Saturday, February 28, 2026

Monday, February 28, 1916. The death of Gregorio Cortez.

If the authority to make an arrest is wanting, the person attempting such arrest is in the wrong and a trespasser, and the person so arrested can resist him, regardless of his knowledge that the arrest was illegal.

Judge Henderson, Cortez v. State, 44 Tex. Crim. 169

Folk hero Gregorio Cortez Lira died in Manor, Texas.

A legend due to the large manhunt that followed an incident concerning a horse, which lead to violence, he was only forty years old at the time of his death of unknown causes.  That event, which lead ultimately to a conviction for manslaughter and horse theft, with two life sentences, had ultimately seen the convictions as his claims of self defense came to be accepted.

The incident arose out of a poor understanding of the Spanish words for horses.

The excellent film The Ballad Of Gregorio Cortez details the events.

Cortez lived on both sides of the border, and was a tenant farmer and vaquero by trade.  He'd fought in the Mexican Revolution for Huerta.

The British took  Sidi Barrani, which had been held by the Senussi, with no resistance.

Last edition:

Sunday, February 27, 1916. Mud at Verdun.

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