TEXAS RANGERS Ep. 6 | “McNelly’s Rangers”

Summary

Legends of the Old West: Episode 6 – “McNelly’s Rangers”

Host: Black Barrel Media
Host/Author: Chris Wimmer
Release Date: July 31, 2024
Duration: Approximately 35 minutes

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1. Introduction and Historical Context

In Episode 6 of Legends of the Old West, host Chris Wimmer delves into the tumultuous period of the mid-1870s, a time marked by significant conflicts and transformations in the American West. The episode sets the stage by highlighting key events such as Quanah Parker's surrender in June 1875, the Red River War, and the ensuing Great Sioux War, emphasizing the widespread impact these events had on Native American tribes and the expansionist ambitions of the United States.

“In the summer of 1875, around the same time of McNelly's Palo Alto fight on June 12, events were in motion all over the west that would soon have major impacts on American history.” (01:08)

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2. Captain Leander McNelly and the Palo Alto Fight

Captain Leander McNelly emerges as a central figure, leading a militia of approximately 30 men in the Washington County militia. The episode recounts the June 12, 1875, Palo Alto fight where McNelly and his Rangers successfully eliminated 15 of 16 bandits and recovered between 250 and 300 head of stolen cattle.

“They had killed 15 of 16 bandits during the galloping gunfight on June 12 and recovered between 250 and 300 head of stolen cattle.” (03:48)

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3. Challenges and Leadership Amidst Illness

Despite initial successes, McNelly faced significant challenges, including his deteriorating health due to tuberculosis. Confined to a hotel room in Brownsville during July and August, he relied on his second-in-command, Lieutenant T.C. Robinson, and a network of informants to maintain operations.

“But he couldn't ride with them personally. McNelly also kept his network of paid informants operating...” (04:25)

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4. The Las Cuevas Incident

In October 1875, following unsuccessful negotiations between the U.S. Army and Mexican authorities over stolen cattle, McNelly seized the opportunity to act. Learning of a raid led by Juan Flores Salinas, a prominent figure in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, McNelly led his Rangers across the Rio Grande into Mexico. During the initial assault, the Rangers mistakenly attacked the wrong village, resulting in a fierce firefight where McNelly reported killing four men.

“McNelly intended to cross the border, strike the Salinas Ranch at Las Cuevas and recover the stolen cattle. The mission would be outside the law.” (08:02)

“McNelly's troop killed four.” (09:42)

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5. Escalation and Standoff at Las Cuevas

The confrontation escalated when Salinas rallied 250 men to defend Las Cuevas. Despite being heavily outnumbered, McNelly and his Rangers engaged in a prolonged standoff. The arrival of U.S. cavalry provided some support, but the situation remained precarious. Negotiations ensued, with McNelly refusing to back down despite the lack of military support.

“McNelly didn’t believe the promise for a second, but an army major ordered the regular soldiers to return to Texas. McNelly, meanwhile, stayed right where he was.” (14:48)

Ultimately, McNelly resorted to intimidation tactics, leading to the recovery of a portion of the stolen cattle without capturing the thieves. The Las Cuevas War concluded on November 21, 1875, marking McNelly’s final significant action on the border.

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6. Captain McNelly’s Legacy and Leadership Style

Captain McNelly was a larger-than-life figure, both revered and controversial. His aggressive strategies and disregard for bureaucratic constraints earned him immense popularity among Texans while simultaneously testing the patience of his superiors.

“He was a bold leader, a ruthless fighter, and brave nearly to the point of insanity. He quite simply didn't care what it took to get the job done.” (16:24)

McNelly’s inability to adhere to conventional military protocols, coupled with his unorthodox methods, painted him as both a hero and a maverick, reflecting the complex nature of law enforcement on the frontier.

