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Texas Rangers |
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| The Texas Rangers go back as far as 1823 when Stephen F. Austin (known as the "Father of Texas") hired ten men to range the territory. The duties of the Rangers, serving under Lt. Moses Morrison, were to offer protection from mean Indians who made numerous attacks on the settlers. Stephen F. Austin offered to pay $15.00 a month, payable in property. It was doubtful they ever received any money, since it became a huge volunteer force and people helped out whenever help was needed. On the day of Nov. 24, 1835, the General Council of Texas created a "Corps of Rangers", a temporary frontier defense force that was called whenever help was needed. Each man had to supply his own equipment. The Rangers had three different companies of fifty-six men each. This "Corps" served in the fight for independence from Mexico which was finished in 1836. Col. James W. Fannin, a Texas Ranger, was massacred at Goliad along along with three hundred forty-two of his men, by the order of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Capt. Frank Hamer, a resident of Fairview, Texas was involved in the capturing of Bonnie and Clyde, the famous daytime bank robbers. I met with a former Texas Ranger that currently lives in Floresville, a town within Wilson County. Seventy-six year old Jerome Preiss told me that one of the hardest things about being a Texas Ranger was being called away from family. He served under Capt. Alfred Y. Allee. Most Texas Rangers joined at the age of 17. Wilson County has produced more Rangers than any county of its size. Many of these heroic Rangers gave their lives in the line of duty. |
| I would like to thank Mr. Jerome Preiss for letting
me interview him. I got some of my information from the books: Wilson County Texas Rangers 1837-1977, first edition compiled by Maude T. Gilliland, copyright 1977 by Maude T. Gilliland and Texas Rangers Association. Straight-Talk Volume One, Number One 1995. (a pictoral magazine from the Former Texas Ranger Association) |
