The Kid Stood Here
By Brandon Dickson
Many legends about Billy the Kid are rooted in fiction. In fact, over time, the myth and the truth have become so intertwined that it becomes difficult to tell them apart. Tourist traps, cheap-o museums, highway sideshows, and every old-timer from Capitan to Amarillo all claim to have Billy the Kid relics. The disappointing fact is that for those seeking a true connection to history, simply staring through glass at random curiosities and artifacts is not enough. Some history buffs crave a tangible nostalgia.
Lincoln is one of the rare locations where the town has mostly remained unchanged since the 1870s. The town’s violent history includes many important events in the Lincoln County War. Billy and the Regulators fought against Dolan forces, making themselves into legends during the War, but they lost in the end. The scars of that conflict are still visible today, and indeed some animosity between relatives of the original factions still lingers.
While other museums claim to have artifacts, Lincoln is an artifact itself. From one end of town to the other, the footsteps of Billy can still be followed. As one arrives in the east end of town, it is the same path that The Kid and the Regulators used regularly. This was the trail from San Patricio, a town used as a haven for McSween and the Regulators, and also the trail from Tunstall’s ranch on the Rio Feliz. The Ellis Store was located on that side of Lincoln. The store was a favorite haunt of Billy and his friends and where they often were able to get resupplied. Some Regulators also occupied the building during the Five-Day Battle, before the threat of an Army howitzer forced its occupants to flee.
Past the Ellis Store, several hundred yards west, is the site of the old pit jail, also called the carcel. Now an empty field, this location held the miserable hole in the ground that was used as a jail for years. Famous for the terrible conditions inside and the ever-present threat of flooding, as well as for the many escapes that were easily made from there. It held many famous prisoners including Sheriff Brady himself, Jesse Evans, Billy the Kid, and many others. Though Billy slept there, no sign of the former site remains.
The Chapman murder site is not far from the Montano Store. A tree grows in the location now, but this is where lawyer Huston Chapman was murdered in February 1879. The Kid and some other former Regulators met with Jimmy Dolan, Jesse Evans, and others in order to make peace. The enemies-now-friends got drunk and made their way from saloon to saloon in their revelry. They crossed paths with Susan McSween’s lawyer in the street, and Billy the Kid was a witness to murder. Dolan and one of his henchmen, a man named Billy Campbell, killed the lawyer. The group left the body in the street and continued to drink. The Kid would later use this event to bargain with Governor Wallace. The Governor got The Kid’s testimony, but never kept his word to Billy.
The Tunstall Store is a short walk away. Billy spent many hours there. This was also the location used by the Regulators to murder Sheriff Brady and Deputy Hindman on April 1, 1878. The Kid boldly ran into the street to retrieve a rifle from Brady’s corpse, but was shot in the leg by Billy Mathews, another deputy at the scene. While the other Regulators fled the town, The
Kid was forced to stay behind. His leg wound was treated, and he was hidden beneath the floorboards in the Tunstall Store. He was finally able to escape hours later.
McSween’s house is just next door to Tunstall’s Store. The climax of the Five-Day Battle happened here in July of 1878. Posse members surrounded and set fire to the house. The men inside were forced to flee under a rain of bullets and buckshot. Somehow, the Kid survived the gunfire and made his escape. McSween and others were not as lucky. The event is known as The Big Killing.
Down the street to the west of the McSween ruins, sits the Wortley Hotel. This famous landmark was a favorite eatery in Lincoln, despite multiple shootings that occurred there. Sheriff Brady had his last meal there before meeting his fate at the hands of The Kid, and so did famous bully Bob Olinger. Billy may not have slept at the Wortley, but he ate there. Bob Olinger crossed the street from the Wortley towards the Courthouse on April 28th, 1881.
The Old Murphy/Dolan Store was the county courthouse in 1881. It was also used as a jail to hold Billy the Kid while he awaited his date with the gallows. The Kid was vigilant and clever, and within a week of arriving at the jail, he broke free. The Kid killed Deputy Bell and took the time to kill Deputy Olinger with Olinger’s own shotgun. Billy slept, ate, and killed here in this old building. Blood and soap water stains are still visible today as witness to the events that occurred in April 1881.
Each building holds a piece of that tangible nostalgia we seek. Every creaking floorboard, every crack in the wall, each tiny piece of exposed wood, all speak from the past in their own ways. The wind sweeping through Lincoln’s trees feels like busy ghosts passing by as they go about their day. Yes, Billy the Kid slept here, he fought here, he walked the streets. If timed just right at sunset on a summer evening, and in the proper location, you too can feel it… Billy the Kid stood here.
