Frankie's Recovery And The Lasting Impact Of The Gunfight

This photo has nothing to do with the post, I forgot to put in any images so this is another view in the Hill Country where Frankie grew up:

source

Howdy folks and greetings from the Great Plains of North Texas!

We're in a series about one of the top Texas Rangers to ever wear the badge, the great Frank Hamer, who was brought out of retirement to take down Bonnie and Clyde.

In the last post Frankie had gotten into a gunfight with a crazy old farmer by the name of McSween, been shot with a shotgun, and the doctor pronounced that he'd lost too much blood to survive.

Today's story

So everyone thought he was a goner and about the kick the bucket but that didn't worry Frankie none because he already knew he would be fine. lol.

Here's what he said later..."I knew he was wrong(the doctor). I knew I was going to make it, but I couldn't say it, because I was so far gone I couldn't talk. I could hear, but I couldn't speak. But, you see, I had talked to the Old Master about it, and I knew I was going to get well."

His family was all afret and already grieving but he was in perfect peace because God told him he was gonna be fine! I'm sure it was just a few days before he was able to tell them.

Wow, we need more Godly lawmen who operate in the integrity and justice of the Gospel and who can actually hear from God. I'm sure we still have some out there, probably in small towns.

A profound influence

There were a few things that affected Frankie for the rest of his life from this shootout. One of them was a lifelong affinity for Black folk because of the black field hand who raced off to get the doctor even though he didn't know the Hamers.

Frankie hadn't really even been around many blacks and probably didn't know any because there weren't many in West Texas.

In the East there was a great deal of discrimination and prejudice, unfortunately Texas was a slave state before the Civil War so there was deep seated feelings against blacks.

Frankie said this about the black field hand: "A colored man was the best friend I ever had in my life. That colored man caused me to be living today."

He never forgot that act of kindness to him and in his career he came to the aid of blacks time and time again.

Other lessons learned

This shootout made Frankie realize that even in the face of gunfire and being critically wounded himself he could return fire and stay calm. And he found that he could take a shotgun blast that would have killed off a lesser man.

It also gave him an even deeper disgust and loathing of bullies and criminals. He hated bullies with a passion!

For some reason McSween was never even charged with the shooting. He recovered from his gunshot, sold his farm and moved to another town where he died 5 years later of natural causes. Good riddance to that dirtbag.