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136 C H A P T E R N I N E  Lawmen Begin Taking Control I N the winter of 1873–74, after the standoff with the authorities, the Taylor-Hardin gang defiantly remained active in DeWitt County. They committed robbery and murder, and they continued to rustle cattle and steal horses. Although the guerrillas continued to bawl about the “Lost Cause” and Confederate honor, Gov. Richard Coke and Adj. Gen. William Steele now understood the menace of the crime ring and determined to break its hold. Statewide, many Democrats tolerated the abuses of terrorist groups and desperadoes because the action of the violent men furthered the aims of the Democratic party, but once the party regained political power, leaders wanted to end the hostilities. New Texas Ranger forces came into Taylor Country planning to end the reign of chaos. Unfortunately, the lawmen only succeeded in driving the raiders from the Cuero-Yorktown-Clinton area into Comanche and Brown counties. There leaders John Wesley and Jim Taylor could hide with Hardin’s father, who was now a preacher and a teacher in Comanche town, or with Wesley’s brother Jo, who was now practicing law there while also engaging in fraudulent land schemes in both counties. Jo had long provided phony bills of sale for stolen cattle that Hardin and Jim Taylor supposedly bought. In sum, Jo had become a master swindler who used legal tools to allow all manner of shady business deals, many of which benefitted the Taylor clan. Knowing that John Wesley’s kinsmen were among their supporters, the gang set up a headquarters near Logan’s Gap, where stolen stock could be held prior to disposal. According to one source, stockmen in the region of Blanket Creek in Comanche County suffered the biggest losses. However, the ranchers of Brown County had copious losses, too. In addition to their thievery, Hardin and Taylor set up horse races but seldom paid when they lost. LAWME N TAKING C ONTROL 137 The gang’s new operations soon led to trouble. One of Hardin’s men named Davis came into Comanche, got drunk, became loud and boisterous, and quickly came to Marshal Jeff Green’s attention after he threatened to kill several local men. Green found the man in a saloon and warned him that he must be orderly. Green left and went back to his office after Davis agreed to calm down. That did not happen. The man kept drinking and abusing others. After learning that his town still had trouble, Green returned to confront the malefactor , who quickly drew a gun on him. Given the threat, Green backed out of the saloon into the street, but Davis followed with gun in hand. Suddenly, from the other side of the street, resident Henry Ware yelled: “Davis, don’t shoot.” When the gunman glanced toward Ware to see who was calling him, Green had the opportunity to save his life; he took it. He quickly drew his gun and fired. The one bullet was true, and Davis collapsed backward, instantly dead with a hole in his heart. Only then did the marshal notice that the main street was full of witnesses; there was no question that Green shot in self-defense. Now, the Taylor ring was reduced by one more. Shortly, Hardin gave the Comanche marshal more headaches. In town with Ham Anderson, Gyp Clements, Stephen Cowan, and John Denton, the murderer passed a day in January in a saloon gambling and drinking. John Wesley became so loud and rowdy that someone alerted Marshal Green, who went to the scene and tried to arrest the young hotspur for a misdemeanor, probably public drunkenness. But Hardin’s men interfered, allowing him to escape and to ride out of town. Green then arrested all four, charging them with “resisting a peace officer.” However, the men soon paid their fines and went free. Curiously, no one in Comanche knew of the desperadoes’ past records and did not know that they had criminal charges pending elsewhere, for Governor Davis was no longer in power, and Democrats had disbanded the State Police. By early 1874, the Taylor-Hardin gang’s rustling finally exhausted the patience of area ranchers, especially those in Brown County. In March, sixteen of them, all irate, complained to Brown County Sheriff J. H. Gideon and demanded that he confront the rustlers and bring the guilty to justice. Gideon contacted Deputy Charles “Charlie” Webb, a former...

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