On this day in 1918 Texas Ranger Company B raided the village of Porvenir, Texas, a Hispanic Texas town, and killed the male inhabitants therein. They were accompanied by elements of the 8th Cavalry which may not have participated in the massacre, at least according to contemporary investigations, and which assisted the survivors thereafter, attempting to keep them from harm and sending for Priest from a local village.
Fifteen Hispanic men lost their lives in the massacre.
The details of the tragedy remain sketchy today, save for the killing of the Mexican civilians. When the news first broke in mid February, it was claimed by the Rangers and some non Mexicans of the town that property from the Brite's Ranch Raid had been found in the town and that the villagers had opened upon the Rangers. This is almost certainly not true. Later investigations seemed to indicate that it was an act of pure race based violence on the Mexican inhabitants of the town. Most of the early information indicated a complete lack of participation by the Army, although a small detail of soldiers was in fact sent with the Rangers. They claimed to have waited outside the town and not to have known what was occurring within it. As noted, contemporary accounts do indicate that some villagers took refuge with the cavalrymen and that protection was afforded to them.
This was one of the instances in which the border war along the Mexican border seems to us today to have a foot in the 19th Century, even while having one in the 20th. Atrocity in war would be something the world would see a lot more of in the 20th Century, so perhaps we should not. But an ethnic massacre within our own borders of this type does indeed seem very peculiar today, as well as being highly tragic.
The incident did lead to investigation when the news broke. The investigation recommended trial for all of the Rangers and exonerated the Army, but a grand jury did not indite any of the Rangers. Texas, however, disbanded Company B. Following this a wider investigation by Texas condemned the Rangers for a history of extrajudicial killings. The Rangers were thereafter reformed into a more professional force and this era of the Rangers came to an end.
In spite of the 1918 exoneration of the Army, a 2015 archeological survey turned up shell casings from period Army weapons. At least one of the investigating archeologist reached the conclusion that Army involvement in the tragedy had in fact occurred.
And so January 1918 would see two tragedies that read now like something out of the Frontier West occurred at same time the global tragedy was playing itself out in Europe.
The town does not exist today. The victims of the raid were buried by their relatives in a nearby town, across the border, in Mexico.
The details of the tragedy remain sketchy today, save for the killing of the Mexican civilians. When the news first broke in mid February, it was claimed by the Rangers and some non Mexicans of the town that property from the Brite's Ranch Raid had been found in the town and that the villagers had opened upon the Rangers. This is almost certainly not true. Later investigations seemed to indicate that it was an act of pure race based violence on the Mexican inhabitants of the town. Most of the early information indicated a complete lack of participation by the Army, although a small detail of soldiers was in fact sent with the Rangers. They claimed to have waited outside the town and not to have known what was occurring within it. As noted, contemporary accounts do indicate that some villagers took refuge with the cavalrymen and that protection was afforded to them.
This was one of the instances in which the border war along the Mexican border seems to us today to have a foot in the 19th Century, even while having one in the 20th. Atrocity in war would be something the world would see a lot more of in the 20th Century, so perhaps we should not. But an ethnic massacre within our own borders of this type does indeed seem very peculiar today, as well as being highly tragic.
The incident did lead to investigation when the news broke. The investigation recommended trial for all of the Rangers and exonerated the Army, but a grand jury did not indite any of the Rangers. Texas, however, disbanded Company B. Following this a wider investigation by Texas condemned the Rangers for a history of extrajudicial killings. The Rangers were thereafter reformed into a more professional force and this era of the Rangers came to an end.
In spite of the 1918 exoneration of the Army, a 2015 archeological survey turned up shell casings from period Army weapons. At least one of the investigating archeologist reached the conclusion that Army involvement in the tragedy had in fact occurred.
And so January 1918 would see two tragedies that read now like something out of the Frontier West occurred at same time the global tragedy was playing itself out in Europe.
The town does not exist today. The victims of the raid were buried by their relatives in a nearby town, across the border, in Mexico.
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