Howdy folks and greetings from the Great Plains of North Texas!
We're in a series about one of the top Texas Ranger lawmen to ever wear the badge, the great Frank Hamer, who was brought out of retirement to take down Bonnie and Clyde.
In the last post of this series Frank heroically saved two Black prisoners from a lynch mob and he continued to fight racism in that way. In fact, he protected 6 more Black men from lynch mobs over the course of the next year.
He and other Rangers were constantly being called to help keep the peace in Southeast Texas. Sometimes it was just rowdyism but many times it was an out of control, hateful mob of white folk out for blood.
Shamefully, people were insane back then.
Today's story
One of the towns that Frank and his partner Oscar Latta had to be sent to in order to keep the peace was a wild little town named Navasota, down by Houston. The Sheriff was having problems with local bullies and ruffians.
Here's where Navasota is:
On his first trip there, Frank ran into trouble almost immediately.
He'd gotten off the train, looked the town over, and saundered over to the barber shop. Frank saundered everywhere he went. He had an easy, laid-back style and a slow, Texas drawl.
When he got to the barbershop he sat down, took out his pocket knife and started whittlin on Pecan shells while he waited his turn.
Well, while he was sittin there one of the main bullies that'd been giving the Sheriff such a hard time came bustin through the door. He say's to everyone there.."Where's this damned Ranger they sent over here to clean up the town?"
"I can whip him just as easy as I can handle that Sheriff!"
"Well, you might be talkin about me." Frank replied in his calm, Texas drawl. "I'm a Texas Ranger."
Frank hated bullies more than anything
He folded his pocket knife and slipped it into his pocket. In an instant the bully got the fight he was looking for but it didn't go the way he expected it to and it didn't last long.
Ten minutes later Frank had drug him over to the doctor's office for an ugly gash in his head that needed stitched up.
Frank had knocked the idiot in the head with the handle of his six shooter. Nowadays he'd be charged with Aggravated Assault and use of Excessive Force, AND sued... but back then they called it justice.
Who could live on that?
The Rangers were constantly losing good men because there wasn't any money in it. They were only paid $40 a month.
That was pitiful considering the dangerous and important work they were doing. Even his good friend Oscar Latta left them for a better paying job.
Here's Frank on the left and Oscar on the right, this was in 1908, the year he left the Rangers:
When Frank found out that Navasota was looking for a Sheriff he applied for the job because they paid over twice as much as he was making with the Rangers.
They accepted and he resigned with the Rangers in 1908 but his Ranger career was Far from over!
In the next post Frank arrives at one of the nastiest, toughest, most racist little towns in the South, full of racist bullies. Did I say how much Frank hates bullies?
Thanks for reading folks, God bless you all!
-jonboy
Texas
PS- I've been showcasing wire sculptures that catch my eye, these two are made with such precision and patience. Not to mention skill!