The Regulator’s Last Stand - Pals of Billy the Kid

The Regulator's Last Stand

by J. Young
Raconteur: George Coe
Artwork by Gregg Burch

After their employer John Tunstall was murdered, The Regulators had faced significant challenges in their pursuit of stability. Despite their desire to lead peaceful lives, they were constantly at odds with tyranny and mob law. McSween and his followers were forced to flee Lincoln and seek refuge in various ranches and hideouts. Their daily responsibilities were neglected due to the threat posed by Dolan’s hired guns, who were eagerly seeking them out. Innocent citizens were also caught in the crossfire, as robbers and assailants ransacked San Patricio. Matters escalated when George Coe’s home was destroyed and looted, underscoring the severity of the situation. Though he remained steadfast in fighting for their cause, Coe’s bravery was put to the test.

"These new disturbances drove us to desperation. we could see no hope of a peaceful settlement and decided there was but one thing for us to do. That was to organize our forces and go to Lincoln and fight it out to the finish! Next was the selection of a leader, Martin Chavez, a merchant from Picacho, he neither was satisfied with the conditions as they existed, so we took our problems to him and asked him to aid us in solving it. We requested him to accept the leadership of our band and promised to abide by his decisions and follow his plans. He readily consented and began to draw a plan of attack."

George Coe

The boys met up with Martin Chavez that night who was leading a large band of New Mexicans, they crept in and arrived at Lincoln after dark. It was very dark as the moon was behind clouds.The men quickly spread out through town undetected. About 15 of the Regulators including Mcsween went inside the Mcsween home. Martin also stationed some of the men at Juan Patrons, the Ellis house on the east end of town. Martin Chavez, Fernando Herrera, George Coe and a couple others went to the Montano store.
At the end of the Montano stores perimeter there was a saloon. On that next day, after sunrise the battle began. July 15th was noted as a very windy day making a cloudy atmosphere of dust throughout Lincoln. The Regulators were in positions on top and inside of Mcsween home, the Montano store, Juan patrons and the Ellis store. But not more than a couple hundred yards away Sheriff George Peppin and James Dolan sat at the Wortley Hotel plotting as they knew they were outnumbered and outgunned by almost double. James Dolan was using crutches and healing a broken leg at the time. They wrote a note and sent it by courier to Col. Dudley at Fort Stanton requesting a howitzer or Cannon.

"At the Montana store, I was on guard when I saw a couple of fellows approaching the saloon. Get your Gun I whispered to Chavez, this is as good a time as any to start the fight! We grabbed our guns and started for the door. Two or three native women who were in the room became hysterical at the sight of our weapons and clutching at us, begging to not shoot. The men in the saloon got their drinks and started across the street. The boys in the Torreon had also spied them and opened fire as did our men from down at the Mcsween home. Thus surprised, the two men turned and ran back into the saloon. The incident caused panic and everyone in town began to get busy. The whole town was aroused and bullets were coming from every quarter but since all of us were undercover there were no immediate casualties. After the first flurry of this attack had subsided, the day dragged by with only an occasional exchange of shots to hold us at our attention."

George Coe

Under the cover of nightfall, many men changed their positions. Men in the Torreon and Coe moved over to the Mcsween house, but not inside, but into a building out back of it. It was Coe, Henry Brown and another man, a Mr. Smith.

The Dolan men were slowly and quietly creeping into positions around town as well, including into the Torreon and on the hills out in the back of Mcsweens to the south. The next morning the 16th gunshots began firing wildly. The Mcsweens took notice that Peppins men were occupying the Torreon. At one point the brave Susan Mcsween went over to George Peppin and demanded the men leave the Torreon, as it was part of the property that was purchased by Mcsween. Shots rang out throughout the day, back and forth until dark. That night Ben Ellis was shot through the neck while outside the Ellis home tending to some horses. Dr Ealy had gotten word about Ben and he and his family walked down the road to the Ellis home to attend to Ben who had lost a lot of blood.

The next morning on the 17th a courier from Fort Stanton was returning a message back to Peppin. As the messenger entered Lincoln he was allegedly fired upon and he retreated back to Fort Stanton.

