Synopses & Reviews
Many well-read students, historians, and loyal aficionados of Texas Ranger lore know the name of Texas Ranger Captain Frank Jones (1856andndash;1893), who died on the Texas-Mexico border in a shootout with Mexican rustlers. In
Six-Shooters and Shifting Sands, Bob Alexander has now penned the first full-length biography of this important nineteenth-century Texas Ranger.
At an early age Frank Jones, a native Texan, would become a Frontier Battalion era Ranger. His enlistment with the Rangers coincided with their transition from Indian fighters to lawmen. While serving in the Frontier Battalion officersand#39; corps of Company D, Frank Jones supervised three of the four andldquo;greatandrdquo; captains of that era: J. A. Brooks, John H. Rogers, and John R. Hughes. Besides Austin Ira Aten and his younger brothers Calvin Grant Aten and Edwin Dunlap Aten, Captain Jones also managed law enforcement activities of numerous other noteworthy Rangers, such as Philip Cuney andldquo;P. C.andrdquo; Baird, Benjamin Dennis Lindsey, Bazzell Lamar andldquo;Bazandrdquo; Outlaw, J. Walter Durbin, Jim King, Frank Schmid, and Charley Fusselman, to name just a few.
Frank Jonesandrsquo;s law enforcing life was anything but boring. Not only would he find himself dodging bullets and returning fire, but those Rangers under his supervision would also experience gunplay. Of all the Texas Ranger companies, Company D contributed the highest number of on-duty deaths within Texas Ranger ranks.
Review
andquot;For those fascinated by the Old West, this book is the true story.andquot;andmdash;Rick Miller, author of award-winning Texas Ranger John B. Jones and the Frontier Battalion, 1874-1881
Review
andquot;Bob does not present a personal agenda or make predisposed statements by shading his canvas in tones most aligned with individual preferences, unless one would consider truth and objectivity as the focus of that work. Because thatandrsquo;s exactly what Iandrsquo;ve seen in every book Iandrsquo;ve read that Bob Alexander has written: an unbiased and factual treatment based on incredibly detailed references.andquot;andmdash;
Chief Kirby W. Dendy, Texas Rangers
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andldquo;Iand#39;ve long wanted to read a biography of Texas Ranger Captain Frank Jones. Now Bob Alexander, utilizing his background in law enforcement and his gifts as a storyteller, has crafted a superb account of the heroic, doomed lawman, told against the rugged backdrop of Ranger actions on the Texas frontier.andrdquo;andmdash;Bill Oand#39;Neal, State Historian of Texas and author of The Johnson-Sims Feud
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andquot;Bob Alexanderand#39;s Six-Shooters and Shifting Sands elevates from stale history to exciting adventure the life and times of Texas Ranger Frank Jones, a frontier lawman who fearlessly faced Indian dangers and the blazing gunfire of deadly outlaws. With his entertaining style, Alexander relates the life and death of a courageous, in-the-saddle leader who played a major role in bringing law and order to the wild and wooly settlements in an as yet untamed Texas. For those fascinated by the Old West, this book is the true story.andquot;andmdash;Rick Miller, author of award-winning Texas Ranger John B. Jones and the Frontier Battalion, 1874-1881
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andldquo;Once again exceptional historian and story teller Bob Alexander has delved into the forgotten archives and emerged with Texas Ranger Frank Jones who mentored such great Rangers as Ira Aten and John R. Hughes. and#160;This is an unvarnished view of a man who rightfully should be one of the great captains of Ranger history. and#160;Largely ignored, Jones deserved far better. and#160;With Alexanderand#39;s compelling work, now he has it.andrdquo;andmdash;David Johnson, author of John Ringo, King of the Cowboys and The Mason County andldquo;Hoo Dooandrdquo; War, 1874-1902
Review
andquot;A retired federal agent-turned-writer, Alexander knows cops--old-school or modern--and he knows how to find information. This is a solid book that will appeal to any fan of Wild West history.andquot;--True West
Review
andquot;Six-Shooters and Shifting Sands is the biography of a man whose life resembles an adventure novel.andquot;--Midwest Book Review
Review
andquot;Guns, horses, brawls, skullduggery--itand#39;s all here. . . . Bob Alexander has once again written a valuable and memorable biography of an old-time Texas Ranger who deserves to be remembered. This book belongs in your Texas Ranger collection.andquot;--Chronicle of the Old West
About the Author
BOB ALEXANDER began a policing career in 1965 and retired as a special agent with the US Treasury Department. He is the author ofand#160;
Rawhide Ranger, Ira Atenand#160;(winner of Wild West Historical Association Best Book Award);and#160;
Bad Company and Burnt Powder; Riding Luciferand#39;s Line: Ranger Deaths along the Texas-Mexico Border;and#160;andand#160;
Winchester Warriors: Texas Rangers of Company D, 1874-1901, all published by UNT Press.and#160;