Luke Pickins was a shrewd man. Besides owning the bank in Eagle Pass, he had invested in several other enterprises that added to his wealth and gave him influence in the town. At the close of the Civil War, the ranchers in south west Texas as well as others throughout the state, had large holdings in large herds, but no market and no cash. Luke Pickins took mortgage after mortgage on the ranches during the war, and late in the summer of 1867, he met with the ranchers to discuss payment...