Jesse Lee Hall
Encyclopedia
Jesse Lee Hall was a Texas
Ranger
of the Old West, and is a member of the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame
, and was later a soldier
.
Born Jesse Leigh Hall in Lexington, North Carolina
, son to James King Hall and Frances Mebane Rankin Hall, he later changed the spelling of his middle name to Lee. Hall moved to Texas in 1869, starting off as a school teacher, but later signing on as a Town Marshal
for Sherman, Texas
, as well as a Deputy Sheriff for Denison, Texas
. He also served as a Sergeant at Arms for the Texas Senate
.
In August 1876, Hall joined the Texas Rangers, serving under Ranger legend Leander H. McNelly
, and was immediately posted to the Nueces Strip, where he solved a recent bank robbery
in Goliad, Texas
. The robbery suspects fled to Mexico
, but eventually the band was broken by Hall. By October 1876, McNelly was extremely ill, and Hall was appointed to take command. He immediately led Rangers to Cuero, Texas
to break up the Sutton-Taylor Feud. By January 1877, he and his supporting Rangers had ended the feud
. In February of that year he split his forces to battle cattle rustling along the Rio Grande River area, and to battle a band being led by gunman King Fisher
.
Hall served as Captain
until 1880, when he turned over command to T. L. Oglesby. Hall married Bessie Weidman, who hated the Texas Rangers service, prompting him to resign, albeit against his own will. He managed several failed businesses, and in the mid-1880s he assisted in the fight against fence cutting during the Fence Cutting War
, while at the time managing the Dull Ranch. He later served as an agent for the Anadarko
Indians
, and was indicted for embezzlement
, but the charges were dismissed in 1888 for lack of evidence.
Until 1898, Hall engaged in several businesses, and in 1898 at the outbreak of the Spanish-American War
he raised two companies for service, despite his wife's objections. After that military service, he served as a scout
in the Philippine Islands. He left the military in October 1900, and from 1906 through 1907 he managed security for the Giroux Consolidated Mining Company. Having settled in San Antonio, Texas
, he died there in 1911, and is buried in the National Cemetery.
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
Ranger
Texas Ranger Division
The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...
of the Old West, and is a member of the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame
Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in Waco, Texas, is the state-designated official historical center of the famed Texas Rangers law enforcement agency. It consists of the Homer Garrison, Jr. museum gallery, the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame, the Texas Ranger Research Center and the Headquarters...
, and was later a soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
.
Born Jesse Leigh Hall in Lexington, North Carolina
Lexington, North Carolina
Lexington is the county seat of Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 19,953. It is located in central North Carolina, twenty miles south of Winston-Salem. Major highways include I-85, U.S. Route 29, U.S. Route 70, U.S. Route 52 ...
, son to James King Hall and Frances Mebane Rankin Hall, he later changed the spelling of his middle name to Lee. Hall moved to Texas in 1869, starting off as a school teacher, but later signing on as a Town Marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
for Sherman, Texas
Sherman, Texas
Sherman is a city in and the county seat of Grayson County, Texas, United States. The city's estimated population as of 2009 was 38,407. It is also one of two principal cities in the Sherman-Denison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, as well as a Deputy Sheriff for Denison, Texas
Denison, Texas
Denison is a city in Grayson County, Texas, United States. The population was 22,773 at the 2000 census; it is estimated to have grown to 24,127 in 2009. Denison is one of two principal cities in the Sherman-Denison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. He also served as a Sergeant at Arms for the Texas Senate
Texas Senate
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...
.
In August 1876, Hall joined the Texas Rangers, serving under Ranger legend Leander H. McNelly
Leander H. McNelly
Leander Harvey McNelly was a Confederate officer and Texas Ranger captain. McNelly is best remembered for leading the "Special Force", a quasi-military branch of the Texas Rangers that operated in South Texas in 1875-76....
, and was immediately posted to the Nueces Strip, where he solved a recent bank robbery
Bank robbery
Bank robbery is the crime of stealing from a bank during opening hours. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, robbery is "the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of...
in Goliad, Texas
Goliad, Texas
Goliad is a city in Goliad County, Texas, United States. It had a population of 1975 at the 2000 census. Founded on the San Antonio River, it is the county seat of Goliad County. It is part of the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area. Goliad is located on U.S. Highway 59, named also for...
. The robbery suspects fled to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, but eventually the band was broken by Hall. By October 1876, McNelly was extremely ill, and Hall was appointed to take command. He immediately led Rangers to Cuero, Texas
Cuero, Texas
Cuero is a city in DeWitt County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,571 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of DeWitt County. It is also unofficially known as the "turkey capital of the world"...
to break up the Sutton-Taylor Feud. By January 1877, he and his supporting Rangers had ended the feud
Feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight between parties—often groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one party perceives itself to have been attacked, insulted or wronged by another...
. In February of that year he split his forces to battle cattle rustling along the Rio Grande River area, and to battle a band being led by gunman King Fisher
King Fisher
King Fisher was a gunslinger of the American Old West.- Early life :John King Fisher was born in Collin County, Texas, to Jobe Fisher and Lucinda Warren Fisher. He had two brothers, Jasper and James, and his mother died when he was two years old. His father then remarried to a woman named Minerva...
.
Hall served as Captain
Police captain
- France :France uses the rank of capitaine for management duties in both uniformed and plain-clothed policing. The rank comes senior to lieutenant and junior to commandant....
until 1880, when he turned over command to T. L. Oglesby. Hall married Bessie Weidman, who hated the Texas Rangers service, prompting him to resign, albeit against his own will. He managed several failed businesses, and in the mid-1880s he assisted in the fight against fence cutting during the Fence Cutting War
Fence Cutting War
The Fence Cutting War occurred at the end of the 19th century and was a dispute between advocates of the open range, and ranchers who wished to fence off their property, all taking place in Texas.-War:...
, while at the time managing the Dull Ranch. He later served as an agent for the Anadarko
Anadarko
Anadarko may refer to:* Anadarko, Oklahoma* Anadarko Basin, a geologic depositional and structural basin centered in the western part of the state of Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle, and extending into western Kansas and southeast Colorado...
Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, and was indicted for embezzlement
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
, but the charges were dismissed in 1888 for lack of evidence.
Until 1898, Hall engaged in several businesses, and in 1898 at the outbreak of the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
he raised two companies for service, despite his wife's objections. After that military service, he served as a scout
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
in the Philippine Islands. He left the military in October 1900, and from 1906 through 1907 he managed security for the Giroux Consolidated Mining Company. Having settled in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, he died there in 1911, and is buried in the National Cemetery.