Six Years with the Texas Rangers, 1875 to 1881Gillett, James B.
History
Six Years with the Texas Rangers, 1875 to 1881
Gillett, James B.
Frontier and pioneer life -- Texas; Gillett, James B., 1856-1937; Texas -- History -- 1846-1950; Texas Rangers
We had not traveled far before we discovered a lone man riding slowly
down the trail to the Potter ranch. We remained hidden and were able
to approach within fifty yards of the house without being seen. We now
halted in the bed of a creek for a short consultation. The one-room
cabin had only a single door, and before it was a small wagon. The
Potters cooked out of doors between the house and the wagon. We
could see a horse tied to the south side of the vehicle, but could
not see the camp fire for the wagon and the horse. To our right and
about twenty-five steps away old man Potter and one of his sons were
unloading some hogs from a wagon into a pen.
We knew the moment we left the creek bed we would be in full view
of the Potters and the ranch house. We decided, then, that we would
advance on the house as fast as we could run and so be in good position
to capture the man who had ridden into the camp. We rose from the creek
running. Old man Potter discovered us as we came in view and yelled,
"Run, Dick, run! Here comes the rangers!"
We then knew the man we wanted was at the camp. We were so close upon
Dublin that he had no time to mount his horse or get his gun, so he
made a run for the brush. I was within twenty-five yards of him when
he came from behind the wagon, running as fast as a big man could. I
ordered him to halt and surrender, but he had heard that call too many
times and kept going. Holding my Winchester carbine in my right hand I
fired a shot directly at him as I ran. In a moment he was out of sight.
I hurried to the place where he was last seen and spied him running
up a little ravine. I stopped, drew a bead on him, and again ordered
him to halt. As he ran, Dublin threw his hand back under his coat as
though he were attempting to draw a pistol. I fired. My bullet struck
the fugitive in the small of the back just over the right hip bone and
passed out near his right collarbone. It killed him instantly. He was
bending over as he ran, and this caused the unusual course of my ball.
The boys, whom I had outrun, now joined me, and Carter fired two shots
at Dublin after he was down. I ordered him to desist as the man was
dead. I examined the body to make sure it was Dublin, for I knew him
intimately, as I had cow hunted with him before I became a ranger. We
found him unarmed, but he had a belt of cartridges around his waist.
He was so completely surprised by our sudden appearance he could do
nothing but run. The $700 reward on him could never be collected, as it
was offered for his arrest and conviction. Dublin's brothers, Role and
Dell, swore vengeance against myself and the Banister boys, but nothing
ever came of the oath.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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