The Lincoln County War was an Old West conflict between rival factions which began in 1878 in Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory, the predecessor of the state of New Mexico, and continued until 1881. He along with John Tunstall participated in the cattle ranching and were top competitors of Lawrence Murphy and James Dolan. Early life, Lincoln County War [ edit] 6. While the latter had hired outlaw gangs like the Seven Rivers Warriors, John Kinney Gang, and the Jesse Evans Gang, Tunstall hired individuals, to include Billy the Kid, Chavez y Chavez, Dick Brewer, Charlie Bowdre, Doc Scurlock and others. Problems between the two factions began there, and on February 18, 1878, outlaw Jesse Evans and members of his gang working with "the boys" from the rival faction of James Dolan also known as The Santa Fe Ring, shot and killed Tunstall, which sparked the Lincoln County War. The Alexander and Susan McSween house was the scene of the most famous gun battle of the Lincoln County War, a violent struggle between two rival factions of businessmen, ranchers, and lawyers for political and economic control of the county. (LogOut/ Today, two more recent houses occupy the site of the U-shaped McSween House. A part of the series The Real West. A focal point in Lincoln County War in which both partners were slain. Dolan and his partner Lawrence Murphy had monopolized the banking and mercantile trade in Lincoln, charging absolutely exorbitant prices for everything. Learn how your comment data is processed. Architectural remains and burned artifacts from the McSween House in Lincoln, New Mexico, were recovered during archaeological test excavations conducted in the summers of 1986, 1987, and 1988. [1], Soon after, McSween arranged for the Regulators to be sworn in as special Constables by the Lincoln County Justice of the Peace, who had long been allied to him and to Tunstall. Susan was an amazing woman. She sold out in 1902 to politician Albert Fall and moved to White Oaks, New Mexico, where she remained until her death in 1931, at age 85. The war became famous because of its famous gunslingers.Specifically Billy the Kid, Sheriff William J. Brady, John Chisum, Jose Chavez y Chavez Alexander McSween, James Dolan, and Lawrence Murphy.. While Murphy eventually drank himself to death, Susan McSween sold her ranch in 1902 and retired a wealthy woman. The two became business partners and competitors to the Murphy-Dolan gang. 38 This content downloaded from 142.25.33.193 on Fri, 31 Jan 2014 13:20:15 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions. Western Frontier. . Thanks, Connie. Susan also had Chapman attempt to negotiate amnesty for her Regulators. . As Billy and the others watched, Morton pulled his gun and shot Tunstall dead with a bullet to the head. Not much for being extorted, Tunstall and McSween opened their own mercantile and bank. Lawrence Murphy had died before the end of 1878, and James Dolan was charged in Tunstall's murder, but acquitted, and could never be linked directly to Alex McSween's murder. They hit it off with English rancher John Tunstall who introduced them to the legendary John Chisum. fought for economic supremacy, first through Thank you for thinking of me. in his place. Other notable participants included Sheriff William J. Brady, cattle rancher John Chisum, lawyer and businessmen . She became extremely wealthy through cattle sales and mining a small silver vein on the property. Tunstall and A. Then your husband is murdered and you are alone with these cut-throats. Despite looting by Seven Rivers group, building continued as a store under pioneer merchants, notably John M. Penfield. 12 Comments. Peppin's posses. Infuriated over the challenge to their little kingdom, the Murphy-Dolan faction immediately hired gangs of mercenary gunmen to wage a war of violent intimidation. After he arrived in Lincoln County, New Mexico, McSween worked for Murphy-Dolan as an attorney, then left them to work for John Tunstall, with whom he became close friends and by 1876, business partners. For over 100 years the Lincoln County War (1876-79) has fascinated people interested in the causes of the war and the lives of the participants, especially Alexander and Susan McSween, Billy the Kid, John H. Tunstall, L.G. Amazingly, instead of cowering, she sought justice in the matter and hired attorney Huston Chapman to go after Dolan, his sheriff, and Army Colonel Nathan Dudley. Outnumbered, the men fled, but they had not gone far before they saw Tunstall gallop straight up to the posse to protest its presence on his property. help civilian law officers, and the violence Site Visitors learned about archaeology and the Lincoln County War through informal discussions with archaeologists. Limited excavations in 1988 revealed a cellar under the west wing of the McSween House filled with debris from the burned house. The big ranchers, led by John Chisum and Alexander McSween, didnt believe merchants should dominate the beef markets and began to challenge The House. Download Citation | In the shadow of Billy the Kid Susan McSween and the Lincoln County War | The events of July 19, 1878, marked the beginning of what became known as the Lincoln County War and . 