The Mob’s Bookkeeper
by J. Young

Morice (Morris) Joseph Bernstein, born on February 11th 1856 in London, England, was the son of a goods importer father, Mr. Julius Bernstein, and a Russian mother, Rebekka (Fanny). Morice was the oldest of six siblings. The family resided at 23 Jewelry Street in Crutchfield Friars, London. Described as a lively and pleasant gentleman with professional qualities. The Bernstein’s migrated to America in the late 1860s and turned up for the 1870 census in Cook county, Illinois. Morice’s whereabouts before he appeared in Santa Fe in the spring of 1873 remain unclear.
Morice Bernstein landed a job as a bookkeeper for The Spiegelberg Brothers, a supply merchant located across from the Governor’s Palace. This enterprising group of Jewish settlers provided a supportive network for new Jewish families entering the territory, providing them with employment opportunities, food, and shelter. The Spiegelberg Brothers were closely affiliated with The Santa Fe Ring, a powerful group with interests in businesses such as The Santa Fe & Denver Railroad Company and The Santa Fe Gas Company. Lehman Spiegelberg was involved in multiple business ventures and schemes, including mercantile, banking, mining, and contracting businesses. The Spiegelberg Brothers recognized the potential of Bernstein’s professional appearance and aptitude, and offered him a position that he was sure to excel in.
Morice Bernstein arrived in Santa Fe and spent two and a half years being prepared for his role in overseeing the developments and achievements of Lincoln. He then headed south and stayed at The Exchange Hotel in Las Vegas for a few nights before continuing onto Lincoln County. There, he began working alongside Major Lawrence G. Murphy as a bookkeeper, with the responsibility of overseeing all business activities.
The pioneering efforts of Murphy and his colleagues, a group of Irish army officers, were instrumental in establishing Lincoln as a thriving community. In their capacities as ranking military officials at nearby Fort Stanton, they leveraged their organizational skills and enjoyed the backing of The Santa Fe Ring. LG Murphy, in particular, played a key role in running the supply store at Fort Stanton and managing the government’s contracts with the Mescalero.
While Murphy’s schemes involved overcounting the number of Mescalero on the reservation to secure more government surplus and funding for food, it is important to note that any wrongdoing on his part was illegal and unacceptable. Murphy assembled a team of farmers and ranchers to fulfill the large government contracts and generated considerable personal wealth in the process. It is crucial to approach this history with professionalism and an understanding of the complexity of the circumstances involved.
After Murphy and his partners were honorably discharged from the military, they utilized their entrepreneurial skills to establish a brewery, a hotel, and a massive two-story fortress/surplus store in Lincoln. Utilizing their experience and resources, they managed their business operations to ensure their success in the community. Unfortunately, their success came with a price, as they exerted their influence to suppress the citizens of Lincoln. Despite their negative impact, it is important to recognize their business acumen and contribution to the local economy, while also acknowledging the harm they caused to the community.
In order to continue fulfilling government contracts, Murphy required the assistance of skilled legal personnel. With this in mind, Morice Bernstein was brought in to assist, along with the unplanned hiring of Alexander McSween, who unfortunately put his personal financial gains ahead of his moral duties. Morice played a key role in the establishment of the Farmers Club Organization of Lincoln back in December of 1876 and was responsible for its successful operations. The organization was composed of a board made up of approximately 30 men, with Murphy serving as the President, and William Brady and Joseph T. Storms (also known as El Gallo, The Rooster) serving as Vice Presidents. Charles Fritz was appointed as Treasurer while Morice Bernstein undertook the role of Secretary.
Mr. Bernstein was a notable figure in Lincoln’s administration and served as the official notary. He demonstrated his impressive business acumen by securing Government contracts for the Spiegelberg brothers Willi and Levi. These contracts facilitated the transportation of government supplies from the east coast and El Moro Colorado to the Mescalero reservation in New Mexico. Levi was responsible for the transportation while Willi supplied the flour. Bernstein ensured that the agency continued to purchase dry goods locally from Murphy and Dolan as they were meeting their demands satisfactorily. Overall, Mr. Bernstein’s successful efforts to install these contracts helped to support efficient operations within the agency and contributed to positive outcomes for all parties involved. The plans were working out very well, The Ring was in control, Murphy had the money and The Mescalero Apache were contained and content.
