DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Billy Brown came into this world in Georgia, and when he was still young, his family loaded up and made for Texas — arriving in 1857. Now, Texas had a way of shaping the men who grew up in it, and Billy Brown was no exception.
He and his brother John both rode as Texas Rangers. Two brothers, same calling, same dangerous country. Billy — W.
H. Brown, if you want the formal name — served from June to December of 1874. Six months riding with the Rangers.
Six months of hard miles and harder decisions. You might think that's where the story ends, but the marker has one more thing to say, and it's the kind of thing that stays with you. Billy Brown was the last man killed by Indians in Runnels County — killed in a fight to regain stolen horses.
Not a skirmish forgotten by history. Not a footnote. The last.
Runnels County keeps that record, and this marker keeps his name. Billy Brown. Ranger.
Brother. The last.
What the marker says
Born in Georgia. With his parents came to Texas 1857. He and a brother, John, were Texas Rangers -- W. H. ("Billy") serving June-December 1874. Billy Brown was the last man killed by Indians in Runnels County, in a fight to regain stolen horses.