Was
the Mexican fugitive really innocent?
He
was considered a hero by the Mexican people; to the Anglos he was
the “sheriff killer” and needed to be hung.
In
the summer of 1901, Gregorio Cortez killed two sheriffs in south
Texas and became one of the most hunted fugitives in the history
of the Lone Star State. His hero status among the Mexican folks
was mainly because of his ability to elude the formidable Texas
Rangers. According
to information found in The Handbook of Texas, Gregorio Cortez was
born on June 22, 1875, near Matamoros, Mexico. His family moved to
Manor, Texas, in 1887 and it was there that the young man began to
learn his trade as a vaquero and farmer. Cortez
worked in Gonzales, Karnes, and several other counties in this
part of the state. Most people who were acquainted with him felt
that he was a likable sort and many just couldn’t understand how
he happened to get on the bad side of the law. It was on June 12, 1901, that Cortez’s troubles began. It seems that the sheriff of Atascosa County requested help from Karnes County Sheriff, W.T. “Brack” Morris in locating a horse thief. The Handbook of Texas states that Sheriff Morris
along
with Deputies John Trimmell and Boone Choate started questioning
residents in the Kenedy, Texas, area. The
horse thief was described as a “medium-sized Mexican.”
Unfortunately for Gregorio Cortez, he fit that description; but
then so did many others in the area. One individual had told
Sheriff Morris that he had recently traded a horse to Cortez for a
mare. The officers suspected that the mare might have been stolen. The
lawmen confronted Cortez at his home on the W.A. Thulmeyer ranch
about ten miles west of Kenedy. The young Cortez, along with his
brother, Romaldo, rented land from Thulmeyer and raised corn. Most
accounts indicate that Deputy Boone Choate was acting as
interrupter and misunderstood Cortez’s answers to Sheriff
Morris’ questions. When
Cortez said they had no reason to arrest him, Choate told Morris
that he (Cortez) said, “No white man can arrest me.” After
that response, the sheriff pulled his gun and wounded Gregorio’s
brother and barely missed hitting Cortez. It was then that Cortez
shot and killed Morris. Cortez
made his escape, but members of his family including his wife,
children, and mother were taken into custody. Reports indicate
that they were illegally detained. Now
on the run, Gregorio Cortez made his way into Gonzales County
where he had friends near Belmont. It was at the home of Martin
and Refugia Robledo that he hoped to hide out for a while. The
Handbook of Texas reports that the Robledo home was located on
land owned by a Mr. Schnabel. It
was at the Robledo home that a posse led by Sheriff Glover of
Gonzales County found Gregorio Cortez. A gunfight ensued and as a
result, Glover and Schnabel were killed. When it was all over,
Cortez had escaped capture and was on the run again. Cortez
walked 100 miles to the home of another friend, Ceferino Flores.
He was given a horse, saddle, and provisions. From here, the
“sheriff killer” decided to head for Laredo, Texas. By
now, the young fugitive had a price on his head. The citizens of
Karnes, Texas, put up a $1,000 reward for his capture. And it
wasn’t as easy for him to evade capture around Laredo because
many of the law officers in the area were Tejanos. He was hunted
by hundreds of men in posses; including Sheriff Ortiz of Webb
County and assistant city marshall Gómez of Laredo. It
is interesting to note that while Cortez was on the run, many
Anglo-Texans began to admire him; in fact one San Antonio
newspaper was greatly impressed by his "remarkable powers of
endurance and skill in eluding pursuit." Gregorio
Cortez was finally captured on June 22, 1901, after he was
betrayed by one of his acquaintances. This man, Jesús González,
led a posse to Cortez. According to The Handbook of Texas,
Gregorio Cortez had been on the run ten days from the time he had
killed Sheriff Morris. While
he was in custody, Cortez faced numerous trials. A mob of 300 men
threatened to lynch him before officers turned them away. Also
during this time, his brother Romaldo Cortez died in the Karnes
County Jail from the gunshot wound he received in the encounter
with Morris. A
Gonzales County jury found Cortez guilty of killing Mr. Schnabel.
He was given a fifty-year sentence. But on January 15, 1902, the
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the Gonzales verdict. He
was then given life in prison for the murder of Sheriff Glover. The
Handbook of Texas reports
that Gregorio Cortez had spent time in eleven jails in eleven
counties. It also states that while he was in prison, he worked as
a barber. Cortez was evidently a model prisoner. He was well liked
by his jailers and he had a lot of support on the outside from
both Anglo and Mexican groups. Attempts
to obtain a pardon for Cortez began soon after he went to prison.
Governor Oscar B. Colquitt finally granted him a conditional
pardon in 1913. After his release from prison, Cortez went to
Nuevo Laredo to join up with Victoriano Huerta and fight in the
Mexican Revolution. On
February 28, 1916, Gregorio Cortez died of pneumonia. After
his death, many people were interviewed about Cortez. Some said
that he really was a horse thief; as were his father and brothers.
Others declared that he was just the victim of racism which was so
prevalent at the time. One
thing we do know, for ten days, Gregorio Cortez was a very
resourceful man and until the time he was betrayed; he outwitted
and eluded many a good lawman. *
* * * Note:
A movie was produced about Gregorio Cortez in 1982. As I
understand it, some of the scenes for that movie were shot in
Gonzales at the Old Jail Museum. The movie, "The Ballad of
Gregorio Cortez" is on video and you can probably borrow
a copy from your local library.
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