Wild West Crime Boss
by J.Young

Research suggests that John Kinney may have been born in Hampshire County, Massachusetts between 1847 and 1853 before relocating with his family to Iowa. Kinney then went on to serve in the Army in 1865 and was promoted to Sergeant before being discharged in 1873. Following his military service, he settled in Dona Ana County near Mesilla, NM, and organized a group of individuals who conducted numerous robberies, thefts, and cattle rustling activities in the area. This organization has been referred to as the “Chain Gang” by writer F. Nolan.
The group led by John Kinney, was based out of Mesilla and acted as a central hub for their organization. They were known by several names, including the Rio Gang posse or gang. Kinney utilized this location strategically as it was ideal for overseeing the movement of stolen goods from Texas, Arizona, and Mexico. Their operation involved the sale of goods from these regions to clients within New Mexico, Texas, and vice versa.
Jesse Evans was among the initial members of the gang, which quickly multiplied in size and became notorious for its ruthless members. On December 31st, 1875, John Kinney, Evans, Jimmy Daniels and Pony Diehl were involved in a brawl with soldiers from Fort Selden after entering a saloon in Las Cruces, a short distance north of Mesilla. The altercation resulted in a defeat for Kinney’s men, who were forcefully ejected from the premises. But shortly after, they returned to the saloon’s door and windows and opened fire, killing two of the soldiers and a civilian. Also wounded  were three soldiers and a citizen.

Throughout 1876 and into the next year, the gang went where they pleased, stole what they could fence. Anyone who raised an eyebrow was terrorized or killed. John Kinney’s ranch, located a few miles east of Mesilla, served as the headquarters for the Rio Grande Posse. The property included a specialized butcher shop, which was utilized by the group. Despite concerns from the public regarding the presence of over 30 men residing on the property, citizens refrained from approaching the ranch as it posed a potential safety risk.
In the summer of 1877, Colonel Albert Fountain, an esteemed former military man and district attorney, settled in Mesilla with his family at the age of 40. Along with a few other individuals, Fountain started a newspaper, The Mesilla Valley Independent. The headlines of July 14th, 1877, conveyed a clear message:
“A Fair Warning to All Persons Who Make Horse and Cattle Stealing a Business.”
The article expressed their dedication to preventing crime in the area, stating that anyone who engaged in such activities would face swift and harsh consequences. Despite the frustrating efforts of the district attorney and other law enforcement officials, the community was committed to taking necessary measures to ensure justice was served. 
Jesse Evans and Baker responded to the press by sending word that they would kill the author on sight for exposing them. In response Fountain swore out warrants for the arrest of John Kinney and others before the justice of the peace and US Marshal Newton Rosencrans. Within a few days District attorney William Rynerson (an ally of Kinney) telegraphed Governor Axtell to help calm the situation against John Kinney. Axtell was able to stop Sheriff Mariano Barela who was already not interested in going after Kinney for his own reasons and didn’t however Sheriff Jacinto Armijo was able to gather about 40 men and went to Kenny’s ranch and when they arrived the place was empty, they had been tipped off.
In September, Jesse Evans and his gang, “The Boys,” began stealing from farmers and ranchers in Lincoln County. Another gang, the Seven Rivers Warriors, also joined in on the thievery. A new recruit, Kid Antrim, became a part of Jesse’s crew. The gangs found a useful ally in James Dolan, an Irishman and business associate of Kinney’s, who would purchase stolen cattle. Unfortunately, the gangs targeted the wrong people. They stole horses from John Tunstall, Richard Brewer, and their neighbors, Charlie Bowdre and Doc Scurlock. This criminal activity did not go unnoticed. It ultimately led to a chain of events that would later be known as the Lincoln County War.
Richard Brewer, Tunstall’s foreman, led a mission to recover stolen horses from Jesse Evans and his gang in September 1877. Accompanied by Doc Scurlock and Charlie Bowdre, they pursued the thieves to Shedd’s Ranch on the east side of St. Augustine’s pass, Organ Mountains. The situation was tense as the gang, who greatly outnumbered Brewer, Bowdre and Scurlock, refused to relinquish all the stolen horses. Nevertheless, the thieves respected Brewer’s bravery and allowed him to keep some of the horses. Despite attempts to get help from the Sheriff in Las Cruces Mariano Barela, the group went ahead with their plan. In the end, Brewer made a tough call to leave all the horses behind, stating,
“If you can’t give me the Englishman’s, you can keep them all and go to hell.”
It may have been at that moment where the Kid was reunited with old friends he had met in Arizona, Bowdre and Scurlock, later showing up at their property for work.
On November 2nd, 1877 John Kinney was leaving the area for Texas when he was confronted by Ysabel Barela (not sure if related to Sheriff Barela) along the way looking for a fight, Kinney pulled his gun and shot Barela dead. Kinney was acquitted of murder in self defense later. A story circulating the death was that Barela may have been hired by Robert Widenmann to kill Kinney. Robert Widenmann was Tunstall’s right hand man.
In December 1877, Kinney received a telegram from El Paso County Sheriff Charles Kerber requesting assistance to help bring down volunteers and support the Texas Rangers who were under attack. This led Kinney and his team to become involved in the El Paso Salt War – a conflict over individual ownership rights to the salt lakes, previously held as communal property. Kinney and his team, accompanied by Evans & gang and a posse from Silver City led by Grant County Sheriff, Dangerous Dan Tucker, set out to San Elizario Texas with approximately 25 men. Unfortunately, many of these men already had a bad reputation in El Paso as rapists and pillagers. Ultimately, the Texas Rangers and their supporters surrendered to a mob of around 500 citizens.
John Kinney served as Sheriff Kerber’s Deputy in El Paso and also worked part-time as a barkeep at a local saloon. After a brief stint in El Paso, he received a telegram from district Attorney William Rynerson to provide support to the Evans gang in the Lincoln County War and help James Dolan, who had taken over from LG Murphy. Kinney, along with other allies of Dolan, engaged in both defensive and offensive measures against Tunstall’s crew who were seeking justice for their murdered employer but were met with apathy from the local law enforcement, who were actually Dolan’s men.
During the last day of the 5 day battle in Lincoln as Regulator leader Alex McSween’s house burned, Kinney was wounded in the face, a flesh wound. Some say this was from the barrel of The Kid’s gun. One man barely made it out alive and after playing dead throughout the night was able to crawl to safety. The next morning he had a run in with John Kinney…