In Celebration of Leo Hickman's Life

LEGEND OF THE “LONE RANGER”

                                                              LEO HICKMAN

                                                                 by Jimmie Taylor, Editor, Paducah Post

If the measure of a man is determined by his fearlessness, honesty and respect,Leo Hickman was certainly one heck of a man!

In 1961, as a 28 year old Texas Highway Patrolman, he was shot in the eye, and then his back as he was lying on the ground, by a deranged assailant who then killed one man and wounded another. Hickman aimed through the blood spurting from his face, and shot the killer, disabling him before he could hurt anyone else.

The loss of his left eye never slowed Hickman, who drove himself home from the hospital which was 20 miles back to Silsbee, TX. He later became a sharpshooter on the State Pistol Team, and in 1971 followed a long tradition, becoming a Texas Ranger like his Uncle and 2 cousins before him.

At 72 he was still on duty, 'thinking about' retiring next year. He was in law enforce-ment 45 years, 30 of them as a “Texas Ranger”.  At  his retirement, he was the oldest Texas Ranger ever, and could still shoot better than most people half his age with two eyes.

Leo was the ONLY Texas Ranger in this corner of Texas, his territory was bigger than Connecticut and Rhode Island combined….26,000 people scattered over eight counties, and 6,600 square miles, where cattle outnumber the people, and most of  his counties  had only one-man  Sheriff's departments. His assistance was called for in cases  ranging  from cattle rustling and  general  thievery,  to murder, arson, and corruption among public officials.

Leo was on call 24 hours a day for nearly 30 years. While wearing his uniform of Stetson hat and custom-made cowboy boots, Hickman was an impressive 6 foot 2 inches tall. On his hip he always wore a cocked, gold and silver-encrusted Colt .45, and his demeanor was intimidating to criminals. Many were known to surrender to him because of it – and the no-nonsense way he talked to them.

Leo was held in great respect and awe by local sheriffs.  Cottle County Sheriff for 20 years, Frank Taylor, now retired, said of his friend, “He was one of the great ones, and I could always count on his help any time I needed him, day or night” . . . . “and he was just about my best friend,”  Taylor says,  “I’m sure gonna miss him!”