Bandits Answer One of History's Mysteries

Related Content

• Rangers-Rays Game Four, the Open Thread
  October 4, 2011
• Eric Nadel is a Rangers Hall of Famer
  May 15, 2012
• An Excuse For Hotdogs
  May 10, 2012
• So Long, Pudge Rodriguez
  April 23, 2012
• Happy Opening Day. Let's Predict Some Stuff.
  April 6, 2012

More About

• Texas Rangers
• American League (MLB)
• AL West
• Roland Warnock
• Kirby Warnock

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Events Newsletter: What's happening in town? From underground club nights to the biggest outdoor festivals, our top picks for the week's best events will always keep you in on the action.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

Way back in 1915, some Mexican banditos raided the McAllen Ranch, one of the largest ranches in Texas. The next day, the Texas Rangers came riding in, just like John Wayne in The Searchers, to eliminate the problem. Roland Warnock, a 19-year-old cowboy, saw how the Rangers did it--shooting two unarmed Mexican suspects in the back. Warnock lived to tell the story and the documentary Border Bandits is based on his account, as told to his grandson Kirby Warnock in 1974. Kirby recorded his granddad's story and now has paired up the audio with reenactments to make a documentary illustrating why relations between Mexicans and the Texas Rangers--and between Hispanics and Anglos--have been so tense over the years. The documentary features narration by a voice familiar to Dallas, KZPS-FM's Jon Dillon, as well as a rendition of Don Henley's "Desperado" (usually not my kind of song unless I find myself in the wee small hours clutching a tequila sunrise, but the Ramirez Family cover featured in the film is great). Border Bandits screens 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson Blvd. Tickets $8. Call 214-942-4905 or visit borderbanditsmovie.com.
Fri., Jan. 7, 7:30 p.m., 2011