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Offered here is an exceptionally scarce original period photographic postcard documenting one of the most recognizable and disturbing scenes from the 1915 Texas–Mexico Border War.
The image was made following the August 8, 1915 raid on the Norias Division of the King Ranch, located in Kenedy County approximately seventy miles north of Brownsville, Texas. The photograph is dated by archival sources to the following morning, August 9, 1915.
Three mounted men pose behind the bodies of three men lying in the field. Ropes extend from the mounted party toward the bodies. Archival cataloging by the Portal to Texas History identifies the riders, from left to right, as:
Texas Ranger Captain James Monroe Fox
Texas Ranger Captain Henry Ransom
King Ranch foreman Tom Tate
The original white-letter caption along the lower edge reads:
“MEXICAN BANDITS KILLED”
That wording is repeated here because it is the original period caption appearing within the photograph and is historically important to identifying this particular postcard issue.
The Norias raid occurred during the violent South Texas conflict commonly known as the Bandit War, itself connected to the Mexican Revolution and the Plan of San Diego unrest. Contemporary and later accounts place approximately fifty to seventy armed raiders in the attack. Ranch personnel, customs officers, lawmen and a small detachment of United States cavalry defended the headquarters for approximately two hours. Ranch employee Manuela Flores was killed, four defenders were wounded, and at least five attackers were reported killed.
The Texas Rangers pictured here had been away from the headquarters scouting when the principal firefight occurred. They returned after the raiders withdrew. Later testimony explained that ropes were used to move the bodies toward a burial location because no wagon, hearse or regular burial equipment was available at the isolated ranch division.
The photographer then recorded multiple staged arrangements of the bodies and mounted men. These photographs were commercially distributed as postcards and became powerful, controversial visual documents of the racial conflict, border violence and law-enforcement culture of early twentieth-century South Texas.
Photographic attribution varies between major archives. The Portal to Texas History record for this exact composition lists W. H. Horne as photographer, while the Robert Runyon collections and modern scholarship associate the larger Norias photographic series with Brownsville commercial photographer Robert Runyon. This postcard is therefore offered without an absolute photographer attribution.
The divided reverse contains a faint handwritten message, an attached green one-cent Washington postage stamp and a clearly readable:
EL PASO, TEXAS — JUL 18, 1918. postmark. The postal use establishes that this example was circulating only about three years after the Norias event.
An old penciled “125.00” price notation appears on the reverse.
This is not a modern reproduction. It is a mailed, period postcard with substantial historical research potential and crossover interest for collectors of Texas Rangers, King Ranch history, Western Americana, Mexican Revolution material, border conflict photography, Robert Runyon, W. H. Horne and graphic historical postcards.
Please be aware that the photograph contains visible human remains.
Condition
Original postcard in heavily worn, distressed condition.
The card has several pronounced diagonal and vertical creases extending through the image. Both upper corners have tears, cracking and paper separation. Additional creasing and partial splitting are present near the lower corners and edges.
There is overall fading, surface abrasion, staining, soiling, image loss, edge wear and handling wear. The postcard has areas of weakness associated with the major folds and should be handled with care.
The lower caption is partially affected by wear but remains identifiable. The central historical scene, mounted men, horses, ropes and bodies remain substantially visible. The reverse writing is extremely faded, although the El Paso postmark, 1918 date, stamp and old price notation remain visible.
No restoration has been attempted. The postcard will be placed in an archival sleeve and protected with rigid support for shipment.
Please examine all photographs carefully. They form an important part of the condition description.
Item Specifics
Unit of Sale: Single Unit
Number of Items in Set: 1
Type: Real Photo Postcard / RPPC
Original or Licensed Reprint: Original
Subject Date: August 9, 1915
Postal Date: July 18, 1918
Postage Condition: Posted
Era: Divided Back, 1907–1915
Country: United States
State: Texas
Location: Norias Division, King Ranch
City or Community: Norias
County: Kenedy County
Theme: Texas Rangers
Additional Theme: King Ranch
Additional Theme: Mexican Revolution
Additional Theme: Texas–Mexico Border War
Additional Theme: Western Americana
Subject: Norias Ranch Raid
Featured Person: James Monroe Fox
Featured Person: Henry Ransom
Featured Person: Tom Tate
Photographer Attribution: W. H. Horne / Robert Runyon attribution varies by archive
Material: Paper
Format: Black-and-White Photographic Postcard
Size: Standard Postcard Format
Features: Divided Back
Features: Handwritten Correspondence
Features: 1918 El Paso Texas Postmark
Features: Attached One-Cent Washington Stamp
Features: Original Period Caption
Condition Classification: Heavily Worn / Distressed
Graphic Content: Photograph Includes Human Remains
