Doom of the Outlaws of Pegleg Station
Junction, Kimble County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Here the climax of a western track-down occurred on Jan.18, 1878, when Texas Rangers killed suspected murderer Dick Dublin, member of a gang of outlaws. Although a friend yelled for him to run, Dublin was shot (150 yds. S) as the intrepid James B. Gillett and 3 other Rangers rushed his hide-out (60 yds.E). Dick's brothers (Role and Dell), Mack Potter, and Rube Boyce were captured after a partner of the gang turned informer. Three of them (plus two others) were convicted Aug. 23-24, 1880, of the 1877 robbery of the U.S. Mail at Pegleg Station. (1969)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
On a January morning in 1878, the Texas Rangers closed in on the Dublin gang in the rugged Hill Country near Junction. When suspected murderer Dick Dublin bolted from his hideout, Ranger James B. Gillett and three others cut him down. The rest of the gang — including Dublin's brothers and their confederates — were rounded up after a partner turned informer, and several were convicted in 1880 for robbing the U.S. Mail at Pegleg Station.
Why it matters
The frontier reputation of the Texas Rangers was built on exactly this kind of relentless pursuit, which brought a rough measure of law to a violent, sparsely settled region.
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Related people
- · James B. Gillett
- · Dick Dublin
Related events
- · Pegleg Station mail robbery (1877)
Themes & tags
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