Gregorio Cortez

This plaque's shootout began with words lost in translation. Deputy Boone Choate, interpreting for Sheriff Morris, asked whether Cortez had traded a horse, a caballo; Cortez, who had traded a mare, a yegua, said no. His reply that he could not be arrested for nothing reached Morris as "No white man can arrest me." Morris wounded Gregorio's brother Romaldo, who later died in the Karnes City jail. During the ten-day manhunt, at least nine people of Mexican descent were killed in reprisals in Gonzales, Refugio, Hays and other counties, and Cortez's wife, children and mother were illegally held.

What the plaque says

Gregorio Cortez On June 12, 1901, Sheriff W.T. "Brack" Morris and Deputy arrived at the Thulemeyer ranch to question Gregorio Cortez (1875-1916) about a reported horse theft in Atascosa county. A shootout ensued, leaving Sheriff Morris dead. Cortez fled the scene. During the manhunt, a Gonzales County Sheriff was shot and killed. Cortez was captured June 22, 1901 and tried amongst an all-Anglo jury. He was found not guilty by reason of self-defense in the death of Sheriff Morris and convicted and sentenced to life for the murder of the Gonzales Co. Sheriff. Efforts by his supporters led to a conditional pardon by Gov. O.B. Colquitt in 1913. Many have since regarded Cortez as a folk hero, perpetuated in "The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez." (2015)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Panna Maria — 13 mi
  The Silesian village on a plateau above the San Antonio River that claims the oldest permanent Polish settlement in America, with a church of 1878 and a ceiling found again in 2000.
• Choke Canyon State Park — 31 mi
  A reservoir state park on the Frio River in two units, built after a 1982 dam, with birds, alligators and fishing on land people have crossed for more than 10,000 years.

More markers nearby

• Kenedy — 7.9 mi
• Kenedy Enemy Alien Detention Site, World War II — 7.9 mi
• Karnes County — 8.0 mi
• Karnes City — 8.1 mi