An anecdote from my sister in Texas:
A Mexican family were on their way to the States when they were stopped by armed men who took their pickup truck and everything they owned. They were walking along the highway when a truck stopped and the driver asked them what they were doing in the middle of nowhere with small children in tow. They told him what had happened and he said he would give them a ride.
After a while the driver turned off onto a country trail, eventually stopping at an isolated ranch where armed men greeted them. The jefe asked them to repeat their story and then took them to a place where there were dozens of parked trucks. He asked them which one was theirs. Hesitantly, they pointed at their vehicle. The jefe then asked which of the men present had stolen it. Even more nervously, they identified one of the men.
The jefe swore angrily that he had given orders that nobody over the age of 50 was to be stopped. He then drew a pistol, shot the man who had carjacked the family and told them to take their truck and leave.
Works for me. Those operating in lawless environments still need to enforce rules: a little lacking in nuance, perhaps, but swift and salutary.
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Talibanesque, Texas style. Sometimes rough justice is the only kind available. British readers might find it interesting that of the 240 or so volunteers who went down before Santa Anna's army, 24 were from the British Isles, ten English, nine Irish, four Scots, one named David Wilson, and a single Welshman. One of the Englishmen was named George Brown!
ReplyDeleteI meant when the Alamo fort in San Antonio was recaptured by the Mexican army in April 1836.
ReplyDeleteYup - and the great majority of Texicans were Scots-Irish, notably the seldom sober Sam Houston
ReplyDeleteYou must come and have some Texican food with us: Aguascatexamole, Texacatos, Texenchilados, etc. They are all waiting here for you! Come texomorrow. Better than hick West Virginian food any day. We used to have a letter from Sam Houston - about an unpaid bill of his.
ReplyDeleteSorry about "hick" - nobody is defined by where they come from.
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