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This just came from Kirby Warnock about his Border Bandits film. Gj

Just a note that we've been invited to screen BORDER BANDITS at some
theaters in Texas in September. We'll be in Austin, San Antonio and Mission
September 13-15.
All details are on our Web site at www.borderbanditsmovie.com

I will be at every screening to take questions and comments from the
audience.

Come on out, and please bring your friends who don't believe this story.
They are the folks I want in the audience.
For a good idea of what takes place at these theater screenings, read Joe
Nick Patoski's account on his blog:
http://www.joenickp.com/notes/pivot/entry.php?id=24


Joe Nick is a former senior editor at Texas Monthly and has seen the good,
the bad and the ugly.

See you there!!!
"Ride to the sound of the guns, boys!"

KW






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Here is an email question from Rolando Romo
about Quanah Parker coming to the Big Bend to buy peyote.

I am a history graduate student at Texas A&M International University and I am working on a thesis of John Richard Parker, Uncle to Quanah Parker.

I came across an internet site in which you are quoting from historian, Barry Scobee. In the article, Scobee states that Quanah and two companions stayed at the Hotel Limpia in the Big Bend Area in 1894. They were looking for peyote.

John Richard Parker was visited by Quanah Parker and two companions at his ranch in Mexico. During his stay at the ranch, Quanah was given a potion that included peyote to assist curing him from a deep wound from a bull's gash. Quanah then went back to Cache, Oklahoma.

I would very much like to have as many details of Quanah's visit at Hotel Limpia in order to obtain more information. I have not been able to get a date or geographic place name for John Richard Parker's ranch in Mexico. I am following all possible leads. If you can be of any help, it would be appreciated.

Is there a museum or library that would have the guest registers for Hotel Olympia?

Thank you,
Rolando Romo

Rolando,
I got the information about Quanah in Fort Davis from a newspaper article clipping. Sadly, there the article is undated and I do not know what newspaper it came from. Presumable it was probably sometime in the 1920's or 30's. As for old Limpia Hotel registration books suggest you contact the Limpia Hotel. They might well have documation of Quanah's visit. Also, you might want to check the Arhives of the Big Bend at Sul Ross State University, they have Scobee papers, see http://libit.sulross.edu/archives/. For more on Hotel Limpia see: http://www.hotellimpia.com/

Gj


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I just finished reading Joe Klein's insightful book titled "Woody Guthrie: A Life" published by Dell Publishing. It is not a new work but simply the most definitive book I have found about the life the legendary folksong writer and political activist Woody Guthrie. Klein's volume is more than a biography; it is a rich, well-written portrait to be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in Texas history as well as those wanting to better understand Guthrie's tremendous influence on folk music.

In 1931, nineteen-year-old Woody packed his bags and set out from Oklahoma to Texas. He arrived in the panhandle oil boomtown of Pampa just in time for the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Since I was born and grew up in Pampa, I found the story of Woody's life in my hometown fascinating. It is only in the last few years that Pampa has embraced Woody Guthrie. When I was growing up in Pampa during the 1950's and 60's Woody's unequaled contributions to folk music were completely swept under the table because of his political leanings. These days Pampa celebrates Woody and that fact for a decade, Woody called Pampa home. Today, you can drive the Woody Guthrie Memorial Highway or take the Woody Guthrie walking tour in Pampa. You can hear musicians at the Woody Guthrie Folk Music Center of Pampa, Texas. A magnificent 150 foot long sculpture of Woody's classic song "This Land Is Your Land" by Rusty Neef can be seen near the M. K. Brown Civic Auditorium.

For more on Woody and Pampa, check out these links:

http://www.pampachamber.com/woody_guthr ... g_tour.htm

http://www.woodyguthrie.org/biography/biography2.htm

http://www.woodyguthrie-pampatx.org/about.aspx

Gj






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"In my comments on the photo in"Chronicles of the Big Bend",I referred to it as Company "B"in 1918,and it is so identified in the caption.I believe this to be an error,as I have the same photo from the Moody Texas ranger library identifying it as a photo of company "A"in 1918.They are all identified with Jerry Gray(Capt.)second from the left and Nathan Fuller fourth from the right.None of the other names are the same as those discharged by the Governor.This is evidently taken after the disbanding of Company "B"in June of that year. I have some enlistment records for N.N.Fuller indicating that he joined the Ranger service in on May 15,1916 in Company "B",J.M.fox,Captain.He was listed as being 27 years and 3 mos.of age.His next period of enlistment began on twe1th of July in 1918,and still in Company "B",but there is no signature on the form for the Captain or any other designation of the company.Next,there is a form signed by James A.Harley,Adjutant General,State of Texas commissioning Nathan N.Fuller as a private in the Texas Ranger Force,dated Sept.10,1918.The next enlistment record is dated June the 20th,1919 and signed Jerry Grey,CaptainCo."A".Captain Gray's remarks were that he was a good ranger.The final record is dated Aug.22,1922also signed by Jerry Grey,Capt;Co."A".I also have some payroll records dated sept.1917 which list Co."B" as consisting of: CaptainJ.M.Fox,Sgt.H.c.Trollinger,Pvts.A.G.Beard,N.N.Fuller,H.G.Holden,Boon Oliphant,and A.H.woelber.Barker,Herman Weaver and Cole must have become members between Sept 1917 and Jan. of 1918,as Oliphant was the only one listed as present then. It is evient that the fact was that Nate Fuller was not actually present during the Porvenir matter,and I have wrongly remembered his comment that the investigator insisted that he was .It is more likely that he insisted that Nate would have known who was given that C."B" was so small during that period.I suspect that his comment to the investigator was a reflection of his usual reticence,and desire not to implicate anyone in matters not personally known to him.I remember one conversation I had with him in which he remarked that he was several times contacted by magazine people(True West,Frontier Times,etc.) to get him to tell his story.He said he always refused,as he knew very well that he wouldn't recognize what actually got printed. The fact that he reenlisted in what was still being referred to as Co."B" in July of 1918,but with no Captain's signature evidently reflects the turmoil following the Porvenir massacre and the Govenor's actions in response."

