to promote better relatione

between the two .
Q

And you are working under the Carranza government?

A Yes , sir.
Q Where have you been stationed during the time you have

been in that

employment ~

A From E l Paso I have been as tar as Calit'ornia , but I

have stayed most of my time in El Paso .
Q

Who were you first employed by?

A By the Kadero government .
Q

Then who did you work for?

A For the Carranza faction and tor the Huerta -Q

And during that time were you also in the employ of one

Pancho Villa?
A Yy headquarters were in lU Paso and when he and Carranza

split I went to work for the Carranza faction .

Q Before that time you were working for Villa?
A Not neceeearily, I was working tor the tact ion together ,

Villa and Carranza .
Q Villa bad his headquarters at J uarez?
A

Ye s .

Q

Were you or not gett1ng instructions from Villa?

A I quit in J uly, 1914, and I didn' t have anything more to
do with the Villa government .
Q.

You did not answer my question .

Q

You did not answer my question .

Did you ever take o aers

from Pancho Villa'

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 A Well, we belonged to that division of the North, as we
understand it -Q

You understand my question --

A No personal orders from' him, no; they had a consular
agent there, and I worked on the American side through him.
Understand, my work doeo

I did not
Q

not take. me to the Ke.xi can side;

ork on the Mexican aide .

You mean to say you were not oyer on the 1le.x1ca.n side

and had no conference at any time with Villa'!
A Oh, it is necessary to do those things, yes .
Q

Aa

a matter or fact, Villa was running those things in

northern Chihuahua during the time he had his headquarters
at J uarez '!
A

Y-es .

Q And this consular agent at that time was the agent or
Villa and

his instructions from Villa'!

~ot

A No, th.6 gcvernment instructions were carried from Carranza; the consular agents were paid by Kr . Carranza himself
and the funda came from Carranza, and when the · split came

I was one

or

the representatiTes .

Q Were you stationed at El Paso during the time of the

Columbus raid'!
A Yes, sir.
Q I belieTe you say at that time Y•• were working for the
Carranza gOTernment '?
A

Yes,

sir.

Q And had no connection with Villa or his faction?
A No, none at all .
Q

When did you sever diplomatic relations with Francisco

Villa'?
A

J uly, 1914 .

Q When did you go down to

~ rownsvi lle'!

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 A I ha.Te been in Brownsville a year about the :first of

April .
Q Yoa went there shortly after the declaration o:r war on

the part of the United St ates with Germany?
A I had been stationed in El Paao for a number o:r montho
prior to that .

Q You went to Brownsville about the time the United States
declared war?
A No, we.r had been declared a whole year .
Q

Ob, you mean you went there in April, 1918?

A Yes , sir .
Q And you remained in El Paso tor the :first year of our
wa.r wlth Germany?

A Part of it ,
fo~r

am

part o:r it in Laredo ... I spent three or

months in Laredo .

Q I sn' t it true that the CarrLnza government was very much

in sympathy with Germany and Tery much out

or

sympathy with

the United States government?
A I do not belJeve so .
Q You do not

belie~e

that?

A No, air .
Q I will ask you don ' t know that the goTernment for whom
you are working and the government by whom you are paid has
.
never made azw effort to catch that bandit De la Rosa whom
. it is notoriously known to be living in that state trom Mexico

across from :B rownsville?
A I bave no

knowled~e

or

what transpired prior to ten months

ago .
Q

I n the last ten months I will ask you if you do not know

that they have made no effort to catch De lo Rosa , your
1sovernment ?

A I ha.Te no knowledge whether they have or not , but I know
that he

v1as

asked to leave the frontier and he ntsided someuhere

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 in Victoria. .
Q

They just invited him to move back from the Rio Grande?

A

Yes , sir .

Q

Do you kno,1 whether or not it w s fear on their part

that he might be killed?
A

I do

not .

Q Do you know as a matter of history of that country down
there that De la Rosa and one other, by common repute, were
the leaders
th~re

or

the band of raiders that robbed a train over

and committed other acts of banditry in Cameron County?

