Brite Ranch Raid
Encyclopedia
The Brite Ranch Raid was an incident that occurred on Christmas
day, 1917, in which Mexican
raiders crossed the Rio Grande
border and attacked a ranch in Presidio County
, Texas
. At the time, the raiders were thought to be Villistas, as they were responsible for several other previous incursions into American
territory, though other accounts say that some Carrancistas were involved as well. During the raid, the Mexicans murdered three people, robbed a general store
, and then rode back to Chihuahua under pursuit by a motorized posse
and troop
s of the United States Army
8th Cavalry. The Americans fought a running battle with the Mexicans on December 26 that resulted in the deaths of several raiders and the recovery of some stolen property. Another more violent episode was directly caused by the raid when on January 27, 1918, a force of Texas Rangers
executed fifteen Mexicans in what became known as the Porvenir Massacre.
operation. The ranch was owned by Lucas Charles Brite and located in the Big Bend
region, between the town of Marfa
and the Rio Grande, fifteen miles east of the river. Since it was Christmas morning, most of the locals were away, except the ranch foreman T. T. Van Neill, his family and one or two Mexican-American families. It was just after dawn when the raid began, Van's father, Sam, was the only one awake. He was sitting down drinking coffee when all of a sudden about forty-five armed Mexicans galloped into the ranch complex. Sam knew immediately who the Mexicans were so he ran to his son's room, equipped himself with a rifle and took a well aimed shot at who he thought was the leader. Sam killed the man so the others returned fire on the house. By that time, Van was awake and joined in the fight. Mrs. Van Neill attempted to alarm the police but the raiders cut the telephone lines. The skirmish lasted for a while before the raiders realized they had little chance of getting into the Neill house without significant losses. They then captured a pair of ranch hands, one of whom, José Sánchez, was sent to the house to warn the Neills that if they continued to resist, both he and the other ranch hand would be shot. Van and his father were prepared to continue the fight but Mrs. Neill convinced her husband to give the Mexicans the keys to Lucas Brite's general store and avoid further confrontation. Van agreed so instead of trying to break into the house, the raiders spent their time with robbing the general store of clothes, food and money. They also gathered up all the best horses at the ranch and took them too. While this was going on, the unsuspecting postman, Mickey Welch, arrived at the store in his wagon with two Mexican passengers. The raiders captured all three of the men, shot the two passengers and hung Welch inside the store.
That night the Neills were hosting a Christmas dinner party for some of their friends. The raiders occupied the ranch for several hours so when Reverend H. M. Bandy and his family arrived from Marfa to have dinner with the Neills, Van had to send a young Mexican boy out to tell the raiders not to shoot them. The raiders let Bandy and his family go to the Neill's house, when they got out of their wagon Bandy delivered a quick prayer and then armed himself with a rifle to help defend the ranch. According to Ronnie C. Tyler, author of The Big Bend: A History of the Last Texas Frontier, there were other dinner guests already at the ranch but they "escaped" somehow and went to get help. The rancher James L. Cobb, who lived three miles outside of the ranch complex, heard the gunfire and he drove towards the sound to investigate the situation. Cobb stopped a short distance away from the ranch and saw the Mexicans robbing the store so he got back into his car and drove twelve miles to the nearest telephone and called Lucas Brite who was at his home in Marfa. Brite informed the local sheriff
and he went even further by alerting the 8th Cavalry which was stationed in the area. Shortly thereafter a large posse and some cavalrymen assembled in vehicles to drive to Brite Ranch. They almost caught up with the raiders but the Mexicans quickly mounted up and rode south across the Candelaria Rim, where the Americans could not follow.