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7. Transition of Command to Jesse Lee Hall

As McNelly's health declined, the Texas Legislature reorganized his unit into the Special State Troops, appointing Jesse Lee Hall as his successor. Hall, known for his red hair and reputation as a peace officer, quickly proved his mettle by tackling local criminal activities, including bank robberies and cattle rustling.

“Hall had earned a solid reputation as a peace officer in the area around Sherman, Texas...” (23:04)

Under Hall’s leadership, the unit achieved significant successes, including the apprehension of the notorious outlaw John Wesley Hardin in July 1877.

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8. Capture of John Wesley Hardin

A pivotal moment in the episode is the detailed account of Lt. John Armstrong and Jack Duncan’s daring operation to capture John Wesley Hardin. Their meticulous planning and determination culminated in a dramatic confrontation aboard a train in Alabama, where Hardin was apprehended after a brief shootout.

“Armstrong grabbed Hardin and that set off a scuffle in the car... Armstrong drew his pistol and returned fire and killed Hardin's friend.” (30:02)

The return of Hardin to Texas was met with public acclaim, highlighting the effectiveness of Hall and his team.

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9. Captain McNelly’s Passing

Tragically, just a week after the capture of Hardin, Captain Leander McNelly succumbed to tuberculosis on September 4, 1877, at the age of 33. His legacy is memorialized in Burton, Texas, where a monument stands as a testament to his enduring impact on Texas law enforcement.

“Captain McNelly passed away September 4, 1877, and he's buried in the Mount Zion Cemetery in Burton, Texas.” (32:15)

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10. Conclusion and Legacy

Episode 6 culminates by reflecting on McNelly’s dual legacy as both a beloved community figure and a contentious military leader. His untimely death marked the end of an era for the Texas Rangers, paving the way for successors like Jesse Lee Hall to continue shaping law enforcement in the American West.

“He was both wildly popular and barely tolerable at the same time.” (16:24)

The episode closes with a preview of upcoming stories, promising listeners a deep dive into the adventures of early American frontier figures like Jedediah Smith and Hugh Glass.

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Notable Quotes

• “In the summer of 1875, around the same time of McNelly's Palo Alto fight on June 12, events were in motion all over the west that would soon have major impacts on American history.” – Chris Wimmer (01:08)

• “He was a bold leader, a ruthless fighter, and brave nearly to the point of insanity.” – Chris Wimmer (16:24)

• “Armstrong grabbed Hardin and that set off a scuffle in the car.” – Chris Wimmer (30:02)

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Legends of the Old West: “McNelly’s Rangers” offers a compelling exploration of Captain Leander McNelly’s efforts to enforce law in the lawless frontier, his confrontations with notorious outlaws, and the enduring legacy of his leadership within the Texas Rangers. Through vivid storytelling and meticulous attention to historical detail, Black Barrel Media brings to life the rugged challenges and heroic endeavors that defined the American West.

Transcript

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[Chris Wimmer]

In the summer of 1875, around the same time of McNelly's Palo Alto fight on June 12, events were in motion all over the west that would soon have major impacts on American history.

[Narrator]

On June 2, 10 days before the.

[Chris Wimmer]

Palo Alto fight, Quanah Parker and the.

[Narrator]

Final band of free Comanche surrendered to the US Army. A year earlier, in August and September 1874, the army had conducted a campaign against the Comanche that would be called the Red River War. The army hadn't captured Parker, but after a long, hard winter, Parker's fight was done. With Parker's surrender, all the tribes of the Southern Plains had submitted to life on reservations.