On July 22, 1876, Agent Godfroy and Mr. Bernstein received formal communication that Puerto de Luna authorities had arrested some horse thieves in possession of what was described as some of their missing horses, which happened to be Mescalero agency horses, the property of the tribe. Bernstein and approximately 10 Mescalero Native Americans rode to PDL to reclaim their stock. Some sources suggest that Juan Patron joined them. At the time, Patron served as a Lincoln official and enjoyed amicable relations with Murphy. Godfroy requested assistance from Captain Purington at Stanton for a squad of soldiers to escort them but was denied.
Upon arriving at PDL, Bernstein secured housing for the Mescalero at a nearby ranch and traveled into town to assess the situation. He discovered that most of the impounded livestock had already been retrieved. With the assistance of locals Lorenzo Labadie, Martin Chavez, and Pablo Anaya (father of Paco), Bernstein organized a town meeting. He was deputized, along with a select few, and given permission to use the Mescalero-Apache to help round up the remaining horses. Concerns of “savages” seeking retribution quickly spread, but through concerted efforts, ten horses were returned. Three horses and a mule belonging to the group were claimed by a man from Las Vegas, and they were let go. Just prior to leaving town, one more horse was discovered at Fort Sumner. Bernstein and the Mescalero took an alternate route back to collect the final horse, hoping to retrieve it before their departure.
According to reports, choosing that particular route helped them avoid an ambush from enraged citizens who were waiting on the road west of PDL. Upon returning to the agency, Bernstein and Godroy commenced the branding process for all their animals designated for the reservation. Despite their efforts to discourage theft, it still occurred and in September, Bernstein and William Gentry, who held a deputy commission of some kind, apprehended Serafin Aragon for stealing from the reservation. Aragon was subsequently sentenced to five years in prison and thereafter, there were no further reports of theft from Murphy’s regiment.
During the 18-month period after his departure, Murphy’s business partners namely James Dolan and John Riley acted in his stead. Unfortunately, Murphy’s health deteriorated to illness and alcoholism while residing in Santa Fe. Murphy, would later pass away in the autumn of 1878. Concurrently, the Mescalero reservation was relocated to an area known as Southfork, close to present-day Mescalero. This move resulted in the reservation enclaving the property of Dr. Blazer, who possessed a mill along Tularosa Creek which was renowned as Blazer’s Mill.
The agency’s contracts with Murphy’s team were becoming tenuous due to Dolan’s inadequate management style, leading to a decline in business performance. To maintain the contracts, Bernstein collaborated with Godfroy at the new agency headquarters, leveraging their expertise to keep the business afloat. However, despite their best efforts, the higher management decided to terminate the dry goods contracts and instead award them to another company located in Santa Fe. This decision led to the agency losing half of its business and in turn, was attributed to Dolan’s questionable business ethics. Moreover, inadequate funding and mismanagement issues meant that Bernstein and Major Godfroy were forced to rent an office and storage room from Dr. Blazer, who narrowly agreed to rent it for $25 a month and increased it to $50 at a later stage.
Godfroy and his family eventually rented lodging in the Blazer’s establishment for an additional 15 dollars per month. Due to Godfroy’s wife’s excellent cooking skills, the Blazer’s place became popular among travelers looking for a good meal and a comfortable resting place. However, Blazer eventually grew tired of his property being constantly occupied by travelers and the Mescalero. He requested that the government purchase his property, causing some tension between him and Morice Bernstein and Godfroy when they opposed the idea. It is possible that Bernstein and Godfroy preferred a new construction for their storage needs, as the existing mill and buildings were probably sufficient.
The Lincoln County War was raging over the Mescalero contracts as another party attempted to obtain them. Things heated up when investigator Frank Angel arrived to investigate the crimes. As a result of losing the contracts, Dolan’s men began to steal from the reservation’s agency while fighting off the regulators. To win back his fortune, Dolan seemed to be planning to frame the Regulators for stealing from the agency. On July 22, 1878, Saturnino Baca, a known supporter of Dolan, stole two wagon loads of merchandise from the agency shortly after their contracts were voided. The wagons weighed over five tons. Frank Angel received a tip-off and tracked down the wagons to a store in Los Lunas, where Marshal John Sherman confiscated the merchandise.
