Lincoln County Troubles

The following is an Article from the Santa Fe Weekly New Mexican, July 22, 1878.

From the Grant County Herald

TROUBLES IN LINCOLN

What An Honest And Disinterested Man Says,

We publish the following communication because we are convinced that the writer tells the truth:

SILVER CITY, N.M.

May 31, 1878

Mr. Editor of the Herald:

I have been going through your town from Lincoln county and in talking to your people I find that you would not be afraid to tell the truth about the Lincoln county row, if you had a fair show. I think the thing ought to be showed up and I believe you will publish my letter. I use poor grammar but you can fix it up so as to look right in the paper.

I was in Lincoln county through the whole fight and this is just how it was. I had a ranche down on the Penasco. I came in there last summer, and went through the whole trouble and I am pretty well posted. The difficulty was because McSween won’t pay over the life insurance of $10,000 to Fritz’s sister who ought to have it. Tunstall came in the county and tried to run out Murphy and Dolan. McSween thought Murphy was throwing oil on him, and then for spite went in with Tusntall. In the fight afterwards Widerman, the marshal, crowded down everybody who was not in favor of Tunstall and McSween. If it hadn’t been for Brady he would have had everything in his own hands.

Where I lived on my ranche I tried to be a fair man to both sides. Men on both sides were going by nearly every day, and I tried to treat both the same. I wouldn’t hold up one side or the other. I went in, on business to Lincoln and Widerman says to me that he killed a lot of my griends the other day. I told him they were no friends of mine nor no particular enemies. Then Widerman says why don’t you come in with us; if you’re no friend of their’s you ought to be with us. And I said it was no fight of mine, and I didn’t intend to put myself up to be shot at as long as I could make a living by work.

I went back to my ranche and a day after a friend of mine come out to the ranche from Lincoln and said, you better leave because Widerman and his party think you are no friend and say they intend to put you out of the way if you stay here. The next day I thought the matter over and then traded my ranche for a horse to travel on. I left nearly fifteen acres of grain and it was the 7th of May and before long I could have had a good crop, but I considered my life worth more. I had no quarrel with either party but was afraid Widerman might send someone to kill me in the dark.

Then I left my ranche and started for Tularosa and at daylight I came to the ranche south of Fort Stanton. One of Widerman’s men met me. He says Widerman wants to see you at the plaza, in Lincoln. I went back to the plaza because I was afraid I would be killed on the road if I refused. Widerman told me he wanted to know what Murphy and Dolan’s party intended to do. I said I knew nothing about it and they let me go. Then I started for Mesilla and on the road met two other men who were afraid of their lives from Widerman and his party. After I met these men a party met us and spread out on both sides of the road. We jumped off the horses and showed fight. Then they said they were looking for cattle, but I knew three of them belong to Widerman’s party.

Roberts was killed only because Dolan had him to work for him taking charge of his herd. The whole fight was because McSween and Tunstall wanted to run Murphy and Dolan out, and then when I didn’t want to do anything on either side, they drove me out too, because they thought I was a friend of Dolans, when I was just as much a friend of Widerman before he commenced to try to make me fight for him.

I wouldn’t have left even by the threats of my life, only I found out that John Chisum, who before hated Widerman, was making a job with him and McSween, to go together and clean out the whole county. I knew that Chisum would be glad to see me killed and so I just left my crops and sailed out. Lots of men are leaving the county in the same way, because they say that McSween and Widerman and Chisum are paying four dollars a day for a man and his rifle and intend to drive everybody else out. It was no fight of mine, but they drove me away from a good ranche where I thought I could make a first class farm, and I think the whole thing ought to be showed up. If you will publish this you will do justice to many men who have been crowded almost to death, only because they wouldn’t take up Widerman and McSween’s fight, and although they were not the friends of the other side, because that party had the power they drove them out of the county or left them no show for their lives. It ought to be published and I think you will do it. I have left there, and now I ain’t afraid to tell just how the thing was. Every word I write is true and the people ought to know it.

S.