[Chris Wimmer]

But trouble was slowly brewing on the Northern Plains. At the same time the army was beginning the Red river war in Texas, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer was leading an expedition into the Black Hills. The expedition officially confirmed the existence of gold in the hills, which everyone knew was there anyway. A year later, In May of 1875, a month before Quanah Parker surrendered and McNelly's Rangers fought bandits at Palo Alto, Lakota Chiefs Red Cloud and Spotted Tail traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with President Ulysses S. Grant. America was in the grip of a financial crisis. Custer had confirmed gold in the Black Hills, and now Grant wanted to buy the hills from the Lakota and Cheyenne. Red Cloud and Spotted Tail said no. A few months later, in the fall of 1875, Grant sent a delegation to Nebraska to meet with the chiefs and present a second offer to buy the hills. The chiefs again said no. After the second refusal, Grant authorized the military campaign on the Northern Plains that would be known to many as the Great Sioux War. Ultimately, it would succeed in subduing the Lakota and Cheyenne, just like similar campaigns had done on the Southern Plains, but not before the disastrously historic Battle of the Little Bighorn in Texas in the fall of 1875. At the same time, Red Cloud and Spotted Tail were refusing Grant's offer a second time. Captain McNelly's network of spies was learning information that would bring the hard charging leader back into the field after a long absence. After the Palo alto fight on June.

[Narrator]

12, 1875, the rest of the summer.

[Chris Wimmer]

Had passed uneventfully for roughly 30 men of the Washington county militia and their captain, Leander McNelly.

[Narrator]

They had killed 15 of 16 bandits during the galloping gunfight on June 12 and recovered between 250 and 300 head of stolen cattle.

[Chris Wimmer]

But they hadn't had a chase or a fight since then.

[Narrator]

McNelly spent nearly all of July and.

[Chris Wimmer]

August holed up in a hotel room in Brownsville. As his tuberculosis worsened, he issued orders.

[Narrator]

To his second in command, Lieutenant T.C. robinson, and he kept his company in the saddle day and night. But he couldn't ride with them personally. McNally also kept his network of paid informants operating.

[Chris Wimmer]

Even though he couldn't be out there in the thick of it.

[Narrator]

He wanted to know what was going on and his men needed information. In mid October 1875, as Grant's delegation was returning to Washington with bad news about buying the Black Hills, McNelly's spies brought him good news about catching bandits. A raiding party from Mexico had crossed into Texas a few miles up the rio Grande from McNelly's headquarters in Brownsville. The captain would leave his sickbed and jump back into the saddle for his most dangerous and controversial mission and his final significant action on the border. From Black Barrel Media, this is Legends of the Old West.

[Chris Wimmer]

I'm your host Chris Wimmer and this.

[Narrator]

Season we're returning to the stories of the Texas Rangers.

[Chris Wimmer]

This series will follow the Rangers through the Civil War, to their final years.

[Narrator]

As frontier fighters and then to their beginnings as lawmen.

[Chris Wimmer]

This is episode six, McNelly's Rangers. One of the many men in Northern Mexico who wore multiple titles like General, politician and wealthy rancher was Juan Flores Salinas. With Juan Cortina in prison in the summer of 1875, Salinas was one of the most prominent men in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

[Narrator]

He was based in the town of Camargo, directly across the river from Rio Grande City.

[Chris Wimmer]

Camargo was one of the age old hotspots for bandit activity and border crossings like Reynosa, across from Hidalgo and Matamoros, across from Brownsville and Baghdad, on the last strip of land before the Gulf of Mexico.

[Narrator]

In mid October 1875. McNelly's informants told him that 200 cattle.

[Chris Wimmer]

Had been stolen from Cameron county, the home of Brownsville. The cattle had been driven across the.

[Narrator]

Border and ultimately delivered to Monterey, the biggest city in that part of northern Mexico. The news stated that Juan Flores Salinas had been responsible for the raid. A month later, McNelly's spies gave him similar information, except this information might be actionable. On November 16, a group of 16 rustlers had driven 75 cattle from Texas to Mexico near Rio Grande. This time, the cattle were destined for the ranch of Juan Flores Salinas at the small community of Las Cuevas near.

[Chris Wimmer]

The border town of Camargo.