18, 1878, to February 18, 1879, the rivals High Noon in Lincoln: Violence on the animal bones, barrel hoops, tin cans and bottles, pieces of glass shade and beads from a parlor lamp, part of a chamber pot, and small beads used to decorate clothing. Alexander McSween was shot as he was coming out of the building to surrender. Colonel Nathan Dudley was one of her main targets, and he did stand trial, but was acquitted. Of Scottish descent, Alexander Anderson McSween was born on June 15, 1837, in Canada, in either Nova Scotia or Prince Edward Island. 1878 prompted his supporters, now Hey, Leon! Jim Frenchwent out first, followed by Billy the Kid,Tom OFolliard, andJose Chavez y Chavez. George Washington Coe (1856 - 1941) was born in Brighton, in Washington County, Iowa to a Civil War veteran. as a young outlaw going under the name of War in lincoln county documentary 1 10 billy the kid By that time, Billy the Kid had already been dead for three years, gunned down by Lincoln County Sheriff Pat Garrett. Previous: Intertribal Warfare | Contents | Next: Little Bighorn, Battle of the, 2011 University of NebraskaLincolnImages are Murphy managed to acquire all of Tunstalls land holdings, developing a sizable ranch. While Murphy eventually drank himself to death, Susan McSween sold her ranch in 1902 and retired a wealthy woman. If youre Susan McSween, an American girl, you fight on till you become The Cattle Queen of New Mexico.. The Lincoln County War was an Old West conflict between rival factions in 1878 in New Mexico Territory. By 1890 Susan ran at least 5,000 head of cattle on her 1,158-acre ranch under the Three Rivers Cattle Company brand in Three Rivers. Pingback: The Necessary Yen Sun (or: what to do when your favourite movie lets you down) The Sloan Ranger, Pingback: New Mexico Ghost Towns | White Oaks, Pingback: The Women of Young Guns (1988) The Sloan Ranger. LibertyOne Generation Away fromExtinction? Alexander McSween (June 15, 1837 July 19, 1878) was a prominent figure during the Lincoln County War of the Old West, and a central character, alongside John Tunstall, in opposing businessmen and gunmen Lawrence Murphy and James Dolan. On April 18, 1878, Billy the Kid, John Middleton, Fred Waite and Henry Newton Brown were indicted for the murder of Sheriff Brady. Lincoln McSweeney is known for The Dogs of War (1980). Learn how and when to remove this template message, Whiteoaksnewmexico.com: White Oaks, New Mexico, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Susan_McSween&oldid=1150584540, Articles needing additional references from January 2017, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, She is portrayed by Sharon Thomas in the 1988 movie, Violence in Lincoln County 1869-1881, William A. Kelleher, University of New Mexico Press 1957, McSween is mentioned in the 2019 semi-biographical novel of John Chisum's life, by Russ Brown, titled, This page was last edited on 18 April 2023, at 23:37. The five-day fight that convulsed the village of Lincoln, New Mexico, during the week of July 15-19, 1878, was a decisive event in the celebrated Lincoln County War. Alexander McSween Primary Sources Alexander McSween Alexander McSween was born in about 1843. In the lawless territory of 1870s New Mexico, the weapons were more lethal. the town was rocked with gunfire. McSween and some 12 Regulatorsincluding . The Regulators arrested Frank Baker and William Morton and had them executed. On April 4, 1878, there was a gun battle at Blazer's Mill between Buckshot Roberts, a bounty hunter working for the Murphy-Dolan faction, and the Regulators. On February 18, 1878, Tunstall was shot and killed, officially while resisting arrest, by Lincoln County Deputies William Morton, Jesse Evans, and Tom Hill. However, fighting would continue to erupt sporadically until 1884, when Chisum died of natural causes, and The House finally regained full control of Lincoln County. This part of the house was probably removed when the ruins of the adobe house were removed following the gun battle and fire. The U.S. Army was brought in to The couple moved to Lincoln County, New Mexico, in 1875 and soon afterwards McSween did legal work for John Chisum. They hit it off with English rancher John Tunstall who introduced them to the legendary John Chisum. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Kathleen P. Chamberlain is professor of history at Eastern Michigan University. William Bonney, or simply "the Kid," led a Two Irish-Americans, J.J. Dolan and L.G. On July 19, after numerous exchanges of gunfire over a four-day period, the house was set afire. For decades afterward, she ran a successful cattle ranch. The events of July 19, 1878, marked the beginning of what became known as the Lincoln County War and catapulted Susan McSween and a young cowboy named Henry McCarty, alias Billy the Kid, into the history books. People are being outright murdered. On July 15, 1878, the Regulators were surrounded in Lincoln at the McSween home, along with McSween and his law partner, Harvey Morris. Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History, Photographed By Bill Kirchner, July 24, 2011, Tunstall-McSween Store. The 1970 movie Chisum, starring John Wayne in the title role, portrayed some of the events in which McSween was involved, with Andrew Prine playing McSween. McSween, whose white shirt made him an easy target, was killed, as was Seven Rivers cowboy Bob Beckwith. By 9 p.m., the Regulators and McSween made plans to break free of the house. His widow, Susan McSween, remarried some time later, to a businessman named George Barber, but that marriage ended in divorce. She served as executor of John's estate and that of her husband, managing to free herself of their accrued debts by liquidating the estate assets. For this reason, Billy the Kid ran from the place of ambush in order to remove the arrest warrant from the Sheriff's pocket. Although he had not worked for Tunstall long, Billy the Kid deeply resented this cold-blooded murder, and he immediately began a vendetta of violence against The House and its allies. It is in Lincoln in Lincoln County New Mexico, Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 10, 2013. He married Susan Hummer on August 23, 1873, in Atchison, Kansas, and they settled in Eureka, Kansas. The war . Englishman, John H. Tunstall, began competing Erected 1950 by Old Lincoln County Memorial Commission. Lincoln, New Mexico Wild Wild West Frozen in Time, Lawrence Murphy Scoundrel Behind the Lincoln County War, Byways & Historic Trails Great Drives in America, Soldiers and Officers in American History, Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Railroad, Give Yourself A Break: How to Travel On a Budget With Kids. They then ambushed Sheriff Brady and Deputy Hindman. Susan struggled in the aftermath of the Lincoln County War to make ends meet in New Mexico Territory. By 1877, the power struggle was threatening to become overtly violent, and Tunstall began to hire young gunmen for protection, including the soon-to-be-infamous William Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid. From February Fort Stanton, but Dudley only stood by as She really did defy those mostly crooked men around her to become more successful than them in her own right! help from a frightened resident brought Lt. The war was a conflict between a cattle baron called John Chisum, and a rancher called Murphy. J.H. Press, 1987. The huge ranch on which it is located with its 8,000 cattle, is managed entirely by her. Jim French went out first, followed by Billy the Kid, Tom O'Folliard, and Jose Chavez y Chavez. This included Billy the Kid, Dick Brewer, Doc Scurlock, George Coe, and Frank Coe. She died at the ripe old age of 86 having outlasted nearly all the men involved in the murder of her husband. Alexander McSween was a notable person during the Lincoln County War of the Wild West. It is Billy the young man. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Articles with the HISTORY.com Editors byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan, Matt Mullen and Christian Zapata. During the ambush, Billy the Kid and Jim French were wounded, but Sheriff Brady was killed. This began the Lincoln County War. McSween. Tunstall, in turn, hired boys who would come to be known as The Lincoln County Regulators. She just changed her strategy. The Lincoln County War: A Documentary The feud became famous because of the participation of a number of notable figures of the Old West, including Billy the Kid, sheriffs William Brady and Pat Garrett, cattle rancher John Chisum, lawyer and businessman Alexander McSween, and the organized crime boss Lawrence Murphy. J.H. McSween died in a hail of gunfire, Both Roberts and Regulator Dick Brewer were killed, Middleton was badly wounded, the Kid was grazed by a bullet, and George Coe had his trigger finger shot off. Samuel Axell and appointed Lew Wallace, a She was supported in later life by her nephew Edgar Shields. People are being outright murdered. As