At the Montano store, Fernando Herrera, who was Doc Scurlock and Bowdre’s father in law, noticed the men on the hillside south of town. Herrera was standing in the back door of the Montana house, and from a distance of over 500 hundred yards, fired at Charlie Crawford with a Sharps Rifle. The hit cut Crawford down, tearing through him sideways from hip to hip breaking his spinal cord. He lay, with his back broken, behind a rock on the mountainside in the hot sun all day. Crawford was later brought down to the street. Saturnino Baca carried Crawford a drink of water as he passed away. When Mrs. Mcsween saw that the Bacas were aiding the Dolan men, she asked for the Bacas to vacate their home as it too, was owned by the Mcsweens. The Regulators held down and fought hard, never losing an inch.

Sheriff Peppin, ordered Deputy Marion Turner to try and serve McSween his arrest warrant. Over at Mcsweens,Turner appeared close to the house and yelled out that he had warrants for Mcsween and some of the others in the house and asked if they would surrender. Mcsween replied that he had warrants for them and Turner asked to see them, he yelled, “where are they?”
Just then Jim French interrupted Mcsween and replied to Turner,
“Our warrants are in our guns you cocksucking son of a bitch!”
Turner retreated.

Mcsween and his men seemed to have had the upper hand the entire time… all day that day into the night they held strong.

In the later part of the next morning, the 18th the Army from Fort Stanton pulled into town. The courier who was fired at, reported it to Dudley, allegedly prompting their return. The Mcsween boys caught a glimpse of the heavy artillery they brought along.

"We had the town completely bottled up. There was no possible chance, unaided of their getting the advantage. They realized that fact and called on the military for help. They were so completely whipped that it was their only hope. They succeeded in getting a messenger through to the Fort. At about 10 or 11 that morning Colonel Dudley and his command of soldiers arrived. This command consisted of one company of infantry, one of Calvary, and one of artillery. The colonel also brought a 12 pound Cannon and a Gatling gun. It was claimed that the latter could shoot 72 times a minute. This was sufficient to take down a town of ten or fifteen thousand inhabitants."

George Coe

Colonel Dudley and his team arrived in town and proceeded past the McSween residence, ultimately stopping just before the Montano store within the vicinity of where the present-day Lincoln visitors center is located. After providing multiple directives to clear the area and even pointing a cannon at them, the individuals within the Montano store yielded. Led by Martin Chavez, the men calmly exited the premises with blankets concealing their identities. It is feasible that Martin was a deputy sheriff in New Mexico during that period. Upon departing the Montano store, they journeyed further down East, distanced from the McSween residence, and settled at the Ellis house.

"George Peppin began lining the soldiers up in front of the Mcsween home. It has never been made clear why the soldiers who had come to protect the women and children were stationed before the Mcsween house. Peppin demanded the rest of our party to surrender. Mcsween stepped outside, and, when informed of the proposed arrest, Mcsween exclaimed: "Peppin, you can't get away with this! I hold in my hand a message from President Hayes saying that the military has no authority to take any part here unless orders are received through him."

George Coe

Peppin replied that he did not care and in response to that the boys in the Mcsween home declined to surrender. Peppin announced to the men in the Mcsween home that the Army’s gatling gun would be sitting aimed at McSweens.
“I’m planting my Gatling gun right here! At the first shot from the house I’m going to blow up the whole work, do you get that?” Peppin shouted.

With the Army present, the Dolanites became more aggressive, brave and bold. A black flag was hung by the Dolan men symbolizing “no quarter will be given.” While the boys in the Mcsween home were distracted by the soldiers out front, some of Peppins men went around the back and dumped coal oil on the house and lit it up!

As the soldiers left to set up their camp, the boys noticed the fire raging. But it was too late, it couldn’t be stopped.

To make things worse, the soldiers began setting up camp in the middle of town across from the vacated Montano store and had cut off the rest of the men down at the Ellis house. Because the soldiers were in the line of fire from the Ellis house to Peppin and Dolans men, it rendered the men at the Ellis house ineffective and instead of repositioning they abandoned their missions, forcing the boys at the Mcsween house to fight it out without them. This knocked them down from 50 strong to about 20. The boy’s big advantage had just been exhausted. When pulling out of the Ellis store riding North the boys did fire off a few shots down at Peppins men before riding out.