[Narrator]

McNelly jumped into the saddle and headed for Rio Grande City, across the river from Camargo. He arrived two days later, on November 18th. Thirty of his men arrived that evening after riding 55 miles in five hours. They found an international incident already brewing. When McNelly made it to Rio Grande City, he found a unit of the 8th US Cavalry negotiating with the alcalde of Camargo for the return of the cattle and the arrest of the thieves.

[Chris Wimmer]

The day before McNelly arrived, the cavalry had chased the rustlers to the border. The cavalry killed a couple of the.

[Narrator]

Bandits, but most had escaped into Mexico with the cattle. Now the army major was trying to.

[Chris Wimmer]

Persuade the mayor of Camargo to give.

[Narrator]

Up the thieves and the cattle, and he was getting nowhere.

[Chris Wimmer]

McNally grew increasingly frustrated as the major instructed him to stay in Texas and wait for a result. When McNally's men arrived that evening, he told them he was done waiting. He gathered the troop and spoke plainly about his intent and the danger of the mission. McNelly intended to cross the border, strike.

[Narrator]

Salinas Ranch at Las Cuevas and recover the stolen cattle. The mission would be outside the law. They had no authority in Mexico. If they met resistance, they would receive no quarter from their enemies and they would give none in return. He could not guarantee the survival of.

[Chris Wimmer]

The men who followed him, but he was going no matter what.

[Narrator]

All the men agreed to go, and that night they began crossing the Rio Grande. There was a heavy fog on the night of the 18th which helped mask.

[Chris Wimmer]

The movements of the Rangers. But the mud was so thick at that point of the river that the troop only got five horses across.

[Narrator]

All the other Rangers had to row.

[Chris Wimmer]

Across in a small boat and then move inland on foot.

[Narrator]

After three miles, the Rangers approached a.

[Chris Wimmer]

Village of thatched roof huts. One account said Sgt. John Armstrong shot and killed a guard and that started the firefight.

[Narrator]

Another said someone from the village fired a shot at the Rangers, and McNelly responded and killed the shooter, and that started the firefight. Either way, the battle was on, and the Rangers charged the village. When McNelly later wired Adjutant General William Steele, he said his troop killed four.

[Chris Wimmer]

Men during the attack.

[Narrator]

Other accounts said The Rangers killed 20 to 25. But as with many such engagements, it's.

[Chris Wimmer]

Impossible to know the truth.

[Narrator]

Either way, lots of important people were.

[Chris Wimmer]

Following the progress of the raid. A US army telegraph operator back across the river in Rio Grande City had climbed to the top of a telegraph.

[Narrator]

Pole and was watching the action from afar. He could see the flashes of gunfire, and he was basically doing a play by play commentary of the events. He sent messages down the line to.

[Chris Wimmer]

Fort Brown in Brownsville.

[Narrator]

Fort Brown forwarded them up to the Department of Texas headquarters in San Antonio.

[Chris Wimmer]

And then to the War Department in Washington.

[Narrator]

And suddenly, in the middle of the night, everyone knew that Captain McNelly had led a group of Rangers into Mexico and was now engaged in a gunfight as he attacked a village.

[Chris Wimmer]

And to make matters worse, he was attacking the wrong village.

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[Narrator]

The village of Las Cuevas, the stronghold of Juan Flores Salinas, was another mile inland from the village McNelly had attacked. The mistake gave Salinas time to rally his fighting force. He was a general in the rurales, the Texas Rangers of Mexico, and he marshaled 250 men to make a stand at his village. Despite being badly outnumbered, McNally and his troop of about 30 advanced toward Las Cuevas. When they reached the village, a fierce firefight erupted. After about 10 minutes, it became obvious to McNally that his men were in a tight spot. He ordered a retreat back to the Rio Grande, and the Rangers hoofed it.

[Chris Wimmer]

Four miles to the river.

