Gregorio Cortez eluded the pursuit of some three hundred sheriffs, deputies, and other posse members in 1901 in Texas, becoming a folk hero in the process. It all started with a tragic misunderstanding and poor translation on the part of a deputy, leading to a sheriff killing Gregorio's brother and Gregorio shooting the sheriff in self-defense. Gregorio then spent twelve days on the run, both on foot and horseback, travelling hundreds of miles and avoiding capture for a long time. The event sadly incited anti-Mexican violence by some bigoted Texan communities, but Gregorio's skill in eluding the authorities helped make him a legend to the Mexican-American people of the time. While Gregorio was convicted of second-degree murder upon capture, he was pardoned in 1913 by the governor of Texas. Gregorio's tale has been adapted into a movie starring Edward James Olmos, which you can get from the library on VHS.
