Trails and Trials of a Texas Ranger

“General Bill” Sterling, as his friends called him, was a Texas Ranger of the old tradition—hard-riding and fearless but not a killer. Rising through the ranks, he became commander of the famed Rangers in the 1930s, when he served as adjutant general of Texas. His own story, told with warmth and vigor, is filled with adventures in the South Texas cattle country, the remote Ranger camps on the Río Grande, and the early Texas oil fields. As captain of Company D, the last horseback ranger company, he scouted on practically all the large ranches in Texas, pursuing bandits, rustlers, and outlaws. He participated in the conflicts, political and otherwise, that characterized early twentieth-century Texas. Through his skill, courage, and devotion to duty, coupled with a genuinely compassionate nature, he became a legend in the Southwest.

This memoir is rich in stories that are dry, droll, and full of punch—a genuine work of southwestern Americana, Texas style.

Bob Schoenke’s drawings are complemented by many rare photographs of Rangers and the land they patrolled, as well as individuals from all walks of life with whom the General was acquainted.

William Warren Sterling, better known as “General Bill,” was born in 1891 in Bell County and grew up on a ranch near Cotulla, Texas. He studied animal husbandry at Texas A&M College, served as a scout for Ranger companies and the Third U.S. Cavalry, and worked cattle before joining the Rangers. He died in April, 1960.