Capt. John Hughes-Texas Ranger - El Paso, Texas
Capitan John Hughes - Guardabosques de Texas - El Paso, Texas

Capt. John Hughes-Texas Ranger - El Paso, Texas

In 1886 several horses were stolen from his and neighboring ranches. Hughes trailed the men for several months, killing some of them and capturing the rest. He returned the stolen horses to their owners. His feat gained the attention of not only the outlaws but also the Texas Rangers. In July 1887, Hughes helped Texas Ranger Ira Aten track down and kill escaped murderer Judd Roberts. In August 1887, Hughes was persuaded to join the Texas Rangers. He had risen to the rank of sergeant in Company D Frontier Battalion by 1893. When their Captain, Frank Jones, was killed in June 1893, Hughes was promoted to captain of Company D. For most of his career, Hughes served along the border of southwest Texas. In 1901, when the Frontier Battalion was abolished and the State Rangers created, John Hughes was selected as one of the four Captains of the new companies. He served until his retirement in 1915. During the 28 years he was a Ranger, Hughes dealt with a wide variety of cases including thefts at the Shafter silver mines, cattle rustlers, horse thieves, murders and even the Maher-Fitzsimmons prize fight. He was known as "the border boss." John Hughes never married. He spent his retirement years prospecting and traveling by automobile. He was also involved in the banking industry, becoming chairman of the board and largest stockholder of the Citizens Industrial Bank of Austin, but he continued to live in El Paso. In 1940 John R. Hughes received the Certificate of Valor, an award commemorating the the bravery of peace officers. He moved to Austin to live with a niece, and on 3 June 1947, after living through the end of the frontier and two world wars he committed suicide at the age of 92. He was buried in the State Cemetery in Austin, Texas.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso County Historical Society

Reference ID: 013-1983-148

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Report this entry

Choose the most important reason for this report

Your name

Your email address

Optional detail

Thank you for your report

More from the same community-collection

Monarch's Red

Sipping some juice at Monarch

Lisa Heinemann and friend at Opening Ceremony for DIGIE

Lisa and Silke at the Downtown Opening Ceremony for DIGIE on ...

Lisa at Opening Ceremony for DIGIE.

Lisa at the Downtown Opening Ceremony for DIGIE on February 14, ...

Heather and Carlos at Opening Ceremony for DIGIE

Heather and Carlos, friends of the Curator of the Digital Wall ...

Heather and Carlos at Opening Ceremony for DIGIE

Heather and Carlos, friends of the Curator of the Digital Wall ...

Heather and Carlos at Opening Ceremony for DIGIE

Heather and Carlos, friends of the Curator of the Digital Wall ...

Visitors at Opening Ceremony for DIGIE

Visitors at the Downtown Opening Ceremony on February 14, 2015, ...

Visitors at Opening Ceremony for DIGIE

Visitors at the Downtown Opening Ceremony on February 14, 2015, ...

Visitors at Opening Ceremony for DIGIE

Visitors at the Downtown Opening Ceremony on February 14, 2015, ...

Visitors at Opening Ceremony for DIGIE

Visitors at the Downtown Opening Ceremony on February 14, 2015, ...

Visitors at Opening Ceremony for DIGIE

Visitors at the Downtown Opening Ceremony on February 14, 2015, ...

Visitors at Opening Ceremony for DIGIE

Visitors at the Downtown Opening Ceremony on February 14, 2015, ...

Celebrating the Opening of the Digital Wall

A band playing at the celebration for the opening of the Digital ...

Bagwell's at Anson 11 before Chihuahuas game

James Bagwell and his twin sons, Bryan and Brandon, and his ...

Y.O.U.N.G GHOSTBUSTERS LOGO

Y.O.U.N.G GHOSTBUSTERS

Joe Gomez Keynote Speaker at Black History Month

Black History Month at Ft Bliss February 18, 2015

Tom Lea, Fighter In The Sky

Tom Lea Fighter In The Sky. Oil on canvas, 14¼ X 23¼. ...

Tom Lea, That 2,000-Yard Stare, 1944

That 2,000-Yard Stare, 1944 Oil on canvas, 36 x 28 Life ...

Tom Lea, The Price, 1944

The Price, 1944 Oil on canvas, 36½ X 28. Life Collection of ...

Tom Lea, Sickbay in a Shellhole, 1944.

Sickbay in a Shellhole, 1944. Oil on canvas, 27 X 32. Life ...

Golden Goose Tattoo

In 2015 Golden Goose Tattoo made the move from N. Mesa to 203 S. ...

Sign of the TIMES

Here is a photo of the exterior signage that hung on the ...

home.search_collection