/ .-:.:-... .. -·. . ... - ·--~IL._--·. ~· • • • . ·- t • .... . .... , ~ ....~o..lt • .t .•. .- . ' .- ....., • • #" ...,. . . . •• . '· ..... · , -:- ·_ . ....~ -. - • .. .. °Y,:" . ...~·--·· . .~-- ~..r. . .... ··... -- ~ - ... . . .- .. .... . • 11... . .. - .. ' ~ ~.:.·- .. ~ ·- ,. _:· ~ ,: ": .• ' • \ : .. - ., . .. . ..- .. . '·-~ . - : ~ . . .... ,. ,, :""" \ \ '\ '' . ". .. \ ( GiL11- - '/-1 -1 >! q7°tfb_ - -- -(.,'\ . ttous~ of R prt. '. ,wt" Texas State Library and Archives Commission ~ -~----- VOLUME - - - 3 . ---- INDEX. Suppl ement a l Answer of Adjut ant General Testimony of Capt ain " c. L. " F. H. " w. " ,, - -- T. Vann, recalled , Jessup - - - - - - " " Henry Edds - - " " " " Claude McGill " J. M. Mothershead " " Capt . J . H. Rogers " -- Pat D. Hal ey " - - - -- - ----- Fr ederico Lopez - - - -- --- W. B. Hinkly II " Royal Colli ns " II Lee Dickens - " " " 1233 ----- - -- - - - - - - - " 1259 1274 1308 ----- - - - - - - 1 320 - 1341 -- 1364 - - - - - - 1382 1407 Sterli ng - E . H. Parker 1 250 1298 Excerpt from Grand Jury Report, Cameron County, ,, 11 44 1195 - --- -- ---- " Capt. J . J . Sanders - - - w. 1191 1362 H. E. Barnes Testimony of W. 114 1 11 67 - - - - - - - - - 11 23 1162 " Eduardo I zaguirre - - II 1092 1 219 - - - --- -- J . D. Jackson " c. L. Breniman " ---- 1 085 1089 ------- Recalled, - - - " " " -- - - - - - - - Burmeister - - - -- - " Oscar Thompson - - - - - - - - - - Recalled, - - - - - - - - - - " Lon c. Hill - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - " " " -- 1 408 - - - - - - - - - - ----- --- -- -- - " Frank Rabb " " " Chas. F. Stevens " Taylor ± - - - Commission " Joe and Texas State Library Archives 1 416 -- 1424 1427 1450 VOLUME 3 --- INDEX - -- Page 2. Page Testimony of L. L. Willis - --- - ------- 1453 List of Cattle Inspectors who are Special Rangers, -- - --- ----- - - - - - - - - furn i shed by Dayton Moses, - List of Speci a l Rangers - - - - 1460 1461 List of Special Rangers whose commi ssions were revoked January 15 , 1919 , - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Testimony of John I . Kl eiber - -- - - - -- " " Capt . E. A. Sterling - - - - - -- " " Capt. R. w. -- Aldrich - Exhibit regardi ng Registrants, Slackers, etc., Testimony of Capt . Willi am Wright - " II " " " " - - - - -- - -- 1531 1557 w. - - - Rul es governing Texas Rangers CLOSE OF TESTIMONY 1507 1541 Testimony of J. T. Canal es, recall ed, Sheri ff Hollingswor th 1501 1516 Fr ank B. Cl ark - Correspondence between Capt. 1477 1513 - - - - George Saddler John Sittre -- 1466 1559 T. Vann and - --- - - - - - - - 1560 -- --- - 1583 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1605 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1919 . - - --- - -- AFTERNOON SESSION. - - - - - - - The Joint Committee of the Senate and House to investigate the charges against the State Ranger Force reconvened at 1 . 30 o' clock P. 1':I. - CHAIRMA.N BL".8DSOE: ---- -Gentlemen , let ' s have order . now, Judge, at this time could the Adjutant General's Department and his associates indicate what time it will take for the presentation of their side? l.:R. KliIGHT : (Laughter) I declare to you , Gentlemen, I wish I knew. I can only tell you that we are going to rush the thing with all possible speed and facilitate it in every way we can. No"V1, .I said Saturday night that we thought it would not take long. Two days and nights have gone, and we have just gotten at it. CHAIRliAN BL:I::JSOE: ' rlR . KlUGm : We have no disposition to hurry you. I understand. CHAIRlrAN BLE:JSOE: trying to arrange . But vie have some other matters we are Is there any reason why we could not reasonably expect to conclude the evidence by Friday noon? IJR . KNIGHT: UR. MOSES : CHAIRlvW~ I.iR . I think not , Your Honor. By Friday noon? BLEDSOE : KNIGHT : This is Tuesday. That will give us three full days . GHAIRHAl~ BLEDSOE: MR . =~os;:::s: Yes , sir. We will run all night if you want to . I think we can unquestionably get through be- fore that time. Texas State Library and Archives Commission HR. KIUGHT: I think so. CHAIRld!lT BLEDSOE: vrill do our very best. We We have no disposition to hurry you, but we have so many people here that are wanting to get away. rJR. KHIGHT: I understand that. You have our complete sympathy and co-operation. CHAIRl\IIAN BLEDSOE: Gentlemen, I am not going to undertake to control your order of procedure, but in so far as the witnesses are f rom the more remote sections dispose of them as early as possible. 1iR. KlHGHT: Yes, sir •. - - - - - - - - - - - (Thereupon :t:r. Tidwell of the Committee swore Charles E. Pickle to act as one of the Official Shorthand Reporters of the Investigation.) - MR . KUIGHT : at this time. ------ -- - - The Adjutant General will read his pleading CHAIRI\'IAN BLEDSOE : GENE?.AL HARLEY: Some additional pleadings? It raises no additional issues, but it defines our position and the i ssues in this case at this time. CHAIIDJ.AN BL~DS03 : All right. Thereupon Adjutant General Harley read the pleading above mentionea, which reads as follows:- Texas State Library and Archives Commission Austin , Texas, February 10, 1919. To the Hon. W. H. Bledsoe , Chairman, and the Members of the Joint Committee of the House and Senate to investigate the Charges Sirs: agai~t the State Ranger Force. The Adjutant General further representing to the Committee presents that heretofore towit on the 26th day of January, 1919, he i ssued a communication to the Legislature requesting the appointment of a Committee to investigate all a lleged charges against the Ranger Force, and to determine the causes of compl aint and the motives of those making said complaints. The purpose of the Adjutant General in making this request to the Investigation Committee appointed by the Legislature was that a fair and impartial tribunal might be constituted which would summon witnesses and go thoroughly i nto matt ers with witnesses before them testifying under the sanction of an oath; that said Committee could elfcit testimony before said Committee which the Adjutant General ' s De partment could never procure by non- judicial investigation. He :further represents . that he realized that such a Committee as is now constituted and here sitting could understand the vicissitudes and dangers that beset the Texas Rangers , and the difficulties under which the Adjutant General's Department l abored in endeavoring to keep a high standard personnel on starvation wages. "Every laborer is worthy of his hire" and no man is going to render higher service than the standard you fix for him by his remuneration, save in a few exceptional cases, and in this the Adjutant General asks the judgment of this Committee relative to the proper remuneration. The Adjutant General further states that his appearance be£ore this Committee is not for the purpose of hiding or defending 1 •I State Library and Archives Commission Texas {q, any acts of misconduct by Rangers, but that he may be of assistance to this Committee by helping to develop both sides of every controversy. That he has never condoned or approved of misconduct, nor has his agent and inspector, W. M. Hanson, ever done so, but on the contrary has always and continuously endeavored to eliminate the bad element from the force which is evidenced by the fact that he has discharged approximately 108 men during his tenure of office which is 100% of the actual number of ·men now on the force; that acting under the Governor's direction, he has tried to maintain a high standard of conduct for Rangers, and has always investigated causes of complaint whenever made by well meaning and reliable citizens; that he represents that many matters of misconduct de- veloped before this Committee constituted acts which were committed prior to his induction into the office of the Adjutant General of the State and matters over which he had no control, and which happened a long time prior to his term, and of which he had no means of knowing , and of these matters he asks the judgment of the Committee that they so state in their report. The Adjutant General further represents that this investigation having taken a wide scope which covers a number of years of ranger activities, especially on the border where alleged acts have been complained of before this Committee which anti-dates the encumbency of the present administration, requests the Committee to differentiate between acts committed prior to and subsequent to the present regime, in order that the public may know that all the misconduct complained of is not attributable to the present personnel of the force and of this the Adjutant General asks judgment of this Committee. The Adjutant General further represents that the low salary, and the heavy taxing· of our man power by the National Government made it practically impossible to keep any character of men on the 1 force, much less high class men at all times as evidenced by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission fact that a number equal to the present force have been discharged , and about 95% have resigned during my tenure of office. Further representing to the Committee the Adjutant General says that the many hundreds of citizens of this State who have so splendidly rallied to the support of the Ranger and who know and live in the portions of Texas where the Texas Ranger is the only safe guard for the lives of their loved ones and their property have had no mercenary or biased motive in appearing here , but only to assist this Committee and see that the Ranger service that their forefathers organized was not destroyed by the enemies of good government. Further representing to this Committee , the Adjutant General says a living evidence of the necessity for continuing the fore~ is the fact that the Governor of the State, the loyal members of the force , and all good citizens , and especially those who live in the border section, are anxious that the Ranger Force be purged of undesirables (if there are any) and that the force be composed only of good, law- abiding, clean men, who at all times will observe the law and conduct themselves as officers should. The Adjutant General , acting for the Governor, .has endeavored to rid the service of the lawless element , and will continue to do so with the assistance of the Legislature, if given the proper agency with which to carry out such reforms as are necessary which he now asks of this Corrnnittee and prays judgment thereof. The Adjutant General further represents that if the Legislature acting upon the sound judgment of this Committee will place a sufficient salary for Rangers at the disposal of the Adjutant General and make such other recommendations as can be easily carried out by the Legislature in placing within the conrplete control of the Adjutant General the state Rangers subject only to the Governor 1s call to duty, the Adjutant General can ~nd will eliminate from the Force and make of it an organi zation that will be the pride and protection of the State and its best citizens. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Further presenting this matter to the Committee, the Adjutant General represents that it is his belief that the Ranger Force as now constituted is composed of men, some of whom are of excellent character, and whose conduct as Rangers has been second to that of no other peace officer of the State, and that the general aspersions cast du.ring this investigation upon the character of such men, should not go unchallenged, to their humiliation because percha.nee some acts were committed by a few others, most of ~hich occurred in 1915 and 1916 long prior to the term of service of these men and the Adjutant General and unknown to them, although uncomplained of and known to their columniators, and of this he asks judgment of this Committee. The Adjutant General further represents as heretofore stated that when asking for the appointment of an Investigation Committee, he welcomed a healthful and through investigation as given by the committee in justice to the people and the Rangers, that they may know the real facts, and of the wrongs committed, and help correct them. Notwithstanding the effort on the part of the Adjutant General to assist in dispelling the mists of misunderstanding, it is sincerely to be regretted that sinister forces, grown venomous, by political rancor, against the Chief Executive, should seek by an abuse of legislative privileges to drag from its high purpose the efforts of this Committee and require you Gentlemen to grope through the mists of personal aspersions and to weigh without evidence the cowardly thrusts that real .American manhood would not tolerate in the open; aspersions cast under the protection of sacred privileges, sadly abused, and in this the Adjutant General respectfully submits to the wisdom of this committee the justice and fairness of the actuating motives that impelled them, and asks for such action as this Committee deems advisable. In conclusion the Adjutant General respectfully submits all matters before this Vommittee with full confidence in the combined Texas State Library and Archives Commission wisdom of their action and asks that they recommend such action and changes in the Ranger system, its personnel , and its future operations , . believing that thi s Committee wil l serve the purpose for which the Adjutant General asked for it, if it wil l gi ve the public and the Legislature the benefit of what has been developed herein , and which he knows will be done to the benefit .of the Ranger Service i n the future , and the honor of our State. Respectfu~ly , JAS . A. RARLEY, The Adjutant General , State of Texas. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE : Gentlemen, before you begin, Captain Vann was to refresh his memory with reference to the personnel of the f orce who were with Captain Ransom at that train wreck, and he i s fixing to l eave town. With your permission , I would like to ask him one question. MR. KNI GHT : All right . CAP T A I N W• T • VANN, recall ed to the witness- stand, testified as follows: EXAlfiNAT I Oif BY CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE . ~ Captain Vann, when you were on the stand the other day you were asked by some member of the Committee if Captain Anders , now on the Force , was a member of Captain Ransomrs party at the time of the trai n wreck. Have you refreshed your memory in any way about it? A Yes , sir; he was on the Force , but I would not absolutely swear he was there; I am almost sure he was. Texas State Library and Archives Commission I wired down there and the party wired back that he was there, but . I can not remember absolutely that he was there; he was there; I would not swear that I can't remember seeing him there. other Rangers there. There were I think all of Captain Ransom 1 s bunch were there the next morning , but I can't pick him out and say absolutely he was there . CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE : All right. Is there anything else desired from him before he leaves? EXA!.iIITATIOlf BY HR. TIDWELL. Q You spoke of Captain Ransom taking those men some distance Can you recall who the men were that were down the river. acting under the orders of Captain Ransom at that time? A No , sir . I remember that Luke Engelking was a Ranger at that time . Q Who else? I want to get those who participated in that execution • .A \'lell? they were Captain Ransom's men. I know he was there , because he made the talk to me . Q Now, :Jngelking. MR . KIHGH':i? : A Yes, sir . Do you rememoer any other? Ransom is dead? I know that Engelking and the Captain both be- longed to his Ranger company. I rememoer Captain Ransom being there absolutely, but I can 1 t say about the others . CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE : You think Captain Anders was there? A Yes , sir. I1ffi . HOSES: Can you recall the name of any other Ranger who was there at that time? A Ho , I don't, Judge. his company; I don't remember just who all was in it has been two or three years ago, and I don 1 t rememoer just who composed his company of Rangers at that time. '---.. Texas State Library and Archives Commission - BR . CA:TALES : Was Ewing Baker among them? A I don 1 t knou whether he was at that time. or not , but Baker has been on the Force with Ransom a good deal . keep men very days . Ransom didn't sometimes they stayed thirty days or sixty l~ng ; There was a new bunch all the time . l11R . TIDWELL : Now, there is one other he could not keep men. You say question~ Was that due to his inefficiency or the inefficiency of the men? A It was due to his inefficiency. He was very overbearing and couldn' t get along with them. MR. TIDWELL : Do you remember the date of his death? A Yes , sir; it was l ast year some time; District Court; it was during our it came out and I read it in the paper; it was at Sweet\7ater. MR. TIDVIELL : Was he still a Ranger at that time? A I understood so . HR. TIDWELL : CHAIR1Wf He was a Captain. That ' s all . BLEDSOE : That 1 s all . Gentlemen, pardon me for the interruption. HR . CAlfALES : proposition. ::.:r. Chairman, I want to get clear on the A pleading has been read by the Adjutant General . I v1ant to get it clear as to the real issues raised. understand that he pleads a general denial. I do not I understand it is in the nature of a· confession and avoidance. I want to get the nature of the plea so I can find out what issues are raised here. I heard it read very patiently, and it struck me as what the law perhaps may term in the nature of a confession and avoidance, rather than a general denial of the charges made . I want to get that clear in the record. MR . i.:os::::s : 1 f I tt We are not responsible for the lack of under- standing of the counsel who filed these charges . Texas State Library and Archives Commission That pleading speaks for itself ; it is in pl ain United States , and if counsel is not able to understand what it means , that is no fault of the Adjutant General; and since he has made that statement in the presence --! will not say for the benefit , but in the presence of the mul titude , we desire to say it is not any confession and avoidance at all , but speaks for i tself. CHAIRivIAN BLEDSOE : Gentlemen, the fact about the business is , it is not necessary to name it . The Adjutant General has filed a written statement or pleading, or whatever you are pleased to call it . The issues before the Committee will not depend upon any pleadings filed , but by the scope of the resolution under which we are operating. iIR . C.A.NAL:JS : Thank you. CHAIRHAH BLLJ:)SOB : raised by counsel. We are not confined to any pl eadings Proceed , Gentlemen. C • L • JESSUP having been duly sworn, testified as follows :EX.A.UilfATIOU BY UR . KlHGHT . Q I.fr . Jessup , where do you live? A Brownsville. Q How long have you lived on the Border? A A little more than ten years. Q· What is your business at the present time? A I am 1.ianager for a portion of the Brown Estate at Brownsville . Q What is the name of that plantation under your jurisdiction down there? A The Brovm estate had four corporations they asked me to look after; one is the Piper Plantation Compan7, the Buena Vista Texas State Library and Archives Commission Cattle Company, the Piper Mercantile Company, and Brownsville Creamery e: Dairy Company. Q Now, have you ever taken part in political matters in the Valley? A No, sir- --no, sir. Q Where did you locate when you first went to the Valley? A At Brownsville. Q At Brownsville. What were conditions there then as to peace and order and law-abiding cortdition of affairs? A Brownsville at the time I moved there was one of the most orderly, quiet , peaceful cities of its size that I have ever known; even at this time, I may say, so far as the administra- tion of city affairs is concerned, I don't think there is a town in the United States of its size that is more · orderly than Brownsville is today. Q Are you connected at this time in any way with the city government of Brovmsville? A Well , I am a member of the Board of City Development there, which is an apppintive position, associated with the City Commissioners of the Ci tyo Q Yes, sir. What line of work have you been engaged in since you went to the Valley? A The first three years I was in the Valley I was manager for a canal system there; then for three or four years I was in the mercantile business , i n charge of a hardware , implement and farm machinery business located at San Benito; the past two years I have been residing again in Brovmsville, associated with the Browns. Q Yes , sir . What has been your relation, if any, in regard to the operation of the ~angers on the border? A In 1iarch of last yea:r stealing just below Bro\7l1Sville and Texas State Library and Archives Commission East of Brownsvil le a l ong the river became so wholesale that I took the matter un.... first uith Sheriff Vann and asked him what we should do , and he said: "Lir . Jessup , my department is powerless, absolutely helpless to help you ranchmen and farmers out; I haven' t the force to do it with ," and I thillk he was correct . Talking matters over , he advi sed that we seek help in the person of the Rangers . !cl Yes. A Our Chamber of Colillilerce , our City Development, in Brownsville called a meeting of the members to discuss this situation and I was selected a committeeman to come to Austin to ask for help, intervieu Governor Hobby and General Harley in reference to the matter, and they immediately gave us some Rangers there . might state in this connection tha t just prior to my trip to I Austin ·we had lost thirty- seven head of fine Jersey cows from the Piper Plantation, the Starks a djoini ne; us had lost six cov-1s , anlAN BLEDSOE : C'!"OSS examining him. You have practiced law long enough to know that you must interrogate him by specific questions . I.IR . CAUAL~S : Yes , sir, but I first predicate it uith the testimony, substantially. Q Now, isn' t it a fact that Rangers were stationed at Ranchito Esparza , about two and a half miles from where 1Ir. Cunningham was killed? A I know nothing absolutely about it . Q And also that Rangers were stationed at San Benito , about six miles away? A No t sir, I didn' t know any were stationed at San Benito. Q You talk about the bandit trouble and activities there and your general knowledge of it. I ask you to name a single time when you uent to help anybody or protect anybody during that time-- ass ist anybody physically who needed assistance during that time? A I was not out on a single expedition. As I explained , I was in charge of a mercantile business in San Benito and my time . was devoted to that store. I have explained what I tried to do to allay feeling in San Benito , but I was not out on any of the ro.ids. I was trying to get guns and ammunition there fast enough for the other fellows. Q (Laughter .) Uow, you talk about the exodus of Me:A:icans , that the exodus 11 Texas State Library and Archives Commission in 1915 and in 1916 were not caused by slackers , that the exodus in 1918 to which I call ed your attention a while ago was wholly caused by registration. I ask you whether it is not a fact that it was also caused by the fact that the Federal officers would go into the various pl antations and arrest Eexicans on mere suspicion for not registering or not complying with the draft , lugging them into jail and keeping them sometimes a day or two , and then .find out they had already registered and did not violate the law? A I have already expl ained that the Federal officers spent a good deal of their time in such work, and I have explained that that was in the operation of the selective service law. Q The Rangers had nothing to do with that? A So far as I know , there can be nothing attributable to Rangers in the exodus of 1917 and 1918 . Q In fact , they did not participate in enforcing the selecti ve draft law? A During 1917 we didn 1 t have them down at Brownsville ; they didn' t come. to Brownsvil le until in April or early in 1\tay, 1918. Q Now, Mr . Jessup , can you name a single instance , not only from your knowledge but even from hearsay, of a United States soldier during 1915 , 1916, 1917 or 1918 having captured llexican persons and killing them? A United States soldiers? Q Yes , sir , after they were captured? A No , sir , I don ' t know of any. Q Now, you know Tuir . Kibbe? A Well , which one? Q Frank \7. Kibbe? A Yes , sir . Q What sort of a man is he- - -isn't he a reliable man and a . man well acqua·inted with the l.!exicans and the situation there? Texas State Library and Archives Commission ) A So far as I knor . :;.:r . {ibbe says that man Garcia , i'Tho had been working for Q If him o. number of years , \7as a law- abiding man , do you believe that his testimony is good? MR . HOSES : We object to that . CHAIRI!l:AH BLETISOE : Has I.Ir . Kibbe been here? The only reference to his testimony was that testified to this morning , that the special officer of the Mexican Government- --Iffi. rOSES: Well , if he testified to that, all right , but we don 1 t think it is proper cross exariination. CHAIRillAN BLEDSOE : I don't think it is proper cross examina- ti on. Q Nr . Kibbe had been there a long time? A Er. Kibbe had been manager there the year prior to my going there . Q He went there very frequently? A No , sir , he didn ' t go there frequently ; he went there about once a week , and they had a lot of :Mexican laborers on the J?lantation, so I don' t think he becarie intimately acquainted with any of 'them. HR. CA.t~ALES : That's all. RED~SCT EXAMINATIOU. By 1ir . Knight. Q ~IT. Jessup , counsel asked you ii American soldiers have ever killed a prisoner after having captured him. I will ask you if i.Iexican soldiers across the river have not killed American officers and soldiers after they captured them? 11R. CAlL.i.LES : I don' t think that is material , Your Honor . CHAIRl.'.Alr BLEDSO}J : I don't think it is necessary to go into that. !.IP... Ki.HGL.1T: I will state that this warfare dov.r.a there State Library and Archives Commission l tTexas I grows out of a peculi ar situation. The war is on the ~exican banditt i, and of course there are American outlaws down there . Counsel is now showing that the .American soldiers did not execute prisoners . He is also co.astantly endeavoring to .show that some one Ranger Captain did that . Now, I uant to show that the Mexican soldiers did exactly what he condemns the Texas Ranger for do i ng, and it was not Mexicans they were fighting. I just uant to show that there are two sides to every question . I want to show-- - if llir . Jessup does not k.n.ow of any instance , all right , but if he does it i.7ould be >Tell to let it go in the record for what it is uorth. CHAIR11AU BL3~so: : Judge , if you indicate that this testi- mony would relate to the actiou oi any person on this side of the river or attributeQ even by hearsay to the Rangers I would think it i s admissible , but othernisc it is not . MR . UOSES : We will agree that no prisoner ought to be kill ed-- that no offi cer ought to let a prisoner be killed , and also that a negro who is charged with an outrage on a white woman ought not to be mobbed , but they do it just the same. If Tuie:x.ican soldiers on the other side of the river murder our soldiers when they captui·e them or our people when they take them over there it ~ould arouse a feeling of ill will and anger on the part of the men on this side , and while it V'Ould not justify it it would palliate it to some extent, just like the people who mobbed that negro up at Hill sboro in broad , open daylight; while it is not justification, yet you don't feel in your heart that condemnation which you might feel----CHAIRivIAH BLEDSOE : There may be conditions under which we might go into that , but I don't think i,ve have authority to do so at this time . 1.ffi. KHIGHT : All right . · Thatrs all . State Library and Archives Commission 11Texas ., I EXAl.~Il~ATIOil BY MR. TIDifELL . Q You indicated about how many Rangers were located in Browns ville in 1917 and 1918? A In 1917 we didn' t have any Rangers in the immediate vicinity of Brownsville . The Rangers that I have been talking about having any dealings with came there i n the Spring of 1918. Q Do you know whether or not there were any Rangers l ocated in Brownsvil le in 1916? A I don' t know whether they had a camp or headquarters ther e or not . The Rangers were in there at that time operating in connection with the citizens and the United States Army all along the border , but in very small numbers as compared with citizens or troops. Q Do you know of any instance in which Rangers in the city of Brownsvil le have acted in an illegal or overbearing way towards law- abiding citizens?. A No , sir , I donrt know of any. HR . KlHGHT : I am glad you asked that question. I over- looked it . Q Do you remember the condition that existed in about January, 1917 , or December , 1916 , when General Parker was in command of that post? A Yes , sir , I think I am fairly familiar \Tith it . Q Do you remember whether or not it is true that time after time the Government corrals were raided there and Captain Conger uas constantly on the alert for them- - - did you know Captain Conger? A No , sir , I didn' t know Captain Conger . Q Do you know General Parker? A Yes , sir. Q Diu you hear anything of the outbreaks in the latter part of January or February when they were corralled there and the State Library and Archives Commission 1Texas ' cavalry were after them for a numoer of days? A The date I don 1 t remember . It is possible you have in mind calling on the United States troops at the Galveston ranch South and Vlest of San Benito when they were fired on. and some k i lled. Q About how many killed? A I think there were two or three .Americans killed ; they were ambushed . Q Do you remember the date of that outbreak? A Ho t sir , I don' t remember the date of it . Then the United States troops were fired on together with citizens over Horth and East of San Benito and one soldier killed at Scribner t s ranch. Q Do you remember' the date of that? A I can 1 t remember exactly, but it was rather early in what we term the bandit raids . IvlR . TIDWELL : That r s all. :8.X.Al.iINATIOU BY I.iR . LACKEY. Q lfr . Jessup , have you ever seen Rangers in an intoxicated con- dition in the streets of Brownsville or in saloons? . A I have never seen any Rangers in an intoxicated condition in Brownsville , either in saloons or out . I did not go in the saloons myself , and we havenr t had any there for some time , and I have no reco l lection as to seeing any of the boys in a saloon, and I have nev er seen a Ranger on the streets acting in an unbecoming manner . MR . LACKEY : That ' s all . - - - - - - - - - - - -- - Texas State Library and Archives Commission - - - F • BUR1I'EISTER, H • having been duly sworn, testified as follows :DIRECT EXA.:.1HTATIOH'. By I.i:r . Knight . ( Judge , where do you reside? A I reside in 11cUullen County. Q What i s the county seat? A Tilden. Q How long have you been on the border? A Thirty- seven years . Q Have you held any official positions down there? A A few. I was County Surveyor for ten years in Hciiullen County, a member of the Twenty- fourth Legislature in 1895 , County Judge of !.:cI.iullen County, and District Attorney of the ~hirty­ sixth District. Q Name the counties in that district. A Well , now, that is hard to say, because they were shi fted a time or two, but LaSal le , DeWitt , Frio , Wilson, Karnes , Bee , San Patricio , Aransas and llic!Uullen. Q Is that all? A They were (Laughter) shi~ed once or twice . Q I understand. A Then I became a member of the 2hirty- third and Thirty- fourth Legislatures. Q The Thirty- fourth Legi slature assembled what year? A The Thi rty- fourth assembled in 1915. Q You are an attorney? A A little bit. Q How long have you practiced law dovm there? A Twenty- five years . Q You are also a ra.nchman , are you not? A I am. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Have you been in close and intimate contact \Tith the people in that country down there during your long residence? A liy personal experience covers Hueces County, Duval County, LaSalle County , Webb County, and my own county, and everything North from there and to El Paso . I have no experience in what they call the Valley. Q All right. Now, then, Judge , are you acquainted---are you advised of the fact that there has been an exodus of tre:x:icans from this side of the river to the other side for the last three or four years during those troublous times? A Yes , sir , most of ours ran away. Q Did you have any Rangers up in your country? A Not in the last ten or twelve years . Q Yes , sir . A They appeared in the county in which I have my office about eight months ago . They were kind enough, four of them , to come to my office and notify me that they did not come to see the l awyer , but came to see the cowman and wanted assistance . Q Yes, sir. A They broke up the cattle stea ling proposition that had been going on for about seven years in the neighborhood. We could not find testimony enough to do anything , because the men who were finally. arrested were brothers of the Sheriff. Q Well , did the Rangers assist you in bringing them to justice? A Well , I assisted them. I was not engaged either in the prosecution or defense . Q They were prosecut ed and convicted? A Yes , sir . They got continuances once or twi ce. Q That r s the only time they have been in that section? A In that part of the country. Q You say there was an exodus from that section? 1 Texas ~ A Well , we could not put them in the United State Library and Archives Commission states Army. Q What was the cause of that exodus? was it the visit of those four Rangers? A Well , I would rather not state that , because I hel d another office or two . Q What is that? A Well , I was Appeal Agent by appointment of the G9vernor in the draft cases and I tri ed to put them in the .Army, and I could not find them. Q Well , they had disappeared? A They had gone . Q Well , in your opinion what was the occasion of their going? A Well , they didn' t want to put on the United States uniform. Q It could not have been that visit of the ·Rangers there six or eight months ago? A Oh, no, sir , wa haven' t been afraid of the Rangers. Q Now, Judg·e , the other day I believe you were present when Mrs . Yeager wa s on the stand? A Yes , sir . Q And she related a controversy over the tank on her place , in which she mentioned Captain Oscar Thompson? A Yes , sir. Q Rangers and so forth. How, I will get you to state whether or not in a suit brought there to enjoin certain parties from using that water hole you .recall Oscar Thompson was.ultimately impleaded as a party defendant and you represented anybody in that litigation? CHAIRI\ffi.N BLEDSOE : rt has been suggested that both members of the Senate in attendance today have been called into the Senate. Let's suspend until they return. IiR. KUIGRT : All right. 1 Texas 1'.; State Library and Archives Commission t (Thereupon the proceedings uere suspended for a feu minutes . ) CHAIRliAH BLEDSOE : Gentlemen, let ' s have order now. Senator Williford is here . Q Now, I\tt . Burmeister , when we stopped--you were counsel in that case for whom? A FQr I.Lr . Oscar Thompson. Q Was that case tried? A It was tried. Q Did you hear all the facts sworn to there in court? A Every word o:f it . Q Uow, I.:7r . Burmeister, just go ahead and tell the Committee in your own way all about that transaction from beginning to end. l'iR . CANAL:JS : I simply object to this as an immaterial and irrelevant point, that it could not possibly have any bearing on either side of this case . CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE : Well , I am not clear in my recollection . of Mrs . Yeager ' s testimony, but I think her reference · to Judge · Burmeister was entirely on cross examination , was it not? HR . KlHGHT : rt was on vrhat the Rangers did. Her attack, if anything, was against the Ranger Force . rn~ . CAHAL-ZS: I wish to remind you- --- CHABMAN BLBDSO:J: : ER. LIOSES: Before you finally rule- - -- CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: I.JR . MOSES : Wait just a minute. Well , we will hear you. I was not here at the time Mrs. Yeager testi- fied , but read the account in the Dallas Neus; it was rather an extended account , ·and I presume the reporter will admit an accurate account . The substance of her testimony was , she testified to two propositions, one of which WJ . Burmeister knows nothing about ; one was in regard to some misconduct of 1Texas i '~ i State Library and Archives Commission Rangers in San Benito; then she testified in reference to what she termed the outrageous conduct of Rangers at her residence , in which Oscar ~hompson was the principal party, but it became material because a Ranger was backing Thompson up. that is involved in that law suit. Now, all In this same suit referred to she asked , I believe , for something like fifty thousand dollars against Mr . Thompson, or maybe twenty thousand , by reason of that misconduct of his in the presence of a Ranger. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE : I understand , though, that that entire matter was brought out on cross examination, and it showed up here that she did not file the suit , but that it was brought by ~hompson and she filed a cross bill. I:R . :.IOS;iS: Well, if she stated it was filed by Thompson that is not correct. that . The lady was mistaken if she testified It was a suit filed by Timberlake---- CHAIRUA.U BLEDSOE : the suit. I.m. Well , she said other parties brought I may be wrong in saying Thompson. MOSES : She impleaded Thompson. CHABI.IAH BLEDSOJ: : J,ffi . CJJ.ITAL~S: That is true. I uant to say that the principle of law and evidence is that you can' t bring in cross examination anything to lay a predicate to impeach the witness. All the matter was brought out on cross examination, not by myself. Judge Knight can't come up here and try to impeach a rri tness for saying things he brought out on cross examination. That is an abuse of the principles of evidence , so far as I ·know. CHAIR1UN BLEDSOE: I think a predicate for impeachment can be laid on cross examination. 1.iR. KlHGHT : CHAIRI1AN That is the only time it can be laid. BL~DSOE : The only ~uestion is whether up to the time of the cross examination it uas on a material issue. 1Texas f .I .1. ... State Library and Archives Commission !.fil . I:OSES : It 11as in reference to misconduct of Ra:Q.gers . THE WITNESS: Will the Committee hear me? CHAIRI.IAH BLEDS0:8 : THE WITNESS : No , you are a witness. I am a laVTyer. CHAIRMA.N BLEDSO:S: Well , I v1ill ask you to occupy your place as a witness . THE WITUESS : Well, Your Honor , I was present here when the examination of that witness took place . C.tl.AIRMAN BLEDSOE: expedite matters. Well , if you will keep your seat it will As far as I am concerned, you can go ahead with the evidence, unless other members of the Committee take a different view. In so far as you may desire to interrogate him with reference to the truth or falsity of any statements made by her , we are willing to hear it , but not as to laying out the tract of land and the inception of the trouble . MR . KNIGHT : Well , I could interrogate him, but it would save time for him to go ahead. CHAIRl!AN BLEDSOE: Well , I want the examinati on to be in bounds . ER . KNIGHT : CHAIBM.Al~ BL3:DSOE : tio.11, go ahead . v Yes, sir . .1fow, so · far as it relates to her examina- I have tried some boundary line cases. Judge , in the evidence i.a that trial was· it not developed that Oscar Thompson and others Tiere sent for 'by this little woman and that they did not voluntari ly go to her place? A In order for the Committee to understand this question, Gibbens and Timberlake fi l ed suit for injunction against 1rrs . Yeager and her husband. place and 640 in another . She had one hundred acres in one The suit was filed in August, 1914, and I was then a member of the Legislature and was in Austin. knew nothing of these parties. I During the special session Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1 '1.. ) / Mr . Yeager came up here and stated to me that his wife, who lived in 1.iclJullen County, haw a law suit and would like to see me. I informed him that on my return home I would see her. By accident I met her in San Antonio , and she informed me that she had employed Hr . Bullitt and W. \7. \lalling , two lawyers. When court met I came on the 11th of Hovember and found out that 1-Ir. Bullitt and 11r. Walling had filed an answer in which they impleaded IJr . Oscar ~hompson and asked for fifty thousand dollars for maltreatment , blowing up a dam, drinking and carousing in her house. Q And threateni~g her? A That was the allegation. I have it here --the Committee can read the pleading if they want to have it introduced . Q All right. A 11il'. Thompson rms an old client of mine. I .notified Ml'. Bullitt I could not join in that case at all , and I answered for lJr . Thompson, which was filed five or six months after that , I think. The venue was changed and the case was tried at Cotulla before Judge ·M ullally. As leading counsel for Ur . Thompson, I represented that end of the case. rt was proved on the trial that these gentlemen met in about a quarter of a mile of this lady1 s house, with her son , surveying to find out how much of the water belonged to her-- ran a line there on the East of the windmill , and the balance of the windmill and the well were on the Thompson land . SENATOR \1ILLIFORD : We had the other day a matter coming before us in which the testimony was ostensibly given as contained in a book. I don' t think testimony heard in that court .down there is testimony here. THE WITNESS : I undertake, Your Honors , to allege the facts that were developed in this case; I was present. 1 t .,, , State Library and Archives Commission Texas SEHATOR i7ILLI FORD : I don ' t think that is testimony, Ur . Burmeister. THE ',fITlIBSS : Well , possibly we di ffer and thi s Committee will have to rule . These matters were developed under oath in my presence . CRAI RMA.H BLEDSOE: I will hold t hat it is not proper testi- mony and those facts can not be established in that way. THE J I TIIBSS : Her own admissions? CHAIRMAN BLE:DSOE : THE WITlIBSS : Her own ad.miss ions , yes . I am coming to that . CHAIRllAl:r BL3DSOB : The point objected to by Judge Williford is your statement that these parties met at a certain place and did certain things . That is clearly not admissible , and we could not tell what you were morning to , and the objection to that part of the testimony- - --1.ffi. l::OSES : How, Your Honor , the agent of the Carranza Government made certain investigations with regard to the death of Florencio Garcia and his conclusions reduced to writing , but nevertheless conclusions , j us t the same , from his investigations were introduced by 1rr. Canales to establish the fact that the Rangers named murdered somebody. How, the investigations of a number of witnesses have been introduced on both sides who had investigated the transaction and have testified to the result of their investigations. CHAIRlvLU~ BLEDSOE : UR . IJOSES : Excuse me . Yes , sir . CHAIRI'IIAU BLEDSOE : There is another call for the Senator to come back to the Senate Chamber. lTow, I doubt the propriety of proceeding in the absence of both Senators . We will take a short recess . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 Texas State Library and Archives Commission j, 'J I (Thereupon the Committee recessed from 3. 40 P. i.1 . until (3 . 45 P. fil. CHAIRI.W~ BLEDSOE: Let ' s proceed. Gentlemen, ·we have a Senator with us. Let ' s have order in the house. I.IR. KNI GHT: Gentlemen , in my judgment it won' t take ten minutes to tell the whole thing. l:R . MOSES: If the Court please, I may be in error , but my recollection--- I don't pretend to say, I read it in a newspaper and don 1 t say that I remember it accurately, but my recollection is that the substance of her testimony was -- it was probably brought out on cross examination-- that ~hompson BJ;l.d a lot of men , among the men a Ranger or Rangers--- - 1.IR. Kl!IGHT : Rangers . CRAIRM.AU BLE:;SOE: Wait a minute. out there where that talking is. £,IR . HOSES : We must have some order Go ahead , Judge . In other words , that these men went up to her house and raised a rou~h house at her place of their own initiative; in other words , a bunch of ruffians went up there drinking and cursing. CHAIRJJAH BLEDSOE : That was not testified to ; there was no testimony about any cursing there. l.IR . KHIGHT : l.!R . L.aCKEY: :.JR . 1IOSES: Yes , Your Honor , sure there was . Yes , there was. It was in the Dallas Hews . i.IR . CR0\7ELL (of the Dall as News) : MR . MOSES: It v1as not i n the news. I don' t mean the language , but that they acted in a very ungentlemanly manner. CHAIRMA.W BLEDSOE: BR . 1.i.OSES : That was in the testimony. And that those men did not come on her invita- tion, and she testified to what Thompson did , among other things , 1 t '\ Texas State Library and Archives Commission and that matter, we think, is admissible as affecting her credibility and also to see whether that charge was true and the Rangers she said were present on that occasion. CHAIRIIIAU BLEDSOE: She testified one or more Rangers were in the house and heard the conversation. MR . EOSES : now, we have the pleadings and the judgment of the court as to the result of that, and as a matter of fairness --I have heard some suggestion also or it was rather intimated that Mr . Burmeister doublecrossed her. There has been a good deal about doublecrossing in this case--that Burmeister was her lawyer and that somebody else came along with more money. CHAIRliAU BL~DSOE: The testimony was that she met Judge Burmeister and gave him her papers and some weeks afterwards he returned them, saying he had represented rri.r . Thompson for a number of years. MR . KNIGHT: Yes, sir. Now, I believe I can tell the Committee what the woman testified--if not ad literatim, in close substance. She said a bunch of men came there; she knew Oscar Thompson; that there were Rangers in the crowd whose names she did not attempt to give ; she knew that they r.ere Rangers on account of their big sixshooters ; that there was nobody there but her and her two children, and that they cursed and used vile language in the presence of the children, and that Mr. Thompson was the chief offender and that the Rangers stood there and permitted it and that Thompson said it was not her water and if it came to a showdown he would decapitate her and so forth. IDHAIRMAN BLEDSOE : That was tlhe time when you made her nervous. 11iR. KHIGHT : I made her very nervous . that they did not go there voluntarily; she invited them, and Texas State Library and Archives Commission 11 . J We want to show she picked the time and the place, and if there was anything unseemly done it was not done by Mr. Thompson or his attendants, and that there was but one other man there who had been connected with the 3angers. Now, Gentlemen, I hope ~ am not in a deliri- ous mood, I love you all, but if you eliminate from this record hearsay testimony not given under oath, why, the record would be minimized into practically nothing. We have heard-- -I didn' t ooject to it, for the reason that you gentlemen were not a jury, and that you wanted to get what was really going on, and here comes a witness who testifies and reflects testimony given under . oath in a judicial hearing and can do it in a brief compass. It \lill not take him fifteen minutes. SENATOR WILLIFORD : Mr. Canales offered a reported case from the Court of Criminal Appeals and you objected to it. iffi. KNIGHT: It did not pertain to the Rangers at all. had no objection to it going before the Committee. I I understood it was eliminated because no Ranger was connected with it. Now, you will remember I asked the lady, as to the unseemliness of the crowd, if she in her own mind and heart believed that it was Oscar Thompson and not the others, as shown by the fact that she sued only Oscar Thompson, and the Senator here corrected me and helped her out in this way, and legitimately, that Oscar ~hompson was the plaintiff and she reconvened against him because he was the plaintiff. Do you remember that circumstance? As matter of fact , Oscar Thompson was not a plaintiff in the case, and why should she not have impleaded the others?--- sustaining my theory that all her animus was lodged against Thompson, although the gravamen of her story was to cast reflection or rather incriminate the Ranger service of the State, and if Mr. Canales did not introduce her for the purpose of impeaching the Ranger service, what other motive was it? Hoi.1, ·we want to shou that she was \ tJ State Library and Archives Commission Texas 1, mistaken about it . CRAIRirJ.AU BLEDSOE : ily ruling is that it can be shown by somebody who was present at the t i me or by her declarations , but not by statements of other persons. I.IR . KNI GHT : All right . I will instruct .Judge Burmeister-- of course , in justice to himself he has a right to state his connection with the case . CHAIRUAN BLEDSOE : iiR. KlTIGRT : H~ has al-ready done that . Well , I will get him to confine hi mself to her own admissions to him in the court . Q Go ahead , Judge , with that understanding. A.The case was tried in LaSalle County on the 24th of October, 1916, as I stated , with a jury, before· Judge 1iullally. Mrs. Yeager appeared on the stand , and on cross examination she admitted that these men were in camp about a quarter of a mi le from her ranch and that an automobile cwne up and brought her young son, who had been with the surveying crowd, and she sent him back and invited Mr . Thompson to come up there . She sent particular ~ord by the driver of the automobile to tell that Ranger to come up there , she wanted to see if he had horns . They went up there . She admitted on examination conducted by me that the Ranger never came in the house ; Hr. Thompson ITas in the house , smoking a cigar , and that she objected to that . She further admitted that she had made a complaint to Governor Colquitt and that in answer to that complaint Captain Fox of the Ranger Force called at her house and that she had stated to Captain Fox that she was not afraid of that bullfrog shaped Oscar Thompson (Laughter)--she always carried a gun and knew how to use it . CliAHU.fAI~ BLEDSOE : l!'ow, Gentlemen, I think -all this testimony is absolutely irrelevant to any matter before us at all and shov;s Texas 1 ... State Library and Archives Commission that it is not---well, it is not admissible under a single theory in this case. MR. KNIGHT: rt is her a9Jnission in that case when she was seeking to recover against Oscar Thompson. CHAIRMAN BLETISOE: Well, testimony that she was not afraid of that bullfrog-shaped Thompson and that she carried a gun is not material. MR. KNIGHT: That is just a passing incident. Just leave that out, Mr. Burmeister, and get down to your knitting. A Well, a~er the f~cts the case was submitted to the jury, and I have here the certified judgment of the court and the verdict of the jury, in which they say--the jury broug4t in this verdict: "1st. We find the plaintiffs' injunction should be perpetuated as to all the land described in it except the 100 acres· owned by Mrs. Virginia Yeager. Yeager and husband, c. 2nd. We find for defendant Mrs. Virginia F. Yeager, in the sum of $100.00 against the plaintiffs, Geo. N. Gibbens and s. D. Timberlake, for use of their land and water thereon for three months and four days, ending Nov. 11th, 1914. Yeager and husband, 3rd. We find for defendants Mrs. Virginia c. F. Yeager, damages in the sum of $150.00 against the defendant Oscar Thompson for the use of their land and water thereon prior to July 7th, 1914. 4th. We find for the defendant Oscar Thompson on the issue as to the cutting of the dam, and further find in favor of the defendant Oscar Thompson and plaintiffs, Geo. N. Gibbens and SENATOR WILLIFORD: s. D. Timberlake"----- I don't think that is admissible. I don't like for the record to go out that I agreed to it. MR. KNIGHT: Gentlemen, she said she recovered judgment against Thompson on account of his conduct that day. CRAIB.MAN BLEDSOE: No, sir; she was asked about the re- covery as to the water and land. 1IR. KNIGHT: I asked if she did not sue him for that out- Texas 11' ~ State Library and Archives Commission rageous conduct that day and if she did not think it was Oscar Thompson, and she said "No," she thought the Ranger had something She said. she won the case, and did not state the to d.o with it. She did. not say she was suing Oscar Thompson for the use amount. of the l and and water, but on account of his ruffianism, and that Now it is before you gentlemen that she recover- she won the case. ed. judgment against Thompson because of his abuse of her. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: That was not my interpretation of the testi- mony of the lad.y, and I was attentive to it, because I took an unusual interest in her testimony, and that was not my construction, that she testified. that she recovered judgment against him for his conduct, but that it was for the use of the water and land. MR. KNIGHT: Well, if that is the recollection of the rest of the Committee I will withdraw it. SENATOR WILLIFORD: MR. LACKEY: "I did." I I asked her who won the suit, and she said thought she won the whole thing. MR. KUIGHT: says: That is my recollection. And a titter went through the crowd. Now, it "4th. Vfe find for the defendant Oscar Thompson on the issue as to the cutting of the dam, and. further find in favor of the def enda.nt Oscar Thompson and plaintiffs, Geo. N. Gibbens and s. D. Timberlake, on the issue as to :Mrs. Virginia Yeager's claim against them for damages for fright and nervous shock." She did sue for - fifty thousand dollars on that account, and she ffaid she won the damage suit. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: on it. No, that was not the construction I placed This evidence is taking too broad a range. Q Now, who was the Ranger there that day, Mr. Burmeister? A Pat Craighead. Q Who is he? A I have know-~ :Ml.'. Pat Craighead for many years. He was born in Wilson County, the son of an old Sheriff there, been in service for many years--lost half of his righ~ leg in the service of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission State in some trouble around Kingsville. was kept in the service. After he got well he He is crippled for life- -was then in service stationed at Hebbronville. After a short residence in Jim Hogg County, Mr. Thompson left the Sherif f's office, and he was elected by the people Sheriff of that county and is Sheriff now. Q Yes, sir. Is he a man of decency and character? A Yes, he is, and was. Q Did you ever know him, as a Ranger or Sheriff, to demean himself other than as became a courageous, decent, law-abiding officer? A I did not. Q What type of man is Oscar Thompson? A He is a cowman. Q Is he the present Sherif f do\"'lll there? A No, sir, Craighead is Sheriff. Q He was Sheriff? A Yes, sir. Q Is Oscar Thompson- - what is his reputation in that country for being a man of circumspect conduct in general and in the presence of ladies in particul ar? A Oscar Thompson is a big cowman, got considerable holdings, he is jovial, and has a very estimable wife and is a good citizen, one of the best we have dovm. there. Q Now, Judge, I want to ask you about who those Rangers were who made the call there six or eight months ago in the cow stealing business? A Well, a s I say, I have known Bill Wright for many ye ars; he was Sheriff of Wilson County during the time I was District Attorney of the Thirty-sixth Judicial District; before he became Sheriff he had been in the Ranger service, stationed around Cotulla; and knew all the Rangers personally that were in Captain Brooks' company, for whom Brooks County is na.ined, all Texas State Library and Archives Commission the men that \7ere in Captain Rogers ' company--the Ranger Captain that got shot all to pieces in Laredo when they attenpted to force the l!exicans to be inoculated with vaccine and they wouldn ' t stand it , and in a street fight he got shot all to pieces . Those men were closely known to me because they were stationed around in that neighborhood. Vfuen some citizen from Duval County-- Judge Luby--aent cattle up in that country to winter them because we had plenty of pear , those cattle began to disappear. Two bunches of Rangers ca!Jle in there. meet the first one . I didn' t One nice day Captain Wright and three other Rangers callle into my office . for possibly thirty years . w.r . Wright had knonn me He informed me he did not come to see the l awyer , but wanted to see the cowman , and wanted help . He disclosed to me what he had- --what he suspicioned. I used the wire , and. we counted some success , and some men are now under bond to await trial d.ovm there for the steal i ng of Judge Luby' s cattle and stealing of w. A. Low' s cattle , a member of this House here now, and after that I was called in by the Commissioners Court of Atascosa County; there uas some trouble between the court and. the County Treasurer. my ranch. I came up from There was no Sheriff , no Deputy Sheriff, no Con- stable in reach of the court . I reoembered that Ranger Captain Bill Wright was in camp at Charlotte in that county. I got him and he came up there . Q You were looking for troubl e? A Yes, we had had trouble , because one of the relat i ves of a member of the Commi ssioners Court had blessed him out . I called on another member of Captain ·:rright ' s company named Frankl in and he ca.me and the outcome of it was that the Treasurer tendered his resignation. For t\70 days Captain ·.:right was in the constant presence of the court , emd there was no outbreak. Texas it: B State Library and Archives Commission Q How did Captain Wright and his Rangers conduct themselves while there? A ~ell , they were our neighbors ; they were old croni es. This young Franklin has a twelfth interest in a three hundr ed and fifty thousand dollar ranch down there . Q Was there any ruff ianism practi ced by any of t hem? A Not that I know of. Q What has been the character of Captain Wright during the thirty years you have kno'IT?l him for being a man of sterling integrity and f~irness? A Captain Wright is one of the most lovable men. failing ; He has a he tries to tell jokes, and on the other fell ow. He is an absolutely fear l ess officer and one of the finest execut i ve officers that possibly has ever been in the Ranger service. Q I Will ask you to state if any cattle were recovered through his visit there for the owners? A Well , I could not tell that , because cattle were found in the highways and by- ways. Captain ~right got some of the cattl e while he was down there . MR. Kl.TIGHT: That ' s all . CROSS EXAIHNAT I ON. By ~ :u:r. Canales . Where were you born? A I was born in Berl in, Germany. Q Whe r e? · A Berl in , Germany--the capital of Germany. ~ Just about thi rty- seven years . Q How many citizens of German birth are over there i n your county? A Where? Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q In your county? A Not a one ; I am the only one. Q In the adjoining counties? A I don' t know. Q You are the only German there? A Yes, sir. Q In all that county? A Yes , sir. ~ I am a fully acclimated Texan. Do you feel lonesome there? A Not at all. CHAIRUAJ.'f BLE"JSOE : ~ Pass on, Mr . Canales. Don' t you know that the exodus in those counties was due to German propaganda? A No , sir; such a thi ng existing in those counti es was not known, or I would have stopped it . I.IR . CAN.J.LES : MR . TIDY'IBLL: That's all. Iilir. Burmeister, there was some testimony by the lady about meeting a Ranger down the road who assaulted her in a car . A No , sir; Was that fact developed in the District Court? that happened at San Gabriel. ER. KNIGHT: llo , that was when they arrested the boy. A You see , this trial was in 1916. EXAIH1fATIOll BY M:.-t. LACKEY. Q You say those cattle cases--what became of them? A One was transferred to Karnes County and two more cases are pending supposed to be on trial in Pearsall. Q They were all indicted? A. Yes , sir , they were all indicted. i.ffi . !140 LACKEY; That ' s all. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Texas State Library and Archives Commission CAP T A I H 0 S CAR T H 0 ll P S 0 N , having been duly sworn , testified as follows :DIRECT EXAJ:IINATION. By Tuir. Knight . ~ Captain , you heard the testimony of Mrs. Yeager about that water hole over there? A I didn 1 t hear it; I was not here. Q Well, anyway, just to save time, just go ahead and tell the Committee what you were doing over there , why you went to her house, and the whole transaction, in as brief a compass as you can. A There was a dispute over a water right. I h~d sold my cattle under a con- from Mr . Conover of .douston. tract. We had land leased She claimed the water, and we had agreed to pay her for her 'li7ater if she would wait until it v1as surveyed- - we agreed to pay her thirty dollars a month for five years, but she would not wait; she shut up the gates around the water . Givens and Timberlake, the parties I sold it to , enjoined her from shutting up the gates. tiell, we went out there with a surveying outfit and surveyed the land, and there was very little of the water hers--part of the well and part of the tank. Her son uas with us when we ran the line , and he told us he thought uhen his mother found how the line went she would be willing to treat with us. He went up there and came back and invited myself and one of the Rangers up to the house. She said the reason she wanted to ·see the Ranger ~vas she wanted to see if he had horns; that was the remark. We went to the house and I went in , and she began to curse and abuse us, and there VTas not one U.llk:ind word said to that lady. The Ranger never went in the house. Q All right. Then , who was in that party?--just the three Texas State Library and Archives Commission that you mentioned? A Ho , sir ; Ilr . Timberlake was with us and 1lr . George Grover and the surveyor , Hayes Dix. Q There were five of you at the house? A Yes , sir . Q How many of you were armed? A Mot one . Q Was the Ranger armed? A I think he was; I think he had his pistol on then. Q None of the rest of the party were armed at all? A 1'To , sir, there '78.Sn' t a pistol in the crowd . My ~'linchester was in the car , a quarter of a mile from the house . Q Now, she filed suit to enjoin the parties from using the vmter? A No, sir , they enjoined her . Q Yes, that ' s right. Now, she answered and impleaded you? A Yes , sir . ~ You were not a party to the injunction suit at all? A No , sir . Q She reconvened against you for the use of the l and and water prior thereto and also for fifty thousand dollars for damages? A Yes , sir. • Q Now, did· you abuse that lady? A No , sir , not a word; I didn' t say a word that I would not have said to my mother . Q Did you make any sign that you would decapitate her? A Ho , sir . Q Now, that v1as alleged in that trial? A Yes , sir. Q The court rendered judgment for Givens and Timberlake for one hundred dollars and for you on the slander charge? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A Yes , sir . HR . KiHGHT : That • s all . CROSS EXAIJI 1TAT I ON. By Mr . Canal es . Q Vlhen clid you become a Captain? A I am not a Captai n . Q I thought he call ed you ncaptain"? A Sort of like they c·all you "Governor n . CA:J'.ALES : 1.iR . That t s all . RE:JI.3-:JCT EXAIHUAT IOlf. By Mr.• Knight. Q Do you kno\7 Captain w. II. Hanson? A Yes , sir. Q How long have you known hiM., I.Ir . Thompson? A Oh, I have known him a long time. Q Have y~u been thrown in contact with him in the discharge of his official duties? A Yes , sir , ever since he came down there. Q How long had you known him prior to the time he became a Ranger? A ITell , I knew him when he was working in the Treasury Department. Q Have you observed his conduct as an official? A Yes , sir , I have . Q Give the Committee the benefit of your opinion of him as you know him. A I don 1 t think there is a better -officer in Texas; he has always been honorable and upright with us . Q He is a man of sterling inte~Tity and unusual intelligence and devotion to duty? A Yes , sir . '1Texas 11 ' " State Library and Archives Commission .:.. ~lU MR . KHIGHT : all. ~hat 1 s "JXAi.:IHATIOH BY MR . LACKEY. Q \lhen you went up to the house how many went inside? A I think onl y three of us. Q Vlho were they? A Hayes Dix , L:r . Timberlake and myself . Q ilhere "did the Ranger stay? A He was on the outside. There was a water bucket outside and they were out there . Q You say she abused you all? A Yes , sir , and she abused us at Cotulla at the trial. lIR . L.aCKEY: That's all . ..: L 0 N c • - - - - - HI LL , having been duly sworn, testified as follows: DIR:!:CT EX.AI:IlrATION. By Er . Knight . ' State your name to the Stenographer , 1Ir. Hill. A Lon C. Hill. Q ffilere do you l i ve? A I live at Harlingen , Cameron County, Texas . Q How long have you lived on the frontier? A You mean in the Cameron country? Q Yes, sir , in the border country? A I vrent down there in 1900--nineteen years ago. Q .A:re you reasonably familiar with the conditions down there? A Yes , sir , I think so . Q What have been your oppoTtunities for acquiring a familiarity with the conditions peculiar to that country down there? · A ~.1e11 , .i: don't think there is anybody in the country has any 1.1 . • State Library and Archives Commission ~l. 't Texas ~ better--that is, on the outside of town. I own quite a lot of property, a farm and ranch a.nd all those things principally. Q Now, have you filled any position as peace officer of any kind recently? A Well, yes. Q What is it, Mr. Hill? A I was appointed a Ranger the last week of August, 1915. Q Special Ranger? A At the request of Colonel Bullard of the Twenty-fourth Infantry, Major Blocksom and General HUtchings. Q Yes, sir. Now, there has been considerable annoyance and anxiety on the part of the cowmen and farmers in that country growing out of the evaporation of their labor down there, the exodus of labor to Mexico, hasn't t~ere, in the last three or four years? A Yes, sir. Q Have you had an opportunity to know of the Ranger service as operated through that country the l ast four or five years? A I have ever since I have been there, the last nineteen years. Q You have heard it testified here that the exodus of labor down there, the Mexican population, was due to the savagery or outlawry of the Rangers? A Not a word of truth in it. Q What is it due to, Mr. Hill? A Well, due to a good many conditions. Q Well, tell the Committee. A Well, the first exodus they had down there was in August or the middle of September, 1915. Q Yes, sir. A Well, that was on account of that plan at San Diego. Those Mexicans down there all organized and divided up that whole '!i l .,.. .... '1 c.J Texas State Library and Archives Commission country; they were going to take that whole country between the Nueces and the Rio Grande and going to kill all of us down there and run us all out of that country. Q What particul ar country did they have in contemplation? A Well , they all talked about the country between the Nueces and the Rio Grande. They said we had stolen it from them, our Government had , and had taken the land away from them, and they had selected uho uas going to be the Governor of it and the judges of it and this, that and the other. Q Yes, sir. Hov:-, then, all right . What else affected it--- what about the Selecti ve Draft law? A How, the reason they left there then , there wasnrt any Rangers in that country in 1915 until the first week of August ; there wasn't any Ranger there until the day before Austin and his sons were killed at Sebastian; time, and Fox, both. :raids. then Ransom came in there about that Up to that time they had had two or three Then they killed Austin and his son, and they had al- ready burned up two or three railroad bridges and burned up quite a lot more , and on the following Sunday they had that raid at Horias. Then they had a lot of depredations around Mercedes and all through that country, and the Rangers uere already in that country, and the people that o-mied that country and illterested in that country, they got hold of a lot of those felloHs and captured them and got o.11 the information they wanted and found who was in this thing , aiding them and giving them comfort and helping them out , and they just uent after them, and that's all there was to it. Of course , they got afraid and went across the river- --didn 1 t half 0 0 across the river that ought to have gone , as far as bein5 interested in the raids . How, I v1ant to say this: You hear them to.lk about Mexican soldiers coming across the river. Hinety- eight per cent of Texas State Library and Archives Commission the people who depredated were uexicans on this side of the river, Mexicans raised in that country, living on people's ranches there. Q All right . Now, what effect do you think the Rangers had in inspiring the exodus? A Didn' t have a thing in the world to do With it- - - didn 1 t have any more to do with it than the twelve signs of the Zodiac . Q Nou, Colonel Hill, have you had anything to do with the matter of detecting crime down in that country? I want you to state---There has been something said here about the activity of one Pedro Larema and Thomas Tijerina in regard to the appre hension of a man named Chapa and his partner, who were hung at Brownsville, and also one Flores. A Well, now, that man Chapa and that other, they were in that Sebastian raid, is my recollection, and they were arrested by a man named Keen, who was either one of 1Ir . Vann 1 s deputies or a Ranger, out about four or five miles from the river. Q Yes, sir. A l~ow, Flores, he was arrested next day after the train wreck. Q Yes, sir. A And a man down there who used to be former Tax Collector, named Tomasso Larema , brought a young l.Iexican in and an old l;Iexican on suspicion---they uere arresting everybody on suspicion. They stayed in jail a couple of days. One day they were brought before 1r:r . Vann, and it was either Tomasso or Sanchez Tijerina and one of the Laremas, those parties stood there and told Vann about what good people these people were and what a mistake had been made, and wanted him to turn them loose. Vann said, "All right; there is nothing against them and they can go along." Q You were there? A Yes, sir, I had come in. was told not to let those I.iR . LACKEY: Vlhat ? They were still in there, and Vann ~exicans go . Texas State Library and Archives Commission A Hr . Vann was told not to l et thoce 1:exicans go . Q You told him not to let them go? A Yes , sir . I Tianted you to understand that I have learned some other pronouncls besides "I" . Q I understand. A He was told that this I~exican and also in the Sebastian raid. Flores was in the train robbery Flores was sitting over there , and he was told that Flores had a black spot on his neck covered up by his handkerchief. Q What was the color of the hand.kerchief? A I don' t remember. Q Well , go ahead. A He went over there and untied the handkerchief and said, nyou were in this Sebastian raid and the train wreck; your name is Flores , " and he clidnrt deny it , and he said yes , it was his name , but he was· not in it. Then Flores was put in jail , and he then sent for some parties there and said he would turn State ' s evidence if they would agree not to punish him, and it was fixed up in a legal way; the lmv reY.uires those things and fell0\7S are to turn State ' s evidence and tell the truth about the whole transaction, and i.ir . Vann and the District Attorney reported that he did tell the truth , and I believe he did tell the truth. Q He was of great service in bringing the criminals to justice? A Yes , sir , he told all who were in it. Q Well , now, if you had not appeared , Tijerina and Larema would have had them discharged as good ltexicans? A Yes , sir . Q How, did either Tijerina or Larema have anything to do or present Tihen Henry Keen arrested those two desperate men uho were hung , Chapa and his partner? A Ho ' Library sir , hadand nothing to do Commission with it. Texas State Archives ~ How, I.!r . Hill , there has been a good deal said here in evidence about the bones of a man by the name of Florencio Garcia that were found between Point Isabel and Brownsville. Did you see those bones? A Well, I saw some bones at the court-house and some clothes that they had brought in there the next day after the Rangers had given bond. Q That you uere advised were the bones in question? A Yes , sir. Q How long after they were brought in there? A Well , it must not have been but a day or two, because the Rangers had just given bond. Q Have you seen bones on the prairie and observed them and in position to state approximately the time required for bones to absolutely bleach? A Oh , yes , any man is familiar with cow bones. Q What was the condition of those bones with reference to being devoid of marrow or other evide~ces of the sustaining of life? A They were whi te-- what we call bleached bones. I will tell you, no bone will turn uhite---when there is flesh on them they are yellow; is gone. they won't turn white or yellow until the marrow These bones had no tissue or anything at the end of them. Q The ligaments had disappeared? A Yes, sir. Q In your judgment, how long had those bones been.exposed to the elements? A Well, I would say a year or a year and a half. Q Did you see the clothes that were brought in there? A Yes , sir, I saw them, but didn't examine them. Q Didn't notice the clothes? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A Hy op i nion is that the clothes never came off the man that had those bones , be'cause they uould have been rotted if they had. Q Now, I Will get you to state whether or not there were agents in that country actively dispensing German propaganda? A Yes , sir , not only that , but all over Texas , New uexi co , Arizona and California. Q What class of people ---was it I:aexicans , Texans or Germans or who that v:ere chiefly interested in that matter? A T~e man that furnished them--the most of the printed propa- ganda came from a man by the name of hluros in Los Angel es , California. Q Was he a Mexican? A Yes , sir. Then they had headquarters at Bay City and had headquarters at San Antonio . ~ot only that; they used this printed matter , and they sent men out that went all over the country and they delivered that stuff to them by hand. Now, in that country they had men like Ramos Pizana and a man named Vasquez that lived on the Bro\"lll ranch. This man Pizana lived on my ranch and had lived there for ten years without paying any rent and had three or four hundred head of cattle. Then you go on up the river and there was a lot of them in Bro\vnsville , a man named Dablo , he was interested, and around San Benito there was a lot of them, but the main man--they had a Jefe or General in each one of these places. a man named Rodriguez ; army and rec~ntly Around San Benito was he was a major or colonel in the :Mexican came over there to take charge of this propa- _ ganda. Q You knou him personally? A Yes , sir , I knou him personally. ~he Then you go further up river, they had men in San Antonio and Corpus Christi and Texas State Library and Archives Commission all over the country. Q Were those agencies in communication with each other? A Yes , sir. 1 Did they have signals? A I don' t know about that. we i~vestigated They would do this , Judge---now, all those things: They would send money down there to those people and we could get copies of the money orders from the Postoffice Department, and then they got to reading their mail and kept right up with it; they knew who all was into it. Q Now, what was the nature of that propaganda--why did that cause the Uexicans to hie across the river?--what did they think? A \'/hich? the I.Iexicans on this side of the river? Q'Yes. A Well , they just simply saw-- - they appealed to their patriotism and their country and told them if they killed all the Americans and run them out they would have all the land and make a lot of them generals and judges and governors. Q Was there anything said about the Selective Draft laws? A Uell , we were not in the war then, but they uould get papers published in :r.1exico favorable to the war in Europe, and one·, I think , said there uere about eighty thousand Germans in 2exas, or reservists. ~ Or in Mexico? A Well , either in Texas or filexico , and they were ready to join them. Q That was the occasion of the exodus in 1915 and 1916? A That was the occasion of the exodus in September and October , 1915. Q now, \7hat was it in 1916? A \/ell, in the Spring---in the ·.:inter of 1916 and 1917 they thought we were going into the war , and then the same propaganda Texas State Library and Archives Commission told them that they were fixing to put-- -take all the Mexicans and make slaves and soldiers out of them and going to take everybody, I think, from eighteen to sixty, going to take all the women over there and make nurses out of them and make them cook and make them Red Cross helpers. As soon as Bernstorff got his walking papers Mexicans went from this town and from Lockhart and all over South Texas to Ii:exico . Q How, Vlhen was the main exodus? A That was the main exodus, about that time. Q Now, in 1917 and 1918 what .was the occasion? was it the Rangers that caused them to go across , or was it some other cause? A No , sir , it was not the Rangers. Q What about the Selective Draft law? A When they started legislating on the Selective Draft they began to go to :r.:e.xico, and ·when they had to register on the 5th of June, then they went from all over South Texas , and after that became effective then they kept going to J~exico. That was in the Spring of 1917. Q ho~ Yes, sir. l~ow , then, I will get you, i:r. Hill , to state long you have kno\'711 Captain Hanson? A About twenty- five years, I guess . Q You knew him when he was United States Liarshal? A I knew him before that--knew him when he lived at Rio Grande City and Laredo before he was l.Iarshal. Q Have you been thrown in frequent contact vii th him during the last quarter of u century? A Yes, sir. Q Have you observed his conduct as a man and officer and his ability? A ·.' /ell , I will say this about him : There is not a better officer in South Texas than i.Ir . Hanson. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q :Did you ever see him conduct himself toi1ards his fellou men other than as became a courageous, self- respecting citizen? A No , sir , I never knew him to have any trouble at all . Q Nov , have you observed his conduct since he has been connected with the Ranger force? A Yes , sir . ~How has he conducted himself , both as a man and officer , since he became Captain of the Rangers? A Strictly to carry out orders . Q Did he do it in a lawful , manly way? A Yes , sir , so far as my observation goes. Q No~ , I will ask you about Captain Stevens . about him and his troubles down there? What do you know just tell them in your own way. A Well , Captain Stevens was efficient and diligent , unusually so , more than any Ranger Captain they had for several years up to that time . Q rs Captain Stevens an overbearing, desperate man in his con- duct either as an officer or individual? A To the contrary. Q Did you ever knou of hi~ being guilty of any misconduct either as an officer or as a man since you have knoTin him? A Hot that I knou of , no , sir . Q Why, going back to that propaganda , I will ask you if there \7as circulated amongst the Mexicans by the Carranza Government down there offering the Mexicans if they would return to t:exico . land and so forth? A Oh, yes , they offered to give them all the land they wanted, and they went so far in Matamoras as to issue deeds to the land patented by the Crown of Spain; they had a regular place \lhere they executed deeds to them. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Now, I uill ask you if you heard any complaints in all that country against either Captain Stevens or Captain Hanson prior to the activity of the Rangers in ferreting out alleged election frauds in that counti'Y'? A I have heard some people sort of knocking them a little bit about arresting German propagandists, said he ought not to do it or wasn't the best thing to do, and deserters. The hue and cry started when they had orders from the Attorney General up here to investigate those frauds, when ha would not do what they wanted him to do about elections and about other things. Q Well , what about when he would not obey their order? A Well , they began villifying and backbiting, just like those fellows are always doing. llR . KlHGHT: That's all. CROSS EXAl.IINAT IOM. By TuI:r . Canales. Q You say Flores was arrested by Tijerina and Lerma and brought to the Sheriff? A All I know is what was said. He was arrested by Tomasso Larema, is my understanding. Q Don't you know that Tomasso wouldn't arrest anybody- --he used to live in town and was Tax Collector and wouldn't arrest anybody. Now, Lon, do you remember the time in st. Louis you came · out in a big paper over there that you were a full-blooded Cherokee and the richest Indian in the world? A I never came out in the paper. (Laughter ) Q Well , do you remember that? CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE : That hasn't a thing in the world to do with it. 1IR. CAJJAL::JS: Yes, it has. CHAIRIJAU BLEDSOE : Well , I will hold it does not, anyuay. 1J 1t.r.. !"! • State Library and Archives Commission ..... Texas HR. CANALES: Well, of course, if you deprive me of the right to challenge the statement of the witness---I will show that he made the boast that he was a Cherokee and then in Chicago said he was a full-blooded Choctaw. 1ffi. KNIGHT: Wa have no objection to that. CHAIRTuIAN BLEDSOE: ible. {Laughter) Gentlemen, I don't think it is ad.miss- I don't think it is material to any issue in this case, no matter how interesting it might be to know about it. I.IR . LACKEY: I don't see the materiality of it, but if they all want to hear it I am willing to listen to it. THE WITNESS: MR . HOSES: THE WITMESS: It is not my statement. It is Yll'. Canales' statement. I want to say for the benefit of the Committee that I learned some other :pronouns besides "I" when I went to school. MR . CANALES: Well, you forgot them when you went there. CHAIRMAN BLKJSOE: MR . CANALES: Gentlemen, I don't think it is admissible. That's all. REDIRECT EXAIJINATION. By Lfr. J.i:oses. Q Is John A. Hill your son? A Yes, sir. Q The statement was made by M:r. Canales yesterday that he was a Special Ranger, that he was a cattleman and owned no cattle. What business is he in? A He is in the cattle business. Q How close to Brownsville does he live? A He lives at Harlingen. Q How close is that? A Twenty-five miles. Q How long has he lived down there on the arroyo? . 'ii Texas ti.!; - t.' v State Library and Archives Commission A He went down ther e with me i n 1900. Q He has been in the cattle business how long? A Oh, he has been in t he stock business for the last six or seven or eight years. Q I believe, if my recol lection is not at fault, there was some statement that you own no cattle? A I have some few head. John is the cow man; seven or eight hundred head; he has about last year he liad about four thou- sand head . Q In about four mil es of Tutr . Canales' land? A Yes, sir , adjoining his land--running a lot of cattle on his land. 1ffi . 1.10SES: That 1 s all. RECROSS E~IINATION. By Mr. Canales. Q How many do you render? A Not talking about rendering. Q Now, Lon, isn't it a fact that you have never rendered a single head of cattle in Brovm.sville for the last five years and your son never has rendered any? A If the Committee thinks that is relevant testimony-- - - CHAIID.tAN BLETISOE: I think it is a proper inquiry. A Render cattle for taxes? Q Yes . A I will answer that I don ' t know. I don' t think I did, to tell you the truth. Q Lon, isn't it a fact that your son was simply talking of cattle that he was in charge of and didn't belong to him, but belonged to his uncle or brother? A He had down there about eight or nine hundred head of cattle that he ovmed a half interest in ~ith Sam, my brother; balance belonged to him. Texas State Library and Archives Commission the MR . CAHALES: That ' s all. E.X.AlIINATION BY liffi . TIDVJELL. Q Mr. Hill , I want to inqui:re--there was a man taken from jail at Harlingen and hanged. A What was his name? Q I don' t remember. MR. CANALES: Who was the man that testified? Navaez. A I never heard of it . Q Did you ever hear of that circumstance? A Uo , sir. MR. CANALES : He don' t live in Harlingen. Q They said he was taken out of jail and hanged by some Rangers. Do you know about it? A No, s i r. If the Rangers did it--- I don't bel ieve they did it , because there are certain rul es and regulations prescribed, ' that is not the Rangers ' business-- there are other people to do that . Q Now, do you live in Harlingen? A Yes, sir , about a mile from it. Q Now, do you know about the City Jlarshal there? A You are talking about Isabel Cantu. Q I don't remember his name . MR . MOSES: MR . TIDWELL: The Deputy :u:arshal lived at Lyford . Well , that ' s all. RECROSS EXAI~INATION . By Mr. Canales . Q Lon, about 2500 people live in Harlingen? A Well, someuhere around a couple of thousand. Q Possibly out of twenty- five hundred about twenty- four hundred and fifty didn' t know anything about this incident? '1Texas i -6. ~· ..., •• Rt.' f State Library and Archives Commission A Well, I don' t know about that ; was given; I don't know what publicity they usually don't give publicity to those things . EX.AI.iINATION BY CHAIRMAH BLEDSOE. Q Id!' . Hill , you made the statement that there were certain regulations observed in reference to those matters and you didn' t believe the Rangers did it . A What I mean by that is this: When those Mexicans organized themselves to run us people out of there and kill us--and they did kill a terrible lot, including soldiers--of course, we shaped up our organization, too, and we shaped up our organization and we knew who we could call on this pl ace and that and the other place , and there were certain fellows that looked after those things. Q In other words, anything an officer could not do he passed it to the other fellows and they attended to it? A ITell , I am just simply telling you about the organization. You would go into it and you would have packed your doll rags, called the dogs, and done what we did. Q Some things were done in order not to involve the Rangers officially? A No , I never heard of that before. Q Well, you say that was not part of their business? A I never heard anything that the Rangers- - -Q Well, I mean what you meant by that remark? A Well , I never heard anything o:f the Rangers ' hanging anybody. Q Well , they didn' t do it as you said just now on account of the regulations? A No , sir. A lot of those citizens wouldn't object to hanging a fellow to make him tell what he knows. Q You don't think a Ranger would do that? A Yes, they are no better than anybody else. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Well, you think if they had a fellow out in the dark at n i ght they would give him the third degree? A Well , I don't know; probably they might. EXAMINATION BY MR. HcIJ:ILLIN. Q Did some of the Mexicans leave a good deal of property there? I believe you said one of your tenants left several hundred head? A Yes, sir; that fellow Aninceto had three or four hundred head. Q What became of them? A His friends took them and sold them and sent the money to him in I.Iex ic o • Q Did they bring what you would call a full price? A I don't know anything about the prices. EXAMINATION BY MR. LACKEY. Q There has been some testimony about four men having been taken out of jail at Harlingen and executed or shot. Do you know anything about that? A At Harlingen? I.IR . CAU.ALES : Mo, that wa s at San Benito . A I know two or three fello ws that killed some soldiers at the Galveston ranch and they were taken out by some citizens and shot; that was at San Benito. with it; The Rangers had nothing to do there were no Rangers there. EXAMINATION BY SENATOR WILLI FORD. Q Mr . Hill , do you think the Ranger service could be improved any? A Well , yes , sir , in a marked degree, by paying them better wages. I don't know that you could improve the efficiency of the service, because on account of the peculiar conditions on Texas State Library and Archives Commission the border you' ve got to get men acquainted with the people and the country. What business has a of East Texas dow-~ in that brush? fello~ from the pi ney woods He don't know anything about it. Q What do you think about requir.ing bonds like a Sheriff g i ves? A Well , you would absolutaly destroy his efficiency. would go on his bond. Nobody If he didn't come around and ask a fellow a question and have a smile on his face like a Thanksgiving proclamation they would all swear a plenty and have a lot of law suits . on bonds . They would be afraid to do anything. would absolutely destroy their efficiency. rt Another thing: have been on the frontier all my life, and those fello~s I down there in that country are just about as hard a set of men as I ever saw. They are not afraid of anybody or any set of men. EXAMINATION BY MR. TIDWELL. Q You mean the Rangers? A No, I mean the bandits dovm there. No, they are not afraid of them. Q What about the citltzens? A Afraid of Rangers? No . \7hy should they be? Q Ho, I mean afraid. of bandits? A No, I don't know that they are particularly afraid of them, but they dread them like everything. hard citizens . bond; Those fellows are sure Now, you talk about putting Rangers under that would absolutely destroy his efficiency. If he hasn' t got a lot of l atitude and he goes up there and meets one of those bandits and you want to facilitate it, if you had a clause requiring Rangers to join a memorial association so he could be buried cheaply, you ought to do that. CHAIRJJAU BLEDSOE : (Laughter) You think he would be a fit applicant for membership in a coffin association? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A Yes, sir, and right now; there ainrt any foolishness- - you tell one to "Halt!f' and it's right now. Q Isn 1 t it a fact that you have many J.iexican citizens that are as law- abiding as the Americans? A Yes, sir, we have some Mexicans that are reasonably law-abiding . Q Aren 1 t they as afraid of the banditti as the .Americans? A Yes, sir; you kn.ow.nobody can be as mean to any of their own race as one Mexican to another. They come across and kill Mexicans because they have an idea they have given out some information about the banditti. Q Do you remember the circumstance when a Mexican ranchman over on the Rio Grande above Brownsville was carried by bandits on the other side, possibly a year or two years back, and brought back and his body was found in the middle of the Rio Grande river? A Yes, sir. Q What was his name? A Verga, or something like that. Q They found his body in the river? A Yes, sir. That • s nothing. Those fe llows carried soldiers, Americans , carried them over there and executed them. HR . KNIGHT: Clemente Barrios was the name. RE":nRECT EXAI.IINAT ION. By Hr. Knight . Q Mr . Hill , what is the habit of the criminals among the Mexicans to tell a cock-and- bull story about mistreatment? .A Oh, that's the first thing; lIR . KNIGHT : that is stereotype with them. That 1 s all . - - - - - - - - - - - - - Texas State Library and Archives Commission HENRY EDDS, having been duly sworn, testified as follows: DIRECT EXAMINATIOH. By Hr . Knight . Q Mr. Edds, where do you live? A Hebbronville, Jim Hogg County. Q Hebbronville , in Jim Hogg County. How long have you resided there , Mr . Edds? A I have been in that country about twenty-two years. Q Where were you---what part of the State were you raised in? A I was raised in Wilson County. Q You have been down in this southern country all your life? A Yes , sir, all my life . Q Are you acquainted with Ranger Johnny Edds? A Yes , sir; he is a cousin of mine . Q What is your business? A Stock business. Q Your ranch is in Jim Hogg County? A I control four ranches, in Jim Hogg , Starr, Hidalgo and Zapata Counties. Q Now, do you remember the circumstance , ll'r. Edds, of-- I believe his name is Salinas--a Mexican who had been apprehended by two liexican cowboys? A Jose Maria Salinas Gomez. Q Do you remember that circumstance? A Yes , sir . Q Just tell the Committee all you know about it . A Well, I was not at home when that occurred; I was in Karnes County. CHAIRl.!AN BLEilSOE : You don ' t talk loud enough. A I was not in Hebbronville when that occurred; Karnes County. Texas State Library and Archives Commission n ....f.[F ( ..~ I was in Q Well, you were not there at that time. Were you acquainted with the ranch on which those two Ilexicans worked that had that prisoner in charge? A Yes, sir. Q The man was a Mexican, was he not? A Yes, sir. Q Izaguirre is a good man, is he not? A Yes, sir, one of the best Mexicans we have. Q Now, how long had you known Izaguirre? A About twenty years-- since he was a boy. Q Now, how long have you known Johnny Edds--since he was a child? A Yes, sir. Q What is his reputation in that country as an officer of the l aw, as to whether or not he is quiet, fe arless, firm, and non-overbearing? A It is reported to me that he is a good of ficer; that is his standing . Q Isn't that the uniform opinion of that boy in that country , that he is a good, efficient of ficer? A .Among the law-abiding citizens, yes, sir. Q Do you believe that Izaguirre would ·have turned that Mexican prisoner over to two of his cowboys if he did not think they · were reliable and would have delivered him to the officers? MR. CAN.A.LES: That is immaterial and irrelevant. Q Well, I will put it this way: The facts are these: that John Edds was attending court in another county and was notified that those cowboys had arrested the Mexican. He reported to the court and tried to get off and get excused to deliver the prisoner at Hebbronville. He VTas told by the District Court or District Attorney that he could not be away longer than one o'clock next day, and in that time he could not have Texas State Library and Archives Commission delivered his prisoner at Hebbronville and got back to court. Arriving at the ranch, he consulted with the owner of the ranch and asked him to designate two reliable men to deliver the prisoner at Hebbronville, and these two men were selected. Now, considering the reputation of :rvr:r. Izaguirre, and considering the fact that Johnny Edds knew of the law-abiding disposition of Mr. Izaguirre, do you think there was any indiscretion or bad judgment exercised by the boy in letting those two men take the prisoner? MR . CANALES: I ob j ect t o that as absolutely immateri al ·and irrelevant . CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: I t hi nk it i s going t oo :far. prove his general reputat i on as an off ic er MR. KNIGHT: and You can a man. All right . Q Now, Mr . Edds, I will ask you i f you know Captain Hanson here? A Yes, sir. Q How long have you known him? A Twenty-five or thirty years. Q You have known him as a citizen and officer of the law? A Yes, sir. Q You have had frequent occasion to observe his conduct as a citizen and officer for many years? A Yes, sir. Q What is it--good or bad? A Good. Q. Have you ever known Captain Hanson to be guilty of any mis- conduct, either as an individual or officer, that did not become a fearless officer and a faithful one? A I have not. Q That 's all---no , there is another matter I want to ask you. You a:re f amiliar with the conditions down ther e on the border? A Yes, sir. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q You know the services that the Rangers have rendered and that the soldiers have rendered. Now, I will ask you to state whether or not in your opinion the Ranger service would be crippled to a degree that would render it practically impotent if they were placed under bond? A Yes, sir; I think, as st·ated here before by many witnesses, it would destroy their efficiency. Q What , in your opinion---I will ask you to state if from your own personal knowledge-- - you have come in frequent contact with the Rangers down there, have you not? A Yes, sir. Q I will ask you to state whether or not- -- I don't know, I haven't talked with you---you have seen any of the Rangers misbehaving in the matter of drinking, carousing and conducting themselves in an overbearing manner towards citizens? A I have seen Rangers drinking, yes, sir. Q In latter y.ears? A I don't believe I recall any recently. I have seen Rangers go so far as to get drunk. Q That was in old times--there ' s no whiskey in that country now? A Yes , plenty of it. (Laughter) Q \'Tell , I mean sold publicly? A No , sir. Q That ' s what I thought. Now, do you know of your own knowledge of any outrages they connnitted in the way of shooting prisoners and imposing on citizens? A No , sir, all that occurred lower dovm in the Valley. Q Now , do you think the Ranger service might possibly be graded up some and i mproved? A I think it mi ght be i mpr oved. Q Well, in what particulars, lJr . Edds?---tell the Committee State Library and Archives Commission Jtt Texas f.~, your view of that . Do you think increasing uages would help? A Yes, sir , increasing wages would help; they would have more to work for . Q Do you think greater power given the Adjutant General and his Captains in selecting their men and plac i ng them under military discipline would improve . it? A I think so . Q That would purge it of characters that might otherwise have gotten in? A Yes , sir . Q Hou, there have been under a l aw recentl y enacted a great many Special Rangers appointed . I will ask you whether or not that law has operated to the good of the country down there? A Yes, sir , it has i n our locality. Q Have you ever known of any discrimination shown by the Adju- tant General ' s off i ce or by the officers and men in the field i n performing their duty with reference to the different citizens down there? A Hot in any case . Q Do you know of their having refused , either the Adjutant General ' s office or the Captains or the men, to go to the rescue of any citizen who call ed upon them? A No , sir . I.IR . KlHGHT : That ' s all . CROSS EXAMINATION. By Mr . Canales . Q I·:'fr . Edds, you ' ve got a good Sheriff there? A Yes, sir . Q He is a fearless man? A Yes , sir . Q He executes the laws? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A Yes , sir . Q He is unde r bond? A Yes , sir. UR. CANALES : That t s all . REDI RECT EXAHINATIOU. By Mr . Knight. Q What is the name of that man? A Pat Craighead . Q Pat Craighead has been accused here in these a l legations and attempted proof of be i ng a man capabl e of abusing and conduct i ng himself u.nbeco~ing a gentleman in the presence of a l ady. he that k i nd of man? A He is absolutely a gentl eman under all conditions . Q A fearl ess , red- blooded , fearless American citi zen? A Yes , sir. MR. KNIGHT: That ' s all . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - At 5 .15 P . I.I. the Committee recessed until 7 . 15 P. M. The Committee reconvened at 7 . 25 P. M. C LAUDE Mc G I L L , having been duly sworn, testified as follows :DIRECT EXAM:INATION. By Mr . Moses . Q Your name is Cl aude licGill? A It is . Q IThere do you l i ve? A I live at Alice . Texas State Library and Archives Commission rs Q In vrhat business are you engaged? A Live stock business. Q Where are your live stock interests? A In Duval , Jim Wells, Nueces and Willacy Counties . Q How long have you been in that section of the country where you now reside? A Since 1904. Q Do you knOVl T . T. East? A I do . Q \There is his ranch si tuated--his headquarters ranch? A The San Antonio Viejo ranch is situated about thirty- five miles South or South-uest of Hebbronville. Q In Jim Hogg County? A In Jim Hogg County • . Q Do you or not know TuI:r . East and his family well ? A I do. Q There has been some testimony with regard to a raid that was made on the East ranch. Do you know when that raid occurred? A I - - -Q The date , I mean. A No , sir; I know the month; i t vras in llarch of 1918 ; I don' t remember the date . Q I.Iarch , 1918? A Yes, sir . Q State whether or not you were there at that time? A I vras . Q Now, just describe that raid and who the raiders were and tell what was done with regard to it. A Well, it ' s a good l ong story. I will just get at the details and gi ve you the facts about it, and if you want to ask me any questions about it I will ansuer them. On this day during ltt.§ Texas State Library and Archives Commission i.Iarch , I don 't remember the date , business carried me from Alice to the San Antonio Viejo ranch. ·UR. KNIGHT : That• s the East ranch? A Yes, sir, that's the East ranch. I left Alice about two orclock in the evening and went to Hebbronvil le , which is about sixty miles , and about thirty miles on dovm to the San .Antonio Viejo ranch. In company with me from Alice to Hebbronville was I.Ir . Oscar Thompson, in vrhose car I \lent, and another gentle man by the name of Franklin. We were driven by a Mexican boy. When we got to Hebbronville Jltt' . Thompson didn • t go any :further with us and I uent on do"\'7ll with hl:r . Franklin, driven by the Mexican boy. Yfe arrived at the ranch a little after dark; in fact , it was good dark when we arrived there. Q Pardon me . Was Hr . East there, Tom East, at that time? A No , sir, he was not . Ue uere going South dovm a main road and we had in going up to the ranch turned up a lane going ITest which was about a quarter of a mile long, and across the end of this . lane, or this lane ended , why, a big barn and pens, and the way we had to go we went straight up almost against the barn and turned directly to the left and it went into a gate or dr iveway and yard there. When we had gotten about half way up this lane we began to hear shots fired , I don't know how many; were pretty fast; I didn't pay much attention to them; sounded like an automatic or a couple of them ; very much attention to it. the car was going slow. they it I didn't pay rt is very heavy sand there and When we made the turn to go in the gate on the left of course the light changed and on the inside of this yard I speak of I saw a lot of horses , it was just a glimpse but I could see horses and also see men with guns , and the car nas going- -had made the turn and was going very slow, I don't know uhat speed. I don't know what they did to the ltih9 State Library and Archives Commission Texas boy, · I was sitting on the back seat t but the next thing I knew something hit me under the chin. I could skylight a figure or figures, I didn' t see more than one at the time , and then I felt rather knocks i n the breast; discover I saw Winchesters. it didn' t t ake me long to They addressed me in Mexican and says, "If you r ve got a gun I ' 11 kill you. " I made no answer to that , and he says again very hurriedly and seemed very much excited , "If you have a gun I ' ll kill you. 1r then , "What do you want?" I says in English He says to me in Spanish, " Get out of the car" and caught me by the shoulder and gave me a pretty good yank and I stepped out, and they searched me. Q You say "they". How many were there then? A Well , I could not say only up to that time two or three or four or something l ike that; I could not see -- it was dark. About that time they brought a lantern from somewhere and then a man--he had been questioning me in :tlexican. I don' t speak-- I speak a little Mexican, not very much, but I understand it pretty well ; I understood what was said. However , up to that time I had not answered him only in English , and one of them came up and caught me by the coat and says to me as if he wanted to act as an interpreter: want guns, and he uant money. " nHe say he want horses , he \"fell , by that time I had kind of come to (Laughter) and I said, "Oh, is that all he 't7ants? that ' s nothing ." Then he says-- - about that time they brought a lantern and then I could begin to see figures everyvvhere -not everywhere, I could see figures , and I also observed white men that I knew that they had . with them. the matter?" I says , "What is He says, "They are holding up the ranch. " Q llho was this whi te man? A Young Franklin, nephew of the gentleman I was with. It afterwards developed, and I thought so at the time , that it was a captain that had me, and he told me in :.~exican Jtt70 .. Texas. State Library and Archives Commission to go to the store . It had already occurred to ce that Mexican I can talk , I won 1 t try it. " said , and I did.n 1 t move; nr won 1 t try \7hat I understood VThat he then he says "Pickilly! Pickilly! n \."vhich means "Go". 1.IR. KNIGHT: What does that mean? A Well , he punched me a couple of times in the back and I knew what it meant. implicitly. Q (Laughter) So after that I obeyed his orders They took us to the store. Row, that uas the store there on the ranch? A That was the store on the ranch . I would have to draw you a diagram for you to understand it, and I expect I had better tell you the location of these other buildings before we go any further. From where we were it was about fifty yards t o 1.tr. Franklin 1 s house , the foreman r s house ; I judge about a hundred or a hundred and f i fty feet on a direct l i ne still going South was the store; then about two hundred feet on i n the same direction was the main ranch house or the East home. sot in the store; So we this Franklin boy uent ahead and unlocked it and we got in the store and they had the lantern and they got some sacks from someuhere and put the goods in the sacks, and while we Tiere in there the ladies co.oe in; lins I had not met. the two I:i:rs . Frank- They seemed very much excited, the older lady had been cryi ng, and her brother - in- law introduced me to them. I got up and spoke to them and told them not to be afraid, that we would get out all right . So after they sacked the store they t ook us back under guard , back Horth then to this foreman ' s place . The house is built , the main part of the house is separate from the kitchen and dining- room , separated ~hey by a little walk'\7ay or platform or little gallery. set us down and set the lantern on the floor and tuo on ea.ch side o~ us guarded us. 2hey took young Franklin and Texas State Library and Archives Commission ~ent to the barn to hunt saddles and whatever they could find they needed, and \/hen they ca'Ile back he said, "They want to go to Hebbronville and want to take me with them." asked him nwhy?" His mother began to cry and and he said they wanted him to show them the man who had the keys to the bank. They took our car and a Mexican 1 s car that had come in behind us---I missed telling that; we missed a I'.Iexican in going dovm there in a Ford car, and we went around him; this uexican I understood had gone through the morning before in going to Hebbronville and uas They used his car coming back and they held him up there. with him for a driver and they took our car with Thompson's boy for a driver and left for Hebbronville, leaving some guards with us, five that I saw, and it was about eleven o'clock when they left and they returned about three. When they.returned they stirred about some and the captain and another one came up to where we were , and cutting out a lot of stuff that don't amount to anything this is about what he said in Mexican: He said, "I am going to leave," and he says, "If you all don't attempt to get away from here you won't be molested; you will be killed .n if you do, He says, "Now, the treatment that we have accorded you comes from the fact that· you have treated us right," and he told us good bye and left. Q During that time did you see LI:r . East or ltrs. East? A Well , let 1 s see. When they took the ranch was just about sundown, and there was three of those Franklins working for him; there was this man I went down there with was bossing for him on the Wells ranch, and then the old man Franklin and his wife, one of the l adies I speak of, and the young man and his wife were there when they took the ranch; there, and when we came they took us. those were the only ones They robbed the store and brought us back there, and I dontt know how long after Texas State Library and Archives Commission that it was- --they were not in the store long, but M:rs. East and the driver came up. She at the time was very much excited. I got up and spoke to her and sat her down beside me and told her not to have any fear, that we would get by all right, and I had recognized the fact that they not converse much; c~uld talk English and we could they were pretty olose to us and I never got a cha.nee for some time to ask her where her husband, Tom, was. Now, where they had been worki.n g they had a camp, about four miles from there, and East and his wife and the driver had started to the ranch; they came a different direction from where I came and it was necessary for them to go through the corral and barn, which has stalls on each side, and they came through there and he was out opening the gates, as he told me afterwards, so the car could follow him. When he slid back the big door their horses and some of them were right in the light and he dodged back through and passed the car and told his wife something as he did so, but she didn't understand it, and when she came to me I asked her when I got a chance, "Where is Tom?" She says, "Unless he is in the barn, they've got him." Q nid you talk with the driver that took them over towards Hebbronville? A This boy? Q Yes, after he came back? A Only in a general way; Q there was several talki.n g to him. I don't mean you asked him questions, but were you present--- do you know why they didn' t go on to Hebbronville--did you learn why the bandits did not go on to Hebbronville? A Well, I remember this, that that night when he came back or after they left there was considerable excitement; we were straightening around, and the fact of the business is, over in this main house were guns; they hadn't been in there. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q That was the ranch house? A Yes, air. Immediately after they left the people began to be moving a.round, and we agreed we had better be quiet a. while, and we stayed there for about ten minutes; whether they were gone or not. we didn' t know There was a telephone there, and we had tried it during the night and thought it was cut, and we thought the cars were out of commission and wouldn't run. This man Franklin that came down with me says, "I am going to town for help." His sister- in- lau fell on his neck and implored him not to go; she said, "They '7ill kill you." He said, "I am going anyho\7." About that time I said, "I think the first thing to do is to see if they got in the house; if they didn't, those guns are there," and we went over there-I.Irs. East, Franklin and myself-- and found they had not been through that house. Q Now, was that while the party had gone towards Hebbronville? A No , sir, hadn't gone yet. We found the guns all right; don't remember what number they vrere--ei ther four or six. I We came back with the guns and I told this driver, I says, "You can go out novr and try the cars; we can protect you," and he Tient out there and the car immediately started. Then it was agreed---there uas a gate we had come through in coming dow-a there, and 11e felt sure that was being guarded or uaylaid, and ue agreed finally to let this boy of Thompson's go and I would write a note and let him take it, and felt sure that they would not kill him, and if he didn't get there we were not out anything; but while I was gone in the house to write the note this driver of East's got in the car and said he would run by; he said, "They can't hit gate - - I'll run over it. 11 me running, and that 1 s a little plank So he went to Hebbronville . Then vre got the guns and got out there in the opening to guard the 1iJ"'' Texas •. iii• State Library and Archives Commission place . l.::r . East had gone to his camp , uhi ch In the meantime was four miles away, and gotten up the cou croud , which was composed of I.~exi c&LJ.s , and sent one of them to Hebbr onvill e . Q How, what had. become of the robbers? A They had gone on. Q Gone towards Hebbronville? A no , sir , they l eft and vrent back West towards Zapata County. CHAIRI.IAH BLEDSOE : This was after they had returned from Hebbronvil le? A Yes , sir , and after they had left the pl ace . Q You misunderstood the question. I uas asking if the bandits ascertained :from the driver that there were Rangers in Hebbronville and turned back? A Well , I don t t remember; I was showing you what excitement was going on, and never questioned him, but this Mexican that East had sent--he sent him to the Wilbur Allen ranch, where there was a ' phone, and he was smart enough to know after he got on the road that the central at Hebbronville was not open at night , so he uent on to Hebbronville and I think beat this driver there, so I guess it was about four o' clock when the ' phone rang-- -uell , I think it was about four o' clock that the ' phone rang and it vras LI:rs . :Gdds , I.I:r . Henry Edds ' wife , telling us that they had gotten word and that the Rangers and a posse were coming . Q How many Rangers uere at Hebbronville? A I could not tell you ; I don' t know. Q Vlell , were the r e sev eral ? A Yes , sir , there Q ~ere several . Morr, uhat property did they take away from the ranch? A Well , it uas a store that had a pretty fair stock of just ranch suppli es --had groceries , saddle blankets---sone of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission things I remember they took uas saddle blankets , leggings, bridles, shoes , shirts , pants---Q l1Ierchandise out of the store? A r.rerchandise out of the store . ·Q Did they take any horses or saddles? A Well , what horses they took is only hearsay; I di dn' t see them take any horses. Q Well , you were there? A Yes , sir . Q You learned afteruards they did take some horses? A Yes , sir . Q Hou many horses did they take? A Well , my recollection is they only got t'\70 horses. I Will state I passed it over , after I.Irs . East came in then this old man I!,ranklin , who had been at the cow camp, came and when he drove into the lot he said he went into the stall t o see i f a night horse had been kept up and not finding any he left his horse standing and came up to hunt the I.Iexicans that attended to that and ualked on by and two of them hollered at him and he kind of bauled them out for not having a horse , and he said , "I left my horse in the pen; you are going to have to keep him up , " so they ·went-- - I don' t know uhether they unsaddled him or not . Q What did they force the women to do? A They didn ' t force the uomen to do anything. Q Uell , did the women cook supper for them? A \fell , we went over to the house---along i n the night vre asked these fellows , s omeb ody asked them if we couldn' t make some coffee; they said 1rYes 11 and v7e '7ent over to the house with them · and made the coffee or warmed it over and gave them some . Q Nou, about hou many uere there of the bandits? A \fell , I VTill pos i t i vely say there Tiere thirteen of them; vrent off in that car and five stayed there ; Texas State Library and Archives Commission I don' t know horr eight many more there were; I know positively there were that many. Q You spoke of one of them as being the Captain. What do you mean by that? A Well , he was the commander or capitan. Q Do you mean Captain in the hlexican Army, or just in charge of that bunch? A No, just in charge of that bunch. during the time vre I know he had authority; uere in the store one of them spoke pretty impudent to me and he told him to shut his mouth, which he did . Q The commander did? A Yes , sir. Q now, they left there about uhat t i me- - the bandits? A Right about three o'clock. Q What time did the posse get there? A I don' t know what time· it was ; it was just a little aft er daylight. Q Who was in that posse that you knew? A Henry Edds, Oscar Thompson, John Draper and Pat Craighead; I believe Pat came later. Q John Draper-- do you know uhether he '7as a Special Ranger or not? A Ho, sir , I don' t; he was in the emp~oy of the Cattle Raisers ' Association. Q J. c. Draper? A Yes , sir. Q Pat Craighead is the Sheriff? A Yes , sir , and then Captain Wright and some of his men. Q Did this posse after they arrived and found out the situation, did they or not follow the bandits? A They did. Q Did you accompany the posse or not? ,,.... 1t'Texas .... State Library and Archives Commission . .. A No , sir---I had all their society I wanted. (Laughter) Q Did you know or did you ascertain who any of those men were? were they all Ee:x:icans--the bandits? A All that I saw were Mexicans . Q Did you knov-r any of those men? A Not personally, I wou~d not say that I knew any of them; this Captain, I think I have seen him; I would not pretend to say that I know him. Q The facts are that you fo l ks did ever~-thing the bandits told you to? A Absolutely everything. (Laughter) Q The men and women that were there? A Yes, sir. Q How, what county lies between Jim Hogg County and the Rio Grande river? A Jim Hogg County and the Rio Grande? Q Yes. A Well, you mean in reference to the way they \-rent? there is Zapata and \fell, Starr, would be the two counties in the direction they went . Q How, what portion o:f Jim Hogg County was this ranch--this Tom East ranch? A ~Te 11 , I don' t knou just where the line is. I would say it would be in the southern portion. Q Starr County lies directly to the South? A Yes, sir. Q And Zapata to the South-west? A Yes, sir. Q ~hose counties border on the Rio Grande? A Yes, sir . Q And about hoIT far from the East ranch to the Rio Grande river? A Well , I don't know that I could say exactly. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Well, approximately? A 1iiy idea is about fo:rty- five miles . Q How, you know by hearsay that the posse follo"ITed and killed a number of the bandits? A I never hea:rd that they killed b-p;t one. Q All that is just what you heard? A Yes , sir . Q Now, what was the condition of that country down there as to drouth during the years--during the '7inter of 1915 and 1916, the counties of Jim Wells and Jim Hogg and those counties South o:r toward the Rio Grande river? vms there or not a most disas- trous and severe drouth? A Well , now, let ne see; I think it was in 1915 and 1916-- yes , I think we had a very severe drouth; as I remember , there were sixteen counties in it. Q "ell , those counties I refer to , were they in it? A Yes, sir. Q .And what vras the condition as to whether there were any crops made or any grass crops to amount to anything? A Well, that uhole country was very dry; everybody moved their cattle out . Q i'lhat was the condition of the farmers- - did they make any crop there that year? A Ho , sir: Q I will ask you what was the condition---- A Well , now, wait. I believe it was during that year vie never had rain before ---I think it was about that time we had a terrific . storm and rain away long in July, something like that. Q That was 1916 , uasn•t it? A Yes . Q Away up in the summer? A Yes . Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Prior to that time there had been a very disastrous drouth? A Yes, sir . Q And you take the laboring people, like J.Iexicans, working for wages, dependent on crops, did they or not have anything to live on, the great majority of them? A No , sir. Q I will ask you if that contributed or had anything to do with the exodus of the llexicans from that country during that time? A Well, I don' t know uhether it did. or not. At that time there were caravans of uexicans passing through the country and. more than one lot of them I asked why they \"!ere leaving the country told me on account of the drouth and that they could get provisions in llexico . Q Novr, are you acquainted with the stock interests at least in the counties of Starr , Hidalgo and Cameron--ranching conditions down there? A Well , I am not as familiar with those counties as I am the counties farther up; the chain of counties immediately bordering the river, I don't do :cru.ch business in those counties. Q The population, is it or not very largely Eexican in all of those counties? A Yes , sir, a good many Eexicans. Q Up as far as Duval and from those counties on South to the river? A Yes , sir. Q And you have lived in that country since 1904. Where did you live prior to that time? A I lived in Flatonia , Texas , Fayette County. Q Mr. licGill, you have known, have you not, the Ranger forces that have been stationed dorra there in that country, different portions of it, since you moved there in 1904? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A \'Tall , I will state that my knowledge-- all my knowledge of the Ranger companies is mostly Captain Sanders' and Captain Wright's companies. Q Captain Sanders and Captain Wright? A Yes, sir . Q You have knovm of the Rangers, though, more or less since you have been dow-..a in that part of the country?· A Yes , sir. Q Know of their work? A Yes , sir. Q You are more or less familiar with conditions in the counties South of you? A Yes , sir • . Q As well as those counties in which your ranching interests are. I believe it is admitted by everybody that there is a necessity for a continuation of the Ranger force. I will ask you what in your judgment would be the effect upon the efficiency of the Ranger force if the provision of !Jr . Canales r bill kno\ffi as the bond feature was engrafted on our law? A Well , I think it uould cripple the efficiency of the Ranger force. I don't believe--- - Q Well , now, why? state your reasons. A Well, I can give you a dozen reasons why. they could give it; I don't believe I don ' t believe there is any man that would go on a Ranger ' s bond, and I will say very freely I would not. It is very diffenent from a local officer's bond , from the fact that your local officer 1 s bond you've got there in the county and you have him to deal with. These Rangers are moved everywhere , and I don' t believe a bonding company would go on it . I believe it would cripple their efficiency from the fact that they have to make a good many arrests on suspicion, Texas State Library and Archives Commission as far as that is concerned, where they haven't time to wait for a warrant--if they do they uouldn't get the man, and if they should make a mistake, if ever so honest, they would be up against a damage suit, and if that fellow was in a county outside of which he had given his bond, where he was not surrounded by his friends, and if local conditions went against him, he would be up against it, I think. Q Mr. !1cGill, there has been some suggestion with regard to the issuance of Ranger commissions--Special Ranger commissions. name was called. Your Are you a Special Ranger? A No, sir. Q I will ask you if you knou of any- --I will ask you if it is not true that there are quite a good many ranchmen, especially those who live West of you and South of you, who do not have Special Ranger commissions? A Who do not have? Q If it is not true that they do have? A Yes, sir. Q I will ask you if you know of any man, any substantial citizen of that country of good character, who has ever applied for a Special Ranger commission who was denied that privilege? A No, sir, I don't. Q Do you believe that the granting of those Special Ranger commissions to those men who own land and cattle in that country is a wise or unwise exercise of authority on the part of the Adjutant General? A I think it is wise. IJR . CAUALES: :Mr. Chairman, I have no objection, but it is immaterial and irrelevant. CHAIRMAN BLE:JSOE : J;ffi. CANALES: I think it is very important. All right. Texas State Library and Archives Commission A I think it very uise . I will point you to the fact that most of the citizenship there that morning at the time of that trouble uere Special Rangers . I will point to Mr . Canales ' brother , who is a Special Ranger and a good man , and I w~nt to see him kept one if it is continued. Q Now, I believe there has been no testimony here of any out- rages on the part of the Rangers in Jim Wells County, where you live. That is rather a large sized county, is it not, from North to South, at least? A Yes , it is a long county. Q And there is a very considerable Uexican population in that county? A Yes, sir , there is . Q now, it has been suggested also by r.r:r. Canales, I believe , when he was testifying, and also b.Y the Justice of the Peace, that the exodus of draft registrants and their famil ies from Cameron County was occasioned by fear of the Rangers. I will ask you if that condition as to Mexican people who had been registered for service in the Army-- if there was an exodus of that type of men from Jim rrells County? A I forgot all that question. Q Well , put it another uay: Do you kno~ uhether there is any considerable number of men who registered in Jim rrells county, the I.Iexican people, who uent across the river to keep out of the A:rmy? A I know positively they left; I presume it was for that reason. Q Did you ever hear i t claimed in Jim \'Tells County that they were leaving for fear the Rangers were going to kill them? A I never heard it, and it would not be true a s to ou:r county. Q Did you ever hear that f ro m any part of the country until this investigation started? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A Ho , sir . Q !Tow, I.ir . UcGill , you had a very heated senatorial campaign in that district? A Yes, sir.: Q And the people took very decided stands in · favor of the two candidates, Parr and Glasscock? A Yes, sir , that was the issue. Q I will ask you if it is not true that many, many people and politicians, who are citizens , supporting one of those candidates , if they did not charge and complain that the Ranger force was used for the purpose of advancing the candidacy of the other man? A Well , I could not say that that existed in our county. Q Well, in the district? A Well , I have heard it claimed here , yes, sir , ever since I have been here. CHAIRHAN BLJ!DSOE : Judge, pardon me. Did you ever hear it claimed before you came up here? A I heard it in this uay, Judge---I don't k:nou whether I ought to ansuer your question like I intend to, but I heard that that faction uas go ing to use that; that is the spirit that I heard it in. CHAIR!.:AH BLEDSOE : That one faction in the senatorial contest 't'Tas going to urge against the Rangers the fact of their activities in the senatorial election? A Uell , that was the rumor. CHAI1Th1AU BLEDSOE : Did you hear that before you left home? A Well , now, I could not point you to any one that said it. CHAIRMAIT BLEDSOE : But you know you have heard it around the Capitol here? A Yes, sir . CIIAIRI.;:AH BL:JJ)SO:J : That ' s all . Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Well , now , did you hear any complaint in that part of the country that the Parr supporters uere complaining because the Rangers were used to advance the candidacy of Glasscock? A Ho , sir. Q Didn' t hear that in Jim Wells or Jim Hogg. Did you ever have any acquaintance with Captain Hanson before you came up here to this hearing? A I might have met him; I never had any intimate acquaintance with him. Q How, you know Captain Sanders? A Yes , sir . Q For quite a long time his headquarters have been in and around Alice? A Yes, sir . Q What type of man is Captain Sanders , as to whether he is an honorable , upright citizen and a just , efficient and humane officer? A Well , my O\"lll picture --my picture of Captain Sanders is kind of in--- well , he is a kind of character all his own; not tell you just hou to express it. I could I regard Captain Sanders as --\7ell , one of the old time Western type; he is very gentle - manly, and I regard him as a fearless officer and a good one. Q What is his reputation down there among the people with whom he has been stationed as to whether he is an efficient and humane officer? A I have never heard anything like that. Q \/hat do you mean- - never heard any criticism? A Ho , sir , never heard him criticized , outside of here --I mean do\m there. Q I mean dovr.a there ar.1ong those people; they know him best . put it another uay, then , have you heard any complaint---- Texas State Library and Archives Commission To A Ho ' Sir . ~ - - of any respectable citizen do\'7!1 there of any cruel or harsh treatment of the public by him as an officer? A Ho , sir . Q You know Captain Wright? A Yes , sir . Q What type and character of man is he, as· to whether he is an efficient and humane officer and honorable man, and how is he regarded by the people along those lines? A I have not knoun Captain Uright intimately so very long; I know him more by reputation. Q That 1 s exactly what I want . A He has the reputation of being a good and fearless officer . Q Ylell , vrhat is his reputation as to \7hether he is a humane and kind officer or a cruel one? A I never heard any complaint of his cruelty. Q Do you know John Edds? A Ho , sir , I never met him until I got here . Q I believe it is suggested in 1tt . Canales ' bill that the Ranger force be materially decreased, \'lith a provision that it can be increased by the Governor. A That I mentioned that there should be a decrease in it? Q Ho , that is the bill. Do you believe the ~anger force as now constituted should be decreased? A I think this about it: If you eliminate it from that country which has caused so much discussion, eliminate it entirely, that the rest of Texas needs Rangers more at this time than for many years past . Q ~Tell, uhy? A Well, there is hardly a paper you pick up that you don t see 1 strikes and societies of people that are not doing any good, and Texas State Library and Archives Commission ,. V7e have these oil \lells developed up here that \"/ill cause the congregation of many people and I believe ~angers will be needed; and I want to say, in reference to the testimony of the gentleman that said they did need Rangers but don' t need them now, the thought crone to me , it is just like a man who is s i ck, when you need a doctor you need him right away, but aft er you get well don ' t destroy the medical profession- - you are apt to have another spell and need him again. 1IR. lIOS'SS: That ' s all . CROSS EXAJ.i:Il{ATIOH. By JJ:r . Canales. ·· Q How far is the ranch o:f i'/ilbur Allen from where that raid took place , I.Ir . 1icGill? A I don' t know exactly, I:tr . Canales; I would say twelve miles . . Q Didn' t you know that Mr. Wilbur Allen was a Special Ranger? A No , sir, I didn ' t know it at that time. Q Do you believe that those bandits would have raided it if they had knovm Mr . Wilbur Allen was a Special Ranger in twelve miles of them? A I don' t believe that would have stopped them, no , sir . Q How far is the Ton East ranch from the frontier --the river? A Well, nou, you heard me make that statement, and I don' t make it as knowing; I say I judge about forty- five miles . Q Those fellows had apparently come from Hexico , hadn' t they, Mr . McGill? A Well , as to that , I will tell you what I told Captai n Wright when he arrived there next morning. He said, nnow, what class of men ue:re they, as to being desperate and so forth?ir I said, "Captain , I've got them classed up o.s being Texans , Eexicans and Slo.ckers . ir years old ; I don ' t believe there \'78.S ·a man there over thirty they could have been thirty- five . Texas State Library and Archives Commission That is the • impression they left on me , and I can give you the reasons for it . Q Hovr many regular Rangers arrived there t7i th Captain 'ilright? A I could not tell you exactly; as four and the Captain ; I will say there were as many there may have been more. Q Where did they come from? A They crone from Hebbronville . Q Didn' t you know in Hebbronville there -vrere also fourteen Special Rangers there at that time --fifteen including lir. Wilbur P. Allen? A lro , sir , I didn' t. Q Fifteen and five regular Rangers made t11enty, and you say those bandits were thirteen? A· That ' s the number that I sau. How, it was dark, and just let me tell you , while we were under guard M::rs . East vrent in the house and came back very excitedly and sat dovm by me and said , ''Don' t you and Steve try to do anything . " I said, "Well , now, we ain ' t , ir - (Laughter)- "as long as we o.in 1 t got any better shot than \le have." can handle one . " I said, '1There is only five here; I knov-r I She said, "The whole front is full of them. " I said, "How do you know?" out there." and she said, rrr can see them smoking Q Five remained vith you and eight went to Hebbronville? A I kno11 eight went to Hebbronville and :five i7ere there . Q Now, those fellows 1rent to Hebbronville , where there were four regular Rangers and some Special Rangers? CHAIRMAH BLEDSOE : MR . CANALES: When did this occur? Last year. A I didn' t say that; I said they started to Hebbronville and they went in four miles of Hebbronville and turned around and came back. Mr . lioses asked ~e if I knew why, if the boy said why, and I didn't testify. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q I understood you to say they had gone to Hebbronville to rob the bank? A That mis their intention. Q They didn ' t go there? A no . Q And you say the captain was rather civil because when one of them began to be rather - - - - A Annoying. Q - - annoying to you he told him to shut up his mouth arid he did? A Yes , sir , to shut up his mouth and he did. Q And they carried off provisions , but never molested anybody else? A Uo , sir , except the little touch they gave me . Q lfo\·1 , you had a very good Sheriff just before this one--11'.r. Osborn, he was a good Sheriff? A Yes , sir , a good Sheri ff and a good man. Q Did you ever hear that he was ever deterred or handicapped from arresting a cattle thief in Jim Wells County simply because of his bond? A no , sir . :.IR. I.IOSE S : :rrir . Canales knous a Sher i f f ha s no right to arrest anybody out of his county. CHAIRI.iAJJ BLETSOE: No , he is aski ng about his O\Tll county. A Uo , sir, I never knei7 of that . CHAIRI\ilAN :BLEDSOE : Gentlemen, I think this examination is taking rather a broad turn. HR. CANALES : Well , I asked him uhether he knew o:f any single instance uhere }J;i'.' . Osborn, as good a Sheriff as we had , \7as in any way deterred or handicapped or prevented from arresting any cattle thief in Jim Wells County simply because of his bond. Q Did he aluays do his duty? Texas State Library and Archives Commission CHAIRlIAlT BL~DS03 : 1ir . Canales , I still think the examina- tion is ta.1ring too long a scope . I.IR . CAUALES : Chairman, they brought up the question of Ilr . the bond and I have a right to cross examine him about the bond . CHAIRMAlf BLEDSOE : You have as to the probable effect of a bond on a Ranger , but you are asking a hypotheti cal question about a condition that never existed. 1.~ . CAlT.ALES : Take the witness . REDIRECT EAA:.IDTAT ION. By I.Ir . I.i:oses . Q Do you knou Tom I.ioseley? A Yes , sir . Q Was he in that posse that followed the bandi ts? A Yes , ·Sir . Q Is he also a Special Ranger? A Yes , sir , and also inspector of the Cattle Raisers t Association. I never got through naming all those ; Reed came. also ol d man Tom Hosel ey went \7i th the Rangers . I.IR . :L.IOSES : That 1 s all. Ex.&.:IllATION BY J,!R. TID~7ELL. Q What county uas this hold-up of the ranch in? A Jim Hogg County. Q How far from Hebbronvil le? A Thirty- five miles South. :MR. TIDWELL : That s all . 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - llt90 Texas State Library and Archives Commission 0 S CAR T H 0 ~ P S 0 U , recalled, testified as follows :DIRECT EXAl;tINATIOH. By J...tr . Moses. Q Er. Thompson, you have just heard the testft.mony of y:r . UcGill? A Yes, sir . Q In which he described the raiding of the Tom East ranch in Jim Hogg County, in which he testified that you in company with other citizens went out from Hebbronville to the East ranch? A Yes , sir . Q It being composed of regular Rangers and Special Rangers? A Special Rangers . Q And so on. Were there any in that posse who uere not either regular Rangers or Special Rangers? A I don't think so. Q What time was it you arrived at the East ranch? A We got there just about daylight. Mr. Wright came to my house I think about 3 . 30 or 4 o'clock and we were at the East ranch in two hours. Q How did you go? A I put IJ:r • ITr ight ' s men in my truck and I got in the c a.r ui th Captain Wright and Henry Edds and we went in the lead. Q You are the same Oscar Thompson and the other man is the same Henry Edds that lir . Canales referred to as having Special Ranger commissions? A Yes, sir. Q Well , now, after you got to the East ranch what did you do ? A We followed the trail from the ranch until we got to where they took the road towards Roma and Captain Wright sent me to Rio Grande City after the balance of his men. LIR. TID\IELL: Talk a little louder. l1!t1 Texas State Library and Archives Commission A It looked like fi:fteen or eighteen men until we came to where they went to\lards Roma and Captain Wright sent me to Rio Grande City after the balance of his men. Q Who accompanied you to Rio Grande City? A Mr . Edds and I don't remember who else was in the car. I remember Tuir . Edds was there, and I think the Sheriff, Pat Craighead. He had four men, I think, at Rio Grande City and I vrent and got them and came back to where he was camped. Q Now, do you know from what you afterwards saw whether or not they overtook the bandits? A Yes, sir, overtook one; I saw him. Q You saw his body? A Yes, sir. ·Q A Where was that? That was at a ranch, I believe what they call the Javelin Ranch. Q In what county? A I can't tell you; it is in either Starr or Zapata. Q How far from the East ranch was it? A About tuenty-four or twenty-five miles. Q Did you know that He:x:ican? A No , sir; I me get dinner; only stayed there a few minutes ; he didn't let he sent me back a:fter his camp outfit; I was used to doing without dinner all my life, and I went after it and got back to the camp about twelve o'clock that night with his outfit. Q Well , neither you nor Tutt . Edds were present at the time they overtook the bandits? A No , sir. I,ffi. IJOSES : That 1 s all . Texas State Library and Archives Commission CROSS EX.AI.i:Ili.ATIOU. By :.rr . Canales. Q Do you know John L. Dannelley? A Yes , sir. Q I mean g . A. Dannelley? A Yes , sir . Q What is his business? A He is a bookkeeper and County Clerk; he is my bookkeeper . Q He is also a Special Ranger? A Yes , sir. Q Asa Draper? A Yes , sir. HR . I.IOSES : I think Ur . Canales is reading from a list of former Special Rangers , and we object , because that is unfai r cross examination--men appointed under Governor ~erguson, for whom General Harley is not responsible . A No , they are appointed under this administration, and they are good men . CHAIRMAU BLEDSOE : this inc~dent If it relates to Rangers at the time of he would certainly have a right to know uho they \7ere. Q Asa Draper? A Yes , sir . Q \'/hat does he do? A He is a ranchman. Re came on that drive, too , afterwards . Q R. E. Gardner? A Gardner. Re cussed me out because we didn' t ' phone him to go with us . Q Does he l i ve in Hebbronville? A Uo , sir , he lives in Duval County. Q Will Gonzales? A He ' s a foreman o~ mi ne . Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Got your bookkeeper and also your foreman? A Yes, sir, and another foreman and a brother . Q Well, I 'll come to it. A I. H. J. H. McC ~mpbell? That is Ralph Mccampb ell' s son. Q How old is he? A He is t wenty-two or t wenty-three years old. a ~ommission He didn't have at that time. Q But he wa s made a Specia l Ranger? A Yes, sir, since that raid. Q G. c. Olson? AG. N. , isn t it? 1 Q G. N. What is his business? A He is a farmer. He did have a saloon, but he is a farmer now. Q A Special Ranger? A Yes, sir. Q Was he in that posse? A No , sir ; Q w. w. he would have been i f we could have got to him. Saunders? A He is a Special Ranger and ranchman. Q He lives in Hebbronville? A Yes, sir . , Q J. c. Saunders? A Yes, sir, that 1 s his brother . Q How old is he? A J. c. is sixty years old. Q His brother is younger? A Yes, sir. Q Oscar Thompson, yourself? A Yes, sir . Q That is the same Oscar Thompson? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A Yes, sir . Henry ',7oods? Q A Yes , sir. Q How old is he? A He is thirty- two or thirty-three years old. Q Whose foreman is he? AW. P. Allen ' s --a good, reliable man; ev~ry one you have called is as good , reliable a man as is in South Texas. Q How many Rangers were stationed there? A I think eight . Q Fifteen and eight makes trrenty-three , and how many started after those bandits? A As many as we could get hold of ; it wa s night. Q How many were there? A There were ten or twelve of us , maybe more . Q And just killad one? A Yes , sir . I1I!Z . CAUALES : That ' s all . J. - - - - - - - - - - - - - IJ. MOTHERSHEAD , having been duly sworn , testified . as follows: DIRECT EXAl.:IlfATIO!i. By lir. I.ioses. Q Judge Hothershead, you live at San Benito? A Yes , sir. Q What is your business? A I am an attorney. Q How long have you lived in Cameron County? A Eight years past. Q Uhat official positions have you held? A irone except City Attorney for about six years there . Texas State Library and Archives Commission £_ Q City Attorney? A Yes , sir . Q How close is San Benito to the Rio Grande river? A I think it is about six or eight mil es to the river ; I don' t know the exact distance . Q Now, you were livi ng ~here , of course , during the year 1915 and since? A Since 1910 , yes, sir. Q Since 1910? A Yes , sir . Q There has been some testimony in this case , and I don' t re - member what the location was now as to what Rangers were responsible for it, of some people who had been arrested and placed in the jail or calaboose at San Benito and were ta.ken out and kill ed during the year 1915. Were you living there at that time? A I was , yes, sir . Q ~ere you City Attorney at that time? A Yes , sir. Q What was the condition of the public mind then as to whether people were going about their usual business in a calm frame of mind or whether there was excitement and a reign of terror existing? A At that time , early in the Spring of 1915 , the public mind was very much agitated. Foe had had several bandit rai ds . The first , I believe , was the shooting at a surveyor and the next, I think, was the att empt to · burn the bridge near Sebasti an- -made two attempts , and stretched some wire across the road , and then there was a raid down on the Scribner ranch, and I think along about that time or near that time was the time that they killed Soldi er EcGraw, and continual reports Y1ere coming in that the Texas State Library and Archives Commission llexicans were crossing the river in great numbers and were coming across to attack the city, had terrorized the cit i zens until a great many of them were leaving the tovm., and we could not get any protection of local officials and the county officials could not cope With the situation, or did not do it, and we had appealed to the Governor for protection, but didn' t get any- - got a very sarcastic reply; we told him that our citizens were being murdered, their property stolen , and that the county officials were not able to cope with the situation and that there uas a crying need of our people for protection, and he wired back : We saw -r1e "What is the crying need you speak of?" couldn r t get any help . That was Governor Ferguson. Then ue organized our people to try and protect ourselves, and we notified those in the country to come in tovm as far as they could , not to st~y i n the country, and every night we would put out guards on every road that entered the town , some four or five , and that went on until the soldiers came , the National Guard, and they helped us the same way, they would put out guards to protect the tolm, and the soldiers were not able to cope uith the situation, and a number of people left the tollll- I could mention some of them--afraid to keep their families there, others sent their wives and children away. Finally the Rangers came and they soon got the situation in hand and re stored order . Q How, do you remember the circumstance of 'the mobbing of some people there , I.Iexicans, that were said--or one of them, at least- -said to have been ta.ken out of jail and mobbed. \7ere you living there at that time? A I was living there , but don t 1 kno~ anything about it of my own knowledge. Q Well, you have lived there ever since? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A Yes , sir. Q You heard a great deal of discussion of it afterwards? A Yes , sir . Q now, I will ask you what is your recollection as to rrhether there were any Rangers there at San Benito at that time? A I don' t think there were any Rangers at that time. There might have been at the time of some . of the occurrences later on. Q Well, I am talking about the time when Daniel Hinojosa was there. He rras not a Ranger , but a local officer? A Yes , sir . Q Have you heard it claimed by any responsible people that any Rangers were responsible for that mob? 1 A I don t think the impression prevails amongst the people that the Rangers were responsible. Q Novi, do you know Captain Hanson? A Yes , sir . Q How long have you knovm him? A Only a short time. Q I will ask you if Captain Hanson was rather active down there since he has been in the Ranger service-- been down there several times? A Yes , sir , I think so. Q I rrill ask you horr Captain Hanson is regarded or uas regarded before your political troubles started over the senatorial race? A Do you mean Stevens or Hanson? Q Hanson. How was he regarded, as to whether he was regarded as an honest , efficient and honorable officer? A Oux people regard the Rangers as efficient . Q ilell , I am referring to Hanson. A Yes , sir. Q How about Captain Stevens? A Yes , sir. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Did you know him before he came dorra there as a Ranger? A I did not, no , sir . Q About hou long uas he stationed in Cameron County? A Why, Captain Stevens was stationed there a month or so to my knowledge. He was very efficient and gentlemanly; he attended to his own business--a genteel man and a man that could not be improperly influenced. That was my impression. Q I will ask you if it is not true that there was a g-reat deal of interest taken in the campaign for State Senator in that district during the last campaign for the nomination and in the general election? A Yes, sir. Q During 1918? A Yes , sir. Q I will ask you if it is true that there was any criticism of the Ranger force among some of the people dovm there or some of the politicians in regard to the alleged activity of the Rangers in that contest and any char~e that they were favoring the candidacy of one man as against the candidacy of the other aspirant for that place? A Practically no criticism at San Benito , but possibly there might be one out of ten- - - no, there isn't that many. I~ostly the criticism came from the politicians at the county seat. Q At the county seat? A Yes, sir. Q I will as~ you if it was not charged and complained of that the Rangers were used to advance the candidacy of Glasscock over Parr? A Yes, sir, I have heard that complaint made. Q Now, prior to the primary election in July, 1918, at which Parr and Glasscock were candidates for that office, had you heard any complaint of the Ranger force do'ITll there by reason Texas State Library and Archives Commission of their conduct during 1916 , 1917 and 1918? A I did not. Q On the contrary, I heard a great deal of praise . now, I.Ir . Uothershead , I \7ill ask you to state for the benefit of the Committee what you think of the wisdom of that provision . . of Iilr. Canales r bill that provides for bonding the Rangers, whether you think it a wise or unwise provision and what effect it would have on the efficiency of the Ranger force? A Why, in my opinion it would destroy the efficiency of the Ranger force. Q Why? A Well , the position that the Ranger occupies is different to that of any other official. In the first place , he has a different class of people to deal uith. From my own observa- tion the county officials are not able to cope \Tith these Mexican bandits; they are more like the Indians , and it takes a man that knows them, who understands them and knows how to capture them and acquainted with their ways , and he has got to take chances; I mean he can' t afford to take chances that any other official could , and I think if he was under bond , why, it would hamper him ; in other words , he could not afford to be as effic- ient in the service , he uould not be of the same servi ce as he is; and again , I think if you placed him under bond and he happened to go in a county where the local officials were not favorable to him, if he made any mistake then he would be brought---of course , the bill provides to bring t he venue to this county, but if you put it in that county he would be subject to suits, but if you brought it to this county, why, i t would almost break up any man to defend the suits , because he would have to bring his witnesses so far it i,-,ould be hard to get them. Any one who has practiced l a\7 knows the difficulties under which a man labors under those circumstances. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Do you know the circumstance of the arrest o:f a County Com- missioner down there by Captain Stevens' men?--there has been some testimony in regard to it. A \lho is that-- Commissioner Edwards? Q Yes. A Yes, sir, I do. Q Well , tell us what you know about that and why it came about. A Well , going back a little so you will understand it, in the last campaign I was supporting Sheriff Vann, because I thought he \7ould make a good officer and represent the will o:f the people, and the information came to me that whiskey was being sold at this time contrary to l aw. Q At \That place? A At Point Isabel--tha t 1 s the home of the Commissioner--and that it wa s being sold to soldiers and that the evidence was being collected and the man would be arrested, and, being favorable to the Sheriff, M:r. Vann, I telephoned h~m--that was late in the evening--! 'phoned him about seven or eight o'clock at night and told him that I had a very important matter for him and :for him to meet me at Barreda.. . I met him on the road and I informed him of the facts and told him I wanted to give him an opportunity to go there and see and arrest the man if he was violating the law. Well , the next I knew, the next day the Rangers in company with the Justice of the Peace came to my office and he asked me to draw a complaint, and I drew the complaint, charging a violation of the State l aw, another the law of 1917, I don't remember just what it was now. After he was taken in charge by the Rangers he didn't make any request to give bond. They took him out of the office and later they brought him back and he requested to make bond, and the Justice of the Peace asked me if he nas entitled to make bond. Texas State Library and Archives Commission I told him most assuredly he Tias, and he made bond and was released . He waived his examining trial . Q Now, when was that---was that subsequent to the time when the State went dr y? A That was ab out the t i me of tha electi on. Q The primary election? A Yes , sir . Q I think it will be admitted that that sad day was the 26th of June. A Yes , sir. Q Well , what was the charge- --what about liquor was i t? A Why, the Justice of the Peace insisted on taking the testimony of witnesses and I wrote --took the evidence for him and he swore the witnesses and he \/rote down the evidence . Q Well , did you take a complai nt or just write the evi dence? A Oh , I wrote a ' complaint . Q Vlhat was the charge? A Well , aharged him with violating the law, unlawful ly selling whiskey, and al so in reference to the ten mile zone l aw, isn't it the other one? There were two laws being viol ated. Q Do you know why the Rangers interfered with that matter? A Because it was thought it uas a violation of the law. had evidence showing that he had viol ated the law. They They stated-- there were two witnesses that gave testimony- --am I violating the rule in stating that? CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE : Better not do it. Q Well , now, was there any effort so far as you know on the part of the local peace officers of Cameron County to arrest that man for violati on of the liquor law? A no , sir . If there has ever been any prosecution of that I don' t know it. I will state further that the Rangers brought him to San penito, they said , because- - - - Texas State Library and Archives Commission CHAIRLiAH BLIDSOE : Q Well , never mind that. Well , that is not admissible. A All right . Q Mow, do you knou anything about the circumstance of' a I.Iexican being shot dovm there by citizens or Rangers , and to call your attention to it it is the circumstance that Mr . Busby testified about having found a I·,fexican- - -lIR. CANALES : I.!R . 1.IOSES: That was in another county- - in Hidalgo County. All right . I got the places mixed up. That's all . A There is one other thing I would like to state , Gentlemen. Q Go ahead , if' there is any matter- - --- A I neglected it a while ago . One reason why I think the Rangers are needed , the citizens there have f'ound that when they make a complaint to the county officials that it is hazardous , and for instance take the incident of R. E. Cunningham and also another officer who made complaint . They are intimi- dated--they are afraid . LIR. KIHGHT: Explain that Cunningham matter. A Well, I don't know that of my orm. knowledge; repute. it is general If they make complaint they seem to have a complete system-- whatever you do is knoVlll on the other side ; where the bandits are thought to be; that is they seem to have a thorough · understanding, and if a man does anything and they find it out it is very dangerous to him; not exposed to that r i sk; but with the Rangers there we are they fear the Rangers; they know they can' t get away from them and they kno\-r that there won' t be any foolishness in the matter, and also we have had the experience of having examining trials where the evidence would be sufficient ror a conviction and be taken to Brownsville and the man would be turned out and never pro~ecuted . are up against that situation, where if ~e Texas State Library and Archives Commission OUX people don' t have protection of the Rangers and if not unhampered as it is supposed to be here we are not safe in our property nor ou:r lives; and I will say further that there is over ninety per cent of the c i tizens that are now, if this bill is passed in this shape it is going to be one of the greatest blows to that country that could be perpetrated. CHAIRivIAN BLEDSOE : You mean ninety per cent of the citizen- ship of Cameron County? A no , I mean around San Benito , where I am acquainted. Q rt is alleged by :.Ir . Canales that it is a custom and habit of Rangers that where there is danger of being ki lled they uere usually found at some other pl ace. I will ask you if you ever heard of that charge against the Rangers in Cameron County before you heard it by I.Ir . Canales? A no , sir , I have not. Q Vlhat is their 'reputation as to whether they have gone where danger was thi ckest during those troublous times? A Their reputation is as efficient , fearless officers and they stand well with the people in my communi ty. IIR . i:.IOSES : That ' s all . CROSS ~XlU.~IlTATIOl~. By Llr. Canales . ~ Judge , you know Dani el Rinojosa? A Yes , sir , I know him. Q What sort of man i s he? A Vlhy, personally I don ' t know anything against him. He hasn' t a very good reput ati on. Q Weren' t you City Attorney at the time he and Frank Carr were bleeding those poor, unfortunate women in San Benito? A I don' t know of that incident . Q Don' t you know uhen he made public acknowledgment that he Texas State Library and Archives Commission was doing so and dividing the fees with you? A I think you have reference to somebody else . Q Don' t you know that he has been incorporated in the Ranger force? A No , I don ' t know that . Q You think he is a very fine man for it? A V/hy, Daniel Hinojosa has made a sood officer to my knowledge. Q You think he is all r i ght for the Ranger force? A I could not say that I do , no . Q 11ow, do you kno11 i:r . Lon Hill? A Yes , sir . Q Hou many cattle does he Oi7.n.? A I don' t know. Q Do you know Joe Taylor? A Yes , sir . Q How many cattle does he own? A I don ' t know how many cattle Mr . Taylor owns . Q Haven' t you know~ him over there as a Federal officer? A Yes , sir , I know him as an officer and a citizen; he is a very efficient citizen and a spl endid officer . Q Y/ell, I am asking you about cattle. Is he a ranchman there? A I.Ir . Taylor? Q Yes . A I don't know about his private affairs. I don' t understand him to be a ranchman, no , sir . Q I never knew it until I came here to Austin. Judge , you said you were present at the time and advised about Edwards and said he was entitled to bond . Is that true? A After he waived his examining trial? Q Well , after the uhole thing vms over? A Yes , he made bond. Q I.lade bond in San Benito'<' Texas State Library and Archives Commission A Yes , sir; ?.Ir . Dancy, County Attorney, brought the bond up there . Q When was that? A It was after he was arrested . Q Don' t you know he was arrested prior to dinner and had his examining trial about one orclock? A We did.nr t have an examining Jcrial . \'le took some ex parte affidavits of those uitnesses after he had 11aived. examining trial because we wanted the testimony and wanted to let the people knoTI what the testimony was , and further because we knew that they uould never know those people were guilty of violating the law unless we did take it. Q Well , when did I.tr . Dancy cor.ie in there with that bond? A I could not tell you whether it was that evening or not. Q Mr . Mothershe,ad , don' t you know that the Rangers took him down there the same day? A I don 1 t knovr; Q I heard they did. Don' t you knov1 that bond was denied and they took him to iiercedes---you kno\7 i;;r . George? A. Yes , sir. Q And myself were over in your office that d.ay? A. Yes , sir . Q And Sadler and who was the other that arrested him? A I.Ir . Sadler uas one of the Rangers; I don't remember who the other was . Q Is he here? A I don' t knov1 . Q There were three Rangers , weren' t there? A Yes , I think so . Q The two Sadler boys and another Ranger? A Yes , s.ir . Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Now, how long had he been violating the law there? A I could not tell you. Q When did you first kn0\7 about it? A I knew of it a day or two before that . Q So you waited until the day before the election and sent the Rangers to have him arrested? A No , sir , I didn' t do that. Q You didn' t do that? A No , sir . Q Who did that? A On the contrary, as I told you , I got in communication with Sheriff Vann over the telephone and had him meet me at Barreda and gave him the information that I ha.d heard. Q They brought him to your office? A They brought him next day, yes , sir . Q You we'.!'.'e not Di ty Attorney at that time? A No , sir . Q You held no official position at all? A No , sir , I did not. Q And they car:1e doVlll there and the Justice of the Peace came? A Yes, sir. Q And you framed up the papers? A Yes, sir; he frequently asked me to draw up papers for him. Q The first time he asked about bond didn ' t you say it was not a bailable offense? A Uo , sir. Q Before myself' and Mr . J . c. George? A No , sir , I didn 1 t tell you that. HR . CAHALES : That ' s all . EXM.:IHA'1 IOlT BY CHAIRI.iAN BLEDS03. ~ Judge , you say you believe the Rangers are necessary because Texas State Library and Archives Commission when arrests are made from your end of the county and taken to Brownsville the man is not prosecuted? ·. A Very seldom a prosecution. Q Do you say the courts are corrupt? A No , sir , I do not . The court can rt convict without a prose - cut ion. Q But your statement was that they were turned out without prosecution? A We have had that , yes , sir. Q Until the people think it is the rule? A Until the people in San Benito think it is the rule . I am giving you the facts . Q You think your Sheriff, District Judge, District Attorney and County Atto1·ney can not be relied on to enforce the la\7? A I don' t want to say that. ER . HOSES: ·Mr . Chairman, we want to interpose an objection to the question asked by the Chairman of the Committee. The Chairman knows the District Judge can not prosecute anybody, and it is not a reflection on him if the District Attorney don rt do his duty. Ue think the question including the District Judge is improper. There has been no testimony offered by us that reflects on the integrity of the SEUATOR \7ITT : ~istrict Judge. I think the Chairman is correct. The District Attorney canrt dismiss a case unless the District Judge is vvilling. I.:R . HOSES : Yes , I learned that about thirty years ago , and if the District Attorney don't do his duty in the investigation of the case before the Grand Jury and the Grand Jury don't do theirs there won' t be any case to dismiss . SEHJ_TOR WILLIFORD : If the District Judge tells the District Attorney to do so and so he generally does it. 1.iR . I.IOSES: I don't knoTI such to be the case . Texas State Library and Archives Commission ~ "?: 2 CHAIRUA.H BLEDSOE: versy. I have no desire to get into a contro- I will say this: I~y experience is that the Tiistrict Judge is about the most quoted factor in a prosecution. knov1 You that he has absolute power to remove the Sheriff and Dist- rict Attorney at any time that the District Attorney or Sheriff refuses to enforce the criminal laws of the State and his attention is called t.o that , just as in the Wallace case from a border county, they can be removed and other men appointed in their places, and this charge being made against the authorities , I want to know about it, because if such a condition exists I think they need more Rangers. A Uell , now, a District Judge might feel in instances of this kind, he usually credits the prosecuting attorney and the officers vri th doing their duty. If the testimony is not suffi c - ient , if the witnesses are not brought before him or the case made ready for trial or hangs on the docket until worn out and witnesses are gone it would be a failure of justi ce and maybe the District Judge will not be responsible . I don' t mean to discredit the District Judge, because I think he is an excellent judge - - - Judge Hopkins---and I don' t believe he is responsi ble for the failure of justice . Q You think he is derelict in the matter? A No , sir , not &onsc i ousry• • Q ITell , consciously or unconsciously? A Well , I know of my 01m knowl edge they have been car r ied down there and no prosecuti on. Q Well , now, I have never been in your county and I am asking for information. Is Point Isabel and San Benito in the same justice precinct? A no , sir . Q How far apart? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A About tuenty-five or thirty miles. Q Hor far from Point Isabel to Brownsville? A About twenty- two. Q Your County Judge and County Attorney both live in Browns - ville? A Yes, sir. Q Where does your District Attorney live? A He lives in Brownsville. Q \7here does your Sheriff live? A In Brownsville. Q \lb.ere does your county Attorney live? A In Bro'\Vllsville. Q Don't you think it is strange that one of your officials charged with a felony should be taken across to another town, to your o..:fice, instectd. of where the county officials were? ' A He was carried to an official, the Justice of the Peace, as a magistrate, for an examining trial. Q But that was in a justice precinct more distant than the county seat? A Well, I understand that a magistrate has jurisdiction in those matters coextensive with the limits of the county, and it is a lamentable fact that they thought it necessary to move him there that a proper charge be made. Q In other words, such an oversight of duty prevailed at that time in Brovmsville that they had to go to the officials in San Benito? A Yes, sir. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE : Stand as i de . EX.A1IIl1AT ION BY MR. LACKEY. Q You say the County Attorney came to San Benito and brought Texas State Library and Archives Commission the bond? A Yes , sir . Q rras that the day of the election? A No , sir , the day before the election. Q In other words , the County Attorney brought the defendant 1 s bond up from Brownsvill e? A Yes, sir . Q Was it fil l ed out and prepared? ~lready A Yes , sir, and signed. Q You say the .Sheriff came up there that day? A Ho , sir, I did11 1 t see the Sheriff that day. Q Did you see him the next day? A Not that I remember , no , sir; election the next day; he might have been at the I will not be positive about that . Q Judge, what v1as that about Hr . Robertson, one of your leading citizens down there --was he shot or beat up or something not long ago? A \'lho is that? Colonel Sam ~obertson? Q Yes. A Lieutenant Colonel now. Yes, he was shot at by some bandits and there was the mark of a bullet through his shoe heel and also one through his coat; I have seen the tree where the battle took place, and there were bullet holes in the tree I where he showed me . Q Was that a fight with bandits? A Yes , sir . 1 { Q You say as far as you k:no·w and as far as general :rumor there went that the Rangers had nothing to do with the men that were taken out of jail? A I have never heard them accused of it , no , sir. J.iR. LACKEY: That 1 s all. Texas State Library and Archives Commission l2i1 RE:JIRECT EXAI.iIMAT IOU. By Ur . Moses . Q Now, do you know why the County Attorney should be so inter - ested in making b ond for a man violating the liquor l aw and selling liquor to s oldi ers and other people? A llhy, that woul d call for an opi nion only ; I have no facts . Q Well , the County Attorney--that ' s Mr . Dancy? A Yes , sir. Q Is that the same IJr. Dancy who appeared here and testified as a VTitness? A Yes , sir. i.:R . 1.IOSDS : That t s all . REC BOSS E.KA.l:HUAT ION. By Hr . Canales . Q Judge , do you._ mean to say that the County Attorney brought that bond? A That ' s my recollection. Q \Thy, don t you know that that bond was made in Harlingen and 1 that Captain Vann took it at eleven o' clock that night? A Ho , sir . Q And that ur . Dancy was in Brormsville at the time? A I don 1 t know that Sheriff Vann ha d anything to do with it, but I do remember that the Justice of the Peace showed me the bond and told me that I.Ir . Dancy brought it and I saw IJr . Dancy and he asked me if i t was a good bond. If I remember , i t had Judge Wells on i t , and Oscar Dancy, and I don' t remember whether your name was on it or not , Joe. Q I vras not there . I VTas in your office at the time you refused to give him bond . A How is that---the time I refused to give him bond? Q Yes, the time you told him it was not bailable; Texas State Library and Archives Commission I uas with Ur . George. A You are certainly mistaken, because I have had more sense than that ever since I was admitted to the bar . CHAiill.IA.H BLEDSO'S : Q Isn' t it a fact that (Laughter) Let ' s have order . ~henever there was a disturbance during the bandit troub l es that those places v1ere guarded by soldiers- a guard of soldiers sent to take care of them and :protect the people at night? A Yes. Q Did you ever see any Rangers standing guard at night i n that whole Bromisville country? A I don' t know what the ~angers did out on guard . Q Did you ever hear of them standing Qlard at night? A I heard of their doing their duty. Q After an affair took place in Bro1rnsville or Cameron County did you ever hear that Rangers \7ere sent to guard at night - - wasn' t it soldiers? A I know they had soldiers out two or three in a bunch and they were helpless , some were murdered , and they were not able to cope with the situation, and after the Rangers came they stopped stealing and murdering . Q Don ' t you know that the bandit troubles ceased afte:r Uafarette was removed from over there? A Qhey have not ceased today. Q Hention one raid now. A Why, there is old man Prentiss ; they stole all his work stock . Q How many bandits were there? A Why, they stole four head. Q I say, hqw many bandits? A ~ell , I don' t know. lie reported it and the next night or so they came and terrorized him by opening up a barrage right over his house with rifles . He has told me since then that he is Texas State Library and Archives Commission afraid to give any information. Q Is there any other raids? A Hovr is that? Q Any other raids like that going on just now? A Vfhy, two weeks ago a man by the name of Noe lost his horse and a man named Carmichael lost his harness. It is a frequent occurrence on up to now. Q How many Rangers there? A I don't know of any at San Benito nou. Q Don't you know that they are all over there at Brounsville and along the river? A They may be in Brounsville. I haven ' t seen any since you were instrumental in removing Captain Stevens. Q I understood you to say it ceased when the Rangers went there? A It did . Q Well , why isn~t it stopped now? A Because we haven' t a sufficient Ranger force. Q V/hy, don 1 t you kn0\7 that Captain Taylor 1 s company is there and only five man were discharged and all the rest of the company incorporated in Captain Uright ' s and Captain ~right r s company stationed in the vicinity of Bro't'lllsville? A I see some strangers at Brownsville , but not at San Benito. CHAIR11IAIJ BLJJ:)SOE: :IR . CAlt~LES: Let ' s conclude this examination. That ' s all. SENATOR \'TILL IFORD : Isn 1 t it a fact that Captain Vann is an upright and able offi cer and honorable man? A Yes, sir , and I th~nk his hands are tied. E.XAI.iINA.~IOM BY i1:R . TID'i!ELL. Q Uho did you say uas on the bond brought up by the County Attorney? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A I am not positive , but Judge Wells was one of them. not say who the others were . I ~pretty I will positive that Judge Uells was one of them. Q \'/ho else? A I don 1 t recollect ; I would not want to say; my recollection is not clear enough as to who the others were, but I remember that- -- I think I am positive of that . Q You say the County Attorney' s name was on that bond? A No , I didn 1 t intend to say it was. Q I·say, could you say it uas not? A I could not say it was . :ill . CAI.lALES: You tried to say my name was on it. A Ho , I didn 1 t say your name was on it . I said I.Ir . Dane y brought the bond. CRAIID.IAN BLEDSOE: A Yes , s Jhr . Ylas I.Ir . Dancy the County Attorney? He brought the bond. He may have been on the bond . Q You said a while ago that within your knowledge the Rangers had not been used for political purposes? A Ho , sir, I believe they y;ere used to see that there was a fair and impartial election during the primary. Q You also volunteered the information that you were supporting Captain Vann? A Yes , sir . Q The day before you heard of this man selling whiskey and that I you thought it was to the advn.ntage of' Captain Vann? A No , sir , I thought it was his duty as Sheriff to know the facts and I didn rt want to see any political TITong done him. Q Didn 1 t you state you thought it ·would be a political advantage to him and 'phoned him to meet you on the road? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A I thought it was a matter of importance to him, yes, sir. Q And then the Rangers went and got this fellow and took him twenty-five miles into another justice precinct? A Yes, sir, there is another one in Brownsville. Q How? A I thought you asked if there was another precinct nearer. Q But they took him to one farther away so he might appear be- fore a magistrate? A Yes, air; you mean a magistrate, a Justice of the Peace is a magistrate, or the Reoorder of a oity oourt. Q Are you aware of Where the Rangers took him :from there--from the justice court at San Benito? A Only I heard afterwards where they carried him. Q Was, it in such a manner that you believe it is true? A That I believe it is true? Q Yes. A Yes, I don't doubt that they took him up to Mercedes and turned him over to the officers, because it was discussed then that he had violated the Federal law. Q He was not charged before the Justice of the Peace with a violation of the Federal law? A No , sir. Q As a lawyer did you recognize that as the proper course to pursue, to take him out of the county? A I didn't have anything to do with that . They teok him out of my office after he had been charged with that complaint and warrant served on him. Q Was it on your advice? A I didn't give any advice; they didn't ask my advice. Q You did advise the of the Peace? Jus~ice A I wrote the complaint because he asked me to do ·it; Texas State Library and Archives Commission and I will state fU:rther that I think it is the duty of a lawyer at any time to assist a court when called on, and that is the on1y reason L did it. Q You didn't say, then, in your testimony that you thought it was to the advantage of Captain Vann and that you advised him to meet you on the road, that it was a matter of importance to him? A That I thought it was right for him to know it, whether I said that or not; the county and I still think it was treating the Sheriff and offic~als right to give them an opportunity to enforce the law. Q Well, then, if you said it was to his advantage what did you mean? A If I said that, I only intended to say that it was right that the Sheriff might know it and be given an opportunity to go and enforce the law. EXAMINATION BY SENATOR WITT. Q Why did the Justice of the Peaae refuse him bond in your presence? A He did not refuse. Q Why didn't he give bond? A He didn't ask to give bond. Q Why didn't the Rangers take him on to another Justice of the Peace or to another place? A That is only hearsay. I understood they took him and turned him over to the soldiers, the head authorities, at Mercedes because he had violated, as they understood it, the Federal law in selling to soldiers; that is what the witnesses claimed. EXAMINATION BY MR. MCMILLIN. Q Weren't there soldiers nearer than to take him to Mercedes? A I think that was their headquarters, at Mercedes. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Weren't their headquarters at Brownsville? A Yes, sir. Q Well, wasn't that nearer? A Well, I could not tell you why they did it. Q Isn't it nearer from San Benito to Brownsville than from San Benito to Mercedes? A I think it is twenty miles to both Brownsville and Mercedes. RECROSS EXAMINATION. By Mr. Canales. Q Wasn't Colonel Slocum in command at that time? A Yes, sir. Q Brownsville was his headquarters? A Yes, sir. understood that Colonel Slocum--there was some I ruling from Washington and Colonel Slooum went up there and got the man out of the camp. ' Q But his headquarters were at Brownsville? A Yes, sir. MR. CANALES: That's all. EXAMINATION BY MR. LACKEY. Q Judge, did that man that was charged with selling liquor hold a.ny county position? A County Commissioner. Q Were those affidavits made by soldiers or made b~ A One man that made the affidavit was Ralph Moroney. think he is a Ranger; in Mexicans? I don't fact, I think he is just a laborer, but I think he went down and obtained the evidence, assisting the Rangers, and the other man lived at Riohondo, a country boy, he assisted in getting the evidence. !218 Texas State Library and Archives Commission EXAMINATION BY MR. TIDWELL. Q Judge, did you know that a County Commissioner was a magis- trate and that it was his duty to order the arrest of anybody---A Who do you mean? Q The County Commissioner. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: MR. TIDWELL: He is the man they were after. Well, he is a magistrate. L 0 N C• (Laughter) HI LL , recalled, testified as follows:MR. MOSES: We want the photograph of the three men on horseback. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: Stenographer; right now. We will have to send for the other he has all the exhibits. (To .the Page:) I will send for him Go to Mr. Pridemore and tell him we want the photograph of the three men on horseback. DIRECT EXAMINATION. By Mr. Moses. Q Mr. Hill, it was suggested a While ago that the stopping of all that bandit trouble down there was the removal of General Nafarette. Now, I wish you would state whether or not in your judgment that had anything to do with the stopping of the bandit trouble? A When General Nafarette was removed and succeeded by General Rioo, nephew of Carranza, after Rico came there they had five or six raids. Q A~er Rioo oame? A Yes, sir. I We people down there had been trying to get the Federal authorities to follow these raiders into Mexico; is where the trouble was; that they just ran across the river and 12?1) Texas State Library and Archives Commission stood there. and laughed at you, and what we wanted to do was to go over there. (Laughter) Just as well talk plainly about this matter--we wanted to go over there. MR. TIDWELL: Mr. Hill, I can't understand you over here. Q Talk louder, Mr. Hill. A All right. So General Funston came down in that country on a little hunting trip; he was the man in command out of San Antonio, and on that trip we wired to Washington and got authority to permit Federal troops to go into Mexico. Q Now, who was in command at Matamoras at that time? A General Parker was in command at Brownsville and Nafarette--not Nafarette, but General Rico was in command at Matamoras. Q That was the successor of Nafarette? A That was the successor of Nafaxette. Colonel Bullard, the Commander of the Twenty-sixth Infantry, he was the man, after General Parker, that had active charge of the field operations •• Well, after they got this order, you know, nobody knew anything about it. They got it lined up that if they ever came across the river again they were going after them and they just sat there and waited until they had a raid. two up the river. They made a raid or This occurrence you were talking about them shooting at Sam Robertson and a little unpleasantness out there, there were two or three fellows came over there and around the arroyo. A man named Vas~uez and some other men on the other side of the river informed them they were getting rea.d y to make a raid and they were going to cross up at Ra.nchito and they got everything shaped up as much as they could whenever they came across there to follow them across the river. so we all got wo'r d that they had crossed--they knew when they crossed and who was with them and where they went, and they come in to the East of San Benito and they stopped out at an old ranch 1L22-0· Texas State Library and Archives Commission that was called the corteo; a man by the name of Garcia lived there, who was killed in the Norias raid. Well, they went out there soon next morning, eight or ten soldiers and some other fellows, and they promptly ran into those fellows and had a scrap and killed one man and wounded another and got all their guns and ammunition. went towards the river. Some of them then went North and some Now, this party was under the command of a man by the name of Sandoval, who used to live on a ranch down there and joined them in the raid that went on at Norias. Captain Newman was at San Benito. Wells was there With two companies. At San Pedro Ranch, Billie Well, as soon as this raid occurred Bullard ordered Newman to go to the river, and with the other information he got he struck a hot trail and followed the bandits. Then Major Anderson was there with cavalry. They 'phoned to Brownsville and had Billie Wells to come down there, and Bullard ~s getting ready to take some soldiers down there and several of his fellows went over there and went across the river with Newman's and Major Anderson's troops. There were three of us went over there--Frank Pierce, a fellow by the name of Dunman, and myself. They crossed over about eleven o'clock with a troop of cavalry and Bullard came in there with a complete troop of six or seven hundred men and ma.chine guns and they raided all over the· country and went down as far as Matamoras and around over tha.t country all night long and next day, and in the meantime a bunch of .Americans wanted to go over there (Laughter)--we had some scores we wanted to settle and we were going to go in there. We were telling all the Mexicans we were going to kill everything that walked, crept or ·wore hair, and not going to leave one brick in the country. I don't know exactly how many Mexicans they killed, but Rico got in communication with the commanding officer and sent another fellow and Captain Frank McCoy, who was on General Parker's 1 2Texas ~.i State Library and Archives Commission staff, he came up there and had a con:fab, he and Bullard and these Mexicans , and it was agreed then if they would come out of Mexico there would be no more trouble, and they took it up by wireless with General Parker and got orders from General When they came out of Parker to come out, and they came out. there about twenty-five or thirty men was to bring up the rear, you kn.ow, keep them off of them, and when they came out there was about twenty head of Mexican horses came out behind them and swum the river and didn't have no riders on them. (Laughter) There has never been any raid since then, because they knew that there was not only Federal authorities who would go across there but that a lot of civilians were going to cross the river and raid tit for tat, and they were anxious to quit. had nothing to do with stopping that; Now, Rico Mr. Canales' scouts had nothing to do with it---nothing but a lot of bullets stopped it, and that's the o_n ly thing that did stop it and the only thing that ever will atop it. Q Mr. Hill, do you kn.ow what has been referred to as the Canales Scouts? A Yes, sir. Q Did you ever hear of those Scouts capturing anybody? A What? Q (Laughter) Ever capturing anybody? A No, sir---nobody els e. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: Gentlemen, now, listen: Whoever that is clapping their hands back there, do that once more and out of the room you will go, and not come back. allow a demonstration of that kind. I am not going to Now, there will be no cheering and no demonstration or anything of that kind. There are times I don't blame a man for laughing, if done properly, and that is all. :Proceed. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Were you in reasonably close touch with the bandit situation and with the activity of the United States officers during that time? A I told you in my examination today that at the request of Blocksom and Bullard and General Hutchings--they came to me and wanted me to take this place and be a Special Ranger, and my son Gordon, with the understanding that we were to be under and work with the Federal authorities and secret service men and all like that, and from that time on I knew everything practically that was going on; they didn't hesitate to keep me advised of everything. Q Now, :Mr. Hill, I wish you would examine that picture, please, a,nd state what---did you get there the morning after that fight at Norias? A No, sir, I went to Norias on a special train that got there just about dark. Q The day of the trouble? A The day of the trouble. Q Just explain that? A Well, let me give it so you will understand it. The rail- road officials in Kingsville and Mr. Vann 'phoned me--I had a son in the fight and they had a 'phone in the building and you could pick up that telephone and hear all that fighting going on, hear the bullets hit the house and all the firing; of course, I had a son up there in that fight and I was a little uneasy, and M:r. Vann 'phoned me that he would be up on the train and to take a lot of stuff, and when the train came in they were still fighting, and when the train got in they didn't have any engineer to run it except a hostler and at Harlingen he got cold feet and didn't want to drive it by himself and wouldn't drive it unless myself and Mr. Vann got on with him, which we did; Texas State Library and Archives Commission so The Rangers that they testify we got up there just about dark. about being up there, they really got there, they had just about got to the gate, and we went up ther,e pretty cautiously and stopped in front of the section house and when we jumped off we jumped off near a pile of dead Mexicans. Three or four men were there, Joe Taylor and others, they were in the fight about two hours. They didn't know whether they were a11· gone or not. Just about the time we pulled in there was a shot fired and we got a lantern and went around to see what damage had been done and out West of the section house we heard somebody groaning out there and several of us fellows went out there and there was a wounded Mexican there that m;is shot twice right in here (indicating), and he wanted to know who a certain fellow was at a certain place; they told him who he was. Well, they said they wanted to see him and we looked at this Mexican here and we knew him, his name was Garcia, he lived on Brown's Corteo ranch about five miles North of San Benito. He said he wanted to talk to Joe Taylor and myself, and we went out and tal,ked with him. We wanted to know of him why he was in this raid, who all was in it, when all the men in this side of the river. ~he raid were Mexicans from He told us there was the plan of San Diego and they were going to take all the land from the Nueces to the Rio Grande. He said, "Now, you all will kill me, and I want you to tell my folks that I am killed." Well, we told him all right, we would tell them, and we did tell his family that he had been killed and sent a lot of word to others. Well, now, these people come in there and of course they wanted. to follow these people next morning. ions with us for two or three days. We carried a lot of provisWell, when this fight came up--the horses and pens and everything at the Norias ranch is over on the East side of the track where the Mexicans live. 112r • - , ·'t Texas State Library and Archives Commission A Mexican named Coy lived there and when the fight started he turned out all the horses and everything and hied them to the brush and there wasn't any horses t here except the horses which had been ridden the evening before and we simply couldn't follow them--get up soon next morning and follow them because we didn't have the horses. So the next morning when the train came out of Brownsville there was quite a lot of people came out there and amongst them was a young fellow with a kodak taking these three by seven kodaks. I saw the young fellow around there and he was on the railroad track taking everybody in fr~nt of the house and taking the shop and everything else around there. Now, this picture-- -now, the question came up--there was seven or eight Mexicans killed; thera wasn't a wagon there and not a hearse in sixty miles, and they wanted to bury these Mexicans, so they got on the horses and put a rope on and dragged them, and this. fellow took these pictures; he took about a dozen different views of Norias and the people around there and they were on sale at Brownsville. When the train came on about eleven o'olock we got on the train and went to Brownsville. That's all I know about the pioture. these men were drug up there on horseback; I know I saw them drug. Q Do you know who these men are--do you recognize them? A I think this is Tom Tate, and I think this is Monroe Fox; don't know who that fellow is in the middle; I I have seen him, but don't know who he is. Q Those were the men whose bodies are taken in that picture who came there and attempted to assassinate the people at the Norias ranch? A Yes, sir, they are the fellows, beoause the wounded one told me they were going on up there and take everything :from there to San Antone, they said. 12~5 Q Was there any M oxican woman killed at the ranch by Texas State Library and Archives Commission the bandits? A Yes, sir; they deliberately went in there and asked her about some things just before they left--the last thing they done they went in there and asked that Mexican woman. and she wouldn't do what they said and they deliberately stood her up and shot her down. Q And it was the next morning when hauling those two bandits off that the picture was taken? A Yes, sir, he set his instrument down and snapshot it. Q Now, did you men feel in a kind, gentle disposition the next morning? A Well, I never did feel that way after they got to killing us, and nobody. else down there that I know anything about did. Q Were there any .Americans shot in that fight? A Yes, sir, Jim Thorp was shot all to pieces, and Frank Martin. Q A:ny soldiers? A I think thare were one or two soldiers wounded, or three or four. Q Any of them die afterwards? A I don't know whether they died or not. didn't die; I know Frank Martin he was crippled in his arm. MR. MOSES: That's all. CROSS EXAMINATION. By Mr'. Canales. Q Lon? A Etlh? Q Who was the guide for Lieutenant Newman in that celebrated story you just related? A When Newman first went no one went with him. Q I said, who was his guide, leading him? A You mean across the river? Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q No, on this side going towards the river? A He had a Mexican with him. Q Do you know who that Mexican was? A I saw Pedro Larema around there; I don't know whether he was guiding him or not. Q Wasn't it Thomas? A Yes, Tom was sloshing around there. Q And you were also sloshing around this side of the river. Do you remember I talked with you on the San Pedro Ranch where they crossed? A Was it in the evening? Q Yes. A Yes, after I came out; I had just returned from across the river and went back again that night. Q Now, Lon, you never crossed the river, did you? A Yes, I did. Q Isn't it a fact that they never killed a man down there on the other side? A No, it is not a fact. Q You never killed a man absolutely on the other side- --our soldiers went across just for a while and then returned and came right up the river while negotiations were going on between Parker and Rico about getting our men back on this side? A Do you know when they came back on this side? Q Yes. A Were you there? CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: Q I am asking you. I want the examination properly conducted. It is a fact, is it not, that our soldiers never killed anybody across the river? A It is a fact they did kill them. Q All right. Now, they crossed back on this side? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A They crossed back on this side about eight or nine o'clock- that is, they got orders to do so. Q They crossed on the other side when? A They crossed over about eleven o'clock. Q It was about six o'clock when I saw you promenading on this side. A I was in a machj..ne coming from the river. Q No, you were standing near the river when only the soldiers crossed? A I came back across the river---let me explain; when I came on this side of the river there wasn' t anybody there, not a soul. Phil Waterwall and another man put me on this side of the river and they went back across the river. \Vhen I went across the river I had some provisions and the soldiers had some and I hung mine up in a tree, and I came back to oook me something to eat an~ Waterwall and Ryan and Gordon came there. went to give Major Anderson some papers. I Major .Anderson came up in a machine, and Billie Wells came out of Brownsville and I had a talk with them and delivered my message to Major .Anderson, and in the meantime Anderson's troops had gone across the river, and Billie Wells was in command of the troops at San Pedro, and a troop of cavalry came out of Brownsville under Lieutenant Glass. When I saw you there I saw quite a l ot of other people there at the time. Then I went from there to Brownsville and from there to Harlingen, and when I got to Brownsville General Parker said that he was going to send Colonel Bullard up there with reinforcements and they were going to go down that night in automobiles and for me to go on to Harlingen and conduct Bullard and the reinforcements there. I went there and got there about one o'clock. About half past two we went by San Benito and picked up the rest of them, and Texas State Library and Archives Commission there was about eighty or ninety automobiles and we got there about half past four o'clock in the morning. here from there, and they can tell you. There are fol.ks In the meantime some of the other troops, the cavalry had got there and they went on acro ss ; during the night you could hear the fighting going on across the river, and when we got there the machine gun outfit, they swam the river--the mu1es and equipment and Captain Wilson's machine gun outfit went across. There were several companies-- Colonel Bullard's Twenty-sixth Infantry, they went across, and in the meantime they put up the wireless and they called up Brownsville and had some sort of chat or talk and he told them over the wire that General Rico had promised if they would come out of Mexico there would be no more raids, telling Bullard of this, and in the meantime Captain Frank McCoy had come up there, and when they finally came to an understanding that there would be no more crossing of the river and he would keep the bandits down and all that General Farker agreed to withdraw, and that's all. Q On the stand this afternoon you said you didn't use the pronoun "I", but you forgot that. A Well, I regret very much that I have to use it; take any pride in it at all. I don't, (Laughter} Q Now, Lon, you know Sam Robertson? A I do, yes, sir. Q Do you remember w~en he had the fight with bandits and they wounded him on top of the head? A I was not there; I heard of it. Q And in another fight with bandits he had a wound on the heel. You never heard of his getting one through the body? A Through the body? Q Yes. 24:',.,i]0 State Library and Archives Commission Texas -ii A No, sir. I want to say this: on Sam Robertson; I Now, he is trying to reflect want to say this: There never was a more patriotic man on earth---CHAIRMAN BLE1)S0E: The examination is taking too wide a range. MR. CANALES: Judge Mothershead was talking about hitting him on the heel. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: Well, let's conclude the examination. Q Now, when did you come to this story about taking that picture? A When did I come to the story? Q Yes. A There is no story about it. MR. MOSES: Now, M:r. Canales is a member of the House, but he has no right to ask such insulting questions. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: Q It should be confined. Lon, have you ever told that story about taking the picture before this time to anybody? A No, that's a fact. stage picture. Everybody knew it. That is not a The people there had nothing to do with it. Ask all these people; they were there. You can buy a dozen other views of that. EXAMINATION BY MR. TIDWELL. Q Mr. Rill, you spoke about going across the river. when was that? I Just want to know the month and year. A It was pretty late in the Fall, along say about the first of December. Q What year? A 1915. MR. CANALES: Wasn't it June 26th, 1916? CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: ll2~0 Mr. Canales, when a member of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission committee asks a question wait until your turn. A I believe M:r. Canales is right. I know we didn't have any- thing to eat and we got some watermelons. Q Was that in 1915? A No, I think it was in June, 1916. I believe he is correct. Now, they had raiding after that up in Hidalgo County--the last raid up there was at the Navasos crossing. EXAMINATION BY MR. McMILLIU. Q Colonel, I believe you stated you thought Rangers were a great factor in keeping down raids dovm there, did you? A Yes, sir. Q Well, now, further along in your evidence after various con- ferences with General Parker you moved them back from the river. If they were so valuable, why did you move them back? A Well, when military officers tell you a thing it is not becoming in a man to ask them their reasons for it. Q (Laughter) You were not a military officer? A I was a Ranger and he peremptorily told us to keep away from the river :front. Q You didn't bear a commission from the United States Government, so you were not under General Parker's orders? A No, but I done what they told me to do. Q After the Rangers left the raids all stopped--didn't you say the raids stopped after you moved the Rangers? A No, sir, I didn't intend to convey any such idea as that. Now, take the last raid---Q Well, have there been any raids since the Rangers were moved . back from the river? A Oh, yes, sir. Q But there haven't been any Rangers on the river since then? want the facts. ,. Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1L2 ul 4 I A I don't know why General Parker didn't want the Rangers to go on the river. Q Why? A I don't know. I wasn't going to ask him. He just told them he didn't want them to go, and I never asked him why. That is what he wanted, and they didn't go on the river, and I expect you can find out from General Hutchings; understanding between him and Hutchings. MR. McMILLIN: That's all. At 10 P. M. the Committee adjourned until 10 A. M. Wednesday, February 12, 1919. ,. ,, 12ti i:, Texas State Library and Archives Commission it was some WEDNESDAY,, FEBRUARY l.2 , 1919. -- 10 A. M. CAPTAI1'T J • H• ROGERS, having previously been duly sworn, testified as follows: - DIRECT EXAMINATION. By Mr. Knight . Q Captain Rogers, you live in San Antonio? A I live here, sir; this is my home. Q What official position do you hold? A United States Marshal for the Western District of Texas. Q And you are a resident of Austin? A Yes, sir; my headquarters office is here. Q How long have you resided here in Austin? A About twelve years. Q How long have you been United States Marshal? A About six years. Q Were you ever connected with the Range r service, Captain? A I was. Q How long were you connected with the Ranger service? A About twenty-eight years and a half. Q You began as a private, did you? A Yes, sir. Q You were a Captain of Rangers how many years? A Nineteen years, approximately. Q You during that time and now as United states Marshal have had abundant opportonity to know the conditions along the border country? A Yes, sir, I ought to know them. Q Captain, give the Committee your views as to the indispensible necessity for the Ranger service in enforcing law and order along the frontier country? A Well, sir, I think it is still needed, especially 11L 2"t '·'-'' Texas State Library and Archives Commission ( since conditions growing out of the war, and so on, and immediately before the war it was not so lB d, but perha;s there has never been a time since it was SENATOR \-ILLIFORD: \Ve organized~ don't think this Committee has requested that. MR. KNIGHT: I quite agree with you. You have been familiar with the organization of the Rangers f or the last twenty-eight years: Do you consider the general average of the men engaged in the service now up to the standard of former years? A \Tell , I will tell you, I haven't kep,; in very close touch with them for the last six years since I have been in the lv1arshal' s office. Q All right . Now, Captain, in the discharge of your duties as u. s. ~arshal you have had more or ~ss contact with Captain Hanson and other members of the organization? A Yes , sir, I have met him a fev-. times. Q Did you know Captain nanson A Yes, sir. Q ~hile you were a rlanger? How long have you known Captain Hanson? A I expect I have known him twenty years or more . Q He v.as one of your ·predecessors in your present office? A In a different district , the Q Oh, yes; Q Well , predicated on your observation and knowledge growing fr~m Sou~hern District. a different district. your association and contact with him, as well as what you have heard othe .:cs say, 't.iell the oommi ttee what your opinion is of Captain uanson as a faithful , , fearless officer, and as a conscientious, earnest citizen and enforcer of the law. A Hell, now, gentlemen, I will tell you at the outset I would prefer not to go into the personalities 0£ these men. is my personal friend and I should hesitate Texas Hanson State Library and Archives Commission Captain to say anything .\ against him if I knew any~hing against him, and I had rather not answer the question, although , of course I am sworn, Q I A I would rather leave that out; and~ am going to ask you about a number of the captains? of course, if you absolutely force me I would tell ·Lhe truth. '.J.1hat does not mean that I know anything definite against Captain tianson but I would rather not enter into personalities for different reasons, but one is this, - I have a river front here of slx or seven hundred miles and these boys help me and cooperate with me; they are my personal friends, and even if they vere not my personal friends they coo~erate with me and I want to be friendly with the Rangers. I don ' t want this Committee to consider this as against Captain Hanso~, but I ~ould rather noi go into it unless you have me to do it. Q Of course ,- all right . We will not insist. The Canales' bill, - are you familiar with its provisions? A I have read it. Q It provides, one thing, placing the force under A The bond feature particularly attracted my attention. Q vlhat do you think of that in the light of your broad and long experience ,- what eff ect bond~ \.ould it have, putting these men under bond,- how would it affect -vheir effeciency? A I think it vould destroy their efficiency very largely if it almost did not result in destroying t11e force. Q Do you think t11ere are too many Hangers in the employ of the State at this time? A How many have you? Q I don't know . A Well , I d.oubt if there is, oweing to conditions on the About one hundred and eight. border at this time. Q Captain , do you think ~hat the eff iciency of the service would be improved by paying an adequate compensation to the men, them anand increased salary? Texasgiving State Library Archives Commission 1 A Naturally,! do, yes. Q Do you think, or not , that the- Of course ;;e all recog- nize that the force is not perfect , that every man in it is not perfect , or any of them for that A matter~ And never have been. Never have been since you have known them? Q A No ,. sir • . Q Do you think, do you not think that to give power to the captains to select their man men and place their organization under a stronger , military discipline with the Adjutant Generaly only at the head ~ouid t~at it would improve matters , whether or not it go far toward improving the service? A Yes, sir , I do . Q All right , give the Committee your idea. SENATOR WILLIFORD : A I have ~hought I have in mind a plan-- ~1e will be glad to have it. for perhaps fifteen years, or more, several years before I left the service, that we had too much divided authority in the Ranger business . ~ve had too many heads , little heads , if I may refer to a captai n as a little head,- I was one of them ,- i nstead of having the power centralized. Q That ' s it . A I have thought for a number of years, several years befo r e I left the service, that this force ought to be reprganized and that we ought to have one Ranger company instead or three or four , when I was in, and I guess there are a good many more now , and that there should be one captain at the head of it who ought to b~ a thoroughly good man and to have commissioned offi cers .under him, such as first and second lieutenants , and non- commissioned officers, such as sergeants , and , perhaps , on down to corporals . Then,in tead of having a half dozen organizations , the power would be centralized, and there should be a big man chosen for the head of it. Let him select all his men and make him responsible ,,Texas 2't· G State Library and Archives Commission -· for them; even then he might get hold of a disorderly or l:Bd man but he would find it out quickly and fire him out . Now, this safeguard could be put in, the commissioned officers appointed under the generil issimo , or head man or captain, would be brought forward to be commissioned , as a first or second lieutenant, and the Adjutant General would concur in them or else they would be dropped altogether . The men that the Adjutant General would endorse would be put up to the Governor and if the Governor commissioned him it would be all right. If not , they would have to bring forward another, and keep nominating men until, to get the lieutenant the captain, the Adjutant General and the Governor would have to concur on them . Q se~arate ~ell , that is 9Kactly the idea I had with regard to companies . Your idea of it is one company separated or divided into squads and not separate companies? A And providing, !es, sir, for good strong, faithful men . Q And i t would be the captain's duty to sel ect the men and submit their names for approval to the Adjutant General and if he should concur then to the Governor? A I have reference to the commissioned officers. Q Commissioned officers , yes. The captain ought to be allowed to appoint the sergeant? A I mean that the commissioned officers should be sub- ject to approval. Q And the non-commissioned officers would not? A Well, they could be. The captain would have general supervision of the field and have his desk in the Adjutant ueneral ' s office and he would be in close touch with the Adjutant General and the Governor, and the organization would be divided i n~~ different squads of men whoch would correspond to the dif- ferent companies, with the only difference , that they would be under one head. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Everything would be reported back to him and he would keep in close touch with the situation and ~ould remain here except when the work was more serious and needed his personal attention and observation, when he would go himself on t he ground. Q Isn 1 t it practically imn ossible for the Adjutant General under the present system to keep in close touch wi th the organization? A Yes, sir, I should think,so,-first-hand touch. Q Now, Captain, under some sort of arrangement, as sug- gested by you, that would accomplish the feature sought to be accomp lished by the bonding of the men---the objectionable features of the organization would be removed and would be imn roved? A I certainly think so, if you got the right man as cantain. Q All right. Now, Captain, there has been a conside~able exodus along the f rontier of Mexico since 1 914-15,- you are acquainted With that situation, are you not? A I have heard a good deal about it but most of it is in the other district, not mine, down on the lower Rio Grande. Q Your jurisdiction is not down t here1 A Mine is from Diml'.!lit County to El Paso. liffi· KNIGHT: There is one more matter about which I wish to ask the Captain and I will ask the Committe to allow me to ask the question. THE CHAIRHAN: Sure, go ahead. MR. KNIGHT: Mr. Moses is familiar with this matter and I will ask the Committee for Mr. Hose to ask the question. MR. MOSES: Q. Captain, without going into details, there is some testimony here with regard to one of the Rangers killing a man: in f act, he is under indictment in court, the indic~ment having been lately found, an d it was cLaimed by the Ranger that he ~ ent to this party in the night, or about daylight and he was asleep on a cot and that t he cot ~as close to him; that the iiiexi- Texas State Library and Archives Commission can who was later killed, grabbed the gun of the Ranger, and it is thought that that might be unreasonable way for one attempting to make an arrest: Now , I will ask you if it is not true that you know of instances v.here, either through inadvertence or caresame lessness, careful officers have gotten into thatAposition many times under your personal knowledge or observation? MR. CAN.ALES: · That is absolutely improper cross-examination of the witness. The inexcusable act of one officer does not justify that of another. lffi. EOSES : I am not justifying the killing. Iv.lP.. CAlfAL~S: Because one officer does "rong does not make it all right for another officer doing the same thing. THE CHAIIDJAN: I think the range that the testimony has taken with regard to these matters has been very broad, and we will admit the testimony. ANS.- That sometimes occurs, Mr . Moses. It occurred twice when I was in command of Rangers in my company, and I thought that I had good, oareful men, and I know of ~i.v-.o mistakes in the nineteen years that I v:as captain, if not longer. One while I was sergeant, I suppose over a period of twenty years, I k:noi;, of two cis~aKes nap~~ning , - not exactly as you related but mistaKen tkill- ings . Q I am not taiking necessarily 0£ kiiling, but in your experience, Captain, did you ever, through inadvertance, or whatever the reason was, ever get yourself in a position whe re you were disarmed, or anything of that sort? A No, sir. Q Have you ever heard of that as to any other rtanger? A Yes, I have heard of a case or two or that kind. SENATOR WILLIFORD : I think that is going most too far. MR. MOSES : That is all. EXAMINED BY MR. CANALES. You mean the men vmo make those Texas StateQLibrary and that Archives Commission mistakes are justified in doing it,- you think they do right? A It is very regretful ·when mistakes are made: I mean to say the men are trying to do right. Of course, the circumstances surrounding each individual case would have much to do with that. Q Captain, do you think that a man who is armed by law with a Winchester and a pistol and a great big belt full of cartridges, going to an unarmed man sleeping on a cot, and kills that unarmed man, do you think that man should be trusted to remain--- MR . MOSES: \Te object to that. If counsel is going to esk that question he should state the whole testimollll. Arn. . CANALES : John .t!idds says he was armed with a gun and a Winchester and had hisregular cartridge belt and that within hailinp distance were tv:o other Rangers equally armed like himself, that he went to the man sleeping on the cot at the time, and he got close enough for that man, when he woke up, to grab the gun. , Now, he says when the man was so near him he woke him up and he sat down on the cot, and he grabbed the gun, which was the natural thing,- pointing the gun at him,- the man grabbed the gun, and then he thought that the man was going to take the gun away from him and he shot him? MR . llOSES : That is not the testimony. Counsel is not stating all of it. THB CHAIRMAN: That is substantially his statement, Judge. MR. MOSES : That is a hypothetical question and all the facts should be stated. Mr. Edds testified that they scuffled and continued to scuffle--MR. CANALES : I have not finished my question. MR . MOSES: That they continued to scuffle • and scuffled until they had backed off several feet, both of them holding the gun, and finally the gun was discharged and the man was killed, still holding the gun. Texas State Library and Archives Commission jhr 29 9 MR. CANALES : All right, Captain. ue says then that the Mexican grabbed hold of the gun and that he held on tight to the gun and they scuffled and he thought the Mexican was going to take the gun away from him because he was a bigger man than he was, 'and then he shot him in lhhe leg; prior thereto , before this man was killed , the other Rangers were within hailing distance; now , I will ask you if a man who is thus armed and thus surrounded by assistance, is not able to take care of himself, do you believe that such a man shou1d be kept on the Rang er force? A Oh, v. e1i , I don 1 t know about MR. TIDrELL : tha~. He made one other stat ement that you left out. He stated that there was another man sleeping there with him and he also stated that the man with whom he Yas wrestling vas a larger man. MR. CAN.ALES: He stated there was another man there but he never woke up until after the gun :v\laS fire d . The other man didn 't have anything to do with it. The on1y ques t ion is, that a killing under these circumstances, do you think thbt sue~ a man is a proper off icer and to be in the service and to be entrusted ~ith the live s and liberties of the citizens? A I think , in considering whet her he should remain in the service t hat you should take int o consideration his former recor d as to whet~er he was a sober, good man who might be able to take care of himsel f under one situation and vould not in another. You cannot fix a set rule as to how every man would act under a eertain case. An of ficer should use only so much force as is necessary to protect himself, and no more , but just how far that should extend is hard to tell from his vie"P:point. Q .All right, - his former record; Just previous to this a few months before the case of a Mexican who was arrested at a r a nch---THE not CH~IRMAN: con~emp lated I think t h is examination is taking a scope by the Committee . Texas State Library and Archives Commission MR. CANALES: by a hypothetical The only way to contradict their testimony is ques~ion. thought it was absolutely I I obje0ted to Lheir question •. I imprope~,the question Mr. Moses asked. can only contradict that by asking a hypothetical question, i n reply to the hypothetical question that came from the other side and would like to have that privilege, but if the Committee will ... not allow me, all right. THE CHAIRMAN : The Committee is not assumiug any attitude of that kind but ,,e think this examination has gone far enough on that line. Do you think the t men, Rangers who take a MR. C.Pl.AL:.s: prisoner out of jail and the prisoner was in their custody when last seen, and that the prisoner afterwards turns out to be found dead on the road v.here these .t\angers have passed, with three bullet holes in their head, and the Rangers never explain anything , - do you think thoseRangers ought to remain in this Ranger servicer \"1e think this is a matter for the Committee to MR • .:.tOSES: pa s upon. nhere is a conclusion as to whether the evidence will sustain that or not . TH ,·~ CHAI?.?