A I have heard in a general way that they were .
Q,

Your govermnent has nner arrested or caused these people

to be arrested and sent back to the United States?
A I don' t know that there was any requect made through
diplomatic channels or any other way for them, if there has
been I do not know it .
Q You don' t know that, and yet you are the confidential

man on this side and employed, partly to bring about better
relations between the Republic of Mexico and the goyenunent
of the United States .
A That 1.tappened 'ftlite a while before I was there , and it
never has been brought to my attention.
Q I will ask you if it is not true that there are now in
the Carranza army and were during the year 1918 a number of
officers who are German citizens?
A

Not to my knowledge .

Q.

You have never met or seen any of them?

A I know one or two that have a German name -- one; I think
he was born and ra1 sed in Mexico and is a Mexican citizen .
Outside of him I do not know anythine about them .

Q I a it your information that no request was ever made of
the Commanding Officer at Matamoras to apprehend De la Rosa?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 •
A I said while ago I had no knowledge of it .
Q

Do yot.. know Colonel Killer of the Mexican Anu.y'?

A No, sir .
Q I believe that ' s all .
Are you in any sense of the word an employo

MR. TIDWELL:

of the United States Govermnent'!

A No , sir.
Q

Don ' t get any pay rrom them'?

A

No, sir.

Q .American, citizen, though , you cla.im'?
A Yes .
Q

And serving a foreign government '?

A Yes , sir.
Q,

You don' t get any pay from Washington'?

A No .
Q

Don' t make any reports to

u. s.

Scouts or

any

u. s. Army

or.ricers or to the

employes of the United states in any sense

wha.teTer'?
A

No , ErKcept in a matter for --

Q Were you an employe when the Huerta govermnent was in

power down there'?

A No, sir.
Q Had no connection with them whateTer'?
A

Ab solute ly .

Q Your feelings are more friendly toward the Mexican
b"Overmnent for whom you work than towards the U. S. government at this time'?
A

I never have sold my patriotism to anybody.

Q The fa.ct that you act as agent for another government --

A I don ' t see why I ahould not .
MR. MOSES:

Do you know Ranger Frank Hamer'?

A Yes .

Texas
f Oh State Library and Archives Commission

 Q

Have you had occasion to know anything about the char-

acter of service that he has been reniering as an officer
down there1
A He and I have frequently talked together and tried to
co-operate, and I found him very pleasant and he showed him•
self willing to help me out in any way he could .
Q,

During the time you have known him down there • what is

his general reputation as to whether he is a good officer
and considerate of whether he has a reputation down there of
being a ruffian and a murderer1
A

He has been there such a short time I have heard Tery

little of him.
Q

About how long bas he been thore1

A

I think the last two months .

MR. CA.NAIES:

You

heard about his making the threat upon me .

didn' t you'?

A Yes. just hearsay.
Q. Do you know Captain W. Jl. Hanson '?
A Yes , sir.

Q

Do

you know whether he liTed in Mexico'?

A Yes, I think he lived in Mexico .
Q Do you know why he quit that
I f you

THE CHAIRMAN:

country ~

know of your own knowledge -- if you

only know as a matter of reputation , don' t say.
A I know it through the press &Jld the Mexican government .
Q Stand Q.side .
MR. J.ACK"EY :

Do

you know of any act of any Ranger since you

have been down there in 1918 that would be a discredit to the
Ranger service , any specific act of any Ranger in the service
that would b«f a discredit to the

R ar~ger

service'?

A Well, the incident like the flogging of Hernandez, I
could not g1Te the names -- I saw the man but he could not

Texas
106
, State Library and Archives Commission

 tell the names and I ve.s not able to get the names, and a few
other incidents like t hat -- it would be hard to be precise .
Q.

Do yott know of your own knowledge , I asked you'?

A No , outside of this case of Garcia .
Q Do you know , of your own knowledge , whether a.ny Ranger

had connection with that or not'?
A My report showed the investigation I made; that is all
the knowledge I had .

MR. CANALES:

_.., _______ _

I wish to call the attention of the Committee

to tb:a.t inv~stigation .

I t is very short and has been iden-

tified .
THE CHAIRMAN:
this

I s there any objection to any portion of

investigation ~

MR. MOSES:

We understood it was all in eviderlcc. .

THE CHAIRMAN:
MR. MOSES:

I f i t is , there is no use to read it .

