Since 1819 over 3,000 souls found their personal “eternity at the end of a rope” in Texas. Some earned their way. Others were the victim of mistaken identity, or an act of vigilante justice. Deserved or not, when the hangman’s knot is pulled up tight and the black cap snugged down over your head it is too late to plead your case. This remarkable story begins in 1819 with the first legal hanging in Texas. By 1835 accounts of lynching dotted the records. Although by 1923 legal execution by hanging was discontinued in favor of the electric chair, vigilante justice remained a favorite pastime for some. The accounts of violence are numbing. The cultural and racial implications are profound, and offer a far more accurate, unbiased insight into the tally of African-American and Hispanic victims of mob violence in the Lone Star State than has ever been presented. Many of these deeds were nothing short of morbid theater, worthy of another era. This book is backed up by years of research and thousands of primary source documents. Includes Index and Bibliography.
Lawlessness in Texas did not end with the close of the cowboy era. It just evolved, swapping horses and pistols for cars and semiautomatics. From Patrolman "Newt" Stewart, killed by a group of servicemen in February 1900, to Whitesboro chief of police William Thomas "Will" Miller, run down by a vehicle in the line of duty in 1940, Ron DeLord and Cliff Caldwell present a comprehensive chronicle of the brave--and some not so brave--peace officers who laid down their lives in the service of the State of Texas in the first half of the twentieth century.
The tally of Texas lawmen killed during the states first sixty-five years of organized law enforcement is truly staggering. From Texas Rangers the likes of Silas Mercer Parker Jr., gunned down at Parkers Fort in 1836, to Denton County sheriff s deputy Floyd Coberly, murdered by an inmate in 1897 after ten days on the job, this collection accounts for all of those unsung heroes. Not merely an attempt to retell a dozen popular peace officer legends, Texas Lawmen, 18351899 represents thousands of hours of research conducted over more than a decade. Ron DeLord and Cliff Caldwell have carefully assembled a unique and engaging chronicle of Texas history.
John Simpson Chisum left a trail across the American West so wide that a blind scout could follow it. His life story seems to have been defined by his association with Billy the Kid and a singular, epic cattle drive across the barren expanses of West Texas to New Mexico.
The Texas Hill Country is rich with history. In recent years revisionist historians have only written about a select few aspects of the region, apparently preferring to overlook the fact that outlaws, lawmen, Indians, horse soldiers and Spanish explorers crisscrossed the San Saba River and Menard County area for hundreds of years. True enough, the quaint shops and bistros, the music festivals, wildflowers, and the pleasing climate may be the attraction today but the area was home to Paleo-Indians 10,000 years ago. Spaniards trekked through the region in 1753, finding promise of gold and silver in the surrounding hills. Early Texas pioneers ultimately carved out a frontier settlement here, only to be menaced by hostile Comanche Indians, reluctant to release their hold on the region. Fort McKavett, the lonely outpost on the San Saba, played a vital part in the settlement of this area and in the rich military history of Texas. Join the author in rediscovering the fort, and Menard County.
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