-:1AN: l think that is a question for the Committee. MR. MOSES: 1le are not here defending any Rangers for murdering any prisoners, but we think it is improper to ask any witness a question of this MR . CANALES: character-~ I didn't know you would be so touchy on the question. I understood that was what you and Judge Knight were here ptdd' for . THB CHAIRlI.AN : There is no evidence here that counsel is paid, and don 1 t inject that,-MR. CANALES: They are herP defending these men and these men are charged i,,i th having oommi tted these acts and I think I should be entitled to ask the question. .:12 ... ~~ State Library and Archives Commission Texas (/ THE CH.AIRi".:AN : i nation oj I think that i s a question fo r the dete r m- the Committee . I MR. CANALES : Q All right . You ~ere nineteen year s i n the ser- (By Ur CanaLesJ vice , Captain? A Yes , sir . Q You were stationed at Allee? A Yes , sir , I have been stationed at Alice . Q You used to t r avel the old Alice road that passes by my father's ranch? A Yes , sir . Q And you kne" my father , brothers and myself? A Yes , sir . Q No"' , Captain , at that time , that you ser vice , Captain lisghes v.as also a ·v· ere in the captain'~ A Yes, s·ir. Q And uaptain Brooks? A te~, Q Did you ever hear of any Oaptain sir. then or any of the other men taking a man out of j ai 1 or in ·Lheir possession and after having A the~ Absola~eLy in their possesHion, shooting them? not . Such conduct is a blot on tne history of this State , such a thing as that . Q That's true. Hov, Captain , you are U. S. :Uarshal ?· A Yes , sir. Q . You can arrest a man anywhere in your district or anywhere in the State of Texas' u. s. A As Marshal? Q Yes , for violations of Federal matters? A Well , I am supposed to have jurisdiction only in my district . Q But you can serve process anywhere in the State and Texas State Library and Archives Commission nothing to prevent you? ho~ A No , sir . Q ~ell , within your district? Your district contains many counties? t~ree . A Seventy- two or Q You can serve process in any one of them? A Yes, sir. Q And your deputies also can? A Yes , sir. Q Are you under bond? A Yes , sir , unde1 a big bond . Q Do you ever hesitate to arrest any man in any county because of the fact that you have given bond?· A ~o I hesti1ate? Q f A Yes, it makes me more careful. Q More A Yes , sir; Q Now, do you believe when a condition exists where the es . ~areful? have to be very careful. oonstabulary of a State kills prisoners in their possession, don ' t you think~ at least some res~riction should be made to safeguard the lives of innocent men? A Such conditions ought not to be permitted to by any manner of means . cont~nue It may be that bonded Rangers would be better than none but I think it would hamper their efficiency very much. I think they could be reformed the way I have said. Q six I most thoroughly agree with you, because they have co~pani es now and that is the reason my bill.calls for four and I agree with you as to one company. The bill provides for four companies in t i me of peace and for a certain number , say five or six i n t i me of emergency , and the Governor is the judge of that emereency and the company may be increased to whatever Texas State Library and Archives Commission number the Governor may see f~t. Q You think that is a good PL'OVision to make? A I think it is all right, so far as the number of men, but the bonding business is the thing. Q When the State is quiet and there is no disturbance or anything, nothing much to do, donrt you think they should automatically reduce the maximum number? A Yes, sir. Q And when an emergency exists the number could be in- stantly increased. A Q I thinK that is ail right . Now, another feature of the bill provides for high class men, God fearing, high class men to enforce the law: You think that is not an unreasonable provision? A Yes. Q That it is unreasonable? A What do you mean by God fearing men? You mean that every man on the force should be a Christian man? Q No; I mean that every man should be of good character, of good moral character and of good habits? A Yes, that is ail right. Q The third provision of the bill provides for higher A Yes, I approve of that. Q The fourth provision is whenever they arrest a man pay? they should treat him like any other peace officer? A Yes. Q Should arrest him and not abuse him? A It ought not to be necessary to put that in; that should be a foregone conclusion. Q I agree with you bu~ when the things exist they should be given attention? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A Yes. Q And No~·. the bond.. ~he other feature of the bill is with reference to you say it will handicap the force, and the sug- hestion you have made is that the Captain should give bond--~ A No. Q The suggestion has been made that the captain should give bond and select his men, make the captain responsible for the actions of his men exactly the the sheriff is responsible for the aots of his deputies and like the Marshal is responsible for the acts of his deputies,- what do you think about that? A I don't think eit ner one v.ould work; I don't think you could get a captain who had any pronerty himself to cammaned a company of Rangers and give bond for their conduct, touching every man in every given case. Q Captain, have you ever heard of the ~ennsyLvania State Police? A Yes , I understand ·i;hey v.ere patterned after our Ranger force here. Q Do you know they are under bond? A No, I don't know it. Q They do very efficient ~ork there; don't you think all this is an imaginary thing? A Imaginary? Q Imaginary on the question of a bond handicapping the A No , sir, Q Do you think that a man who is unjustly killed in his force? 1 don't think so. own place of business by State Hangers, leaving a widow and children, that that man should have no redress at all against the State? Don't you think that the widow and children should have some right? A Yes, it would be very unfortunate indeed. I would be willing to contribute to such a case. I think it would hurt the force to bond it. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q You think it would be better to leave to charity people under such circumstances than to make special regulations to prevent matters of that kind? A I don't know as to the charity. Possible we hope that nothing like that Q ~ill occur. Yes, I hope so, but it has occurred, and that is the trouble. i,·• e have a situation, a condition con:fronting us and not a theory, and we are trying to correct the condition. Don't you believe that persons who are mistreated or killed by State Hangers --that their relatives should have some manner of redress? A It would be very fortunate if they did have and in some kind of a case like that but a case like that might never occur but once in twenty or thirty years and to tie up the ~hole machinery of the State government, the Ranger force, to take care of something that Q might never happen--- You say it occurs maybe once in twenty years. Now when these things happen once a month or t wice a month , don 1 t you think it time to undertake to regulat~ it? A Yes, I certainly think so, and if it can't be done any other way, why to abolish the force. Q I thank you very much, Captain. EXAMINED BY MR. KNIGHT. Q Do you kno~, Uaptain, during your long experience in and around the border, of any corrupt practice by the Rangers that is suggested by the vapDrous interrogatories of counsel? A No, I do not. I have heard a good deal of complaint about hls s ection down Lhere,- illegal killings. Q Now Mr. Canales wanLs to know-- there is a good deal of imagination in his testimony: I will a~k you to state ~hether or not it is n ot possible that iJr. Canales himsel f is laboring under an obsession or halucination regarding the extravagant abuses by the Rangers do\ n there? 1 CHAIRMAN: I think that is hardly Texas StateTH..t!; Library and Archives Commission a proper question. A I have knov. n Mr Uanales a long ti me--- Q I will ask you ~u st a~e- - - He speaks of widows and orphans lert rithout su~port: I will ask you to state if it is n ot true , in your opinion, that i 1 th~ Ranger fo r ce had been crippled or had been abolished as Mr . Canales des i res--- · MR . CANALES: a I challenge that remark. That is absolutely misstatement of the facts . ~ Mr . Kni ght : Where is t h at letter? Didn ' t you write a letter advising their abolition? MR . CANALES : MR . KN IGH~ : .do, sir . Gene r al , where i s tha t let ~ e r ? Help me find that let t e r. THE CHAIF-.:AN: MR . KNIGHT : I.:r . Knight . 'hell I might aSAC8ll hi ~ hana r ight nov. . Is that a copy of a l etter you wrote? MR . CANALES : I am not on the stand. THE CHAIRMAN : I can go on the stand . This proceeding , gentlemen , is very irre- gular . As lawyers , you are bound to recognize that . MR . KNIGHT: I want t o show t his , and we are go i ng t o shov; that Mr . Canales ' proposition , or the judgment of this defense is , to destroy absolutely the eff iciency of this force , even to the extent of i ts abolition . MR. TIDWELL : Mr . Knight , pardon me . You can put him on the stand l ater . MH. KNIGH T: Yes , that is correct . Q Now , I will ask you to state, during the troublous times of' t he l ast four years on ~ he borde r, if we had had no Ranger f orce or anything t o take i ts pl ace of a si mi l ar char acter , i 1· the widows and orphans would not have b een inr initely gr eate r along the border than they are with the Rangers, and--A \ eLl, it l ooked pretty bad down there , with those r ai ds . Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q If, as a matter of fact, the bandits across the r~ver . learns from this side or the river, not only from alien sympathizers but native sympathizer_s, this side--- the fact that O\»eing to conditions on they are told that this heroic band, who from time immemorial, has defendant the f.t•ontier, has been placed under the anathema of the people of Texas to the extent that it has been handicapped by a bond--- SENATOR r ILLIFORD: Are you asking a question? MR. KNIGHT: Yes, Judge. Don't you understand that? I thought you were a lawyer. Q ----I will ask you to state whether or not such infor~­ ation, surreptiaiously conveyed over there would not have a tendency to reintensify the smould e~ing hatred in the breasts of those bandits against the people on this side of the riv~r? MR. CANALES: That kind of an examination of the witness is argu :entative and absolutely improper in this case. THE CHAIRMAN: I think,3udge, that kind of an examination is imprope .r and is invading the province of the Committee. MR. KNIGHT: I yield to the Committee, with the consciousness of the fact that the Committee themselves, I believe that the Committee themselves have caueht the merit of my suggestion. T1L.:. CB:AIRlIAN: Gentlemen, we must limit this ex8I:linati on. If I had nothing else to do pe r sonally I ~ould like to spend the summer on it. MR. KUIGHT: That is all, Captain. MR. TID\"'ELL: Captain, Just a moment. Hov. many deputies have you? If I may ask this question. A It is perf ectly a11 right. Q. How many deputies have you in your office and unde1· A In the office work and field I have ten or eleven. Q Do you nut all of your deputies under bond? you? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A Yes, sir. Q All of them? A Yes, sir, even my stenographers. Q Is that a matter you do yourself or do the Eederal reguations require you to do that? A hell, the civil service regulations have forded me to do it. I have to bond any one who is not in the civil service. Persons not in the civil service have to be bonded. Q And your deputies are under civil service regulations? A Not now; two or three of my off ice men were vrhen I took charge, but since I have been in the off ice they have been replaced by men not in the civil service and ~hose men must be put under bond. Q By the Federal regulations? A Yes, sir; and I would ao it anyhow. @ @ @@ @ @ @@ MR. hundred others." im. CAUALES: I think those telegrams are-- this telegram, is absolutely irrelevant to any of the issues in this case, as we have already passed on the question of the necessity of rangers, I have agreed that they were needed, and this is simply inoumbering the record with immaterial issues. THE CHAIRMAN: It is already in-- MR. KNIGHT: Had the manger foirce be en adequate at that tine , Q. would these people have sought to have it increased? A I think not; no, st r. Q Now then, you say that country-- there ·were serious raids from the other side into the Big Bend country, for the last three or four years? A Yes, sir. Q When was it stopped and how was it stopped? A Well, since the killing of those fifteen men-- since Colonel Langhorne and his men went after the bandits and Mexicans Blilld ran them across the r.rver and killed about twenty-five and burned up a town, there have not been any more raids. kno~ I don't whether that stopped it or not, and sixteen special ran- gers were appointed and patterned at diff erent places. These men were well acquainted with 11exi cans, an:d tal.ked to them am told the Mexicans to tal.k to the people acres s the rt ver and Texas State Library and Archives Commission eliminate any trouble, if they could. I don't know what the cause is, but since then there have been no raids. Q They killed about twenty-five and burned a town when Colonel Langhorne followea them across the river? A Yes, sir. Q And then a dozen or more special rangers were appointed down there on this side? A Yes, sir. Q And since that time there have been no further reids? A No , sir. Q Now, Mr. Jackson, you remei:>er the days when you wete a ranger, back in 1881 or 2, did any trouble ever occur-- did rangers ever get into trouble in those days? A Yes. sir; there was trouble in those days. A circumstance happened u p. at Colorado City-- in those days everybody wore pistols-Q That was the frontier then like your country is the frontier now? A Yes, that was during the building of the T.P. road through that country. SEN. WILLIFORD: Judge, I don't see that we ought to lose tine on something thri ty years ago. MR. KNIGHT: The question is, whether ow:i ng to mistakes or un- Iortunate circumstances necessarily attendant upon the administration of the law by those people-- I W8Illt to show that sm h things have always existed, and-A Well, Senator, I would have to explain in deta~l-- twenty-five or thirty cow boys would come to tovv.n and shoot up the ~wn, and the sheriff of the county, a new county just organized, couldn't do anything, aILd there were some rangers camped at the springs twenty-five miles from Colorado City, ai.d elght of the boys went in there one ti me and a man named Peterson , Texas State Library and Archives Commission a big cowm man in that country at that time, he was w th the cowboys shooting up the town, and one of the rangers arrested him and put him in jail-- took him while he was drunk and l~cked him in a box car and kept him all night, a.tL.d the next morning gave him his pistol and told him to go behave himself. This man resented that and said he was going to kill the ranger, and he came back in the next few nights and was walking al ong with another man and met the ranger and pulled out the other man's gun and fired at the rang er-- fired it off-- he knew the rangers were there watohine him, and three of the rangers ran up, 8Illd as he jerked his pistol they shot him all to pieces. They were tried for this and there was a good deal of animosity aroused between the rangers and that man's friends. SEN. WILLIFORD: A That was in 1880? In 1881. SEN. WILLIFORD: I don't think that would throw e.ny light on any· matters here. MR. KNIGHT: In other words, this isn't the first local feud where t he rangers were sought ~s o. victim, within yo1..r knowl- edge? A* No, ti r; those boys were trie d end acquitted. Q Now, Mr. Jackson, in your cbpinion, what would be the eff ect af placing the ranger force under bond as contemplated by the Canales bill? A Well• in my opinion, I think it would do the very thing that it seems the bill is seeking to do-- in the first place, if you put the rangers under bond,. there are plenty of men able to make their bond and plenty of men that will do it, no matter whether it be for political reasons or for protection. You take a 'big cow man aa.d let him go on their bonds, and he wouJd the whole force would then be do it, Texas State Library and ranger Archives Commission E2t: .. ' ' . under obligations to those on their bonds-- it seems to me that it is putting the ranger force under obligations to anybody that is able and wants to go on their bond. Q Now, in that connection, do you believe that any responsible. :rpan who did not have a sinister purpose, for his own interest, would go on their bond? A Probably not-- a strange man probably would not. Q Taking the other horn of the dilema, don't you think that the bonding feature would absolutely cripple the ey-stem? A Yes, sir; Q. I don't think there is any question about that. That ' s all. EXAMINED BY LlR. CANALES: Q You are the President of the State Cattle Rais ers Association? A I was-- not now. Q What position do you hold with it now? A I am Honorary Vice President . Q You are acquainted with the members of the organization in Texas? A Yes, sir; I know a good many. Q Is Lon A c. Hill a member of tha t organization? I can't say without looki ng at the book s. Q You know Lon? A Yes. Q Ever see him at any of the meetings of t he association? A Yes-Q Is his son a member? A I don' t know. Q Is Mr . Will Taylor a member? A I can ' t sau b~cause I haven't looked at the books in five yesr s. Q Well, you are Vice-President now? A Honorary Vice-President. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q You know Tom Tate? A No, sir; I don't know him. Q Is he a me~ber of the organization? I don't know. A Q How many inspectors have you got? A .About fifty. Q And thirty of them are special rangers? A Yes, some of them are special rang ers. Q Are those inspect ors under bond? A .No, sir. Q The inspectors are not under bond at all? A No, Bir. I Q How many members of the Cattle Raisers As sociation in Texas? A There are about four thousa.nd; they are not all from Texas-the majority a.re from Texas-- there are more than four thousa:i.d. will ask you whether-- you say you were a ranger when? Q I A In 1881. Q And you were a ranger for how l ong? A I think about a year. Q Where do you live now? A Alpine, Brewster County, Texa s. about 80 miles from the border, from the Rio Grande. Q That's all. - - - - MR. C. L. -- -- -- -- - - - - BRENIM.AN, having been first duly sworn, testified before the Join Committee, as follo ws:EXAMINED BY LlR. lL"lIGHT: ~ 2t1·9 -- Q What is your name? c. L.Library Breniman. TexasAState and Archives Commission Q Where do you reside , Mr . Breniman? A San Antonio . Q What is your occupation? A I am in charge of the Buerau of Investigation , United States Department of Justice, for Texas , Hew Mexico an..d Ar izona. Q. Tha t is your official position at this time? A Yes , sir. Q How long have you filled that position? A I have been i n the service of this country since 191 2 , and have been in charge of things since November , 1917. Q Your jurisdiction covers the territory in lfew IJ:exico , Arizona and Texas? A ~es , Q In the discharge of your duties do you or not come in freque?t sir. contact with Capt . W• .M. Hans on? A Yes , sir . Q You know Capt . Hanson? A Yes , .sir. Q State if you have ever worked in connection with him since you have known him, before and after his entering the ranger service-- how long had you .tillown him before he ente r ed the ranger service? A I have known Captain only four or five years , I believe. Q. Well , answer the question- - A I used to frequently cal 1 on him before the Decl aration of \7ar with r e f e r er.c e to matter s we had unde r investigation along t:he border , know~ng that he had an intimate knowl edge of conditicns in Mexico and on this side of the border, and I frequently would inter view him relative to oome matter unaler investigation. After the Decl aration of liar and after Capt. Hanson became cnnnected with the ranger department, we got together fequently to discuss matter in mich we were mutually interest- !..Texas 2GO State Library and Archives Commission ed-- German propaganda, Mexican revolutionary matters, and things in general, and he would tel 1 me that his department was anxious to cooperate with me in every way in t:m.e execution pf the federal laws pertaining to the period of the war. Q Now then, state what assistance he was to you be.fore getting in the ranger service? A Before the declaration of war he was of great assistance to 1E in tee way of giving us inside information as to certain persons under investigation on the border. li.fter he became con- nected with the ranger force, I called on him frequently and his force ~ith him, to aid me and assist us in running down slackers, delinquents and deserters whom we were charged with investigating ar.d prosecut ing, if the circumstances justified it, and also in suppressing German propaganda which was quite prevalent. Q Can you recall the number of slackers and deserters that the rangers have assisted your department in apprehending? A That would be pretty herd to state; they were frequentl.y reporting. Every day I would receive a commuhication from Capt. Hanson submitting letters as to what his men lT d dome, and they brought in a large number of slackers am deserters, and I would receive a communication from him every clay-- it would be hard for me to estimate how meny, but the work was very substantie l and very helpful, I can sey- that much. Q You knew that he resided in the Republic of MexicO' a number of years? A I knew that , yes. Q And was familiar with conditions on t r e other side, owing to the opppt:n1lity that few men had- - what did you find as to the accuracy of the information he would give you in the discharge of his duty? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A I have never had occasion to question it at all. Q You remember the roundup of deserters and slackers out in San Augustine County, Texas? A Yes, sir. Q Did rangers have anything to do with that? A Yes,. sir. Q Tell what part the rangers played in that transaction? A Persoaally, I didn't participate in the rounding up-- the men however, wereunder my direction. I atjribute it to the co- operation of Capt. Hanson and his men that I rounded up the bunch in San Augustine County-- eight or ten of the men we caught are under indictment for conspiracy-- cases pending fer trial in Beaumont, Texas. I consider the work done in that case a very remarkable piece of work in rounding up and clean- ing out and eliminating that bunch-- he used good judgment am sense. Q That work was done under the immediate supervision of Capt. Hanson? A Yes,. sir. Q How many men d i d you send al ong A Three mell-- two \~th va th his rangers? him part of the time but three most of the time. Q I will ask you to state whether or not any rangers were wounded in that fight? A Ranger White was killed and Ranger J.towe was wounded 9 - - that was the occasion of Capt. Hanson going there in person, and after his arrival there was no blood shed. Q Now, what connection did Capt. Hanson have ~ith your depart- ment in reference to the Real County deserters? A It was reported to us that a number of them, five or six, were hid in Real County, and we snet a man in there end he reported that they were there and defying arrest. Texas State Library and Archives Commission I conferr& with Capt . Hanson about it , and he and a number of rangers and one of my men went along , Vii th the result that those men , four of them I believe- - two had f i ven up in the meantime, were brought in and turned over to the federal authorities . The circumstances in that case were such that Capt . Hanson deserves special recommendation because ·o f the spl endid way in which he handl ed i t . He sent word by one of the relatives of the boys that- SEN. PAGE: Don ' t you think that the details of this incident are not necessary? MR. IL.1IGHT: Yes- - anyway , he accomplishec. the mission vri thout blood shed? A Yes, sir. Q. And you regarded it as an efficient piece of vn· r k? A Yes, sir ; extraordinary. Q Now , the work of the ranger;orce under his direction in cooperation with your a epartment- - was that work satisfactory? A Yes , they rendered extremely satisfactory services. Q Did he not state that the desire of the Adjutant General ar:L.d the Governor , their policy was to better the personel of the regula r ranger force of Te7as? A He c2rne to me and told me that it had been-MR . CANALES: THE CHAIRi:~ : Object to tha t kind of a question as self- serY:ing. I pr esume it may be somewhat self- serving- - wi will hear it. A He has, yes. Q The Capt ain recognized that the force could be impr oved , in other words? A Yes , sir . Q And manifested a desire to do so? A Yes. Q Have you any criticism of the ranger force in cooperation with Texas State Library and Archives Commission your department, under Capt. Hanson? A I have not. Q What do you think of Capt. Hanson as a man of honestt and integrity , and conscientious and fearless in the discharge of his official duty-- what is your bpinion? A I consider him one of the best officers I have ever known in my life and have never had occasion to question his integrity. Q What do you think of Capt. Hanson's judgment and discretion as an officer? A The best I have ever known. Q Both in peril en.d non-peril? A Yes, sir. Q Are you acquainted with General Caballero, former Governor of Tamaulipas, !.Iexico? A I know of him. Q What is his attitude towards the present government of M:exico as now established? SEN. Who is that man? ~AGE: MR. KNIGHT: The man who arrested Capt. Hanson and expelled .. him from Mexico • A Several months ago he organized a revolution down there-revolted against the Carranza Government. Q What, in your judgment , is the necessity for the continuation of the ranger force as operated by General Harley snd-- 1m. CAN.ALES: issue There is no necessity f©r that-- it is not an However, I withdraw my objection. A From the standpoint of its cooperation with my department of the government, it is one of the most effective agencies we have, and ?.r e rely on it to help us. Q What do you think would be the effect of discontinuing tnis service? A I believe it would be very disastrous unless something of a Texas State Library and Archives Commission similar character was provided to take its place. Q Would there be adequate protection for the lives and property of citizens along the border if it was discontinued? A I don't believe there would be. Q You come in contact with a great many people in the discharge of your duties-- have you found any sentiment in favor of crippling or abolishing the ranger force? A No, I have not. Q Have their services been appreciated by the authorities representing the United States Government along the border? A I have never heard any criticism of them by any representatives of the government, by any of the offic ia]s who come in contact with them, such as the immigration and customs officials. Q How many men vo rk in your department? A During the period of the war I had in my division alone from one hundred and fifty-- I had one hundred and fifty, and possibly one hundred and twentyOfive of them V'1ere jn the field. Q Secret service men? A Not the regule. r Secret Service operatives, but they made investigations for the Department of Justice. Q ~~at wages did you pay them? A They averageu from $3.50 up to eight and nine dollars a day, depending on the character of \';Ork and executive ability of the men, and so on. Q Do you exact a bond from those men? No, sir. A Q What effect would bonding them have? A I believe it would be impracticable. Q In your opinion, what would be the effect of bonding the Texas Rangers? A I believe it would be very disas'b!rous. Q Do you believe that the service could be improved by paying better wages-- giving the men better pay? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A Without a doubt. Q Isn't there a great deal of similarity between the services rendered by the Texas Rangers and by your men? A Yes. except that our men are not authorized to make arrests. 0 In the operation of your department along the border have you come in contact with any lawyers, and others threatening to ~ lawyers, in the matter of expressing anxiety for their clients across the river, and interfering with the operation of your department in bringing criminals to justice? MR. CANALES: SEN. PAGE: MR •.~~ IGHT: I would like to understand the purpose of thatWhat is the purpose of that question? That his department is interfered with by lawyem who have their client's interests at heart, and sometimes ha~ a personal interest in the matter. SEN. ~AGE: MR. KNIGHT : The objection is sustained. I believe the Chairman caught the point. Q Have you ever had any intimati n th.at Capt. Hanson ever aff11- iatea illegally with any Mexican faction or any of those numerous parties down there? A I have never had any complaint of that kind and never heard of it. Q There is nothing in the archives to indicate that? A No, sir. SEN. PAGE: Leave the archives out-- that's oovering too much territory. M.R . KNIGHT: You know Mr. Canales says that Capt. Hanson is a spy of the Mexican goYernment. Well, officiaJ. ly or otherwise have you any information of that kind? A Not the least thing, that I know of; no, sir . Q You had sor~thin g to c'b with the l!'. 1.P • .ti's in the Sweetwater and Abilene country, didn't you? A Yes. sir. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q And Capt . Hanson cooper a t ed wit h you in t hat wor k? A No, sir; not Capt . Hanson- - I know there were some rangers in those cases. Q That 1 s a ll. EXAMINED BY MR. CANALES : l I di dn ' t under stand your dutie s-- what is your p osition? A In charge of the Bureau of Invest igation , Depart ment of Justice , for Texas . New Mexico and Ar izona. Q How long have you been in charge? A Since Rovember, 1917. Q And had nothing to do with it prior to that date? A Yes , I have been conne cted with that work sinc e 191 2. Q But not i n 1 9 1~ ? A No , sir ; not in 1910. Q Capt . Hanson was with the Mexican government pri or t o 1912? A Not that I know of. Q You say you believe the ranger service would be improved by raising the s alary of the men- - do you believe that desperate characters , Left y Louies and Gyp the Bloods , would change their characters by simpl y drawing more wages? A ~o, sir ; and men of that character Ehould be eliminated by a l l means . Q Uow, you say Capt. n.anson reported every day as to s l ackers and deserters arrested- - do you know whether he reported any from Cameron County? A Yes , sir; he rep orted plenty from down there. Q Do you know a gentlemen by the name of Jessup? t2t-7 A Yes , I have heard that name. Q He was chairman of the local board down there? A Yes. Q You heard hi s testimony yesterday? TexasAState Library and Archives Commission lfo , sir . Q To the effect that for twelve months , from July 1917 to July 1918, not a single slacker was ever arr e sted by rangers in Cameron County? l\ffi. i.10S.11~S: That is not correct- - he said there was not a single slacker brought to. their board- - they were arrested am turned over to the military authorities and not brought b efoie his board . He said that no slacker or deserter was arrest.. THE CBAIRMAN : ed and brought before the local board and I asked him to repeat it -- it was such a startling announcement to me . MR. Before his board , yes . :iu~IGHT: L1R. CAlfAUS : A Breniman. Q l.tr. Q. What is your name? Brenirpan , you were with the Department of Justice in San Antonio during the time of the attempted cou nter revolution by General Reyes in Mexico? A Yes • . Q You remember that instance, in which Col . Chapa figured? A Yes. Q And reme mber the t .ime he wa s arrested? A Yes. ~ Didn' t you know that Capt . Hanson was connected V'lith that affair? A lfo, sir; I didn ' t kn ow that. I didn ' t know that Capt . Hanson was connected with it at all-- I thought that Chapa and Reyes were prosecuted the latte r part of 1910 or 1911. I never heard Capt . Hanson ' s name mentioned in the matter. Q When cb you· think that was? A I thi nk the Reyes and Chapa affair occurred in 1911 , am quite sure it was- - I have had occasion to look it up . Q Mow. you were not present with the rarngers at the Ban August:b e Co IDty affair? A No , sir; I ~as not present. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q But you know all about it? A I had complete reports from our department and our agents out there . Q Do you know whether a report was made to you with regard. to an eighteen year old boy, brother of one of those sol diers, who was hung for tv.o hours by the rangers in order to get a confession? A There was no t hing in our reports to that effect . I have heard some mention of that by somebody-- I don't know whether it is a fact or not. Q Now, as to senti~ent-- there is no sentiment in regard to preventing the recurrence of outrages- - there is no sentiment against providing for rules and regulations whereby the service will be improved? A I think any good citizen will agree to that , and that as good men can be secured in the ranger force us are in any other service, and then their ·control is just one of administration Q Don ' t you think that drinking men- - men who are too free in the use of their pistols, should be completely eliminated from the service? A Yes, if an investigation shows that they are not proper men. In the government service , all of the are investigated and improper ones are not even appointed, but even then some mistakes are made, and they are immediateiy dropped when found unfit for the service. Q That ' s all. EXAMINED BY MR. KNIGHT : Q Are you not continually weeding out your own force? A Yes , sir. Q And isn ' t it your information that the ranger force has been gradually weeded out? A Yes, sir. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q And Capt . Hanson told you he "as going to continue it? A Yes , sir . Q Do you know of any Lefti e Louies and Gyp the Bl oods on the ranger force? No, sir . A Q Do you know the individuals Mr . Canales has reference to when he uses those names? A No , sir; I do not . Q Now , after you took charge of your department , I will ask you if you didn't go over the archives of your pr edecessor? A Yes , sir; I took charge of them. Q And was interested in car rying out the work on hand-- I will ask you if Capt . Hanson ' s name was ever mentioned by your predecessor or if his name appears among the records? A Absolutely not. Q That ' s all. SEN. l;>AGE : A :\lhat are your men used for, your 125 or 150 men? To make investigations of violations of the federal laws. R Secret investigations? A Not necessarily secret- - most of our operations are not secret . Q You men do not make arrests? A No , eir . Q And are not under bond? A No, sir. Q You men make investigation and then in case an arrest is to be made , by whom is it made~ A By the local peace officers of by deputy United States Marshals, or the sher iff or deputy sheriff , as the case may be. Q I sn ' t it a fact that the federal regulations reQuire a bond of every peace officer or officer with authority to make an arrest? A I guess they do. Q Don 'Library t you know do? State andthey Archives Commission ,; ?Texas .. 'fl --··. - A I presume so. Q You are in t he government service and I wa s just asking you for the f ucts. That's all. MR. LACKEY: I move thet the Committee rise until two o'clock. --- - - - - - - (The Committee here recesses until two o'clock P.M. Feb. 12, 1919.) Texas State Library and Archives Commission WEDNESDAY, FEBRU.8.RY 12, 1919 • .AFTERNOON SESSION. - - --- - - --- The Joint Committee of the Senate and Fouse of Representatives to investigate the State Ranger F orce reconvened at 2 otclock P. M. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: MR. MOSES: Gentlemen, proceei with the examination. Mr. Chairman, in regard to t he charge--I J..ontt remember the number of it--against Ranger John Edds in connection with the arrest by the two Mexican cowboys of this man, whatever his name was, who was taken up towaris Hebbronville and later killed---- MR. CANALES: MR . MOSES: boys are here. The name is Jose Maria Gomez Salinas. The witness Mr. Izaguirre and one of those cow~ The other, we understand, is sick, and Mr . Izaguirre I don 1 t think probably knows anything about it, but they are citizens of Starr and Jim Hogg Counties, ani one of th~se cowboys is here. ert.1 down there. Mr. Izaguirre own.s considerable prop- I don 1 t know anything about him except what the testimony discloses. If there is any desire on the part of the Chairman to interrogate him we are willing for him to do so at any time. As to the absence of the other, that can be inquired into. We understand one of them is physically anable to come. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: Well, if Mr. Canales does not desire to use them the Committee will assume the responsibility of placing him on the stand itself. Personally, I would like to near from him with reference to the specific charge. cowboys that dia the killing. 21I~,, State Library and Archives Commission Texas ~ -~ It is one of the MR. TIDWELL: I would like to hear him. It is as to what passed between them and t he Ranger Edds. MR. CANALES: MR. MOSES: Can he speak English--Mr. Izaguirre? Yes. 11-IR. CAN.ALES: Can the other boy speak English, too? I understand he can not. MR . MOSES: MR. TIDWELL: There is the gentleman we used the other day (indicating Mr. Valle). MR. CANALES: I will object to Mr. Valle as Interpreter. Re showed that he was not iapartial, and I want another Interpreter. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: MR. MQSES: We I have no objection to any one. .ion't care who they have, so it is somebody that can understand Spanish. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: I never saw either one of them before. All right. Do you desire to use either of them at this time, or have you some other witness you could be using? secure the attendance of that lady by 1 Can we phone (referring to Miss Buckley)? MR. CANALES: MR . MOSES: Yes, sir. They are not in the court-room now; they will be here later. CHAIRMAU BLEDSOE; Well, hadn ' t we better send over for Miss Buckley at this time? MR . MOSES: Have you any objection to the County Attorney of Starr County acting as Interpreter? MR . CANALES: Yes, I object to him, too. CHAIRlvIAN BLEDSOE: We don't care to have anybo.iy th.at is mixed up in it at all. ~ffi. MOSES: Have yQu anybo.iy down there that you have any conf iJence in? 11R. C.ilT.ALES: No, there is noboiy here that I care to use. -12' u~ State Library and Archives Commission Texas ltlHA!RLIAN BLEDSOE : Gentlemen, let's not have any remarks. Are you willing to have Mr. Celaya from Brownsville? MR . CANALES: I have no objection to Mr. Celaya~ I didn't know he was tlere. MR . MOSES: Well, those witnesses are not here now. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: Well, let's use somebody else. P A T D • H AL:EY, having been inly sworn, testified as follows:EXAMINATION BY MR . KN IGHT . Q Your name is Pat Haley? A Pat D. Haley. Q Where do you reside? A Rio Granle City at present. Q Where did you reside in 1912? A Brownsville, Texas. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE : Wait a minute. Now, wouli gentlemen who are not interested in the trial except a s spectators push back a little? (Thereupon a number of spectato£s retired to t he rea r of {the room. Q What is your present business, Mr. Haley? A Emigrant Inspector. Q.Emigr ant Inspe ctor? A Yes, sir. Q You are in the employ of the Federal Government? A In the employ of the Federal Government. Q Row long have you been so employed? A Eighteen mont hs. Q In 1912 you say you resiied i n Brownsville? A Y es, ,,2N • sir. . I -· I 't State Library and Archives Commission Texas Q Tiii you hold any official position there then? A I was Deputy Sheriff. Q Did you fill that position in December, 1912? A Yes, sir. Q Do you know Captain J. J. Saniers? A Yes , sir, very well. Q Was he on duty there with a company of Rangers at that time? A Yes, sir. Q Do you r emember the circumst ance of his being requested b y you to accompany you in arrest i ng one I gnacio Tr evi n o? A Yes , s ir. ~ What time of the year was t hat? A That along i n about October or November-- I bel i eve Novem- ~as b e r. Q Now, t hi s Ignacio Trevi no , was he or n ot a desperate crimi nal? A Yes , he ws,s; I believe t here were three criminal c har ges agai ns t hi m, and we were try ing to catch him. ~ One w~ s asseult to murder? A One wa s as sault to murder. Q One was rape? A Yes , sir. Q And t he ot her was murdering Placedo Cruz? A Mu.rlering Placelo Cruz. Q Now, had he been a fugitive from jus tice in tb.e,t country for some time? A Yes, sir. Q Re had shown up in town? A Well, we had learnea that he wa s coming in at night--slipping in at night. Q You locatei him? A Ye s, sir--t hat is, through a Mexican by t he nBme of Andreas Uresti . Texas State Library and Archives Commission ,, 27r-lJ "~ Q He was a Deputy Sheriff, too? A Yes , sir. He locatei him. Q What time of night was it when he located him? A Wel l, he located him along about 10 or 10.30 and kind of hung around with him and saw him go to bea ani then slipped around and told me. Q Now, I will ask you to state if you called on Captain Sanders and his men to assist you .in that arrest? A Yes, sir; I went to his post or headquarters about two o'clock in the morning-; . Q That is where the Rangers were? A Yes, sir. Q Go ahead. . A And woke Captain Sanders up and askei them to go with me and assist me in arres~ing Trevino. I had him located. Captai n Sanders got up and he and Joe Jenkins and a boy by t he name of "Redn Hawkins--I don't know what his name was----Q He is an Inspector for the Cattle Raisers now-- "Red"? A I J.ontt know. Q Go ahee.3... A So we got in the hack ani went to t his ho use, which was on the outskirts of town. We surrounded t he house and went up and knocked on the ioor ani couldn't get any answer and went around to the end window and Ignacio Trevino was laying up in bed r ight by this window, and we pull ed him out of the window and his wife · or somebody in the house throwed his clothes out the window to him and we put him in the hack and started to jail with him. Q Yes, sir. A We got, I suppose, some six or seven bl ocks away from this place and met two horseback men, as we thoug ht---driving slow in the hack and thought it was two men on horseback, but it was ,.. ... 2~I.'G three men on two horses, and they rode right Texas State Library and Archives Commission up meeting us and role by and they turnei aroand, wheeled right around anl rode back up alongside the hack and. "Red." Hawkins and. Uresti hollered and asked them what they wanted. Q Asked th.em in Spanish or Mexican? A Uresti did, and they opened fire on us. Q Uresti was a Mexican? A Yes, sir. They commenced shooting into the hack and there were seven shots fired from the hack and the Me:rioan on the gray horse fell off his horse, and the hackman, he got scared, the man who was driving, and he whipped up his team and made a pretty good start off and I hollered to him to stop, and Uresti, on the front seat, grabbed the lines and stopped, and the other man was gone down the street horseback a.ni this horse was in the street and we ran back there, but could not find anybody. We carried. Ignacio Trevino on to jail and f o~nd out in the meantime when we got back to the hack that Joe Jenkins was shot in the arm. ~ He was one of the Rangers? A Yes, sir. I suppose we got to tile jail in th.e neigh.borhooa.· of three o'clock in the morning, and we 'phoned up to Sheriff c. T. Ryan and we proceeded to hunt these people that were shooting at us, and we learn.el that there was a Mexican--! believe it was Rod.riguez--in a ho~se, wounded, at his home. Q Now, i i i he hold. any official position in the city of Brownsville? A Rod.riguez? Q All right. he was a policeman. Go ahead. A Ani we went to his hou.se and. there was a lady come out and. said in English that he was pretty baily wounded, not to take him out of the hou.se, and we took him and started d.own the street with him~ I believe Captain Sanders hai hold of one arm and I ion 1 t remember who had hold of the other; ---Texas State Library and Archives Commission ,. 91 ... there was a man on each sile had hold of him, and Joe Longoria, a Mexican Deputy Sheriff, and myself, and I aon 1 t remember whether it was Ryan or one of the Ranger boys, we were coming up I suppose twenty paces behini. We got about half a block away and there was a shot firei from a vacant lot--not exactly vacant, there was a little brick house on the corner--and somebody hollerel, "Who was that snot?" and me and this Deputy Sheriff Mexican and whoever it was, three of us, ran back aroun~ the corner and into this lot and we coulln't find anything, ani when we got back where Captain Sanlera had this wounded man be was putting him in a back, anl we put him in the hack and took him to jail, and I believe we sent for an ambulance and sent him to the hospital. Q Did you hear Mr. Creager the attorney's testimony from down there about this transaction? A Ko. sir. Q You were not here. Now, then 9 was that man Rodriguez shot by Captain San.iers or any other man in that posse that night? A No, air. Q The transaction occurred as you have detailed it? A As I have detailed it. Q Who were the other men that ma~e the attack on you, Captain Sanders and the other officers there the night before? were they officers also? A They were of ficers--city policemen. Q City policemen. I will ask you to state, Mr. Raley , if Captain Sanders or any of his men guarded the hospital and tried to keep people from going in there? A They did noti Captain Saniers l eft the jail and went right back to his quarters, he ani his boys. Q How long were Captain Sanders and his men down yo~ were in the S~eriff rs office? Texas State Library and Archives Commission ~here while I' A They were there a couple of years, I suppose. Q Ron diJ. Captain Sanders conduct himself as a conscientious and J.iscreet officer? . A He was a very good officer. I called on him a number of times to go out with me. Q Did you. ever hear of his displaying any cowardly or savage dispoaition in treating his prisoners? A No, air, I did not. MR. KNIGHT: Thatts all. CROSS EXAMINATION. By Mr. Canales. Q You say this policeman Rodrig~ez got shot while you were at~ tempting to arrest Ignacio Trevino? A No, sir. Q What did Ignacio Trevino have to do with it? A We arreste~ Trevino and were coming back to jail with him in the hack when we met those two men horseback---there were two horses, but three men, two men on one horse. Q Yes. A We met them and they rode by us. Q Who were they? A There was this Rodriguez----Q A policeman? A A policeman. The third man, we never did find ou.t who he was, but the other fellow, I donrt know his name; he usei to work out on Armstrongts ranch, a gray moustached fellow--r have forgotten what his name was . Q You. met them? A We met t llem. slow; They rode on by us; we were driving along when they got out of sight be t;li nJ. t"h.e hack t h.ey wheeled. aro12.nd ani jumped the horses back up alongs1Je the hack and Andreas Uresti askel them in Spanish what they wanted or who Texas 2.2' 9 State Library and Archives Commission • they were. We had Trevino on the back seat s.ni nRei" Hawkins was sitting facing us ani Uresti and Jenkins were in the front seat with the hackma.n----C:l Yes. A --and they hollered and asked who they were or what they wanted, and they opened fire in the hack, and I think there was some four or five shots we fired out of the hack while they were firing at us. The hackman whipped up the horses and went down the street and I hollered at him and Uresti stopped the horses, and by the time we got the ha~k stopped and jumped out the fellows were gone, all gone bnt the gray horse in the miidle of the street; the horse wus in the street with the lines laying on the ground. The Captain said, ncome on, Boys, let's get the prisoner in jail." yards and took Ignacio ~nd Vie walked back I suppose fifty put him in jail. Q You then went back----- A I believe we then 'phoned Ryan. MR. KNIGHT: That was the Sheriff? A Yes, sir, and one or two boys came---Joe Longoria came to the jail ani we went out to hunt the fellows that iid the snooting at us in the hack, and before we left the jail we learned that Rodriguez was at his house pretty badly wou.nled. We went to the nouse of Rodr iguez ani a lady came to the door, a Mexican la.iy, ani said, "Don't take him out of the house," he was pretty badly wounied, ani we told her we h~i to take him and take him to jail. Q Where was he wounded? A I could not tell you; we just took him out of bei anl walked down the street. Q Coll.ld he walk? A Yes, sir. Q Well, now, who shot him while you had possession of him? A Who shot him? Texas State Library and Archives Commission :--..- Q Yes. A Noboly. Q You mean to say he was not shot after he came from the house? A He was not. Captain Sanders had him by one arm ani one of the Rangers had him by the other arm. Q You don't know where he was shot? A No, sir. Q When lid he die? A Why, I t ~ ink it was the next day, at the hospital. Q How long was he kept in jail? A I don't think we kept him there over an nour, if that long. Q So you took him from the jail to the hospital? A To the hospital. Q But you took him from his house to the jail? A Yes. We diln't know he was so bal until we got to the jail. He weakened qn the way and we got to the jail ani found he was pretty badly wounded. Q What hospital was that? A I don't know; I think it was Dr . Works' hospital. Q Were you at the hospital? A Ho , sir. Q Well, how do you know who was guarding him at the hospital? A Well, I know Captain Saniers ani his boys were not, because they were in town next day. Q All of them? A Yea, I saw every one of them next day. Q Although you were not in the hospital at any time, you knew they were not there guarding him? A I knew they were not guarding him. Q Pat, lo you remember a shooting that took place over in a whore-house when Ryan and some Sheriffs were in t here? A Yes, sir. Texas State Library and Archives Commission 12~. 1 Q Do you remember what Rangers were i nvolved in that?--lon ' t you remember that Joe Davenport was there? A Joe Davenport was in it, but he MR. MOSES : w~s not a Ranger. We want to know th.e time. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: I don ' t know i t either. Q Now, I want you t o recol lect, Pat. It was Ryan, the Sher if f.- --were you. there? A No, sir. Q Longoria was there? A Longoria wa s there, and Bert Mitchell . Joe Jennings, Harry Wallace, and Char ley Price. Q Don't you know that Charley Price was a Ranger? A No, s ir, he wa s not; after thet he was. Q Don't you know he had recently left Captain Sanders ' company? A No , Bir . Q Who else? A Cha rley Price left the Ranger service and was elected Sheriff. Then the re was an other boy named Charley something, but he was out of the service at the time. Q Charley who? A I don't remember his name; his name was Cha rley , but he went out of t he service about the same time Charley Pr i ce dil. Q Pat. do you remember---you. were Dep uty S heriff luring the band.it trouble? A Yes, sir. Q There wa s a considerable numbe r of persons left their property on this side, liln't they? A Yes, sir. Q And a considerable number of people we r e buying their stuff cheap? A Yes . MR . UANALES : That's a l l. Texas State Library and Archives Commission REDIRECT EXAMINATION t By Mr. Knight. Q Did they leave there on account of fear of the Rangers, or on account of other consiierations? A Well, I could not tell you exactly, but I know there were lots and lots of Mexicans that left there. They hal no fear of the Rangera--they nad no cause to be afraid of the Rangers, but just got up and left; the Rangers never botherel them. Q Now, are the Rangers the only gentlemen in Brownsville that visit whore-houses? A No, sir. Q Now, was tnere a feu~ there between the Sheriff's office and the police department? A Yes, sir. Q Now, this posse was organized by you anl the Sheriff's deputies to arrest Trevino? A Yes, sir. Q You woke Captain Sanlers up? A Yes. sir. Q He was your prisoner and. not t he Bangers ' prisoner at all? A No, sir, he was just assisting me . l.IR . KlHGET : That rs all. EXAM INA~IOl~ BY CEAIID.:.AN BLEDSOE . - -- Q How many times was that man shot? A ~wice. Q Twice? A Yes, sir, once in the body anl grazed on the arm once. Q You say he li~n 1 t get the body shot after he was taken from his home and startei up town? A Ho, sir. Now, I say "No". Captain Sanders had him by one arm and one of the Rangers by the other arm; there was a shot firei when we got about half a block lown the street and Texas 12, :; State Library and Archives Commission this Mexican Deputy. Joe Longoria, and one of the Rangers and mysel f went in t~e direction of that ebot; kind of vacant lot and iiin't find any one; we went around a we came back and Sanders, a Ranger boy and P..yan, three or four of the officers. were ~utting the man in the hack, he got so weak. Q Now, dil you make any examination to see where he was shot before you took him from his home? A No. sir; we just had a little gasoline light and took him on. · ~ Did he have ell his clothes on? A Yes, sir, all his clothes. Q What time of the year was it? A It was about November 9th or 10th or somewhere elong there, the early part of lTovember. Q And he had on his clothes? A Yes, sir. Q And was already in bed? A Well, he was lying on the bel; he he dn' t gone to be.i. Q Did you ask him how bad he was nurt befoLe you triel to take him to town? A No' Sir. This lady sail he was pretty badly wounded and not to take him, bQt we took him and found he was pretty beily wounded when we got to the jail and sent him to the hospital. Q Did you put his shoes on him? A I don 1 t remember. Q Don't you know that you took him out and started to town with him barefooted? A No, sir, he had his shoes on when we walked down the street. Q Are yo 11 Stire? A He never pulled off his shoes or clothes there. Q Dia he have on a coat? A Yes, he had on a coat. Texas State Library and Archives Commission . . . , '*' 1'2~ Q Do you remem~er what color shirt he had on? A 1To, I coulJ.. not tell you.. Q was there blood showing'? A There was blood on the shirt. Q Whereabou.ts? A All on the front of the shirt here. Q Yoq think he was not shot after you left his ho use? A No 9 sir, he was not. Q Well, now, did. you go to the hospital with him? A No, sir. Q Where did. you go when they took him to the hospital? A Why, I suppose I went home or down town. Q Did you ever see tnat fellow any more? A Never saw bim any more. Q Did you talk to him about who shot him? A Well, we triei to talk to him, but he didn't seem to know anything. Q Diinrt know who shot him? A Didn 1 t know who shot him--d.idn't seem to kno~ anything. Q What physician attended him? A Dr. Low, the City Physician, waited. on him. Q Well, lid. you. hear any conversation between him and. Captain Sanders? A Between him and. the wounded. man? Q Yes. A No, sir. Q Did Captain Sand.era say anything to him? A No , sir. Q Didn't the Captain ever aiiress any remarks to him? A No, I don't think he ever did, unless he d.id when we were in the street, because I was, I guess, twenty pacee behind.. Q You. were one of the men that were walking behind? Texas State Library and Archives Commission •' A One of the men walking behind . Q Who was back there with you? A This Deputy Sheriff Joe Longoria and one of the Ranger boys or th& Sheriff, I don ' t remember; three of us were behinl, but I remember listinctly Joe Longoria, because when we went around the corner we ran together. EXAMINATION BY SENATOR PAGE. Q What is your name? A Pat D. Haley. Q Where were you born? A San Patricio. Q When? A 1874. Q When were you appointed Deputy Sheriff? A In 1910. Q Under what Sher iff? A C. T. Ryan. Q He is not Sheri ff now? A I~o . Q You say you lla3. a IJe:xican by the name of Trevino to arrest sir . this n:lght'? A Yes, sir. Q You were in the ho.ck? A Yes, air. Q Who stopped the hack? A TWo Me~ican policemen. Q What dii they say? A They iidn't say anything. They lidn't stop the · hack; role right by. Q T~ey were policemen? A Yes . sir. Q YouLibrary were Deputy Snerif f? Commission Texas State and Archives they A Yes, sir. Q They Stoppel the hack? A No , sir, they diln't. Q What dii they do? ~nd A They roie up, when they got behini us they turned the horses ani ran back up alongside the hack. ~ What dii you all do? A ~e fired a few shots. Q By what right? A They firei at us. Q You diQn't say they fired first? A Yes, sir. MR . MOSES: Yes, he lid. Q You say you firei a few shots when they rode around there. Did they fire first? A They jumped the horses up against the wheels of the hack and commenced. firing in tile !lack on us, ani we firei back. Q Did you heve a warrant for this man Trevino? A Yes, sir. Q For what charge? A For murler, rape, and assault to murder. Q Ani they not only roie up in front of the hack, but began to shoot at you? A Not in front, but jumped t he horses up alongside the hack and startei shooting. I don't know who they wantei to shoot. Q What direction were you going'? A We were going East. Q What direction were they going? A They were going West ani they turnei right around and come back East. Q Dii they hit anyboiy? A Hit Joe Jenkins in the Texas 112i ... ·- ' ' ~rm. State Library and Archives Commission Q I happen to know him mighty well; he lives in my town. What lid you all io then---wnat did you do after the shooting? A Well, the hackman whipped t he horses up---Q I asked you what iii you do after the shooting? A We stopped the horses and started bsck the way those fellows started. Q You say you jumped out. Who jumped out? A Captain Sanders stayei in the hack and Uresti ani Hawkins and myself jumped out, but those fellowa haa gotten out of the way. There was a horse in the midile of the street. Q Well. what ~id you do? A uell, we ran back and couldn't find anybody, anl Captain Sanders in the meantime discovered that Jenkins was s~ot in the arm and he hollered to us, ncome on, Boys , let's take the prisoner to jail,~ and we iil. Q What lid you do then? A Pe sent Joe Jenkins out to the camp and 'phoned for a doctor to go out anl see him. Q What did you do then? A Then we went back to hunt these fellows that s hot at ns. Q All right. A Ani we found out that ?.olriguez was in his ho use ani wounded. Q HoTI iii you find that out? A Somebody on the street toll us. Q Who told you? A I don't remember . Q Were you inquiring for Roirignez? A No, sir, we didn ' t know it was Holriguez. Q What were you inquiring for? A We were inquiring to see who these men were. Q Who toli you? A I think it was a policeman. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Well, now, let's have the name. A I don't know hig name. Q Will you swear you don't know? A It was somebody out on the street when we got back up there. ~ Who was it---you. don ' t remember that circumstance? A I don't remember who it was. Q What did he tell yoa? A He toll. us this fellow we.s wounded an.i shot at home. Q Who? A This fellow Rodriguez. Q Were you inquiring for Rodriguez? A No, sir. Q Well, how dii he come to tell you? A He u.p and. told l1S. Q Were you inquiring for Rodriguez? A No, sir, we were not; we were inquiring for the men that shot at us. Q Did he tell you this man shot at you? A No, sir; the beat; he told us that Rodriguez and the other men were on that was their beat. Q Wellt what else did he tell you.? A Anl he said he was at home--that he was wounded and was at home. Q Then what did you do? A And we wen t to his house. Q What dil you do when you got to t he house? A Well, we went in and toli him he would have to come and go to jail with u.s. Q Did you. have a warrant for his ar£est? A No, sir. Q Well, ion't you. know you have no rig ht t o arrest a citizen of Texas wit hout a warrant for his arrest unless t he crime was Texas State Library and Archives Commission committed in your presence---wasn't he in bed? A He was on the bed. Q Wasn't he barefooted? A No, sir. Q Diln't the women cry and scream? A No, sir. the woman came to the d.oor a.nl said, nnon't talt:e him out of· the house. n Who was the woman? A I suppose it was hie wife or sister. Q Was there any other woman there? A In the back room. Q Were you arme~? A Yes, sir. Q Ti ho was v.i i th you? A Captain Sanders. Q Didnrt you know you nal no right to go into his house under any circumstances---don't you know he would have been justified in killing you for coming into his house---that you had no rig ht to go in his house without a warrant? A Well, it might have been. Q Don't you know that fact as a Deputy Sheriff---you went in there and took him out of bed. ~hat dil you do with that man? A Took him iown to the jail. Q How lid you carry him to jail? A We carriel him about a block on foot. Q Was he baref oote~? A No, sir, he hal his shoes on. Q Don't you know he was barefooted? A No, sir. Q Did he have his hat on? A Yes, sir. Q Had his clothes on? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A He dil. Q You knew he was wounded? A Yes. Q Don't you know that a doctor hal just d.ressed his wounds? A No, I didn't know it. Q Don't you know it noW? A I know it now. Q You took him out of bed and carriel him to jail? A Yes. sir. Q Well, who shot him after you left that house? A Nobody. Q Was there a shot fired? A There was a shot fired from over at this vacant lot. Q Tlho shot it? A I don't know. Q One of the men back behind? A I was one of the men that was behind, and we ran over there. Q Was he shot in the back? A That I don 1 t know. Q Don 1 t you know? A Not of my own personal knowledge. Q You diln't shoot hin, did you? A No, Sir. Q Are you certain of that? A I am certain of t~at. Q Who murdered that man on the road to the sanitarium? A He was not murlered. Q Well, he was not hurt very bal when you took him out of the house, was he? AI ~on't know only what the woman sail, that he was pretty badly wounded. Q Where was he shot? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A He was shot in the boiy here somewhere. Q You. didn't care? A I diin't take Q \lfh.o hol~ of the man myself . did? A Whyt I think it was Captain Sanders and I don't remember who the other was, took him by the arm and had one man on each sid.e of b.i~ by the arm and carried him d.own the street. Q He was wounded and you. carried him down the street. Was it a cold night? A No• sir. Q You. say he was shot through the body before you. left the hou.se? A Yes. Q Where in the body? A I don't know--somewhere in the body. Q How many wounds did he have? A I didn't know at that time. I learned afterwards that he was shot through the body and had a shot in his arm. Q Don't you know that shot in the arm he received when he stopped the hack? A Not sir. Q Did you shoot him? A No~ sir. Q Who shot him in tne arm? A I ion' t know. Q You were there, though? A I was there. Q Did you. hear anyboiy after he was shot make the expression, "If that shot isn't enough we'll give you. some moren? A No~ sir. Q You are not a peace officer now? A No, sir. Texas State Library and Archives Commission SENATOR PAGE: That's all. EXAl.1IlU.TION BY MR. TID\'l. ELL. · Q Was the Sheriff with you when you went to the residence, Mr. Haley? A Yes, sir, the Sheriff went with us. Q Did the Sheriff go in the house and assist in bringing him out? A The Sheriff went in the house, yes, sir. Q Now, did the Sheriff go with you all from the residence to t he jail when you carried him to jail? A Yes, sir. Q Who was the Sheriff that went with yon? A c. T. Ryan. Q Did he give ~ny instructions to any of you in regarl to the matter as you went along? A No, sir, none whatever. Q What did he say about t~e matter? A I don't remember. Q Sir? A I ion't remember. MR. TIDVlELL; That's all. REDIRECT EXAMINATION. By Mr. Knight. Q I will ask you to state if Captain Sanders spoke Spanish or ~lexican? A No, sir. Q Bid Rodriga.ez spes.k Englis h? A No, he did not. Q There is one other question. Did t he Granl Jury make a special report on this case at the time? A Yes, I believe they did---! know they lid. Texas State Library and Archives Commission ~ 20" ~.. •'" Q Do you know whether or not that is a certifiel copy of the Grand J ury report?--you know the Clerk's haniwriting? A Yes, air, that is a certified copy by the District Clerk. M..~ . CANALES: Now, do you want to introd.u.ce that? MR . KNIGHT: We want to read the port i on of the Grand Jury report relating to this case under the certificate of the Clerk .. SENATOR WILL IFORD: Did you read the dying statement of that Mexi can? A No , sir. SEMATOR WILLIFORD: A You know he made one? I know he male one, but I never lid read it. MR. CANALES: This is supposed to be a report male by the Grand Jury at that time---well, go ahe&l. This Grand Jury, after going over a good many lvffi . KNIGET : matters, sail: "This Grand Jury has spent almost half of its time investigating the shooting between the Police Force, ~angers ani Deputy Sheriffs in which Toribio Rodriguez received his death wound, and after examining twenty-seven witnesses. we have failed to find sufficient evidence to return an inIt is tne opinion of this Grand dictment in this case. Jury that Ca~tain Sanders with his Ranger Foree ani the Denuty Sheriff were unquestionably firel upon by parties unknovm to them, and that they were ju.stified in iefeniing themselves ani their prisoner." That is signeJ. by the Grani Jury. MR . KN IG"!-rT : SEr;ATOR p AGE: ~2 . KNIGHT : !.":usteberg. J . .!:'. !'j . :;;i. RenJ.on, B. Reai th~ t J. They are: Prusing . r:: . Earle . . c. s . ~. 1 . Crawford, Foreman; Uobbs, R. Be.l.fori, r. F . W. B . Ren.3.all, E. Chambers , E • .J. Blunt . ani Texas State r.:. A. Library Monsees.and Archives Commission ... I EXA11HTATION BY LIR. I.1cMILLH! . Q Who was this man that tipped this man Trevino off? A Uresti. Q ~e was a Deputy Sheriff? A. Yes. sir. Q He was with you when you went to make t he arrest? A Yes .• sir. Q You didn't him as being in na~e t~e hack? A Yes , sir, he went with me in the hack to get Captain Sanders out of beJ.. Q Where was he when the shooting took place? A He was there; he was sitting in the front seat with Joe Jenkins. MR . KHIGHT: Re is the man that Rsked them what they wanted. Q Did he go back with you after Rodr iguez? A Yes . sir~ Q Well, where was he at the time the shot was fired you mentioned a while e.go? A Well , he was with the Ranger boys. One of the Ranger boys and Uresti when the s ho t was fired ran over to t he right hani side of the street. Q Well, where was he when the snot was fired? A Well , he was alongside Captain Sanlers . Q Was he t~e one that was helping Captain Sanders lead this fellow along? AI ~on't know who t he other man was , but Captain Sanders was one of the men that had hold of this fellow by the arm, but I don't know whether it was Andreas Uresti or one of t he others that had him by the other arm. Q Do you know whether that was the shot that hit Rodriguez or not? -Texas tJ ,, 2' ~ State Library and Archives Commission A No, sir, I don't. Q Did he complain in any way when t he shot was fired or offer any complaint? A I was not close enough to them. Q How far were you off? A I was about twenty paces behind. Q Did .you all ·go together in a bunch in the iirection where the shot was fired? A No, sir. They came out of the house with Rolriguez. and Joe Longoria and myself when they came out of the front door of the house, we went arouna behind the corner like to see if there was anybody behind the house; we were afraid of being waylaid. Q You and Joe who? A Joe Longoria, Deputy Sheriff. Q Where was this fellow Andreas? A Uresti? He was with the Captain and the Sheriff. Q You don't know that he liln't shoot him? A I know he di~ not shoot him. Q How do you know that? A Well, I liln't hear any shot fired from there; the shot was fired from over on the vacant lot. Q Which direction did Uresti go when the shot was fired? A.He wes with one of the Renger boys end they ran over to the side. and Captain Sanders hollered, "Where did that shot come from?" Q Did you run in the same direction? A Yes, sir; they went into the lot a.nl I went around. the corner of t his building. Q Now , ~on't you know as a fact that that shot that was fired was the shot that hit Rodriguez? A No. sir, I know it could not have been. Texas 12! (; State Library and Archives Commission Q Well, you were twenty or thirty paces from him. know that? A How d.o you that's what I want to get at. Well, that shot came from off this vacant lot, the shot that was fired.. Q Did you see the flash of the gun? A No, sir, coulin't see the flash of the gun, but the ahot was fire~ from this lot. Q How do you know it was shot from there? A Well, the shot came from that iirection--it souniei. Q You didn't . finl anybody over there when you went? A No, sir; we went around t he house anl through the lot anl there was one of the other Ranger boys came arounl meeting us anl we didn't find anybody. Q Didn't fini anyboly in that direction? A Didn't find anyboly in that direction, anl we came back on the street and back to the hack and they were putting this man in t he he.ck . EXAMINATION BY SENATOR WILLIFO·-:aD"---. Q Mr. Haley, how far wa s it fro m where t he trouble occurred to the house of Roirigues? A Why, l t~ink it was three blocks . Q Prom where you bad t he fig ht? A Yes, sir. Q Do you think a man---what sort of guns were used? A I was shooting a 32 Lugar. Q Do you think a man shot t hr ough the boly and arm coull have gone home and then walked as far as you went with him? A I ion 1 t know; it's owing to how bai he was wounied. Q When you got back from t he vacant lot he was lying in the hack with his feet hanging out? . A They were putting him in t he he.ck. Texas -~2f - State Library and Archives Commission 1 Q None of you examined that man to see how baily he was hurt, did you? A No, sir. SEMATOR \7ILLIFO F.D: That rs all. REDIRECT EW.1INATION. By Mr. Knight. Q You were twenty paces behind the party that hal Rodriguez? A Yes., sir. Q If they nsd shot wou.ld you have heari t~e shot? A The shot would have been right in fron t of me. Q Did anybody in your crowd shoot that shot? A No, sir. Q It was somebody in ambush that shot it? A Yes, sir. Ma. KUIGRT: That's all. F R E DB R I C0 LOPEZ. having been duly sworn, testified as follows:(Miss Buckley acting as Interpreter) CHAIRM.Al~ BLEDSOE: MR. K1HG1:!'