George Langhorne
launched a punitive expedition
into Mexico with the intention of capturing or killing the raiders and returning stolen property. Langhorne borrowed some horses from the ranchers for his men, who arrived in vehicles, and after joining up with reinforcements from Ruidosa
, the expedition crossed the Rio Grande into Chihuahua at a ford called Los Fresnos. Altogether, the expedition included two troops of 8th Cavalry, approximately 200 soldiers, and several men from the posse. Langhorne caught up with twenty-nine raiders just across the Rio Grande in San Bernardino Canyon, near Pilares. During the running battle that followed, the cavalrymen killed ten of the Mexicans and recovered some of the stolen property, including several horses, most of which had to be shot because they had been ridden too hard and would die anyway if taken back across the border. Only one soldier was wounded. Meanwhile, the citizens in the Big Bend region were outraged about the raid and the murders of Mickey Welch and his passengers on Christmas Day. Some citizens formed a committee to disarm and keep watch on the Mexican population in the area but the Texas Ranger company of Captain Monroe Fox
went even further. At around midnight on January 27, 1918, a force of rangers and 8th Cavalry soldiers surrounded the village of Porvenir, located on the Rio Grande across the border from a Mexican village. A search of the town then commenced and while the soldiers were looking through houses, the rangers gathered up fifteen men and took them too a nearby hill where they were executed. The Porvenir Massacre was later investigated in 1919, during a federal investigation of misconduct among the Texas Rangers, but nobody was ever charged for the crime. After the raid and the subsequent punitive expedition, Lucas Brite built a small fort to house Texas Rangers and protect the ranch but it was never needed.
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
day, 1917, in which Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
raiders crossed the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
border and attacked a ranch in Presidio County
Presidio County, Texas
Presidio County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 7,304. Its county seat is Marfa. Presidio County is in the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas and is named for the ancient border settlement of Presidio del Norte.-Geography:Presidio County is triangular in...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. At the time, the raiders were thought to be Villistas, as they were responsible for several other previous incursions into American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
territory, though other accounts say that some Carrancistas were involved as well. During the raid, the Mexicans murdered three people, robbed a general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
, and then rode back to Chihuahua under pursuit by a motorized posse
Posse comitatus (common law)
Posse comitatus or sheriff's posse is the common-law or statute law authority of a county sheriff or other law officer to conscript any able-bodied males to assist him in keeping the peace or to pursue and arrest a felon, similar to the concept of the "hue and cry"...
and troop
Troop
A troop is a military unit, originally a small force of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron and headed by the troop leader. In many armies a troop is the equivalent unit to the infantry section or platoon...
s of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
8th Cavalry. The Americans fought a running battle with the Mexicans on December 26 that resulted in the deaths of several raiders and the recovery of some stolen property. Another more violent episode was directly caused by the raid when on January 27, 1918, a force of Texas Rangers
Texas Ranger Division
The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...
executed fifteen Mexicans in what became known as the Porvenir Massacre.
Raid
Brite Ranch was like other ranches in south Texas, it was as much of a small town as a cattleCattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
operation. The ranch was owned by Lucas Charles Brite and located in the Big Bend
Big Bend (Texas)
The Big Bend is a colloquial name of a geographic region in the western part of the state of Texas in the United States along the border with Mexico, roughly defined as the counties north of the prominent northward bend in the Rio Grande as it passes through the gap between the Chisos Mountains in...
region, between the town of Marfa
Marfa, Texas
Marfa is a town in the high desert of far West Texas in the Southwestern United States. Located between the Davis Mountains and Big Bend National Park, it is also the county seat of Presidio County. The population was 1,981 at the 2010 census....
and the Rio Grande, fifteen miles east of the river. Since it was Christmas morning, most of the locals were away, except the ranch foreman T. T. Van Neill, his family and one or two Mexican-American families. It was just after dawn when the raid began, Van's father, Sam, was the only one awake. He was sitting down drinking coffee when all of a sudden about forty-five armed Mexicans galloped into the ranch complex. Sam knew immediately who the Mexicans were so he ran to his son's room, equipped himself with a rifle and took a well aimed shot at who he thought was the leader. Sam killed the man so the others returned fire on the house. By that time, Van was awake and joined in the fight. Mrs. Van Neill attempted to alarm the police but the raiders cut the telephone lines. The skirmish lasted for a while before the raiders realized they had little chance of getting into the Neill house without significant losses. They then captured a pair of ranch hands, one of whom, José Sánchez, was sent to the house to warn the Neills that if they continued to resist, both he and the other ranch hand would be shot. Van and his father were prepared to continue the fight but Mrs. Neill convinced her husband to give the Mexicans the keys to Lucas Brite's general store and avoid further confrontation. Van agreed so instead of trying to break into the house, the raiders spent their time with robbing the general store of clothes, food and money. They also gathered up all the best horses at the ranch and took them too. While this was going on, the unsuspecting postman, Mickey Welch, arrived at the store in his wagon with two Mexican passengers. The raiders captured all three of the men, shot the two passengers and hung Welch inside the store.
