Thursday, November 12, 1931

The killing of Miles Scannell was far from the only shooting involving Border Patrol agents in the Marfa Sector during Prohibition. According to historian Kelly Lytle Hernández, on the morning of November 8, 1931, Gregorio Alanis shot Patrol Inspector James McGraw just below the clavicle during a raid on Alanis’ father’s property. Alanis fled to Mexico, but a felony warrant brought by Senior Patrol Inspector Earl Fallis weighed heavy on the young man’s shoulders. The Border Patrol continued their search and over seven years later, on January 20, 1939, Patrol Inspector Edwin Dorn shot and killed Alanis in an abandoned building. The Presidio County Sheriff delivered the body to his relatives.

BORDER PATROLMAN SERIOUSLY WOUNDED ON RIVER, SUNDAY

James McGraw, Recent Recruit in Service, is Seriously Wounded by Mexican at Point North of Presidio –– Second Shooting in Week –– Wounded Man Still in Presidio Under Medical Care. 

Sunday morning, November 8th, James McGraw, of the local Border Patrol, was seriously wounded in an affray with Mexicans at a point on the Rio Grande river about five miles above Presidio. The bullet which was fired by the Mexican, entered McGraw’s shoulder, tipping the upper part of the lung. He was brought to Presidio immediately for medical attention and at the time this is written is still in that city, his condition being such that it is not deemed wise to attempt to move him to the hospital in Marfa. 

As far as can be learned definitely the Border Patrolmen were attending to duties of their office on the river Sunday morning when they met a bunch of Mexicans, calling upon them to halt. The shooting ensued. Just how badly wounded the Mexican was could not be ascertained. Reports emanating from unreliable sources stated that McGraw was killed and that the shooting was an outgrowth of the trouble that occurred several weeks ago when Ware Hord was seriously wounded. Officers stated that there is no ground whatever for the latter statement and the fact that McGraw is in a hotel at Presidio and doing as nicely as possible seems to rather discount the former statement. 

El Paso daily papers would be more popular in this section if they would confine their efforts to real news items, and put their news gathering into the hands of competent and reliable reporters in this section.