.r: Gentlemen, proceeJ. with the examination. Vie just tender h.im. I th.ought you wanted to ask him some questions. 113.. uAH.ALES: I will question him. E.XAMIUATION BY MR. CANALES. Q Frederico, where do you live? A (Interpreter) Agua Nueva. Q What county is that? A The same county as ~ebbronville. Q Jim Hogg County. Who are you working for? A Eduardo Izaguirre. Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1298 Q How long have you been working for Mr. Izaguirre? A He thinks about seven years he has been working for him. Q Do you know Gomez Salinas? A No, sir. Q Haven ' t you ever seen him? A No , sir. Q Don't you remember a man- --you know John Edds? A Yes, sir. Q Do you remember a man--a prisoner that John Edis entrustei to you ani a men by the name of Oz una to coniuct from Izaguirre's ranch to Hebbronville? A Yes. sir. Q What was his name? A Ee sags he just knew him by sight; that was the first time he had seen him ani he hai never heard of him before. Q Who was with you at the time you were oonlucting that prisoner? A Sabas Ozuna. Q Ozuna . When was that? A He t hinks it was three months ago. Q Who toli you to take that prisoner? A He said John Edis told him to take him to Hebb ronville, but they iidn't reach Hebbronville because something happenei anl it became necessary to kill him. Q Well, now , who first arrested that man? A He saii "We arrestei him". Q :When? A That same day . They took t ne man and. ielivered him to John Elis . ~ Jell, now. what ti me was it ~hen you arrestei him? A About three in the afternoon. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q What time was it when you leliverel him to John Ed~s? A About lark. Q Where was this man when he was arrestei? A He was ju.st riding and they arrestei him. Q Did you have a warrant for ~is arrest? A Yes, sir. Q Were you a Deputy Sheriff? A No, sir. Q Well, who was with you at the time? A He ani four others. Q Tino were they? A Matilia Rios, Pancho Longoria, Sabas Ozuna, ani Juan Ramirez. ~And yourself, that ma.kes five. Either one of those, were they Deputy Sheriffs? A No, sir, they were cowboys--laborers. Q Who gave you the order to arrest him? A Izaguirre sent them to catch him because a robbery had occurred there. Q Well, was that man on horseback or on foot at the time you. arresteJ. him? .A On horse. Q Whose horse was it? A He does not know whose horse it was. Q Well, now, what iii you say about the pistol? A When they notified him of the arrest he pulled his pistol and wouldn't let them get hi m--take hold of him. Q Well, were you. armed? A Yes, sir. Q Were the other fellows armei that were with you? A Yes, sir. Q Eu.t you iidn 1 t shoot him? A No, sir, they just tied him. Texas State Library and Archives Commission CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: Have her again to ask if he had any warrant of arrest- -not just an order, but a warrant or a writ. Q Dii you or any of those with you have a written warrant for the arrest of that man? A No 9 sir. Q Now, after you tiel him-- -did you tie him with a rope? A Yes, sir. Q And where did you take him? A Agua Ut1eva. Q Now, that is where Mr . Izaguirre live.i? A Yes, air ·. Q Now, about what time of day did you get there with him? A About three o 'clo ck. Q Was he still-- ~he was still tied, his hands were still tied? A Yes, sir, he rema.inel tied until he was deliverei to John Edds and he put handcuffs on him anl tied him. Q Tied him where? A He put handcuffs on him and tied him. Q All right. To whom lid John Edds turn this prisoner over? A Delivered him to this man (iniicating the witness). Q who had the keys to the handcuffs? A He hal them--this man. Q Now, were you armed when you started with him to Febbronville? A Yes, sir. Q Was Ozuna. your partner, armel also? A Yes, sir. Q was the .iefendant--or the prisoner armed at that time? A He was armed when they captured him, but they took his pistol away from hi m. Q Well, he was not armei when they were taking him to Hebbronville? A No , sir. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q All right. What time of iay was it when you started with him for Hebbronville? A Very early in the morning, about seven or eight . Q How far is Hebbronvil le from Agua Nueva? A About thirty-five or forty miles. Q Now , the prisoner slept that night in Agua Nueva? A Yea, sir. Q ~e was handcuffed? A Yes, sir. Q Ani he was also tiei? A Yes, sir. Q Where was he tiei luring that night? A On a gallery of the house. Q How was he tiei--by chain or with rope or how? A He had a chain and handcuffs on his wrists. Q All right. So you started next morning about eight o'clock with him to Hebbronville? A. Between seven and eight o'clock. Q That country after you leave Agua Nueva to Hebbronville is open, sa~ly country, isn't it? A Part of it is open prairie and part of it is lanes. Q Well, now, those lanes are composed of fences on each siie--- the fields are fenced? A Yes, sir. Q Now, how far was it from Raymondville to where you killei him---I mean Hebbronville? A Four or five miles. Q Well, why didn 1 t you kill him before that time? A Because he haln't run away . Q How far was he from you when you shot at him? A About twenty or twenty-five yaris. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Now, you were on horseback? A Both of them were on horseback. Q Ani your partner was on horseback? A Yes, sir. Q And this was in a lane? A No 9 in brush. Q An~ he was twenty-five yaris away from you at the time you shot at him? A Yes, because he ran; he started off and they called him and he paid no attention to it. MR. MOSES: I didn't catch that. A He started off and they called and he paid no attention; he started off to the brush. Q Now, why didn't you tie his horse to the saddle of yourself and lead him that way? . A Because he was lelivered that way to them. Q Well 9 John Edds delivered him to you at night, didn't he? A No , sir, in the morning. Q Oh, did John Edds stay there all that night? A Yes, sir. Q And in the morning he delivered him to you that way? A He delivered two letters to him. Q And he was hanicuffed and on the horse at t~e time? A Yes, sir. Q Now, who told you that if he tried to run to shoot at him? A No one told him. He says he is well known there, but not as a murderer. MR. LACKEY; A He said he w~s MR. Kl!IGHT: I didn't get that. well known there, but not as a murderer. Who? A This man (indicating the witness). Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Well, now , why did you murier him? MR. MOSES: Did he say if he hai known he was going to run away he wouli never have taken him? A Re sail he would not have teken him . Q Well, now, did you attempt to catch his horse before you shot at hi m? A No , be sail, because he started off aheai on a very gool horse. Q And ne was twenty-five MR. KN IG~T : y~ris off fr0rn you ut the time? Now, Gentlemen, I have no iisposition to cur- tail the investigation, but I assume no one will gainsay that t he purpose of this is to shov. John Elis' connection with it, ani the witness has seii t hat John Eids hEi nothing to io wit h it. It seems to me t hat is t tie euJ. sought. UHAIRJ.lAN BLEDSOE: I think we are entitlei to have all the facts ani circumstances, but there is a constant repetition, which shouli be avoiiel. He has sail repeateily the fellow was some twenty-five yaris off ani he shot him because he was trying to run off in the brush. Q At the time the ieceasel ran or triei to run off to one siie of the roa d iid you and your partner attempt to run after him? A He said no, they lid not, that he was five or six paces ahead of them and they were rolling cigarettes Rnd w~e~ he started off they callei to him anl he paii no attention to them anl they callei two or three times ani he kept on. Q Did you have your gun in your bani at the time? A No, not at the time, not at the time t he man startei off, but afterwards he got his rifle . Q Did your partner have a rifle in his hand at the time? A It was put up in the 'scabbari. Q Well, both of you shot at him? A Just one shot grazel him. Q Where was it? Texas State Library and Archives Commission a UnJ..er the arm. Q And where was the other shot? A There in t~e back. Q Well, dil he lrop leal then? A Yea, sir. Q Dil you leave him there? A His . partner stayed there with him, remained with him while this man went on to Hebbronville. Q Whom· iid you went to see at Hebbronville? A To the Ranger to whom he was taken, lvir. Oscar. Q Thompson? A They were to deliver the prisoner to him. ~ Did Mr. Izaguirre toll you to shoot at that fellow in the event he tried to escape? A This man had not seen Mr. Izaguirre that morning. Q I thought Mr. Izaguirre gave you. the order to arrest that man? A Yes, when they arrested him. Q How is that? A Izaguirre gave him the arma. MR. MOSES: Didn 1 t they arrest him the lay before? Q Was that the day before? A one lay before. Q When you. left the ranch that morning diJ..n 1 t you. see Mr. I zagu.irre? A No, sir; John Elis ieliverel the letters to him. Q What lid John Edis tell you then? A To ieliver him to Mr. Oscar at Hebbronville. Q Did he tell you to ieliver him living or deal? A He said alive, but he sail nobody knew that this other would happen. Q After this ?.anger came over there Hebbronville---lid they arrest you? di~ he arrest you in Texas 13, 5 State Library and Archives Commission A After the Ranger came? Q Yes, after you went to see the Ranger? A Yes, sir . Q Did you go back to where your partner was? A No, sir. Q Did he see his partner that lay any more? A In the afternoon when they brought the bely they brought him tnere also, arrestei. Q How long dii you remain in jail? A About three hon.rs. Q You gave bond, liln't you? A Yes, sir. Q Who were you.r bonlsmen? A Mr. Oscar Thompson. Q Who was the other one? A He does not know who he was. Q You have never been indicted for that crime, have you? A No, sir. MR. CANALES: That's all. SENATOR WITT: MR. KNIGHT: Is he on the Ranger force? No, sir, never has been connected with it. CHAIRMAN BLE.DSOE: MR. MOSES: No, Senator, he is a cowboy. Does any member of the Committee lesire to ask any questions? CHAIRM.AH BLEDSOE: I don't. EXAMINATION BY MR. TIDWELJ,J. Q Ask him who guariei him that night on the porch? A Two workers there--men that were working there. Q 1i7here was John Ed.ls? A John Edl.s came there. but this man saii they were very sleepy, they had been awake a great aeal, and went to bed early. Texas State Library and Archives Commission 13or Q Did you see John Edds next morning? A Yes, sir, he ielivered the letters to him. Q What did John Edas tell you when he delivered the letters? A To take the prisoner and leliver him at Hebbronville. Q Where did he tell you he was going? A He didn't tell him. Q Did John Edls leave before you did or after? A He was still there when this man left. Q Were you mal at this prisoner? A Diin 1 t even know him. Q Did you want to kill him? A No, sir. Q Did your partner know him? A No 9 sir. Q Neither one of yon wanted to kill him when you started to Hebbronville-? A Nol' sir. Q Had you taken all of his arms from him when you. started? A Yes. sir. Q Did t~e prisoner tell you. he was going to get away? A No, air. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: Tell him he can go. A He sail if he had told him that they would have tied him so he coull not get away. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: 1~ss Buckley, tell him he can take his expense account anl get some of his frienls to help him make it out. MP... MOSES: Mr. Chairman, Mr . Izaguirre talks fairly gooi English and. probably will not need. an interpreter. bu.t we can probably save time by letting him talk in English as far as he can, and if we have to have an interpreter---- Texas State Library and Archives Commission CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: Well 9 now, unless there is something more connecting Izaguirre with it there is no neel to take up time on it. MR . KNIGHT : MR. MOSES: We ion't care anything about it. He was the owner of the ranch anl he was there at the time Ells was there, ani ·if ~dls gave him instructions, directly or indirectly, to have the Mexican killed it seems to me he ought to be interrogated to that extent . .MR . CA!TALES: No, not :Mr . Izaguirre. However, I will ask him a few questions. EDUARDO IZAGUI RR E . having been duly sworn, testified as follows:DI F.ECT EXAMINATION. By Mr . Canales. Q Where were you born? A Tama.ulipas •. Mexico. Q Are you an American citizen? A No , sir, I have my first papers. Q You just declared your intention to become a citizen? A Yes, sir. Q When lid you io that? A August, 1919. UHAiill.IAU BLEDSOE; A Aug~st. When? 1917, or 1916--I am not sure. Q Now, lo you remember the inciJent when John Edds came to your ranch last year and one Gomez Salinas was arrested? A Yes , sir. Q Dii you tell your servants to go and arrest that man? A Yes, sir. Q Was any of your servants Deputy Sheriffs? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A No. sir. Q Were you a Deputy Sheriff? A I was holling a Ranger commission, yes. sir. Q Special Ranger? A Yes. sir. Q Now, they brought him to your ranch. they said, about three o 1 clock in the afternoon. A I was not there when they got in . Q But you got there soon after? A Yes, sir. Q Mr. Edls came down there? A Came with me in the car, yes. sir. Q Came with you in the car? A Yes. sir. Q·Well, now, what did they do with the prisoner? A They deliverei him to Mr. EdJ.s ani Mr. Hutcheson, another Ranger. Q Is he still a Ranger? A Yes, sir. Q Well, now. to whom did they deliver him---what iii t hey io with the prisoner? A They held him there that night. Q Well, now, what became of t he prisoner? A Well, next lay they asked for two men to bring him to 1Iebbronville. Q Why didn't they take him to Rio Granae City? A Well, I don't know that much , but we were in Jim Hogg County. Q So you .don't know why he was not taken to Rio Grande City. How did the Rangers get there? A I 1 phoned to them; t hrou.gh me; in other woris, Antonio Perez 'phoned he ion' t knor. how to hold t he 'phone an.i askei me to please 'phone for him. 'phone for the Rangers. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q You ' p~one d for t he Rangers? A Yes, sir. Q They came in their own car? A Yes, sir. Q How ma ny Bangers came? A No, they ion ' t come t o my ranch; they come on a scout from the river up North . Q What Rangers came scouting? A Well, ones stationei at Rio Granie City, I don ' t know how many. Q I mean what Rangers ca~e when this fellow was there? A John Edis anl Sid Hutcheson. Q How iii they come? A In my car. Q You brought them yourself? A Yes, sir. Q Is it a ForJ car or what? A Ford car. Q Five passenger? A Five passenger. Q So you came with the two Rangers. A uho irove the car? My cousin. Q Your cousin anl yourself and the two Rangers? A Yes, sir . Q Now , when t~e Rangers returned next morning lid you take them back? A Yes, sir. Q The four men went back to Rio Jranle City? A Yes, sir. Q And the prisoner, what became of him? A They sent him with the boys. Q What orders dii Edls give the boys? A Re gave them a l etter and sail to take him to Eebbronville. Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1310 Q Who said if he attempted to run away to kill him? A Didn't mention a wori about it. Q I say, who mentioned it to them---who toli them to io it? A What? Q To kill him if he attempted to go? A I lon 1 t know nobody that told them to kill him, Mr. Canales. Q You know whet the fugitive law is? A ~es. Q That a prisoner tries to escape and then they kill him--that's the practice in Mexico. A I have never been practicing law and no officer. (Laughter) Q You have heard of that practice in Mexico? A Well, there, yes. CHAIRAr.AN BLEDSOE: Letts have order now. Q Wellt where dii the boys get that law? A Huh? Q Where did the boys get that law, in case he attempted to escape to kill him? wno told them to lo it? A I don't know of nobody that MR. CANALES: tol~ them. That's all. EXAMINATION BY CHAIRM.ill BLEDSOE. Q Where did you get with the Rangers? A Sir? Q Where did you meet Mr. Edds anl Mr. Hutcheson? A I met them in Rio Grande City. Q You met them in Rio Grande City? A Yes, sir. Q You were a Special Ranger? A I was a Special Ranger then and that is why the owner of the horse came to ask me for protection and I 'phoned for the Rangers. Q And then went in town in your car? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A Yes, sir. Q Ani brought them all the way our there? A Yes, sir. Q Did you know this man had been arrested when you went after the Rangers? A No, sir. Late next evening City that they caught this man; my boys Tphoned to Rio Grande then it was we came in to my ranch again. Q ~ell, now, you were a Specia l Ranger your s elf and aut horizel to act as a peace officer? A Yes, sir. Q You ha d a rig ht to make an arrest? A Yes, sir. Q You knew you had a rig ht to take a prisoner to jail? A Yes, sir . Q Why diin't you take that fellow to Hebbronville yourself instead of going after the other Rangers? A I was in District Court then in Rio Grande City and I was a witness in t hat court. MR . KUIGHT: Re wa s in Hebbronville when he was arrested. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: I understand. Q But you and bot h of t hos e other boys were Rangers, anl y e t you turned a prisoner over to two hired me n t o go to Rebbronville, is that true? A Yes. Q Are you still a Special Ranger? A No. sir . Q You lost out? A Yes, sir. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE; All right. EXAMINATION BY MR . LACKEY. Q How Library long hadand those men beenCommission ~ork ing for you Texas State Archives t hat took the man to Hebbronville? A This man came beck to my work in July. Q How long have you known hi m? A Since he was about t welve years old . Q Has he ever been in any trouble or charged with killing anybo.iy? A No, sir. Q How long hai the other man been on your place? A About four years. Q Haa he ever been in any trouble? A No, sir. Q You say you were in Rio Grande City as a witness in a case when they 'phoned you? A No, I was on my ranch, but I hai to go next iay to attend court at Rio Grande City. Q Yo u had to go to attend court at Rio Grande City? A Yes, sir. ~You A were a witness in that case? Yes, sir. Q Well, when did you go after Mr. Edis to Rio Grande City? CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: MR . KlHGHT: We might excuse Miss Buckley. He wes at Rio Grande City with. John EdJ.s when he got the worJ. MR. LACKEY: That's what I understood. (At this point Chairman Blelsoe left the hearing ( (and Senator Page presided. SLNATOR PAGE: Let's have order, Gentlemen. Q Mr/ Izaguirre, as I understand where you were when you first got word that this man was arrested---where were you when you first heard that this man was arrested? A I was in Rio Grande City. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Were you there attending cou:rt? A Yes, going to be called next morning. Q But you were in Rio Grande City when you got word? A Yes, sir. Q Then what did you do? A Took these Rangers back to my ranch. Q And you and ~tr. Edds went back down there? A Yes, sir. MR. LACKEY: That's all. EXAMINATION BY MR. TIDWELL. Q Didntt you know if you gave that prisoner to those two men to take to Hebbronville that they would kill him? A Sir? Q Didn't you know if you gave that prisoner to those two ser- vants of you.rs that they would kill him on the way? A No, sir. How did I know it? Q Didn't you know they were men that would do such a thing? A No, sir, because they never had been in any trouble before. CROSS EXAMINATION. By Mr. Knight. Q They were good men up to that time? A Yes, sir. Q Mr. Izagu.irre, what is the size of your ranch? A Forty thousand acres. Q Is there any sand between your place and Hebbronville? A All the way through. Q How do you get cars through there? A Well, it is heavy :roads, but they pull them all right. Q Sometimes have to get assistance from teams? A Yes, sir. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Now, where is the other servant of yours that was with this boy? A He is in Starr County, sick in bed. Q Too sick to come? A Yes, sir. MR. KNIGHT: That's all. REDIRECT EXAMINATION. By M:r. Canales. Q They are still working for you? A Yes, sir; one is sick with influenza. Q Did you go on their bond? A No , sir. Q Do you remember who went on the bond? A Well, I was in Rio Grande City, and at the time I got to Hebbronville they were already--the boys were baak on the ranch. Q You went to Hebbronville? A Yes, sir. Q You don't know who went on their bond? A No, sir. Q You know they were out on bond? A Sir? Q You know they were out on bond? A Yes, sir, that's what the boys told me. RECROSS EXAMINATION. By Mr. Knight . Q They made the bond before you go t to Hebbronville? A Yes, sir. EXAMINATION BY SENATOR WITT. Q Mr. Izagui.r re, are the :Mexicans in your community afraid of the Rangers? Texas State Library and Archives Commission -J A Not that I know of, not around in the community where I live. Q Have you ever heard of the Rangers' mistreating or abusing any Mexicans in your country? A No, sir, not around me, or me either. Q Have you got a good many Mexicans around you? A That's all that work for me--all :Mexicans. Q You have no trouble with them leaving you and going away because of fear of the officers? A No, air. SENATOR WITT: That's all. RECROSS EXAMINATION. By Mr. Knight. Q :rvtr. Izaguirre, tell the Committee whether you think the Rangers are needed by the country or not--whether you need them or not? A Well, I think yes. MR. KNIGHT: That's all. EXAMINATION BY SENATOR PAGE. Q What time did 1tt-. Edds come to you:r ranch that day? A About sundown. Q Did he stay all night with you? A Yes, sir. Q Did he talk to the men of yours that carried the man to Hebbronville? A No, sir, he never knew them until the time he delivered the letter. Q Never knew them before? A I don't think so. Q Did he talk to them any that night before they carried the prisoner to Hebbronville? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A No, sir. Q He never told them what to do with him? A He never saw them until he delivered the letter. Q What did he tell them to do? A To take him to jail at Hebbronville. Q Where did Mr. Edds sleep that night? A He slept at my home. Q Where did those two men sleep? A Well, it's over there--! keep a little house, you know, for those single boys. Q Did M:r. Edds talk to those men when you were not there? A Sir? Q Did Mr. Edds talk to those men when you were not present? A Well, I was there all the time that Mr. Edds was there. Q When did the men get back to the ranch after going to Hebbron- ville with the prisoner? A Well , by the time I got back from Rio Grande City the boys were back at the ranch. Q Did you talk to them? A No, I just asked about it, what was the matter. Q Were the boys at the ranch when you got back from Hebbron- ville? A They wired me at Rio Grande City. Q These boys wired you from Hebbronville at Rio Grande City? A Not these boys--Mr. Atkins, a friend of mine from Hebbronville. Q What did he wire you? A That the Izaguirre boys k illed a man on the road. Q Well, where were the boys when you got to Hebbronville? A I don't understand. Q Where were those two men when you got to Hebbronville? A They were back on my ranch. Texas ' State Library and Archives Commission 'll ~1 ·· -() Q Did they get there before you went to Hebbronville? A Yes, sir. Q What did you go to Hebbronville for? A Because they wired me to come there. Q Well, what did you do when you went to Hebbronville? A Nothing. I went back home. Q Well, when you got home did yo~ see the boys? A Yes, sir. Q What did they tell you? A They told me this boy ran and they hollered three times. Q Wait a minute. What did they tell you when you got to the ranch about the killing? A Well, they told me this man had run and they hollered three times and they had to shoot him. Q They told you he ran and they hollered three times and had to shoot him? A Yes, sir. Q Did they tell you he was handcuffed at that time? A No, sir. SENATOR PAGE: That's all. EXAMINATION BY MR. LACKEY. Q Just one qa.estion. Mr. Izaguirre, you say you were at Rio Grande City and went with Mr. Edds out to your ranch? A Yes, sir. Q You got there about dark? A Yes, sir. Q Now, did M:r. Edds see the two men that night that took the ma.n to Hebbronville- -did he see them that night? A I don't think so. Q Then, did he see them the ne:x:t morning until they got ready to start? !318 Texas State Library and Archives Commission j • A Just when they got ready to start and he delivered them the letter. Q They didn't sleep in the same quarters that you and Mr. Edds slept in? A No, sir. Q Were you present when Mr. Edds gave these men the letter to Mr. Thompson? A Yes, sir, a whole lot of men. Q Were you with Mr. Edds all the time he was at your place? A Yes, sir. Q Did he see these men before they went to take the man to Hebbronville? A No, sir. Q Did Mr. Edds select these particular two men to take him to Hebbronville, or did you select them? A No, sir; I told my foreman to give me two good men to take him. MR. LACKEY: That's all. EXAMINATION BY SENATOR WILLIFORD. Q Row were they traveling? A Horseback. Q The two boys on each side of the prisoner? A I don't know how they went. Q Did they try to catch him when he started off? A They said they hollered. Q Did they make any effort to overtake him? A I don' t know. Q Didn't they say whether they did or not? A No, they never said to me. SENATOR WILLIFORD: - That's all. ----- -- - - --- -- 1319 Texas State Library and Archives Commission SENATOR PAGE: We will have to suspend. The Committee will stand at ease. (Thereupon the proceedings were suspended from ( (3.45 P. M. until 4.40 P. M. - Chairman Bledsoe presiding. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: Gentlemen, let's have order. W• B • HINKLY having been duly sworn, testified as follows:DIRECT EXAMINATION. By MI'. Knight. Q Mr. Hinkly, what is your business? A At the present time I a.m operating several farms and running a creamery and ice cream plant. Q What was your business prior to that time? A I was Cashier of the San Benito State Bank, and I have farmed on the river for several years. Q Now, admit it--aren't you a lawyer? A Yes, sir, I have license. Q Well, now, in operating your farm and creamery you have had frequent contact with the population dovrn there? A Yes, sir. Q You live at San Benito? A Yes, sir. Q Are the people in San Benito who are familiar with the Canales Bill for or against it? A Well, we are absolutely against it. Q Is that a petition that you interested yourself in getting Texas State Library and Archives Commission signed up down ~here? A Well, I will state that this petition was gotten up and sent to Austin after they found out I had coma to Austin. Q A:te they all representative citizens of that community ·a:nd interested in its well-being? A Yes, sir. I think they must have got every man on there that they saw. Q Now, you have lost a great deal of stock yourself, haven't you, Mro Hinkly? A Yes, sir. Q How many Jersey cows have you had stolen and carried across ·the river in the last two or three years? A I haven't kept track , but I know I lost seventeen in March of last year. Q,In 1918? , A Yes, sir. ' Q I will ask you to state if that bandit stealing has let up down there? A No, sir; I think stealing has bee~ worse dll.l"ing the past twelve months than it has ever been in our section. Q Do you identify that letter you wrote Captain Hanson reflect- ing the conditions down there? A Yes, sir. Q What is the date of it? A December 8th. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: What year? A 1918. Q You mentioned recent occu;rrences there in the way of stealing and so forth in this letter? A Yes, sir. Q Do you remember the circumstance of the killing of Mr. Cunningham down there? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A Yes, sir, very well. Q r · will ask you to state if owing to that and similar oases there was a state of terrorism on the part of the people a.nd on accoiint of personal fear and intimidation they hesitate and omit to inaugurate prosecutions there locally? A Yes, sir; the feeling of unrest and anziety is so great in San Benito now that the day we were informed this bill was introduced by Mr. Canales the people sent two representatives up to Austin to appear in the interest of San Benito, and inside of three hours they had raised by popular subscription $280.00 to defray the expenses of ,these men to Austin. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: .A:re you one of those? A Yes, sir. Q I will ask you to state what the population of San Benito was at the time this outlawry broke loose and what it is at this time? A Well, to show the growth and impress upon th~ this banditry meant to San Benito, we organized a 1909; Committee what ?ank there in at that time there were not over two or three hundred people in San Benito, and in 1911 or 1912---the reason this is called to my mind, since I have been here on this investigation I recalled one instance in which one special officer was killed and one Ranger was wounded and another man wounded, who I believe was a Deputy Sheriff; that was about three years before the bandit trouble, and at this time we had a population of four or five hundred. a growth of . fiv~ At the time of the bandit trouble we had thousand • During the time the· bandit trouble was going on over two thousand people left there; after the bandit trouble had been going on twelve months there were only about three thousand people. Q Wasn't that exodus composed of both Americans and Mexicans? A Yes, sir, both Americans and Mexicans. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Well , now, you speak of a fight where a Ranger and some officers were killed and wounded. Were you in that fight- -raid? A I was not there when the f irst--when the Rangers were killed. Q You went out to their rescue and assistance? A Yes, sir. Q Have you been in any fights down there with those people in the last four or five years? A Well, I have not been at any of the fights that occurred in any of these raids, but prior to that time I was in several. Q Now, you have had occasion to observe the conduct of the Rangers as to whether or not they are f earlass men and men who as a rule are circumspect in their personal conduct and devoted to duty? A Well, I will say this much: When I first came down to the border, about twelve years ago, I stayed in Brownsville a good deal and while down there I took notice of the Rangers and I thought they were a pretty rough sort of fellows , but I never had any dealings with them; we never had any trouble. We had ranches along the river and we irrigated land and everything went along nicely except an occasional killing--we have always had killings ever since I have been there; we had occasional stealing, and never paid muoh attention to the Rangers, but whenever there was need for a Ranger they were always at our call, and their bravery was ver-y remarkable. Q It is stated here that they were never there when danger was imminent. A No, sir; Is that true or not? I never saw a man as fearless as the Rangers we have had in our territory. Q Are their lives exposed to constant peril? A Yes, sir. I would like to tell about when this Ranger Law- ranee was killed and officers wounded in going to the rescue. Q All right. Texas State Library and Archives Commission A The American engineer at the pumping plant at San Benito knocked a Mexican down for trying to flirt with his wife. She hesitated to tell him for fear he would kill the Mexican, but he repeated it and she told him, and he did try to flirt with her; when she went to throw out her dish water he would cough and smile, and he asked him what he did it for and he grinned and he knocked him down. So the next morning everybody was uneasy about it, thought something was going to happen. They were working about four or five hundred Mexicans, and only a few The next morning this man killed the engi- Americans there. neer as he came out of his house. This Mexican with another was waiting for him and they walked across the concrete wall across the canal and the Mexican waited for him to cross the canal and he shot him through the head and he died instantly-his brains ran out on the ground. They 'phoned to ·san Benito and several of us went out there. When we got out there the . night engineer had seen the two Mexicans run through the pumphouse and he got to the door just before the killing happened and he saw them shoot the man; he identified him as being a man on the force, and the other was a Mexican with a drooping eyelid, but he had never seen him before. we went to the hous e where the Mexican lived that was i dentified positively and caught him; he said he didn't know who the man was-- he had seen him, but didn't know who he was. Finally by working one way and another-- it's too long to take up the time of the Committee--we found it was a cousin of the man who had killed the man, named Trevino. Sam Robertson, who was doing all the construction work, now a Major in the .A:rmy in France, offered a reward of five hundred dollars for the arrest of that man. That man sent a note that he would kill Robertson. The citizens got together and raised a fund and took it up with the Governor Texas State Library and Archives Commission and asked him to recommend a special officer; he recommended an officer named Lawrence, and paid him a hundred and twenty- five dollars a month. A Mexican came there and said that Robertson had saved his life and he wanted to save his life and that this Mexican was going to kill him; he said, ."I am going to tell him that I want to kill Robertson, too, and in that way get him into a trap over here so you fellows can kill him," and he " went over there and they made a plot to rob the paymaster and he reported it, too, at . that time. Sam Robertson believed this Mexican was going to help him, but the other officers of the canal company didnrt believe it. Sam Robertson was in st. Louis at the time they advised him about it. ~o~r. fellows didn't come a.round that day with the pay-car and nothing happened, but they founa the brush in the road. The Mexican had told him to go over there and try to get Sam Robertson, so he told them to come out there next morning at ten o'clock and that they could catch the thieves or bandits at that time- -the bandits; and two so instead of going out then they went out that night, Rangers~ this special officer· Lawrence and Ranger Karnes, went out to the right- of-way that l ed up to the road- -they went out there in the right-of-way and another_ fellow, John Zoll, was with them. He said he wanted to ·be in the brush where he could see them first. Those two Rangers stayed in the road, and about one o'clock these men came up there. It was dark and you couldn't see over thirty or forty feet. When the bandits got close to the officers they hands up!" s~id, "Halt1 - throw your and they shot _immediately and killed them; Karnes had five bullet holes in his face. Ranger Zoll emptied his pistol and went to the nearest house for help. Before we got out there this Ranger ·Pat Craighead, now Sheriff 9f Jim Hogg County, and West--I think he is a Deputy Sheriff of Hidal go 1 8~ 5 County- -they happened to be there at the time and went out Texas State Library and Archives Commission there to help. These fellows crawled through the brush. Zoll said he imagined thirty or forty shots we!e fired. John They crawled to the brush and after they got there they laid there waiting to see if something was going to happen. They could see two men out there and heard a kind of gurgling sound and one of them said, "Let's go out there and see if we can help them,n and they crawled out on their knees like snakes and .they heard--they were ready to fire, they knew something was over in the brush, and they had a battle and everybody emptied their guns, . and they crawled out like they got into the bro.sh. About fifteen minutes later we got there and we marched down the right-of-way and raked the brush with shots. I forgot to state that Craig- head fired his gun off as a signal to us where to stop, and they fired several vollays and wounded him, shoWing that mistakes happen with the best of intentions; they thought he was a bandit, but he was trying to give a signal to stop. We went out there and picked up the two men that were dead---they were wounded, and took them to the house nearest by and searched around there and found the body of a wounded Mexican about thirty feet from the edge of the right-of-way propped up against a log with a shell jammed in the barrel of his Winchester, and we searched around and found a man's hat. I didn't stop to telephone-- other people 'phoned ·the Rangers, and as soon as they got there some of the Rangers and the posse took up the trial and carried it to the river's edge. That's all. But the bravery of the Rangers--every time an attempt has been made to capture a bandit a Ranger has been killed, almost invariably. Q You say the. local authorities encounter extreme difficulty in enforcing the laws by reason of the intimidation of the people to appear as accusers? A Yes, sir. The.re is one point Judge Mothershead touched Texas State Library and Archives Commission on yesterday in his testimony that I would like to make a remark in favor of the county officials down there. that we can get a conviction in the ·county; It ie seldom in fact, think there has hardly been any until ·recently; ditions are getting better. I don't recently con- It is hard to tell where the fault lies, but there is a slackness on the part of everybody down there in prosecutionst but one reason is that witnesses are afraid to appear; whenever a man of desperate character is arrested and on trial it is almost impossible to get witnesses, either .Americans or Mexicans, to come and testify for fear of being killed. Q How long have you known Captain Hanson? A I have only known him since about the 7th of last October. Q Have you any criticism of his conduct either as a man or officer? A No, sir. Q You have known Turr. Canales a long time? A Yes, sir. Q Schoolmate of his? • A Yest sir. Mr. Canales and MR • .KNIGHT: I have always been good friends. That's all. CROSS ExAM!NATION. By M:r. Canales. Q You a.re not a' schoolmate of mine? A Well, we went to the same school. Q You graduated in the University of Michigan in the law school? A Yes, sir. Q You say stealing has been worse in the last twelve months than before? A Yest sir. Q I agree with you. Isn't it a fact that in the last twelve Texas State Library and Archives Commission months we have had Rangers there? A We haven't had any Rangers at San Benito for several years; we did have Rangers there about three or four years ago; they had a ca.mp there. Q Mr. Hinkly, I am not talking about stationed at San Benito. Harlingen is a good place for them? A Yes, sir. Q There is where Captain Stevens and his men were located? A Yes, sir. Q Then Captain Stevens' men were succeeded by Captain Will Taylor's company? A Yes, sir. Q Some of them were in Brownsviile and some at Ranchito near your ranch---you've got a ranch adjoining the Cunningham place? A Yes, sir. I knew there was a ca.mp at Harlingen, is the only one I knew · about. Q Didn't know there was one at Ranchito for five or six months? A No, sir. Q Didn 't you know Gene Baker stationed out there? A No, sir, I don't know Gene Baker. Now, I am going to ask you-- Q Well, I thought you knew him. you related about Craighead and killing that man. during the time of Governor Campbell's That was administration--~he Governor offered a thousand dollars reward? A Yes, sir, the Governor offered a thousand dollars reward. Q Don't you know that that reward is still in my possession-- that I got Governor Campbell to offer it and it is still in my possession? A You mean you got the reward? Q No, I got it offered. A Yes, there was a reward offered • I said every time a Texas ... 3r.gState Library and Archives Commission .11. f • Ranger attempted to arrest a desperate man there was somebody killed on the part of the Rangers--that the desperado would kill a Ranger or more. Q Now, name the Rangers that have been killed outside of the one you mentioned there? A Well, that night this special officer Lawrence. Q Well, outside of that. That was in 1907? A No, that was at least 1911. Q No, it was not. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: Well, don' t argue with him. Q It was in 1909--Tom Campbell was Governor at that time. A I am positive it was as late as 1911. Q Well, go a.head. outside of that incident, tell me any Rangers that have been killed? A There have been two Rangers killed in the last six months. Q Who were they? A Tom Tate---- Q He was not a Ranger. A Well, I don't mean Rangers; I mean officers of the law, when they tried to arrest men. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: Well, distinguish between them. A This is the only time I u.s ed the term wrong. I meant officers of the l aw. Q Well, I am talking about Rangers. Now, I ask isn't it a fact that during the raids of 1915 and 1916, that bandit trouble, when we had soldiers there, that the Bangers never went to guard any place where there had been a raid, the soldiers were always sent and put on guard? A Yes, sir, and I will say the reason why. Q Well, is that a fact? A Yes, the soldiers did the guarding and the Rangers did the hunting. Texas '\ 3""~ State Library and Archives Commission - t• MR. MOSES: We think the witness has a right to answer fully. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: li:ffi. CAN.ALES: I think so. Well, first I want him to answer the question before he gives his reasons. MR. MOSES: Will I be permitted to conclude? CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: MR. MOSES: I thought you were through. If there were a handful of Rangers and a thou- sand soldiers---MR. CAN.ALES: Well, now, I object to that. · CHAIRJUN BLEDSOE: The question being asked you, and you being a business man as well as a lawyer, answer the question, then if you feel some explanation further is necessary you can make it. A Yes, sir. MR. C.Al~ALES: I object to the action of counsel in suggest- ing the answer. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: I don't think any was made. Q Well, isn't it a fact that throughout the raids after any trouble has taken place that Rangers were never placed to guard anything, but soldiers were? A I will say this: During the bandit trouble Rangers were not placed to guard roads, but after Mr. Cunningham was killed Rangers worked on that case night and day for several days. Q Sure, and the Sheri ff also worked---M:r. Vann was there? A Yes, sir, he was there. Q And his deputy was there? A Yes, but not for days afterwards; they were there only a few minutes . Q Isn't it a fact that Captain Vann was over there in almost two hours a.ft er it was known? A Yes. Now, after you have brought it up I would like to Texas State Library and Archives Commission show the Committee the difference between the work of the Cunningham was killed Sheriff's department and the Rangers. Nobody saw it, but the about five o'clock in the afternoon. People were hunting and people thought shots were heard. nothing of it, although they mentioned it, but when pay time ca.me Cunningham didn't show up---he went out there every day to see how things were going; when pay time ca.me, he always paid the men off on Saturday night; when he didn't show up the fore- man told about hearing the shots and he had his men to go out and look everywhere; so they looked over the fields everywhere and couldn 1 t find him; they searched out everything that was open field .except a little patch of willows, and he sent his wife's brother to telephone the officers; they 'phoned the Rangers and 'phoned his folks in Brownsville. This place where he was killed was ten miles from San Benito. got there first; Mr. Vann he was notified about nine o'clock, and he got out there in fine shape. They told him they searched everywhere but the patch of willows. A man who has worked for me for years and a man to be depended on said there was no place to search for him except in that patch of willows. had forty or fifty lanterns. They M:r. Vann said, "It's too dark to search tonight,n he said, "everybody get a good night's sleep and we' 11 start in the morning. " · the man is wounded? thing we can. We had better hunt for him and do every- We ·can work in relays." you couldn't do a thing; he left. This man said, "Suppose Vann said, "No, if you do you might step on him." In a few minutes the Rangers came; so they asked if the Sheriff's department had been there, and they said ityes ". Q Who was that? A It was Captain Stevens' company--it was these Sadler boys and this other gentleman, Sitler, they were there. They said, 1i3" l... State Library and Archives Commission Texas J._ l ;_, - _ ==j "Well, that won't do, Boys; let's see what we can find," and they made a camp on the edge of the willows. It showed after- wards that he had evidently been killed while walking along there, or wounded, and they made a camp and worked all night long, so the foreman told me the next morning when I went out there. Mr. Vann stopped at La Paloma and there met Mrs. Cunningham, his wife, and also their daughter, M:rs. Rutledge. Mrs. Rutledge asked Captain Vann if he was going home; said, "Yes." too dark. She said, "What for?" he He said, "Well, it's We will be back in the morning." SENATOR WILLIFORD: Did you hear the conversation? A This is hearsay testimony. Q Go ahead. A And M:rs. Rutledge said---I also got this from Mrs. Rutledge. I aocompanied them; they took his remains to San Antonio two days later and I accompanied them part of the way. Mr. Vann said it was too dark, and said, "We will be back in the morning." Mrs. Rutledge said, "That's the way you all are. You are always the first to get there and first to leave." SENATOR WILLIFORD: MR. KNIGHT: I don't think that is proper testimony. Well, :Mr. Vann seemed to think he was running the whole thing. CHATIU.iAN BLEDSOE: It is purely a hearsay proposition. I will pass it up. MR. KUIGHT: Well, we have a witness who can testify to it. A Well, that's all of any interest to this case. The only point is that the Rangers are the men who did the work. MR. KNIGHT: They stayed on the job until they found his body? A Yes, sir. MR. CANALES: That ts all. Texas State Library and Archives Commission EXAMINATION BY MR. T'rDWELL. Q Do you know who found the body? A It was found by a Ranger and a soldier, I understand. Q That was common repute? A That is what the foreman to l d me, and he said he was absolutely positive-- he was with the party at the time. RECROSS EXAivlINATION. By Mr. Canal es. Q M:r. Hinkly, you said you are absolutel y against the Canales Bill. Have you ev·er read it? A Yes, sir, I have studied it. Q Well, now, what is the first provision of the Canales Bill? MR. KNIGHT: Oh, now! A I can tall what the provisions a.re. Q All right. A Well,--- CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: No, never mind that. Q Well, are you against the provision that the Rangers ---that there shoul d be faux companies in time of piece and that those companies shall consist of twenty men and in time of emergency, whenever the Governor thinks neces·sary, they can be increased to any number the Governor needs-- -are you in favor of that or against· it? A I don 1 t believe---- Q Answer, please, are you in favor of or against it? A No, I don' t believe I am in favor of that. Q Are you fn favor of or against the provision that requires that whenever Rangers should arrest an individual that they should not mistreat him, must not torture him, but that he should .be taken to jail and if it is a bailable offense that Texas State Library and Archives Commission he should be permitted to give bail ? A Yes, I believe that is the proper way for any officer to treat a prisoner. Q Are you in favor of the provision which requires that Rangers should be men of character, known and accepted character, and law-abiding men? A None of our people are opposed to that part of it--not opposed to getting men of good character on the force. Q Are you in favor of the provision of the bill which tends to increase the pay of RangeTs? A Absolutely, and I don't think the bill provides sufficient pay. Q Do you know how mu.ch they get now? A I understand it is fifty a month and expenses, and seventyfive dollars a month is less than they are getting now. Q They are getting fifty and the bill provides for seventy-five. A I understand when in camp they get their provisions and when out of camp they get two · dollars a day. Q Are you in favor of the provision of the bill that they should be under bond? A Yes, sir. Q Then the only provision of the Canales Bill is to give the Governor power to put any number on when necessary, you are against that? A I am opposed to putting the Rangers under the control of the County Commissioners. Q Well, that's out of the bill. A I understand it is now. Q Then the people are against the provision of the bill that gives power to have an unlimited numb er in case of emergency and also putting them under bond? 1- Texas 3'"t. "*' State Library and Archives Commission A I am in favor of giving the Adjutant General and Governor power to have as many as they think necessary. Q Well , that's the first provision. A As it stands now, the Governor has the authority, and that is the way we think it ought to be. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: Well, now, Gentlemen, I don't think that is proper. MR. CANALES: Well, it came out that all the people over there are against it. Q Now, I want to ask whether or not---you know Daniel Hinojosa? A Yes, sir. Q Is he a good man? A I never did like him. I didn't know he was a Ranger. He has always held a commission, but I thought he was a county • officer. Q He is a g?od man? A No, sir, I don't like him. Q He has improved the service by getting into it? im. MOSES: We object to that. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: ments to the witness. I don' t think you ought to make stateNow, don't say anything to the witness that is not based on his statements on the stand. Now, if he testified that the Ranger service had been improved by this man's services, then it is legitimate cross examination. SENATOR WILLIFORD: He just said, "Isn't he a good man?" CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: · Well, he went further than that. I have no objection to it, but don't think it is admissible. Tuffi . CANALES: Well, I learned it from the manner of Judge Knight in cross examination. Mli. KNIGHT: You are a very bad imitator if that is what you thi.n k about it. Q Now, Mr. Hinkly, as matter of fact you don't know that we i- Texas 3~· 5 State Library and Archives Commission t.· 4ave had Rangers there fo:r over twelve months in Cameron County and prior thereto we really didn't have any Rangers? A I know since we have been having so much killing down there there has been a camp of Rangers at Harlingen. At the time my stuff was stolen I didn't know any were in the county; I hadn' t seen any and hadn't had occasion to look them up in the immediate past and didn't know there were any in the county even. Q But you do know that conditions as to stealing have been worse in the past twelve months? A Yes, sir, and getting worse. MR. CANALES: That's all. EXAMINATION BY CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE. Q Mr. Hinkly, you say it is practically impossible to get wit- nesses in that county, either white or Mexicans- - - either Mexicans or Americans ---to testify against a bad character? A Yes, sir. Q Well, do you believe the Rangers will be able to overcome that? A Well, they are not afraid of them. Q Well, the Rangers are not usually witnesses to the transaction. A Well, the people are afraid, I mean. Q You know your District Judge? A Yes, sir. Q Don't you think he could have a very wholesome effect on the moral and political conditions of your county by transferring a nmnber of those cases to another portion of the State, to a more civilized community? A Well , now, I will say---Q You know he has a right to transfer cases to another part of the State? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A Yes, I believe he would have better success. Q Well, don't you think that would have some effect towards stopping this spirit of outlawry in your county? A The only thing, I don' t believe a person would want to go and testify, no matter what county it would be, because the criminal and his kinfolks would know about it. Q Well , now, your county seat is Brownsville? A Yes, sir. Q You have had several Rangers there for several months? A Yes, sir. Q Don't you think they could keep order there? A Yes, sir, they could, but the trouble is done at night. Q Now, how far is Harlingen from your place? A Seven miles • .Q How many Rangers are kept there? A I understand there is a company. Q Well, that's fifteen or twenty men? A I don't know how many. Q Well, with fifteen or t wenty men on the force, if they are as effective against outlawry as you seem to think they are, don't you think they ought to take care of that situation pretty well? A We~l, it looks like they ought to, but it doesn't seem l ike it is sufficient. Q Well, you wouldn't ask the State to put more than twenty men in seven miles of you? A Well, we have been satisfied with the service we have had. Q Yet you have had more thievery in the last twelve months than before? A Well, yes, sir. I'll tell you why: There is a bunch of outlaws across the river from our fa.rm and these people depredate in that locality. I know .there isn't a week goes by that ii 3 f ..... State Library and Archives Commission Texas ..<.:.. t.. I something isn' t stolen, and it hasn't been a week since a citizen was killed. Q Well, how many more men woul d you want pl aced in your com- munity to keep it down? A Well, three or four Rangers is enough to put in a place, if they put three or four on mine; any on my place. I I haven't requ.e sted to have woul d like to have them and would give them a house, but haven't made any solicitation. We are locking up everything at night and not taking any chances, but I believe if some Rangers were there theY. could keep things in hand. Q You haven't call ed on the Rangers in the last three or four months yourself? A No, sir. Q Well, now, if there has been so much violation of felony statutes occurring why didn't you go to the Rangers and secure their assistance? A Because we are rounding our stuff up every night and putting it in a corral and having it watched. Q Well, don't you think it would be more in justice to the Rangers to tell them about it a.nd ask their assistance than to come all the way to Austin? AI am very busy all the time and I didn't take the trouble to look into it until this killing of Cunningham came up; since then I have been in touch with the Rangers all the time. Q When did that killing occur? A Last August. Q How many months ago? A About six months. Q Well, during that six months that you have been in c'lose touch with the Rangers in your county has the stealing stil l continued? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A Yes, sir . CH.AIRJ!AM BLEDSOE: S tb.n.i as i.le . REDIRECT EXAMINATION. By Mr. Knight. ~ You say there are fifteen Rangers in a company? A I don ' t know how many . Q ~hat scope of country lo they have to look after? A I could not tell you. but I lon't know of but one company there. Q. now. you were asked how many Rangers were killei last year anl you mentionei Mr. Tate. ~aren't Shaw ani Timberlake both kille.i there? A I diln't complete that statement. Yes, sir. Q Now, as a rule do you understan~ that Rangers abuse their prisoners as intimated by Mr. Canales? A I don ' t know of any Rangers torturing prisoners; that's the reason we were surprised at the bill. MlL KNIGHT: That ' s all. :EX.AYINATION BY MR. LACKEY. Q How far is your ranch from San Benito? A Our farm runs from two miles of San Benito ten miles; it is six miles ani a half long. Q Is it on the river? A Fronts on the river. Q Do you stay on the farm? A No, sir, I stay in town. Q Do you know of any act of any Ranger lown there in the last two years that has been a ietriment to the ~anger force or been unbecoming a Ranger? A no, sir; I have taken particlllar pains to notice them ani Texas 1 !) , . (\State Library and Archives Commission --th• v they have been keeping quiet and working hara. and I haven't seen any drunkenness or bad action on the part of the Rangers; but the reason I think thieving is so bai is that there are so many ban~its on the other aiie of the river that the smali number of Rangers down there could not cope with them . EXAMINATION BY MR. Q How ~oes ~IDWELL. the conduct of the Ra nger force compare with that of tile Sheriff and deputies and Constablea of the county--I mean w~th reference to orderliness? A You mean in apprehending criminals, or in a moral way? Q Well, are the Ra.n gers as orierly in their coni11ct a s t b.e Sheriff and deputies and Constables or more orderly or inclined to be intolerant? A So far a s I know, sin ce tb.e bandit trouble bot h of them have been orderly ~ b ut during the bandit trouble · t he first executions t hat have been spoken about here were committed by Deputy S heriffs . The man that was taken out--the first execution t hat took place was when the man was ta.ken from the San Benito jail at midnight a ni citizens took him and hung him; case of Rudolfo Munos. that was the He wa s taken out of jail in the cu.s- tody of Dep uty Sheriff Carr and another officer. Q Now. that is what I was leading 11p to. Now, do you know of your own knowledge who took t he pris one r out of jail? A Not of my own knowledge, no, sir; I had nothing to do with it. Q Do ·you know anybody who does know who took that prisone r out? A No, sir. Q Well, do you know who ha d the keys to that jail? A No, sir, but it is general knowledge t here that it wa s Frank Carr t hat took him out; he ha d keys to the jail; Marshal a nd also Deputy Sheriff; he was City he is the only man that I know Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1!. 340 of that had keys to the jail. Q What kind of a jail is that? A It isn 1 t much of a jail; it is made out of two by fours --one room in the jail. Q You live there in San Benito? A Yes, sir. Q You were there at the time of this happening? A Yes, sir. Q Do you know what is the general opinion of the public there as to whether he was executed by Rangers or by somebody else? A Why, the general opinion of the public is that both took part--not Rangers, but these Deputy Sheriffs. Q This is the point: I want to kn.ow if the general opinion, like the general character of a man, if the general opinion is that that man was executed by Rangers or by other officers? A There were no·Rangers in that country at that time. accuses the Rangers of being in that party. Q Were there any Rangers then stationed at Harlingen? A I don't believe there were. MR . TIDWELL: - - That ' s all. ---- - -- - - - - ----- - - - At 5.30 P. M. the Committee recessed . until 7.30 P. M. After holding an executive session, the Committee recQnvened at 8 P. M., Senator Page presiding. ROYAL COLLINS, having been duly sworn, testified as follows:- Texas State Library and Archives Commission Nobody DIRECT EXAMINATION. By Mr. Knight. MR. KNIGHT: Now, this testimony is directed to Charge No. 2, regarding Jesus Villarreal, a citizen of Duval County, taken in custody by J. J. Edds together with Mr. Collins. Q Now, state your name to the Stenographer. Have you done that? A Yes, sir. Royal Collins. Q Where do you reside? A Rio Grande City, Texas. Q How long have you resided there? . A For about three years • Q Where were you born? A Stockdale, Wilson County, Texas. Q Been down in that country all your life? A Yes, sir, I have spent all my life there. Q What is your business? A I am Chief of United States Army Scouts at Fort Ringgold. Q How long have you been United St.ates Army Scout? A Since June 26th, 1916. Q You are head of the Scouts? A Yes, sir. Q Do you remember the circumstance, along in September, it is alleged, 1918, of the apprehension of a man named Jesus Villarreal? A Yes, sir. Q A citizen of Duval County, in company with Sergeant Edds and Lee Dickens? A I do, yes, sir. Q You heard the testimony of Jesus Villarreal, did you not? A No, sir, he testified before I arrived. ~Well, now, Royal, just- begin in your own way and tell these Texas State Library and Archives Commission , gentlemen exactly what occurr~d there. A I won't be sure about the date, .but to the best of my memory it was on or about the 4th of September, 1918. Sergeant J. J. Edds and M:r. Sidney Hutcheson, both State Rangers, A. L. Dickens, an Army Scout, and myself were coming from Salineno to Rio Grande City with so~e prisoners. About two miles West of the Villa- rallis Ranch our car ran out of water and it was necessary to stop and send after water, so M:r. Dickens taken a jug out to the nearest house to get some water. ~d started He had been gone, When he returned he returned I should judge, about an hour. standing on the running-board of a Ford automobile and he called out to us when the car drove up, he says, "Boys, here are some fellows who have suitcases with them and are packed up to be traveling. them?" an~ seem Do you want to question them and investigate and I asked him did their act.ions seem to be suspicious, that we ought to question them. He said "Yes". I walked up to the car and asked the man driving the car what his name was. He said his name was Jesus Villarreal and that he was a Constable from Duval County. slightly intoxicated; I detected instantly that the man was in fact, he smelled like he just had come out of a barrel of mescal. Q He was drunk, you think? A Yes, she, he admitted he was drinking. I asked him who those boys were in the automobile with him and he answered me by saying, "I don't know either one of the three." where did he bring them from; I asked him he said he brought them from Duval County, and I asked him what they paid him to bring them down there; he said they didnrt pay him .anyth~ng at all, that they just happened to be traveling his way and that he let them ride with him, and I asked him if he was in the habit of hauling passengers .that he knew nothing about at all, and he didnrt make any answer to ·that question that I remember of, and. I tol·d Texas State Library and Archives Commission one of the boys to get out of the car, that I wanted to talk to him; name; so when this young man got out of the car I asked him his he said, "Pedro Garcia," and I asked him where he was going, and he answered by saying that Jesus Villarreal told him he would either take them to the Perez or Barras crossing. I asked him what business he had at either one of those two crossings; he said he didnrt know, and I asked him if he was sure he didn't know what mission he was down there on; he said no, t hat all ha knew was that his uncle got Jesus Villarreal to take them to the crossing. that story don 1 t go. I said, "Now, here, Young Man, Why don't you tell me the truth?" says, "Well, what will happen to me?" He I said, "If you don't tell me the truth, why, it may become necessary to take you and turn you over to the military authorities." That was previous to the registration, and the Mexican people in those counties were flocking to the river and going across, and I had special orders from the commanding officer at the post to keep a close lookout on all those crossings, and he said, "All the soldiers at the post are at your command. If you want to put four or five at each crossing you maY. do so," and under those orders I was working nights. Q Yes, sir. A After I told him it would be necessary to take him to the fort he wanted to know what would happen if he told the truth. I said I didn't know what would happen, I didn't know what the truth was, what he was going to tell me, and he said Guillermo Benavidez ' s father, his uncle, had an understanding wi th Vill arreal that he was to pay him seventy dollars. Q Now, you had him. away from Villarreal at that time? A Yes, sir. Q Now, you had them separated and you went and talked to Jesus Villarreal? State Library and Archives Commission l 3 Texas .' --t '~ ~ A Yes, sir. Q I will ask you if you or either of those boys with you struck either of those boys over the head with a revolver or anything else? A Neither one of the four, Jesus Villarreal nor the three boys, were struck with a revolver, to my absolute knowledge. Q Now, then, did you then talk to Jesus Villarreal after that? A I did, yes, sir. Q Now, then, was there any torture or any ramming of a revolver down his throat or jabbing it into his stomach and so on? A There was not, no, sir. Q What was the only time any gun was applied to Jesus Villar- real? A Well, you see, we kept these people separated all the time. If one made a statement, they all would stand ·by the statement. I would question one while Mr. Edds and Ml" • .Dickens questioned the other two; then we got together and would say, "You talk to this one and you to that one," and we would separate again so they could not ~alk together. So I went back and talked to Guillermo Benavidez and I asked him practically the same questions and he made the same answers--admitted his father had paid Villarreal seventy odd dollars--he said he didn 1 t know whether he paid him the full amount or was to pay it, but he was to pay him to see them on the Mexican side of the river. I talked to Jesus Villarreal and he denied that he knew either one of the th:ree boys. I their names. "I am asked him for their names, and he didn't know He was slightly intoxicated, and he said to me, an officer, a Constable. so on. bandit. ir I am Now, you searched my car and no bandit and don't want to be treated like a I said, "No one has treated you like a bandit." He said, 'tBeing as you have searched my car, I have money and a knife and you might as well t ake them," and he ran his hand Texas State Library and Archives Commission in his pocket as if to give me his knife and money, and I happen to know what those movements mean some time and I pulled my sixshooter and told him to stop that, and just about that moment Sergeant Edds stepped up and said, 'TRoy, you take this boy and I said, "All right. talk to him and I' 11 talk to this man. " He has offe.red me his knife," and walked away. I was ·with Edds not over five seconds, . and then I went ·off to talk with the other boy, and asked him practically the same questions and he made the same answers. Jesus Villarreal, Sergeant Edds made him sit down----. Q Did he make him lie down on his back? A I didn't see him do that, but I saw him sitting down. Q All right. A Then, after those boys confessed separately that they were going across the river to evade the draft, we lined all three up I . by the automobile and Edds and I both told them, "Now, we would like for you boys to make the same statements to all the men here that you made to us," and they did make those statements, that they were going across . the river to evade the draft, and we took them to the fort and turned them over. That was about four o'clock in the morning. When we met them was about three otclock in the morning. Three or four days after that the intelligence officer and commanding officer wanted to talk to them and they se~t out and got a First Lieutenant that spoke Spanish to come up there and question them. tars when the Lieutenant came. I was at headquar- He questioned the boys in my presence and the commanding officer had his stenographer to write out a little statement just exa~tly like .t hose boys had · told this First Lieutenant and the First Lieutenant asked me to witness those statements with him, being as I understood the answers. I didn't question them at all. Texas State Library and Archives Commission • So they both signed those statements, a.nd I have those statements here in my pocket for the benefit of the Committee. Q Well , now, are those statements substantially what they told you? A Exactly. MR. KNIGHT: MR. CANALES: Well, they are at the pleasure of the Committee. Letrs see them. SENATOR PAGE: MR •. KNIGHT: Let Mr. Canales have them. All right. Q Now, was there anything said by Jesus Villarreal about taking those boys down there on business? A No, sir; he told me he didn't know either of the boys a.nd didn't know their names. Q You say he was drinking? A Yes, sir. Q Did John Edds that night do anything unbecoming a capable, humane officer? SENATOR PAGE: MR. KNIGHT: TEE WITNESS : I think the question would be what he did do. Well, you can have the witness. I asked this ma.n Villarreal where he got his booze, because I seen he was very mad and surly and he was drinking. SENATOR PAGE: Well, answer Mr . Canales• questions. CROSS EXAMINATION. By M:r. Canales. Q Now, didn't you search that manrs automobile? A' Yes, SiT. Q Did you find any booze? A No, sir. Q Did you search that man's person and automobile a.nd find any pistol or arms? iiTexas I) • • • -UL~ ( State Library and Archives Commission A I didn't search his person, Mr. Canales; Sergeant Edds searched his person. Q Well, now, when they got there were you with them, or who was the man that found them? A Diokens-- Lee Dickens. Q Wall, now, where were you at that time? A I was waiting, Mr. Canales, on the road. Q Who with? A With John Edds and Sidney Hutcheson. Q Well, now, they arrived there? A Yes, sir. Q Who did you say was in the automobile with them? A A. L. Dickens. Q What did Dickens say? A He called out, he says, "Boys, here are some fellows who have suitcases with them and seem to be traveling. talk to them and investigate them?" Do you want to and I asked him if their actions seemed suspicious and he thought we ought to question them, and ha said "Yesn. Q Then they got out of the automobile? A No, sir; I walked up to the car and asked the. man driving the car what his name was and he told me. Q How many prisoners were there at that time when they arrived? A Two. Q Isn't it a fact that they got out of the automobile and you put them all together there? A No, sir. Q And if anybody stated that is a fact it is not true? MR. MOSES: That is not proper. SENATOR PAGE: Well, it is asked in District Court many times. Texas State Library and Archives Commission A Well, aft.er Sergeant Edds and I completed the investigation of the men we put them all together. Q Well, now, who took the Benavidezes first---which one of the Benavidezes Wa.s ta.ken first by you and Edds? A I didn't get to finish my statement a while ago.. I talked to the first boy, who said his .name was Pedro Garcia; he ad- mitted his real name was Eulalio Benavidez, but I didn't know then it was Benavidez. Q Did you talk to him, you and Edds? A No, sir, I talked to him alone at first; Edds wasn't present at first. Q Well, how far from the rest of them? A Just about as far as from here to that window, and sat down with our backs to the car. Q Well, then, who took Guillermo Benavidez? A Mr. Dickens. Q Alone? A Yes, sir. Q Who took the other fellow---what is his name? A Ramiro Ramos. Q Who took him? A I don't remember who questioned him first. Q Well, now, did he tell you also he was a draft evader? A No, sir, he said he was a Mexican citizen and was not afraid of the draft. Q Which one of those fellows confessed separately that they were draft evaders? A He did, Mr. Canales; he told me that he was going across the river to evade the draft, and he said afterwards he was a Mexican citizen and wouldn't have to be drafted, but didn't want to go through all that red tape, and considered it best go • . Library and Archives Commission TexastoState Q Well, now, isn't it a fact that all those valises there be- longed to him? A No, sir, they said it was not. Eulalio Benavidez claimed the ownership of one and Guillermo Benavidez claimed the other, and they were full of new clothes with all sorts of initials on them, with letters addressed to them. Q Well, now, you took Villarreal a little ways to question him? A I took him a little way up the road from the car and was talking to him w~en he made the demonstration to give me his money and knife, and Edds walked up and said he would talk to him, and I told Sergeant Edds the remark he made about the knife and money, and went on down and began talking with Guillermo Benavidez. Q Then was the time you pulled your pistol on him? A Yes, sir. Q You made him sit down? A No, sir, I didn't. Q Didn't you get on top of him--make him lie down and make him open his mouth a.nd put your pistol in his mouth? A No, sir. Q Now, tell the truth. A That is an absolute lie, Mr. Canales. I did not get on him. Q How many men have you killed? A Not one to my knowledge. Q What about Juan Morales? A I am not certain whether I killed him or not, because there were a number of men shooting at him. Q Well, now, isn't it a fact---- MR. MOSES: We object to that. The witness is entitled to his rights. SENATOR PAGE: Yes, sir. Just be careful about those questions. 