N.P. "Doc" Thomas
Ranger Private
Texas Rangers
End of Watch: January 5, 1909
Nathaniel Pendergrass “Doc” Thomas served with distinction as a member of the legendary Texas Rangers. His career reflected the courage and dedication that defined the Rangers’ role in shaping law and order across Texas.
Born March 5, 1849, Doc spent much of his life in law enforcement, including two stints with the Rangers.
He started as a Parker County sheriff’s deputy during a time when the Old West was considered lawless. Doc then joined the Rangers in 1906 but returned to Parker County as a deputy a year later.
Doc then re-enlisted in the Rangers for his final watch in 1908. He was murdered in the line of duty the following year while deployed to the Texas Panhandle.
He was unmarried and survived by three brothers and two sisters in Parker County.
END OF WATCH: JANUARY 5, 1909
Doc was murdered while working as part of a special force of Rangers dispatched to the Texas Panhandle to enforce prohibition laws at a time when local authorities were struggling to contain illegal activity.
He and the other Rangers arrested hundreds of bootleggers, shutting down Amarillo’s notorious Bowery District. However, the presence of the Rangers was not entirely welcomed by local officials.
The Sheriff and his chief jailer, deputy Jim Keeton, were upset with the Rangers following the unauthorized transfer of a prisoner of the Potter County jail to Arkansas authorities.
Keeton shot and killed Doc following a heated discussion just days after Doc had told others he didn’t think he would ever make it out of town alive. Keeton was convicted of 2nd degree murder and sentenced to 5 years in prison.