Governor pardons cop-killing folk hero

When the lukewarm trail of a horse thief led the Karnes County sheriff to the Cortez place on Jul. 19, 1901, retired Texas Ranger Brack Morris and two of his deputies dropped by to ask a few questions. Following a familiar pattern, the Cortez clan came over to the Texas side of the Rio Grande in 1887. Romaldo and younger brother Gregorio spent a decade hiring out as temporary hands until they…