In the days leading up to the legislatures investigation, Hamer reportedly stalked the state representative around Austin. Born in 1884 he joined the Texas Rangers at age 22 after capturing a horse thief while working as a wrangler on a ranch. Robert A. Caro, The Years of Lyndon Johnson (New York: Knopf, 1982-). Thats why it was so disappointing to learn that for a film determined to tell the untold true story, The Highwaymen glosses over one significant detail: That dude was pretty darn sexist! The Highwaymen, a new Netflix film starring Kevin Costner as the Texas Ranger who took out Bonnie and ClydeFrank Hameris not shy about its attempt to set the record straight. The cast and crew have said again and again that they hope to correct the damage done by the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde, which Highwaymen writer John Fusco called beyond inaccurate and unjust for its portrayal of Hamer, the lawman in pursuit of the famed gunslinging duo, as a buffoonish cuckold. Hamer, Francis Augustus, They were nasty people. Ted Hinton, in his book Ambush, declares that two of the Colt automatics at the ambush were .38 Supers. Barrow, Parker and associate Jimmy Mullens engineered the Eastham prison farm escape and freed Raymond Hamilton, Henry Methvin, Hilton Bybee and Joe Palme. But for a film positing itself as the real story, its clear this is a chapter that was purposefully avoided. His lawyers argued about strategy for hours and Johnson finally turned to Abe Fortas who happened to be in nearby Dallas on business. But I guess it started earlier than that, with sympathetic stories of Frank and Jesse James, Billy the Kid and other cowboy criminals, moving onto the Depression era gangsters like Al Capone and others. He was transferred to Austin in 1921. Thousands attended the funerals of Bonnie and Clyde, with as many as 20,000 estimated onlookers at Bonnie's. Hamers widow and kids sued the film studio for defamation and got an undisclosed settlement. Correction: A previous version of this story listed Miriam A. Fergusons husband as Attorney General Dan Moody. Hamers fear tactics took their toll on Canales. 1-it's sickenin, brave? All along the way, the Rangers and their supporters tried to undermine the legal process. Second, gangster use of the .38 Super to telling effect was known and thugs had even hammered the .38 Super into the extremely deadly machine pistol configuration. Frank Hamer (played by Kevin Costner) and his goofy counterpart Maney Gault (played by Woody Harrelson) are the heroes of "The Highwaymen," currently streaming on Netflix. He became known for his ability to control riots and his patient, skilled. The March, 1992 issue of Guns and Ammos HANDGUNS FOR SPORT AND DEFENSE magazine contains an interview with Frank Hamer Jr. who confirmed that his fathers Colt was a .38 Super. In 1948 he again was called to duty as a ranger by Governor Coke Stevenson to accompany him and help check the election returns in Jim Wells and Duval County in the controversial United States Senate race. Hamer drew down on him with a shotgun and told him to not do it. Stevenson was elected to a full term in 1942, winning the Democratic primary with 69% and being unopposed in the general election. The first time we hear about Frank Hamer killing a man, he was but 16. Instead, the filmmakers sugarcoated the truth in their quest to make Hamer an indisputable, uncomplicated hero. One of the difficulties that Hamer and Gault face in The Highwaymen when trying to track down Bonnie and Clyde is the couple's celebrity, with many people viewing them favorably as modern-day Robin Hoods. All the latest gaming news, game reviews and trailers. In 1971, they received an out-of-court settlement. Emily McCullar of Texas Monthly described the movie as a classic Texas story, one that doesnt push back on the white, masculine, Wild-West mythology that Texans cling to., Weve all partaken in the creation of this mythical Texas, especially when it comes to the Texas Rangers. The Democratic State Central Committee proclaimed Johnson the winner of the primary by a 29-28 vote (then a deal was consummated in which states rights Democrats were run out of the convention) while Stevenson was granted an injunction by the federal district court. In fact, the abuses were so extensive that the Texas legislature investigated charges of Rangers denying residents due process, torturing prisoners, murdering unarmed prisoners and coordinating massacres. The film is a very accurate retelling of the story as a whole, though, like many films based on true events, there are some liberties taken here and there. Though she didnt drink herself, she was anti-prohibition. Git!, he admonished and then, Fall back!. Following Ma Ferguson's re-election in 1932, 40 Texas Rangers quit in protest of political corruption and the rest were fired; the Rangers would remain disbanded until 1935, when they were incorporated into theTexas Department of Public Safety, and it was during this period of dormancy that The Highwaymen takes place. The crowd threw stones at the courthouse, forced the doors to the courtroom corridor and rushed toward the courtroom. On May 23, 1934, it was ended, when police led by former. After the car was towed back