Times were wild and woolly. Occasionally, the best-attended parties were the ones assembled for a lynching. Properly sworn representatives of the law couldn't be everywhere, so it was not uncommon for the law to be taken into hands which were not necessarily impartial. Defense for a murder was likely to be, "he needed killin'." Often, perpetrators were never brought to justice. Skeletons rattle in the closets of many of the oldest names in Bandera County. Following is a glimpse into the more unsavory chapters of our history, which, nevertheless, contributed to shaping the county into what it is today.