1350 Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Well, now, didn' t you kill Juan Moral es? A Mr. Canales, I wil l answer the question just l ike I answered the commanding officer at Fort Ringgold: He was kill ed, but I don't know who kill ed him. Q Aren't you suspended from service on that account? A Not sir, I was not; I was arrested by the mil itary authori- - ties and paroled on my honor. if you care to see them. I have the papers in my pocket, They required no bond of me at all. Q How long have you been stationed in that county? A With the exception of about eight months, I have been there since June 26th, 1916. Q Are you stationed there now? A Yes, sir. Q Rio Grande City? A Yes, sir. Q What were y~u doing in Hebbronville the other day? A I haven't been in Hebbronville since the first part of the year 1917. Q Were you present the time those boys were tried next day? A Yes, sir-- -not next day; they were in the guard- house a number of days before they were brought before the Commissioner. Q You were present? A At the examining trial, yes, sir. Q Were you present at the time they gave their testimony? A. Yes, sir, I was. Q Didn't they say there before th~ Commissioner that you and . John Edds had forced them by threatening their lives to say that they were going to Mexico? A They did say that, yes, sir. Q And that you had put a pistol right through their mouths? A Yes, sir, t~ey tol d that. 1_ Texas 35 i State Library and Archives Commission Q And also Villareal told the Commissioner at that time---- A Yes, sir, he aid. Q --that you got on top of him and held a pistol on him? A He told that, yes, sir. MR. KNIGHT: Well, now, if he testified to all that----- A Yes, sir, he testified to that same stuff at the examining trial. SENATOR PAGE: Q It is proper. Well, now, Villarreal was not represented by attorney at that time? A Yes, sir, he was represented by J. R. Monroe. Q Who represented the other people? A I suppose J. R. Monroe represented the whole bunch of them. They never made any talk about being mistreated until four or five days after they were put in the guard-house, Mr. Monroe went down there and they had forty-eight dollars---I know he got the forty-eight dollars because he came up there, the Constable had the forty-eight dollars there and he tried to get it and the officer said, nyou'll have to have an order before I can pay you the forty-eight dollars,n then Monroe went and got ~n order for it and came back and Judge Monroe got the forty- eight dollars, and he was also trying to get the automobile. (Laughter) SENATOR PAGE: Gentlemen, we will have to have order. Q Didn't Jesus Villarreal tell you that night that he was going to his ranch and stay that night and he was on his way to Roma to get a nephew of his to take him back and get married? A No, sir, he didn't. MR. CANALES: That's all. RE~IRECT EXMAINATION. By Mr. Knight. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Now, those boys made statements to you and al so to Lieutenant who? A Shotwell. Q In the meantime they had seen Attorney Monroe and he got the forty-eight dollars? A Yes, sir. Q Next day they tol d an altogether different story? A Yes·, sir. MR. Kl~IGHT: That's all. EXAMINATION BY SENATOR PAGE. Q Who is Attorney Monroe? A He lives at Rio Grande City. Q Is he a lawyer there? A Yes, sir, he is an attorney at law. Q An .American? A He calls himSelf an American, yes, sir. Q Well, is he an .American? A I don't know, sir, whether he's got any mixed blood or all American or not. Q You don 1 t know whether he has Mexican or Spanish in him? MR. CANALES: He used to be a member o:f the Legislature. Q He still lives there? A Yes, sir. Q He represented these men at that time? A Yes, sir. he defended them and represented them at the examining trial • . Q You say what office did you hold? A I am Chief of the United States Army Scouts for the Fort Ringgold military district. Q 1131·" t. t) Texas .:. ' Now, where was it you stopped this automobile? State Library and Archives Commission ~ About two miles West of the Villarallis Ranch. Q Why did you stop the car? A As I stated before, Mr. Dickens went down the road to get some water to put in our car; we stopped in the road and he saw these men down a mile or two from where we stopped and he stopped them, and it seemed they had the car with suitcases and were traveling a.nd he asked them to come on up to where we were--told them he wanted them to give him a ride. . The reason he did that was because we had orders :from the officers to stop al l cars and ask everybody politely where they were going. Q You say he was drinking? A Yes, sir. Q Did he have any liquor about his person? A No, sir, he said he got it from a friend in Rio. Grande City. Q He had i t all inside him? A Yes, sir. Q Wasn't any in the car? A No, sir, I didn't find any. Q Wasn't any chance for anybody el se to get hold of it? A No, sir, I don' t think so without my seeing it. · Q You say you all didn't maltreat Villarreal? A No, sir, not in the least. Q Didn't make him lie down on the ground? A Sergeant Edds made him sit down, yes, sir. Q But not lying down? A No, sir, I didn't see him lying down. Q Were you there all the time? A Yes, sir, I was within fifteen yards. Q Did you all draw your pistols? A Yes, sir; as I stated, when he made the statement to me that he was an officer of the l aw and no bandit and about being Texas State Library and Archives Commission treatei as a bandit. I said. "1Tobody has treated you. as a ban- d.it." He sail. •ryes. you have searched. my car and arrestei me." I sail, 1tNo, I haven ' t arrested you yet,n and he said, "Well, yoll migb.t as well take my money and knife," ani he put his hand. on my should.er; I thought he meant to stab me--th.atts· what I thought he was going to do. Q Di~ you search b.im? A At that moment Edis walked up ani said. "Collins, you take this boy and let me take this Q I understood that. mantt~ Did you search this oe.n? A Sergeant Edds and I did. ~ Did he have any pistol? A No, sir. Q Well, don't you think he was pretty well ~runk if he male that motion? A Well. he was pretty well loaded. Q Well, did any of the boys have any weapons? A No, sir. Q What ever became of those cases against the slackers that were in the court--in the United States Court? A Well, at the last term of the Federal Court in I Bro~nsville understood the Judge to say that all bond cases would be con- tinued until next term of the Feders.l Court, ani so unier the circumstances tb.at these parties were under bond. their case is bound to be in court now. Q So far as you know, they are s~ill under bond to appear there'? A Yes, sir. Q Nobody struck Villarreal with a pistol? A Po, sir, they didn't. Q No one put a pistol inside his mouth? A Uo, sir. 11Texas ~ t v -~ 3'· State Library and Archives Commission ~ Now, something was askeJ. you about the death of a Mexican--- who was it? 1ffi. CAN.ALES: ~ Juan Morales. tou sail you diin ' t know whether you killed him or not. When iid th.at occur? A I said I didn ' t know wno killed him. Q When J.id it occur? A I believe it was in the last days of October, 1918. Q Was he killed by United States soldiers or in a fignt between United States soldiers a·n d bandits, or what? A A. L. Dickens and myself were in ·this affair, anl I J.on t t know who killel him. Q It was a shooting scrape between you and this man? A Yes, sir. Q Where was this? A About eight miles West of Rio Grande City at La Perez crossing . Q Did the Rangers have anything to do with it? A No, sir, they were not there. SEHATOR PA\i:b.: MR. KNIGHT: That 's al 1. Now, we offer in eviience the signed state- mebts of those boys. SENATOR PAGE : MR. MOSES: Yes, sir. SENATOR PAGE: MR. MOSES: Those are the statements male in the coQrt? For what purpose are they introduced? Mr. Canales has offered evilence here of this man Villarreal to the effect---(Chairman Bledsoe had re.t urned in the meantime.) CE.AIRMAN BLEDSOR; MR. MOSES: We must have or~er. Of the mistreatment of these men anl the denial of any testimony given by John Elds and Collins. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Tney have testifiel--Mr. Edds testifieJ. and so did Mr. Collins-~that t hey made a verbal confession to t hem that night on whic h they arrestei them for viola tion of the law with regarJ. to the provisions of t he Selective Draft. These statements here are written statements made to an officer of t he Unitei Stat es Army upon the same subject-matter about whic h t hey were interrogated that nig ht by John Edds anJ. Royal Co.llins, in which t hey ~ke--they signed a statement in line and in harmony with the testimony given by these two men. Now, then, it is claimed by Mro Canales that these men were arrested 'without cause, cruelly anl outrageously treateJ., when they had violated no law of the land at all and were going on a peaceful mission that they had a right to atteni t o, to be performed in Texas, and in order that the Committee and the House of Representatives may have it- --and, Gentlemen, little as you think about it, t his case is being tried before the entire reading public of Texas. Villarreal ' s testimony has been made a part of the record. We think that in justice to these men if they made a statement to the officers of the United States Army --~no pretense i n the evidence that any intimidation or force was used to extort these statements- - -that they ought to be introduced in fairness to these officers and their good faith in introducing them. SENATOR P AGE.e Now, Villarreal on the stand testif i ed--- my recollection is that the charge is that Collins anl Edis maltreatel Villarreal. I ion't remember as to the other young men. MR. KNIGHT: He said they hit him over the head with the pistol . SENATOR PAGE: Yes, sir, this driver of the car. Now, Villarreal on the stand--I don't remember whether he said they. hit him over the head, but he said they did various and sundry things which were out of orler. ... CJ r~ - •) t ' "11 He admittei on the stand that Texas State Library and Archives Commission all the young men with him or some of them aimitted that they were evaders of the draft law, and he saii they were lying. Now, these ex parte statements are offered. Now, whom do they contradict? MR. MOSES: They contradict Villarreal. SENATOR PAGE: Villarreal testified on the stand that they made those statements arid that he saii they were lying about it. Since Villarreal has testified that---- MR . No, not these statements. MOSES~ They were made ~ater. four or five days SENATOR PAGE: Well, Villarreal statei at the time that they saii t hey were draft evaders ani he said .they were lying. Now, on what principle of criminal law can you introduce ~ parte statements made by th.e young men when Villarreal wa.s absent four or five days later? MR. MOSES: This is the first time I have known that th.e rules of the District Court are being invoked. SENATOR PAGE: MR. MOSES: We did that to start with. Canales in his charges submits the state- ~Ir. ments of Villarreal and the Benavidez boys, marked Exhibit "B", and asks that they be considered. Now, if you are going to file affia.avits---MR. CAN.ALES: I have not filed any affidavits. SENATOR PAGE: L'l!i. MOSES: Well 9 if they have submitted I am SENATOR PAGE: MR. KNIGHT: affi~avits---­ t aking the charge as Mr. Canales wrote it. Well, was there any evidence---The charge was filed . SENATOR PAGE: The f act that a charge is filed but no evidence is offered on it, why shoula evidence be offered to rebut it? I hardly think those affidavits are admissible. You might pass them over and I'll look at them. MR. MOSES: They are witnessed by an officer of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission United States Army. In that connection, Mr. Canales without objection provea what all those boys testified to. SENATOR "PAGE: I will su.bmit the matter to this Committee. This affidavit states that Jesus Villarreal knew of .his own knowleige that they were escaping into Mexico to evaie the draft. Jesus Villarreal on the stand said he did not know those facts. Unier the ordinary rules of criminal evidence you wouli have to have these gentlemen present here to contradict that. The question is whether those affidavits---they are only admissible for one purpose, and that is to contradict the man who drove the car. anl I will submit it to the Committee. Mr. Chairman, you will recall that the very MR. BLEDSOE: statements of the wives of the men who were killed in that raid taken before the United States Lieutenant, ~ parte statements--~ you. see, there were two investigations, one maie by Captain Hanson and subsequently, some day~ afterwards, the Lieutenant of the United States Army went out and took ~ parte statements of the women, and it seemed they discharged Captain Fox's men. Under that preceJent I think it is admissible. MR. LACKEY: It is admissible to contraiict Villarreal. SENATOR PAGE: These affidavits wer.e made some six or eight days later. MR. MOSES: vestig~te~ The parties were arrestei that night and in- by the Intelligence Department. MR. TIDWELL; I gather that this man Villarreal had. some kind of trial before the Federal authorities, ness testified about the man having 1IB. MOSES: beca~se f~rty-eight the wit- dollars. There was their arrest ani an interview which resulted in the arrest by the United. States authorities and then those affidavits and later some criminal charge. SENATOR WILLIFORD: any purpose. I ionrt think it is admissible for Texas State Library and Archives Commission SENATOR PAGE: · Judge Lackey had something to say. MR. LACKEY: Whether those instruments are sworn to or not, the witness testifiel he understood Spanish and he was present when they were taken before the officers of the Unitei States Army. If he made t he statement at all, without he was u.nd.er duress, I think they are clearly ad"l1issible as contradicting Villarreal, because he said they didn't make any such statement. I move that they be almitted. SENATOR WI TT: I am in favor of a.d.mitting th.em, unler th.e rules we have been operating under. MR . TIDWELL: SENATO~ I t hink they oug ht to be admitted. WILLIFO?J): I donrt think it is a dmissible for any purpose. SENATOR PAGE: I believe Jud.ge Bledsoe said he thought they oug ht to be admitted. MR. BLEDSOE: I think und.er the prece.ient we have set tlley ought to be a dmitte.i. MR . CAUA.L.ES: Well, then, Mr. Cnairman----- SENATOR PAGE : The major ity of t he Committee seem to be of the opinion--outsid.e of mys elf as Acting Chairman--seem to t hink t hey are admissible. Mr. Chairman , I will introlu.ce, the n, t he MR . CAIU LES: statements---SENATOR :PAGE : V/ell, wouldn 't it be bette r for you to intro- duce t hose at the proper time? The ma jority of the Committee without myself have deciied t he statements are admissible; con- sequently we will allow them, a nd later on we will pass on what you of fer. MR . CA!~ALES: SENATOR PAGE : MR . KNIGHT: SENATOR :PAGE: I never offerel these. That is a matter we will pass on later. Well, now, Qentlemen- ---Well, now, Mr . Knight, let's introiuce these Texas State Library and Archives Commission statements, and when we get to the other----MR. KNIGHT: I thought it had been admitted. MR. LACKEY: Read them, Mr . Moses, if you. want to introduce MR . KN IGHT: All right. th.em. SENATOR PAGE: Those will be admitted. Thereupon Mr. Knight read the two statements above referred to, which are as follows: Headquarters, Fort Ringgold, Tex. Voluntary Statement made of his own free will by Gullirmo Benavides. ''B·e fore Scout Collins arrested me I told him th.at I in company with two others Pedro Garcia and Ramiro Ramos was going across the river to Mexico to evade the draft. Jesu.s Villereal, Constable at Concepcion, received seventy some odd dollars from my father with the understanding that he would see myself, Pedro Garcia and Ramiro Ramos across the river to evade th~ draft. Jesus Villereal knew of his own knowledge that we were going to Mexico to evade the draft." GUILLERMO BENAVIDEZ. Witness: P . B. SHOTWELL, 1st Lt. 13th Cav. ROYAL COLLINS. Headquarters, Fort Ringgold. Tex. September 6th·, 1918. Voluntary S tatement of Eulalie Benavidiz made to Scout Collins and 1st Lieut. P. B. Shotwell, 13th Cav. U. s. A.• this date, at Headquarters, Fort Ringgold, Texas. Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1l 3a' .... , \' 1 I "My name is Enlalio Benevadiz. am eighteen years old. a citizen of the United States, a resident of Concepcion, Texas. I was arrested by S~ont Collins near Perez crossing. September At the time I was going to cross the Rio Grande River to 4th. get into Mexico in order to evade the draft in company with Ramerio Romas and Gullermo Benevadiz and that I gave my name to Scout Collins as Pedro Garcia. which was not correct. Jesus Villereal. Constable at Concepcion, .Texas. received seventy some odd .dollars from my uncle to cross myself and the two above mentioned boys to Mexico to evade the draft. Jesus Villereal knew of his own knowledge that we were going to Mexico to evade the draft and he was assisting us in doing so.n EULALIO BENAVIDEZ. Witness: P. B. SHOTWELL, 1st Lt. 13th Cav. ROYAL COLLINS. MR. KNIGHT: Now, Gentlemen, we have a transcript of the proceedings at the time these men were bonnd over. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: MR. KNIGHT: MR. UANALES: I don't think it is admissible. It is not certified to. Under the rules of the Committee----- CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: Mr. Canales, we haven't asked you for any advice. LEE DICKENS having been duly sworn, testified as follows:DIRECT EKAMINATION. By Mr. Knight. Q Where do yon reside? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A Rio Grande City. Q Sir? A Rio Grande City. Q How long have you resided there? A I suppose about eighteen years. Q Have you any official position now, Mr. Dickens? A I am an Army Scout . Q Under Roy Collins? A Well, we are under the Commanding Officer there. Q Well, now, Mr. Dickens. you remember the circumstance testi- fied to by him---you were present, weren't you? A Yes, sir. Q Of the apprehension of Jesus Villarreal and three boys? A Yes, air. Q You heard his statement. Tell the Committee whether or not his statement truly reflects what occurred there that night? A Yes, sir. MR . KNIGHT: Now. Gentlemen, if you want to ask him the details, all right. CHAIRlvf.il.T BLEDSOE : A Have you ever been on the Ranger force? No, sir. MR . LACKEY: Did you see Edds shove his pistol in Villar- rea l's mbuth or anyt hing of that sort? A No, sir. MR . TIDWELL: Mr. Dickens, can you say he did not mistreat him? A Yes, sir; I was there all the time. CROSS EXAMINATION. By Mr. Canales. Q You were with Roy Collins at the time Juan Morales was killed, weren 1 t you? A l was there, yes, sir. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Either you or he or White killed that ma.n? A I could not say which. Q One of you three killed him? A Perhaps so; I collld not say. Q But he was killed? A I suppose he was. Q He is dead now? A He is dead now. MR. CANALES: MR. KNIGHT: That 1 s all. The third charge and the fourth charge we will submit on the testimony of Captain Wright and Captain Hanson when they get on the stand later on. We will now drop to the fifth charge. - - - - H • E . --- - - - - - - BARNES having ·been duly sworn, testifi ed a s f ollows:DI RECT EXAMINATION. By Mr • Knight. Q Mr. Barnes, where do yo u reside? A Prownsville, Texas. Q Row long have you resided a t Er ownsville? A A little more than nine years. Q Where did you---where were you from when you went to Brownsville--where did you live prior to that time? A I lived at Runge, Texas, about four years. I was born and raised at Hallettsville, Lavaca County. Q You are a native of Texas? A Yes, sir. Q Do you hold any official position at this time? s. Scout. Texas State Library and Archives Commission A I am a U. Q Have you at any time held an official position in the county of Cameron? A Yes, sir, I was Deputy Sheriff. Q How long and under whom? A I held a deputy commission under Sheriff Ryan for some time. Q When was that, Mr. Barnes? CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: Pardon me just a minute. · I am having some chairs moved. MR. KNIGHT: Yes, sir. A Well , I don't know----CHAilUW~ BLEDSOE: Wait a minute, Mr. Barnes. ..... Go ahead. A During the tim~ of the trouble between the Sheriff1 s depart- ment and the police department in Brownsville. Q About the time that Captain Sanders had the trouble in arresting that desperado? A Yes, sir. Q At the time Haley was Deputy Sheriff? A Yes, sir. Q How long were you a Deputy Sheriff at that time? A Well, I could not say. Q Well, latterly you were Deputy Sheriff under Captain Vann? A Yes, sir, I went to work for Mr. Vann on the 18th day of February, 1916. Q 1916? A And worked up to the first day of June last year. Q 1917? A 1918. Q 1918, I mean. A Yes, sir. Q 1916, 1917 and 1918? !Texas 3t.G State Library and Archives Commission A Yes 1 sir, two years and a half practically. Q Now, what was your business in the interim between the two engagements as Deputy Sheriff? AI ~an a billiard hall and bowling alley for quite a while. Q Now, then, during the time of your engagament with Captain Vann I will ask you to state if you had occasion to investigate the cause of the death of an individual whose bones were found between--not Bay City, but Point Isabel and Brownsville, about April 4th, 1918, and said to have been the bones--alleged to have been the bones of one Florencio Garcia? A I think it was in May. Q Well, May was when he was found. You found him in May? A Yes, sir. Q What time in May was it, Mr. Barnes? A It was along, as· well as I remember, about the middle of May or something like that. Q Yes, sir. Now, I will ask you to state if you personally conducted for the Sheriff's department that investigation? A I did. Q I will ask you to state what you found and the different things you found there in reference to bones, clothing and so forth? A Well, we found a great many bones, but I don't think there was more than about half of the bones. We found them scatter- ed, I guess, over an area of three hundred yards, probably farther, all around. Q Were those bones adhering one to the other or had they been disassociated? A No, sir, they had been disassociated, one here and one there, for three hundred yards. We found a white hat. Q Did you find the bones of both feet? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A I don't think we ever found any feet bones at all. Q All right. Now, what was· the condition of those bones as to baing dry bones or bleached bones? A They were dry bones. Q Was there any cartilage or ligaments or marrow left? A Nothing whatever. Q Did you find any hair? A Yes, sir, there was a little patch of hair. Q Well, I will get you to state now what clothing you found. A We found the back part of a shirt, just the back part, and a pair of shoes, low quarter shoes; one of them was off right here at this seam--low quarter button shoes; and I believe also the jacket had a hand.kerchief in it-- a thin ducking jacket- and a few little pieces of little rags. Q Did you find a coat? A Yes, sir, a ducking jacket. Q Well, now, in connection with that, did that jacket have any holes in it? A Yes, s·ir, had three holes in it. Q You heard the testimony of the J. P.? A Yes, sir. Q Mr. A Kirk? Yes, sir. Q Tell the Committee the size of those holes and their condi- td.on. A Well, there was three; there was one in the shoulder blade and two down about--kind of on the hip; the one in the shoulder ) was a three cornered torn hol e, and the other two was holes about ( the size of a dollar, I guess, and the jacket was buttoned up; they found it, but they wouldnrt take it, they called me, I picked up the jacket and examined it and found this piece of shirt, and the same way in the s~irt--just the back of the shirt, Texas 1 ~{}'( State Library and Archives Commission nothing more than the back. Q Were the holes in the shirt large holes, too? A Yes, sir, about the same. Q The size of a dollar. Was there anything to indicate that those were bullet holes--did you ever see a bullet even on the Rio Grande that big? CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: MR. KNIGHT: Excuse me. What was that? I asked him if those were bullet holes--even on the Rio Grande that .b ig. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: I didn't get his answer. A I haven't answered. Q Go ahead and answer. A It looked to me as if they were chewed in it; that was the appearance of the jacket. Q Now, what did you say about that jacket or coat being buttoned? A Yes, sir, the jacket was buttoned up. Q Now, M.r. Barnes, we will not rehearse the trip to Point Isabel and so on. I will ask you to state if Rangers Sadler and Sitler and another one were investigated---whether or not you arrested them? A Yes, sir, by two different Grand Juries. Q You arrested them, did you?--were they put under bond? A Well, I think they were. I don't think they were ever ar- rested, but asked Captain Stevens to bring them in. Q They were bound over to the Grand Jury? A Yes, sir. Q Have any Grand Juries met since then? A Two. Q Have they been indicted? A Not to my knowledge. Q Do you know of any evidence of your own knowledge, other than Texas State Library and Archives Commission these vague circumstances, connecting Sadler and Sitler and the other Ranger with the death of Florencio Garcia? A No, Sir. Q What would you say, Mr. Barnes--you have been on the Rio Grande a long time, you have noticed the bones of men as well as animals--and we are all animals; how long in your judgment had those bones been lying out there subject to the influence of the weather? CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: Mr. · Knight, you qualify him as an expert, but he doesn't qualify. MR . KNIGHT: perience. I I just ask him from his observation and ex- could qualify you or Senator Page. Q Well, have you observed bones down there and other places? A Well, I can't recall right on the spur of the moment seeing any human bones. Q Well, bones of animals--quad.rupeds? A Oh, yes, sir, I have seen the bones of lots of animals. Q Why, down in that country there's plenty of bones lyi.ng around of dead cattle, ain't they? A Yes, sir, plenty of them. Q Well, Mr. Barnes, you don't pretend to be an expert? A No , sir. Q What is your idea about the length of time those bones had been there?--for what it may be worth to the Committee. A Well, I judge those bones had bean there soma time, from the condition of the bones. Q Well, what is your idea of "some time"? A Well, my judgment, of course, all I have to go by is just--in my judgment those bones had been there a long time (Laughter)-more than any month and a half. Q Well, that's all right. 13()~ Texas State Library and Archives Commission A And if you will allow me to state - ---Q Yes, sir. A I don't beliave the jacket nor the hat either ever belonged to the bones. (Laughter) Q You know something about the wear and tear of the weather on jackets and hats? A Well, I oan give reasons. Q Well, indicate them to the Committee. A The bones and part of these little rags we found around were badly stomped by stook- -there was a lot of stock around there at the time--and the hat wasn't even mashed and the jacket was in good shape. The shirt, we didn't find .anything of it except the back. Q Now, where did the father of Florencio Garcia live, do you know? A No, sir, I don't know. Q All right. Now, you heard the testimony of Judge Kirk with reference to the cause for the great exodus of people on this side of the river to the other side? A Yes, sir. Q During the last two or three years. From June, 1916- -Dacem- bar, 1916, to June, 1918, you were in the Sheriff 1 s office? A From February, 1916. Q Two years and a half. As a Deputy Sheriff you came in general and frequent contact with the people down there? A Yes, sir. Q I Will ask you to state-- - -- CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: Judge, we had better pass that up, as indicated by the Committee. MR. KNIGHT: Q All right. Now, Mr. Barnes, you heard Mr. Lon c. Hill's testimony . 1 Texas ~ i lJ State Library and Archives Commission reg~ding a raid over into Mexico a.nd his return and meeting a posse on this side. Did he tell the truth about that? A Well, I didn't see Mr. Hill in Mexico . Q I understand, but on this side? A Yes, sir, I met Mr. Hill. Q I will ask you to state whether or not it was reported by the United States officers there about that raid? A Yes, sir, it was. Q Just as he stated. MR. CANALES: Now ' then , T,ir-..• ,W.I. Barnes- - --- He asked him whether it was reported by the United States officer that M:r. Hill had been in Mexico, and he said he didn't see him in Mexico. CHAIRMAN BLETISOE: That is not admissible for any purpose. Q Now, Mr. Barnes, you remember the circumstance of the man that was on the stand-- -what was his name?-- -yesterday morning that claimed to have been taken out at Harlingen and hung up twice by Rangers? A Yes, sir. Q I will ask you to state if you took that man to Brownsville? A Yes, sir. Q How did you convey him there? A In an automobile. Q I will ask you whether or not that man complained to you or related to you anything regarding any escapade such as explained here in connection with those Rangers or being hung? A The first I heard of it was when he testified on the stand. Q Was there any evidence of any ecchymosis or contusion or other evidence of external violence around his neck? A I never discovered anything at all. Q Did he manifest any sort of symptomatous suggestion that he had been viol ently treated? Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1~7i A Not to my notice. Q Now, then, do you remember the circumstance of the apprehension and conveyance around promiscuously of a County Commissioner down there of the name of Edwards? A Well, just hearsay. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: Well, Gentlemen, we will not have that. A I was not in the office. Q Were you present that night of the fight that Captain Sanders and the Deputy Sheriff on the stand this afternoon had with those policemen? A No, sir, I was not present. Q Did you ever see that man Rodrigu.ez--I believe his name was? A Yes , sir, Rodriguez. Q Did you ever see him after he was shot? A Not after he was shot, no, sir. Q You were not out at the hospital? A No, sir. Q You don't know who was guarding him, if anybody. Now, M:r. Barnes, what is the condition there in Brownsville and Cameron County about getting convictions of the criminals that you officers run down--is there any trouble about it? MR . LACKEY:· I think that is regarding conditions. MR. KNIGHT: All right. MR. CANA.LES: That's all. I have no questions. EXAMINATION BY MR. LACKEY. Q Mr. Barnes, you say you took that Mexican from Harlingen to Brownsville that claimed he was hanged by the neck? A I did, yes, sir. Q' Who had charge of him when you took him? A I got him from Mr. Sadler, turned over to me from the Harlingen jail. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Did you go to the jail and get him? A Yes, sir. Q Who was the jailer at Harlingen? A Well, now, I don't know who is jailer. Q Did you live at Harlingen or Mercedes? A No, sir, at Brownsville. MR. LACKEY: That's all. EXAllINATION BY :MR. TIDWELL. Q Mr. Barnes, do you know how long he had been in jail when you took him to Brownsville? A No, sir; we just turned him out of jail a day or two or might have been three days, just a short time, before that. Q What was he in jail for when you turned him out prior to that time? ' A Well, as well as I remember it was for cow theft •. Q Now, you spoke a while ago where you examined those bones about the jaoket being buttoned up. Can you indicate---can you tell me about how many buttons there were on the jacket? A There were three buttons, as well as I recollect. Q Were they all three buttoned? A The two top buttons were buttoned. Q Were there any bones of any kind or vermin inside the jacket? A Not a thing in the world. · There was a little handkerchief and also----Q I am not speaking about the pockets, but inside the jacket? A No, air, nothing at all. Q Was there any stain or evidence on the jacket that it had been surrounding a decomposing body? A No stains except where those holes were, it was faded a.round the edge a little; that's why I supposed they were chewed in it. State Library and Archives Commission ,( I r} 1Texas 0 ,.., ,, Q Did you ever see .the body of a person that had l ain out for several days dea.d and examine it as to those matter s? A Well , I don't know exactly how long they had l aid out, but have seen .a good many, yes, sir. I Q Well, I _mean one that had lain out for a week or ten days or possibly longer? A I could not say how long they had l aid out, but I expect they had been out that long. Q Well, this ducking ~acket, was it clean or was it_pretty dirty? A It was in pretty good shape. Q Did you notice the hat, whether it was stained or showed evidence of having been around a decomposing body? A No, sir; we examined it thoroughly; it had black mourning like the majority of them wear down there around the band. Q Did you notice the shoes, whether any part of a decomposed foot had been in them? A Examined them thoroughly, yes, sir. Q What did you find? A One of them was off at this seam. Q I was not asking you about the condition of the shoes, but with reference to stains? A Well, there wasn't anything to indicate. Q No filth or anything indicating decomposition? A No, sir. Q Now, did you ever notice a cloth that has had a bull et shot through it, about what size it .would make? A I have seen lots of them. Q About what size doe~ a bullet make through a ma.n 1 s clothes? A Going through? Q Yes, sir, going through a man's coat? A A very little hole. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Well, now, state whether the holes you saw in that body were similar to the ones made in a man's clothing when shot? A Well, it would have to have been shot right up against him to have made holes of that size. MR. TIDWELL: That's all. EXAMINATION BY MR. LACKEY. Q You say the jacket was buttoned up and holes in the back? A Yes, sir. Q Were there any holes to correspond in the front? A No, sir. Q Three holes in the back? A Yes, sir. Q Were there any in the front of the jacket? A No, sir, none whatever. Q Where was 'the jacket found with reference to the main part of the body? A Well, there wasn't any main part of the body; we picked up bones, I suppose, for three hundred yards around, even across a slue there. Q There were no stainS on the front part of the shirt? A No, sir. MR. LACKEY: That ' s all. EXAMINATION BY CHAIRMAN BLETISOE. Q Did you have any better opportunity to examine the conditions than the other men who have testified as to those conditions? A Well, they depended on me; they call ed on me to examine it. Q Did you have any better opportunity than Judge Creager and Judge Kirk and the others? A I suppose they had just the same opportunity. Q You heard their testimony here? Texas State Library and Archives Commission I A Yes, sir. Q Did you ever hear of a greater difference between the testi- mony of men on two sides than between you and them? A I think there is very little conflict. Judge Dancy first called them bullet holes and then took it back. ~ You say a bullet makes a very small hole? A Yes, sir. Q You shoot a man with a 30-30 and it comes out---- A I said the entrance, not the exit. Q Coming out it will make a big hole? A Yes, sir. Q Make a bigger hole than you found in those clothes? A Yes, sir. Q You have seen men shot? A Yes, sir. Q Have you any special interest in this investigation? A N~ne at all, no, sir. Q Are you still on good terms with the Sheriff's office? A Yes, sir. Q Are you on good terms with the Rangers? A Well, nothing special; I never knew the boys until just a short time before this occurred. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE : That's all. REDIBECT EXAMINATION. By Mr. Knight. Q Were you acquainted with Sitler and Sadler and Locke person- ally? A Just slightly acquainted with Locke, but I had been knowing Sitler and Sadler two or three months prior to that. Q I will ask you to state whether as s peace officer or citizen you ever observed anything in their conduct that did not become Texas State Library and Archives Commission an officer? A I don't know anything in the world against them. Q Now, the Chairman asked you about the effect of a 40-40---- CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: No, sir---30-30. Q Well, or a 50-50, what opening it would make in coming out. These holes were in the back? A Yes, sir. Q That coat was buttoned up? A Yes, sir. Q Now, was there. anything to indicate any holes in the front of the jacket? A Wasn't any holes ~t all. Q Then the holes in the rear were from the outside? A I suppose so; they were in the back. Q KnoWing the power and range of a 30- 30 bullet, if a fellow is hit square in the back do you think one of them might have percolated through? A I would think so. MR. KNIGHT: (Laughter) That's all. EXAMINATION BY MR. TIDWELL. Q Mr. Barnes, I want to ask you another question. Will you kindly stand up there and indicate about whare you found those bullet holes. MR. MOSES: Show on me. A Well, I don't remember which side they were on. Q Well, a.bout where with reference to whether up or down? A There was one along about the shoulder blade and two--one kind of to the side on the thigh. Q ~ow, indicate about where that jacket was buttoned up to on Mr. Moses' body. A Well, the jacket, it was one of these corduroy jackets---- 1Texas 'i State Library and Archives Commission Q Well, did it button llp as high as where your jacket does? A Yes, sir. Q How many buttons on the jacket? A I believe there were three on the jacket. Q Well, now, were there any bullet holes or any other kind of holes in the front of the jacket? A No, sir, none whatever. Q Are you positive about that? A I know it. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: A I have no idea. bones. I Where is the jacket? I have been told it was buried with the just learned that a day or two before I ca.me down here. Q Now, did you find the bones of the main trunk--the spinal column? A I don't think there were any two bones gathered up together. Q Did you see any bones that had been broken or indicating that they had been broken by a blow or bullet m anything like that? A Well, we couldn't tell. We examined the bones thoroughly to see if we could find where they looked like they had been shot through, but they had been tromped on by the cattle and there was no way of telling. Q You indicated that one bullet hole was in the shoulder? A Yes, sir. Q Did you find both of the shoulder blades--the scapula? A Well, I know it was no bullet hole. Q I am talking about the shoulder blade. A Well, I think it would take a doctor to tell. studied those bones enough to know. Q You never studied the anatomy of the body? A No, sir. Texas State Library and Archives Commission I never I Q You know the shoulder blade? A Yes, sir. Q Did you find both shoulder blades? A I don't know whether we did or not. Q Did you see any with a bullet hole in it? A we examined to see if we could find any. EXAMINATION BY CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE. Q You heard the County Attorney say you took possession of and earried to the Sheriff's office this clothing? A Yes, sir; I turned them over to Captain Vann and haven't seen them since. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: That's all. EXAMINATION BY MR. LACKEY. Q Did you find the skull of that man? A Yes, sir. Q Was there any bullet hole in it? A No, sir, none whatever-- thera wasn't a blemish in it. REDIRECT EXAI\!fINATION. f By Mr. Moses. Q Did you find any evidence of any bullet holes in that body? A No , sir, none at all. EXAMINATION BY SENATOR WILLIFORD • . Q Would you concl ude that the man just evaporated? A Wel l, that ' s for · somebody else to say. evaporated. CROSS EXAMINATION. By Mr. Canales. Q He died a natural death in your opinion? Texas State Library and Archives Commission I would not say he A No, sir---you haven't asked my opinion as to his death. Q Well. did he commit suicide? A Well, I'll let you judge. Q Well, you seem to know all about it--you seem to disagree with everybody else. In your opinion you think the fellow either committed suicide or died a natural death---which was it. Mr. Barnes? A My opinion? Q Yes, sir. A It is not my opinion. Q You have no opinion? A Not whether he committe~ CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: suicide or died a natural death. Is this the man that was supposed to be in the possession of two or three Rangers? MR. CAN.ALES: Yes, sir. EXAMINATION BY CHAIRMAN BLEIDSOE. Q Do you remember the circumstance of these men having been said to be in possession of this man Garcia? A Yes, sir, just hearsay. Q They had him under arre s t? l A Yes, sir. Q What ever became of. that fellow? A I don't know, sir. Q Did you ever make any effort to find out? A Mr. Vann worked on it. Q No. I am asking you as a Deputy Sheriff did you ever try to find out what became of him? A Well. I didn't know anything ab out it for s ome time. Q Well. you are not answering the question . make any effort to find out what became of him? State Library and Archives Commission 1 '? Texas ~ tJ Did you ever A No, sir, I didn 1 t. Q Did you ever ask the Rangers what became of him? A No, sir. Q Yet you were a sworn offi cer of the county? A Yes, sir. Q Realized i t was your duty in a case of that kind where a wrong had been done to a man, yet you didn't investigate it? A No, sir, I only worked under orders. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: MR. KNIGHT: That's all. There is one question I wanted to ask Mr. Barnes. REDIRECT EXAMINATION. By Mr. Knight. Q Didn't this man Florencio Garcia belong on the other side of the river--wasn 1 t he a Mexican citizen? A So I understood, yes, sir. MR. KNIGHT: That 1 s all. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: I want to say to the witnesses, we have had some trouble getting you here. You are under process, and your principal business at this time is attendance on this Committee. Now, we are going to urge on every one to be _present, and the Committee, if there is no objection, will rise to reassemble at nine o'clock tomorrow morning. At 9.30 P. M. the Committee adjourned until 9 A. M., February 13, 1919. Texas State Library and Archives Commission THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1919 . The J oint Committee ot the Hous~ and Senate to in- vestigate the charges against the State Ranger torce convened a.t 9 :00 A. M. , Sena.tor Williford presiding in the absence ot Chairman Eledsoe . MORNING SESSION . THE CHAIRMAN : The Committee will come to order . Proceed, :r11dge . CAPTAIN J' • J' • SANDERS , being first duly &morn, testified before the Committee as fol• lows : I J EXAMINED BY MR. KNIGHT • Q Your name is Captain J'. J'. Sanders? A Yes, sir. Q, Captain, you are not feeling well this morning? A No, sir, I am sick; I was sick all night . I will be just as brief as I possibly can . Q, are ~ Captain, you native Texan? A Yes, born and raised in Texas . Q, What county were you born in? A I was born in Coke County, Cold Springs . Q, You are a Captain of Rangers? · A Yes, sir. Q, Hov old a man are you? A Fitty-four. Q What portion of your lif'e has been con mcrated to the defense ot the serTice of the State and in defense of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1 frontier? A Thi rty-two years . Q How long have you been a Ranger Captain? A Eight -ye ~rs • Q xa Has your entire aerTice been in the Ranger service or have you held other peace offices? A I have filled other offices . Q What have you filled? A Deputy Sheriff five years, City Q Marsha~ nine years . City Marshal where? A Lockhart , and Sheriff or the County o·r Caldwell for ten years, and in the Ranger service eight years. Q.. During your Ranger service have you been on duty in the City of Brownsville? A Yes, sir. Q Were you there in 1912? A Yes, sir. Q Do you remember the feud exiati ng between the county officers a.nd the state officers -- rather the county officers and the policemen there at that time'? A Yes, sir. Q Do you remember the circumstance or an attack made on you when you were in a carriage with a prisoner, I believe his name was Trevinia . A Yes, sir . Q That you and the Deputy Sherit:fll ot the Sheriff' s office had in charge ; will you kindly begin at the beginning of that transaction and tell the Committee everything that you had to do with it . A Well , some time -Q J'uet a moment b e:t'ore you go into that . the testimony ot J'udge Creager ot Did you hear B rownsville~ Texas State Library and Archives Commission I A No, sir . Q You saw it 1n the paper only? A Yes . Q J ust go ahead and tell the Committee . A Some time after twelTe o ' clock at night ilQ Pat Haley the Deputy Sheriff' at :Brownsville, came to me and told me that he had this man Trevinia located and wanted me to go with him a~er him . I t . seemed that he was a desperate character and was wanted on several different f'elony charges, and that he wanted me and some men to go with him . I t&ken two of my men and went with him . Q You had retired, you were all in bed? A Oh, yes, we were all in bed asleep, I reckon, must have been -- one o ' clock or something like that -- we had been in bed for some time . a carriage . We did not go up through town, he was in To avoid this Mexican police bunch· we went out at a back gate and went up a back way that I had never gone before nor since, but they knew the way . We went up to this house where they said he was, and he was asleep in the house, and I pulled the door, the shutter or the window or whatever it was, I don• t know , open and he was laying on his bed asleep naked perfectly and I drug him out, pulled him out of hia bed out into the yard, and someone threw his clothes out to him, and we put him in the back and started to town with him, and on the way we passed some men in a dark corner, horseback , and I thought th ere were four, but the other beys say there was not but th rae . After we passed them they galloped up by the hack and said something, I don ' t know what o Q After you passed them,( they turnsd around~ .,, A Yes, they turned around, and one of the deputy Sheriffs and one of my men also asked them who they were and wba t they wanted, and they nade no reply except with their six-shooters. Texas State Library and Archives Commission l Q They opened fire , did theY' >.. Yies, sir. Q Are you posit1Te of that? A ·Yes, and then the shooting commenced . The man on the gray horse that seemed to be in the lead, that run up by the side of the hack, was the first man that fired . way I saw it . And he tell o'ft of his horse . That is the Our horses broke to run, and just aa we passed I could see that he was :falling or in the act of falling off of his horse, I did not se_e him fall off ot his ho nae but the other boys say they dicl , and after, as soon as they got i:n the hack stopped they all jumped out, the shooting commenced though immediately, after they opened fire the shooting commenced immediately before our hack, they jwnped out and there was still more shooting and quite a lot of it . They did not find anybody, except they told me they found the horse, that is the gray horse that this :U:ex1 can was in the aot of falling off of that I saw . Q You stayed with your prisoner? A I stayed in the back with the prisoner . Then someone reported to me that J enkins was wounded . Q. One of your men? A One of my men , and I called the men and told them to come l on and let ' s go to jail with this prisoner , and I went on to jail and put him in jail and I looked af'ter J enkins' wounds and sent him and someone else on to camp . The Sheriff' s Department and myself and I think Red Hawkins stayed there to make a search for those men that had shot at us, that had ••1,•1•tt .Jill waylaid office and said, that . us . •we Someone s poke up from the Sheritt• s haTe got him lGcated, • or something like At any rate , there was a man up town somewhere that was wounded . Of course he was suspected of being the one that was in the fi ght . We went up there and found this man Texas State Library and Archives Commission l J laying on the bed, and the woman said as we went in , I think, I am not sure but I think there was two or three went in the house, possibly the Sheriff' am not sur~ The woman or S ci.YS, am Deputy Sheriff and myself, I that ho·ReTer, about who they were, all of them . "He is mighty badly wounded ." The remark was made by myself' or by Haley, "It don' t make aey difference, we will have to take him to jail" ; am we got him, got him up and started off to town with him. Q Yes . A And on the way -Q J"uat a moment . That was Ro·driauez? A That was Rodriguez, -yea. Q, Did he hav e his clothes on? A Yies. Q Laying across the bed? A Q, Laying across the bed. Did he have his shoes on? I I A I think so, I have heard it questioned before but I think he h ai his sho es on! I know he had his clothes on, and I am pretty sure he had his shoes on. Q You supposed he hm his shoes on, at all events? A ~Y, certainly I aupposed that he had his ahoes on, yes, sir . Q, Go ahead . A On the way to town there was a shot tired, I had him by the right arm and someone else was on the ot her s ide, I don't know who it was , it may have been Hawkins but I am not sure about it -- I bad him by t he right arm and was leading him along the road going down t o t he street toward t he jail , and there was a shot fired, I don ' t know where it came from , but I stopped at once and asked where that shot came from, and nobody seemed to know, and they began to scatter out like they Texas State Library and Archives Commission I were trying to locate 1 t . The re were several of them ran off . Q. Was that shot in your rear? A It was in my rear, yes, sir, and to the right it appeared to be. Q. I saw no flash from it at all. All right . A I went on a piece farther with him and he commenced weakening in the knees. MR. LACKEY: A Talk a - little louder . I was going on a little farther with him. He began to weaken in the knees, and I told the boys "We must get a hack to carry him in to town, to the jail, " which they did. Q When that shot was fired was there any outcry by him? A Not a particle in the world . Q. Any scream -- &ny symptom that he had been -- A Absolutely, I had hol.d of him. I have thought a great deal about it since I have heard this . I don 't see how a man could get the shot they say he got and me a hold of him and me not noticing it in some way. Q. All right, Captain . I t don•t seen to me to be possible. You got the hack now? A We took him on to town and put him in jail, and myself and men went on to camp. Q. That is all I know about it . Now from that time on did you haTe a thing in the world to do with that ? A Absolutely none. Q. Did you have anything to do with carrying him to the hos- pital? A I didn't know that he had gone to the hospital. Q. Did you or any of your men with your knowledge or con sent guard that hospital and keep anybody out of there~ A Absolutely none of my men guarded the hospital or were about the hospital . The reason I say this. I know i~ they had been I would have advised it, and I know that no such thing Texas 1 '? !o.- IState Library and Archives Commission I ever happened . Q. Do you know one Mrs . Yeager'? A Well, I have met the woman , yes . Q. Do you remember the circumstances of you going to her place to apprehend an alleged slacker by the name of Y4liP* Garcia 4? A I didn' t understand it to be her place , I don't know whose place it was . Q You went to get him where she was'? A Ye s . Q. What were you after Felip6 Garcia for'? A The night before , Dr . Willson, a member of the local boa.rd at San Diego, ' phoned me to come the next morning real early, as early as I coul d get there . I asked him what he wanted , and he told me that a man had been called out I think to entrain the night before and bad failed to show up , and he was afraid he was going to try to get away, and he wanted me to catch him . Q. Was that a member of the local board'? A Dr. Willson is a member of the local board . I was so anxious to get him after the doctor specially requesting that I catch him, that I sent one car one way and I went myself in another . Q. Y.es . A We want , I think it was, about fifteen miles north of Sa.n Diego and found this man and a little boy, I suppose he was twelve or fourteen, something like that, at the well, and one woman in the car . I think the second woman got in after I got there , but at any rate he was in the car - - Q When you got there they were in this car -A They were in the car . MR. LACKEY: You mean !lrs . Yeager'? Texas State Library and Archives Commission l A I am not sure whether Mrs . Yeager was in the car just at that time or not. I f she was not, she came out of the house and got in immediately afterwards . Q There was a little boy and a woman and Felipe Garcia in the car when you got th ere'? A Yes. Q And the other one came out and joined? A .Yes . want.• The boy we knew him, said "Cap, this is the man you I got out and said, "Consider yourself under arrest, we want you as a deserter. • Well, he didn' t seem to pay any attention to it at all, or nobody else spoke about it. Ordi- narily I would have taken him out of his car and put him in my car, but because of the respect I ha.d for his mother I lef't him in his car with his mother . Q Did she request you to leave him in the car? yes . A His mother was in the car, Q Did she request you to leave him in there ~ A No, she didn' t, she didn't speak to me at all. Q All right . A I told him he could go in that car, and for him to drive on in front and I would follow, going to San Di ego . They utarted out just as fast as they could go in a Ford car . f We were also in a Ford car, and we ran them I don' t know how far, three or ~our miles, I thought fiTe or six but the boy said it wasn' t that far, but quite a ways, and I didn't know, might have been running them yet 1! the car had held out, but it was a graded road thrown up on either side, and they seemed to have got on a sort place on an incline from the road and that gaTe us the best of 1 t , and we ran upon them and made them· stop, halloaed at them to stop. ~ Did you give them any instructions about driving along slow in front of you~ Texas State Library and Archives Commission ( A Yes, I asked them to driTe along slowly in front of me ani I would follow them. I And we got them stopped , he would not was not getting out of the hack at this time, out of ·our car rather, and he seemed to be stubborn about getting out with the boys, and I got out myself and took him by the arm and said, "Get out and get · in my car,• and he did . to San Diego . any We then taken him on The County J'udge tried to talk us out of going further vii th it, that he was not a deserter. And Dr . Willson caDle up again, and there uas some pretty ugly words· about the way they had been doing him in handling these people . Q, Dr . Willson did'? A Y~s, Q Dr . Willson was on the local board and was the ban that Dr . Willson did . told you to go get him . A Yes , he was a deserter, and he goes and the papers were fixed up at once, and I taken him to Corpus Christi and turned him over to the Federal authorities and afterwards collected $50.00 for him as a deserter . Q There was a reward for him'? A $50 .oo reward as a deserter . Q When you overtook these people, how farwas that from the Mexican border'? A Oh well, it was a long ways. Q Quite a long W8¥S ~ A Yes . Q When you overtook these people just tell the Committee whether or not you menaced this woman Mrs . Yeager by covering her with a six-shooter and cursing her and abusing her , and the other ladies there in that car~ A I did not; I did not speak to the woman at all, nor neither did she to me . I had no occasion to draw my six-shooter . I was always known as a man in making arrests as being a Tery Texas State Library and Archives Commission I seldom occurrence f or me to draw my six-shooter in ma.king arI have been a little careless along that line probably , rests . but I do know in this case there ~as absolutely no necessity of drawing a pistol, and I know that I drew no pistol and I know that I did not speak to this woman at all . I know that there was not a.n ugly word spoken in her presence or hearing , sure of that, because if there had been by any one of my men I should have. noticed it , I would have known it , and I cer- tainly should , and I shoul d certainly haTe given him a good scolding over it and I could not have forgotten it . EXAUINED BY MR • LACKEY. Q Did Mrs . Yeager say anything to you about letting her take the man to town? A No , s1 r, she didn' t . Q She didn' t ask you to let her take him to town? A She did not ask me to let her take him to town . MR. TIDWELL: Q I a that the boy that went to Calif'ornia this boy you captured, is he the one that went to California? A He is the one I was told had been in California . Q, He had come back , had he , as !ar as you know? A I uay, he had been to California -- Q He had been to California and had come back , as tar as you know? A That' s the way I understood it . Q Had you any prior acquaintance with Mrs . Yeager? A No, sir . Q, Have you ever seen her from that day until she testified he re last week? A Well , I didn' t hear her when she testified . MR. KNIGHT: He did not see her then . Q Have you seen her , that you know of, except on that occasion? Texas State Library and Archives Commission • A Not except she followed me from San Diego to Alice in her ca.r that same day . Q That is the same occasion . I have asked you, at any time since that '? A No, I have never seen her since that I know of. MR. T.ACKEY: Q When they left you, were they going in the direction of San Diego '? A Yes, going just in the direction I told them to go . Q But they v.ere going faster than your car? A They were going as fast as they could in a Ford car, I think . We were, I am sure , trying to overtake them. I f you will permit it , what she told these two boys of mine after we got to San Diego, while I was gone a1'ter Dr . Willson -Q Well, you were not present when she told them'? A I ~.ai.; present . not MR. MeMILL!N: Going back to the Rodriguez killing, how long had you been on the border at that time? A Well, I went in February, 1911 . Q You had been down there a few months'? A No, this was 1912 . Q I say you had been down there a few months ? A Yes . Q Did you speak Spanish at that time '? A No, nor this time either . Q Did the laly ~ho told you that Rodriguez -was badly wounded opeak in Spanish'? A No , sir, she spoke in English, plain English . Q Did you examine the wounds of Rodriguez before you took him out of the house ~ A I did not . Q Did you eTer examine them~ A No , sir, I never did . Texas State Library and Archives Commission MR. LACKEY: Was the Sheriff with you that night that you took Rodriguez out of the houa:m'! A Yes , the Sheriff and seTeral deputy sheriffs -- in fact, I was only assisting the Sheriff' s office in this work, at their request . Q Did you leave any guards at the jail when you put Rodriguez in? A I did not . MR. MCMILLIN: was a. Going back to the incident of this man that deserter, did Dr . Willson call you up? A He told me to come to San Diego early next morning . Q Did he tell you what for? A Yes, he told me -- I think he told me, I am pretty sure thet)u wcrt. the \10 rds , that there had been some people ordered to entrain the night before, and there was one of them had failed to show up, and he was afraid, he believed he was g0ing to try to get away and wanted me to catch him . Q Was he in fact a deoerter or a slacker'! A He told me that he was a deserter . The papers so showed . Q And still when you caught him down there, Willson pro- l tested against it? A No , sir, it was this County J'udge. Q I thought you said Dr . Willson.came up ar.d -- A Dr . Willson came out and fixed out these papers for me 10-21 -- the papers that has to accompany a deserter to the military authorities . ~ Pardon me, Captain, I understood while ago you said Dr. Willson c~e up also about that time and used some pretty strong language in regard to the way you had been treating MR. KNIGHT: him~ No, it was with reference to the local officers, Count.>' J'udge . A I n regard to the County J udge protesting to me taking him Texas State Library and Archives Commission out Q What did Dr. Willson do, did you detail the conversation of \Vhat Dr . Wi llson said a while a.go'? A What was that '? Q Did you detail the conversation of what Dr . Willson said while ago '? A I said I went and got Dr . Willson and that he came and had the papers fixed for me. SENATOR WILLI:EORD : arre et &. Captain Sanders, when an officer goes to person when that officer knows the man is wounded and ~hen the k'eopl1:: by him tell the officer that he is badly wounded , don •t you think he ought to be examined before taking him out and marching him away'? A Well, Eir, circumstances alters cases . I had been fired on that night from ambush, I had had one of my men wounded -~ I understand that, but the man was lying on the bed help- less . MR. KNIGHT : I t is not exactly in evidence, Senator, that he was helpless . I understand the situation -- we have SENATOR WILLIFOR.n: had 1t time and again . You never examined him at G..ny time'? A Absolutely we did not . Q When he was put in the hack he was laid in the hack flat, "With his feet hanging out, wasn• t he '? A I don •t think so, he was put in the hack and sat upon the back seat . I don •t know anything about -- I didn' t go from there on \'vit4 him, I don' t know whether his feet hung out any from that time on or not . Q Did you notice whether be was bleeding freshly when you laid him in the ha.ck'? A No, sir, I did not . ing much abo~~ him . To tell you the truth, I wasn ' t look• I v.as not looking after him much . Texas State Library and Archives Commission I will l say ftirthe r than this , I have arrested men and women f'or everything known to the criminal docket -- code -- and I have never allowed a man to be m8streated nor have allowed anybody else to mistreat a man that I had in custody . MR. TIDWELL: I want to ask you this, I want to be clear : Q was this arrest of this Mexican who was wounded in his home , was that ma.de under your direction as Captain of the Rangers, or were you working under the direction of the Sheriff of the county'? A I vas absolutely working under this Sheriff , the Sheriff ' s in etruct1ons . to ms camp and I was first asked by the deputy she ri:ff , he came asmed me to go with him . Q Were you working under the directions of the Sheriff , or was the Sheriff working under your directions'? A I vas working under the Sheriff' s directions . Q Did you have the v.arrant of arrest, or did the Sheriff have it '? A The Sheriff had it . MR. KNIGHT: A I t was not Q I n other words, it was not your prisoner'? my prisoner at all . I wa.s only assisting the Sheriff ' s office in enforcing the law in arresting the criminal . SENATOR WILLIFORD : Did the Sheriff have a warrant for him'? A They told me they had -- no, not Rodriguez , this other man Trev1n1o , I don ' t think they had a warrant for Rodriguez . He was arrested on suspicion'? MR. McMILL.IN: A I f they did, I don ' t know anything about it . MR. I.aACI s!.P r:! f f came up, anl ;,.n got to t""ll ing then himself l.i tt: , ..i.nd the A. "lt:r..e·· R 1ut }..,, :-...f:! 2 dep1xt~ she r 4 f f mad.,. l ger that I !Lad. with Ill,.., • i1. ca. hush eventually . ot up .:in the courthouse tlo"l,n-stai!'s, crune "P, but whether l:e ever opened his mo"ilth er did anythit.g or no• I don ' t ,r..,ow, I don• t think he did . MR. LACKEY: What was the nature of those articles that had been v·r-' tten in the local paper by Mr . Hook? A Well, that the Mexicans were being murdered and that the MexicMs .• ere l)e :ing mistreated . Q, No·r.r just as near as you can , and as bri"'fly as you can , tell us the nature o~ those articles in the paper , written by Hovk , that he acknowledged that he did write . Texas State Library and Archives Commission A Well, it has been a good while, it seemed to be that, with a purpose of organizi~g , getting the MexicallJ3 to organize for self pro+ection and telling them about how bOO. the Rangers were and that they were mistreating them and that they had to protect themselves, something along that line, I don ' t know just Q, I will ask you whether or not you had heard from the good cit1zens there in the county in that town -- you were stationed at Kingsville , were you~ A No, sir, I v.as at Alice . Q Whether or not you had heard from the good · citizens there th~ abou·i, in th~ WCJ:Y this fello1:: Hooks , nu the part he was taking matter'? A The whole country was talking about it, J udge . I probably could not think of a man I heard say it, but I know everybody, they could. not hardly , at this time you know the people were so scared up and inflamed over what they wore expecting trom the Moxicws, it seemed to be a general talk . Q Did you point your pistol at his stomach'? A I did not, no, sir. Q You say you hit him twice'? A I hit at him twice . Q Did you hit him at all'? A I never touched his head, he knocked both licks off with ' his arms . Q And you say that his conduct and the way he had been talking about the Rangers, you did that as an individual'? A I certainly did. Q And apologized to him when you found he was not armed'? A When he said he was not armed . I had been inf ormed that he went armed • SENATOR WILLIFORD: Suppose he had been armed , what would have happened'? Texas State Library and Archives Commission l A Well, I don't know. Q There would haTe been a killing there between you and him? A I don't know about that. Q Don't you think there would have if you struck him with your pistol, if he had been armed'? A I have seen men struck with pistole that there was not any killings over. Q So have I: you were in the courthouse and you were striking a man that you presumed to be armed? A Yes, sir. Q Isn't it a usual result when you strike a man with a pistol and he has a pistol, isn't the usual result of that bloodshed? A I don't know. Q Isn't that the usual result? A I will say yes. Q I asked you if it is not the usual result in Texas when you strike a ma.n with a pistol and he has a pistol, if the us ual r esult is not a killing or bloodshed'? Isn't that your experi ence a s an officer in Texas? A I would say yes, with the majority of men. Q With the majority of men'? A I would think so. MR. TIDWELL: I am only speaking -- After you apprehended this Mexican boy and to ok him t o Dr. Willson, the examining officer, the exemption officer of the local board'? A Yes. You Q Mil/spoke of 10-41, I believe it was a blank -- A Yres. Q .rust tell us_ what that 1s·. A Well, it is the blank filled out by the local baa.rd certifying t o his registration, his serial and registration numbers, Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1 and also I think i t appears on t hat t he exami nat ion by the physician and so on . Q, What is t he purpose of t hat blank? A I t is to insure the induction into the army , the reception by the - - Q, Does t hat serve as a commitment or wri t f'or y ou t o carry him to the of ficer of t he army? A Yes . Q, That is made out by an of ficer ot the United States? A No , that is ma.de out by t his l ocal board . Q, He is an officer of the Un i ted States? A Yes , sir , t hat is given to the of ficer and he takes i t to the Federal authorities . MR. LACKEY : I s it a f act t hat if a ma.n tailed aft er having been notified, examined etc . , if he tails t o r eport to be entrained, he is listed as a deserter? A When he fails to appear . Q, To en train'? A Yes, that is my understanding . MR. TIDWELL: Do you know what your instructions from the local board and in pursuance to the President ' s proclamation with reference to apprehending these men , did you have to get a wa rrant to get them, or without a warrant ? A J"ust had to get them as I could pick them up in the country . Q That was the President • s instructions? A There was no instructions about it; I was instructed to arrest all slackers , evaders and deserters that I could apprehend , that was the general in st ructions . Q You had no particular in struotions in this case out side of what Dr . Will son gave you? A That is all. Texas State Library and Archives Commission , \ MR. KNIGHT·: I will ask you , Jlr . Canales complained that the Rangers dlJ not deliver any of those slackers to the exemption bo~rd . I will ask you where you unifonnly delivered them'? A Always to the exemption board , always to the local board . Q Where did you deliver this prisoner'? A I first carried him to the local board and got these papers fixed up , and then carried him to the authorities at Corpus . Q When you had those papero you always carried them to the authorities at Corpus'? A Yes . Q. That ia, to the post'? A You did not get them , J Udge, until after this man is appreh e.nance , do you have to report those t:1ine,;s " Q D:J yo1 re~ort this incident o: +~·s ~ro ~le and la. ... ,. Hool:s" A I don ' t ren:eniber .:hether I ~ or not , J udge . Texas State Library and Archives Commission ,;i.: vi~h yoursel~ Q. You don ' t remember'? A No , sir , I don ' t . Q. I f you .;.