Billy the Kid (William Bonney) – Legend of the Old West

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  1. BULGARICA

    BULGARICA Banned

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    Billy the Kid.

    A topic dedicated to a man showing us the true definition of a "Death Before Dishonor".


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    Photo: William Bonney

    In the fall of 1877, Billy rode into Lincoln County, New Mexico in searching for work. At the time, New Mexico was only a territory, not a state. In the late 1870s New Mexico Territory was populated with restive Mexicans, Indians, and a handful of determined settlers. One such settler, an Englishman named John Tunstall, had dreams of getting into the cattle business. After arriving in Lincoln County, Tunstall befriended John Chisum, another settler who owned 10,000 head of cattle. Tunstall purchased a ranch and opened a store. He aligned himself with a third settler, a deeply religious lawyer named Alexander McSween.


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    Photo: John Tunstall

    Wittingly or not, Tunstall helped spark a conflict dubbed the Lincoln County War. This war pitched Tunstall, Chisum, and other ranchers against a fellow store owner named James Dolan and his allies. Prior to Tunstall's arrival, Dolan had run only general store for miles around. His shop sold food, animal feed, clothes, saddles, and farm and ranch equipment. Dolan also sold beef to Indian reservations and the U.S. Army. He had monopoly on trade in the area and wanted to keep it that way. Dolan ran his business with a fellow merchant named A.G. Murphy (identified as Lawrence Murphy by some sources), who controlled grazing and water rights for the surrounding ranches. This gave Murphy an enormous amount of power over local ranchers. Murphy was also politically connected and could count on New Mexico Territory Governor Samuel Beach Axtell as an ally. Dolan and Murphy did their best to drive Tunstall out of business. Tunstall fought back, unsuccessfully, with legal actions. Realizing he was getting nowhere, Tunstall changed tack. He hired a band of gunmen, whose ranks included Billy the Kid and his gang. Billy worked for Tunstall as a cattle guard, field hand, and gunman. Billy took liking to the determined Englishman, who respected Billy in return. While Tunstall was only in his early 20s, there is evidence that Billy regarded him as a father figure.

    On February 18, 1878, Billy was herding horses with Tunstall and another man named Dick Brewer. Billy and Brewer became separated from their employer, who was ambushed by a posse led by Dolan. As Billy and Brewer watched helplessly in the distance, Tunstall was gunned down. His death galvanized his ranch hands. A faction led by Brewer dubbed themselves "The Regulators" and sought justice. Billy was part of this group. A day after their boss was assassinated, the Regulators tried to serve arrest warrants on his killers. The group was disarmed instead, and taken prisoner by Sheriff William Brady, who sided with the Dolan/Murphy gang. At the end of the month, having missed Tunstall's funeral, Billy and his companions were released from jail.

    Billy the Kid was deeply affected by this murder and claimed that Tunstall "was the only man that ever treated me like I was a free-born and white." Billy the Kid swore: "I'll get every son of a b*tch who helped kill John if it's the last thing I do."

    To be continued...
     
    Last edited: Oct 5, 2018
    1stvermont likes this.

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