[Narrator]

There they turned and set up a defensive perimeter. At 7am on November 19, Juan Flores Salinas and about 25 of his men galloped into view. They charged straight at the Rangers, and McNally shouted at his men to open up on the attackers. The Rangers opened fire and killed several of the Mexican fighters, including Juan Flores Salinas. At that point, with Americans engaged in battle just across the river, an army captain sent 40 U.S. army cavalrymen into Mexico to support the Rangers. McNally wanted the Horsemen to continue inland.

[Chris Wimmer]

And attack Las Cuevas, but the captain.

[Narrator]

Wisely would only allow the soldiers to defend the Rangers. Throughout the day, Mexican fighters attacked the American line in waves, but they did little damage. At about 5 o'clock in the evening, the Mexican force raised a flag of truce. The army captain crossed the river and began a series of negotiations with representatives of the alcalde of Camargo. The representatives demanded the removal of all American forces, and in exchange they promised.

[Chris Wimmer]

To do everything possible to return the.

[Narrator]

Stolen cattle and capture the rustlers.

[Chris Wimmer]

McNelly didn't believe the promise for a second, but an army major ordered the regular soldiers to return to Texas. McNelly, meanwhile, stayed right where he was.

[Narrator]

The Rangers camped on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande to see how the situation would play out the next morning. The next morning, the army major urged McNelly to come back to Texas, and he said he would not send any more troops to support McNelly's position. McNelly held his ground all day. On November 20th, late in the afternoon, he once again got sick of waiting. He issued an ultimatum to the Mexican officials. They needed to guarantee they would deliver the stolen cattle and the thieves by 10am the next morning or he would.

[Chris Wimmer]

Attack them one hour from right now. The officials agreed and McNelly led his troop across the river to Texas. The next morning, to no one's surprise, there were no cattle and no thieves.

[Narrator]

McNelly gathered 12 heavily armed rangers and rode back into Mexico. They threatened the Mexican officials until some of the cattle were eventually returned. The numbers vary, but somewhere between 35 and 65 head were delivered to Texas and none of the thieves. But that was as good as it was going to get. By the morning of November 21, 1875, the events that would become known as the Las Cuevas War were done. The excursion into Mexico in pursuit of a few stolen cattle and a handful of thieves would be a double edged.

[Chris Wimmer]

Sword for Captain McNelly.

[Narrator]

He was both wildly popular and barely tolerable at the same time. After the Las Cuevas escapade, The newspapers loved McNally.

[Chris Wimmer]

The people of Texas revered him and.

[Narrator]

His men worshiped him. He was a slim man with a persistent illness and a hacking cough, but he was also a bold leader, a ruthless fighter, and brave nearly to the point of insanity. He quite simply didn't care what it took to get the job done. He would do it. He invaded Mexico with 30 men and then maintained a multi day standoff just to recover about 75 cattle. But the qualities that made him beloved by many people were starting to test the patience of his superiors.

[Chris Wimmer]

That and some other things.

[Narrator]

McNally was a good field commander, but he was not a bureaucrat. He had no time for paperwork or tedium. His reports to Adjutant General Steele were erratic and he was terrible about keeping financial records. He was a big believer in the concept of shooting first and asking questions later. And he had no problem creating an international incident. When you add all those things up.

[Chris Wimmer]

His methods were starting to wear thin.

[Narrator]

But even with all that said in that time and that place, he wasn't entirely wrong either. Especially when it came to his assessment of local lawmen, judges and politicians. McNally's next mission took him more than 200 miles upriver to Eagle Pass to.

[Chris Wimmer]

Catch an outlaw who remained free, McNelly believed because of the weakness of local.

[Narrator]

Lawmen and the judicial system. The outlaw was John Fisher, who was better known as King Fisher. He fell into the category of Old west outlaws who were high on name recognition but low on confirmed details. King is sometimes listed as his middle name, John King Fisher, and sometimes as a nickname, because he was known as the king of his little corner of territory outside Eagle Pass.

[Chris Wimmer]

Either way, the label was true.

