Charlie Bowdre
by J. Younger
Events & Genealogy
Born: Charles Merriweather Bowdre
Birthdate: September 12, 1848
Birthplace: Wilkes, Georgia
Marriage: Maria Manuela Martinez Herrera
Children: No
Death: December 23, 1880 near Tolar, NM (Stinking Springs)
Cause of death: gunshot wound
Burial: Post Cemetery at Old Fort Sumner, NM
Charlie
Charles Merriweather Bowdre was born to parents Albert James Rees Bowdre and Lucy Clark Oliver Bowdre in Wilkes County, Georgia, as evidenced by the 1850 U.S census report. He was the eldest among his siblings, and the Bowdre family moved to DeSoto County, Mississippi, in 1853, where Charles was raised and developed farming skills. More children joined the family, including Mildred Eppie Bowdre(8/25/1853), Sallie Minor Bowdre(8/8/1855), Valentine Merriweather (Volney) Bowdre(1/22/1856), Thomas Benjamin Bowdre(1/22/1857), Albert Reese Bowdre(1/22/1861), Joseph Albert Bowdre(1862),
William Banks Bowdre(1/30/1863), Lucy Lee Bowdre(1863), and Lee Ella Bowdre(1865).
On January 1, 1866, it was unfortunately recorded that Charlie’s mother had passed away. Tragedy struck the family once again on January 21, 1870, when Charlie’s father also departed from this world. Charles left home to fend for himself and became a drifter by 1870.
In 1875, Bowdre formed a friendship with Josiah G. ‘Doc’ Scurlock while both were wandering. Together, it is suggested by some that they established a cheese factory situated along the Gila River in Arizona where they met young “Henry” Antrim. However there is no evidence to support this claim. The Gila River flows from the Colorado river through New Mexico and Arizona. Information regarding the exact location of the factory is limited, but it is highly probable that it is situated around Globe, Arizona – a town that was established in 1875 as a mining camp.
Charlie and Doc successfully completed a property transaction with LG Murphy and Co. in Lincoln, including leasing land on credit alongside their new neighbors George Coe and Dick Brewer. However, after experiencing livestock theft, they grew increasingly frustrated and learned that a suspect was in custody in Lincoln.
Along with his new neighbors George Coe and another, Dick Brewer who were also leasing land from the LG Murphy on credit. It wasn’t long before Charlie and his neighbors noticed their stock disappearing and were soon fed up with it. They had found out a suspect was in jail at Lincoln and the Coe cousins George and Frank and their cousin Ab Saunders, Doc Scurlock and Charlie rode to Lincoln and freed cattle rustler Jesus Largo from jail and lynched him outside of town. Sheriff Saturnino Baca did nothing and no charges were ever filed.
During the autumn of 1877, the situation stabilized as Charlie and his best friend Doc tied the knot. Some accounts do not acknowledge that Charlie was married that day, we are currently looking into this, no luck yet. However at some point Charlie married Manuela while Doc married her half-sister, Maria Antonia Manuela Herrera, transforming them into brothers-in-law.
As their chaos spilled into the streets, they crossed paths with a lone buffalo soldier from Fort Stanton. Freeman, his eyes glinting with malice, taunted the man before committing a chilling act, shooting him in the back of the head, leaving him lifeless in the dirt. The town recoiled, but the trouble makers were far from done. Guns blazing, they paraded through Lincoln, their bullets tearing through the night, splintering windows and striking terror into every heart. One stray shot even smashed through a window of Alexander McSween’s home, grazing a sewing machine inside, a stark reminder of their reckless aim.
McSween, a prominent figure, was hosting none other than cattle baron John Chisum that night. Freeman, emboldened by liquor and his own infamy, bellowed a chilling ultimatum into the darkness:
“Hand over John Chisum, dead or alive, or we’ll burn this damn house to the ground!”
He swaggered through the streets, proclaiming his name, Frank Freeman, and boasting that no twenty men could take him.
“I’ll kill every man in Lincoln!”
he roared, his voice echoing off the adobe walls.
