A superb biography of a famous Texas Ranger on the Western frontier

William Jesse ‘Bill’ McDonald was born in Kemper County, Mississippi in 1852, but it was in the state of Texas where he earned his reputation as one of the most notable captains of the famous Texas Rangers. Such was his fame that Albert Paine, best known for his work on Mark Twain, was persuaded to become his biographer and that decision has resulted in a finely crafted account of McDonald’s life in which his western character and amiability authentically shines through the various anecdotes of his life as a lawman on the South-Western frontier. Having moved to Wood County, Texas as a young man, McDonald became a grocer, but developed an interest in the law and soon became a Deputy Sheriff, Ranger and U.S. Deputy Marshall. Before long he was capturing cattle rustlers and train-robbers in the ‘No-Man’s-Land’ and the Cherokee Strip. In 1891 McDonald became captain of Texas Rangers Company B, Frontier Battalion and set about bringing bank robbers, murderers and outlaw Mexican-Americans to justice with extraordinary success. Such was McDonald’s renown that he eventually became a bodyguard for Theodore Roosevelt (who contributed an introduction to this biography), Woodrow Wilson and William Howard Taft. This is an essential book for anyone interested in the Texas Rangers and is highly recommended.

Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.