[Narrator]

He ruled a small area like his own bandit kingdom. He was born and raised in Texas, and he started getting into trouble early in life. He went to jail for four months when he was 16 years old, and within a couple years he had built a ranch in the northwest corner of the region of South Texas known as the Nueces Strip. His ranch was a haven for outlaws, and his business thrived on cattle rustling. He was a fancy dresser. He carried two ivory handled pistols, and he was rumored to have killed dozens of people. But like John Wesley Hardin, it's impossible to separate rumor from fact.

[Chris Wimmer]

And the truth is probably less spectacular than the story.

[Narrator]

And the most fun tidbit is the.

[Chris Wimmer]

One that is repeated most often. Supposedly on the road that led to.

[Narrator]

Fisher's ranch, his outlaw group posted a sign that read, this is King Fisher's road. Take the other. By the summer of 1876, King Fisher was the established cattle rustling king of his territory, and he was just 21 years old.

[Chris Wimmer]

Local authorities couldn't or wouldn't stop him.

[Narrator]

So McNelly decided to arrest Fisher himself. In early. In early June 1876, McNelly and his men rode to Kingfisher's ranch, disregarded the sign on the road, and surrounded Fisher's ranch house. McNelly shouted to the bandit that he had two choices. Surrender or die. Fisher and nine of his men surrendered. McNelly and the company escorted them to jail and rounded up about 600 to 800 head of stolen cattle. And then two days later, McNelly was furious to learn that all the men had been released and all the cattle had been returned. It was a problem that was nearly.

[Chris Wimmer]

As rampant as cattle rustling.

[Narrator]

Prosecutors and judges refused to move forward with cases because of corruption or fear. It annoyed McNally and the other commanders to no end. They all experienced it, and McNally complained, complained loudly when he testified before the Texas legislature three weeks after he arrested King Fisher. But the Bandit King continued to sidestep the law, and then he joined the ranks himself. Five years after he tangled with McNally, Kingfisher became deputy sheriff of Uvalde county and then acting sheriff when his boss was indicted for criminal activity. Fisher intended to run for sheriff on his own merit later in 1884. But in March, he and his friend, the famous gunfighter Ben Thompson, went to a theater in San Antonio.

[Chris Wimmer]

Thompson had crossed paths with Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickok in Kansas and Bat Masterson in Sweetwater, Texas.

[Narrator]

Now, like Hickok and Jesse James and many others, Ben Thompson and King Fisher were shot and killed by a couple guys with no reputation or celebrity.

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[Narrator]

On June 21, 1876, Captain McNally testified before the Texas Legislature about the problems.

[Chris Wimmer]

That lawmen faced in South Texas. Four days later and 1200 miles to.

[Narrator]

The north, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer.

[Chris Wimmer]

Led the 7th Cavalry in an ill fated attack on the village of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse.

[Narrator]

When news of the Battle of the Little Bighorn broke In early July, McNelly and his company were in the midst of transition.

[Chris Wimmer]

The Texas Legislature passed a bill that reorganized McNelly's company into a new, larger unit that was called the Special State Troops.

[Narrator]

The governor appointed McNelly as the commander of the unit, and the legislature chose McNally's second in command. The congressman chose Jesse Lee hall and.

[Chris Wimmer]

Appointed him to the rank of lieutenant.

[Narrator]

The choice was not well liked by McNelly's men.