We understood that all thos e f i l es to which

co ur1.sv 1 referred haTe been o 1rered in evidence .

Yes , but it has not been read to the Committee .

MR. CANALES:

THE CHAIRMAN:
MR. CANALES:

I s it just that top sheet '?
Yes , just simply t hat top sheet there .

(Mr . Canales read in evidence letter addressed to Adjutant
Gen~r~l

Harley by the witness H. N. Gray , incorporated in

this transcript e l sewhere .)
MR. KNIGHT:

That was t he al ien agent that was just on the

stand that wrote that , is it'?
THE CHA!.RMAN:

Yes , sir .

•••••••••

Anything further ,

Mr • Canal es'?
MR. C~.NALES :

Yes , sir , the Mexican Consul , Mr . Garza is here .

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 ;r. Z. GARZA,

being :irst duly sworn , testified before the Committee as fo l lO'flS :

EXAMINED BY MR. CANALES.

name is J.

Yo~r

Q

z.

Garza'?

A Yes .
Q You are the Mexican Consul in Brownsville'?
A

Yes .

Q,

How long have you resided in Bi: <imsville'?

A About a year before I held this office .
Q When did you hold the office

o~

consul'?

A A few months after the abdicaticn

o~

Huerta .

You mean 1913'?

Q.

A No , I think it. waa 1914 .

Q Do you know Captain Hanson'?
A By siiht , yes , sir; I have never been in close relations
with

~1im .

·

Has he ever been in your offit,e'?

Q.

A No , he ha.a never been in my

o~fice .

Th6 only time I ever

met hlm , I met him on the street and at the Miller Hotel .
Do you know the time when he was arrested in Mexico '?

Q.

A I have not been advised officially, but I know that he
w~s .

and

He held some office from the government of Portirio

a:ft~r

D i~z

t.hat he held another of:fice for the govt:rnment of

Huer4-"" ' and was considered in Mexico as an undeoirable man
and he was

o~liged ,

the Article of Thirty-three which provides

that no :foreigner which is not welcome in Mexico -Q

Where was l:!.e taken out of Mexico

fr olI.i. Bro ,.i1s~ i

i~to

the United Stg,tes ,

lle or Mata.D'!oras'?

A

I don ' t know .

Q,

Do you know of any specific act committed by the Rar.gera

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 upon any Mexican citizen whom you represent ?
A Yes , I have a list here since 1 915 of a ll those assassi-

nations that had been upon some Mexican citlzens a.nd some
Te..l'.as M1 . ·

I have a list which was furni sl. e d me by the

~:rt;

1.indne ss of Mr . Pi erce , a la rJer .
Q.

Wl!at Pierce was that ?

A Mr . Frank

c.

P ierce .

Q Mr . Pierce is dead now , isn' t Le?
A

Yv .. .

Q

D0

you know whether or

no~

Mr . Plci·ce Eade it his bus-

ines .... to get a list of those and iii.form h" nsolf a.bout those

matteriJ ?
A Mr . P jerce was considered one of the most honorable

L erican citizens alo g

+J:..~·

, o

~der ,

and. he has never done to

:!lno \'l • b"" anythin5 that has not been out

LJ

l.1.C\..3 "been consiC.ered

in that pu.1 t
mon~J ,

o~

~good

v-::

~ t...Jti ce,

he

friend of Texad Me •....ica ..s residing

the country and never has done anythh. g for

that is shown by his

fin~ncial

condition -- he died

a ver) poor man .

is a son of th .. Aneri ca.1 Consul in

Q.

M.;; . P' vrce

A

Yeo::s, .:>ir .

Q.

And he wae practicjng law in

B rowns~ille

Matamora~ ?

at the time of

his death?
A

Yea , ;:;>ir.

THE CHAIRMAN:
kno.vs

.,..~out

Are you a.eking this man about something he

or i a a matter o f hearsay?

MR. C.A.NALE S :

The list furnished him was by a man who 1 s

dead , thE- mar1 made a li et of the Mexicans who were ki lled ,

and you recall that one of the witnesses testified it was
about 250 or

~ oo.

I simply want to identify tha t list and

see if the Committee
THE CHAIRMAN:

I n Jhy judgment, it is not a proper matter

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 of inquiry .

