The paper explains that, in 1823, Stephen F. Austin, realizing a vital need to protect the people of Texas,
organized a group
of men, which would become the Texas Rangers, to "range" the
frontier and guard against hostile Indians. The author points out that, in their earliest beginnings, the Rangers had only single shot pistols and rifles; therefore, they readily accepted the Colt .36 caliber five-shot revolver, which gave the Rangers deadly precision in defense of the Texas frontier. The paper relates that one of the most famous Texas Ranger was Captain Leander H. McNelly, who
organized the "McNelly's Rangers" and was a man whose iron will and daring courage set the standard by which future Texas Rangers would be measured.