by Edson, J. T.
13a. Due to the prominence of General Jackson Baines ‘Ole Devil’ Hardin in the affairs of Texas, members of the OD Connected ranch’s floating outfit were frequently sent to assist such of his friends who found themselves in difficulty or endangered.
‘Mason-Dixon line’, erroneously called the ‘Mason-Dixie line’. The boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland, as surveyed from 1763-67 by the Englishmen, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon. It became considered as the dividing line separating the Southern ‘Slave’ and Northern ‘Free’ States.
‘New England’: the North East section of the United States—including Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont and Rhode Island—which was first settled by people primarily from the British Isles.
‘Gone to Texas’: on the run from the law. During the white colonization period, which had commenced in the early 1820’s, many fugitives from justice in the United States of America had fled to Texas and would continue to do so until annexation by the United States on February the 16th, 1846. Until the latter became a fact, they had known there was little danger of being arrested and extradited by the local authorities. In fact, like Kenya Colony from the 1920’s to the outbreak of World War II—in spite of the number of honest, hard working and law abiding settlers genuinely seeking to make a permanent home there—Texas had gained a reputation for being a ‘place in the sun for shady people’.
The Texas Rangers were to all practical intents and purposes abolished—their functions being taken over by the more prosaic Department of Public Safety at Austin and the Highway Patrol—on October the 17th, 1935. This was almost one hundred years to the day after their formation. Although their first purpose was to act as militia, or what in present day terms would be called a ‘para-military’ organization, to help fend off marauding Indians, they became increasingly responsible for supporting the local authorities in the enforcement of law and order.
17a. Having State-wide jurisdiction—as opposed to a sheriff being confined to his county and a town marshal to the community which hired him—the Rangers were supposed to await an invitation from the senior lawman on the spot before instigating or participating in any investigative activities in his bailiwick. However, due to the special conditions which prevailed at the time, during the Prohibition era a special Company, ‘Z’, was formed and given the right to act without such permission. Information regarding their official ‘unofficial’ operations is given in the Alvin Dustine ‘Cap’ Fog series.
17b. During the late 1870s, the Governor of Arizona formed a similar force to cope with law breaking in his State. A similar decision was taken by a later Governor and the Arizona Rangers were brought back into being. Why it was considered necessary to organize the first force, how it operated and was finally disbanded is recorded in the Waco series.
i
We do not claim Marvin Eldridge ‘Doc’ Leroy was the originator of wearing a jacket tailored in such a fashion as an aid to making a fast draw, but his were always converted that way. Information about his earlier career can be found in Part Three, ‘The Invisible Winchester’, OLE DEVIL’S HANDS AND FEET; Part Five, ‘The Hired Butcher’, THE HARD RIDERS; WACO’S DEBT;
Part Five, ‘A Case of Infectious Plumbeus Veneficium’, THE FLOATING OUTFIT; Part Three, ‘Monday Is A Quiet Day’, THE SMALL TEXAN; Part Two, ‘Jordan’s Try, THE TOWN TAMERS; RETURN TO BACKSIGHT; Part Six, ‘Keep Good Temper Alive’, J.T.’S HUNDREDTH and the Waco series.
The Wedge trail crew make ‘guest’ appearances in: QUIET TOWN, TRIGGER FAST and GUN WIZARD. They also ‘star’ in their own right in: BUFFALO ARE COMING!
ii Such boots were not the modern waterproof rubber variety, but had their legs in a style made popular by the Duke of Wellington in the Napoleonic War.
iii Another example of how completely clothing could identify a man as a Texan is given in: Case One, ‘Roan Marrett’s Son’, ARIZONA RANGER.
iv Information about some of Colin Farquharson’s activities prior to becoming a rancher is recorded in: .44 CALIBRE MAN and A HORSE CALLED MOGOLLON.
v ‘Chicano’, a person of Spanish origins residing in the United States.
vi ‘Cowtown’; colloquial name for Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas, derived from its long connection ranching and cattle.
vii ‘Bayos cebrunos’, a dun shading to a smoky grey colour.
viii A lariat was—and still is—made with one end of the rope being doubled back and spliced to form a small circle, or ‘eyelet’, known as the ‘honda’, through which the other end was passed to form the loop sometimes referred to as a ‘noose ‘. The section between the honda and the other end of the rope is called the ‘stem’, or ‘spoke’.