The Mcsween home was made of thick adobe and the home itself was designed in the shape of a “U”. The fire burned from room to room starting at one end of the U, very slowly working around. As the Mcsween home was slowly being destroyed. The defendants then began throwing out burnable objects and moving furniture, including Mrs. McSween’s piano from one room to the next, to slow the damage. Mrs. Mcsween was on the offensive, pleading and cursing Dudley outside.

“Susan McSween was about the only scout in the ranks who had the nerve to Brave the hail of lead. The bullets fanned her skirts occasionally as she came and went to and from the house. Why she was not an added victim of the slaughter is another of the miracles of that awful tragedy. The piano was moved from place to place in an effort to save it from the flames but it burned up at last with the rest of the furniture. There's a story that Mrs. Mcsween played that piano and sang during this terrible ordeal. That is wholly absurd. she was in the house only at long intervals and she spent the greater part of the day pleading with Colonel Dudley in an effort to save her husband's life. However, the Kid and "O" Follaird did play the piano... occasionally between battles, with their high spirits, they tried to dispel the gloom settling around the survivors. It was almost uncanny to hear, at long intervals, the weird notes peeling forth from the music box. Added to this were the surprised whisperings of a prayer constantly being uttered by Mr. Mcsween as he passed from room to room with his Bible in his hand, his faith never forsaken him to the last.”

George Coe

Near the Mcsween home, approximately 30 steps away, Brown, Smith, and George Coe were situated in an adobe shed/warehouse designed for storing grains. The room was filled with grains piled up to six feet high. The boys had a habit of sleeping and idling around the shed, which had holes for ventilation to ensure the grain remained dry. Despite being within sight of the battle, they remained undetected, patiently waiting for a call to action, as they realized the gravity of the situation. As the Mcsween home dwindled to its last room on the east wing, the boys remained silent and watchful through the shed’s ventilators.

"There were three women in the Mcsween home, Mrs. Mcsween, her sister-in-law, Mrs. Shields, and Miss Gates, a school teacher. They were almost hysterical because they knew that we were making our last stand, that this was to be the end. When the women left the burning building, they came to the warehouse where we were hiding. At the same time a fellow by the name of Jack Long comes running with a can of oil with intent on setting the warehouse on fire. The women intercepted him and pleaded with him not to burn the building. I had been watching, and was holding my gun cocked on him, but dared not to fire, as Mrs. Mcsween was standing between us. I prayed that she would move just one step. Just as she stepped aside, he bent over to pick up the oil can. As he stooped, I fired and missed. There was an outhouse nearby, and into this he darted for protection. All day, when we had nothing else to do, we made that our Target and shot it full of holes. The result was that they were forced to crawl down into the pit rather than meet certain death. (Yuk!) he afterwards remarked that it was the most gruesome experience of his life, but beat dying at that. Mrs. Mcsween and Miss Gates returned once more to the door of the warehouse. It was suicide to open that door, so I spoke to them through it, and their grief and despair were heartbreaking. "Wouldn't it be better to surrender, George?” Said Mrs. Mcsween. “Perhaps if you three would give up, they would be appeased and spare all of our lives." We men knew better, and I told her: I'd do anything to help you Mrs. Mcsween, you know that. I would gladly surrender if it would do any real good. But it wont. They'd kill us like rats! "No they won't cried Miss Gates or if they do they'll have to kill me first." They left crying, and I swallowed a lump in my throat, where I had spent many happy hours with them on the Brewer ranch that summer. "Cheer up, we will see you later," I called, and wondered, as I said it, what the end would be?? Would I see them again?"

George Coe

During the incident at McSween’s home, the building was continually under fire throughout the day. Although Peppin had threatened to use a gatling gun to destroy the house, it was ultimately not used. The individuals who were inside McSween’s residence were somehow able to slow down the pace of the fire and make their way out to safety under the cover of darkness at nightfall.