the flames spread and night fell, Susan McSween was granted safe passage out of the house while the men inside continued to fight the fire. Susan was the wife of Alexander McSween and the two moved to Lincoln, New Mexico in 1875. Tunstall's murder by a sheriff's posse in February Posted on November 13, 2012, in Uncategorized and tagged a lady in defiance, American women, American Women in the Revolutionary War, billy he kid, christian fiction, covered wagon women, Female Patriots, heather blanton, heather frey blanton, historical fiction, historical romance, Lincon County War, Old West History, pioneer women, Susan McSween, women of the old west, Women of the Wild West, Women who won the west, women's history. From February 18, 1878, to February 18, 1879, the rivals fought for economic . Follow Ladies in Defiance on WordPress.com, Alison Stanley Christian romance writing and other stuff. Lincoln was a powder keg and after several murders, including that of John Tunstall, the Tunstall-McSween store was burned to the ground with a handful of the Regulators inside. Tunstall, in turn, hired boys who would come to be known as The Lincoln County Regulators. McSween led his Regulators permitted most of the outlaws to go free; Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Lincoln, New Mexico, in the late 1870s, the On July 19, after numerous exchanges of gunfire over a four-day period, the house was set afire. Susan acquired several thousand acres after her husbands murder and then married George Barber. She died from pneumonia, an impoverished woman in White Oaks, on January 3, 1931, aged 85, and is buried there in the Cedarvale Cemetery. Enter a date in the format M/D (e.g., 1/1), https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/murder-ignites-lincoln-county-war, Shani Davis becomes first Black athlete to win individual gold medal at Winter Games, WikiLeaks publishes the first documents leaked by Chelsea Manning, This Day In History: 02/18/1885 - Huckleberry Finn Published, Green River serial killer pleads guilty to 49th murder, Ray Charles records Whatd I Say at Atlantic Records, Mark Twain publishes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Arsonist sets fire in South Korean subway, Nazis arrest White Rose resistance leaders. The teen-aged killer Billy the Kid (William Bonney) figured prominently in the carnage, killing a For five days already, some 40 armed members of the opposition, including Sheriff George Peppin and outlaw John Kinney and his gang, had been firing into lawyer and former Tunstall partner Alexander McSween's house. He arrived in Lincoln County, New Mexico, and worked for Murphy-Dolan as an attorney, but eventually left them to work for his close friend John Tunstall. Over time she went through the money she had accrued making frequent trips to El Paso to divest herself of the jewelry she had acquired in order to support herself. Susan would later purchase a ranch in Three Rivers, New Mexico, to become one of the most prominent cattlewomen of the Old West. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. However, I didnt get a chance to dig deeper. . These adobe bricks may be the foundation of the outside wall of the east wing of the McSween House, which was occupied by the Shield family, Susan McSweens sister Elizabeth and her husband and children. First published in 1934, when Coe was the last survivor of the Lincoln County War, Frontier Fighter is detailed first-hand account of one of the Wild West's most exciting incidents and the men who fought in it. Corruption by local people in La Placita (today known as Lincoln), a . Some US Cavalry troopers had arrived by that time, with instructions to make arrests to avoid executions by the Dolan Faction, and they'd taken up position in the back yard to take those left into custody. While the war is well known through historic documents, very little has been recovered from the archaeological record of the area. This is a well-researched, well-written biography of a self-made American frontier woman, Susan McSween, who survived the Lincoln County War in New Mexico to thrive as a successful owner-operator of enormous cattle ranch for over twenty years and earn the monikker, "The Cattle Queen of New Mexico". She watched New Mexico modernize and become a state. [1], Susan McSween hired attorney Huston Chapman to pursue charges against those responsible for her husband's death and had him assist in negotiating with Governor Lew Wallace on amnesty for the Lincoln County Regulators who had defended her husband and sought vengeance for Tunstall's death. She would purchase a ranch in Three Rivers, New Mexico, and later became one of the most prominent cattlewomen of the Old West. The two factions clashed