I would be glad to have the opinion of the Com-

mittee on it .
MR. LACKEY:
MR. MOSES:

That is my judgment.
Mr . Chai rma.n, we have no desire, and I atate

that personally I have no desire , to keep down any testimony
that shows an;r acts of violence on the part of any Ranger ,

but the Rangers have some rights which I feel sure this Committee in its previous rulings has indicated that they desire
to conduct the investigation under proper lines .

It is JDdt

in evidence in this case from undisputed lootimony from every
man who 1 a asked about it, that during those unfortunate times
in 1915 the whole citizenship

or

Caineron and Hidalgo Counties

especially l1ere in armo in the woods, following various leaders, and perhaps unfortunately killing men who had not violated any law of God or man.

I t may be true, and perhapu

is true, th t a great many men who were justly belieTed to
be criminals were killed during that time, and I expect it

is true that there were men killed down there Who were absolutely .innocent of having p Tiolated any law, but the
charges to the Ranger force, and that would be the implied
effect, that the reading public would get out over the country,

it would be the implied evidence that the Rangers had done it .
Now I understand that there wea not a Tery large body or Rangers down there and a Tery large number of citizens who had
gone on juet the same as the Rangers were doing -THE CHAIRllAN:

And mo re soldiera and government employee

MR. JlOSES : Yes, and by reason of that tact I do not believe
that testimony

or

that character ought to go into the record,

as a matter of ta1rnees to the Rangers, because it is not
shown that the Rangers had anything to do with the killing ot
all the people that were kille4 down there in that pert of
the country .
1Texas
0.~

State Library and Archives Commission

 THE CHAIRMAN:

I t is the judgment of the CoDDDittee that an

investigation of this character would not be proper.
MR. CANALES :

place

ove~

Q,

Do

you know of any killings that has taken

there by the Rangers of Mexi cans?

A Latel.y that I know, that was Florencio Garcia .
Q,

Testified to by Mr.

Gra~

A Yes .
Q,

You were present at the time his body was found?

A Yes.
Q And you made your report to your superior officer?
A

Yes.

Q Do you know of any other undesirable conduct

of

the

Rangers within your obserTation in Brownsville?
A I don ' t know, I heard of another case in Donna .
Q,

I said ot your own knowledge?

A I had a complaint, you know, trom a Kexican citizen in
Do nna.
Q,

Did you go to see him?

A No, I sent Mr. Gray to inTeatigate.

EXAMINED BY .MR. KO SBS :
Q,

Do you know Lisandros De la Rosa?

A No, sir, not personally .
Q,

Do you know Antonio Rocha?

A No, sir, I know them just by name; I never did know
those people .
Q,

Do you know whether they held any official position in

the Carranza army?
A No, sir, they do not .
Q,

I t you don' t know, then how do you know they do or not?

A I know by names; I don't know them personally, but I
know they are in Mexico as refugees since 1915.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Q How long have you been living in Brownsville?
A

Five yc:urs.

Q And you

~ere

there during the year 1915?

A Yes .

Q I will ask you if it is not notorious down in that country
that the bandit raids at different times were led by De la
Ros~

and Antonio Rocha?

A I heard that they were making some incursions in Kexico

and I reported to my government for them to be arrested, as
tht relations

~t

that time with my government was not recog-

nized by the United States, and all I could do was to get those
men in a body and sent General Rico to take care of them and
not allow them to cross into the United States .
caught him -- they caught them since

-~

am

When they

with the instruc-

tionb tllia.t General Rico gaie to them, that if any of them attempted to co1ne through the United Stat ea tr..cy will be shot .

Q I n other words, if they go to killing anybody else oyer
h6re in the United States, they are going to deal with them
then?
A

Sir?

Q If they are going to assassinate any women, children or
men over here ln the Uni tad States, your government is going

to deal harshly wit!l them'?

A They want to prevent that, want to provont that very
thing, raido into .American territory .

Q I Jill ask you if it is not common report that Rocha
~ro~~ed

the River not a great while ago into the United States

and killed some people up there'?
A

They had him in jail, Ro cha , they had him in jail by

request of

Sheri~f

Vann .