"At last, the moment had arrived to move. Their only chance was to burn along with the building or make a break for liberty. There was no time for talk, but action. Billy the Kid turned to Mcsween and urged him to join the fight. "Come on Gov-nor it's time to lay down your Bible. A gun will talk faster than your religion right now." But Mcsween remained firm, holding to his faith and convictions as the final crisis was at hand. Billy the Kid had held on faithful to his trust, inspiring his comrades with good cheer to the last moment. They must now break out and meet the firing squad or perish in flames. The men were leaving the building between the volleys, by rushing out just after a round of shots was fired, several escaped safely, four or five dropped before rain of enemy bullets. The Murphy faction supposed that only a few of the defenders remained in the house, and suddenly charged the place. The Kid shot Bob Beckwith down as he entered the door, and, faithful to the last, called to Mcsween to follow him. With a six-shooter in each hand, firing as he went, he strode over a lifeless body as McSween followed him."

George Coe

After a tumultuous altercation with the criminals on scene, Billy showed impressive speed as he made a daring escape. Despite being fired upon, Billy was able to avoid any serious injuries. Though he did use lethal force to defend himself and incapacitate several of the assailants. It has been reported that in addition to eliminating the threat posed by Bob Beckwith, Billy was also successful in limiting the ability of other criminals to cause harm. While the situation was undoubtedly tense, Billy’s quick thinking and physical abilities allowed for a favorable outcome.

"As Billy ran, the screams of his pursuers could be heard loud, we've got him at last! There goes the kid! Again the kid had cheated death. Not so much for Mcsween. He offered no resistance, but stepped out from his doorway to face the bloodthirsty gang, stopped and said calmly "gentleman, I am Mcsween!" as the words left his lips he fell shattered by numerous bullets, with his Bible still clinched in his hand. The Murphy faction was triumphant over Mcsweens death and bottles were passed around, men shook hands and congratulated one another and cheered excitedly. One man cried "look boys I'll be damned if he's not still holding on to that Bible of his." "Where's his gun?" asked another. At the time the kid made his escape Brown, Smith and I decided it would be wiser for us to make a break to safety then to remain and face the entire Army. An 8-foot wall stood between us and escaped, but luck was with us. A row of old barrels stood beside the wall, we used these as step ladders. As we went over the top, the bullets zoomed around us from every direction, but once on the other side we were swallowed up in the darkness of the night. We had no sleep for two days and two nights and we were exhausted. So we crept cautiously down to the Ellis house in hope of meeting some of our own party. To our disappointment When we arrived there the family was terrified, for the other faction had threatened to kill anyone seen entering the Ellis house. Uncle Ike Ellis said, "George for God's sake get out they will kill us all if they find you here.'' Well folks, I answered this is heaven in here compared to what I've been through, but it's alright I'm hungry and tired, but I'll go! Sam Corbett who was sitting near snatched his hat from his head and handed it to me "alright George here's a hat for you but hurry or they'll get us sure as hell."On the way out, Ike's wife Nancy handed me some food."

George Coe

Yginio Salazar faced a harrowing experience while trying to escape the fire at McSween’s. Sadly, he was shot four times while attempting to escape and was left on the ground for several hours before eventually crawling to safety. He endured immense physical pain and remained hospitalized for six months before being able to leave his bed. Salazar later recalled that night…

