Tularosa
Reference
Established: 1863
Original: Tularosa
Elevation: 4,515
County: Otero
Waterway: Rio Tularosa
Roadway: U.S. Highways 54 and 70
Consecrated Waterways
by J. Young
Located on the Eastern edge of The White Sands and adjacent to the western slopes of The Sacramento Mountains is the village of Tularosa. Its name originates from the red colored reeds growing along the banks of the river. In 1858, Mexican settlers chose this spot and defended it through numerous Mescalero raids as the tribe occupied the area at the time. Tularosa Creek was the village’s primary water supply, originating from several large Springs in the area and with a very fast flow. The settlers began constructing canals, ditches and dams, which often disturbed and interfered with the lives and settlements of the Mescalero Apache. The Apache ran the Mexican settlers off within a year. But with the establishment and growth of nearby Fort Stanton, people started to inhabit Tularosa again in 1860. However, securing their land and water became a necessity.
In 1863, the town was officially established only after winning a battle against the Mescalero at Round Rock. The settlers constructed St. Francis De Paula, a mission church, planted trees and crops, and built various adobe homes and businesses.
In 1866, the legislature passed an act granting Tularosa the rights to their land and the water that ran through it. Upstream from there, an Old Mill was built in the 1840s to provide building materials for the Army. The mill had been abandoned, but in 1868, three men – Dr. Joseph Blazer, George W Nesmith, and George Abbott – purchased the place. They settled along Tularosa Creek, eventually acquiring the property and the old saw mill. When the mill’s wheel began turning once again, the citizens of Tularosa made it clear to Blazer that they were to have control of the water supply. He had promised them that the water that powered his mill would be returned to the stream, as they were downstream from him.
In later years, when the water levels became drastically low, citizens discovered several dams built across the river upstream. Among the new settlers upstream was Andrew J. Wilson. Tularosa citizens Felipe Bernal and Jose Marcos, among others, dismantled the dams after finding them unattended. Wilson and a few other settlers rebuilt the dams but were attacked by some of the Tularosa men. Dr. Blazer, along with influential men from Lincoln, represented the citizens of the Tularosa Valley and petitioned for aid and protection against the water thieves. Captain C.H. McKibben of the 15th Infantry and Commander at Fort Stanton dispatched second lieutenant John Wilkinson and 5 soldiers to uphold the civil law upstream from Tularosa. However, Wilkinson and his men were attacked by a large gang of Mexican farmers and settlers while breaking up the newly repaired dams.
During the incident, the soldiers came under fire and lost one of their horses while Wilkinson’s horse was also wounded. In retaliation, one of the Mexican farmers was unfortunately killed. With limited numbers, the soldiers sought refuge in Blazers home and were aided by a group of nearby anglos. They secured the perimeter and sent for backup from Fort Stanton. However, the soldiers were soon surrounded by nearly 50 Mexicans who opened fire for approximately half an hour until they caught sight of Captain McKibben and his detachment of soldiers approaching. The mob quickly dispersed after seeing the Army’s reinforcement. Upon arriving in Tularosa, McKibben and Major Day were surprised to encounter hostility towards them as tension brewed between the Mexican and anglo settlers. Despite local clergymen ordering the Army to leave or disarm, McKibben insisted on staying the night and retaining their firearms, warning that he and his men would retaliate if provoked. It was only when the Army deployed their cannon that the citizens’ attitude shifted from hostile to calm.
In Tularosa, residents experienced occasional shortages due to their upstream water being used by others. However, tension arose in 1881 when the James West Ranch, located nearby, began utilizing more water than initially agreed upon, causing further inconvenience for Tularosa citizens. The resulting complaints led to the issuance of legal paperwork compelling West and his employees to appear in court. Despite Deputy Sheriff Cruz Padilla’s attempts to serve the summons for alleged water theft, West’s workers refused to acknowledge the papers or Padilla’s authority, citing his lack of jurisdiction as a representative from Dona Ana County in Lincoln County. Padilla returned to Tularosa and gathered a posse consisting of Martin Gonzales, Olojino Alijo, and Ruperto Pais to accompany him to West’s Ranch. The group confronted Charles Wall and Alexander Nunnelly, who had been caught violating the law while working on an acequia, with an ultimatum to surrender or face arrest, dead or alive. In response, Wall fled and was eventually shot twice from behind, although grazed both times. Nunnelly drew his gun and fired erratically, joined by other workers, including Marejildo Torres and Augustin A. Balos, resulting in the death of the entire posse, including Deputy Padilla.