~ d , ~ould you have done it by· letter " A Whi Q I f you did , you ,;rould have done so by letter'? A Y..,;;, . Q. You don ' t knon v1hether the Adjutant General '"las a letter en" fro..n JvU Lo :,:tJ. . ..'t ... r.rect or not '? A No , I don ' t • Q Who ·vas the Adjutant General at that time , Genere::.l Hut - chinb::> " A No , I think it Q You duJ JO~ ~as -- I eY..1. ect it was Genera.: Hutchl ngs . don ' t know whether you reported it to him or not " A I don ' t know . Q, You c~i.1ot remember Q.bout that '? A No , sir . Q You are pretty sure you did not , aren' t you , Captain '? A Well , I don ' t know ; I usually -- Q Well , A yo~ don ' t kn0~ , I don ' t pla,>- uuch you a~) . favorit~;;:s in ....ny±..~ of those k i nd of l thi .gs . Q I ur...:erstd.nd you don ' t plc..J mu1,;l.. fll.\orites , but it loo~s to me li'ke you would kno·.1 whether you reported ::-iat . A Well , i: does look so , I admit that too . Q. E spt:c,J~:::...1 was acting , dr~f~ei A to .ihare t:1e facts shm1ed you , the party that vmd informed you about this petition that Hooks t~e President '? I t was the general talk there . Q I t was the general ta l k there '? A Talk . Q You heard that he addresseJ a petition to the President v~ ··111w Unjted. States '? Texas State Library and Archives Commission A Which? Q. You heard that he addressed a petition to the President o f .1.,:.t Unl t e J Stat e a? A Yes . Q Uid you hear ~hat aas in it ? A I had heard that . ~ Uid you ever see a copy of it ? A No , air . Q When you approached him , did you abuse him in any way, us~ an epit:het to him? MR. KNIGHT: He says he did . Q He testified here that you called him a c...nd '"°"':'"vu A n:m son-o~-a-bitch ".7aS the one that Nrote that petition? i" he I don ' t think I did . Q Vlpat did you say? A I think I asked him when he acknowl edged it if he didn' t know tr.J::1.t h!'01)1;; .c Llil,1~ f.:H" a.D officer of the l aw to a llow himsel f to be '.7orkei up that way , Hooks had never said anything to you personally? A I had never seen him , and I have never seen him s i nce . MR. MOSES: I n addition to the petition , he·testifies he Texas State Library and Archives Commission had published articl es in the papers . SENATOR WILLI FORD: peti~lon· A And Q, You spoke to him , though , about this to the President ? others . MR. KNIGHT: He said the man had publ ished articl e s in the paper -- I heard that , and when he approached h i m SENATOR WILLI FORD: Ete a.Jked hirn if he was not the man that 'Nro t e this petition to the President'? A Not that a l one , j udge . Q Well , .vhat articles had he publ ished in the paper? A I was infor.ned t~at it was in all the local papers of Kingsv!lle . Q Had you read any of them? A No , sir ; Q, Yo~ A No , sir . Q, Who told you he had published them? A I don • t know , it was general talk . Q, You had just heard some general talk that the man had did not read a single· article that he had publ ished? published some articles in the paper - had he said anything about you in any of them? A He Q, acknowled~ed that he did do it . He acknowledged that he di~ do what '? A Wrote these articl es in the paper . Q, Did he refer to you in those pieces in ·the paper directly , call your naiue or anything l ike that? A My recol lection is he did -- a t l east , it was t he Rangers . Q I understand the Rangers , but he didn' t say "Capt ain Sanders•, did he '? A I don • t remember about that • Q You think if a man in the Ci t y of Dallas shoul d publ ish Texas State Library and Archives Commission I an ~icle on the crime of the police force of the City of Dallas and the policemen there should immediately go and abuse him fo·r doing so and strike him 71i t:'l his pistol, do you think that policeman shoul d be retained on the force up thers for cond~ct 0f tl'ld.t sort ? All right , Captain , that is all -- I just want1::d to gat your idea about it . MR. KNIGHT: Mr . Chairman . THE CHAIRMAN: MR. KNIGHT: Yes , sir , I will hear you . I understood the Captain to say there was a state of terror do\7n there and it was during the time of this Plan of San Diego and war was in progress -SEN ATOR WILLIJroRl>: We heard that fully . He referred to all that, statements published in the papers , the petition to the Presid~nt -- h~ SENATOR PAGE: referred to all of that. This is a question of whether a man should be allowed to take the law in his own hands and enforce it . :MR. KNIGHT: I hardly think it goes that far . SENATOR WILLIJroRD: SENATOR WITT: I think it does. Do you know Mr •.J essup who testified here? A I met him since I came to Austin . Q Did you Rork Nith the Rangers in Cameron County in the findin~ of slackers and deserters, in taking them before that Cameron County board'? A I don • t know anything ab out that at all. Q You were not located there'? A No , sir. MR. MOSES: His station was probably 150 or 160 miles ....... ----- ------- Texas State Library and Archives Commission north • MR . KNIGHT: We now offer in evidence certified copy of the Grand J ury report already ident i fled . EXCERPT FROM REPORT OF THE GRAND JURY OF CAMERON COUNTY, empaneled on 18th day of Nov . 1912, made to the District Court of the 28th J Udicial District of Texas, sitting at Brownsville , Texas, introduced in evidence on behalf. of the Adjutant General' s Department : "This Grand J ury has spent almost half of its time investigatin~ the shooting between the Police Force, Rangers and Deputy Sheri:fs in which Toribio Rodriguez received wound , C:U'ld fail~J ~fter examining t~enty-aeven hi~ death witnesses , we have to find sufficient evidence to return an indictment in this case . I t is the opinion of this Grand J ury that Captain Sanders with his Ranger Force and the Deputy Sheriff were un- questionably fired upon by parties unknown to than , and that they wvere justified in defending themselves and their prisoner ." * * * * Respectfully submitted , J. L. Crawford, Foreman F. w. Rusteberg J. F. Brusil1g c. s. Hobbs R. Redford N. E. Rendall F . E. Rendon, Secretary B. E. Earle F . B . Chambers E. J. Blunt E. A. Monsees Endorse.:! : Report of .G!"'and J ury November Term A. D. 1912 . Filed Dec . 6 1912 . Luui;:. Ko .1alski , Clerk, District Court , Cameron 1J.07 Texas State Library and Archives Commission County , Texas . W. W. STERLING , being firs'!; duly sworn, testified before the Committee as follows : EXAMINED BY MR. MOSES. Q State your name . A W. W. $terling . Q Where do you live '? A Hidalgo County, fifteen miles north of Mission . Q What is your business'? A Cattle business . Q How l ong have you lived in that county and other counties cont .i.g u.o l.l;:. tht: ret o '? A About elght yeara . Q Before moving to Hidalgo A Count~ , where did you live '? Falfurrias . Q That is the county seat of Brooks County'? A Yes , sir. Q Do you know J. Wesley Hooks, an attorney-at•Law'? A Yes , Q. s~r . How long have you known him'? l A About eight years . Q And during that time where was he living when you got · ac4.ue:..inted .d th him'? A I n Falfurrias . Q I believe the record sho~s that he now lives at Kingsvil lo '? A Yes . Q Do you recall about the time he moved from Fa lfurrias to Kingsville'? A I do . He l eft Falfurrias -~ he was stil l l iving in Fal- furrias when I left there and went dofln to t he River . Q Of course you are familiar with conditions that existed Texas State Library and Archives Commission down and the r eign of t error t hat has been described by th~re so many \Ii tnesses here'? A Yes . That existed all over t hat portion of the country ; now ~ during th~t time what was the general reputation of Mr . Hooks , particularly in that community , as to whether he was a sensible cltl~ea , co-operating with the American cit izens or that country against banditry t rouble and threateded troubl e with the crim- inal Mexica.n cla.ss that existed down there , whether he was cooperating .1ith them or the contrary'? He came down there from the North , he told me he came from A Ne.1 York State . We call ed him a religious fanatic , that is what we thought he was , and I believe he is . MR. LACKEY: Q Called him what'? A re l igious A ~anatic, and he objected from the first time he got t here to the way Mexicans were treated there , that was long before the revol ution or the bandit trouble , as they call it . He has al-nays been known ae an agitator , agitating Mexicans against .American people there . Was that the reputation that he bore during the time of ~ th~ bandit t.rou.ble'? A Ye., , ;Jir. Q. ha Kn How was .Mr . Hooks regarded by the citizens of Fal:f'urrias , i~ you know , his general reputation, whether it is that of an honorable , desirable citizen, or the contrary, among tne ~1hite Americans who l ived down there'? A I think it was the contrary . ~ You yourself were born in Texas1 A Yes . Q And your peopl e have lived here a long time'? A . Yes . ~ Where flere you educated'? A A. & M. College . Texas State Library and Archives Commission I Q Are you a Mason'? A No , sir . Q. The re has been a great deal said here with regard to the Rangers and been in evidence also ·that there were a great mal'J1' other anny officers on the border. such as deputy sheriffs , marshals, river guards , and u. s. Scouts, and so on; what is the common practice , if you know , of the Mexicans down there in that coWltry, as to whether they refer to all officers , without regard to whether they are working for the officers ot the county, officers of the State, such as Rangers and United States officers , whether they are al l commonl y referred to as Rangers '? A Yes , the common Mexican class, everybody that wears a six-~hooter ls a Ranger, it may be an Immigration Officer , Customs, or a Deputy Sheriff or a cowman with a six-shooter Rangers . Q I t i e true you have a great many Mexicans who are good citizens '? , si r . A Oh , ye s Q. Plenty of good citizens'? A Yes . Q. I ~ill Mexicans ask you if it is not true that a large number of do·~1n there in that country are believed by you Amer- icans Jll:iX are believed to be in sympathy with the criminal class of Mexicans , to the extent at least that they will harbor them and give them food and not give information to officers as to theli wll~rea.'bouts '? A Yes , quite a number of them. Q I sn' t that the reputation of a large number of Mexicans who live in that lower country'? A Yes , sir. Q And generally believed by the Americans'? A Yes, sir. Texas State Library and Archives Commission l Q, That they will harbor them? A Yes , sir. Q Give them food and not furnish information to the officers? A Yes, but I don' t include them in the class I call good American citizens . Q, I understand that is not the class you referred to as good .American citizens. You heard the testimony ot Mr. Hill in which he described th? invasion into Mexico by United States troops? A Yes, sir . Q, What position did you occupy there during those trouble- some times? A I had been aoting as Chief of Scouts for Captain Mc Coy in the Mission District, and when he was transferred to Brownsville I ~ent as Chief of Scouts to General Parker, he got me to go dovm there .11th him, and I went there and occupied practically the same position under General Parker, Captain McCoy took me down there. Q How long were you connected with the army as Chief of Scouts ? A All during that trouble, I expect over a year. get any salary at all . I didn't They gave me a written commission and that title. Q Yoa were A Yes, sir . Q, And under United States officials? ~ TOlunteer sco ut ~ A Yes, sir. Q Were you present at the time the army went into Mexico ' A No, I went from my ranch into Hidalgo County to get some clean clothes the day before . I was there when they got back. Q You knew ·Lieutenant Newman very well~ A Very intimately, yes . Q After the return of the soldiers from Mexico, some question Texas 1.11 1 State Library and Archives Commission l was raised by Mr . Canales that there was not anybody killed o¥er there . Do you regard Lieutenant Newman as an honorable man? A Yes, sir. Q Did you talk to him as to what -occurred over there? A I asked him all about it . Q Wh at did he say, if anything, about killing any Mexicans over there? A I asked him if he had killed any Mexicans, and he said, "We killed plenty of them•, words to that effect, some slang words that there were plenty of them, a bunch of them, he was in command of the extradition across the River . Q Do you know j obnnie Edds? A Yes, sir. Q How long have you knoi711 him? A Four or five years . Q How do you regard j ohnnie Edds as to whether he is an efficient officer, and what is his general reputation, or as to whether or not he is a cruel and inhumane officer? A I think he is one of the best we have had there, because he understands the Mexicans and was raised with them and understc..nds their ;iays and eTeryth1ng. I think he treats them l mighty well and Tery t'air . Q What 1 s j ohnnie Edds ' general reputation for truth and veracity, if you know it? A I t is good, all I have ever heard of it. Q Do you know Ranger Hamer? A Yes . Q How long have you known him~ A Since about 1912. Q Frank Hamer'? A I know three of them, three Hamers . Texas State Library and Archives Commission f Q I f you know what his general reputation down there as to being an honest -A Well, I don' t know exactly so much right there . He has not been there much, but I know his reputation all over the State , I have seen people he bas worked among in East Texas and all around, residents of the cities he has been in . I think his reputation is one of the best in the whole force . Q What is his reputation as to whether it is that of a violent and dangerous and o ~rbearing man, or the contrary? A I don • t think any man that is not a criminal bas anything in the world to fear from him. one of them . I don ' t think he woUld touch He is an awful good officer and absolutely not a bully . Q Do you know whether or not he was for a number of years City Marshal at Navasota? A I have heard that he was . SENATOR PAGE : You say you know Mr . Hamer well? A Yes . Q I f Mr. Hamer did in fa.ct make a threat against your life' or person, do you regard him as a man who would likely put such threat into execution if he ma.de it? ' A I f' he ma.de a threat against a man• s life? Q Yes . A I don ' t belieTe he would like to , I believe he would have -- Q I didn' t say he would like to do it: would he likely do it ? A Excuse me . Q I s he a man, such a character or man that would be likely to put such threat into execution if .he in ~act made it'? A I believe he is a very determined man, yes . Q I f he made a threat against your life or against your person, you would naturally believe he intended to carry it out , do you not'? Texas 1 11 n State Library and Archives Commission A I think he is a man or his word, yes . Q. you You spoke about his being City llarzhall at Navasota . kn0\7 Do anything specially about that? A No, sir . Q. Was he a resident of Grimes County or Navasota when he was ma.de City Marshal, or was he brought from somewhere a.IWl made City Marshal? A I don't know about that. Q. Where is Hooks now4? A I don ' t know, I understood he was in the army. Q. Didn' t you know he was an officer in the army? A No, sir, not an officer . Q. He is not an officer? A No, he is an enlisted man. Q. What are the :facts about that ? MR. LACKEY: He is a Sergeant, I think; I don • t think he is a conunissioned officer. Q. You say Hooks came from New York down there and that he was an agitator and against the American people? A Yes, he would go around and get up these land titles, these old Me~ican heirs and eTerything, he was a kind of title jumper, they called him I believe . Q. I s that what you mean when you oay he was an agitator, he would go around and stir up lawsuits against people? A That was one thing, am when people were charged with anything he would not look to see if ·they were guilty, but just defend them because they were Mexicans. Q I understood you to testify that he was against America, an agitator of the Mexicans against this goTernment • A No, not against the government, but against the American residents there . Q Was it his reputation that of a man who would stir up Texas State Library and Archives Commission Ke~icana against the Americana' A Yes, that is what I belieTe. Q, You were closely connected with the .American army when he was taken in'? A No, sir, I was really a:- hundred miles below where he is. Q, You seem to keep up pretty well with him. A I lived in Falfurrias at the same time he did, long before I was connected with the American Army, 1911 and •12. Q I will ask you if you think it is proper practice for a man who has had anns placed in his hand by the State of Texas to approach a citizen who is a member of the bar in his State, in the courthouse, on account of the fact that he thinks the citizen has written a petition to the President of the United States setting forth some supposed grieTance and has been writing articles in the paper, do you think it would be a proper thing for this man to approach this man in the courtI house and abuse him for making this statement and strike him with a pi atol once or twice do you think that is proper I conduct for an officer' A No, sir. MR. McMILLIN: Q, Was there a considerable exodus of 1lex- icans from your section when these exodus began' A No, sir, not in 1915; I didn't lose any Mexicans at all. When the draft started there was an exodus all the way from Goliad County to the River, they left their crop. Q Was that just confined to those of draft age, or did a number of others leave~ A They would take the whole family, leave growing crops. Q Did any of . those Mexicans that left there leave any property in your country~ A Not in my country, didn't any of them leave our country hardly. Texas State Library and Archives Commission , SENATOR WILLI FORD : HaTe you been in the army'? A I have been in this Texas Guard . Q, And you tell this Committee that a man whom you knew to be a fomentor of trouble between Mexicans and Americans would hold a position in the United states Army and you never mention it to the govermnent authorities'? A I don' t understand the question . Q, You tell us Hooks fomented trouble between .Americans and Mexicans and could hold a position in the u. S. Army and you never mention 1 t '? A Yes , he can hold any position he wants to . Q And you never mention it to the authorities'? A No, sir. Q, You let him go on as a Sergeant in the u. s. Anny'? A Yes . E. H. PARKER , being :first duly sworn, testified before the Committee as follows: EXAMINED BY MR. MO SES. Q, Where do you l i Te'? A Brownsville . Q What official position, if any, do you hold'? A Special Agent o-r the Department of .Tustice, Bureau of I nvestigation . Q How l ong have you kill: held that position'? A Two years . Q. Did A No . ycu ever hold any official po.sition prior t o t hat time'? Texas State Library and Archives Commission , Q How long have you been living at Bn>wnsville ? A About twenty or twenty-two months. Q Do you know anything about a matter that has been testified to here in regard to the detention and abuse of & man by the name of Tijerina who it appears was related to Mr . Canales in some WS\V'? A Yes, sir, I was present . Q State the circumstances. A We had information that some mescal had been coming across through a Mexican from the Mexican side to the Texas sid~ at this crossing on Tijerina' s place , and Mr . Hamer, in company with myself and the Custom Officer Atkins and Ranger Lee Rosser and another Customs Officer went up there . Q Do you know how Mr. H&mer happened to be along ? A Why, he had the same information that we did. Q And you all went together? A Yes, and Fred Winn, Deputy Sheriff, was also with us and drove one o:f the cars . and there were two u. s. We had his car. We went up there soldiers with us, and they went down to the River, they went to get this mescal, they had been in the habit of getting it there and had been coming over there for quite a while , and it has been our business there to catch these people, mescal sellers, who have been peddling mescal into Texas ~rom the Mexican side, and they have been in the habit of trading with the soldiers, as they could sell it to soldiers when they could not sell it to anyone e l se, as the soldiers would not report it, as they knew they themselTes would be put in the guardhouse if found with this mescal in their possession, a.nd they knew that they were almost safe in selling it to a soldier . We went up there, left the cars in the edge of the brush and got in the high weeds and the soldiers went down to the Ri Ter on the Texas side and they made Texas State Library and Archives Commission a deal with some man on the other side for mescal, I supposed that is what it was, that is what they went for . \Ve saw this man come up there -- saw these men come up there and leaTe some in a horse and buggy and some in a little buggy -Q On the opposite side of the A Yes. RiTer~ We had passed Ti jerina in the meantime as we en- tered the field and took position in the Bend, with a number of other Mexicans, working in the field , and after we had been there :"or some time, Mr. Hamer spoke up and said, "Someone has given it away•, and he raised up and this man was just scouting down, going down through the weeds and towards the Ri Ter . Q That was A T ijerina ~ Yes . Q I believe it is admitted that he is some relation of Mr. C anales~ A I have . heard so since I came here; at the time I did not know it . Q That is the same man that has been testified heretofore as being a relative~ A Yes . Q Describe the manner in which he was going towards the River. A As you would go down through the weeds, the vegetation was high, tall grass and everything . believe November, a~er I t was in the fall, I the crops -- some corn stalks and cotton stalks and things like that, and high weeds in the field. -- end as you would creep down there, or about half stooped over like, and the soldiers came back and reported that someone had tipped it off, and this was the man . Mr . Hamer I don't think speaks Spanish very well, in fact I don ' t think he speaks it at all, and he told Lee Rosser, a Ranger, "I want you to tell this man that he went down there and tipped Texas State Library and Archives Commission this play off, that we are of:ficers and came here to catch thest- smugglers that came to omuggle mescal over here , and I want you to tell him i:f we come here again, not to interfere \vi th officers .~ Q Did you understand Spanish? A Very well, yes . Q Was Tijerina accosted and talked to? A Yes . ~ • What was said to him? A I n substance that is what he told him . Q Did the other Ranger interpret the order or the command of Mr . Hamer as you haTe Just stated? A Yes. Q Was he abused or mistreated in any way? A Well now, he was not maltreated or anything like that, they might have used a few curse words or something like that, but he was not abused or anything, and they told him not to tell anyone about this, that is notify the smugglers that they intended to come again and cat~h them, and Tijerina said, "I will not notify them; I will say nothing to them .• Q At that time did Mr. Tijerina claim that his purpose down there was following a trail of stolen cattle to the river or anything of that sort ? A No, sir. Q You have heard that testimony here ? A No, I never heard that. Q There was some testimony here that Mr. Tijerina, or it was claimed for Mr . Tijerina, that he was down there trailing some stolen cattle . Did Mr . Tijerina make any claim of that sort at that time? A No, sir, there were men all over the field the re, must have been fifteen or twenty men working in that field . Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q. You don ' t understand my question . Did Mr . Tijerina on that day, on that occasion , make any claim to anybody in your hearing tliat his purpose in going to the river was to follow the trail or some stolen cattle? A No , sir . Q Did he make any explanation at all as to why he was going dovm there ? A He Q. j~st said it was his field , he was working, down there . I t was his field and he was on his own property? A Yea, sir . Q But made no claim at all about going through those weeds in a stooping position, that his purpooe was to follow the trail of some cattle that might ha.Te been stolen and carried aero ss the river? A No, and furthermore there was a man that passed directly in front of us on horseback, I don' t think he ever saw us, he might have seen the car , we did not hide the car but drove into this field . Q I n going down you saw Mr . Tijerina and several others in the field ? A Yes . Q. And it was in plain view? A Yes . Q And along the road? A Yes , a long the road through the field . Q They could of course have seen you? A TiJ erina and them? Q Yes . A Certdinly , we were in our car . Q. How 1hr did you pass them when you went by there when they ~ere out in the field ~ A I should judge it was twenty-fiTe or fifty yards out in Texas State Library and Archives Commission the field . They were cutting cornstalks and doing various other nork there on the f'arm . Q How far beyond them did you go before you stopped ~ur cart? A Probably a couple of hundrod yards . Q Then you all got out and took your station? A Yes . Q A brushy countryt? A No, just in this place it was surrounded by a field, and this .7ao a "negata" , a little brush right up there in the field. Q I will ask you if the officers did not have information at that time from what you regarded as a very reliable sourco that that was the place I don' t mean that Tijerina was doing it, but that that was a place where smuggling was going on 1rom Mexico , o~ me seal t? A Yes, a.nd I will tell you the reason I was anxious to accompany these officers : they had asked me to go , I had been co-cperating with the Sheriff' s Department, the Ranger force and the Immigration force and the Cu3toms, had been working together c.:.t all times, day and night . On August 4th old Col- onel Cavazas had crossed over into Mexico from the Texas side to the Mexican side , and we had intercepted a letter from Mexico to a Mexican stating that Colonel Cavazas had crossed and that this man Tijerina had knowledge to this effect -- he was a Cavasasista . I have a tile of twenty-five or thirty sheets in regard to that, these Cavazasistas, who contributes to it and everything, and among those was a letter from Tijerina to the Cavasasista in N e\'1 York . We keep track of them . It goes &11 the way from New York to San Francisco, California, and right along the Border, and when one moves the agent knows 1t . Q I sn' t it true that the information you had as Special Agent Texas State Library and Archives Commission of the Department of ~ustico led you to believe there was not only smuggling going on down there but that Ti jerina was probably fomenting or mixed up with those people , aiding or abetting the violation of the Neutrality Law? A :Beyond atiason of a doubt • ~ What was that entry in regard to Ti jerina? A It gave a list of who were -THE CHAIRMAN: Don 't you think that is going a little too far, to testify as to the contents of correspondence? MR. KNIGHT: They are secret files. THE CHAIIMAN: That doesn' t make any difference . Witnesses might drar. one conclusion from a letter and another witness another . MR. MOSES: Yes , that is probab1y in line with previous rulings . Q Do you know anything about the arrest of County Commissioner Edwards down there? A Yes, I heard that he was arrested for bootlegging; I know his con has been, because I filed complaint against his son. THE CHAIRMAN: Kindly do not involve anyone else in thi3 ma.ttc.r that is Lefore this investigation; we have heard nothing ag~inst so ft4r the young man up to this time, and he is not charged, a.;:; I 1:r10\r, w! th anything against the Rwigers . Q Were you at Point I sabel and do you know whether or not Mr . Ed\Ta.rds, Ccunty Commissioner , had any considerable quantity of liquor'? A Yea. Q What do you know with regard to that? A It is the general report around that he at one time connected ~.-i th ~as a saloon thera, and juat when the saloons were Q Di d you ever see any liquor down there at his place '? A No, sir·. Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q Do you know J ohn Edds ? A Yes . Q How long have you known him? A I have known him for two years or more . I knew him when he was in the Customs service first. Q Prior to his becoming a Ranger was he in the Customs service ? A Yes. Q You knew him during that time? A Yes, he assisted me around there, getting information and everything in connection with my work . Q What was J ohnnie ' s reputation during the time he the ~as in C ustom~ service ~ A I t was good . Q I t was good at that time ? A Yes . Q. Was he a ·humane man? A Yes, considered so by our Department and also by the Customs 'Department, and he resigned that position to take the posit!on he has. Q How long have you lived in Texas? A All my life . Q Where were you born" A Goliad . Q, What age man are you? A Thirty-eight • MR. I.ACREY: Q Did you see Tijerina when he was going in that stooped position down to the River? A Yes . Q J ust after you ~11 had posted -- A Yes, after we had secreted ourselves . Texas State Library and Archives Commission Q I mean after you passed and he had seen you? A Yes . Q You saw him going in that stooped position? A Yes . Q Did you see him coming back? A Yes, that is when we stopped him when he came back. Q Mr . Hamer was there with you'? A Yes , Mr . Hamer and the other officers . ------....FRANK RABB, being first duly sworn, testified before the Committee as follow& : EXAMINED BY MR . KNIGHT : Q Where do you liTe? A Brownsville. Q How long have you resided there'? A Twenty-eight years . Q Were you ever -- did you ever hold an official position do;m th(: re '? A Yes, Collector of Customs in the Laredo District . Q How long df Q you hold that off ice? A Four years . Q Do you know J ohnnie Edds ? A Y~s . Q State how long you have known him . A I had met him a few times and got a recommendation from Captain' Wright , whom I consider one of our best officers in Texas , and I put him in on his recommer~ation . Q You put him in your .employ when you were Custom Officer Texas State Library and Archives Commission . ~~~~=================---· there? A Yes . Q How l ong was he i n your empl oy? A About two years . He was j n when I l e:ft , when my t erm was up I Q You gave him employment at the request -Of Captain Wright? A Yes . Q He was in your employ two years? A Yes . Q What we r e you paying him? day • A $ 4 • 00 a Q He resigned t hat position? A After I had gone out • Q After you had gone out he quit that job? A A:fter Captain Wright had bcon made Captain of the Rangers . Q When Captain Wright was made capt ain of the Rangers he resigned and joined Captain Wright ? A I think Captain Wright sort of raised J ohnnie Edds at FlorE.svillc , he has been with him for yeg,rs . Q I will ask you if you observed his conduct as a man and an officer since he -;1as asbocL...ted '.7itl.t. you ir:. his official l.apa.city? A Yt::::J . Q, Tt 11 th~ s Committee what J ohnnie Edds ' general reputation down there :iz for truth and veracit;>i ? A I t is good , extra good . Q, What is h i s general reput ation as a man of integrity and lea.w-....l:iding disposition? A Good . Q Ha7e you observed in your offici~l relations with him or as a citizen and as a Ranger any conduct on his part untecomin~ ~ R:.nger? Texas 11 '~ ,,State Library and Archives Commission l A I never have known anythi ng . ~ Or peace of ficer? A I think he is one the best offi cers we have i n the o~ govt:rr.11J.J.Cl!t s ervice . ~ How l ong have you known Frank Ramer? A Since he came t o Brownsvi l le , since he came down wi th Ca.pt <;tln Td.;y lo l ' ' s company . Q, Have you come in contact with him since he has been there? A I have . ~ Observed his o ~ ficial and personal conduct ? A Yes , sir . ~ T ~11 the Committee whether or not he has been guilty of WlY Jiscretions not becoming an officer duri~g the time he hc;o.S been there , to your knowledbe or observation? A I think he has made a good officer since he has been there , r.ince I have Q. l ...... ovff him . When you t ook charge of that office as a Customs Officer were t:r.L .... :rc cn"ployes that were objection ..ble ? A Yes , there were some . Q Did you start out with the fixed purpose to elevate it as , est you could , to improve it ? A I did . Q Could A yo~ do that overnight ? I t took me about three years fi 6 hting politicians ever.>' t dolng ~on~thing 1 t.\. I woulC. let a ~rong , ~ci ~nd man out for be ir.g drunk or that political crowd nvuld wire to Was: int:.. ton . THE CHAI RMAN: MR. KNIGHT: Does that relate to the Ranger force ? No , sir . The only object in the world was to sho·.1.1 A MR. Jcr.nni~ E ~ds ~as KNIGHT: I -- underst~11.:: Mr . R....1 '"' . Texas State Library and Archives Commission The on: y ob~ect , Gent l e~en , in the r1or l d. , is to show that here i::; a public nffi'"'ial !n a posi-:±on commanC:ing <...great reQ,ny men il'! a ver" s:~ila; position to the Adjutan• at tu ..,:ean up t}1e situa.tion a.11C he d4d do -it, and it 0 11i...-- took him three i:)hor ~1.;.r ~:me , ~rears , cmd i t '.1as Gener~l , ~nd impos;.;;;~1/le that he began to do so in much and that is all we have ir_ mind . I f tb.at is 'benef:ic:ial to you, he will s1vear to it , and if it is not , we i1ill .. it:idraw the c...uestion . Q, Could ;you have accomplished it in a shorter time than .,~ . .n L , thre I or did you accompl 1.al it ir. a shorter time '? A Ne . Q. You encounte?"eG. .... great m"'~ diff:!cul-:i es and differences A Sc.,.e me., I put ir.. I ma,dG a mi sta.ke m:t ~elf , and men whom put :in through reconune?".::.tio.1s o.,. vther people . Q. Tl at i S a::i J • CHARLES F. STEVENS, ' n c ,...;,..st d··.,~v- ..,., .,,.o.,_, el - • u • • • •· t te,..• · ~:cd 1: ... : 'e th"' C o~?"!!!l.ittee a~ EXAMINE"D BY MR. KNIGHT. Q. What is .>-Tour occupatio. '? Q. Wh~rf' A M~r~thon , Q. Wl...e re is that " A That is cut in "tl:e Big Bend country . Q, Ho·y lone have :,rou been in the Rc...i.eer scrv :ice '? A s~ do you reside '? Texas . .ce r'hout No-;ember , 20 1? . Texas State Library and Archives Commission :'ol- i Q, What was ~'"o ur busi ne ss prio r t o tl.at time " A I n the Sheriff ' s Office , 'D ep ·~+ ../ s ~n Antoni o , served as C onst~b lv , u. s. Marshal and Police Captc:1.i n in the City o'!' San Ant oni o . Q We r e you ever Sheriff of Bexar County? A NO . Q How lon g have you been in the service of the State and county a s a peace officer? A About Q, twen~y years . Your company was located at Harlingen1 A When I first went C.own to the Rio Grande Valley I made my head qvarters at Edinburg . Q, How long were you there ~ A Two or three months . Q Where did yo~ move your headquarters? A To Mercedes , Texas . Q, Did that corit inue to be y our headquarters as long as you were down there? A Yea . Q Do you ren1ember the circumstance of a man being taken up out of j~il at Donna , Hidal go County, by the name of Arturo Garcia and indignities ard punishment visited upon him1 A I r emember a Mexican that was shot through the l eg t here that was f ound along the ·side of the road one morning that was found , tl~t was reported to me . Q By Mr. Busby1 A No , t he f i r s t r eport came in by some so l diers. Q But Mr . Bu sby was t he man t hat f ound h i m1 A The sol diers f irst reported it , and I asked Mr. Busby and C:U'l ot he t gent l eman t o go out and bring t hat man in . Q The charge is as fo llows : \\ I char ge that i n t he f irst part o:f Augus t, 1918 , t he ex&.ct date I ~ Texas 142:8. State Library and Archives Commission ; not ab le t o give , f at or near Donna, Hidalgo County, Texas, a Mexican by the name of Arturo Garcia, in company with another Mexican by the name of Pedro Tamez, was taken out of the jail at Donna, Texas, by some officers and I have reason to believe that among these officers there were some state Rangers, belonging to the company of Capt. Stephens stationed at Mercedes, Hidalgo County, Texas, about nine miles from Donna, and that these Mexicans, after bei_ng taken out of town in an automobile, were told to go away and they were shot at by these officers, among whom there were state Rangers, wounding the said Arturo Garcia in the leg and he was left there all that night until he was picked up by a Mr. Busby who liTed at that time at Mercedes, Texas . " I will ask you to state if any of your men were there at that time . A They were not . Q At Donna -- do you know where your men were, of your own personal knowledge ~ A Some were at Mercedes, some at Harlingen and some on the Piper Plantation. Q I will ask you to state if atter this occurrence you aent some of your men there and made some arrests? A After this Yexican was brought in, I asked who shot him; he said he was taken out of jail by local officers and was shot and throwed along the side of the road . I sent Rangers there and arrested those local officers and preferred charges against them, and they were pl aced under $5 ,000 .00 bond for their appearance before the Grand j ury. Q The man himself told you that Rangers had nothing to do with it'? A Yes. I brought those men up and this Mexican identified those men as being t he men t hat shot him. Q Do you know anything in connection with the transferance Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1429 .... . .. . • of a man by the name of Edwar ds \fho was Coun t y Commi s s ioner down t he r e fr om up t o Rio Grande City some place down below A The first I knew of Edwards, he was brought in by Rangers t o Mercedes , t hey had arrest ed him for selling or giving away whisky, and I asked him what he intended t o do with t hat whisky. He said he •vas going to give it away, that it was hi s and he could do as he pl eased about it . It was on the eve of t he election, and I told Edwards didn't he know if he distributed that 'Rhisky on the eve of election he would have trouble in that country'? He said it ma.de no difference, the Sheriff knew h e had it a nd knew that he was going to give it away , and he was going to do as he pleased about it . Q .And the Sheriff knew he had it'? A Yes. And I thought it would be good to hold him, with that trouble down there in that country , on e l ection day . Q He admitted to you that he had the 11 quor'? A Yes . Q Did you actually see it'? A No, sir . Q Polit ica.l feeling ran high' A Yes . Q This was on the eve of the election'? A Yes . Q He had advised you he was going to give it away'? A Yes, he was going to do as he pleased about it . Q Did some of your men apprehend him~ A They had brought him in from Point I sabel, about fifty miles from Mercedes . Q Were you with them in person'? A No, sir. Q Do you kno -n anything about young Edwards, the son of that Commis :::>i one r , selling liquor down there'? Texas State Library and Archives Commission 14SO A No , sir. THE CHAI RMAN : J Udge, kindly don• t drag in anybody else; don ' t make any further reference to young Edwards . A That is the first time I ever sa.w Edwards , and I never kne~ him before . Q Do you know Rangers Saddler and Sittre ? A Yes, they are in my company -- they were in my company; Sittre is st ill in my company. Q I s Saddler in your company now? A No . Q How long did those men work under you? A They went into my company when I fi rat went down into th~t Q Rio Grande ValleJ ~ They .vere in your company hov1 long? A November, 1917 . Q Tell the Committee in your own way what kind of officers those two men ar e . A They are good officers for the Border, outside work . Q Of your own knowledge , did those men ever demean themselves in a manner unbecoming the conduct of a Ranger? A They did not . Q Do you know of any act on their part of a criminal nature? A No , sir . Q They are the men who had in custody one Florencio Garcia? A Yes . Q State why you sent those men dov1n to take charge of Florencio Garcia -- what was his reputation where he l ived? A I knew nothing of Florencio Garcia . Mr . Jessup had re- ported there had been sone stock stolen on the Piper Plantation . I telephoned at Harlingen for some of the men to go on down there and investigate . Q Did you knou ~hether or not Florencio Garciz was a citizen 1431 State Library and Archives Commission Texas of this country or of Mexico'? A I had never heard anything be f ore about him. Q When those boys ret u r ned to headquarters , what di d t hey report to you as having done with t hat man Florencio Garcia'? A They had arrested several men in connection with this invegtieation and delivered them to the military authorities and theJ claimed they had taken Florencio Garcia to Point I sc.l.bdl and investigated him and brought him back and turned him l oose . Q How l ong after t hat wao it before certain individual s a.~d aut~orities apprehended , arrested those t~o men in con- A Well , two or three of them rang me up from Bro·.11nsville t:~.:is about ~p~eared, man not coming back home , about that he had disand the arrest was made , affidavits were filed by some Mexicari against them , I suppose about twenty or thirty days after.,vards . Q Did you interrogate the men and investigate the facts'? And did you decide in your o~'r'n mind whether or not they had anytbing to do A I ~it~ his death , if he is dead'? .:invest~ .;ated. statements thc.1 made , and I went to Browns·, .J: "'.c , an'"OU kno-:1 anyt:1i ng- about Ch .... rge No . 14 , abov.t occurrence at Hbrmu1d..,.z ws..; ::'loc.,~ed Donn~ , "a. Mexican ~:!le same by the name of .Jose <..i.nJ. 1.o rse\ hipped 1:,- Ra11gers of the comp ...n ,l of Captain Ste73ns because he .\:as suspected of having stolen a ! a.ck "'? A I hea r d not '·lin.; of t'l::tc..t until I heard that charge read . Q. Werl- 1:;1,ey of ;>rour men there or have anyt:hing in the wo rlJ to do :vi th that '? A I could not te l l •:1herc .t.:., .LZJ.en were , because they .rere in and out and scoutinc::; all throu.;h the count ,..y . Q, The fi!'"st you heard of it was .... fter you ,;o"'c here '? Texas State Library and Archives Commission ·1433 . A Yes , after I got here to Austiri . Q There i3 no allegation of e:u1J~:1L1.; er A ~hich one o~ your men did it , of t!10.t kind -- your mind is blank as to that ? Yes . Q You heard of neve~ i~ ? A I never heard of it until I heard it read in these charges . Q. Did you A Yes . tc:.11~ to the.Lt man that Busby found? At first he didn' t want to say who shot him . I told hili1 I ~rn.nted hfr1 ':.o tell ne, t'1at he need not feai- anytl:.in~ , t.:1at :1e · :t·1lJ be protected . Q, W'11a.t did he tell you first ? A First , he said he ·.1as hurt "..JJ the railro..i.J.; he didn' t .1ant to >j..,.,,/ w. af1~.Ld o.:: l;,,".::.11._; > I ail.:/'sed <.1. • .1./~:1:!.tl.; , h~ was af'ra!d; I toldhim not to be I ·.vanted to know the facts and I would protect 1.i.im , and so he then told me '.Vho eho.._ '1:!.·11 , that .:the Q, Did he;. also suggest that he had been smoked out of a house A No , he said they had went doVln there and they put him in jail , :1e didn ' t brusrt an~ know \'lhat for, and the.>' took him out in the cut his mustache off ~nd left him there ~or dead . Q He told you they A y..,~ , Q, T:1 di .,a..'3/X..~ mzen on account of .7hose injuries you ar- ~ere local officers? .d:::..-.. this rest ....: tv10 men and put them unde"" a $ 5 ,000.00 bond'? A $ 5 ,000.00 bond . I do not know what became of the case , I was never summoned before the Grand J ury ~ or anything alse . I s there anything else you want to state to the Committee in connect ion with these charges'? A Not unless they have me charged I ~ her~ ~1th to explain it . THE CHAIRMAN: When did you say you went into the R:!o Grande Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1434 doing somet hing , Valley'? A I ms a ca:: sworn ir.. as Captain in 1 9 1 ? and went the re December 18 , 1917 . MR. KNIGHT: I will get the Captain to explain as briefly as he can-· Captain Vann had a great deal to say about you'? A Yes , sir . MR. KNIGHT: I wi l l ask the privilege for the Captain to explain the trouble that brewed there bet•aeen he and Sheriff Vd.n11 . A I t see.us li:rn I nsver could. get along \'Tith Vann . ntiv1::l 1.-v1.1lu t,et along wit:"l me . i~ 0~(.,~~3e to I ~ould Vann The •1hole trouble I laid this not do as J udge Wcll3 wanted me to do , and that brought on the Vann troub l e -- I don ' t see anything e l oc . Q What was it J udge We l ls wanted'? ' A J udge Wells t'No or three time~ jumped on me about things and Vlanted to advise me about things to do and my authority down there , that I thought was not right , and Vann would not do the Q, ri~ht thing , and I \Vouldn ' t have nothing to do with him. Did 3ou. ha\ra any trouble with the l ocal authorities any~A1.-apt wher0 Vann during the dioc.he.rge of your duties dovm tLc.re '? A That is the only trouble I had , was ~ith that bunch in Brownsville . Q What was the beginning of the trouble bet'Neen you and the Sher~:f ' s office ? Can you relate it and any specific dates or OC.Li::l.s.ions '? A I coul d .not tell what it was , he was always writing me l etters or t elephoning me , he wanted to know why I woul d not ans11er his l etters . I thought when he saw me a t Brownsvi lle he could te l l me what he »anted . Q Uid you write him a l etter'? .. Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1435 , A Yes . Q Uid you investigate the killing of Cunningham at Bro\7?lS-;-illc'? A Yes . Q Uid you go there with your men'? A Yes, I got there the next morning , and arrested some men and delivered Q the~ to the Sheriff . You were not there until after Vann had left '? A No, I taken five Mexicans and went down the River , we didn' t l<:now 77hich way the tracks \'Tent; I taken five Mexicans ~ith me, ar.ned Mexicans, and made one cross the River to see if tho1:>t:: tra(;°kS :1an~ across the Rio Grande . I wanted to satisfy myself" ~iiat those tracks were on this side of the River . wards I arrested a man that I thought \Vas After- connected with the killing , and turned him over to Sheriff Vann and he took him to Bro •'lnsville. Q What became of him'? A I don ' t know. Q Were there tNo political factions down there'? A I don ' t know nothing about that . Q You did not align yourself wit~ any political clan of any sort '? A No. I ~ent there to investigate this election . I was ordered to report to the Adjutant General• s office and from there to report to the Attorney General' s office, and I got orders from the Attorney General to go down there and inves- tigct.t(j s01ne election frauds, which I did . Q what contest was that in connection with'? A Glasscock-Parr Contest . Q You discharged your duty fearlessly and impartially in that co.Htest'? A Yes , sir. Texas State Library and Archives Commission '" 1436 r Q Do you think your labor incurred the displeasure of anyone o~ til.d.t saction of the country'? A I suppose that ~as part of it -- that was the last of it . Q Did you do anything except a fearless, conscientious, faithful discharge of your duty'? A Yes, that is all I done while I was do\vn in that Ri o Grande Valley. SENATOR WILLIFORD: Q Did you do anything in that country to prevent a fair election? A No, sir . Q Do you I instructed my Rangers the date of the election kno~ of any other Ranger Chat did or attempted to prevent a fair election'? A Not that I Q kno~ of . Do you know anything about an arrest of an interpreter and taken from the polls? A There ~as a man ~rrested, Deputy Sheriff, armed with a six-:iho oter, it is my understanding he was taken out and arrested, he was in the polls with a six-shooter . Q I t \Va.s not in c.Jnnect ion \"Ii th any parties'? A None at all. The only hand I taken in politics is there was a Ladies Hobby Club at Mercedes , and I seen they voted . They made threats there that they seen th~t ~asn • t going to vote , and I they voted . CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: How long were you located in Cameron County'? A I went there in December , 1918, that district; I never lived at Brownsville . Q How long were you and your men located in Cameron County? A I went there December , 1918 and left there the latter part of August . Q Don ' t you mean you went there in December , 1917? A Yes, sir , December, 1917, and t le~t there in August, 1918. Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1437 r - Where did you personal ly have headquarters? Q A The last headquarters we had was at Mercedes , Hidalgo County. Q I n Cameron County? A I n Cameron County we had one headquarters at Harlingen, and I had one on the Piper Plantation . Q How far is Harlingen from San Benito ? • A About seven miles. ~ How far is the Piper Plantation from San Benito? A The Piper Plantation must be about thirty-five miles . Q Where did you personally spend most of your time? A I spent most of my time along the River ~t night. Q You certainly had some personal headqu.e.rters , Captain? A Yes, Mercedes was my headquarters . Q I am asking you about Cameron County. I am asking you now, and kindly confine your answers at this time to matters relating to Cameron County . A Well, I had men stationed in Cameron County, I never made my headquarters in Cameron County. Q Didn't you just say you had headquarters A At Mercedes, in Hidaleo County. Q How many men did you have with headquarters at Harlin g;ln in 1918? A I had two men there . Q How many men did you have at the Piper Plantation? A Sometimes two and sometimes three. Q Did you have any other men in Cameron County? A When I first went out there I had them in the northern ~ end of that county at Raymondville . Q That is still above Harlingen ~ A North of Harlingen; I did not keep men there more than t\10 months . There had b ecn some trouble there and I had a co U1Jle of .men the re • .4 Texas 1438 State Library and Archives Commission r How much of your time did you personally spend in Cameron ~ Count.t-? A I ~ould uork in the district , I was on the go all the time, night and day. ~ You can approximate the time you spent looking atter Cam- eron County . How much of your time did you personally spend in Cameron County-? I would go to Brownsville a whole lot, and would go to A the Mexican line . I would try to get information as to what ·.vas going on on the Mexican side, if there was an armed band, there was an armed band on the Mexican side I would try to if get th~ loca.li ty and then take my men and try to get to that locality . ~ You heard the testimony of this man Hinkly that during the last twelve months the stealing and thievery had been worse around San Benito been locate~, the community where Rangers have and than it has ever been? A I don ' t think it is so, he stated about San Benito, we never stayed in the towns, I went through San Benito I guess a hundred times going ghrough to the River, .and we would ne11er stop in these ~ to~ns, ~e had no business in these towns . Was there any complaint with reference to thievery re- ported to you of your men in the last twelve months-? A I think there were a few cows stolen down there and were reported to me, and \'\B went there and ma.de the arrests . Q He said stealing was constantly occurring there and has been worse in the last twelve months than it ever was? A I don ' t think it is so . Q You said you and ~udge Williams had this misunderstanding? A Yes . Q That "as with reference to you disarming some Mexicans ? A Yes . Texas 1439 State Library and Archives Commission ' • Q One of them was a Deputy Marshal? A One o'f the men I disarmed? Q What was the name of the town where this Deputy Marshal lived? A I suppose Harlingen, I know nothing about it -- my men did, my man did . • Q Lyford? A I know nothing about it . Q Did you ever have a conversation with j udge Wells about disarming the Mexicans? A I had a conversation with reference to disarming Longerio . ~ j udge Wells said he was his client, and he was going to see that they carried guns down there . I Q I see you are going to talk about something be sides what cUil asking you about. A j uige Wells asked me nothing about the Lyford matter . Q Didn' t j udge Wells come to you &ml about you and your men having taken the arms away from the Deputy Marshal there? A No, sir. Q Never mentioned it to you? sir . A No, Q. No A I understand that they disarmed a lot of Mexicans through thcl.t one else did? cowit.ry . We disarmed hundredc of them, between us and the military. Q Let ' s cut out the military and talk about your activities . The military are no t charged with anything, with having done anything there, and are not in this investigation . How many men did you go to t heir homes, or to lRknm the homes of how many men did you go to without a warrant and search their houses and take their arms away from there in Cameron County-4? A Myself personally , I never taken any, but I know they 1440 State Library and Archives Commission Texas taken a lot of them in connection with the military . We went down and ma.de a raid Q Captain, unless you are going to conform to my request, I am going to discontinue your further examination and ask you to stand aside . I want to know how many men you, or under your direction, did your men disarm in that country? A I can•t remember, I suppose they disarmed quite a number I of them. Q And took their arms and kept them1 A They were turned in, and I deliTered them to Captain Taylor when I left there . They were at headquarters. Q Did you or any of your men eTer go to a private residence and search it and take the arms from the owner? A Not that I know myself, I suppose they did , though, whenever they had a suspicious man . Whenever they had a suspicious· man find thought he was connected with the bandits, they would take his gun away from him. Q Was it your interpretation of the law that upon suspicion you or your men had a right to go to a private residence , search it and take a man's arms away from it ? A Well, it was according to what circumstances Q No, there is not but one answer to that: I want to know your interpretation of the law; did you or did you not have that authori ty1 A Well, in one way I think I have. SENATOR WILLI :roRD : I think the witness would have a right to say whether or not he was acting at the time in conjunction with the military authorities. CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: It has been repeatedly said here by wit - nesses that Captain Stevens• men, not in connect.ion with anybody, but the charge has been made that they went in and took the arms of various private citfzens, many of whom have been Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1441 named here, and did not return them. Now if I am wrong about wanting to know about whether he did tbat or not -- A As far as the arms being returned to them, a good many of those arms were left and most of them left at Mercedes and delivered to the Captain that succeeded me . ~ Then either you or your men did disarm a great many pri- vate citizens and keep their arms ? A Certainly, they must have disarmed a good many of them . Q And either you or your men did go into a good many private homes and search for them? A I never went in'!:o a.ny private home myself and searched for them. Q Did your men? A Yes, they reported to me -- suspicious men were reported to them, and they would go in and take their arms away from them . They would search their houses and take their gwis away from them to prevent trouble on the Q ~ order . You heard the statement of Mr. Canales that some of his relatives were disarmed, his brother? A I don ' t knoR anything about his relatives except· a man named Tijerina, and he was under suspicion while I vas there of protecting some bandits t t down there on his ranch, that was my information. Q Al l that was necessary for you to exercise an arbitrary control, not only over a man but of personal property, was suspicion? A I t •.vas a time of war, and a good many Germans were down there and we were doing \that we thought was best for the welfare of the country. Q,ENATOR PAGE: Wh m you went down there you knew J udge Well a was connected with the American Council of Defense and was ~nnected with the State Council of Defense ~ Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1442 I A No . Q Didn' t you hear of it? A I heard him testify to that . Q Didn•t you know that down there \Vhile you were there? A No . Q You d.idn•t ? A No . Q You state to this Committee you were stationed at Harlin~n amd went all through that country and never did know that J udge Well had any connection -A No, the first I heard, it was testff'ied on the stand. Q You didn't know about it ? A No . Q You never did before hear that ? A No . Q You say that J udge Wells - - you testify here that your trouble down there was because you would not ao what J udge Wells told you to do -- what did J udge Wells tell you to do? A He told me that I had no authotity to apprehened any armed band of men that was coming through the country, and I didn't know what he was driving at when he told me that . Q You say to this Committee that J udge Wells told you that you didn't have the right to apprehened an armed band of men? A Yes . Q When did he tell you that? A I n the presence of Captain Hanson in his home when he sent '£-or me . That he had had a ruling from the At torn EU .Ageneral of the United States Q I don ' t care anything about that . A That is what he stated to me, that he had that ruling and that we l i d mm .DIX :find that the military had no power to apprehend an armed band o:f men coming through t hat country . Texas Library ands ay Archives 1443 State Q Didn' t you a whileCommission ago that the trouble with J udge Wells was about some German sympathizers he was protecting? A It was the N_!r.!e:@r :family. Q, There was a pro-German sympathizer? A Yes, there was a pro-German sympathizer and the infol?m- ation we had, he was connected with the German agent-,Q, What did you do to him? A I believe he had asked if he could not carry a sixshooter around, and he showed me a n order from :U:r. Vanna as authoEity for carrying it around, but he was not a citizen of this country and I told him if I caught him carrying a pistol I would arrest him. Q, That was in Brownsville? A No, it was about five miles from Brownsville. Q, He had a commission from Vann? A No, it was not a commission, it was a piece of paper saying "You are hereby authorized to carry a pistol." Q, Did you make complaint to Captain 'lann? A I didn't have a chance. Judge Wells ran8 me up and told me to come down, that they were his clients? Q Did you make complaint to Captain Vann about your -A I had nothing to do with Captain Vann, I hadno dealings with him. Q You did not take it up with him? A I did not take it up with him because I had no dealings with Vann. Q You say this man was a pro-German sympathizer. Did you make any charges against him? A No, but the United States Go -vermnent and the military ha4 him under suspicion. Q You did not. Judge Wells a citizen of your country, with two sons in the army, and connected with the State Council of Defense, and you before this Committee testifying that Judge Texas State and Archives Commission WellsLibrary was defending a pro-German sympathizer 1444 is that true? f A I explained to ~udge Wells, and he said, I don 't give a damn, I am going to get his father a commission . Q You belieTed he was a pro-German sympathizer? A Yes, I thought at the time under the situation and as he was under suspicion as a pro-Genn.an sympathizer, and I think if it is well known, anche said he didn' t give a damn ,/they were our not/people, they were our clients, and he was going to get his father a 4ommission -- trey were good clients and he was going to get his father a commission . Q You said this Commissioner was arrested under your A orders~ No, I knew nothing about the arrest until he was brought to Mervedes. Q Who brought him intodllxguats Mercedes? A Rangers. Q, What diet they biting him into Metcedes for '? A For bootlegging. Q He was bootlegging in Cameron County, was he'? Did your men bring him in there? A Yes, they arrested him a?Xi brought him in . Q Bid they tell you why they brought him out of another county mvhere he was arrested for bootlegging'? A They said it made no difference if they put him in the Cameron County jail, that as FOOn as you put a man in jail they would turn him loose . Q The judgment of the Rangers was that they had a right to arrest a citizen of any one county for a crime committed in that county and take him over and put him in another county'? A I think when a man ... My opinion is, I think when a man when there is a danger of riot by distributing whisky Q You do not believe in distributi~ whisky? A No, I don't believe it would be right to distribute it .. t to Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1445 _,. Q You believe in arresting men for selling in whisk ~y cam- eron C«unty ·and take him to another aounty and put him in jail: Wasn't it the purpose of the men to take that man out of that county for politicalmrreasons ~ A Not that I know of . Q D~d you asm these I taken no hand in politics . Range~ th~ who ordered take this man out of HiJlrtgg Cameron County and bring him into Hidalg~ C ounty~ A No . Q These men were in your command ~ A Yes . Q Were y6u there when they brought the prisoner in ~ A No, when I came in I fdund him there . Q Did you ask him why they brought him to Hidalgo A County~ He saft they had made charges against him and they brougpt him there because if they put him in jail in Cameron County they would turn him loose, they had put him in at the front woulti door and tr.ey/put him out at the back door . Q That is what you think about it ~ A They would arrest men at Harlingen and they would be back before the officers'i Q You knew a man was entitled to bond, didn ' t you~ A Yes, but in some instances in which one party is in danger, I think may be men ought to be held for a little while and let him cool off and show him he cannot cause any trouble . Q Although the law says if you arrest a man you shall immediately take him before a magistrate, you thin~ the law ought to be set aside under certain cir€umstances, and if a man is charged with bootlegging liquor in his community he ought to be taken from his own county and spirited to another county and put in jail-, A He was not put in jail . There lfas a - Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1446 they put.him in military jail . Q, You think in a case of that kind it was right ~ A I think in a case of emergency it is right to put him in jail and let him stay a reasonable length of time . SENATOR WILLIFORD: with the military Q On this occasion were you ac1iing authorities ~ A On this occasion the military authorities asked me to detai1 some men with them. Q I n your actions in dealing with armed bands , were you acting in connection with the I:I.ilitary authorities1 A Y~s, they asked me to send then four -- three or four Rangers they wanted to detail some soldiers, and t hey wanted some Rangers to go along with them to clean up that country along the R1Ter. Q this man Did you have any info :rmation that Xlmur/m you disarmed there were a suspect ~ A Not that I remember . Q Did you say he was a A suspect ~ The Rangers had suspected he was connected with the bandits, the Mexicans on the other side of the River, and whenever we seen one on this side armed we suspected him and took his arms away. because it was an attraction to us down in the Border, • in fact, these fellows connected with the bandits on the Mexican side, suspected to have arms down here, to • prevent killings MR. MOSES : Q I will ask you if it is not true if tnere is not a rule down there of military authorities not to permit anybody to buy arms without a permit? A 'Yes . Q I will ask you by 1~ that rule is not one that is adopted the miljtary authorities? A Yes. Q AndLibrary that the men, as well a.s the Mexicans, have to Texas State andwhite Archives Commission malre wr1 tten request before they can buy arms or mrnnutdtion? A Yes . Q Anq that ruling of the military has been in force for a good while and wasn' t it enforced at the time you were last down there in that country? A Y-es. Q, 1>o you know of any law of the United States or any law of the State of Texas that specifically authorized such an injunction as that? A I t is for the protection %11 of the publjc in time of war. Q I n other words, that was a shorthand method adopted by hhe military authorities of the United States Goverrnnent for the purpose of preventing any outbreak or ttrouble? A I found out some Gemma.n Lieutenants were arrested, were apprehended and interned; they were sent down 5here as a part of the German machinery, and out duty was to prevent the trouble -I.HE~ Q What I am getting at, American citizens either Mexicans or whites, as well as citizens of a forejgn country, j f they wanted to buy arms or ammunition, had to get permission from the military authcrDities? A From the military commander. SENATOR WILLIJroRD: Outside of t'he time of war and the disturbances cauaed by the war, did you ever have any such authority or undertake to exercise any authority to disarm people? A No, sir, it was done for the protection of the welfare of the community in our country. MR. McMILLIN : Q What is your rule in regard to arms that were taken from citizens along in conjunction with the military authorities? Who retains those anns? A The military authorities , I think , in the last raid they m&Jie got three or four hundred guns along the river, and tmy Texas State Library and Archives Commission .. 144-8 were taken in charge by the military authorities. Q, The guns you left with Captain Will Taylor were taken up by your men~ sir. A Yes , Q, Not in cohnection with the military authorities' A No; taken for the welfare and the protection of the border, disarming those men . GEN:mu.L MOSES: Q The Committee is already familiar with the law with regard to the Ditter: I will ask you if it is not true that in addition to disarming the men, that they suspect -- that your men suspe£ted or had information that might be fomentors, of trouble , I will ask you if it is not time and the custom at the same time for the United States military authorities to go to houses of people who were pected and doing the same thing the Rangers did with regard to dlsarming the people under A sae- suspicion~ Yes . Q That was practiced by the military authorities as well as the Rangers' A Y~s , anything for the common welfare of our country at that time . ~ Do you know , or did you ever gi•e any instructions to your men to cruelly or harshly treat any person~ A No, sir, I do not believe tnat, I never have :myself' and I do not oelieve in having men under me that will mistreat any prisoner whatewer . Q, You know of nothing of that sort and you never gave any instructions of that kind'? A No, sir, never have . Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1449 J"OE TAYLOR , being first duly sworn , ~estified before the Committee as fol- lows :. EXAMINED BY MR. KNI GH'r. Q Where do you reside'? A Cameron County . Q Were you raised in that county, did you say'? No , sir , raised in A Q Do you Gol~ad ho~d any off1c1a~ County . position? A Yes , I am Customs I ns.pcto r . Q How long nave you been Customs I n~pector? A About iour years . Hav~ Q you Customs I nspectors authorh.y o f arr est, and. if so in what instances'? A When we catfh than ln the act of smuggling we arrest them . Q Do you remember the circumstance regardini the County Commi ssioner of Cameron County by the nam~ of Edwards? A Yes , sir . Q Did you investigate that? A I had informatJ.on tha.t the.f were selling mescal doun there, and I went down there in compQny with Rangers S i~t re and Saddler and taken a Mexican , and theJ stopped court before he got into town -- this Mexican got out , went to town and bougnt some mescal . Q How were the Rangers before they went there and apprehended Edwards '? A That was before they taken him. Q You went down there and you put a dupe , a Mexican got the mescal , you gave him the money and he bought it he got i t from -- Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1450 and said ! A He said he got it from Edwards, and we went out to his house and he denied selling him anything , and said he woul.d shovJ us his place , he had lots of whis.iry, I don ' t know what al~ Q he didn ' t have . Did you see his stock'? A Yes , I did . Q Was it a large or small stock'? A A large stock . Q. What else did he see '? A He said that he had a large saloon, that he had a right to have this , that he was on~y g1v1ng it a~ay . Q How long after that was it before he was taken in custody 'OY the Rangers'? A I think about a week or ten days . Q Now then , I will ask you to state ir you were in the Norias fight . A Yes . Q Were you there at the beginning , were you in that entire fight.'? A Yes , sir. Q Were you a Ranger'? A No , sir . Q i!Did you. bola any Federal pssit1on'? A Customs I nspector . Q. Did you take any IB.rt in that figb.t '? A I did. Q How ma.ny Mexicans were killed'? A I don' t remember , fiye or six , six or seven , I don ' t remember . Q Do you remember the pictures that. were shown here in evidence o! the dead Mexicans and ropes on tnem'? A Yes. Texas State Library and Archives Commission ... 1451 Q You heard Mr. Lon c. Rill's testimony regarding that'? A Yes . Q Did he state the facts about that'? A Yes . Q. Just a few saap-shots, nothing else~ A No, sir, not a thing . Q That is all. JIXAMINED BY MR • MCMILLIN. Q In regard to the picture, you say there was nothing staged in that. I s it customary for them to back their horses when they are drawing these dead men we have seen in the pieture'? A Yes. Q The heads of the haves are towards the body, aren•t they'? ' A I n't remember. Q I want to know whether it is a custom for a man to back the horse, or whether he drags him in front of his horse -Well, you say there . is nothing staged about that '? A I don't think so; SENATOR PAGE: th~y just dragged them up there . You say tha't uas not staged'? A I don•t think it was , no, sir. MR. McMILLIN: You don't think, though, it is customary for them to drag them in front of i:.he1r horses and back their horses all the time'? A No, theydon •t do that . Q Then that picture is not a true picture then'? A I don't know about that . Q. That is all. Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1452 L • L. WILLIS , being first duly sworn, testified before the Committee as follows. EXAMINED BY MR. KNIGHT. Q What are your initials'? A L. I,. Q. Are you a Captain in the llanger Service'? A Yes. Q. Where ara; you stationed'? A At Del Rio. Q How old are you'? A ~irty. Q. Where were you born'? A San Patricio County. Q, What part of the State have you lived your thi rly years'? A I liTed in San Patridio County up till 1912 and joined Captain Sanders• company and was transferred to Captain Ryan's ln December, 19~? and stayed with Captain Ryan up to the 9th of June, 1918, and I took charge at Eagle Pass. Q As Captain'? A No, I was still Sergeant of Ryan's company at that time. Q As a matter of information, Captain Ryans company is stationed at Laredd'? A Yes. Q You have under you a Ranger by the name of Bentley'? A Yes. Q Where were you stationed at that time'? A Bentley was in Captain Cunningham's company at Eagle Pass when I took charge and I moved to Del Rio. Q. I will ask you if you discharged Ra~er A Yes, sir. Texas 1453 State Library and Archives Commission Bentley'? Q On wha t A dat ~x wa s that '? Th e 1st of Oct ob er . Q What did y ou say to h i m whe n you and he severe d diplomatic relations '? A , I told him I had orders from the Ad j utant General to l et him out on the 1st of Oct ob e r . Q, Have y o u tha t o rd.er with you'? A Yes , sir . SENATOR WILLIFORD : What year Yf<:lS that ., A This past year , 1918 . MR . MOS!}S: We offe r this letter to perfect the record and ~T"i)l•e~ to show the date . (Lei:.ter above referred to •1ae read in evidence and is as io l lo..vs : "STATE OF TEXAS ADJUTANT GENERAL'S DEPARrMENT AUSTIN 21 September Sgt . Lon L. Willi s , Del Rio , Texas . near :Ke rgeant : Am inc l osing special order issu&d today promoting you to a Captainc y in the Ranger Force of the State of Texas . The appointment is made with the view of re oorni zing the spl endid servict: which you hav~ rendered t o the state as a meniber of the Ranger Forc e in the past. and with the knowledge and belief that as a Captain you will take advantage 01 your opportunity to render even more efficient service to Texas . As an afterthought , you are directed to discharge P r1vat~ W. V . Bent ~ ey of Company Mon October Texas 1454 State Library and Archives Commission ls~ . It ap~ears t.hat he is a trouble - maker so let him out . Y Ol,,. rs truly , James A. Harley, The Adjutani., G1;;ne.ca.i - State of Texas ." ) MR . MOSES: (After reading foregoing lC:;l. i.,er ) -- which I preswne you received through the mail ? A Yes . ~ I n obedience to t.hat instruction , did you or not on Oc tober 1st. d1scnarge Ranger Beni:,J.ey? A I did . Q What did JOU do ~ith ~nal. in regard to 'the Adju~an't Gen- €.red ' s ofJice ? A I Q. Do you n,ca.L.i ,Jhei.,her .;ou .vro'te in a .ieti:,er that .he "LOO.I:{ :tlp his co1Il.J11ssion and sent it r.o tne office . v~as di scnarged 9 A I am not sure , but I t.hink I did . Tne day before 'the 31st , and I t.ook up his commi ssi on on the 1st .Bas/the letter went on the same "Lrain "L..hat Bentzy went on . Q That letter does no"L seem to be int.he fi le : D id you inform t.he Adjutant General before th1s m1 sconduct tnat he was no longer jn the Ranger serg1ce? A Yes , I did . Q. I t ai-J:Jears that subsequ~nt to have had some troubl& in San to "Lhat time tnis man is said An ~onio , in the San Francisco Cafe , it has already been testified to and the record has oeen introduced , and that Capta1n Hanson mdd~ an investigation in 2d regard to it, and I :find on Oc'tiober/~ !1e sen-c a te legram to ~he effec t that he had been suspended: Was tha~ an error in the use• of tnatw@rd1 A Yes, I will tel.J.. you the reason \.ily; I sent his comm1s- s1on in on the .&.st; I rece1 ved his te.legram and \ias pretty busy and just opene~ his Geiegram tha~ way 1455 Texas State Library and Archives Commission and said he had b een S..lB pt:nd.~a on the J.S't . You mean discharged'? Q, A Discharged , yes . Q Ana lt is true as a fact that he nad o~~n discharged on an order from the Adjutant General tnat nas already been introducea in e~idence , and tnat you ~ater discharged nim on October let , and that ne has not oeen in tne Ranger force s.mce that t1me '? A No , sir . CHAIRMAN BLEDSOE: telegram to the A No, I am Q Are you sure as to date of your Depar~men~ '? no~ sure . Q As I recaJ.J. , Jour telegram appears MR. MOSES: ~he 01 aa~e October 8th . This says the /"th . Q When did you notify the Department you nad taken up his commission and he was no longer in the service? A I could not tell the exac~ date , but it was on the 1st, just like General Harley told me -- just like I did -wrote Q You say you J1ix•«/the Department the last day of September or the lst day of Wctober'? A Yes . Q I n due course of mail , how long ~ouid it take that let~er to get to the Department '? A Well , it is according to when you mailed it . Q We are asking you about the informa.t1on , notify the ~hen did you Department ~ A I guess about two days, two or three days. Q Well, if you mailed it the last day of September or the 1st of October, then at the outside it ought to have been in the Department here on the 34'? A "Yies, I guess it ought to . Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1456 Q Do you know the man , this man Bentley, that was supposed to have been associated at the time of this d'fficulty in t hat ca19' and the man with him' A Yes . Q Did they belong to your companyi'? A No . Q, Whose company did they oelong to ? A I t was a fellow by the name o Bevel. Q Bevel or Beverly? A Bevel . Q, Was he a Range r ? A He had been a Ranger ana quit on account of his heal.th. Hg died since. They left there together that egrening on the 2:40 train . Q, On the day of i:.he 26 or the 1st? A I don't know exactly whether it was the 2d or the 1st. A man laid out generally has got to get rid of his horse and ·I saddle, something like a day, may have been the 2d , I am not sure. Q, You know Captain Hans on to be a very efficient and pains- taking officer , don't you? A Well, I don't know Tery much about Captain Hanson. Q, You say you don't know very much about the man who is at jrhe nead of the Department under which you are working? A I ha.Te met him time and again; he has not visited my district very much. Q, That is all. MR. MOSES: In this connection, if we find it , we want to, Is that the ::btter you \trote when you sent the commission in? A Yes, si r . Q, And here appears to be a eommiseio·n formerly issued to W. V. Bentley and one to .Joe Bratton and W. H. 145 . ., Texas State Library and Archives Commission - ' Bevel~ -~ THE CHAIRMAN: MR. HOSES : What ls the date of t hat letter'? The date of the letter i s October 1 , 1918 . "Del Rio , Texas , October 1 , 1918 , Captain JixxKxx lla ww11w11 J ohnson, Q. M., Ranger Force , Austin , Texas . H. N. My dear Captain : Enc losed pl ease find commissioners of Rangers Bevel, Bentley and Bratton . Yours truly , Lon L. Willis. " Q I s this the letter that you sent to the Adjutant General'? A Y-es . MR. MOSES: And we also introduce in tnat connection the commission issued by Walter F. Woodui acting as Adjutant General attested by W. F. Cunningham, Capt.ain of the Ranger Force , to W. F. Bentley making hima private in the Ranger Force , bearing date April 8 , 19 J.8 . I s u.herd any addition made on that letter MR. McMILLIB: ~as as to Nhen it MR. MOSES : recei ved in the Adjutant General' s office'? No, sir . MR. TIDWELL : Did .you give the true date when you wrote that letter'? A I always try to give the true date on every letter I write . Q I f there is a mistake in that letter, it is a mistake, not of intent'? A That date is all right. Q You did not date the letter back or anything like that '? A That is supposed to be the true date to the best of my knowledf.!e . SENATOR WITT : When you discharge a man, do you take his commission or is it his personal property? A That is his personal property; I take his commission, he is supposed to have, though -- SENATOR WITT: That is his personal property? A 7nat is his personal property . Texas 1458 State Library and Archives Commission ... r The gun and the belt and the horse A That 13 his personal property. . M34 TIDWELL: The horse and the briale and saddle are his . personal preparty? A Yes. amaze cuts-am MR. TIDWELL: I move we rise till 2:00, Mr. Cheinman. {Motion carried, and the Joint Committee recessed until 2:00 Al I P. M., ?praday, February 13th.) 1 The following list of Cattle Ins.p ectorp who are special Rangers, was f ur n iahecl to the J oir t Committee by Mr . Dayton Uoses, a nd is to be copsidered in connection \Vi th h is eviO. ~mce : .v. Scott, Eagle Pass, Texas A. T. Jeffries, Clarenuon, Texas E. M. Holman, Amarillo , Texas Jo t Smyth, Lubbock, TeXCllii. R. L. McMurtry , Tulia, Texas J. L. Gatewood , Cana6.ian, Texas Lee Bell, El Paso , Texas E. T. Davis , Paducah, Texas w. Ft . Worth, Texas G. T. Moseley, J. A. HarvicA:, Ozona, Texas John Montgomery , Abil~ne, o. post, Texas D. Cardwell , Hugh Miller, TGxas San Saba, Texas J. s. Chandler, Pecos, Texas J. w. Moore, .Alpine , Texas Red Hawkins, Del Rio , Texas J. E. Sullivan , King sville , Texas J. B. Mccl oy, Baaumont , Texas w. n. J. c. Allison, Sierra Blanca , Texas Draper, Hebronvi lle , Texas A. J. Spruill, A. w. :McDonal a. , Laredo , Texas HO'l..lston, Texas Ed Rountree , Mid.lanu , Texas A. p. Blocker, Sansom , Texas W111. Mayes , Richmond, Texas J. :W• Martin, Nor th Pleasanton , Texas Bob Beverly , Dalhart, Texas c. R. Mill er , Dilley, Texas Oscar Gustaf son, Munday, Texas R. G. Gran thai:i, Farwell, Texas . Texas 1J.GOState Library and Archives Commission THE .li'OLLOWING NOW HOLD COMMISSIONS · AS SPECIAL RANGERS: ;r. W. MONTGOMERY CATTLE INSPF.CTOR CATTLE INSPECTOR HUGH MILLER CATTLE INSPlOOTOR R. D. MCMURTRY CATTLE INSPECTOR :a. MCCLOY CATTLE IE'SPECTOR A. Wtt l!CDOll'ALD CATTLE INSPECTOR R. G. GRAN'l'HAM CATTLE IXSPECTOR c. R. MILLER CATTLE INSPECTOR CHAS. R. lULLER CATTLE DTSPECTOR G. W. SCOTT CATTLE INSPECTOR lllLL MAYES' CATTLE lNSPJOOTOR :T • 'W'• MOORE ;r. 'W. T. MOSELEY CATTLE INSPJOOTOR l • F • !.U.RTIN CATTLE INSPF.CTOR A. T. JEFFRIES CATTLE INSPECTOR :T • A. HARVICK CATTLE E. U. HOLMAlT CATTLE INSPECTOR l~iSPECTOR R. c. llA'flKlNS CATTLE INSPECTOR ;r. c. DRAPER CATTLE DISPECTOR OSCAR GUSTAFSON CATTLE INSPECTOR J. L. GATEWOOD CATTLE INSPECTOR o. D. CARDWELL CATTLE INSPECTOR ;r. s. CATTLE INSPECTOR CtU.lroL'ER LEE BELL CATTLE INSPECTOR w. D. ALLISON CATTLE INSPECTOR :BOJ3 BEVEBLY CATTLE INSPECTOR E. R. ROUNBTREE CATTLE INSPECTOR E. T. DAVIS CATTLE INSPECTOR JOT SMYTH CATTLE I.N'SPECTOR H. E. SULLIVAN BATTLE INSPECTOR Texas and Archives Commission 1461State Library CATTLE INSPECTOR H. L. RO'BERSOlI F:::. - \...---- JAMES 'B. MURRAH, CAPTAIN VOL. CO. A J. Y. 'BRITE PRIVATE VOL. CO. A A. H. ltARTIN PRIVATE VOL. CO. A c. w. PRIVATE VOL. CO. A PRIVATE VOL. C02 A F. J. JARRETT PRIVATE VOL. CO. A J. R. MURRAH PRIVATE VOL. ED. HORD PRIVATE VOL. CO. A c. v. CULPEPPER PRlVA~E c. o. SCH.ANANBERT PRIVATE VOL. CO. A T. R. SMITH PRIVATE VOL. CO. A J. 'B. MOORE PRIVATE VOL. J. O. HRNRY PRIVATE VOL. CO. A ARTHUR EVANS PRIVATE VOL. DAN l!URRAH PRIVATE VOL. CO. A H. F. CARTER PRIVATE VOL. CO. A ;r. M. GRAHAM PRIVATE VOL. CO. A JOHN DISSLER PRIVATE VOL. CO. A J. M. G:RAY PRIVATE VOL. :s. OWENS PRIVATE VOL. CO. A E. :SUCK UA.PTAIN VOL. CO. C MILES A. CHILDERS PRIVATE VOL. ;r. A. MARVIN PRIVATE E. L. TOLBOTT PRIVATE co. c VOL. co. c VOL. co. c PRIVATE VOL. CO. C ;r. J'. 1462 ADAMS •• MURRAH s. YARBROUGH • Texas State Library and Archives Commission VOL·. co. co. co. A A A. co. A CO.}~A PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE THOS. B. BUTLER PRIVATE R. R. 'Bl.rPLOYEE R. W• BRAHAN PRIVATE INSURAN'CE G. B. BARKOW PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE . J • C• BARNETT PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE A. BOONE PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE ;r. E. BLRINE PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE BAR...~S PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE FRANK BARNETT PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE T. S. BISHOP PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE O. S. CARLTON PRIVATE INSURANCE W. T. CONE PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE F. R. CAMPBELL PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE F. CARVEY PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE E. E. COLEMAN PRIVATE EX-SHERIFF W. 3 • CRAWFORD PRIVATE LA'l'YER T. B. CUNNINGHAM PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE GEORGE PRIVATE CATTLEMAN J'. D. DIGGES PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE FEO. DUGAN PRIVATE R. R. EllPLOYEE 3. P. BARBY PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE WM. D. DAVIS PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE J' • M. DUDLEY PRIVATE CATTLEM.AE' A. L. EAST PRIVATE CATTLE.MD T. T. EAST PRIVATE CATTL1!$f.AN S. L. FRANKLIN PRIVATE CATTLEMAN CHAS. 'fl. FIF.LDS PRIVATE CATTt~ JAS. DOBlE GOODWYER PRIVATE CATTLEMAN F. E. GOODWYN PRIVATE CATTLEltAN c. PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE H. W. GRIFFITTS PRIVATE AUDITOR_ LOUIS GUILLEP>rETTE PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE ;r. D. GILLIA1i PRIVATE OSCAR E. A. BELL/~MY DUBHAM N. GRAY Texas State Library and Archives ' 146~3 _.. & FARMER R. P.. EMPLOYEE . . ... ."'. .-S.·. . .... - Commission,. . . "-. /'\ Ja • .i....J. •• LOil GARBER PRIVATE CONS!A'BLE W. K. GRAY PRIVATE OIL GEO. GIBSON PRIVATE RABCH EMPLOYER G. A. HALE PRIV~TE R. R. EMPLOYEE GRANT HALE PRIVATE R. R. EUPLOYEE W. A. HAlIDIN'G PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE JOO A. HILL PRIVATE CATTLEMAN &: FARMER LON C• HILL PRIVATE CATTLE.MAN & FABMER SAM K HILL PRIVATE CAT'l'L'EMAN W. H. HILL PRIVATE CATTLEMAN F. F.. HEPPEL PRIVA'l'l!! R. R. EJ.!PLOYEE Jr JOHE' HANEY PRIVATE DROHAN'!' GEO. D. BUBTER PRIVATE Q,UABAH'rmE OFJ!'ICE Te J. mmT PRIVATE A. Y. . . HERBST PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE .. R. .. R. EMPLOYEE W. E. JOHNSON PRIVATE R. R· EMPLOYEE Y. A. JOHNSON PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE PRIVATE LAWYER PRIVATE R. R. lln>LOnE JOBll R. JONES PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE O. Ee KllJ30R!T PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE R. M. :KLEBERG PRICATE CAftI.Elwt ROBT. J • KLEBERG PRIVATE CATTLEMAN C • KLEBERG PRIVATE CATTLDWl s. \'• Y. LOW T::':.'..."":"" · :-:: FAJtlmR HY• lt • LOCKE PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE FRED LONG PRlCATE PEACE CLEVE LATHAJl PRIVATE RANCH FOREMAN HART MUSSEY J'R. PRIVA!E RA.NCH EMPLOYEE Te H. Dl!XS PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE GEO. D. MCGLOllf PRIVATE CATTLE!Wf & BANKER ll. T • lfASTERSOll PRIVATE CATTLEM'.AN JOHN G. MARTIN PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE •' ROBT. L. c. JOHNSON' B. JAMES OFFICER 1464 Texas State Library and Archives Commission Fiwm: B. JlCCURDY PRIVATE PRINTER R. B. MARTIN PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE PRIVATE REAL PRIVATE HARDWARE BUSINESS PRIVATE FARMER ft. DALE !10T011T PRIVATE .FARMER u. PRIVATE LABOR AGENT U. S. Re W. PRICE PRIVATE PEACE OFFICER ELllO D. REED PRIVATE CATTLEMAN D. VI. RODGERS PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE F. M'.. ROB INSOE' PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE no. c. PRIVATE LUMBER DICK SMITH PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYtm RALPH SOAPE PRIVA'l'E SECRETARIAL PRIVATE BOOKKEEPER JOE A. '!'AYLOR PRIVATE CATTLEMA.tr G. W. TILLEY PRIVATE ST. HIGHWAY DEPT. TOK R. TATE PRIVATE CATTLEU..AN W. E. VANDEGRIFT PRIVATE RANCH HAND J. B. WRIGHT - BOOKKEEPER J. R. WHEB!LER PRIVATE WATCIDlAN B. R. \VEBB PRIVA T~ WHOLESALE DlSTRIBOR. MDSE. PRIVATE R. R. n n?LOYEE A. G. WHITTINGTON PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE FULLER WILLIAMSON PRIVATE R. R. EMPLOYEE J. T. 1'1LHITE PRIVATE PHYSICIAN' IKE WEST PRIVATE CATTLEl!.AN BEN WILL lAJl.S PRIVATE SPro lAL AGENT J• w. JlAX'firrJ.. J. C • lfARTDI CHAS. F. M. J. s. PHILLIPS P.AY STALLWORTH WEBSTER - ,,. . , 1465 State Library and Archives Commission Texas ESTATE SALESYAN r These special Rangers had their commissions revoked Zanuary 15, 1919, a nu as y et n on~ hava been r e-appoint ed. w. Cattleman 3020 Montana St El Paso J. ;r. Albright State Employee Willis, Texas A. M· Avant Ranchman Marfa, Texas Sam M. Allen Cattleman Houston, Texas A. K. Addison Watchman Freeport, Texas s. s. R. Anderson Ranchman Asherton, Texas A. Armstrong Syockman . Big Wells, Texas Wilbur P. Allen Ranchman Hebbronville, Texas Tom Adams Ranch Foreman Hebbronville, Texas c. D· Adams Ranchman Crestonia, Texas o. A • .Anderson Truck Driver Kingsville, Texas L. Amonett G. 11. Abney w. Agriculturist ~urkey, L. H. Bruni Stockman Bruni, Texas J. M. Batsell Guard Brownsville, Texas Pink Barnhill Stockman Kingsville, Texas w. c. Ranch.man Bruni, Texas .Frank P. Baker Guard Hidalgo, Texas J. B. Buchanan Stockman Austin, Texas Thos. P. Ballew Cat tl e·'llan Marfa, Texas Stockman Marfa, Texas Stockman P earsall, Texas G. c. :Bell Billings Brown Payne Briscoe J. s. Laredo, Texas Borroum L. T. Burns Stock Farmer Yoakum, Texas Austin , Texas J. T. Bowman T. E. Bartlett Real. Estate Schulenberg, Texas J. E. Brown Oil Producer San Antonio, Texas Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1466 Texas .Farmer T. J. 1!1. :Brophy ... Austin, Texas • Clerk Snyder, Texas A. G. :Barrientes Contractor R. S. Bynum Stockman G. E. Bf!rker Auditor Ban Antonio, Texas Beakley llerchant Dunn, Texas Butler Ra.nchman Kennedy, Texas Chas. E. Brite Merchant Marfa, Texas J• P. Billingalay Banker Dunn, Texas R. E. Beaty Stockman Alpine~ c. s. Dept. Game Coilll!I.. Austin, Texas Y. A. Boyd Peace Officer Waco , Texas C. C• Buahy Banchman Lapryor, Texas Tom Baker Stock Farmer Kaso~, J. c. s. c. Beasley San Antonio , Texas Texas Texas - Allen Beasley Guard Humble, Texas P. A. Cwmingham Stockman Celeste, Texas P. H. Chilton ~ua.ra.ntine F. 1. Carlson Master Mechanic San Antonio, Texas T. A• Coleman Stockman S~n c. Cowpuncher gt. Stockton, Texas R. M. Colquitt Insurance Houston, Texas 'rhos. c. Stockman llarfa, Texas w. Colqui tt Stockman Jla.rfa, Texas J. G. Childers, Jr. Stockman Catulla, Texas 1'. L. Carson Supt. R.R. San Antonio, Texas Geo.~.Chamberlain Land & Tax Agent Dent Y. Cobb Stockman Rio Grande City Banch )'oreman Rio Grande, A. Craighead H. Crosson Ofticer Alpine, Texas Antonio, Texas ... G. s. J.{. P. Cullinane;, Prest.Border Gas Co.Laredo, Texas w. A. Craig Stock Man Hockley, Texas Guard Laredo, Texas Cattle Inspector Midland, Texas Carothers A. E. Cassels J. :e. conner Ym.. Clarkson Prop~Machine Cecil B. Collyns Officer Shops, Texas State Library and Archives Commission Corsicana, Texas Ft. Worth, Texas P. A. Childers ~nchman cotUiia; nmfTI' A., F. B. Clark Stockman Realitos, Texas B. T. Corder Ra.nchman Presdio co. l.ee A. Callan Stockman Llano, Texas B. F. Denson Brand Inspector Amarillo, Texas lno. L. Attorney Laredo, Texas Asa. Draper Stoclanan Hebbronville, Texas Y. A· Dannelley Merchant Hebbronville, Texas w. w. T. Duncan Stockman Kent, Texas L. Depalsona Deputy Game Warden Eagle Pass, Texas ~annelley T T~xa:s ..,'V' A.~ John L. Donaldson 'armer & Peace Officer The Grove, Texas J. R. Davis Special Agent Nacogdoches, Texas Roy East Stoclonan llorias, Texas Henry Blder Ranchman Hebbronville, Texas C. D. Erw·in Bookkeeper Houston, Texas o. Stockman & Harmer Goliad, Texas lJanker & Harmer Taylor, Texas Peace Officer Eden, Texas Conductor San Antonio, Texas :Sob Evans Stockman :Marf~, w. D. Ellis Stockman Armstrong, Texas A. c. Stock.man Hallettsville, Texas L. Eckhardt Robt. J. Eckhardt Jno. A. w. :r. iva.ns Evans Easterling Texas ;r. p. 9'lint Cotton Buyer :Sen Frazier Stoclonan Valentine, Texas Raymond Fitzgerald Stockman Marfa, Texas Special Agent :Sig Springs, Texas E. B· Jllowers Stockman Uvalde, Texas ;r. !{. Harmer Itasca, Texas J. Farmer & Ranchman Devine, Texas w. "· .i'ullerton L. Fliltch Railroad Man Colerna.n, Texas D. o. Ranchma.n Bustamante, Texas .H. :s• Guilford Ranch..'llan Alta Vista, Texas p • Guynes Farmer Kaufman, Texas I. .... x. .i'atheree Farrow Gallagher 1468 Texas State Library and Archives Commission - John Gillon Stockman Sonora, !exas Gail Brodengoodloe Railway Supt. San Antonio, Texas l. R. Garner Peace O!!icor Longview, Texas G. K. Garrison Salesman -raoo, Lee Glasscock Stockman Presidio itb.ysician • Surgeon Laredo, . Texaa Jos. Gibson Stockman Ali.ce, !exaa H. E. Garner Banchman Willie Gonzales Banch Joraman Amador Garcia Stockman Webb Oouat7 R. A. Gonger Banchma.n Uherton, !eu.a Abe Gross Lawyer Waco, !exaa He s. Garl,ick "' '- t Texas - ... .. , -.. , ,. co. _. ; "~ I••• ... . HebbrOATill•, · Te.xaa ) ...... 4 • ..- ... - • J• w. Gossett Ya.tchman Taylor, Texas c. E. Gardner &en• t. 71gr. Houston, Texas H. L• Goodvrin Stockman J. L. Hunter Ginn er Austia, Texa.a J. M. Howell Cattleman Dalhart, Texaa li:. He Harrell Creosoting of Lumber H. G• Henne Lawyer 8c li'a.rro.er Houston, Texas . . . Bew Braun!els, Texas Geo. T. Hamerick Inspector Ships Houston, Texas Kunday Holland Stockman Tilden, Texas I>. A. Hooks Peace Of!icer Huntsville, Tex.au Stockman Junction, Texas lloa.d Jla.ater 1\Y• San Antonio, Tex.a.a Y. Y. Hale J. c. Harris Lee Harrington J. w. - ~batractor - ... , -· ...... Snyder, 'fexaa Inspector - Bryan, Texas Hutchison R. li. Hoftman w. - Ohem1•t Austin, Texas Laredo, Texas T. Hodge Reuben Holbein Jlanchmall Alta Vista, Texas H. C• Hall Physician Laredo, Texas lose Herrera Guard La.redo, Texas .rarmer c. y. Hill 1469 State Library and Archives Commission Texas Kingsville, Texas H. c. Semichaon Farmer Velley Wells, Texas »• ](. Hillyard Banker Ballinger, Texas Stockman Jordanto~, T. T. Hawkins Ben Hey - Rea1 Estate Texas Jwiction, Texas E. L. Hunt Watchman Mart, Texas J. R. Hollis .Farmer Honey Grove, Texas ... J • Holland Ernest H~ilton Station Agent . Stockman De~ -. Rlo, Texas w. T. Harris Stockman llcKinney Springs L. w. Doctor Marfa, Texas Hollis, Jr. ----- David T. Iglehart, Jr.Ranchman Marfa Rdreardo Izaquire Ranchma.n Aqua Nueva, Tex.as .:at.. State Ranger Del Rio, Tex.as J. L. Julian Ry. conductor Houston, Texas Gus T. Jones, Govt. Employee El Paso, Texas A. R. Johnson, Jr. Merchant Burnet, Texas Stockman Nolan Cowity Restaurant San Antonio, Tex.as Stockman Yates, Texas E. E. Johnson R. R. Agent Mart, Texas Thps. J. Johnson Ranchman Johnson City, Texas D. L. James Stockman Jeff Davis Ford Jackson Co~n & Guard Alpine, Texas H. Worth Jones Guard Brownsville, Texas c. Jones Ranchman Alta Vista, Texas E. L. Kelly Ranchman Odessa, Tex.as w. Stockman San Antonio, Texas Stockman Mason, Texas B· Jones v. Fred Jones L. M. Johnson Tom A. s. Jones B. Kuykendall Elgin o. Kothmann J. D. Kerr Scout for Govmt. San Antonio, Texas Mack Kercherville Lawyer Devine, Texas Supt. Ry. Palestine, Texas J. w. c. Kornegan Knightlinger Farmer Texas State Library and Archives Commission C. A. Ke&ran Stockman . Inez., Texas Walter J. IO.inger Bookkeeper Plainview, Texas James A. Koon Mgr. Garage Spur, Texas Jas. A. Kring Fireman Brownsville, Texas " " Jas. Lovrenstine Ysleta, Texas .Ra.nchman Watchman Val.ley Booker Larkin Watchman P&leetine~ T. H. Lacy Watchman Houston, Texas T. H. Love Asst. Supt. Ry. H. G· Livingston Watchman 1. B. Langford Salesman »renham, Texas John L. Little Stockman Pearsall, Texas J. J. Ledbetter Special Officer Galveston, Texas G. E· Layne Special Agent Ry.San Antonio, Texas R. H. Metz, Jr. Druggist Gillette, Texas Will A. McElroy Commercial Sec. Gilmer, J. D. McGregor Stockman Van Horn, Texas E. M. Mobley Special Agent .F. C. Mellard Ba.nchma.n Presidio County Ranohman Limpia, Texas Physician Bagle Pass, Texas J. E. v. s. Leigh c. Meyers E. Mc.Farland H. M. Mel ton Texaa Junc~ion, - Texas San Antonio, Texas " " T~a .. " ~ San Angelo, Tex.a.a .. Special Otticer Bl P~ao, Texas . T. C. McFarland Sal.Iman :rt. •orih, w. Guard Gonzalea, Texas A. L. Manry Conductor Brownavill~, J. A. Merrick Stockman Lakeview, !exaa Bassett R. Miles contractor LW..1~, . , J. D· Montgomery Watchman Yaco, !exa&i J. T. McDonald Stockman !ulia, Ten.a L. :Miller - fexae ~ Mccutcheon W. D. Meadows - Texaa •. Victoria, Texaa F· R· Moore w. w. . Texaa Stockman co. comm. Texas Library and Archives Commission 147' . State 1 ________ Limpia, !ex.a• - - .. - ... ., 6 -r, . ........ r.·• - "'\ !. 1. Jlartin J'ar:uaer Spotter41 tuae Jett ,., D. JCrnatt Peace otticer f7ler, P.. Jlclr1de Stockman ~ealit••• Stoclc:m&n 8atuiia;- , . . .-- Xiu Banker JlcOampbell llancbman I.are4o 8 !exaa _ . . _.... _.. . Bebbronville, !e.xaa • B· x. J • a. c:. s. R. Xollahon !~• . _!ua• - ... . . . ' ~ • JloJCiJ&ney ~l en ~. ·Jlcltinne~ Y. R. lfcCraken cw.tom Broker• ••chute •• - .. ... ._ ...... . ,. - ~ ;Jtll~-~.tgt~·~r•o, Ai~ ... . -:>....vii~·~· . \. .... Jlarmer . - 1 ._ f ... - .... ,. /i.-a !e.x.aa . . " ~·• Co~t7 I". .......... ·- ' •• ..,. Yillie Kcllurre7 Banchman ••~ia• Bano~.~•111,I Jlercuria Guard · ~ . T.-c10, Jlartin~ ~· p. 11&7 w. ••wton .,. s. Bel.eon .. z.. . . Ph7•1oian .. . ' tept. Sgr. ••ill • •. ,, .. ; - • ••- · . ., . , ... JI• Jlerioa ·hi1ail;rtaU~· ~ ~ + *"..;. " ~·Agent ~- ~: lallcbman ~ ..... . ... - -- .. .....--..- - · · ' .\..... ,~ . ~-" ·· ~·~' . '· t. ".t /,i.·.r..-~·. ~~. .: , , •.:... "'t ••_.;.,., •' , ..... ••· ·.·.",: •.. _ , "'" ~.. --1··~ · --· K•rohant A\&8ti!l, ha• . aatm,.. ·l'e:u.• "' . ... 4'1if .... - . . ....... Stookman G. Ormand .. otti••r t. •• Pouncey c. o. Prooter Stockman . .. - - . Ll••· Worth, texae ~ fex&! ... 4* .... ft. '. ... , ..naa•~ .. . .. ,. . Sarathott, !QIU ,,.. -- Eernllle, texaa • . -· - . ~ . •· I.. Piokl.e - ... ~~ · -,···r. 1o'-' ... - - - .. - r- lugar~ t texaa . 11eri-eii,·- tua8 a.. •· Pat»ia ~. Pat Powera G~ Jlred 0 • Peare• , . O. B.. Priqen Attorne7 Guar4 PlainYiew, Texaa toe t. Pl,.ce Janner Bl Paao, Texaa L P.1~• t. •· P.rle, Ir. ,i_.:~ ... -~ ., ~~~:~-.~~ :( .•... ~. ;. ~· . . le'bbr••~l•, tau .... . ... , . . .. ' ~ . '~ .. ........ ~•rolaut B. Ogeen I• le OliTer "' . !t.~~-t'! . ~-, -··-··~ ......_... _. .... , A. Ottiag .... tan -~~.~- .·-~ . · ,;·-·· .. .·- ~r-• 1410 .CUiw.t7 ' ... ,,. , .. . ....... .. ! . JI~ .. CJ. • · Olaon a. , !ua• urgeoltmeren. _t~aa l&Doh•r H. l'ew'berey :Balph • ...... - . ~ #,"' l . JI. •1oholaon t. . . .r• Stoolcman B. !. ' · , Olaim Ment 11·:Paeo; Texaa - .. .. . peoial Agentr,y ookman Texas State Library and Archives Commission A -" l , . "' Yoakum, ·_ !exa• Clarendon, !elr.&8 _ ~- Yilliam A. Parker Farmer & Peace Otticer .•GDC•~ Texas . . ·-·· .......... '!aco, Texaa !roker • P:Lanter Waco, ,...,. Exporter w. Banker · Louis Pullin Clint L. Parmer B. Jatton lno. B. Puckett G• »· Patterson Stockman Rancbman I Q. R· Price R. R. Conductor .r. o. ~· Y•rd 1. D· Quinn •• Robbins s. Roberson ·~eput;r Kaster Sheritt Stra~ord Harrison Ric;harda - • • • ,,.. . __ ,, _ -· · -· iseaumon\f !aaa l>eTine, T•J?'• Watchman Road.master ll· G· Rich •-• Eingavil~e, Texas _... -·· . . . . .. .... ~aredo 1 Texas E'avaaota, Texaa : - .,. lll't Eania, Texaa Lee J. Roundtree B41,or Georgetown, Texa& T. •• Reneau ort1o•r HouatQU, Texaa w. otticer Yaleta, Texas John )faJt Reese . Ballinger, Texas Ruaaell . Marta, Texas !. B· Bawls ·• Yeleta, Texas J • B. Roberta Stocltnuln Ym. E.· Ruaaell Stooknaan Jeaae D. Rea Jlire Ina.A Jlarmer Rosebud, Texas ~oun1':r JWige Palestine, Texas T. E. Rub7 lloac\ Contractor Buda, Texas Er•kine Bb.Odea stociklnim Kills ~· ReeTea Alex B. Reed .. .. Banobman~ · _,. J Hebbronville, Kingf:lville, Autin Bhew San Juan Brownsville, J'rank Rabb Alb~rt - E. Simpson - M. E. SulliTan Y. c. Strait E. H. Smith :tanaer San Antonio J>eputy Sheritt Lometa., Texas Stockman P•~• Officer · Austin, Texas :Marl.in, Texas L. B. Stanley w. Big Wells, Texas :Midland, Texas H. Scarbrough 1473 State Library and Archives Commission Texas I • s. Shank Cattle Iluspector R. n. .B'. S • Schwinn Peace ottic•r . . Aaat Supt B¥ w. w. B. Speed 01 v Kar.m.11 A. Simpson Otticer Shumate Hugh Smith Sheri:tt B. L. Stockman H. c. Biri~ . T~xaa Junction cii1 . . . ... .. . Cattle laapector Pecoa, !exaa .. . SlaCk R. R. Smith Harry Scull in ~ ; I • Lar~o, . Jlanutaotor . . . .. ... . ... . ... . 11. Sheppard Texaa San An~onio, .. . . .. r . -- • - Texaa John Y. Slough !'armer Houato•, Texas . Croaa Plains L. Y. Sledge B¥ Agent· Houston, Texas Tom Stacy IQ' Jgent San Antonio, Texas Ed Smith Banchman Mason, . .. . ~exaa w. Stockman M:a~a, Texas T. Snyder T. A. Sproles c. .... .. - . , . Deputy Sheriff .. .. Stoclcman .. Wallie, Ten.a . '' E. Schults ~ Llano, Texaa Chas. F. Somerville Special . .. otticer . . . . :.·' .. ... . ·,' . Sp. . Agent . . . 1\1• Walter T. Spears L. w. o. Schenelle Geo w. Sprague Irrigation Texaa . ' - . Bng1neetan Antonio, . R. R. Agent Corpus Christi 'Im. Y. Sterlillg Banchman J. Pe Sull1ftn Stockman Falfurrias Stockman· ~ig R. G. Sullenger Amarillo, Texaa - ......,, s. J. s. J. Strait .. - .. . .. . Sheriff 1 ' P117aician Saunders D. V• Stillwell ""'I • • , r ~ Y. o. • - :rorema.n BIY'• J. . Konte Christa Chaa. Sandlier W. Sp1Tey - - . Searbrough s. s. - Wichita Falla, Texaa . . , .... Ia~pectorilenard, Taaa y. Y. Sand.era Wells, Texaa Kingsville, Texas _ ,._ ' . Banchman Rancbman .. Kingsville, Texaa Hebronville, ... Texas 14 ,.'ll State Library and Archives Commission '. - .. ... , Palestine, Texaa Belton, Henry M. Sielski c. Paao, !exaa -Brownwood, Texas ~ Hebronville o. G. Swift P. J. Stark G~ Thompson 1or Turner Oscar Thompaon Peace otticer Jlea•ont, !en.a Druggist Sweetwater, Tea.a ..... ..... ... , B&nchman -.. . -· . . .. Bio &rande,C.it7 Banchman ltaaca, !exa.a .Banchlnan Bebbronville, . Chester Thrasher i'armer ~wst111, Ym. E. Taylor RarDler 'lbeeler, Texas ., E. !ravia - . . ....... .... c. E. Tobin J. o. c. 11. Ebompson Thompson ~ Jranrsarr.& Ranchman Devine, Tena !'armer &c knker B. A. Taylor s. !eu.a .. Jlerohant L. Taylor Elmer J. Taylor Robert K. Tevis ,. . .:... ... Devine, !exaa Cheyet~ .... ,. Cit7 -- - ,- Peace Officer ~ano, Stockman •rathon1 !exaa . - . Supt. 'feu.a Galveston, !•:ma . . ~ E. c. Villareal ' Qua.rd • Alfred Tender Stucken siockman & Banker .. ' .. .... - I' . - - Bio Grande G:it7 11' Agent J. Y·. Vann - Smithville, !exa.a ' .. • .... ••• . 'I .. -· - .. • . .. .. !eu.a ~n ~tonio, ... . .. . . Zohn K. Yren GoT. Bmp107ee •i -;P~eo . ; -~ieiae Te 'B. White Bl Paso, !exaa J. G. Yood Dept luatice . . ~ otticer J. 1. Williamson ~ Oond\&Otor 1an .Anton10, e. Watchman ••• Br&Wii'eJ... --· ~ E• Williamaon •· Yallis Y. 1. Whitman - , ... ,. ,.~ ·- .. Banchman S&D~,.. .. Special j,gent ~- .. - ... Jtanohman z. )(. - Waldridge ·- - Thomas F. Yilaon Y. w. Kechanio Ballchman Guard contractor 1475 Texas State Library and Archives Commission •• _,. .!exaa 11 Paso, fexaa .. ,,. I • .,-.-uo~~·teb.8 ..... ., .. ~ f It •• • ,. ~'hP·• ·~ l•XiF·f'.3 --r•i.~1 ··~ -• r• .• . .-•••\Oh;. fi~ ..... Woodworth - . Tua• ti'_; :;:_.,....·-';' .... . . .. . .... ,.. Paul WU•rechmidt "" limf. ~ -texaa ~uevi tas, .. Oarl •· Yol.1" .. ~ownavil.le, Bugene Yest . 1. E. Wiabey t~ Stockman .. t- • ,., r - .. , ~ea ~ ·, .... ~ J JO'• Agent Presidio, Couat7 - -. Amarillo, !exaa Andrea•• . . . . Waugh Lawyer Sgarland, fexaa z. priation for th.e payment of Rangers which will justify good men becoming Rangers, also every mother's son of them under ·bond, I think "Sauce for the G.o ose is Sauce for the Gander 11· , in other words, every Texas Sheriff and the most of their Deputies, every u. s. Marshall and his deputies, every Constable and City Marshall of Texas, among whom are some very good men, should be required to give bond, I don't see why in the Name of God, the Ranger should not give bond also, if they pay them enough to justify good men and put them under bond. Ranger fo~ce You will see then a good in Texas, and not until then: I AM. WITH YOU. It looks like my · friend Miller has indicated through the Pres_s , that the Sheriff• s Department in Cameron County, would not even summon the witnesses for the Glasscock-Parr case: you might indicate to them or him, that I am under a . $10,000.00 bond to discharge my duty and I have never failed yet, to properly execute all process placed in my hands. At any time I can be of service to you, feel free to Texas State Library and Archives Commission command me. Very truly yours, W. T. Vann, Sheriff Cameron County, Texas." ...... MR. CANALES: On the following day he sends me this telegram, which I hand you (the Reporter) for identification: WESTERN UNION TELEGRAM. Received at 114 West Sixth St., Austin, Texas. Brownsville, Texas, 5.40 p. January 28, 1919. J. T. Canales, Representative, Austin, Texas. Am with you for better wages your bill good one. full investigation and bond. Think Venue Travis County. W. T. Vann, Sheriff." ... MR. CANALES: THE CHAIRMA:K: MR. CANALES: . . . .. That was when he found out--I think it speaks for itself. It speaks for itself. Now, that speaks for my work and in explanation of my letter. EXAMINATION BY MR . KNIGHT. Q Mr. Canales, then in writing that letter to Captain Vann on the l?th day of January, you were intending again to be as wise as the serpent and as harmless as the dove? A I intended, yes, sir, to gain him to my side, and I wanted him to my side. MR. KNIGHT: All right; that is all. 1572 Texas State Library and Archives Commission MR. CANALES: Now, here are those other affida~its in the case of these two witnesses whose testimony you have heard. MR. MOSES: No objection to them if we can introduce our affidavit. THE CHAIRYi.AN: We will only introduce one at the time. We don't predicate one on the other. Do ycu care to have that read? :MR. CANALES: Yee, sir. The affidavit of Jesus Villa- real is practically the same as his testimony given here. (The affidavit referred to reads as follows): "THE STATE OF TEXAS, ~ COUNTY OF DUVAL. ) Before me, the undersigned authority, on this day personally appeared ' Jesus Villareal, personally known to me and after being by me duly sworn, upon his oath testifies as follows, towit: "On the 3rd day of September, 1918, I was going to Rio Grande City to bring a nephew (Miguel Villareal) that was going to get married at Falfurrias, Texas, on the 15th day of September, 1918; at Conception, Texas, I was called by Concepcion Benavides; he said that he understood that I was going to Rio Grande City, and that if I could take his son Guillermo Benavides and Eulalia Benevides (his nephew) that they were going in a buggy but if I would take them it would be better; that they were going to purchase some goats; to which I agreed; we left about 2 p.m., more or less, arrived at Rio Grande City about 12 p . m. and went to my ranch to sleep, so that in the morning I could take them to Roma, Texas; at the Villareales ranch, and before I got to my ranch, a Ranger was standing on the road and ordered me to stop, which I did; he asked me where I was corning from, I told him from Capita, Texas; he asked me where I was going to, I answered to my ranch to-night and in the morning to Roma take these passengers; Texas State Library and to Archives Commission he asked me if I would do him the favor to take him where his car was, that his water had given out; then I asked him how far was his car, and he said that it was 1 mile or t of a mile; then I said get on my car, we left, when we arrived there were three more Rangers that had two prisoners, there and then they said I was arrested; two of the Rangers took the boys away and two were guarding me, when they came back they told me the boys had said that they were going across and that I had contracted to deliver them in Mexican territory, to which I answered that it was not so, that my contract was to take them to Roma, Texas, as I had offered his father; then they took me away (two of the Rangers) and told me to lie down with my up and one set on my stomach and told me that if I did not say that what the boys had said, they would kill me, to which I answered that they could do what they pleased, that what I had said was the truth; then they took me by the throat, nose and mouth and choked me for about 5 minutes, when they let me speak they said talk, I could not answer because I could not take my breath, when I recovered I told them it was not so what the boys had said; then they said that if I did not say that I was going across they would kill me, and they stuck their pistol in my mouth and then they said What do you say, is it so what the boys say or not? They took the pistol from my mouth and I said it is not so what the boys say. Then they said, and stuck the pistol in my mouth again, this is the last time we will ask you what do you say is it so what the boys say or not? Then one said - put the knife in his hand, and then he said no we will do it after he is dead and claim he jumped on us; then they· said what do you say, is it so or not that the boys are going across, to which I said it was not so; then they took the pistol from my mouth and told me to get up and took me to where the boys were and asked the boys that if it was true that tbeu were going across , then the boys said yes and I told them that they were .(~,.., ti' lying, and Library they asked if the three were lying •• Texas State andmeArchives Commission ~ and I said yes all three were lying, then they said to go to the Camp where they left us in the guard-house, a.nd were freed in Brownsville, Texas, by Federal Court. (Signed) Jesus Villareal. Sworn to and subscribed before me this 20th day of January, A.D. 1919. R. M. Gonzales (Seal.) Notary Public, Duval County, Texas." ......... MR. CANALES: "THE STATE OF TEXAS, The affidavit of Benavides is as follows: ) ) COUNTY OF DUVAL. ) Before me, the undersigned authority, on this day personally appeared Eulalio Benavides, personally known to me and after being by me duly sworn upon his oath testifies as follows, to-wit: 'We were going to Roma with Don Jesus Villareal, we were going to buy some goats and there near the Villareales Ranch was a Ranger standing on the road and he said stop, then Don Jesus stopped, the Ranger asked where are you from, Don Jesus answered from the Copita, the Ranger asked where was he going, Don Jesus told. him he was going to spend the night at a ranch he has near, so that he could take us to Roma, Texas, next morning , and then he said why don't you do me the favor of taking me to where my car stopped, then Don Jesus said how far is it to your car, he said about 1 or ! of a mile, then he said get on the car and kept on going to where his car was, and then when we got to his car there were three more Rangers with two prisoners and just as we arrived they said we were under arrest, then two stayed with him and two went with us to one side; the one that took me asked me where we were going, I said to Roma, Texas, to buy some goats, and he said no, you are lying, you are going across, Texas State Library and Archives Commission then I said no, sir, we are going to Roma to buy some goats, then he slapped me and struck me with his pistol in the head and said you say that you are going across, a.nd took hold of my throat and put his pistol in my breast; to say that I was going to the other side, if not he would kill me; if you don't say you are going to the other side I will kill you, and then I said that I would say that I was going to the other side, and from there he took me to where the others were and then asked us all, in the presence of Don Jesus, if it was not a fact that we were going to the other side, to which for fear that they would kill us, we answered yes; to which Don Jesus said that the three of us were lying and from there they took us to the Soldiers Camp and put us in the guard-house ; afterwardswe were tried at the Federal Court of Brownsville, Texas, and freed . (Signed) his Eulalia -x- Benavides mark Sworn to and subscribed before me this 20th day of January, 1919. R. M. Gonzales (Seal). Notary Public, Duval County, Texas. ......... THE CHAIRMAN: Now, Judge, is there something that you want to introduce? MR. MOSES: We now offer the affidavit of Andrew Uresti, with regard to the charge against Captain Sanders in connection with the alleged outrage committed at Brownsville in 1912. He was one of the parties, according to the affidavit, who were present that night. THE CHAIRMAN: MR. MOSES: Is this part of the Adjutant General's files? No, sir, it is an affidavit just like the one he read, sworn to before an officer authorized to administer oaths sworn to and subscribed before J. J. Woodhouse, Notary Public in and ./s,.. for Victoria County, Texas, on the 12th day of January, 1919. Texas State Library and Archives Commission #' t/ THE CHAirot.A.N: MR. MOSES: Go ahead. This affidavit reads as.follows: " The State of Texas, County of Vi ctor ia. Before me, the undersigned authority, on this day personally appeared Andrew Uresti , known to me to be the person .whose name is hereunt o subscribed, and, who, afte r behg dul y sworn , upon his oath did depose and say, to-wi t: 'My name is Andrew Uresti. I amnow and have been for some time deputy sheriff of Victoria County, Texas. Some years ago I was a deputy sheriff of Cameron County, Texas, under Sheriff T. C. Ryan, and was s t ationed at Brownsville, in said county and State aforesaid. Ryan at this t i me. Mr . Pat Haley was the Chief Deputy under Sheriff That during the time I was acting as deputy sheriff in said county and at the town of Br ownsville, we were looking for a man (a Mexican) by the name of Ignacio Tr evino who had committed the crimes of rape and murder. I heard that the said Trevino was in Cameron County and at a dance about four miles from the town of Brownsville, and went out there myself but failed to find him, whereupon I went and told the Chief Deputy Sheriff, Pat Haley, that he was not there but that I found where he was. We, including Ranger Captain J. J. Sanders and two of his force , Chief Deputy Haley and myself, went to the house where the said Trevino was said to be and found him there. We arrested him, all got in a hack and started to jail when we were fired upon by three Mexicans from ambush who objected to our arresting the said Trevino, as he was one of their political pets and an ex-policeman. Rangers was shot in the left shoulder. of the Mexican policemen was wounded. One of the In returning the fire, one We took Trevino to jail and placed (him) in the same. After we had confined Texas State Library and Archives Commission the said Trevino in jail, we, including Ranger Captain J. J. Sanders and one of his two men who were again requested by the Sheriff 'a department to assist in this matter, Pat Haley and myself, returned to search for the wounded man and found him at a house in the town of Brownsville, at which house we found a Mexican woman and she remarked, he is badly wounded'. 'Captain We arrested him and started to jail and on our way were again fired upon from ambush. Before arriving at the jail, the wounded man began to weaken and we placed him in a hack and took him to jail. Captain J. J. Sanders and his two men then left the jail for their camp. Chief Deputy Haley thanked Captain Sanders and his men for assisting in the arrest of these men. Cap- tain Sanders or any of his men did not guard the jail that night. Neither Captain J. J. Sanders nor any of his men were drunk on this occasion. In arresting these men, it was at the request of the Sheriff's department of Cameron County, Texas, that Ranger Captain ' J. J. Sanders and his two men assisted.' (Signed) Sworn to and subscribed before Andrew Ureste ~e, this the 12th day of February, 1919. J. J. Woodhouse (Seal). Notary Public in and for Victoria County, Texas." THE CHAIRNJAN: Now, gentlemen, are we going to be able to reach a conclusion of this right soon? SENATOR PAGE: I think, Mr. Chairman, these gentlemen are practically through - aren't you? MR. KNIGHT: Yes, sir, all we want to do - we don't want to read them at all, but just offer some orders issued to the different Local Boardsby the Adjutant General with reference to Rangers not being exempted on account of their commissions, and what aid the Rangers would render them in the discharge of their duties, and in Texas State Library and Archives Commission addition to that a published list of rules that all the Force has bee n furnished with by General Harley, to govern them in their conduct - it has not been published, but it is a copy of the rules they are now working under, and it is instructions to each captain and furnished by him to the man , and in addition to that---THE CHAIRMAN: Wait a minute, Judge . The instructions to the men are all right , but I still think that that draft business has no business i n this investigation. SENATOR PAGE: We are not try i ng here who was exempt and who wasn ' t exempt. MR. KNIGHT: What the General qanted-- there was some intimation here that the Special Rangers - that he got them to exempt them from the Dr aft laws, but his instruction was to pay no attention to them, if that was intended to be used; and in addition to that I want to introduce as part of the records and files in his office the investigation of the El Porvenir fight on January 28, 1918, in Pr esidio County, Texas; that was the case of Captain Fox. That is the report on file in his office. We don't care to read them ; just put them in the record, that ' s all. MR. TIDWELL: What is the use of copying all this in the record? MR. KNIGHT: Sir? IAR. TIDWELL: I just remarked what is the use of copying all this in the record. MR. KNIGHT: Just to show the policy of the present administration. MR . TIDWELL: Mr. Knight, they might be referred to as orders on file in the Adjutant General's office, and n ot have the Stenographe r copy them. That would very much shorten the record. THE CHAI RMAN: Better just let them go in; the Stenogra- phers are earning all they get. MR. MOSES: Now, there is another file we want to offer; Texas State Library and Archives Commission we don't care to take up the time to read it, but it is in regard to some ranchman in regard to whom Mr. Canales sent in a letter that was written by or to an insurance man over at San Antonio, Mr. Rogers, a former member of the Legislature, and we-- the only purpose, gentlemen, I have no desire to have the whole thing copied, but that file shows that a Ranger was sent there to this man to make the investigation that was complained of. MR. CANALES; MR. MOSES; Where was that file? In the Adjutant General ' s office . THE CHAIRMAN; There he.s been no evidence offered on that. MR. MOSES; Well, Mr. Canales offered a letter, and I assume he relies on that as proof that the man made the request. THE CHAIRMAN; Well, just state to the Stenographer that the file shows that a Ranger was sent, and read the order sending him there. MR. CANALES: The only thing I want the record to show is that the Adjutant General failed to submit that, that has not been filed with the House. This record was not filed by the Adjutant General with the other records, at the request of the House. GENERAL HARLEY: I will state that the reason is i t wasn't in my office at the time; it was in Captain Hanson's private files in his home at San Antonio . THE CHAIRMAN; Now, you can show from that that a Ranger was sent, without the necessity of copying all that file. MR. MOSES: Yes, sir; I want to show with reference to the letter that was read in evidence by Mr. Canales of a desire for Rangers at the ranch of Adolf Lorenz, in Live Oak County, I believe it is; that the file I now hold in my hand shows that a Ranger of Captain Ryan's company was sent there and made the in- ./e1".o (J {/ vestigations thatand wereArchives requested by Mr. Lorenz. Texas State Library Commission THE CHAIRMAN: MR. MOSES: All right, is there anything else? I think that is all. ........ STATE OF TEXAS ADJUTANT GENERAL'S DEPARTMENT. AUSTIN December 15, 191?. TO ALL LOCAL BOARDS, STATE OF TEXAS: GENTLEMEN: This is to notify you that all commissions to Special Rangers appointed prior to October 1st, 191?, are hereby revoked. In no case will any Special Rangers be allowed to claim exemption on account of being a special ranger • ._. I will appreciate it if you will report to me all persons claiming exemptions as Special Ranger, who hold a commission prior to October lst, 191?. JAMES A. HARLEY, Adjutant General, State of Texas. ....... STATE OF TEXAS ADJUTANT GENERAL'S DEPARTMENT AUSTIN. August 26, 1918. No. 1946. FROM: The Adjutant General, State of Texas. To: All Local Boards, SUBJECT: Exemption of Special and Regular Texas State Library and Archives Commission Rangers . 1. This is to advise you that in no instance will Special Rangers be allowed to claim exemption from Military Service on that ground. 2. It is the intention of this Department to have Regular Rangers, that is, Rangers who are on the pay-roll, exempted as State Officers. 3. Whenever a Ranger claims exemption on the ground that he is a State Officer, you should immediately notify this office, and then you will be advised whether or not he is entitled to exemption . JAS. A HARLEY, The Adjutant General, State of Texas. ......... STATE OF TEXAS ADJUTANT GENERAL'S DEPARTMENT AUSTIN 15th November, 1918. No. 2192 . FROM: Supervisor Selective Service Law in Texas. TO: All Local and District Boards in Texas. SUBJECT: Special Texas Rangers. 1. For your information we are copying below a letter just received from the Attorney General 's Department: "November 13, 1918, "Major John c. Townes, Jr., Capitol, Dear Sir: Replying to your favor of November 12, I beg to advise that, in our opinion, those officers of this State known as Special Texas Rangers are not officers within the meaning of Section 79, Rule 12(a) of the Second Edition of the Selective Service Regulations entitling such registrants to be placed in Class Five. Texas State Library and Archives YoursCommission very truly, C. w. Taylor, Assist. Attorney General." 2. If any registrants ~ave been placed in Class Fi ve by reason of the fact that they are Special Texas Rangers, such classification should be immediately corrected. By DIRECTION OF THE GOVERNOR. John C. Townes, Jr., Major, Infantry, U.S.A., Supervisor Selective Service Law in Texas. --RULES RULE 1. GOVERNING TEXAS RANGERS-- You will execute the laws of the state of Texas without partiality in all cases. ·RULE 2. You will work at all times in harmony with the Federal officers, sheriffs and all other peace officers of the county in which you are operating, if possible. This \vi 11 be left to you own good judgment in each instance and in all cases where you conelude it is not feasible you will report the facts to this office for further instructions. The successful execution of the law depen ds up on the unanimity of action and perfect harmony between all peace officers and good citizens, and you are required to bear this in mind at all times. RULE 3. You are expected to know the criminal laws of the State of Texas and at all times conduct yourself accordingly and in no cases act without authority of law. In case of doubt consult the Dis- trict or County Attorney of the county in which you are operating and be guided by his opinion. In case you do not agree with him report the facts in the case fully to this office for further instructions. Texas State Library and Archives Commission .. RULE 4. The Captain of each Company will be held responsible for the acts of his men. Each detachment that is sent out must have one man placed in charge and he is held responsible for the acts of the privates under his orders. In case a suspect is detained by one or more privates he must be taken before ·the supervising officer or man in charge for investigation and released only upon his orders. RULE 5. Each Ranger will keep a daily record of his acts and make a weekly report to his Captain of his acts each day. In case he makes arrests he will give full details, showing why he made the arrests or detention, and disposition of prisoner in each case. These reports must all be mailed by the Captain on each Monday to this office, together with a like report from himself showing disposition of his men for the ensuing week as nearly as possible, and other information as to conditions in his district that he deems ' necessary for the good of the service. RULE 6. Rang~rs must be gentlemen at all times and under all cir- cumstances, and must always remember that their every act, both private and official, is scrutinized; therefore, it is necessary to conduct themselve~ at all times, so as not to bring reproach upon themselves, either personally or officially, or upon the organization they represent. RULE 7. Wide scout belts must only be used while actually on a scout or in camp. While in cities or sma.11 towns or riding on trains, narrow belts with cartridges and pistol well hidden must be conformed to. in. Unnecessary display of arms must not be indulged You must a.t all times carry your pistol and not less than two rounds of cartridges. When leaving camp for any purpose while on scout duty, or transferring from one place to another you must carry your Winchester and not less than two rounds of cartridges. e. Scout clothes that make you conspicuous Texas State Library and Archives Commission RULE must not be worn when visiting cities or large towns and it will be pleasing to this Department if you will dress when off actual scout duty, in cities and small to,ms, in such manner as not to draw unnecessary attention. RULE 9. There must be good fellowship shown, at all times, between Rangers. Heated arguments or dirty or obscene language will not be tolerated, either in camp or out of it. RULE 10. Drinking or playing any game of chance within camp or while off duty will be sufficient cause for your suspension or dismissal from the service. This applies to any member of the force. Rangers must not absent themselves from their district unless first securing authority from their Captain and you must im.mediately notify the Adjutant General of such absence and reason for same. RULE 11. The State allows feed for your horses, providing they are fed, but if for any reason your horses are put in a pasture only pasturage can be charged for, and any violation of this rule will be considered just cause for dismissal from the service, and prosecution for ma.king false accounts will be instituted in all cases. RULE 12. The State allows a sufficient amount of food for the men, and. it is required of you that you report any lack of food to the Adjutant General's Department. The men are supposed to acquaint themse.l vea with the allowance sheet, and to report if they do not get it. RULE 13. Prisoners must always be accompanied by at least one Ranger, who will be held responsible for his safety, and must be delivered to a proper officer, taking his receipt, signed officially, therefor. RULE 14. When one or more Rangers are absent from headquarters or their station, and they secure meals from hotels, etc., their ratioll3 1$\ f; must be deducted from their allowance at end Texas State Library and Archives Commission of month. This also applies to hors e feed, when not actually used. RULE 15. Rece ipt s must be take n for all expenditures of whateve r nature, a nd a t tached to account s . Take separat e receipts for meals, lodging and horse feed. ......... I N RE OF THE I NVESTIGATION OF THE EL PORVENIR F IGHT, of Janµary 28, 1 9 1 8 , i n Presidio County , T e x a s. -0- STATEMENT OF JUAN MENDEZ: In the City of Ojinaea , municipality of the same name, District of Iturbide , State of Chihuahua , Mexico, on the 2d day of February , 1918 , at three o' clock in the afternoon, began the investigation of the happenings at El Porvenir , Texas, taking place in the General Office in the presence of Colonel Librada Florea , Temporary Commanding Officer of Ojinaga, mayor in charge , M. M. Hernandez, and the second judge of that l ocality c. c. Eleutario Contreras , present in the office , Juan Mendez , witness , who said he had been called to testify that he was 66 years old , farmer , native of Matehuala , San Luis Potosi , and had been living in the United States for five years , the greater portion of this time in Pecos , Texas, and from the 10th to the 28th of January , 1918, had been living at Porvenir , Texas; in answer to a question as to his nationaJ.ity , he replied~ "I am a Mexican citizen , never voted in that country ( ~ .s . ) and did not have my first papers, that not having my Mexican citi zenship papers , and being ignorant of what was necessRry , I crossed into the United Sta tea at Laredo , Texas ." He was asked what he knevr about the killing at Porvenir , and who were the assassins , and the cause therefor , end what date and wh o were assassinated , he ~ §.nswer ed: "That on the 24th of February , 1918 , 1Texas tJ.'- tJ State Library and Archives Commission bei ne in bed with hie family in his house, about 1 A.M. , three men with rifles and pistols came in telling him to give them what guns he had, searching the house in ·his presence, and without finding any arms, they took him to a near place to where the rest of the neighbors were gathared, being guarded by a bunch of about thirty armed men . They then took with them Roman Nieves, Nutemio Gonzales and Manuel Fierro, and ordered the others to return to their houses; this was about three o'clock in the morning of the same· date . Two days after, on the 26th, the above mentioned men returned telling their neighbors that they were carried through the mountains, and were threatened with death Without knowing the cause of their being threatened . On the 28th day of the same month , the .Americans returned about two A. M. , and gathered up fifteen of my neighbors, and took them about a ~uarter of a mile and shot all of them , leav- ing only four old men whose names are as follows: Jose Jaquez , Siberiano Morales, Gorgonio Morales, and Serapio Huerta; the names of the dead ones were as follows: Manuel Morales , Antonio Castaneda, Pedro Herrera , Biviana Herrera , Siberiano Herrera, Roman Nieves, Longinas Flores , Tiburcio Jaquez , Alberto Garcia, Macedonio Huerta, Ambrocio Hexnandez, Serapio Jiminez, Juan Hermanez, Pedro Jiminez, Eutemio Gonzales . The same day , the 28th, the dead bodies were left lying in the same place where they were killed. The families of the victims were trying to get permission to take the bodies for burial to Mexico; this permission was given by the Captain of the squad of American soldiers , who had been called to the scene by Professor Henry Warren. On the 29th, about 9 o'clock in the morn- ing, myself and neighbors transported the dead bodies to Porvenir , Mexico. for burial. The bodies had been shot straight through , and in their heads, After they were in Mexico, previous notice having been given to Colonel Eduardo Porcayo of the troops of General Jose Murguia , who was at that time at El Comedor, a Texas 15':-, I State Library and Archives Commission captain whose name I do not know was sent to make an examination of the matter, and bodies, e.nd who made a.n examination of each body and took their names, and had the bodies buried at Pol"Venir, Mexico. Asked if he knew the assassins, and he said he could not say whether they were rangers, or .American soldiers, because he could not distinguish one from the other; but that he understands they were rangers, because he saw the before mentioned aoldi er s, a.nd they were not the same that were there on the morni ng of the 24th. He was asked if they had any difficulty in get- ting permission to pass to Mexico their animals and family u tensi ls and grain; he said that they had secured permission to pass them over in two days, but that the greater part remained in the United States, a.a it was planted lands they had in cultivation for four years. He was asked if he knew or had information as to whether the dead men or survivors participated with the raiders of the Brite Ranch, and if he knew of any, to give their names and whether they liyed at Porvenir, Texas, or if they had any connection with the bandits, or if they had always lived peaceably at above mentioned place; he said that he was sure none of the dead men, or survivors, had participated with the bandits. and that they had always lived peaceably, and he can testify to that, and that the school teacher at that place, and an .American, by the name of Enrique N. (Henry We.rren), who is married. to a Mexican woman, as well as another American who is married to a Mexican woman, by the name of John Bill (John Bailey), both of whom were at Porvenir at the time of this occurence, can also testify to this fact. Asked for the reason of his statement, that he saw the occurence and knew that it was true. (Si gened) STATEMENT OF LUIS JUAN MENDEZ (SEAL) JIMINEZ~ Luis Jiminez testifies that he is a Mexican citizen, 34 years old, not having lost his nationality, andState beforeLibrary the Judge his name was Texas andtestifies Archives that Commission as written above, married, farmer, but accidently at this place. He was asked what he knew about the assassination committed at El Porvenir, who did it, what date, the causes, who were the men killed, and anything else he knew of the affair; he said, that on the 24th day of aanuary, 1918, a group of armed individuals came to Porvenir about 40 in number, being rangers, American soldiers, and .American ramchrnen, about one A.M. on the same day; the soldiers surrounded the ranch and the rangers and American ranchmen '. took all the people out of their houses,about t~em 30 men and boys,- and when they were altogether, they took about a quarter of a mile out on the road that comes be- low Porvenir to the River, without saying they cause, or asking them anything. After we had arrived there, they told us we could go back to our houses, with the exception of Eutemio Gonzales, Ramon Nieves, and Manuel Fierro, who they took away and kept two days in the mountains, threatening them with death, and at last allowed them to return to Porvenir, Texas, where on the day of the assault Eutemio Gonzales and Ramon Nieves were killed, but Manuel was saved, not being there that day. Asked to tell all that he knew with reference to the assault, said that on the 28th day of January of the present year the Porvenir ranch was again assaulted, about two A. M. on said day, by the same band of men who were armed, and whose number was about forty, consisting of rangers, Uni ted States sol di era, and Texas ranchmen; immediately upon their arrival at the said ranch, proceeded to take from their houses all of the residents, and selecting 15 from this number, took them a quarter of a mile from said ranch and infamously shot them. Asked if he knew the names of the dead persons, and if he knew them, said: Their names were Roman Nieves, Euternio Gonzale s , Antonio Castenedo, Ambrocio Hernandez, Macadonio Huerta, Serapio Jiminez, Ped~o Jiminez, (b~other of this witness), Juan Jiminez, (first cousin of the witness), Alberto Garcia (brother-in-law of witness), Tiburcio Jaquez, Longinio Flores, Pedro Herrera, Biviano Herrera, Siberiano Herrera (brothers of these foregoing), Texas State Library and Archives Commission 1.5 . ..:J and Manuel Morales, who I have known and traded with personally for a long time. He was then asked if the inhabitants of said Porveni r ranch had any r 'e1 ati on with the bandits that assaulted the Brite Ranch, or if they had any of the goods taken therefrom, answered: That the inhabitants of Porvenir, Texas, did not have any connection, and never had any connection with the bandits, neither did they have in their possession any property taken fran the Brite Ranch; that they were people who lived peacefully, and who were dedicated to their work in the fields, which is well proven by the fact that in their houses they had su f ficient grain on whieh to sustain their families, as well as their animals, that consisted of cattle, horses, and goats; that the product of their work was honorable, which could be proven for a period of more than one year by the .American school teacher of that place Enrique N. (Henry Warren), and another .American by the name of John Bill (John Bailey). His declaration was then signed on the margin and a tteated to before the Judge and other persons who were assisting him. (Signed) LUI S JI MI 1'1'EZ (Seal) STATEMENT OF PABLO JIMINEZ: On the same day Pablo Jiminez was present, and made the following statement in writing: That he was fifty-five years old, Mexican citizen, and that he had resided, in Porvenir, Texas for the past four years prior to the 28th day of January, 1918. He was asked under oath to tell all of the truth in answer to questions to be put to him with relation to the assault or assaults perpetrated in the ranch of Porvenir, Texas, on the 24th and 28th of January, of the present year, respectively. He said that on the 24th and 28th of the said month of January, he was in Candelaria, Texas, and was not present at the bloody assaults in Porvenir, on 28th day of TexasJanuary, State Library andfifteen Archives Commission when these peaceable Mexican citizens who be- longed to the farming colony of Porvenir, Texas, were assassinated. That he found among the dead Juan, Serapio, and Pedro Jiminez; the first mentioned being his son, and the last two, nephews of witness, and the only persona that composed his family, but the fami lies of the said victims; that on the 24th day of January, 1918, at l A.M., a group of about 40 men composed of .American soldiers, rangers and Texas ranchmen, arrived at Porvenir, Texas; that the soldiers remained on the lines around the ranch, while the rangers and ranchmen took from the houses all the inhabitants, being about 30 in number, composed of men and boys, and after they were gotten together, they took them about one-quarter of a mile below on the River, to the East of the ranch, without explaining the cause of their proceedings, and without asking them anything. After they were there, they told them they could all return to their houses with the exception of Eutemio Gonzalea, Ramon Nieves, and Manuel Fierro, who they took with them as prisoners, and kept in the mountains two days threatening them with death, but finally allowing them to return to Porvenir, •rexas, where they were killed in the said assault, with the exception of Manuel Fierro, who was not there on that day. He was asked • what he knew with reference to the assassins and assault on the 28th, answered: That as he had before etated, he was not present, but their wives, sons, and other kinsmen of the dead people, as referred to, on the 28th of January, told him of the occurence, and that the ranch of Porvenir, Texas, was newly assaulted by a party of about 40 armed men, about one A. M. of the same day, being American soldiers, rangers, and Texas Ranchmen; that as soon as referred to ranch was surrounded, the assaulted parties proceeded to take all inhabitants from their houses, and after selecting 15 from among them, took them about one-quarter of a mile from said ranch, where they were infamously shot, without examining them; when asked as to whether he knew the names of the dead people, said: Yes, he knew them and their names Texaswere State Library and Archives Commission Manuel Morales, Antonio Castenado, Pedro 159j Herrera, Bivian Herrera, Severiano Herrera, Roman Nieves, Loginio Flores, Tiburcio Jaquez, Alberto Garcia, Macidonia Huerta, .Amrocio Hernandez, Serapio Jiminez, Juan Jiminez, Pedro Jiminez, and Eutemio Gonzales. He was asked if the inhabitants of Porvenir, Texas, ever had any relation with the bandits, that assaulted the Brite Ranch, or had in their possession any goods belonging ' to said ranch, answered: That the people of Porvenir, Texas, had never had any connivance with the · bandits that assaulted the Brite Ranch, and that they did not have any goods belonging to the said Brite Ranch; that all of the inhabitants of Porvenir , including those that were killed, were peaceable citizens, and dedicated completely to their work, and had within their houses elements necessary for their living that had been acquired by honorable work for a period of more than one year, and they also had their domestic animals that consisted of cattle, horses and smaller animals, and their farms perfectly cultivated, all of which can be substantiated by an American school teacher at that place by the name of Enrique N. (Henry Warren.) Also by another American by the name of John Bill (John Bailey). This declaration was signed by witnesses, but not signed by Pablo Jiminez, as he did not know how to write. STATEMENT OF ROSENDA MEGA. On the same day appeared Rosenda Mega, who had been called, and the following declaration to writing: r~duced That he is 47 years old, .American citizen, born at Fort Davis, Texas, but who resides at Van Horn, Texas; that he could not prove his nationality, and could not produce accredited documents; he was asked under oath to tell the truth with reference to all he knew with relation to assaults at Porvenir, Texas, said: That he was at Candelaria, Texas, on Janua ry 25, 1918, where he heard that on the 24th of said month, had been perpetrated on the El Porvenir Ranch, by a party of armed men, of about 40 Archives individuals, consisting Texascomposed State Library and Commission of .American sol- diers, rangers, and Texas ranchmen, at about one 6'clock on the morning of January 24th, who proceeded to take from their homes, all the inhabitants of Porvenir, and after they had been gotten together, about 30 in number, they were taken about one-fourth mile below said ranch without any explanation of the cause, and without asking anything, and after arriving there, they were told they could return to their homes, With the exception of Eutemio Gonzales, Roman Nieves, and Manuel Fierro, who they took away with them as prisoners, and held them two days in the mountains, making terrible threats , but allowing them at last to return to Porvenir, Texas. where, on the last day of the assault, the first named two were killed, and where Manuel Fierro was saved, because he was not in Porvenir on January 28th. He was then asked under his oath, according to law what he knew about the asaault and people killed in Porvenir, Texas, on the 28th day of January of present year, said: That as before stated, he was in Candelaria on the 24th and 28th, where he heard of the assault of the 28th, and that he went to Porvenir, Mexico, where the families of the victims referred to told him that about one or two o'clock A.M. of that day, an armed group assaulted them on the 24th, and they also made another assault on said ranch at Porvenir, Texas. about one or two A. M. on January 28th, ·in number about 40 men, the same being American soldiers, Rangers, and Texas Ranchmen. That as soon as the ranch was surrounded, the rangers proceeded to take the inhabitants from their houses, and from that number selected 15, and took them about one-quarter of a mile from said ranch, and then in a very cowardly manner, and without examining any of them, shot them. That on January 29th, permission was obtained from the military commander at Candelaria , Texas, and also from Colonel Eduardo Porcallo of Porvenir, Mexic o, to pass the dead bodies of the victims to the Mexican side for burial, which was done in company of their friends and families of the victims; Texas State Library and Archives Commission that the bodies were found about one-quarter of a mile below Porvenir, Texas, on the gnound, and in parallel lines, and had wounds in bodies , and also shot in head of each one, the bullets passing through the heads of many of them, and that their bodies were examined, and t!lat in life, their names were as follows: Manuel Morales, Antonio Casteneda, Pedro Herrera, Biviano Herrera, Si bri a.no Herrera, Ramon Ni eves , Longi ni o Flores , Tiburcio Jaquez, Alberto Garcia, Macadonio Huerta, Ambrocia Hernandez, Serapio Jiminez, Juan Jiminez , Pedro Jiminez, and Eutemio Gonzales, Longinio Flores, one of those killed, was my father-in-law , and in whom I had great faith, and with whom I have traded for many years. Being aske