to Arcadia, thousands of people descended on the town, hoping for a look at the car and the bodies. Hamer, whom Gault called Pancho, was a casual and careful sipper while Maney enjoyed his whiskey and both were known to cuss up a storm, much to the amusement of young Frank Jr., who came to think of Maney Gault as an uncle. In 1920 Hamer served as a prohibition officer. For some reason I thought it was Ben Johnson. I was for twenty-seven years, but when they elected a woman governor [former Governor Miriam A. Ferguson], I quit.. At the time of her death, she had never actually been charged with a capital crime. As to the rifles ability to tear holes in a V8 Ford, Frank Hamer had an unimpeachable source Clyde Barrow. Martin Luther King Jr. Day (officially Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., [1] and sometimes referred to as MLK Day) is a federal holiday in the United States marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. Three and a half hours later, "'Pancho and Lefty' drifted through the window," he said, "and I wrote it down.". The town had seen over one hundred men killed in shootouts but the town became tame while Hamer was the city marshal. Thank you for posting this informative piece. Frank Hamer is remembered mainly as the ex-Texas Ranger captain who hunted down murderous outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934. He fought in the Mexican Revolution. We emptied our guns, reloaded and kept shooting. According to Texas Ranger Dispatch Magazine, Hamer wasnt the only Ranger who hated Fergusonall of the Rangers either quit or were fired after she was reelected. The mob, estimated at 5,000 people, then proceeded to burn black businesses. Most notably, legislator Jos T. Canales accused Hamer of threatening him in 1918. None of this is to say that Hamer wasnt a great Ranger and indeed, maybe even a great man, just as The Highwaymen argues. On April 21, 1906, Hamer enlisted as a Texas Ranger in Capt. Moreover, Wade Hampton McNabb was not one of the attempted escapees,so the scene where he isdramatically left behind is fictionalized. Known as Mr. Texas, Stevenson represented a kind of independent thinking in politics that makes it now seem inevitable that he and his old hunting partner, Frank Hamer, would be destined to walk down the streets of Alice together under the hard stares of George Parrs pistoleros most of whom were armed with rifles and shotguns. The Rangers were dealing with arms smuggling, bandits and bootleggers along the Mexican border. Three of his brothers also became Texas Rangers. Looking for inspiration? Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) Now dont, please put in your paper that Im with the Rangers, Hamer said. When Marshall Lee Simmons (John Carroll Lynch) suggests calling on the former Texas Rangers, shes skeptical. Read More Handgun Articles. 2,075, This story has been shared 1,243 times. As depicted in the movie, Hamer refused lucrative offers from the media to spill the gory details of the Bonnie and Clyde shootout, and both he and Gault were said to have disliked the attention that the case brought upon them. Having said that, he also survived about fifty gunfights during his career, although being wounded 17 times and left for dead four times. The Real Bonnie and Clyde Bonnie and Clyde themselves are not the central focus of The Highwaymen, and actually appear very little - glimpsed mainly from far away, with their faces only clearly shown in the moment before their death. He had long served as a deputy sheriff and constable in Austin, where in 1902 he shot and killed a black prisoner attempting to escape. Novak, Stream It Or Skip It: 'The Drop' on Hulu, an Offbeat Relationship Comedy Led by Anna Konkle, Anna Konkle Talks Hulus The Drop And Future Pen15 Seasons: Theres More To Say, Netflix Warns Wall Street To Expect Worst Q4 Subscriber Growth Since 2014, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Mayor of Kingstown' Season 2 on Paramount+, Where Jeremy Renner Returns As A Brooding Fixer Between Cop And Criminal, Stream It Or Skip It: Mrs. However, other witnesses contradicted this claimand it was ultimately discredited - though not before inflaming public outrage against Bonnie. The real Frank Hamer, on the far left. https://www.tshaonline.org, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/hamer-francis-augustus. In 1919, he publicly testified to the injustices he witnessed. He was the second eldest of eight children and grew up on the Welch Ranch in San Saba County. Perhaps just a quirk of shutter speed, b, Leviticus 23:1, NRSVCE No one whose testicles are, You know, I could wish I COULD be shocked and outr, It's atrocities like this that keep me from taking, @David WS - "my mind drifts to something you do to, The Libertarian party promises us a renewal of the, 'Sex reassignment' procedures have been around for, Social workers assisted by lawyers and elements of, Pleasantly surprised. His reputation as a Texas Ranger would have made him a legend even if he had not apprehended Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker in Louisiana. Frank Hamer enlisted in the Ranger service on April 21, 1906, joining Company C, commanded by the cool and professional Capt. 682, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Thats why it was so disappointing to learn that for a film determined to tell the untold true story,. Judge Carter stopped the trial and planned a change of venue. Frank Hamer was born on March 17, 1884, in Fairview, Texas, the second son of a blacksmith. Francis Augustus Hamer (March 17, 1884 - July 10, 1955) was an American lawman and Texas Ranger who led the 1934 posse that tracked down and killed criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. Similarly, there was no dramatic car chase through a dusty field that allowed Bonnie and Clyde to escape Hamer and Gault's clutches. A round in Barrows left temple laid him out dead. ", Yes, Fof7, its telling that Cardinal Pell wrote h, Years ago around "Don't ask; don't tell" there was, I recall a depressing scene from Star Trek: New Ge, Her eyes. The third reason springs from a fortunate experiment done by a friend of mine in 1939 on a dare. As we jumped into sight, I could see Clyde reaching as if to get his gun. Frank Hamer started his career in the early 20th century when the Texas Rangers helped enforce new Jim Crow and Juan Crow segregation laws targeting black and Mexican Texans and intimidating labor organizers and anti-lynching activists. Chico Cano's gang numbered about one hundred, formerly followers of Mexican revolutionary leader Pascual Orozco. And that was before Bonnie and Clyde. He despised criminals and had even less love for corrupt po In 1917 he got mixed up in the JohnsonSims feud, killing one man in the feud's climactic gunfight in Sweetwater. ), The real Ma Ferguson was someone who deserves a movie in her own right. When Will Love Island Season 9 Be on Hulu? Captain Frank Hamer is a member of the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame. Though Hamer and Gault experience several frustrating near-misses of Bonnie and Clyde in The Highwaymen, in real life they didn't actually catch up to the couple until the ambush on the morning of May 23, 1934. The conservative ranchers and almost everyone else in Texas loved Coke Stevenson and what he stood for. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Here is Bob Alcorn and Ted Hinton's account of the shooting, from a newspaper report at the time: There must have been a signal given, but who it came from is another thing. Hinton requested a BAR because he knew that the lawmen would be up against more than one BAR that Barrow had stolen from a National Guard armory and with which Barrow had already gunned down several peace officers. He continued to work in law enforcement. Hamer said that he was " sickened by the sight " of the shootout's aftermath. Wade McNabb was eventually kidnapped and murdered while on furlough, but he was killed by Barrow gang member Joe Palmer as revenge for McNabb's behavior in prison, not for ratting the gang out to Hamer and Gault. Without further ado, McMeans pulled a Colt .45 semi-automatic pistol and shot Hamer in the left shoulder at close range. Shot at point blank range, Hamer snatched the jammed gun out of the assassins hand when a second assailant started blazing away at Hamer. Have been reading about early Texas history and am amazed by accounts of the states way of life in the early 1900s and the stories of men like Frank Hamer and LBJ who contributed so much good and bad. Bored, Van Zandt decided to write a song. Among his countless exploits, he played a prominent role in the socalled Bandit War of 1915, when Mexican revolutionaries surged across the border and raided in south Texas. We'll send you a couple of emails per month, filled with fascinating history facts that you can share with your friends. He and forty other Rangers resigned to avoid serving under Ma Ferguson. They dont make ones like him much any more. In 1901 he and his brother hired out as wranglers on the Pecos County ranch of Barry Ketchum, brother of outlaw Tom "Black Jack" Ketchum (see KETCHUM BOYS). (LogOut/ Hamer also took off his own coat and displayed the weapon that he was still authorized to carry in retirement as a Special Ranger employed by the Texas Oil Company. Frank Hamer was active and energetic but seriously deficient in leadership. The Legendary Maney Gault Frank Hamers best friend and partner in tracking down Bonnie and Clyde should be remembered as one of the greatest Texas Rangers. The next day, Van Zandt and his buddy Daniel Antopolsky drove toward Dallas to play a gig. The Highwaymen's cast also includes Kathy Bates as Governor Miriam "Ma" Ferguson, the first female Governor of Texas, who was first elected to the position after her husband, James E. Ferguson, was impeached. (Despite overwhelming evidence of vote fraud, the Democrat State Central Committee certified Johnson the winner in a 29-28 vote. We just all acted together, stepped out into the road and raised our guns. why was frank hamer called pancho Coke Robert Stevenson (March 20, 1888 June 28, 1975) was the only 20th century Texas politician to serve as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, as Lieutenant Governor and then as governor. Nevertheless, Hamer used buckshot on the crowd and wounded at least two as they charged up the stairs of the courthouse. 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