Q Had him in jail at Matamoras'?
A Had him in jail at Matamoras , hat him in jail during

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 the arrival of the extradition papers .

Q Are they in Jail now1
A Yes .

Q How l ong ago was it they were arrested1
A The sa..'tle day that Mr . V.rann requested them to arrest them.

I went also -Q

What date1

A I could not tell you , because I don ' t remember .
Q

Coul d you tell us approximately the time1

A I don ' t remember , because I went in company with General
s~yers

to Matamoras to see the comma.mer over there of the

Mexican command, and immediately the Mexican commander sent
some soldiers to arrest those men that committed t his asaassination on American territory, and the authorities at Matamoras
they told the authorities at

Brownsville that we will turn

him to the A.nerican autho rlt ies as soon as the.1 dill go to
the proper channels to get the extradition of those men , and
they want to co-operate with American authorities to get rid
of the bad element that unfortunately we have on the border.

Q I sn' t it Just a few weeks a50 or six months or a year ago1
A No , no , it has been a few weeks ago .
~

Then it is a matter of comparatlvely recent date '?

A

Yas .

Q

Prior to that time there haa been no effort on the part

of

e.Jr:f

of the military commanders ·Nho are in charge over there

on the other side of the Ri 1er to deliver or turn over those
I

two bWJ.dits'?
A They never did have complaint , that is why, every time
we ever have any request or any couplaint they al•,,ays -- they
ha.vt..o b(;~i1 pr0.upt

Q

'

in

co-ope~,...ting

wit:1 Araer;.\;~n authoritie..J .

Uo you ~ u.n to sa.y that the Sheri ff of Cameron Count.>' t

M. • C ~n~le~ or any other citizen down there who ~as trying to

10Texas
'
State Library and Archives Commission

 r~a

uphold the law ,

\Te !le, er i&..de a request for the return of

those band.its since 19lf?
A

Of!iciullJ , no , air .

Q,

0i

A

I t is impoesil:i l e for the Mexican authorities

any other Vo.Y?

L.tv ti. ...

~ ~rican

~o

return

authorities .... •J _.yrisoner unless the.f go

tr..ro1 t>h Jro per channels .
Q,

Do you me an to

o~

that no request has been ma.de

S<.J.J

N .... 1'"".trata or . . . n.> other of +hose milit<:1.ry commanders at

moras to turn those tw0

b~1dits

lb.ta-

over to the authorities in

Te.i.c..., ?
A

~n :'

Not thc.t I have

thty have not J.or.e

knowledge of .

O::fic.ia.ll;V I

~now

that

it .

muld not go to .rou a.J Consul at B r0wns Tille , would it ?

Q,

I+

A

I 11-ve to kno.=1 , sometimes t} .. e.r JO di ect to me and some-

times to th
Q,

sul .

A... ... ric:.:t11 C

TL1:1. t matter is ta {e '1 up with an alleged government 1 n the

City of Mexico -- it would be sent direct there , wouldn' t it ?
A

This was asked by Mr. Vann to the

MeAic~n

municipal author-

.: t .i. t,.., a"" B 1'"0 un 81 i l le .
Q

T}1.;1.t Wai:> just a

A Ye;;; , t} . .l took

~ew

~ 't

week.., ai:,o ?

UJJ

1i ~?l the Governor of the State and

they are .fi lling to turJ1 him over to the Ame

~1c~n

authorities

as so on d.s they go through proper proceedin.ss .

Q Prior to that time i + ' s Jour information that no request
:.tis 1(...1..u ruad.c l.., Mr . V:ann or Mr. Canales since 191?, or any

or officer , for the return of those bandits?

otn~.

ci~izen

A

I have no

Q.

There was a number of German citizens who are officers

in tLr

kno·~1ledge

c ~~ranza

of it .

army?

A

No , s:lr .

Q,

None ?

A

Not that I know .

Texas
1n,, State Library and Archives Commission

 Q,

Do you know Colonel "Miller"?

A

No , sir .

Q,

You don ' t :'.{now a Colonel Muller?

A

No , sir .

Q

He 1::3 :pro'bQ.1)ly stationed at Tampico, or somewhere down

in that country .

