In Chihuahua City (1849) Michael H. Chevallié and Glanton may have influenced the state legislature to pass the Fifth Law over the veto of the governor, empowering Chevallié to contract with guerrillas to capture or kill troublesome Indians on an individual basis. Chevallié entered the first contract the next day, and Glanton was in his company on several successful expeditions north of the capital.- From Handbook of Texas Online on John Joel Glanton
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Wow, this is quite a list below. You know, in my research on John Coffee Hays I also stumbled upon an infamous group called the Glanton Gang. These guys were contracted to hunt down Indians for a bounty in Mexico, and they used scalps as a proof of death. The problem with this gang is that they ran out of Apache or Comanche warriors to kill, and they started going after innocents. In other words, the industry of killing the enemy was extremely effective. But as soon as hunters violated the contract and tried to cheat the system, that is when the state put down the hammer.
Mexico decided to put a bounty out on the Glanton Gang after they found out about their scheme, and that effectively ended the gang’s work in Mexico. From bounty hunter to fugitive, all due to a violation of the contract. If the Mexicans would have demanded a bond from these bounty hunters, I think that would have further kept hunters like this in check. Either way, the line of criminal behavior was crossed, and the gang instantly turned into criminals because of their actions.
It should also be noted that John Glanton fought as a civilian scout for the US Army under John Ford, and was a Texas Ranger with Hays. But it seemed that everywhere John went, he pissed off folks by killing the wrong guys or not playing well with others. lol So I would classify him as a guy who lacked discipline and was an extreme liability to anyone that used him. The book Blood Meridian is supposed to be based on the Glanton Gang as well.
To get back to my point. Mexico has a history of bounty hunting, and they have contracted outsiders before. And seeing how the city of Juarez is now the most dangerous city in the world, maybe some consideration should be given to creating an industry that could clean it up. They could issue Letters of Marque and Reprisals, or initiate the Fifth Law (what ever that entailed), and fire up the industry necessary to clean up these cartels. –Matt
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John Joel Glanton.
Mexico offers rewards for 33 drug gang suspects
By E. EDUARDO CASTILLO
May 29, 2010
MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s government unveiled a list of 33 wanted drug suspects Friday, including three men allegedly tied to a cartel responsible for much of the bloodshed in the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez.
The Attorney General’s Office did not specify the criminal bands affiliated with each suspect.
However, a security official in the northern state of Chihuahua, where Ciudad Juarez is located, said the three at the top of the list belong to La Linea, a gang tied to the Juarez cartel. Rewards of $1.1 million (15 million pesos) were offered for each.
One of the three, Juan Pablo Ledezma, is believed to be the head of La Linea, said the official, who is with the joint army and police operation in charge of security in Chihuahua. He agreed to discuss the list only on condition of not being quoted by name, because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
A turf battle between the Juarez and Sinaloa drug cartels has turned Ciudad Juarez into one of the world’s deadliest cities. More than 4,300 people have been killed over the past three years in the city, which lies across the border from El Paso, Texas.
Five men were killed in a Ciudad Juarez shooting Friday, said Arturo Sandoval, a spokesman for the Chihuahua state prosecutors’ office.
The five were riding in a car when gunmen drove up beside them and opened fire, Sandoval said. Two of the five were killed inside the car. The others tried to flee into a restaurant but were gunned down in front of panicked customers.
The Attorney General’s Office offered rewards of $387,000 (5 million pesos) each for five other suspects on the list. The other 25 had $232,000 (3 million peso) bounties on their heads.