When Phyllis mentioned Texas and got to the Texas Ranger part, it spurred a memory of a tale my father told me several times.

My grandfather was in law enforcement at the early turn of the century in East Texas. Many Texas Rangers during transport of criminals, would stop and board their prisoners at the jail there in Henderson Texas where my grandfather worked. Over the years he got to know many of the Rangers. One went by the name of “Red” (I never heard his real name).

One day Red came into town and went to visit my grandfather who happened to be upstairs. Red found him sweeping out an empty jail cell and went in to visit. Red sat down on a bunk talking to my grandfather while he swept, my dad ran down past the open cell door and slammed it shut, taking the keys with him and laughing as he ran. My grandfather when balliastic, yelling down the hall, “Nealy, you get down here right now! I am going to whip you until you can’t sit down!!”

Red quickly jumped in and said, “John, John, be quiet!” Red then hollered down the hallway, “Nealy, let’s go get some ice cream! I have a new quarter and you can have TWO scoops!”

Looking at my grandfather, Red said, “John, once we get out of here you can kill him if you want to! But first we have to get out!”

Red was a legendary though Ranger who wrote a book in his later years about his career. He had single handedly captured many criminals and been in many gunfights but never lost or had anyone ever get the ‘drop’ on him, except a 4 year old kid (Nealy Winson Poole) acording to his book.