Although a metal ring can be used for helping form the honda, many men claim such an object might blind an animal and, anyway, would not ‘set’ sufficiently to prevent the struggling captive from freeing itself. A vastly superior precaution and aid is to have a piece of slick leather sewn about the upper end of the eyelet so that the stem of the rope will not burn through it.
ix How dangerous failing to take the precaution when making a draw could be is told in: THE FAST GUN.
x Although there is no mention of the part played by the ancestors of Don Jose Fernando de Armijo y Cordoba, details of some of the struggle to gain independence for Texas are given in the Ole Devil Hardin series.
xi Because of the slowness of communications at that period having prevented the news reaching the area, the Battle of Palmitto Hill—ironically won by the force serving the Confederate States—was fought on May the 13th, 1865, approximately a month after the War Between The States had ended elsewhere.
xii Although the term ‘rustlers’ was used in the other cattle raising States, Texans employed the blunter and more accurate description and said, ‘cow thieves’.
xiii ‘Mi casa, su casa’, ‘My house is your house’; traditional greeting given by wealthy Mexicans when receiving welcome visitors.
xiv Although Waxahachie Smith did not achieve the distinction, during the Prohibition era, Alvin Dustine ‘Cap’ Fog acquired his sobriquet by becoming the youngest man ever to attain the rank of captain in the Texas Rangers. For further information about his career and how this came about see the Alvin Dustine ‘Cap’ Fog series.
xv For more detailed information regarding the Texas Rangers, see: Item 17 of the APPENDIX.
xvi ‘Right bower’, second in command. Derived from the name given to the second highest trump card in the game of euchre.
xvii The event is described in: THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN.
Details of the careers of Captain Dustine Edward Marsden ‘Dusty’ Fog and Mark Counter can be found in the various volumes of the Civil War and Floating Outfit series.
We also have the privilege of being official biographer for Mark’s grandson, Sergeant Ranse Smith, Company ‘Z’, Texas Rangers and two great-grandsons, Deputy Sheriff Bradford ‘Brad’ Counter of Rockabye County, Texas, and James Allenuale ‘Bunduki’ Gunn. See, respectively, the Alvin Dustine ‘Cap’ Fog, Rockabye County and Bunduki series.
The sobriquet of James Allenvale Gun derives from the Swahili word for a hand held firearm of any kind being ‘bunduki’. It gave rise to the pun that when he was a child he was ‘Toto ya Bunduki’, ‘Son of a Gun .
xviii According to an often repeated story, although possibly apocryphal, a sheriff requested assistance from the Texas Rangers to help bring to an end a range war in his county. When only a single Ranger arrived, he was asked why more had not been sent and was told, ‘Well there’s only the one war, isn’t there?’
xix What eventually happened to Ranger Talbot Ottaway is told in: SLIP GUN.
xx In the Old West, if a person experienced doubts when another gave a name by way of introduction, the only way to express them and reduce the chance of provoking a hostile response was to ask, ‘Is that your summer name?’
xxi Some details of the career of the Ysabel Kid and his father, Big Sam Ysabel, are given in the
Civil War and Floating Outfit series.
xxii We apologise to any of our readers who are called ‘Ramsbottom’ and can only say in exculpation this is the name used in the documents upon which we have based this narrative.
xxiii ‘Bible Two’, also sometimes known as the ‘Black Book’; the list of fugitives published annually for the Texas Rangers and said to be read by them far more frequently than the real Bible.
xxiv Further information about the career of Charlotte ‘Madam Bulldog’ Canary is given in: Part One, ‘Better Than Calamity’, THE WILDCATS and its two ‘expansions’; THE HIDE AND HORN SALOON and CUT ONE, THEY ALL BLEED.
xxv ‘Burro’: in this context, a small wooden structure like the roof of a house upon which a saddle would be rested when not in use. Being so dependent upon his rig, a cowhand preferred to use a burro when one was available instead of laying it down or hanging it by a stirrup.