over Tunstall's death, with numerous people being killed by both sides culminating in the Battle of Lincoln, in which Susan McSween was present. The Dolan men saw the running men and opened fire, killing Morris. He along with John Tunstall participated in the cattle ranching and were top competitors of Lawrence Murphy and James Dolan. Copyright20062023,Somerightsreserved. You can navigate days by using left and right arrows. The Lincoln County War of 1878 was really a battle fought between two business factions. Early life In 1875, the couple moved to Lincoln, New Mexico, where her husband had accepted a job with the company of Lawrence Murphy. The gunslinger was only 21 years old. Public education was an important part of the excavation project. The case was dropped, but Susan didnt go away. Long simmering tensions in Lincoln County, New Mexico, explode into a bloody shooting war when gunmen murder the English rancher John Tunstall. As the flames spread and night fell, Susan McSween was granted safe passage out of the house while the men inside continued to fight the fire. Billy the Kid was deeply affected by the murder, claiming that Tunstall was one of the only men who treated him like "free-born and white." At Tunstall's funeral, Billy swore: "I'll get . All Rights Reserved. In 1902, politician Albert Fall acquired the ranch and Susan moved to White Oaks, New Mexico, where she remained until her death in January 1931, at age 85. George W. Peppin replaced Other articles where Lincoln County War is discussed: Lincoln: was the centre of the Lincoln County War (1878), fought between rival merchants for economic domination. Imagine youre a woman living in a western town where a war over money and power is raging. What do you do? However, a close-order gunfight erupted. . Alexander McSween was shot as he was coming out of the building to surrender. As a result of the violence, President Rutherford In 1880 she married George Barber a young law clerk and later attorney who aided in her recovery. The firefight was interrupted and suppressed by United States Cavalry led by Lt. Col. Nathan Dudley from Fort Stanton . "The Lincoln County War is the single most famous Western conflict because it involved over 200 men and resulted in at least 40 or 50 murders," said local historian David Thomas who has produced a couple of powerful new books about the subject. 2023 Human Systems Research, Las Cruces NM | 575-524-9456 | Kudos, Before A.D. 1400: The Pueblo History of the Canyon, Class II Reconnaissance and Sample Surveys, Evaluation and National Register Nomination. You Might Win a GiftCard! Imagine youre a woman living in a western town where a war over money and power is raging. Roberts and Regulator Dick Brewer was killed, Middleton and Charlie Bowdre was wounded, the Kid was grazed by a bullet, and George Coe had his trigger finger shot off. Gen. Philip Sheridan, a Civil War hero, observed that " the population of that section is divided into two parties, who have an intense desire to exterminate each other . 1879. However, a close-order gunfight erupted, and McSween was killed, as was Seven Rivers cowboy Bob Beckwith. Sweet Revenge How Susan McSween Really Won the Lincoln County War. She is the author of Victorio: Apache Leader and Warrior (2007) and Under Sacred Ground: A History of Navajo Oil, 19221982 (UNM Press, 2000) and coauthor of Power and Promise: The Changing American West with Gary C. Anderson (2008). Stunts: The Dogs of War. with local merchants Lawrence G. Murphy Topics. Come With Me! The Dolan men saw the running men and opened fire, killing Morris. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), Current one is: February 18. This is the first book to place her in a larger context. The marble may have been from the top of a dresser or wash stand. Movies. Trouble quickly arose between Tunstall and the Murphy-Dolan faction. Sheriff William Brady was held responsible. It is she who buys or takes up the land, selects and controls the men, buys, sells and transfers the cattle. He even dabbled in politics, but his dream of being the biggest cattle baron in the state was repeatedly foiled by a meddling, ambitious little brunette on a mission of her own. At least by the time she died broke, she had a lot of good years and great stories behind her. Lincoln County became a war zone, and both sides began a spree of vicious killings. Susan McSween (ne Hummer; December 30, 1845 January 3, 1931) was a prominent cattlewoman of the 19th century, once called the "Cattle Queen of New Mexico", and the widow of Alexander McSween, a leading factor in the Lincoln County War, who was shot and killed by members of the Murphy-Dolan faction.
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