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Lincoln Co. War Documents (17) 1878 [182352]

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Lincoln Co. War Documents (17) 1878  [182352]
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Lincoln County War documents and ephemera.
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. The feud became famous because of the participation of William H. Bonney ("Billy the Kid"). Other notable participants included Sheriff William J. Brady, cattle rancher John Chisum, lawyer and businessmen Alexander McSween, James Dolan and Lawrence Murphy.
The conflict began between two factions competing for profits from dry goods and cattle interests in the county. The older, established faction was dominated by James Dolan, who operated a dry goods monopoly through a general store referred to locally as "The House". English-born John Tunstall and his business partner Alexander McSween opened a competing store in 1876, with backing from established cattleman John Chisum. The two sides gathered lawmen, businessmen, Tunstall's ranch hands, and criminal gangs to their assistance. The Dolan faction was allied with Lincoln County Sheriff Brady and aided by the Jesse Evans Gang. The Tunstall-McSween faction organized their own posse of armed men, known as the Lincoln County Regulators, and had their own lawmen consisting of town constable Richard M. Brewer and Deputy US Marshal Robert A. Widenmann.
The conflict was marked by revenge killings, starting with the murder of Tunstall by members of the Evans Gang. In revenge for this, the Regulators killed Sheriff Brady and others in a series of incidents. Further killings continued unabated for several months, climaxing in the battle of Lincoln, a five-day gunfight and siege that resulted in the death of McSween and the scattering of the Regulators. Pat Garrett was named County Sheriff in 1880, and he hunted down Billy the Kid, killing two other former Regulators in the process.
The war was fictionalized by several Hollywood movies, including The Left Handed Gun in 1958, John Wayne’s Chisum in 1970, Sam Peckinpah’s Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid in 1973 and Young Guns in 1988. Ron Hansen’s novel The Kid (2016) is also inspired by the Lincoln County War.
The documents pertaining to this event includes Grand Jury indictment for attempted murder of Juan Patron by John Riley, signed by the foreman, John Chisum, document dated 8/7/1880 concerning the estate of R.M. Brewer. It's signed by, among others, Samuel Corbett, clerk of cattleman John Tunstall and the Lincoln postmaster, both siding with "The Regulators". Also a letter handwritten by W.L. Rynerson, concerning an oath of office for a myriad of positions. it was Rynerson in later years who, as Lincoln County district attorney brought charges of murder against Billy The Kid for the killing of Sheriff Brady. He later arranged the Kid's surrender to Governor Lew Wallace. Next, a court summons signed by the aforementioned Sam Corbett and Tom Longworth a lawman who participated in several posse chases of Billy the Kid, handwritten court document regarding the estate of Emil Fritz (Decease) and its disposition of $23,000 owed to him by the law firm he was part of, a court indictment signed by Joseph "Doc" Blazer, foreman of the grand jury, accusing several individuals of cattle rustling, a rare document signed by Juan Patron, Alexander McSween &mercantile F.G. Christie, a bill for work as a laborer made out to the John Tunstall estate for 15 months at $25 per month, letters & documents signed by Albert Fountain and James Dolan, the settling of the estates of Texas Ranger James Bell and Bob Olinger, who were both killed both Billy the Kid during his escape from the Lincoln County Jail, next we have a document signed by Lawrence Murphy with a list of people and their outstanding debts. it's dated 1878. Other pieces include, a sheriff's writ . requesting the inventory of the Thomas Estil estate, handwritten & signed by john Poe, who was deputy under Pat Garrett during the pursuit of Billy the Kid, staying on the subject of Poe, there is a receipt from a mercantile business he was part owner in and the receipt is signed by Jesse Lea, who, like Poe, also served as a deputy under Pat Garrett. Next, a letter on Fort Stanton business letterhead for Will Dowlin & Company General Merchandise, dated July 6, 1880, next, a handwritten receipt dated 1893 for cartridges and candy, a handwritten note by George Barber, billing George Curry for $15.12 for services rendered on the estate of W.B. Johnson. barber served on the jury investigating the murder of Rancher John Tunstall and finally, the 20 page Grand Jury report on a gun battle at Blazer's Mill between "The Regulators" of which Billy the Kid was a member and Buckshot Roberts during the Lincoln County War. This document , in its entirty, comes with two letters of authenticity. New Mexico