John Reynolds Hughes (February 11, 1855 – June 3, 1947) was a
Texas Ranger and
cowboy of the
Old West
The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...
, and later an
author
An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states:
"''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
. Several books were written about his long history as one of the most influential Texas Rangers of all time. It has been suggested he was the inspiration for the
Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture.
He first appeared in 1933 in ...
character, since
Zane Grey
Pearl Zane Grey (January 31, 1872 – October 23, 1939) was an American author and dentist. He is known for his popular adventure novels and stories associated with the Western genre in literature and the arts; he idealized the American fronti ...
dedicated ''
The Lone Star Ranger'' to Hughes in 1915. The ambush of Texas Ranger Captain Frank Jones and Hughes' long hunt for the killers also support this theory. Hughes also told relatives that he believed he was the inspiration for the
Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture.
He first appeared in 1933 in ...
character.
Early life
Hughes was born John Reynolds Hughes, in
Cambridge, Illinois
Cambridge is a village in Henry County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,160 at the 2010 census, down from 2,180 in 2000. It is the county seat of Henry County.
History
Before 1843, the land where Cambridge is currently located was ...
, son to Thomas Hughes and Jennie Bond Hughes. In 1865 the family moved to
Dixon, Illinois, then later to
Mound City, Kansas
Mound City is a city in and the county seat of Linn County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 647.
History
Mound City was founded in 1855. It was named from Sugar Mound nearby, a hill covered with su ...
. Hughes left home at the age of 14 to work on a
ranch
A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most ofte ...
as a cowboy. He later made his way west into
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...
, where he became closely associated with the
Choctaw and
Osage Indians, and later with the
Comanche, learning much about their cultures and traditions. Following this, Hughes worked as a trail driver on the
Chisholm Trail, then purchased a
farm
A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...
in
Liberty Hill, Texas
Liberty Hill is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,646 at the 2020 census. Liberty Hill is part of the metropolitan area.
Geography
Liberty Hill is located at (30.664219, –97.911261), about 29 miles nor ...
.
Joining the Texas Rangers
![Texas Rangers Company D 1894](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Texas_Rangers_Company_D_1894.jpg)
In May 1886, his neighbor lost several horses to thieves, and Hughes pursued the band, killing two of the men in the process, and capturing the remaining thieves in
New Mexico Territory, returning the horses to his neighbor. The pursuit lasted for several months, and brought him to the attention of local Texas Ranger
Ira Aten. In July, 1887, Hughes accompanied Ranger Aten in the pursuit of
murderer Judd Roberts, with Hughes and Aten killing Roberts in a gunfight. Recruited by the Rangers, prompted by Aten's recommendation, Hughes signed on in 1887 beginning a career that would last until his retirement on January 31, 1915.
He served mainly in what was referred to as the "Frontier Battalion", on the
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
–American border. During that time he gained a reputation as a relentless pursuer of
outlaws, and in 1890, while in
Shafter, Texas, Hughes posed with fellow Rangers Bob Speaks, Alonzo "Lon" Oden, and Jim Putnam in one of the most widely circulated Texas Ranger photos in history. The photo has been since used in numerous
magazines, and on
postcard
A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...
s, in addition to being placed on T-shirts in the latter 20th century. At the time of the photo, the Rangers, part of "D Company", "Frontier Battalion", were assigned to protect a
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
mine
Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to:
Extraction or digging
* Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging
*Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine
Grammar
*Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun
...
located in Shafter. Hughes was promoted to
captain in 1893, then later to senior captain.
Following the 1893
murder of Texas Ranger Captai
Frank Jones killed during an ambush by bandits, Hughes led a company of Rangers in a hunt for the killers, most of whom were members of the Olguin family. Since the Rangers led by Captain Jones had mistakenly entered into Mexico, and were across the border with Mexico when the shootout took place, no suspects would be prosecuted. The bandits were wanted for numerous crimes committed inside the U.S., which had led Captain Jones in pursuit of them. Based on a list of names supplied by early Ranger undercover agent
Ernest St. Leon, Hughes and his company tracked down 18 suspects in the murder, and either killed them all in shootouts or by way of
hanging
Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging ...
, effectively ending the Olguin family's crime spree.
Hughes had a reputation that preceded him. Even notorious outlaws like Jim Miller preferred not to cross his path. The sheriff of Pecos, Texas (Bud) Frazer, had reason to believe that Jim Miller and his gang were planning to kill him when he got back to Pecos from a business trip. In order to ensure his safety, he asked for the help of John R. Hughes. What happened next is chronicled in
Leon Claire Metz
Leon Claire Metz (November 6, 1930 – November 15, 2020) was an American cultural historian, author, television documentary personality, and lecturer on the American Old West period. Metz presented hundreds of his programs to groups all over t ...
book, The Shooters.
"Nobody in Pecos, of course, wanted to tangle with Hughes, and a few minutes after the ranger hit town Miller was in jail charged with plotting to commit murder."
[Leon Claire Metz. The Shooters (2006)]
After retirement
Following his retirement, western
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...
Zane Grey
Pearl Zane Grey (January 31, 1872 – October 23, 1939) was an American author and dentist. He is known for his popular adventure novels and stories associated with the Western genre in literature and the arts; he idealized the American fronti ...
authored ''The Lone Star Ranger'', dedicated to Hughes and his company of Rangers. A close friend of Hughes named Jack Martin went on to author ''The Border Boss'', in 1942 telling of his exploits while with the Rangers. Author
W. W. Sterling made Hughes the subject of his book, ''Trails and Trials of a Texas Ranger'', and in addition to those Hughes was included in the books ''Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters'' by Bill O'Neal, and ''The Law Comes to Texas'' by Frederick Wilkins. Hughes spent the next several years traveling, ranching and prospecting, before settling in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
, where he became the chairman of the board and largest stockholder for ''Citizens Industrial Bank''.
In 1940 he was selected for the ''Certificate of Valor'', a national award that recognized law enforcement officers. Hughes had never married, and by the 1940s Hughes was in poor health, and most of those closest to him had long since died. Depressed and alone, he moved in with a
niece
In the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a niece or nephew is a child of the subject's sibling or sibling-in-law. The converse relationship, the relationship from the niece or nephew's perspective, is that of an ...
in Austin. On June 3, 1947, he died by
suicide at the age of 92. He is buried in the ''State Cemetery''. Hughes is a member of the
Texas Rangers Hall of Fame
The Texas Rangers are an American professional baseball team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Rangers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. In 2020, the Rangers moved ...
.
See also
*
Battle of Tres Jacales
References
External links
Captain John Reynolds HughesTexas Online, John Hughes, Texas Ranger
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, John
Members of the Texas Ranger Division
Lawmen of the American Old West
Cowboys
People from Cambridge, Illinois
People from Dixon, Illinois
People from Mound City, Kansas
1855 births
1947 deaths
People from Liberty Hill, Texas