Gregorio Cortez

Gregorio Cortez – Photo courtesy of Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Gregorio Cortez – Photo courtesy of Texas State Library and Archives Commission

The story of Gregorio Cortez

He was considered a hero by the Mexican people; to the Anglos, he was the "sheriff killer" and needed to be hanged. In the summer of 1901, Gregorio Cortez killed two sheriffs in south Texas and became one of the most hunted fugitives in the history of the Lone Star State.