Despite the misconception created by Western movies—even the late and great John Wayne being an offender—a cowhand would never toss down his saddle on its skirts. If no burro was available, he would either lay it on its side, or stand it on its head, somewhere it would be safely clear of anybody inadvertently stepping upon it.
xxvi As is recorded in the Alvin Dustine ‘Cap’ Fog and Rockabye County series, members of the Tragg family continued to be active in the law enforcement of Texas during the Prohibition era and still are to the present day. Some details of two earlier members who served as peace officers are given in: SET A-FOOT and BEUINAGE IS DEAD!
xxvii ‘Refried beans’: a Mexican dish generally made from the mottled variety of kidney beans known as ‘pinto’, which have had spices added and are cooked until attaining a consistency similar to what are sold in the United Kingdom as ‘mushy peas’.
xxviii The combination of numbers were, in fact, Sergeant Waxahachie Smith ‘s date of birth. Americans put the month first, then the day and the year.
xxix One gun fighter who occasionally relied upon such a ploy was Major Bertram Mosehan, leader of a special force of peace officers whose purpose was to counter the activities of an exceptionally dangerous criminal organization in Arizona Territory; see: WACO’S BADGE.
xxx The trait of making a determined effort to avenge the murder of a compatriot was still retained by the Texas Rangers in the Prohibition era, see: THE RETURN OF RAPIDO CLINT AND MR.J.G. REEDER.
xxxi Details of the career and special qualifications of Captain Dustine Edward Marsden ‘Dusty ‘Fog can be found in the Civil War and Floating Outfit series.
xxxii The members of the Hardin, Fog and Blaze families with whom we have consulted decline to say why Lady Winifred Amelia ‘Freddie Woods’ Besgrove-Woodstole—as she was before her marriage to Dusty Fog—decided to leave England and live in the United States of America under an assumed name.
Mrs Fog appears as ‘Freddie Woods’ in: THE TROUBLE BUSTERS; THE MAKING OF A LAWMAN; THE GENTLE GIANT; THE CODE OF DUSTY FOG; BUFFALO ARE COMING!; THE FORTUNE HUNTERS; WHITE STALLION, RED MARE; THE WHIP AND THE WAR LANCE and Part Five, ‘The Butcher’s Fiery End’, J.T.’s LADIES.
xxxiii Teodoro Fuentes had outsmarted himself. After being subjected to the mutilation he had described, the body of Moses ‘Cousin Cyrus’ Claybone was taken by ‘the Dumb Ox’ to be left in the poor section of Flamingo known as the ‘barrio’ near the cantina of an otherwise disreputable Chicano who, Jose Lorenzo Rabena had declared, would be in opposition to their scheme. Unfortunately for the plotters, the owner found the corpse shortly after it was deposited. Deducing how the dead man had earned a living from the condition of his hands, the Chicano had believed his body had been left by an equally unscrupulous business rival in the hope that the other hired guns around Flamingo would come to take revenge under the misapprehension that he was murdered in the cantina. To avoid this, the owner took and sank the corpse—suitably weighted—in a deep stretch of the Rio Grande.
xxxiv The duties of a roundup captain are described in: THE MAN FROM TEXAS.