Morice Bernstein was sent for this job by The Santa Fe Ring, which caused concern for the potential consequences of his actions in ending everyone’s free ride. Bernstein purportedly wrote to someone in Santa Fe to express his apprehension about Dolan’s alleged growing incompetence. Dr. Blazer also became increasingly impatient and frustrated with being caught in the middle of the situation and accused the agency of corruption against the tribe. This statement exposed Godfroy to scrutiny from his superiors. Ultimately, Bernstein was left with no choice but to try and weather the storm, but it seems that fate had other plans in store for him…
On August 5th, 1878, a significant event occurred involving Bernstein and Major Godfroy during the distribution of rations to women of a tribe. As shots rang out, causing panic among the women, Bernstein displayed bravery by quickly responding to the situation. He courageously mounted his horse and rode towards the disturbance, ready to provide assistance and ensure the safety of those in his care.
Major Godfrey immediately mounted a horse and pursued Bernstein, who had rode towards the sound of gunfire. The Major advised him to proceed with caution as they were unsure of who was shooting, fearing it might be hostile Native Americans. Unfortunately, the Major saw Mr. Bernstein ride over the hill and after summiting had discovered Bernstein’s horse alone. This led him to believe that Mr. Bernstein was killed. Realizing that he too was in danger, Major Godfrey quickly departed to seek the help of Lieutenant Smith and four soldiers who were stationed at his house.
The end of Bernstein’s life and story goes something like this…A couple weeks after Alexander Mcsween was killed, The Regulators were still riding in distress. Perhaps looking for some extra horses, they descended upon The Mescalero reservation southwest of Lincoln. The Regulators, led by Doc Scurlock were made up of George and Frank Coe, French, Stevens, Brown, Bowdre, Middleton, Scroggins, Herrera and their often forgotten force; the “Native New Mexican” Regulators”. The band split up. The Anglos rode towards a spring for some water and the “native New Mexicans” rode ahead. The second group then encountered a squad of Mescalero, who had gone out to hunt due to lack of food being provided on the Reservation. For reasons unknown a gunfight broke out between them. A moment later Bernstein came riding up wildly on his horse firing his pistol and demanding answers. Bernstein was shot out of his saddle, dead.
What happened here is actually best explained by a witness and Regulator named Atanacio Martinez,
“Bernstein rode up and fired two shots at one of the Mexican Regulators. The Mexican took cover behind a tree. Bernstein advanced to the tree and fired again. The Mexican returned fire on Bernstein, killing him.”
During the fight the Regulators who were dismounted by the creek were left on foot when their horses were spooked off. On their way to them now in the distance, was Godroy and a few soldiers, who were beginning to fire rounds at them. George Coe pulled his horse up to his PAL Billy who was one of the stranded and on he climbed, as the bunch rode away to safety.
Coe recalls,
“I’ll bet they shot 50 times at us. We were all having to ride on the sides of our horses but they never touched a hair of us.”
In a guileful way the Regulators pulled around to the agency’s corrals and burst open the gate setting all their stock free, driving them off. Billy was said to have rode one of the animals out without a saddle. This would certainly distract the men of the agency who now had to chase down their horses and mules instead. The Regulators made it out and back at the agency, the body of Morris Bernstein lay face down in the dirt with his pockets turned inside out. His rifle, pistol and ammo were taken…Morice Bernstein’s corpse would have likely been buried on site if special agent Frank Angel wasn’t in town investigating the crimes of the LCW, especially a related crime on a government property.
Bernstein’s body was taken to Santa Fe and buried by the odd fellows (An organization dedicated to helping mankind. The command of the IOOF is to”visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead and educate the orphan.”) Where that cemetery is today is unknown to me.
Agent Godfroy reported the incident to U.S. secretary of war, Carl Schurz in Washington D.C. In the end Mr. Godfroy was suspended from the agency. He remained in place at the Mescalero agency until March 1879. Godfroy remained in the area, likely at Pat Coghlan’s Ranch where he actively tried to get his job back until 1884 when he finally left the territory. Godfroy’s sister would later marry Juan Patron.