Blogengeezer’s notes gathered about ‘Billy the Kid’ over years of
reading ‘both’ sides during many territorial trips to fascinating and
scenic ambiance, Ruidoso New Mexico.
This was the blog intended for posting on Blogger, which has archived
another ‘older’ post about a trip through the interesting and historic
‘Lincoln county’ Territory.
The historic little village of Lincoln New Mexico is fun to prowl
around, as we have done over the years. Mountainous Pine forested
Ruidoso NM (about 40 miles south west of Lincoln) also has many
documented locations for parts of the conflict. Today due to interested
supporters and historians, Lincoln also includes the reconstructed, rock
‘Torreon’ (tower) from where the famous long distance, open ‘iron
sights’ ‘sniper’ shot was made.
Lincoln has volunteers doing live reenactments during tourist season
and many of the buildings are still there (some are thriving little
shops today) with story placards identifying their original residents
and their part in the day by day battles. Ironically ‘The House’ is the
museum and info center for Lincoln today. Billy tried to go working
businessman and operated a laundry in Lincoln with a friend…for a while.
Like today, he was no match for the ‘Chinese’ :>)
Interesting thing about the historic little town of Lincoln, almost
Every other house was the residence of a LAWYER in the late 1800′s. The
County Seat, Courthouse was over 80 miles away …in Las Cruces. Any
legal issue demanded a ride of days to settle in court. Famous Albert
Bacon Fall, of the ‘Teapot Dome’ scandal family, was involved in the
mystery of Albert Jennings Fountain with his young son, disappearance
without a trace, on their way from Lincoln to the Las Cruces courthouse.
Although an intensive search with rewards ensued, their bodies,
buckboard and horses were never found. Foul play (political) was
suspected… Albert Bacon Fall, whom Fountain was involved in legal
conflict against, was the Attorney defending …..the primary Suspects,
‘pro bono’. (who would have guessed?)
Govt corruption was rampant back then, just as today. The military
(including cannons) from nearby Ft Stanton, was illegally used to
supervise the burning out, of the home of Commissioned Lawyer McSween,
who’s partner John Tunstall owned and started ‘The Store’. He came from
Scotland and became the despised competition to ‘The House’, whose
owners, Murphy-Dolan (Irish) worked with the Ft Stanton supply
quartermaster as sole (overpriced) provider to the Federal govt.
Tunstall and his atty Mc Sween were competitive (cheaper) in prices,
especially selling Tunstall’s beef and most importantly, ‘riding horses’
for the US cavalry. ‘The Murphy-Dolan House’ was blatantly corrupt and
paying bribes to keep the Federal govt business overpriced. ‘The House’
owners were ‘in tight’ with the territorial govt ‘Ring’ in Santa Fe
politics (The intensely corrupt Santa Fe ‘Ring’ thrives even today). The
House hired ‘guns’ to drive Tunstall and McSween out of business. In
response, Tunstall and partner lawyer McSween, hired Billy and friends
(some defected from ‘The House’) to ride for his ranch, protecting
Tunstall’s Horses and cattle from ‘The House’ factions. One day
McSween’s partner, John Tunstall, was killed on the ranch road, by ‘gun
fighters’ hired by ‘The House’.
Billy went slightly wild after that politically driven Murder of his
boss John Tunstall and quick retribution was the result, giving Billy a
reputation. He most likely only killed about six men. All of them were
‘The House ‘guns’ and involved factions, including the Lincoln deputies
during the famous ‘escape’ from the two story jail….. conveniently
across the street from ‘The House’.
The famous ‘Lincoln county Range Wars’ came later, after countless
dozens of lawless factions created by ‘The Civil War’, drifted in from
the east, after reading the glamorized accounts in the paper novels and
viewed Lincoln county as a place where ‘Anyone could get away with
anything’. They ran rampant for many years and created a terror driven
anarchy, for control of the largest county in the US, Lincoln County.
New Mexico was a vast Territory at the time, which included Arizona. A
book published by UNM Press, ‘Mean as Hell’, depicts day by day
‘incidents’ in the life of ‘Dee Harkey’, Territorial Marshall,
Territorial Ranger, Sheriff and every other constabulary ‘badge’ that
the local citizens bestowed on this true ‘Lawman’ from a hardened family
of Lawmen, raised in extremely harsh, San Saba Texas. ‘Dee Harkey Days’
are still celebrated in Carlsbad NM where he retired and lived out his
long interesting life. He was another ‘colorful’ ancestor of my wife.
The Ft Stanton troops were called to Lincoln by the territorial
governor of NM, ostensibly to ‘protect the peace’. They did anything
but. The McSween home was set afire with his family inside. Billy and
the other ‘guns’ ran into the home to assist his Boss. The troops and
cannons protected ‘The House factions ‘guns’, while they killed McSween,
when he walked out the door carrying a white flag of Surrender. Billy
and others seeing the deadly result of ‘surrender’, fled the scene,
labeled now as hunted lawbreakers. McSween’s wife survived and moved
away to live out her life on their ranch north of Carrizozo NM, about 50
miles northwest of Lincoln. She despised the politics that killed her
Lawyer husband.
Ft Sumner, 100 miles northeast of Lincoln, was where Pat Garrett
killed Billy in his friend Pete’s home. Ironically some time later, Pat
Garrett, who was also a gun fighter, became famous for killing his
acquaintance (they were Not close friends, as stories portray) Billy.
Pat Garrett went political…. and corrupt. He in turn was killed by a
young cowboy that he ‘reportedly’ tried to swindle, some say for land,
rustling his cattle?The silent battle continues and hard feelings are
still in parts of NM all this many years later.
Ft Stanton (as many old Territorial Forts in NM) is preserved and
restored to historical status as a National Monument. It is now common
for tourists to make a visit to ‘Every’ old Territorial fort as a
vacation tour. Ft Stanton (not far from the Ruidoso Airport, was a
special needs school for many years, a hospital periodically, as well as
another ‘asylum’ for TB victims. The cemetery is filled with many
‘merchant marine’, many from WWII. Surprisingly many German sailors that
were treated in the burn specializing hospital, are buried there
alongside the US sailors. A big beautiful resident Hawk, for generations
always stands guard duty over the graveyard by day. An Owl takes over
after darkness falls.
Truth be told, if I was a young ‘gun’ at the time, I would have
ridden….. with Billy.. :>) Blogengeezer. Enjoy life and Freedom under
the US Constitution and guaranteed by ‘The Bill of Rights’. One Nation
Under God, The United States of America.