Gary,
Think you are right, there seems to be no evidence that Fuller personally took part in the massacre but he must have known the details. Harris and Sadler show Fuller's service dates as a regular ranger from May 15, 1916 to Feb. 11, 1920. Gj

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I read your post about the passing of the last witness to the Porvenir massacre with great interest. My own life was touched in a small way by those tragic and desperate times. I was a border patrolman for a short time (1966-67) stationed in Presidio. I got to know an old Texas Ranger named Nate Fuller. It was not easy to get him to talk, but when he did it was always interesting. I remember once he told me about being questioned in regard to an incident that happened up the river one time,but cannot recall that he ever referred to it as "Porvenir ",but it was a long time ago. In reading all your posts I know that that was what he was talking about. It must have been the Canales Investigation that led to his being interviewed about the deaths of those men that night. I very distinctly remember that old Nate got somewhat agitated when talking about it and recall pretty much what he said. As I recall, he related it this way, and at times seemed to be reliving it: He said he was running a saloon at Shafter(evidently out of the Rangers) when someone pulled up in front in a model-t and got out with a typewriter. He said he was with the government and was there to find out what Nate knew about the incident of those men being shot that night. Nate said at first"I don't know nothing about it!" Then the investigator replied that he already knew full well that Nate was up there that night along with several other members of Company "B", along with some ranchers and soldiers. At that point Nate replied (and this stuck in my memory 40 years)"Well all I know is that some lead got to flying around that night, and those boys got in front of some of it!" Nate was 80 when I knew him, but he was still quick as a bird. I later learned that he died in '69 of complications following prostate surgery. There is a picture of Company "B" on page 33 of "Chronicles of the Big Bend".Nate is 4th from the right astride a black and white mount, wearing a bandolier and a Colt Peacemaker that appears to be nickel plated with a ivory grip. He looks to be someone you would do well not to get cross-threaded with too seriously. Even at 80 we could tell he wasn't someone to trifle with. I haven't any access to the Canales Report, and don't want to download 1600 pages on my computer. I was wondering if you might have any further knowledge the you could share concerning whether, and what, old Nate's actual history in regards to this might be. Nate Fuller is one of the most unforgettable characters ever to touch my life, and my brief personal experience in the Big Bend country was one of the formative events of all. I was drafted into the VietNam war, and subsequent events precluded my getting to live there anymore. I have come to the conclusion that there is a magic chemical in the earth in that land which, once ingested, forever transforms your innermost being and never lets go. It has haunted me all these years. I plan to go back in October of this year and revisit it all again. Regards, G. Owen

G. Owen,
Thanks for your comments. First I have seen about Ranger Fuller being present at Porvenir. In June 1918, Texas Governor Hobby disbanded Company B and fired A. C. Barker, Max Herman, Bud Weaver, Allen Cole and Boone Oliphant. Captain Fox resigned claiming he had been discharged for political reasons. None of the rangers faced criminal charges for the killings. If you haven't read it, see my chapter on the massacre in "Little Known History Of The Texas Big Bend." Also, Harris and Sadler write about the massacre in "The Texas Rangers And The Mexican Revolution." They mention Ranger Fuller on page 489. Also be sure and see Robert M. Utley's "Lone Star Lawmen" for more on the massacre.
Gj


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According to the Associated Press, some 1 miles of recently constructed border barriers near Columbus, New Mexico will have to be removed because they were mistakenly placed on the Mexican side of the border. It could cost as much as $35 million to correct the mistake. In March, U.S. officials discovered that the mile and section protruded between one to six feet into Mexican territory. Mexico is insisting the barriers be moved. Gj


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It seems that the fabled Yellow Rose of Texas may have actually existed and the story has some truth to it. At least according to Kent Biffle of the Dallas Morning News that is. For those not familiar with the story of the Yellow Rose, she was a "Mulatta girl" by the name of Emily who kept Santa Anna occupied in his tent when the Texans attacked at the battle of San Jacinto in April 1836. Biffle cites an unpublished and forgotten essay titled "Texas In 1842" written by an English travel writer by the name of William Bollaert. Bollaert who wrote, The Battle of San jacinto was probably lost to the Mexicans, owning to the influence of a Mulatta Girl (Emily) belonging to Col. Morgan who was closeted in the tent with General Santa Anna, at the time the cry was made the ememy, they come! and detained Santa Anna so long that order could not be restored readily again. Gj


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January 5, 1947. El Paso Times. Captain John R. Hughes, whose life as a Texas Ranger in the gun-toting days sounds like a movie scenario and earned him the title of "Border Boss" was found dead today at the age of 92 Tuesday night in Austin, Texas, a bullet through the roof of his mouth. Justice of the Peace Mace Thurman of Austin ruled in his inquest that the death was a suicide.