[Chris Wimmer]

They had preferred Sergeant John Armstrong, a young Ranger who had served with the company for the past year during the entirety of McNelly's campaign on the border. But the men would quickly come to respect Lee hall, or Red, as he was often called because of his red hair. Hall had spent five years earning a solid reputation as a peace officer in the area around Sherman, Texas, 60 miles north of Dallas. In the summer of 1876, he was the sergeant at arms for the Texas House of Representatives in Austin, which was how he became friends with the lawmakers who appointed him lieutenant of McNelly's new special state Troops. Hall officially began work with the unit on August 10, and he hustled to the company's headquarters in the Nueces Strip. As Major John B. Jones and the Frontier Battalion of Texas Rangers were beginning their transition from Indian fighters to law enforcement officers, a similar transition was happening for the Special State troops. Their primary mission was no longer to pursue cattle rustlers for Mexico. It was to pursue homegrown criminals in South Texas. And there were plenty of Texan murderers, robbers and rustlers to keep the new lawmen busy. Two weeks after hall joined the company in the Nueces Strip, he received word of a bank robbery in the town of Goliad. Captain McNally was confined to his sickbed in San Antonio, so Hall assumed field command of the unit. He took a detachment to Goliad and quickly learned that the situation was worse than an isolated bank robbery. The gang who committed the robbery were also believed to be guilty of cattle rustling and murder. The local sheriff was allegedly protecting them, and local ranchers had formed a vigilante group to protect their stock. And they had killed two people as well. Throughout September 1876, hall and his troops dispersed the vigilantes and tracked the outlaw gang. The sheriff was suspended from duty and hall assumed the role of the top lawman in the county. He and his company arrested 20 men, broke up the gang, and made sure they were brought to court in October. Hall's first mission with the unit was a success. The next month, their work turned unexpectedly bloody. Hall and a squad from the company were helping a deputy sheriff serve murder warrants when the suspects opened fire on the Rangers. The Rangers lost the two suspects and ended up killing a friend of one of the two men three days later. Right before Thanksgiving 1876, Lt. Hall and the unit traveled up the road to Dewitt county, where it all began for the Washington county militia. Two years earlier, in September 1876, the final murders of the Sutton Taylor feud were credited to the Sutton clan. An elderly doctor and his son had been dragged out of their home and executed in an event that was shocking even by the standards of the feud that was called the longest and deadliest in Texas history. Lt. Hall and the company arrived two months later and spent a month investigating the crime. Right before Christmas, they secured murder indictments against seven men and then crashed a wedding to arrest all the suspects. The suspects spent a year in jail before going to trial in December 1877. And the trials had predictable results. One man had his case dismissed. Two were found not guilty and set free. Three were found guilty but then released on a technicality. And the last man's case took 20 years to wind its way through the legal system. He was finally convicted in 1899 and then promptly pardoned by the governor. For the second half of 1876, while Lt. Hall led the informal Ranger company that was formerly known as the special state troops, Captain McNelly's tuberculosis was slowly and steadily growing worse. There was no cure for the disease and the only treatment that was prescribed by doctors was to go west to find a dry climate that would make life more tolerable. That was what a part time dentist, part time gambler named John Henry Doc Holliday was doing at the same time McNelly was suffering. Doc had been diagnosed with tuberculosis a couple years earlier and in 1876 he was traveling around the Colorado, Wyoming region. By the summer of 1877, while McNelly was living out his final days on his farm near Brenham, Doc was beginning his lively stay in Fort Griffin, Texas. McNally didn't make it into the field in the second half of 1876, and the enlistments for his company of Special State troops ran out in January 1877, about a month after Lt. Hall and the company made the final arrests of the Sutton Taylor feud. At that time, McNally was in essence medically retired. Lee hall was the clear leader of the company which mustered back into service, and his star was on the rise. At the same time, Sergeant John Armstrong's star was also on the rise. He had risen up through the ranks of McNelly's company during the border campaign and he was continuing to rise and his status in Texas lore would be cemented. Late in the summer of 1877, while McNally was home on his farm, Armstrong was making the arrest of a lifetime. John Wesley Hardin had been on the run since he and Jim Taylor had killed a deputy sheriff in 1874. Hardin, his wife Jane, and their infant daughter Molly were hiding in Alabama with.

[Narrator]

Hardin making frequent trips to Florida for business. In the spring of 1877, newly promoted 2nd Lt. John Armstrong started working on the Hardin case.