When the citizens of Tularosa learned about the killings, they formed a mob and headed to West’s ranch. The Tularosa Justice of the Peace, Victor Duron, supposedly advised the men before they left not to arrest anyone but instead to kill any man found working on the waterways.
On April 19th, a group of approximately thirty-three Mexican citizens from Tularosa approached Blazers and demanded that Nunnelly and the other West Ranch workers be handed over to them on the suspicion that they were renting sleeping quarters from Blazer. Dr. Blazer informed them that the workers had left to surrender to deputy sheriff William L Goodlett of Lincoln County. Some individuals expressed their anger and dissatisfaction to Blazer, but eventually left for West’s ranch where they broke in and looted his home. They damaged his property and destroyed the water blockages.
The Tularosa Justice of the Peace issued threats of legal action against Blazer for providing shelter, as well as to the Army for entering Tularosa while heavily armed and with a cannon. Captain McKibben would appear before a grand jury later who concluded his forced entry into the town and threat to the priest was unwarranted and wanted him charged with the crime for interfering with civil matters but was dismissed.
Goodlett took the prisoners to Mesilla before judge Warren Bristol. The prisoners were ordered to be kept in jail at a $1,000 bond each. They were transported by wagon to Lincoln and placed in the Lincoln County Courthouse, which was also being used at the time as a jail. This is where Billy the Kid was being held on death row at this same time. The Tularosa prisoners were in serious threat of being lynched as they had killed a posse in Tularosa. They were treated very well in Lincoln and not monitored like The Kid. There would have been almost zero contact between Billy and the prisoners as he was kept separately in a room behind Garrett’s office and was constantly guarded. It is rumored that the Tularosa guys may have been allowed to carry their side arms for protection, but it’s a detail often overlooked.
It raises questions as to how Billy obtained the gun he used to kill Deputy Bell, particularly in light of Tularosa prisoner Alexander Nunnelly’s status as a “trusty” with extensive access to the building’s interior and exterior. Following Bell’s death, Nunnelly claimed that he informed Ollinger of The Kid’s involvement: “The Kid has killed Bell.” Ollinger reportedly replied, “Yes, and he has killed me too.” Nunnelly’s statement goes on to describe Billy breaking into the armory and stealing weapons. Nunnelly asserted that he had informed Billy of a gun he considered to be his, a Winchester rifle, and that Billy had declined to take it, opting for a different weapon instead. When The Kid called for Gauss to saddle his horse, the animal bucked him and Nunnelly was summoned to assist. He reportedly stated, “Don’t you think that will come up in my trial next week? I’m up for murder!” to which Billy retorted, “You can tell them I made you do it!”
After Billy the Kids escape, the Tularosa prisoners were moved to the Fort Stanton guardhouse, but upon arrival were turned away in fears that the filthy prisoners who had not bathed in a while might spread lice to the Army. Four months later that year in August, a Lincoln County Grand jury, lead by jury Foreman James Dolan, indicted the Tularosa men and charged them with murder in the fifth degree. Approximately 21 other men were charged with other charges related to that day stemming from charges of murder, breaking and entering, intent to commit murder, assault, larceny, rioting, and malicious mischief. The defendants put in for a change of venue and it was granted. The cases were then transferred to Dona Ana County where their attorney Albert J. Fountain succeeded in getting the charges dismissed in April of 1882. That was the end of the Tularosa water trouble. Charles Wall later worked for John W. Poe as a foreman herder and Alexander Nunnelly, seems to have fallen off the map of history. Dr. Blazers partner George Nesmith and his family were brutally murdered in 1882. The killer has been suspected of being paid to get rid of Nesmith by a man named Pat Coghlan who had a home and hotel in Tularosa. Coghlan was later known in the area as “The King of Tularosa.”
