The South Texas Renegades
Therese Demegillo-5
Who were the South Texas Renegades?
The South Texas Renegades were outlaws. They made many Texans and Mexican Americans fear them. Lawlessness increased as outlaws came across Texas. Many people during the lawlessness took an advantage of the lack of laws. Some of the outlaws were ranchers who wanted to expand their land. Poorer people like those who have a Mexican heritage lost their land and were mistreated in many ways.
Juan N. Cortina
Juan N. Cortina had taken up the job to protect the rights of the Mexicans and Tejanos before the Civil War and was an outlaw. The authorites saw him as an outlaw who was responsible of the violence along the Rio Grande. Even though he was accused of many crimes, there is no actual proof he did them. Captain L.H. McNelly and his Special Force followed some of the outlaws, but did not find Cortina's hideout. The Texas Rangers never caught Juan N. Cortina; the Mexican army arrested him. After he was arrested, the cattle raids didn't stop, but they did become less frequent.