[Chris Wimmer]

In July he received help from Jack Duncan, a Dallas policeman. Duncan was added to the Ranger troop as a private for the express purpose of catching Hardin. Duncan went down to South Texas to DeWitt and Gonzales counties and went undercover as a supporter of the Taylor Klan. Within a month, he became friends with Jane Hardin's father, and learned that the fugitives were hiding in Alabama by mid August 1877, Armstrong and Duncan were on a train to Alabama. Back in Texas that summer, Major John B. Jones and the Frontier Battalion were closing the book on the Horl Higgins feud. A week before Armstrong and Duncan set off for Alabama, Jones published his two part peace treaty in the Lampasas Dispatch newspaper. When Armstrong and Duncan arrived in Montgomery, Alabama, they were temporarily stalled by one of the chief burdens of all paperwork. While Texas Adjutant General William Steele sorted out the legal logistics of arresting a Texas fugitive in another state, Armstrong and Duncan learned that Hardin was scheduled to take a train from Pensacola, Florida to Pollard, Alabama. The two lawmen jumped on a train for Florida and enlisted the help of a county sheriff and a posse of eight to arrest the fugitive. They boarded Hardin's train and found the wanted murderer in the smoking car with three friends. The posse entered the car from the front and the back and surrounded Hardin's group. Armstrong approached Hardin and Hardin was instantly suspicious. Armstrong grabbed Hardin and that set off a scuffle in the car. One of Hardin's friends pulled the gun and fired at Armstrong, but missed. Armstrong drew his pistol and returned fire and killed Hardin's friend. Armstrong. Duncan and the posse wrestled Hardin into custody and the two lawmen eventually dragged Hardin back to Texas to stand trial. When Armstrong, Duncan and their famous prisoner arrived in Austin five days later, Aug. 28, a crowd had gathered at the train station that was so large that the Rangers had to lift Hardin over their heads and carry him to jail because it was impossible to walk through the mass of spectators. Exactly one week after Second Lieutenant John B. Armstrong returned to Texas with John Wesley Hardin, Captain Leander McNelly passed away on his farm near Brenham in Washington County, Texas.

[Narrator]

He was 33 years old.

[Chris Wimmer]

He'd spent half of his life in Texas and for nearly all of that time he had been a fighter. He entered the Civil War at 17 years old. He spent four years with the state police, and he spent three years as the commander of the Washington County Volunteer Militia, which was typically called a Texas Rangers unit. Captain McNelly passed away September 4, 1877, and he's buried in the Mount Zion Cemetery in Burton, Texas. About 20 minutes up the road from Brenham. There's a fenced in monument to the famous Ranger in a corner of the small, unassuming cemetery, which seems perfectly fitting for the man who was both quiet and larger than life at the same time. If you're a lover of out of the way places that are overlooked by the masses, I highly recommend making the pilgrimage to the quiet, solemn and peaceful resting place of Captain McNally. Next time on Legends of the Old West. We're going to begin a regular series within a series to tell some stories that have been frequently requested but don't technically fit into the Old west time period. They're American Frontier Stories here on Legends of the Old west. And we're starting with the mountain men, Jedediah Smith, John Jeremiah Johnson and Hugh Glass. Get ready for wild adventures in the.

[Narrator]

Earliest days of the American West.

[Chris Wimmer]

Next time on Legends of the Old West.

[Narrator]

Members of our Black Barrel plus program.

[Chris Wimmer]

Don'T have to wait week to week to receive new episodes.

[Narrator]

They receive the entire season to binge all at once with no commercials and.

[Chris Wimmer]

They also receive exclusive bonus episodes. Sign up now through the link in the Show Notes or On our website blackberrymedia.com memberships are just $5 per month.

[Narrator]

Original music by Rob Valliere. I'm your writer, host and producer, Chris Wimmer.

[Chris Wimmer]

Thanks for listening.

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