Frank Conducts On-The-Job Training In A Gun Battle On The Rio Grand

Howdy folks and greetings from the Great Plains of North Texas!

We're in a series about one of the best Texas Rangers to ever wear the badge, the great Frank Hamer, who was brought out of retirement to take down Bonnie and Clyde.

Recap

In the last post of this series we talked a little about the conditions on the border with all the alcohol smuggling going on and Frank initiating a working relationship with the Rurales or the Mexican federal rural police.

The El Paso area was so violent that it was known as Hell Paso.

Because of the information they were getting about smugglers coming over and when, they could set ambushes for them and hopefully put some of the smugglers out of business.

Texas Rangers patrolling the Rio Grand:

source

Today's story

Frank was shocked when he learned how many good men were being shot to pieces and killed when confronting the smugglers so he went and asked the federal narcotics agent, A.L. Raithel, who'd recently been assigned to El Paso.

When he asked what their procedure was the narcotics agent told him that when they get a tip about smugglers coming over the river they go stake out the smuggler's path in the brush.

Then when they see the smugglers they stand up and yell "Manos arriba!" (which means Hands Up!).

But the smugglers are carrying guns and they immediately start shooting, then the agents start shooting and a couple of the agents always get dead. (Most of the agents were green recruits from the city with no experience.)

Frank just shook his head and said something to the effect of "All wrong. I'll show you how it's done."

Frank leads the next ambush

A couple days later they got word from the Rurales that a party of smugglers were coming over that night so Frank was in charge and he took his team out there and set up the ambush.

He chose a position on top of a sand dune overlooking a dry creek bed that the smugglers used.

The moon was high in the night sky when they spotted six smugglers. They were carrying cases of alcohol on their shoulders and held their guns at the ready.

I'd stick close to Frank and do exactly what he said

Frank instructed them to not do anything until he gave the word, and then they were to do exactly as he did.

One of the agents that night was Elmer McClure and he said that as soon as the smugglers reached the U.S. side of the river Frank stood up and shouted "Ok!" and opened fire with his semi-automatic rifle, a Remington Model 8 in .25 caliber.

source

McClure followed his lead and said that Frank's gun looked like a blow torch with all his firing. In a few seconds all six smugglers were dead as a door nail. A couple of the agents never even got a shot off.

Frank went around kicking them with the toe of his boot to make sure they were dead.

Then he looked square at the agents and said, "Now holler Manos arriba at these sons of bitches and see how many of them shoot you."

Here's a photo of agent Elmer McClure who was on that raid:

source

He must have been on skidrow, look at that sidewalk and that building. But anyway, that ambush was how it was done. Frank was getting a reputation.

Frank's story continues in the next post. That quote of Frank's was taken from an interview that the Houston Chronicle did with the federal narcotics agent, A.L. Raithel, in 1963.(no online link) He was on the ambush that night.

Thanks for reading folks, God bless you all!
-jonboy
Texas