In the dusty summer of 1890, the Rio Grande Valley was a wild frontier of citrus groves, cattle ranches, and border politics where elections were less about ballots and more about who could muster the most armed supporters.Apparently, “Gun Laws” weren’t yet “a thing.”For years, two rival factions had clashed: the Reds (Democrats), the entrenched machine bosses who ran things through festive pachangas — vote-buying parties that allegedly included paid voters, non-citizens, and plenty of tamales and beer -- and the Blues (Republicans), a mix of reformers, small merchants, ranchers, and Anglo settlers fed up with what they saw as ...