Captain Bill McDonald, Texas Ranger: A Story of Frontier Reform


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"William Jesse "Bill" McDonald (1852 - 1918) in the 1880s served as a deputy sheriff in Wood County. After moving to Hardeman County, he served as deputy sheriff, special Ranger, and U. S. Deputy Marshal of the Northern District of Texas and the Southern District of Kansas.. . . .In 1891 McDonald was selected to replace S. A. McMurry as Captain of Company B, Frontier Battalion. He served as a Ranger captain until 1907. Capt. McDonald and his company took part in a number of celebrated cases including the Fitzsimmons-Maher prize fight, the Wichita Falls bank robbery, the Reese-Townsend feud, and the Brownsville Raid of 1906. His handling of the troops of the 25th U.S. Infantry during this last incident made him known as "a man who would charge hell with a bucket of water." He had a reputation as a gunman that rested upon his his marksmanship, and his ability to use his weapons to intimidate his opponents. … In 1905, McDonald served as bodyguard to President Theodore Roosevelt. In 1907, Governor Campbell made him a state revenue agent. He again fulfilled the role of bodyguard in 1912 for a visit by Woodrow Wilson. Later Wilson appointed him U. S. Marshal for the Northern District of Texas." -- from Chapter 1

Note: This book racially offensive words which were part of the vocabulary of the time. It is LibriVox policy to read texts as written. (0 hr 33 min)

Chapters

Forward: A letter from Theodore Roosevelt 1:38 Read by Larry Wilson
Captain Bill McDonald, Texas Ranger 4:23 Read by Larry Wilson
An Old-Time Mississippi Childhood 10:00 Read by Tom Marcotte
Emigration and Adventure 9:10 Read by John
The Making of a Texan 12:49 Read by John
The Beginning of Reform 13:56 Read by Sean Hatfield
Into the Wilderness 7:21 Read by Nancy Gorgen
Commercial Ventures and Adventures 11:11 Read by Nancy Gorgen
Reforming the Wilderness 16:07 Read by Nancy Gorgen
Getting Even with the Brooken Gang 6:45 Read by John
New Tactics in No-Man's Land 11:57 Read by Sean Hatfield
Redeeming No-Man's Land 14:19 Read by Nancy Gorgen
Some of the Difficulties of Reform 12:24 Read by Nancy Gorgen
Captain Bill as a Tree-Man 17:11 Read by Paul Rothenberg
The Day for "Deliveries" 16:20 Read by Tom Marcotte
Cleaning Up the Strip 19:25 Read by Tom Marcotte
Texas Ranger Service and Its Origin 13:45 Read by DanielMaddux
Captain of Company B, Ranger Force 12:53 Read by Steve Nuns
An Exciting Indian Campaign 6:42 Read by Roger Melin
A Bit of Farming and Politics 8:29 Read by TriciaG
Taming the Pan-handle 21:34 Read by Daniel Grant Peterson
The Battle with Matthews 17:28 Read by Daniel Grant Peterson
What Happened to Beckham 4:44 Read by Nancy Gorgen
A Medal for Speed 4:42 Read by Roger Melin
Captain Bill in Mexico 12:26 Read by Bill Mosley
A New Style in the Pan-handle 8:38 Read by Kerry Adams
Preventing a Prize-Fight 9:02 Read by John
The Wichita Falls Bank Robbery and Murder 21:31 Read by fred
Captain Bill as a Peace-maker 9:37 Read by fred
The Buzzard's Water-Hole Gang 33:18 Read by fred
Quieting a Texas Feud 10:55 Read by Margaret Herbers
The Trans-Cedar Mystery 16:14 Read by Nancy Gorgen
Other Mobs and Riots 7:26 Read by Nancy Gorgen
Other Work in East Texas 13:37 Read by Nancy Gorgen
A Wolf-Hunt with the President 27:20 Read by Nancy Gorgen
The Conditt Murder Mystery 24:11 Read by Daniel Grant Peterson
The Death of Rhoda McDonald 7:11 Read by John
The Conditt Mystery Solved 11:15 Read by Nancy Gorgen
The Brownsville Episode: An Event of National Importance 13:08 Read by Nancy Gorgen
Captain Bill on the Scene 28:16 Read by Margaret Herbers
What Finally Happened at Brownsville 34:27 Read by Daniel Grant Peterson
The Battle on the Rio Grande 22:57 Read by Bill Mosley
The End of Rangering and a New Appointment 30:08 Read by Daniel Grant Peterson
Conclusion 15:35 Read by MarilynC
Appendix A 10:35 Read by Steve Nuns
Appendix B 10:36 Read by Grey Pickett
Appendix C 22:54 Read by Grey Pickett
Appendix D 17:49 Read by Grey Pickett
Appendix E 8:56 Read by Grey Pickett
Appendix F 21:06 Read by Grey Pickett
Appendix G 28:40 Read by Grey Pickett