Author Archives: Mustang
Cap Arrington
George Washington Arrington was born in 1844 in Greensboro, Alabama as John Cromwell Orrick, Jr., the son of John Cromwell and Mariah Arrington Orrick. After John Sr., died in 1848, Mariah married William Larkin Williams, who lost his life in … Continue reading
Posted in History, Justice
4 Comments
Ira Aten, Texas Ranger
Ira Aten joined the Texas Rangers in 1883, serving as a member of Captain L. P. Seiker’s Company D. He later served as a Sergeant under Captain Frank Jones. Over all, Aten served as an active duty Texas Ranger for … Continue reading
Posted in History
8 Comments
The Texas Fence-Cutting Wars
Old West Texas was a land of vast grasslands uninterrupted by natural barriers. The landscape was devoid of rock and timber from which landowners might have erected fencing to mark land boundaries or control grazing livestock. In 1883, a clash … Continue reading
Posted in History, Justice
5 Comments
Gambling, Hard Drinking, and Gunfights
Nearly everyone interested in the old west is familiar with the Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas but what most people don’t know is that the saloon was named after one of its founder’s home towns, Long Branch, New … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
10 Comments
One Riot, One Texas Ranger
In 1821, Mexico’s War of Independence from Spain included the territory of present-day Texas, which became part of Mexico, incorporated as part of the state of Coahuila y Tejas. At this time, there were very few Europeans living in this … Continue reading
Posted in History, Justice
8 Comments
The Comanche
Before the arrival of horses from Europe, Comanche people were pedestrian hunters and gatherers. After the introduction of horses, they became a highly mobile warrior class of people who were able to control vast territories. In the mid-1800s, the Comanche … Continue reading
Posted in History
13 Comments
Happy Yankee Doodle Day
To get to where we are today with the use of the word Yankee, we have to go back in time to Great Britain. There are two things to discuss here: the melody of the song, and the words used … Continue reading
Posted in History
12 Comments
Jim Courtright
Born Timothy Isaiah Courtright near Springfield, Illinois during the spring of 1845, Courtright married Sarah Elizabeth Weeks in 1870 and may have had three children. Courtright enlisted in the Union Army when he was just 17-years of age and fought … Continue reading
Posted in History, Justice
6 Comments
The Hanging Judge
This fellow has been portrayed in a number of Hollywood films, two of the best by actors John McIntyre and Pat Hingle—although the character played by Hingle was entirely fictionalized in the film Hang ‘Em High. But Judge Isaac C. … Continue reading
Posted in History, Justice
6 Comments
Lee McNelly
The post-Civil War period in America was a dangerous time to be alive; this is especially true in the American Southwest, where a massive increase in human migration triggered conflict and profane behavior among those who were disenfranchised by the … Continue reading
Posted in History, Justice
8 Comments
