Today, Lincoln, New Mexico is a quaint village with dilapidated buildings, renovated homes, museums, souvenir shops, and a few personal residences. But back in 1878 Lincoln was the bastion of American violence. To contrast the two periods is hard to do. I’m sure Lincoln’s beauty was as grand then as it is now, tucked between two mountains with a creek running through it, deer walking its paths; a perfect picture of peace.

But in 1878 it was anything but peaceful — made infamous by Billy the Kid and the Regulators. As I looked across the street from the Wortley Hotel I found myself gazing straight at the courthouse that Billy the Kid broke out of, killing a couple of men along the way. And since 1881 when Pat Garret caught up with Billy the Kid at Fort Sumner and ended his life, countless of books, Hollywood movies, and documentaries have been produced to highlight the exploits of William H. Bonney-McCarty (1859-1881) — Billy the Kid. Since then, Billy the Kid has become a media superstar.

The conflict Billy the Kid was involved with is called the Lincoln County War.  The war spanned a two-year period, 1876-1878. The Kid had just arrived from his childhood home in Silver City, New Mexico. He took a job with an Englishman named John Tunstall. As it turned out, Lincoln was caught in the midst of a web of warring factions involving businessmen, insurance policies, politicians, and land rights.

On one side were Tunstall and Alexander McSween. Tunstall was a new transplant to Lincoln, setting up a business in 1876. McSween, a former preacher turned lawyer, was Tunstall’s friend and financial partner. In the other camp were Irish business owner James Dolan and his business partner Lawrence Murphy. Each side gathered ranchers, businessmen, and hired hands to fight the other group. The Tunstall-McSween faction was known as the Regulators. Billy the Kid was part of this group.

The Lincoln County War was marked by revenge killings and political intrigue, including Lew Wallace, then Governor of the Territory of New Mexico and author of literary classic Ben Hur. On December 15, 1880, Governor Wallace put a price on “The Kid” for $500.00. This led to Billy’s arrest, conviction, and then escape from The Lincoln County courthouse — the one I’m looking at from the Wortley Hotel.

When all was said and done, the Lincoln County War produced modest results, promoting suspicion and hatred in the region rather than peace and justice. The remaining Regulators, including Billy the Kid, continued as fugitives for a year.

In due course, Sheriff Pat Garrett and his posse tracked down and killed some of the Regulators, finding Billy in July 1881 at Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Billy the Kid was shot and killed; buried at the fort on July 14th. (Photo Credit: Assist News Service)

According to the most reliable accounts, the Lincoln War left between 19-20 casualties. Other reports state that there were closer to 30-40 murders, even up to 60 over the course of the two-year conflict.

We may never know how many people were killed. The fact is that the Lincoln County War was a picture of humanity at its worst: murder, political infighting, deceit, revenge, mass drunkenness, greed, business dishonesty and hatred. In a way, the Lincoln County War was a snapshot of wickedness. But as I sat on the porch I wondered if the homicide rates were greater or less during the 1880’s than they are today.

Here’s what I found…

Click here to continue reading this fascinating article.

Assist News Service

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