Texas Constables: A Frontier Heritage [Hardcover]

Allen G. Hatley (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0896724247 | ISBN-13: 978-0896724242 | Publication Date: October 15, 1999

Much has been written about peace officers, including a host of stories about Texas Rangers, U.S. marshals, and many town marshals from years past. The history and exploits of constables, another large group of peace officers, have remained largely untold. This book traces in some detail the history of Texas constables, from January 1823, when the first law enforcement officers, two constables, were appointed in Stephen F. Austin’s Colony, to the present day. In addition, a brief history of the origin of the office in medieval France and England and its role in colonial America is given in an appendix. The book examines the changing duties of the office of constable, compares the role of urban and rural constables, and documents the position the office has in local government as well as law enforcement. The careers of a number of constables are highlighted, among them Gus Krempkau, who in 1881 was one of four people killed in that many minutes in a dusty El Paso street; John Selman, a one-time cattle thief and a party to the Lincoln County (New Mexico) Wars, who in 1892 was elected constable in El Paso and went on to become the most active lawman in the area; and Thomas R. Hickman, who began his law enforcement career as a deputy constable and ended it more than fifty years later as Chairman of the Texas Public Safety Commission. A second appendix provides brief career summaries of a number of well known gunfighters and lawmen outside of Texas, among them James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok, Virgil and Wyatt Earp, and Buford “Walking Tall” Pusser, who served as constables at one time or another in their lives.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Allen G. Hatley is a freelance writer and a twice-elected constable in Bandera County, Texas.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 237 pages
• Publisher: Texas Tech University Press (October 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0896724247
• ISBN-13: 978-0896724242
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,288,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth Reading, June 18, 2004

By 

Monty Rainey (New Braunfels, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Texas Constables: A Frontier Heritage (Hardcover)

Hartley does a good job of telling the history of some of Texas' more notable Constables, and even gives a good dose of early Texas history, but if you are looking to learn about the job of Constables, how the position has evolved and how it functions today, this book will be a bit of a let down for you.

The book does give a good account of past Constables, including several good case histories of some of the Texas Constables that have been killed in the line of duty. This 200 page book is broken into seven chapters, each dedicated to a specific time.

I was disappointed in that I was anticipating a more indepth study of the job itself, but must say I was pleasantly surprised that this little known author did a superb job of touching lightly on a variety of topics. Having grown up in the Texas panhandle, I was pleasantly surprised to find a chapter dedicated to this sparsely populated region and the frontier towns of Mobeetie and Tascosa.

The Texas history buff will enjoy this book and will see a few recognizable names.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Texas Constables: A True Testament to the Texas Spirit, February 17, 2008

By 

James Gould "Book Worm" (Perry, Iowa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Texas Constables: A Frontier Heritage (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book. It has so much amazing history in it, even old pictures of lawmen that served in Texas.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific, specialized history of Texas law enforcement., April 4, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Texas Constables: A Frontier Heritage (Hardcover)

Texas Constables: A Frontier Heritage is a compelling history of a the Texas Constable, a branch of law enforcement quite distinct from the better known Texas Rangers, U.S. Marshals, and even the town marshals that dominate the legends and lore of Texas law enforcement. From the establishment of the Texas Republic to its transformation to being the Lone Star State, down to the present day, Texas Constables offers a compendium of facts, personalities and events that will prove deeply engaging for both the history and the western history buff. For example, the cattle thief turned Texas constable who killed infamous outlaw John Wesley Harding in 1895 -- only to be later gunned down himself by a United States Marshall. Texas Constables is a welcome and valued addition to the annals of Western Frontier history in general, and the history of Texas law enforcement in particular.