“Billy the Kid was the bravest fellow I ever knew all through the battle; he was cool and cheerful as if we were playing a game instead of fighting for life. A little while before we made a dash for our lives, the Kid rolled a cigarette. I watched him. It seemed just then as if he had about a minute and a half to live. But when he poured the tobacco from his pouch into the cigarette paper he did not spill a flake. His hand was steady as steel. A blazing chunk of roof fell on the table beside him, barely missing his head. “Much obliged” he said as he bent over and lit the cigarette from the flame. Then he looked at me and grinned as if he thought that was a good joke. If you had seen Billy the Kid roll that cigarette and inhale the smoke and let it roll out of his mouth you would have known that once he was a brave man. When it became my turn to dart out the door of the Mcsween house, The Murphy men were firing at a distance of 10 yards. Why we were all not killed, I never could understand. I had not run but it didn't step but 10 paces when I was struck by 3 rifle bullets; in the hand, the left shoulder and the left side, the bullet in my side passing entirely through my body. I stumbled, twisted over in the air, and fell on my back among the dead bodies of Mcsween, Romero, Zamora and Harvey Morris. I laid there unconscious for a while. When I came to my senses, the fight was over and the Murphy men were laughing and drinking whiskey among the Corpses. It came to me in a Flash that my only chance was to play dead, and a pretty slim chance it was. I relaxed all my muscles and sprawled out on the ground as limp as a rag. Those fellows had sharp eyes, and how I managed to fool them I don't know. It was a wonder that the twitch of an eyelid or the tremor of a muscle did not betray me. I have always thought I must have been under the protection of guardian angels. When old Andy Boyle kicked me to see if I was dead, I thought to myself, it's all over now. And let me tell you that those old hombre’s Kicks were not love taps. He planted heavy boots in my wounded side with fearful force. That old man can kick like a mule. And every kick was torture. If he had kicked me only once more I think I might have groaned or yelled, the pain was so terrible. It took all the nerve I had to lie still and keep my eyes shut when I felt the muzzle of his rifle press down against my heart. I knew that old murderer's finger was about to pull the trigger. I hated old man Pierce but from my heart I gave him a benediction when I heard him tell Boyle that I was dead and not to waste one bullet on me. I lay there motionless for 3 hours and you must remember that all that time I was suffering in agony, which made my acting in the role of a deadman difficult. I knew that men's eyes remain open after death but I thought it best to keep mine closed. That would at least save me the danger of blinking. But at times I opened my eyes at least a little bit and through narrow slits between my eyelids I saw the Murphy men waltzing around and kicking up their heels as if they had gone crazy with joy. Some men played their violin and guitar and were as lively and Merry as if at a Fandango. To me they sounded like funeral dirges. I thought the music would never stop. I wondered how much longer I could hold out. The pain seemed to be killing me and felt I had to move, change position for relief. But I realized that the slightest movement would change me from a counterfeit dead man into a real one so I lay still. When the crowd finally got tired of their fun and went away whooping, singing and laughing and left me to die there sick and weak from three wounds, and in agony, and being half-dead, I was still the happiest man in the world. I crawled away stealthily making no noise, and got down by the river. There I fainted. When I revived, I stumbled on past the Old Stone Tower, intending to go to the Montana house, but I stopped when I saw the camp of soldiers and I fell over in another faint. I was growing very weak from loss of blood. I reached the house of Francisco Romero y Valencia and pounded on the door, but Romero was afraid to let me in. I staggered a little way further to Ike Ellis's place, but Ben Ellis, who answered my knock, wouldn't open the door either. Across the field I saw a light on at Jose Otero's house where my sister-in-law Nicolecita Pacheco, was staying. When I got there, Otero opened the door a little way and when he saw me, he was scared and slammed the door in my face. I said I am Yginio Salazar, I am dying, let me in. Still Otero wouldn't open the door again. But my sister-in-law had to recognize my voice and she caught Otero around the neck and hurled him to the floor and opened the door herself. I stood by a little fire in the fireplace and warmed myself for the summer nights in the mountains are cold. My shirt was black and stiff with blood all over and when my sister-in-law saw it she began to cry. For the third time I swooned and fell to the floor. Otero cut my shirt off my body with a butcher knife and put me to bed. I was confined to my bed nearly six months before I recovered.

Yginio Salazar.

After the smoke cleared, the Dolan men heinously forced Alex McSween’s house servant Serbian Bates play his violin for entertainment as they celebrated their victory. The remains of the house in which Bates lived and worked still smoldered while the deceased body of his employer and friends lay out in the yard. The sounds those strings must have produced that night paint a disturbing image of the scene.
Bates and Washington were also forced to dig the graves and bury the bodies of Mcsween and Harvey Morris.
Serbian Bates later moved in with George Coe and gifted him the violin that he was forced to play that horrible night.
The tragic passing of Alexander McSween, known as the “big killing,” marked a significant turning point in the Lincoln County War. Despite the valiant efforts of Mrs. McSween and other advocates for justice, the looting of Tunstall’s store by the Dolan men and the misguided involvement of the Army allowed the perpetrators to evade accountability. Mrs. McSween’s perseverance in seeking justice serves as a testament to the enduring impact of this historic event.