Charlie
by J. Young
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. Charlie married Manuela while Doc married her half-sister, Maria Antonia Manuela Herrera, transforming them into brothers-in-law.
In August of 1877 Charlie Bowdre and Frank Freeman had themselves a night in Lincoln. The two reportedly forced  Jose Montano late at night to open his store and provide them with liquor. The two became extremely rowdy and drunk, breaking glasses, lamps and other objects in their view. During their rampage, they encountered a buffalo soldier from Stanton whom Freeman began harassing and eventually shot the soldier in the back of the head mortally wounding him. Bowdre and Freeman walked into the street with guns blazing shooting at random objects. The duo paraded up and down Lincoln, yelling and shooting. A few of their bullets even hit McSween’s home, smashing out a window and striking their sewing machine.
Knowing John Chisum was McSween’s house guest that night, Freeman yelled that “if John Chisum or his corpse was not turned over to them that they would burn the damn house down.” Freeman also began screaming that his name was Frank Freeman and not 20 men could arrest him and that he would kill every man in Lincoln. Eventually Sheriff Brady came from his home, gathered Billy Mathews and a posse and arrested them both. But they did not go down without a fight… Bowdre knocked Brady to the ground and Freeman pulled his gun up to shoot him when the others stopped the situation. Bowdre and  Freeman were thrown into the pit-jail. Bowdre made bail but Freeman did not.
Frank Freeman escaped when he was transferred to Fort Stanton’s guardhouse. Sheriff Brady with the assistance of a small Detachment of soldiers from Fort Stanton tracked Freeman to Charlie’s Ranch on the Ruidoso when they arrived Freeman darted out of the house firing at Brady but missed he left on his horse which was killed at the same moment Freeman Jumped up and ran through a cornfield but was shot down and killed.  The posse captured Nicholas Provencio, and Charlie Bowdre escaped by swimming downstream in the river.