xxxv Being shorter than rifles, like handguns—see Item 3 of the Appendix—carbines were intended/or use by mounted soldiers. To offer greater accessibility when on foot or in the saddle, many types designed with mainly military sales in mind were equipped with a swivelling metal ring attached to the side of the frame. This could be coupled to the hook—generally brass, which could be given a bright polish for ceremonial purposes, where the army and navy were concerned—fitted on a leather strap allowing the weapon to be suspended across its user’s left shoulder and to hang by his right side.
xxxvi One occasion when Mrs. Freddie Fog displayed her ability with the ‘elephant gun’, which was actually a Holland & Holland . 465 H & H calibre double barrelled rifle considered by British sportsmen as being too light to be used successfully against such massive animals, is recorded in: BUFFALO ARE COMING!
xxxvii As was the case with his uncle, ‘Tommy Okasi’, the name of the young samurai was an Americanized corruption of an alias and their true identity cannot be divulged.
xxxviii The various members of the Hardin, Fog and Blaze clan with whom we discussed the subject during visits to Fort Worth, Texas, in 1975 and ‘85 stated that, because of the circumstances and high social standing of the people involved—all of whom have descendants holding positions of importance in Japan at the time of writing—it is inadvisable even at this late date to make public the facts concerning the reason for Tommy Okasi’s departure from his homeland.
Details of some of Tommy Okasi’s career and ability as a samurai warrior are given in the Ole Devil Hardin series and one occasion when he put to use his skill at karate is recorded in: SIDEWINDER.
xxxix When the daisho was carried with the sheaths attached to slings on a leather waist
belt, as was preferred by Tommy Okasi, the longer sword was referred to as a tachi.
xl The incident is described in: Part Three, ‘The Paint’, THE FASTEST GUN IN TEXAS.
In addition to information to be found in his own series, details of General Jackson Baines ‘Ole Devil’ Hardin’s later career are given in the Civil War and Floating Outfit series. His death is reported in: DOC LEROY, M.D.
xli Lord Maidstone was the son and heir of Admiral of the Fleet Lord Hornblower, the majority of whose distinguished career in the Royal Navy is recorded in a series of biographies written by C.S. Forester. How his injury came about is described in: Chapter Twelve, ‘Admiral Of The Fleet’, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF HORATIO HORNBLOWER, by C. Northcote Parkinson.
xlii The device was produced for Lord Maidstone by Hardy Bros, of Alnwick—now known as ‘The House Of Hardy’—who were already acknowledged as the manufacturers of top quality fishing tackle. The company later put a version of it called a ‘Third Arm’ on the market for the benefit of anglers with similar afflictions.
xliii Although Kiowa Cotton had ridden under the command of Captain Dustine Edward Marsden ‘Dusty’ Fog in Company ‘C of the Texas Light Cavalry during the War Between The States, it was not until after the events recorded in TRAIL BOSS that he became a member of the OD Connected ranch’s floating outfit.
xliv We asked the present day members of the Besgrove-Woodstole family whether the dealings ‘Freddie Woods’ had had with untrustworthy and disloyal Civil Servants were responsible for her leaving Great—as it was then—Britain. They admitted that she was considered by some people to have gone too far in bringing to an end the activities of three in fairly high positions of trust who were selling military and other information to Russia; then regarded as an enemy, particularly where the internal affairs of India were concerned. However, they refuse to supply further details except to say the affair was not forgotten by the survivor and on at least one occasion he instigated an attempt to take revenge upon her; see: DECISION FOR DUSTY FOG.
xlv As Talbot Ottoway left Flamingo on the afternoon that Sergeant Waxahachie Smith was abducted, wanting to ensure he was not found to be involved should it go wrong, his participation in the conspiracy was not kno
wn to Sheriff Daniel Tobin.
xlvi Regardless of the popularity achieved by the Winchester Model of 1873, some authorities assert that there are better claimants for the title, ‘Gun Which Won The West’. Among those proposed are Colt’s revolvers, Sharps’ rifles and the Winchester Model of 1866, known as the ‘old yellowboy’ because it had a brass frame.
