Frank Goes From Rowdyism To Lynch Mobs

Howdy folks and greetings from the Great Plains of North Texas!

We're in a series about one of the top Texas Ranger lawmen to ever wear the badge, the great Frank Hamer, who was brought out of retirement to take down Bonnie and Clyde.

In the last post in this series Frank's Ranger unit or company, was ordered to Austin, TX so they grudgingly made the trip.

Today's story

Working in Austin and East Texas was a whole nother world to them as far as culture, geography and weather.

They were used to the high desert dryness of West Texas so they hated the humidity of East Texas. East Texas has a lush, green, subtropical climate.

Frank's Ranger company in Austin in 1907. Frank is on the left end of the back row and Captain Rogers is on the front row second to the right end. He always wore a big mustache.

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The culture shock was profound too. In fact it pains me to even write about it but it's our history so I need to explain it so you'll understand what Frank and his fellow Rangers were facing.

Unfortunately Texas was a slave supporting state in the Civil War and after the war there was extreme hatred, prejudice and resentment against the black folk which was 20% of the Texas population.

The pure evil of Jim Crow laws

Blacks were discriminated against in every way and the Jim Crow laws kept them segregated.

Jim Crow laws were state laws that mandated racial segregation in the Southern United States in all public buildings, transportation and open areas.

So for instance, blacks had to use separate restrooms, drinking fountains, sections of restaurants, etc.

If a black met a white person on the sidewalk the black person was to step aside for the white person and were always to address whites with Mr. or Mrs. while they themselves were addressed by their first names or "boy."

And heaven help any black man or boy who even appeared to show any interest in a white female. All this hatred and resentment and losing the war was a breeding ground for mob lynchings.

Whites felt justified by lynchings

It helped the whites feel they were still dominate like they used to be in slavery times.

It was sickening.

Blacks were routinely lynched for minor offenses such as a personal insult, perceived offenses, and even legal actions against whites such as suing a white person or testifying against a white in a court case.

The Rangers were a tiny, non-racist minority

So this was the culture that Frank and his comrades were thrust into. They'd never seen anything like it. Frank had never been to East Texas and never had any problems with blacks. In West Texas the non whites were mostly Hispanics.

In fact, it was a black field hand who saved his life by rushing off to find a doctor and get him to Frank's house when he got shot.

Man I hated to write this one, it grieves me that Texas and the South used to be so dang stupid and hateful. But those were the facts a hundred years ago. Completely different today.

Thanks for reading folks, God bless you all!
-jonboy
Texas

PS- I'm still looking at wire sculptures. The other day I showed a huge giraffe.

But you couldn't really see the head clearly so here is the head:

And here's another one the artist, Kendra Haste, created:

And one more of hers:

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