#OTD in 1918, Texas Rangers illegally held and tortured Jesus Villareal of Copita, TX on his way to his niece’s wedding near Roma.

Villareal was traveling with his two nephews to the wedding, when he was stopped by a Ranger at one o’clock in the morning who asked him to drive him a mile or so up the road to get water.

Villareal complied, letting the Ranger in the car with him and his two nephews. They made him lie flat on his back and accused him of trying to transport the boys across the river and the border.

When Villareal vehemently denied these accusations, they held him by the mouth, nose, and throat for over 5 minutes, effectively suffocating him.

The Rangers then put a cocked pistol into Villareal’s mouth, telling him to tell the truth or they would kill him. Villareal again emphasized he was telling the truth.

The Rangers then decided they would kill Villareal and put a knife in his hand after he was dead, making it look like he had attacked them.

After a forced confession from Villareal’s nephews, the Rangers transported the three of them up the Rio Grande. Villareal later named John Edds and Royal Collins in his attackers, along with an unknown third.

Information for this thread comes directly from the first volume from the 1919 investigation into the Texas Rangers by J.T. Canales. /8. https://www.texasranger.org/texas-ranger-museum/researching-rangers/1919-canales-investigation/

This thread is a part of the #OTD in Ranger history campaign that @Refusing2Forget is running this year. Follow this twitter handle or https://refusingtoforget.org/ranger-bicentennial-project/, and visit our website https://refusingtoforget.org to learn more.

Refusing to Forget members are  @ccarmonawriter  @carmona2208  @acerift  @soniahistoria  @BenjaminHJohns1 @LeahLochoa @MonicaMnzMtz and @Alacranita, another co-founder is @GonzalesT956

.@emmpask @sdcroll @HistoryBrian @LorienTinuviel @hangryhistorian, @ddsanchez432, @elprofeml, and @littlejohnjeff are other scholars working on this project.