The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 73, July 1969 - April, 1970 Page: 137

Book Notes

Adams is liberal with anecdotes, sprinkled as illustrations through
the work, which make it easy reading, but the book's value is in its
depth. The author gives no figure for the number of words included,
but a rough count comes to more than 7,000. Those of us accustomed
to using Ramon Adams' bibliographies and lexicons know that while
there may be a word or two left out, there will be few misdefined.
This reviewer found few instances for quibbling.
Ramon Adams adores the cowboy and the Old West. He possibly
ascribes to them entirely too much virtue and integrity, putting the
cowman only a little lower than the angels, and considering him
a lot more practical. But while this attitude is considered old-fashioned
or naive by some, it sure helps accumulate the informal data of
usage and meaning. And this is what makes such a dictionary as
Western Words so valuable. Only a true believer could have compiled
it.
Austin, Texas A. C. GREENE
Book Notes
Horsebackers of the Brush Country. By Maude T. Gilliland. (n.p., 1968.
Pp. 175. Illustrations, bibliography, index. $5.95.)
"A Story of the Texas Rangers and Mexican Liquor Smugglers" is the
subtitle of this attractive book. Part One, "Prohibition in South Texas,"
records activities of Rangers and tequileros ("horsebackers") between 1920o
and 1933. A map depicting specific Rio Grande crossing points, trails,
and transfer locations used by liquor smugglers from Mexico, photographs
of sites and individuals, accounts of confrontations, and descriptions of
attire and equipment of horsebackers and Rangers and of the country
through which they rode are noteworthy. Part Two, "Law Enforcement
Officers of South Texas, Past and Present," contains biographical sketches
and photographs of lawmen, many of whom came from Wilson County.
Mrs. Gilliland, whose grandfather, father, and husband were Rangers,
knows her subject. Although her style is somewhat uneven, her book in-
cludes much authentic material not published before, and it accomplishes
its dual purpose of opening up a sendero to readers of Texana and of
paying tribute to all lawmen of South Texas, and to the Rangers in par-
ticular.
San Antonio College BESSIE M. PEARCE
Red River Dust. By Eugene Bowers and Evelyn Oppenheimer. (Waco:
Word Books, 1968. Pp. 178. Illustrations, bibliography. $4.95-)
This book, composed of twenty-five chapters of different stories and

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