"The body of the famous veteran of early day law enforcement was found in a garage at rear of his Austin home. A United Press dispatch said that Hughes ended his life with a .45 caliber Colt revolver, the type the Rangers packed in the pioneer days of the Southwest".

"Hughes had been in poor health for some time, but last week he made a brief appearance in the House and the Senate where resolutions were adapted lauding his career. Hughes was well known through out west Texas and southern New Mexico for his work with the Rangers along the border. He was a tall, handsome man, a deadly shot and an excellent horseman".

"In 1896, he was sent by the Texas governor to El Paso to stop the famous boxing match between Bob Fitzsimmons and Pete Maher. He seceded temporarily, but the fighters and their band took a train to Judge Roy Bean's headquarters at Langtry, Texas, across the border where the fight was staged."

Hughes could only watch the fight through his binoculars from Texas. The El Paso Times said it was the only time he failed to get his man. Captain John Hughes was the last of the old ranger captains before the desent of the force and its leadeship into the years of politics and corruption at the beginning of the new 20th century. John Hughes truely deserves to be well remembered. Gj




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Hello Mr Justice,

I am writing to you as a shot in the dark. I was told a story by and uncle years ago regarding my grandfather(Jose Valdez) and how he and his brother(Mercedes Valdez) were reunited after many years. They were separated after their mother's death and did not have knowledge of each other until they met as adults. Anyway, here is the story as I remember it.
My grandfather lived on a ranch on the border of TX/MEX in Chihuaha(probably in the Pilares area where my mom was born). There had been several cattle killed by a mountain lion so my grandfather, uncles and several other men set out to track and kill this lion. In the process, the lion was cornered inside a hole and the solution to get to him was that my grandfather would go in with a pistol to try and kill the lion. At about the halfway point one of the other men found another opening to the whole above where the original entrance was and preceded to drop a rock down the hole. This caused the lion to try and exit through the first hole running directly in the direction of my grandfather. As my grandfather stated to me, he had only one option and that was to lay as flat as possible and fired the pistol a couple of times as the lion passed over him. The shots proved to be on target, killing the lion.
Somehow, this story reached a man who wrote short stories of the West and published them in a little publication popular in those days. This particular publication was in circulation in Hawaii and read by my grandfather's brother. He did some research to verify that this was his brother. Mercedes had left Mexico and became fairly wealthy over the years. This whole thing lead him back to Mexico to see his brother(must have been late 50's). Mercedes brought my grandfather and his family to the U.S.(Van Horn) where he purchased a couple of lots and a house for my grandfather. Our family still owns this property with both my grandparents having passed away. My grandfather and his brother corresponded for years through letters that I would translate and write for my grandfather. The last letter we received was to let us know that Mercedes had passed away. Don't know if he left anything to my grandfather since we never heard from his family again.
Anyway, the whole reason I am contacting you is, that I have wanted to find this story or publication that brought the two brothers together. So any help you could provide would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Efrain Gonzales

Efrain,
I think you might be talking about True West or Old West Magazine. The University of Texas in Austin has a complete collection of these magazines.

See http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utcah/00 ... 0055.html. Also, the Haley Memorial Library in Midland has many of these magazines, see http://www.haleylibrary.com/. I believe the Haley has a index of articles which should be most helpful. Good luck! Gj


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According to the Associated Press, some 200 miles of steel vehicle barriers resembling those built by the Nazis on the beaches of Normandy during World War II are being constructed in Arizona's Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Park. The steel barriers are designed to block roads used by drug smugglers driving vehicles across the border. There are already some 80 miles of vehicle barriers currently in use along the U. S.-Mexican border.

Closer to home in Texas, the Border Patrol has informed Texas Parks and Wildlife that wildlife refuges in Starr, Hidalgo and Cameron counties will soon have approximately 82 miles of border fences because they are located on lands owned by the federal government. These areas include the Sabal Palm Audubon Center and the Santa Anna Wildlife Refuge. No studies of the impact on wildlife have been performed and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service was only given a few days to respond to the plans.

Reuters is reporting that U.S. Border Patrol Chief David Augilar said Wednesday that he expects the United States will have "operational control" of the U.S.-Mexican border by 2013. According to Augilar, there are presently plans to put up 370 miles of fence along the border. In addition, by the end of next year, the number of Border Patrol agents will increase from 13,500 to 18,300. Gj


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