Bandits Answer One of History's Mysteries

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...

By Dianna Wray

January 6, 2011

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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

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