Gregorio Cortez
Coy City, Karnes County, Texas
Marker Inscription
On June 12, 1901, Sheriff W.T. “Brack” Morris and Deputy arrived at the Thulemeyer ranch to question Gregorio Cortez (1875-1916) about a reported horse theft in Atascosa county. A shootout ensued, leaving Sheriff Morris dead. Cortez fled the scene. During the manhunt, a Gonzales County Sheriff was shot and killed. Cortez was captured June 22, 1901 and tried amongst an all-Anglo jury. He was found not guilty by reason of self-defense in the death of Sheriff Morris and convicted and sentenced to life for the murder of the Gonzales Co. Sheriff. Efforts by his supporters led to a conditional pardon by Gov. O.B. Colquitt in 1913. Many have since regarded Cortez as a folk hero, perpetuated in “The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez.” (2015)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In June 1901 a mistranslated question about a horse trade near here erupted into gunfire, leaving Sheriff "Brack" Morris dead and Gregorio Cortez fleeing across South Texas in one of the era's most famous manhunts. Captured ten days later, Cortez was acquitted in Morris's death on grounds of self-defense but convicted of killing a second sheriff, drawing a life sentence before a governor's conditional pardon freed him in 1913. To many Tejanos he became a folk hero, his flight and defiance immortalized in "The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez."
Why it matters
Cortez's story crystallized the tensions between Anglo law and Mexican-American communities on the Texas border, and its retelling in song made him an enduring symbol of resistance to injustice.
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Related people
- · Gregorio Cortez
- · Sheriff W.T. "Brack" Morris
- · Gov. O.B. Colquitt
Themes & tags
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