But the law wasn’t asleep. Sheriff William Brady, roused from his home, rallied a posse led by Billy Mathews. They descended on the drunks with grim determination. Bowdre, defiant to the end, with a quick fist, struck Brady to the ground, while Freeman raised his gun, ready to fire. Only the swift intervention of the posse stopped a deadly shot, that would have put Brady out. The two were dragged to Lincoln’s pit jail, a grim, earthen cell, but not without a struggle that left the town buzzing.
Bowdre, ever slippery, secured bail and vanished into the night. Freeman, however, faced a darker fate. Transferred to Fort Stanton’s guardhouse, he seized a chance to escape, slipping free like a shadow. Sheriff Brady, relentless, tracked him to Charlie’s Ranch on the Ruidoso River. As the posse closed in, Freeman burst from the house, firing wildly but missing his mark. His horse fell dead beneath him, and as he scrambled through a cornfield, a hail of bullets cut him down. Another man, Nicholas Provencio, was captured in the fray, but Bowdre? He dove into the Ruidoso’s icy waters, swimming downstream to freedom, leaving only ripples and rumors in his wake.
Lincoln would not soon forget that August night, a tale of lawlessness, bloodshed, and a daring escape that cemented Charlie Bowdre and Frank Freeman in the accounts of our “Tales from Lincoln County.”
Complete story coming soon on Charlie, please check back later
Census Reports
1860 De Soto County Mississippi
1880 Fort Sumner, New Mexico
Newspapers
Weekly Register December 31, 1880
More News Coming Soon!
Gallery
About that croquet photo...
This tintype has been the subject of much discussion and analysis. Here is some pertinent information about this exquisite image. Randy Guijarro purchased the photo on June 10, 2010, from Fulton's Antique Shop in California. According to Randy's account, it is the wedding portrait of Charlie Bowdre and his wife, Manuela, with possibly Susan McSween standing alongside them on the horses. The man pointing is believed to be Tom Folliard. The photo was taken on the old Tunstall ranch, which is approximately 60 miles south of Lincoln. I had the pleasure of chatting with Randy about the photo back in 2020.. Here is what he revealed: “I found the tintype approximately June 2010, I always refer to it as Fulton’s Follies, an antique shop that has been long closed. I got three photos, two tintypes and a cabinet card, for $2.00 . I got two tintypes; the other one is related to the Croquet Kid. “Sally Chisum set up the tintype photo for the wedding celebration of Charlie and Manuela Bowdre. Sally wrote in her diary about this event. She wrote about the trip on the drive out to Tunstall's ranch, mentioning the flinty ground. You should see it in person! I have some flinty ground from the cabin site. Sally bought gingham cloth in Las Vegas, NM, and other things for the celebration. In my tintype, the girls are wearing new dresses made from gingham cloth, and the lace she mentions is there. The store in Las Vegas, NM, also advertised cardigan sweaters, along with croquet sets. If you look closely at Billy, he's wearing the famous hat, and one of the boys in the photo is sporting an Uncle Billy hat look. Here's a missed gem: look at Billy's hand, and you will see his gambler’s ring. As for Susan McSween, she took over as executor of Tunstall's affairs from her dead husband. Back then, the US government did not go after lawbreakers that committed crimes against foreigners. That really pissed off the Tunstall family in England. “The structure in my photograph measures exactly 21x21 ft. square. When we went to the location for the documentary, we measured the structure for the first time, and it came out to 21x42 ft. square. But we noticed that an addition to the original structure had been added; and upon further investigation, it has been verified that the original structure size was 21x21 ft. square. “You can bury the dead but you can't bury the Truth!!” The photograph's origins have been traced by historian and researcher David Turk. According to Turk, the tintype was in possession of the Bowdre family and belonged to Charlie's brother, Benjamin, who resided in Arkansas. Benjamin was said to have been Charlie's closest sibling and presumably collected Charlie's possessions from his widow, Manuela, after his death or after her remarriage. The photograph shows a hole in the top where it was possibly hung by a nail at one time. Eventually, Benjamin's daughter inherited the tintype while residing in California. According to researchers, her descendant would pass away in Fresno CA and leave the tintype in a storage unit Will this tintype get its needed provenance? In Bowdres case I'd say yes...but The Kid? I will say this, after viewing the National Geographic episode about Randy's photo, it reignited my lifelong fascination with the enigmatic life of Billy the Kid.
