The Regulators. Bushwhacked!.
by J. Young.

Frank McNab was traveling with fellow regulators, Frank Coe and Ab Saunders. When the group was close to the Fritz ranch, which was overgrown with brush, cactus and weeds, they were ambushed by The Seven Rivers Warriors.

McNab was shot out of his saddle and was mortally wounded. Ab Saunders was shot in the left ankle and then the hip. Frank Coe’s horse was shot and killed and Frank Surrendered.
Frank McNab, dying and trying to crawl away, was finished with a shotgun blast. McNab was buried a couple days later next to John Tunstall. Although another report suggests his body laid out under the stars and sun, decomposing for a month, before it was brought back to the spot where he was killed and buried.

Ab Saunders and Frank Coe were taken into Lincoln as prisoners. Saunders was then taken to Fort Stanton for medical attention and held until he was released May 12th of 1878.

The ambush seemed to have been orchestrated by George Peppin, he knew Mcnab would be going on the road by Fritz’s. The Fritz ranch is surrounded by trees and brush, making it almost impossible to see the Bushwhack that was coming. Peppin caught wind of McNabs plan for the Regulators to “clean house” during a planned night raid at Seven Rivers. This got him marked for death, who knows how much Dolan was paying for this? Anyone?

Peppin was out for blood for the Brady killing, and was more appalled that Copeland, a Mcsween ally was now Sheriff of Lincoln county, giving Mcsween the run of the town, while Dolan left town.So before this could happen, Peppin gathered about 30 men from Seven Rivers, setting up the Bushwhack at Fritz’s ranch.

Frank Coe remembers that day well..

“I was riding a race pony and a good saddle animal, I told the others that we had better whip up a little bit but my race pony being a much better saddle animal I had distanced them about a hundred yards when we got near the Fritz ranch. What we didn’t know was there were about 20 men lying in ambush, the rest were inside the Fritz house which was about a half a mile down river. I was so far ahead that they let me pass. Sanders and McNab came riding up after I had passed and they had open fire upon them and they reached a point about a hundred yards from the house. Mcnab’s horse began bucking and threw him off, he ran for a mile up the canyon. The Seven Rivers gang ran around the point of the hill that McNab rounded and chased him this distance before they killed him. Saunders’ horse was killed and he ran over a little Knoll and was followed up and shot through The hip which disabled him and he was captured. When I heard the shooting I tore out on down the canyon. I crowded back next to the mountains on the north side of the valley and made for a hill. Several of them began shooting at me. Someone shot from the fritz house and killed My horse a bullet hit her right in the back of the head, she stumbled along for about 30 feet and fell I went over head and jumped up, she had fallen on my Winchester I shot left-handed and carried my Winchester on that side I tried to pull it out but could not.

Coe ran for shelter but surrendered. The Warriors took Frank into the house, where he learned they killed Mcnab. Also that Saunders was laying outside possibly dying.

“I begged them to go out and get him and bring him in and not let him die out there.” Said Frank “They rigged up a buggy of Fritz’s and went after him.”

I also found out why they had pursued him so hard, they had mistaken Ab for Billy the Kid.”

After Killing McNab, the posse waited until dark and with Ab Saunders and Frank Coe as prisoners, the mob headed to Lincoln. They thought they would catch more Regulators off-guard when they arrived, however a mail carrier came by the Fritz ranch and witnessed some things and when he got to Lincoln he spread the word that Frank McNab was killed.

The Regulators posted up in a few spots and George Coe and Henry Brown were at the Ellis store when they heard the news. They decided to get on top of the house and old man Ellis said, “whatever you boys do don’t fire any guns, these fellows will come here and I will be in the middle of it.” Waiting on top of the rooftop, Brown had his Winchester and Coe had his Sharps rifle, in the distance about 400 yards down the river they saw a Dolan man sitting on top of a cow skull. George Coe recalls “each of us got a porthole and I gave the word. We both shot concurrently. One shot fell about 200 yards short and I know it was Henry’s, he had a little Carbine. My bullet cut through the flesh of both of Man’s legs, they were crossed in front of him and cut a gash nearly 6 inches Long through his hip.” These two shots started up a shootout between the Seven Rivers men and McSween’s Regulators. They exchanged shots all day long. Robert Widemann recalls the situation, “we poured the lead into them rapidly and in less than an hour, we had them rerouted and had them cut off from their horses. The fighting continued throughout the day and the murderers were trying to regain their horses; we beat them back at every attempt.”






Just before 5 p.m. a unit of soldiers commanded by lieutenant George Smith rode  into town from Fort Stanton. He placed a detachment of soldiers in between the two parties to defuse The situation. The Seven Rivers party surrendered however they were not relieved of their firearms. At this moment Frank Coe simply walked out of the Dolan store where they were holed up and rejoined his pals. The next morning on May 1st, Dr. Ealy, conducted a burial service for Frank McNabb alongside Tunstall. Afterwards Billy the Kid and Charlie Bowdre headed for San Patricio with some of the others. Alex Mcsween, appeared before a Justice of the Peace named Jose Trujillo out of San Patricio. He swore out affidavits against the members of The Seven Rivers Posse. Sheriff Copeland, the sheriff at the time was McSween’s friend, he took the warrant to Fort Stanton where he declared the Seven Rivers gang under arrest. Copeland asked for Dudley’s help to escort them, taking them to San Patricio for hearing. Dudley, obviously in favor of Dolan, denied the request and ordered his lieutenants to escort sheriff Copeland back to San Patricio and arrest Mcsween and Widenmann, anyone else involved in the day long fight in Lincoln, for rioting. When they arrived at Lincoln they arrested Doc Scurlock, Widenmann, Ellis and his son and Sam Corbett.

Dudley clearly was overstepping his bounds and it showed.

At Fort Stanton both parties were imprisoned except the Seven Rivers gang were allowed to roam the Fort freely. While the Regulators and McSween were locked in the guardhouse.

George Coe decided to take a chance to go see his cousin up Sanders in the fort.. somehow and I have no idea how, George waltzed into the fort and found Saunders in a hospital room. He was beside Dutch Kruling. George Coe remembers “we found Ab in a hospital cot beside Dutch Kruling arguing about the war. Either one of them could do anything, Dutch looked up and said, “You were the one that shot me, aren’t you George?” and I said “I expect so” he said “well I’m glad of it.” It seemed that Kruling was happy to be out of the war.

Dudley I think realized he was in the wrong and gave complete control of ALL the prisoners back to Copeland, who had no other choice but to set the prisoners free he could not control them all,there were too many..

As the Seven Rivers gang departed Fort Stanton heading south they stole eight of The Regulator’s horses. Sheriff Copeland removed the shackles from Doc Scurlock, took him to Lincoln and made him his Deputy. Doc also took command of the Regulators as Captain. On May 14th, Scurlock planned a little revenge party for McNabb. He gathered his Regulators and stampeded into the Dolan-Riley cattle camp at Black River. The Regulators shot and wounded a few of them and killed Manuel Segovia. After driving off their herders they rounded up their horses and mules and drove them back to Lincoln. Manuel Segovia, was served hot lead for the kill shot he inflicted on McNabb just weeks prior..