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

10. A Bedouin in the Saddle

151 A BEDOUIN IN THE SADDLE 10 MAJOR JONES LEFT KIMBLE COUNTY and by May 6, 1877, was at Fort McKavett, where he requested of General Steele that Dr. E. G. Nicholson be once again reinstated as Battalion Surgeon, the appointment to date from April 19.1 Jones then moved on to Coleman County. A brief report, without details, stated that Jones and Sergeant N. O. Reynolds pursued and captured at Coleman City wanted murderer J. H. Curtis and jailbreaker Edward Vontress ”Pete” Casner on May 9.2 All the while desperate crimes were being reported from around the state. Jails were being broken into and prisoners removed, either to liberate or lynch them, leading Governor Hubbard to offer a standing $500 reward for arrests of such mobs.3 One such break occurred on May 11 in Brown County when twelve men forcibly released six prisoners.4 In Mason County, Rube Boyce, a known mankiller, shot and killed Bob Anderson at a ranch when the two got into an argument.5 Outside of Comanche, a deputy United States marshal, M. R. Greene, was shot to death while trying to arrest two suspected counterfeiters, the brothers Dee and James Bailey.6 Clearly, the demands on the Battalion were growing. On May 16, 1877, Jones dispatched Sparks and his Company C from Lampasas to Coleman. In Jones’ opinion there was more of a need there 152 TEXAS RANGER JOHN B. JONES AND THE FRONTIER BATTALION, 1874–1881 now for a Ranger presence than in bullet-riddled Lampasas. “There are more desperate characters in this and adjoining counties than any section of country I know of now.”7 Citizens of Lampasas quite rightly asked that at least a small detachment of Rangers be left behind, reminding Sparks that the Horrell-Higgins dispute was still ongoing and that other lawbreakers might use their absence as an excuse to seek refuge in the county. Sparks agreed, thanking the citizens for their kindness and hospitality and leaving Sergeant T. M. Sparks and Privates Dave Ligon and H. B. Waddill behind.8 After briefly searching for the Brown County jailbreakers, Jones moved on to Fort Griffin and Shackelford County. In April, Judge J. R. Fleming had requested that four or five Rangers from Campbell’s Company B be stationed there.9 By May 25, Jones had arrived at Fort Griffin.10 On that date, Jones and Sergeant George W. Arrington arrested John Golden for an 1877 assault in Travis County, but released him for want of sufficient identification.11 While all of this was going on, Lee Hall’s Special Troops, operating independently of the Frontier Battalion, had been doing good work rounding up criminals in southern counties. In May, General Steele notified the governor that the appropriation for Hall’s unit would be exhausted by June 15.12 Once word got out, alarmed cattlemen in South Texas, who looked to Hall and his men for protection, cast about for a way to keep the unit in service. In Goliad County, stockmen scheduled a meeting for June 11, 1877, to raise money to keep the command going until the legislature met and could find a new appropriation.13 Governor Hubbard hoped that the cattlemen would accept certificates of debt from the state, promising that he would do everything in his power to keep the command in service, failing which he promised to assign a portion of Jones’ command to fill the breach.14 Citizens of Refugio County and others petitioned the governor to keep Hall’s command in operation.15 At the meeting in June, an initial total of $7,705 was pledged, and more was sought from the ten counties represented.16 Citizens of Victoria County later raised some $3,000 in support of Hall and his men, and over $2,000 was raised in Gonzales County.17 The company was continued for the time being. A Bedouin in the Saddle 153 No sooner had Sparks departed Lampasas County in May with most of his company than new violence broke out related to the Horrell-Higgins feud. On June 7, Pink Higgins, Bob Mitchell, and two others rode into Lampasas. The Horrells opened fire on them and a gunfight commenced , all parties running for cover. Both Frank Mitchell of Higgins’ group and Buck Waldrop, a member of the Horrell party, were killed, and Bill Wren of Higgins’ group was seriously wounded. When the shooting...