A Texas Ranger Explains the Porvenir Massacre

Background: James Monroe Fox accepted a commission as a Texas Ranger Captain in 1911 and served along the Texas-Mexico border. During the height of the border violence in 1915, he bragged to his supervisors about killing suspects taken into custody. He was forced to resign following investigations into the 1918 Porvenir Massacre. However, his career with the Rangers was not over. He reenlisted and served as captain of Company A from 1925 to 1927, and held a Special Ranger commission from 1934 to 1935. In this 1918 letter to the head of the investigation, he justified the Rangers’ actions in Porvenir by stating that the Rangers came under fire.

February 18, 1918

Hon. James A. Harley, The Adjutant General,
Austin, Texas

My dear General:

On January 29th, eight Rangers on a scout went into the town of Polvanier [sic] and began searching Mexican houses and found some ten or twelve Mexicans in these houses. They were carried out on the edge of town and were being investigated as to who they were, when some of their comrades who were not in this bunch of Mexicans fired into the Rangers, the Ranger horses breaking loose and leaving them all on foot. They immediately lay down returning fire on all moving objects in front.

On the following morning Mr. Warren telegraphe[d] Colonel Langhorne, who is in charge of the Big Bend District, stating that they found fifteen dead Mexicans. That was the first information we had, or I had, as to how many Mexicans were killed.

Those Mexicans who were taken from the houses to be investigated had in their possession pocket knives, soap, and shoes that came out of Mr. Wright’s Ranch of the raid made December the 25th.

One of the Mexicans that was found among those killed has sent word over to our side of the river some eight or ten months ago that they were going to make a raid on the Texas “Gringos” and what they couldn’t carry off with them they would burn.

The Rangers never did know just how many were killed until Colonel Langhorne notified me the following morning at eleven o’clock when they called upon him to send soldiers to bury the dead Mexicans, which he did not do, and the Mexicans carried them across the river and buried them in Mexico.

The reason that we did not find out how many Mexicans were killed at that particular  time was on account of the darkness, Mexicans being in wait for us and we were unable to see them.

Your Very Truly
Captain, Company B, Texas State Ranger Force
[J.M. Fox, Captain, Company B Marfa, Texas]

Source: Proceedings of the Joint Committee of the Senate and House in the Investigation of the Texas State Ranger Force, Adjutant General Records, Texas State Archives, Austin, Texas 1919, vol. 2, pp. 834–35.