I t is true that there was a great

~unan 1Jl V.f>c:<.~tA.!lJ.ti

irtdLtl..3ed in across the River with the full

knowled~e

de~l

of

and with the fUll acquiescence of your g0vernment ,

isn' t it"
A No , it is not .

The good sensi1)le .American :people of

Bro .~nsville know it , because those that go to Matamoras do
k'llow that the authority of Matamoras never has permit any
propagd.Ud~ .

To prove you that , I can prove

JOU

that the

American consul with the Mexican authorities in KIOCirt Matamor~~

seized some propa6anda , some Genna.n propaganda , printed ,

and they gare me samples and I 6a1e the sampl es to the .American consul over there .
Q When was that , 19 18 ?

A I t was about two or three months , about four months from
now.
Q,

At the time this bandit raid occurred your government

had a man by the name of Nafarrata in charge there?
A

Nafa.rrata .

Q The facts were that

Nafarrat~

himself had full knowl edge

of a great deal of banditry that was going on -- don' t you
kno ,, that ls true"

A

I dvn 1 t know .

Q

An d don ' t

':'lent

you know that a

over t'1-7l'"e and met Mr . Carranza and l aid all the facts

before hin , and he removed
A

del egation headed by Mr . Canal es

h im~

Yes , air .

Q He removed him because of his sympathy with the bandits?

Texas
10 State Library and Archives Commission

 A I requested that General Carran za also that that man be
remov ed from the frontier on account that he had

a settlement

a 6 ainst .Americans and it \7as not proper for that place, as we

need somebody that has no race prejudice and would do Justice
~~erJb~dy,

to

he c:1.r"
Q

lv~.:i

and he sent General Rico, who immediately when

in Bro·.1nsville, everything stopped .

Since that time there has been better relations existing

on both sides of the River'?
A Yes , air.
Q

Now Mr . Gca.rza , you are a Mexican citizen , I presume'?

A

Yes .

Q.

You kno,.,

th~

o~

the theft of a lot of cattle down there from

Piper Plantation'?

A Sir'?
Q.

You know of the circumstance of a lot of cattle being

stolen

by

Mexican citizens from the Piper Plantation'?

A I kno·n that cattle were stolen from the Piper Planta•
tion, but I don ' t know that they were stolen by a Mexican

c.iti zen.

Q n on •t you know they were carried to Mexico'?
A
and

Yes , and I went to the Mexican authorities over there
helped to find

so~e

of them .

I suggested they to go

am

hunt ;or th ... Jl and return them to the American owners, Which
they did .
Q,

How many'?

A I don ' t re..nember, .nost of them were returned.

Q What business are you in in Mexico'?

What business inter-

ests have you in Mexico '?
A

I

vas a Commission Broker in Torreo .

Q What property interests have you now in the Republic of

Mexico '?

A I have a ranch that belongs to my wife in the State or

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 Tamaulipas .

Q What is the name of that ranch'?
THE CHAIRMAN:

Wait a mi iriute •

(After consultation bet•.reen counsel and the Chairman , this
question was withdrawn .)

~
was
Q Now you say that Captain Hanson/>m4 sent out of Mexico

under Article Thirty-three'?
A

told

Yes , I inquired of the Consul General in El Paso , and he
lU(;

thdt he \Yas expelled by the Constitutional Government .

Q

When was that'?

A

I don • t remember •

Q,

Seyeral years ago'?

A SeTeral years ago .

I think after the Constitutional

Go'ernment took possession of the government .

Q Who put Captain Hanson out of there, who was the military
bods at that time at the place where he was'?
A

I don• t know •

Q Wasn' t it C_!v,!!:l_!ro '?
A I t was the military state governor .
Q

What state'i'

A Of the State of Tamaulipas .

Q I s that the state in which Captain Hanson was'?
A

I . think so .

Q

I s not that man now f :ighting the Carranza government"?

A Yes, sir.

Q So he is a very undesirable citizen himself now, the man
who expelled Captain Hanson'?
A

I don' t know about that, sir, and I don' t think I have

to wiawer those questions .

I have to get permission from

my

government to .

Q You didn' t hesitate to say that he was expelled from there;
you did that on hearsay testimony'?

