Mob Constable
by J.Young 

Chavez was Born in 1851 probably in Cebolleta, New Mexico. Chavez was about 18 when he came to Lincoln County. He settled in San Patricio. It is possible that Chavez married Maria Lucero at Lincoln on January 10, 1871.
Jose Chavez was elected as San Patricio’s constable in September of 1874. In 1875 he became the justice of the peace. He was also re-elected constable of San Patricio on February 14, 1877.
Two Lincoln County merchants began a feud for business into open warfare. The murder of John Tunstall in 1878, by members of the Dolan faction led to the April fools day assassination of Dolan man, Sheriff Brady. Chavez was most likely still San Patricio’s constable and Justice of the Peace when he became a founding member of Mcsween’s Regulators in spring of 1878. Chavez fought in a few of the battles during the Lincoln County War, including the 5 Day Battle, for which he was inside the McSween house fighting alongside Billy the Kid.
Mcsween and his wife, and the Regulators had barricaded themselves in McSween’s home. The house was set ablaze, and in the chaos that followed left McSween and a few others dead. Chavez, Billy the Kid and others fled the burning structure. Making it safely to the riverbanks behind the burning house.

Chavez and others later testified in court against Dudley, in an attempt to get some kind of Justice. If it wasn’t for the Army taking sides with Dolan and the then Sheriff George Peppin, the outcome surely would have been much different.

Jose Chavez y Chavez may have been responsible for the friendship between Billy The Kid and the Maxwells. Billy The Kid rode into Fort Sumner from Lincoln with several of his men, among them was Jose Chavez y Chavez. The fiance of one of the Maxwell girls was drunk and met Jose Chavez y Chavez on the street in the rear of the Maxwell House. The two men quarreled and Chavez pulled his gun. Mrs. Maxwell ran out of the house and tried to pull her future son-in-law away, begging Chavez not to shoot him as he was drunk and didn’t know what he was doing. Chavez replied that drunk or sober he was going to kill him. Billy took notice and walked across the road, touched his sombrero to Mrs. Maxwell and said something in Spanish to Chavez. Chavez laughed and walked away. From that time until his death, Billy made Fort Sumner his headquarters, and was a frequent visitor at the Maxwell home.
Shortly after Mrs. Mcsween’s lawyer, Mr. Chapman was murdered, Governor Lew Wallace put together a posse. Wallace formed a local militia known as the Lincoln County Rifles and put Juan Patron as commander of the posse. The posse included Jose Chavez y Chavez and an officer from Fort Stanton by the name of Capt. Purington. They would assist in tracking the wanted men.

In May 1880, a prisoner in the Lincoln County jail, “One eyed”Joe Murphy, was assassinated. It was rumored that Chavez was responsible.
About the time Billy the Kid was killed by Pat Garrett at Fort Sumner on July 14, 1881, Chavez was loafing around Las Vegas, doing what was necessary to survive. Chavez’ reputation with a gun led to a shooting contest with Bob Ford. Chavez won the match and according to legend, when challenged to a duel, Bob Ford fled the area.

Chavez became one of the three policemen in Old Town, Las Vegas. He patrolled and upheld the laws that he favored, but at the same time, he loved being a criminal!
Chavez fell in with the Vincente Silva gang, known as La Sociedad de Bandidos (The Bandit Society), also known as Las Gorras Blancas (White Caps).
Mob tactics and crimes like fence cutting, arson, and physical assault were committed often to drive settlers from lands that had once been common pasture. The Society of Bandits was more like a Mafia organization…and Chavez y Chavez, fit right in. Vincente Silva and the gang owned Las Vegas.

But like most gangster stories, something eventually went wrong…Chavez y Chavez along with 2 others killed their Crime Boss, Vincent Silva, on May 19th 1893.
It went down something like this… about seven months prior, on October 22, 1892, Old Town Las Vegas, police officers, Chavez y Chavez and 2 others, lynched Patricio Maes. This was committed on the orders of Vincente Silva. A few months later, Silva began to suspect that his brother-in-law Gabriel Sandoval, knew about Maes ordered killing and that he might “Rat him Out”. Silva then set up Gabriel with the help of Chavez and murdered him. Silva then became paranoid over his wife’s constant questions about her brother’s disappearance and decided she had to be killed also. He ordered his best men to dig a grave for his wife’s body. So while Chavez and the other two men dug the grave, they decided that Silva was out of control. When Silva showed up with his wife’s body, the three men murdered him and buried the two together in one grave.

Almost 2 years later, a man was arrested for a murder and implicated Chavez in the murder of Sandoval. Chavez, with a $500 price on his head, fled. He was arrested May 26, 1894, at Socorro. He was tried, found guilty and sentenced to death, but was given a new trial by the territorial supreme court. Chavez was found guilty again, and was sentenced to be hanged October 29, 1897. He was granted a stay of execution, and on November 20, Governor Otero, over protests and objections from the citizens of Las Vegas, commuted the death sentence to life in prison.

On November 23, 1897, Chavez entered the Territorial Penitentiary as inmate #1089, he remained there until January 11, 1909. At the age of 57, Governor George Curry pardoned him.The pardon was the result of Chavez saving a guards life during a prison riot.

After being released from prison, Chavez returned to Las Vegas and spent his remaining years among his friends.Chavez died at home in bed holding the hand of Liberato Baca, who was possibly the only man to face Chavez in a gunfight and live to tell about it. Chavez was 72, and died peacefully on July 17th 1923. He is buried in a small private cemetery in Milagro, New Mexico.

Jose Chavez was later implicated by Gov. George Curry, in his autobiography, as the killer in the February 1,1896 murder of Col. Albert J. Fountain and his son, was done by Chavez. A year before he was sentenced and imprisoned. Reports indicate that it had been a belief for years, but was debunked.