A
big-time feud between competing free-range ranchers in South
Texas once threatened a small community. A plea for help was sent to the Texas
Ranger camp located about 100 miles distant. Help came as fast as a horse could
travel as one scrawny, big-hatted Ranger rode in and placed his jaded mount in
the livery stable. The community groaned as the skinny runt sat down on the courthouse
veranda, believing their plea would be in vain.
The next morning, the toughest of the feuding ranchers rode into town at the head
of his tough cowboys, threatened the Ranger with his gun, yelling what he was
going to do. The Ranger merely drew his pistol, shot the rancher between the eyes
and stood ready to continue the argument. The feud was over in that instant.
The
employees tied their boss' carcass across his saddle and left town spreading word
to the others involved.
Some
problems have simple answers.
Down in Concho County, Texas, law and order
came with several tough cattle thieves being caught and sent to prison in Huntsville,
Texas. At that time, the state had little money in its coffers and the prison
raised thousands of acres of cotton in order
to pay for its operations. The convicts planted, chopped and picked cotton
in the hot sun, instead of busting rocks for punishment.
Two of the former
cattle thieves served their time and moved on to Colorado, where they began robbing
stagecoaches and trains. After killing a time or two, they were caught, convicted
and were sentenced to be hung. They
were asked why, after being in prison down in Texas
for cattle stealing, they had came to Colorado to rob trains. They explained,
"If caught stealing cattle in Texas, you went to
prison, where you had to chop and pick cotton.
In Colorado, when you are caught, you are hung."
Somehow,
in their mind at least, being hung was much better than having to pick cotton.
© Delbert Trew "It's
All Trew" March
3, 2010 Column E-mail: trewblue@centramedia.net.
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