Texas Ranger John B. Jones and the Frontier Battalion, 1874-1881

7. Kill All the Dutch

102 KILL ALL THE DUTCH 7 THE ACTIVITY ON THE RIO GRANDE reached such a level of international tension that Adjutant General Steele felt compelled to make a tour of the area in May of 1875.1 Leander McNelly and his men were encamped at Edinburg, fending off horse, cattle, and oxen thieves.2 Governor Coke again made an appeal directly to President Grant for the state to be relieved of the burden of defending a national border.3 Steele met with Neal Coldwell, hopefully to reenlist the men of Company F who had not been paid, and who, “being very ragged and without the means of procuring the real necessities of life,”4 were opting to go home. Coldwell went to San Antonio with a mind to reorganize his company there, but was directed to return to Kerr County to complete the mustering out of his company.5 Jones directed him to raise a new company restricted to two sergeants, three corporals, and thirty privates, with Coldwell as the only commissioned officer, to serve until August 31. It was understood that they would receive no pay until an appropriation for that purpose was made by the legislature. On his way back to Austin from the inspection tour, Jones left his wagon and two horses at Mason under the care of Lieutenant Roberts and Company D until his return there about the middle of June.6 He Kill All the Dutch 103 and five of his escort then arrived in Austin on the evening of Thursday, May 27, proudly displaying their “trophies” from the Lost Valley fight, including the scalps of the Indians killed, one of which was plaited with what was believed the hair of a white woman. Along with buffalo hide shields, bows, quivers and arrows, and charms of beads, the men displayed blankets clearly marked with the initials of the United States Indian Department.7 First checking in with the adjutant general’s office, Jones then went home to Navarro County for a short vacation. An event at this time in Kerr County created a mystery that may have involved the Frontier Battalion. On June 14, 1875, a report of Indians driving off horses in that county resulted in a citizens’ posse going in pursuit . About twenty miles from Kerrville, the posse engaged the thieves in an hour-long fire fight, finally prevailing and discovering that the Indians were actually five white renegades dressed as Indians. One of the thieves was mortally wounded and died the next day; the other four made their escape on foot into a dense thicket. The one dying prisoner told his capturers before expiring that he was Norman Cole from Delaware County, New York, and that he had belonged to Major Jones’ escort.8 No official records discuss this, and a review of Ranger personnel records turns up no Norman Cole, although there was an N. V. Cole, a member of Maltby ’s Company E, who enlisted on June 6, 1874, and was discharged on December 9, 1874, some six months before the incident. There was no additional information, either in official records or the news media, and no official comment was made in response to the news report, although the two were likely the same man. Prior to starting a new tour of inspection, Jones, in his role as quartermaster , made arrangements for provisions for the various companies. As an example of what a typical list of supplies would involve, he contracted with a Dallas merchant to order 2,300 pounds of flour, 650 pounds of bacon, 280 pounds of beans, 165 pounds of rice, 370 pounds of coffee, 370poundsofsugar,twentycandles,twenty-fourpoundsofsoap,seventytwo pounds of salt, twenty pounds of baking soda, four pounds of pepper, and twelve gallons of vinegar for Company B at Jacksboro. Jones advised Lieutenant Stevens that this was only a half-ration of bacon and that it 104 TEXAS RANGER JOHN B. JONES AND THE FRONTIER BATTALION, 1874–1881 would be up to the company to supplement it with beef. Also, Jones sent him a draft for $150 to purchase beef and potatoes, up to 360 pounds per month. In addition, four boxes of carbine cartridges were sent, and pistols and pistol ammunition were ordered for twelve of Stevens’ men.9 Similar arrangements were made for Lieutenant B. S. Foster’s Company E and Dan Roberts’ Company D.10 Coldwell reported to Jones on...