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

rJ

 A I did that because you asked •
1;,ho

.1<;;..1;;

t..r..pelled

in regard to Mr . Hanson

from over there .

the Carranza government?

Q

By

A

By the

Carranza government .

Q The man who actually expelled him , the Governor of that
state, is himself' fighting Carranza?

A He is fighting him now .

Q I t is true there were a great many .American citizens put
out of there under Article Thirty-three , isn't it?
A I don' t know.
Q

And isn' t it true that a great many other .American cit-

iuens were expelled at t he same time Captain Hanson was?

A I don' t know, I haven' t heard of any others .
Q

You mean you never heard

or

any other .American cit izens

A I never heard or any other American citizen, yes .
Q I n the whole Republic or Mexico , except Captain Hanson?

A That is what I say, I don' t deny it but I say ±
.... don' t
know it , I haTe no information of it .
MR. CANALES:
tht c~rranz~

At the time of the bandit trouble of 1915,

governnent had not been reco5nized by the United

St.£ted Government ... is that a :tact'?
A Yea, it is a :tact .
Q.

I n truth, there was really no diplomatic channel 'for

exchEA..~ino

criminals?

A Yes .

Q And now since that government is constituted they are
ob serving the treaty between the two na.t ions for extradition
of criminals .

MR. CANALES:

.....................
I spoke to the ~entlemen what I inten:led to

prove by .Tudge Forto .

I think that tho Committee has alntad;r

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 gone through that , therefore I

am

going to discharge J udge

Forto and tender him to the other side if they have any evidence .
MR. MOSES:

We Just tender him back to you.

THE CHAIRMAN:

If

this gentleman has any material evidence,

we have time tor him to be sworn and to hear him .

We are not

going to stand for passing the buck .
MR. MOSES:

haven' t anything to do with it .

We

MR. CANALES :

I wanted to prove by him the tact that he

translated that open letter that was published about the
United States and Washington , in regard to conditions there .
I

intended to prove up the tact that conditions are absolutel7

correct .
THE

I told you the facts and the letter were

CHAIRMAN:

absolutely immaterial and would not be admitted in evidence .
MR. CANALES: Yes , sir.
Chairman , do

?OU

There is nothing further .

want me to oall those witnesses in 1917 and

1918 that are representatiTes

THE CHAIRMAN :

Mr .

now~

No, let ' s get through with the outside wit•

As far as I am concerned , I close .

MR. CANALES:
THE CHAIRMAN:

Have you any other witnesses in attendance

that have been subpoenaed by you that have not been excused?
MR. ·CANALES:

That is all .

MR. MOSES : Do I understand that the proponents close '?
THE CHAIRMAN:

There are some members of the House that

deoi re to be heard, that will be heard at some other time

during the investigation, but so far as Mr . Canales is con•
earned I understand that is complete.
MR. CANALES :

I f the Committee is in session at the time

Mr . Ed C. Las sat er arrives in Austin, I would like to use him .
MR. MOSES:

The two members of the House mentioned in the

10
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

 charges were Thompson and Senator Douglas .
MR. CANALES:
MR. MOSES:

And Representat1Te Poole .

What phase or it are they on'?

MR. CANALES :

Thompson and Poole are in regard to the Robert-

son matter, and Mr . Blackburn I understand with regard t o the
misconduct of some Rangers in his county that are now on the
forc\'3 .

MR. MOSES : And Mr . Poole~
MR. CANALES : With regard to that Robert son and Sands matter,
I think .
THE CHAIRMAN: .Now would it be of any assistance to coUI18el

and the Adjutant General• e Department to adjourn~
MR. KNIGHT:

THE CHAIRMAN:
meet at 1:30.

I think so .

Until we complete this proceedings we will
I ! we adjourn at 5 :00 ve will adjourn to 7 :00.

I f we adjourn at 5 :30 we \vill adjourn to 7 :30. My intention
is going to b.e to continue this invest igation right on through
with ~11 possible dispatch unti l it is completed .

I f there

is no objection, the Committee will now rise, to reassmmble

at l :30.
(Whereupon the Committee recessed until 1 :30 P. M., February
11, 1919 .)
49!_ . . . . . _ _ _ _ _ _

Texas State Library and Archives Commission