That night the Neills were hosting a Christmas dinner party for some of their friends. The raiders occupied the ranch for several hours so when Reverend H. M. Bandy and his family arrived from Marfa to have dinner with the Neills, Van had to send a young Mexican boy out to tell the raiders not to shoot them. The raiders let Bandy and his family go to the Neill's house, when they got out of their wagon Bandy delivered a quick prayer and then armed himself with a rifle to help defend the ranch. According to Ronnie C. Tyler, author of The Big Bend: A History of the Last Texas Frontier, there were other dinner guests already at the ranch but they "escaped" somehow and went to get help. The rancher James L. Cobb, who lived three miles outside of the ranch complex, heard the gunfire and he drove towards the sound to investigate the situation. Cobb stopped a short distance away from the ranch and saw the Mexicans robbing the store so he got back into his car and drove twelve miles to the nearest telephone and called Lucas Brite who was at his home in Marfa. Brite informed the local sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
and he went even further by alerting the 8th Cavalry which was stationed in the area. Shortly thereafter a large posse and some cavalrymen assembled in vehicles to drive to Brite Ranch. They almost caught up with the raiders but the Mexicans quickly mounted up and rode south across the Candelaria Rim, where the Americans could not follow.
Aftermath
On the next day, ColonelColonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
George Langhorne
Glenn Springs Raid
The Glenn Springs Raid occurred in May of 1916 when Mexican Villistas and Carrancistas attacked the towns of Boquillas and Glenn Springs, Texas. In Glenn Spings the raiders burned several buildings and fought a three hour battle with a small force of American soldiers who were stationed there...
launched a punitive expedition
Punitive expedition
A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a state or any group of persons outside the borders of the punishing state. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong behavior, but may be also be a covered revenge...
into Mexico with the intention of capturing or killing the raiders and returning stolen property. Langhorne borrowed some horses from the ranchers for his men, who arrived in vehicles, and after joining up with reinforcements from Ruidosa
Ruidosa, Texas
Ruidosa is an unincorporated community in Presidio County, Texas, United States.-Education:Ruidosa is zoned to schools in the Presidio Independent School District. In 2000 the population was 43-External links:...
, the expedition crossed the Rio Grande into Chihuahua at a ford called Los Fresnos. Altogether, the expedition included two troops of 8th Cavalry, approximately 200 soldiers, and several men from the posse. Langhorne caught up with twenty-nine raiders just across the Rio Grande in San Bernardino Canyon, near Pilares. During the running battle that followed, the cavalrymen killed ten of the Mexicans and recovered some of the stolen property, including several horses, most of which had to be shot because they had been ridden too hard and would die anyway if taken back across the border. Only one soldier was wounded. Meanwhile, the citizens in the Big Bend region were outraged about the raid and the murders of Mickey Welch and his passengers on Christmas Day. Some citizens formed a committee to disarm and keep watch on the Mexican population in the area but the Texas Ranger company of Captain Monroe Fox
Norias Ranch Raid
The Norias Ranch Raid was an incident in August of 1915 in which a large band of Mexican Seditionistas attacked an American ranch in southern Texas. It became one of the many small battles fought on American soil during the Mexican Revolution and resulted in an increased effort by the United States...
went even further. At around midnight on January 27, 1918, a force of rangers and 8th Cavalry soldiers surrounded the village of Porvenir, located on the Rio Grande across the border from a Mexican village. A search of the town then commenced and while the soldiers were looking through houses, the rangers gathered up fifteen men and took them too a nearby hill where they were executed. The Porvenir Massacre was later investigated in 1919, during a federal investigation of misconduct among the Texas Rangers, but nobody was ever charged for the crime. After the raid and the subsequent punitive expedition, Lucas Brite built a small fort to house Texas Rangers and protect the ranch but it was never needed.