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Chronology of the Life of Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War, Part 6

June 24, 1878---McSween writes a letter to Tunstall's father in England requesting money in order to pay the Regulators for the fighting they are doing. After the letter is written and mailed, McSween flees Lincoln for San Patrico. He feels that his life is surely in danger if he stays in Lincoln. On the same day, Geoge and Frank Coe leave San Patricio and head south towards the small Hispanic village of Picacho, where Billy Bonney and some of the other Regulators are looking for new recruits. About a mile outside of San Pat, the Coes are ambushed by the John Kinney Gang. They quickly ride to a small canyon and hide out there until the Kinney Gang gives up on their attempt to capture (or, more likely, kill) the Coes and leaves the area. After they are certain that the Kinney Gang is gone, the Coes continue their ride to Picacho.
June 27, 1878---Deputy John Long, with a posse of five men, heads to San Pat to arrest the Regulators. When the posse reaches the village however, they find only McSween house servant George Washington. Washington immediatly surrenders and is arrested by the posse. Later, as the posse is leaving San Pat, McSween, John Copeland, and nine Regulators (Billy Bonney, Fred Waite, Charlie Bowdre, Big Jim French, John Scroggins, Dirty Steve Stephens, and newcomers Constable Atanacio Martinez, Jesus Rodriguez, and Eusebio Sanchez) are just coming into the village. When the two parties see each other, they both immediatly draw their guns and a running fight ensues. Although many shots are fired, the only victim is Deputy Long's horse, which takes a bullet and falls dead. However, after realizing that they are outnumbered, the Long posse rides out of town and the Regulators do not pursue them. Later in the day, after hearing of the incident, Sheriff Peppin rides to Fort Stanton and signs an affidavit before Capt. Thomas Blair, stating that Long's posse was resisted and fired upon with intent to kill while attempting to serve lawful arrest warrants. With this sworn affidavit, Col. Dudley orders Capt. Henry Carroll and twenty-five troops to go with Peppin and help him search for the Regulators. Peppin and the troops ride back to Lincoln, where Peppin assembles another posse (which includes Long and all the other members of the original posse). Then, the posse and troops both go out after the Regulators, first searching for them in the mountains south of the Rio Ruidoso, then back north near the Rio Hondo, and then northwest near the Blue Water road. However, the Regulators never turn up. A few hours later, Dudley is forced to recall Capt. Carroll and the troops back to Fort Stanton once he hears of the Posse Comitatus Act for the first time. With no more assistance from the troops, Peppin and his posse return to Lincoln.
June 29, 1878---Juan Patron flees Lincoln and seeks sanctuary at Fort Stanton, where he is almost killed by Sheriff Peppin. However, a Col. Michael Cronin manages to come between Patron and Peppin, thereby saving Patron's life. On the same day, probably after being bullied by some of the Dolan men, Justice of the Peace Wilson issues arrests warrants for McSween, Copeland, and the Regulators who participated in the San Pat fight. Once again, McSween is a legally wanted man.
July 1, 1878---Some of Peppin's men arrest John Copeland at his ranch and take him to Lincoln.
July 2, 1878---Copeland appeals to Col. Dudley for protection at Fort Stanton. On the same day, in La Mesilla, Rob Widenmann testifies against Jessie Evans in his hearing for the Tunstall murder. When Widenmann says he identified Evans as one of the killers, Judge Bristol attacks him, saying there was no way that he could have identified anyone in the sub-posse when he was riding away from them. Later in the day, Evans takes the stand in his own defense and denies that he was even a member of the sub-posse that killed Tunstall. By the day's end, Evans posts $5,000 bond without any trouble (again, it's almost definite that the money was supplied by Dolan or someone close to him) and walks free. His case is continued until the next term of court and he shortly thereafter returns to Lincoln in order to get back into the war. Widenmann, meanwhile, elects to stay in Mesilla instead of returning to Lincoln. Also on the same day, in Lincoln, Susan McSween goes to the house of Saturnino Baca (which is on the McSweens' property) and threatens to have him killed if she discovers that he was in anyway connected with the sending of troops after her husband.
July 3, 1878---Early in the morning, a posse of a dozen men under the command of Dep. Jose Chavez y Baca rides into San Patricio. Unfortunately for the posse, the Regulators have been expecting their arrival and have all taken up positions on the roofs in the small village. As the posse enters town, the Regulators open fire on them. The Baca posse scatters and flees San Pat as quick as their horses will take them, but not before two horses are killed and posse member Julian Lopez has his arm shattered by a rifle slug. Shortly after the posse leaves, the Regulators also leave town and head down the Rio Hondo. A short time later, about four miles east of San Pat, the John Kinney Gang, accompanied by Dep. John Long and Jimmy Dolan himself, begin chasing the Regs. The Regs take up positions on a ridge that keeps them hidden from view and open fire on the posse. After losing two horses, the posse quickly turns around and head back to San Pat. The Regs, meanwhile, with McSween still with them, head to the Chisum South Spring Ranch, hoping to find refuge there. Furious over the fact that the Regs escaped them yet again, the Kinney Gang rides into San Patricio and terrorize it. They shoot their guns through windows, kill a horse, steal goods from citizens, tear the roof off of the Dowlin Bros. store, and more. After Kinney judges that the village is thoroughly terrorized, he leads his men out and back to Lincoln. It's likely this was done in order to discourage the citizens of San Pat to continue to harbor the Regulators.
July 4, 1878---The Regulators and McSween arrive at the Chisum South Spring Ranch early in the morning. A few hours later, Billy Bonney, Henry Brown, Tom Folliard, and George and Frank Coe ride to the small town of Roswell to buy supplies at the store/post office of Ash Upson. While at the store, Billy buys some candy hearts for Chisum's niece, Sallie. Unbeknownst to the Regulators at the Chisum ranch or at Roswell, a large party of the Seven Rivers Warriors led by Deputy Buck Powell is on its way to the Chisum ranch in order to take the Regulators. As the five Regulators leave Roswell and ride back towards Chisum's, they spot the posse, which is several hundred yards behind them, but is indeed following them. Billy, the Coes, Brown, and Folliard make it back to the Chisum ranch and tell their fellow Regulators what's up. They all baricade themselves in the ranch-house and prepare for a siege. Shortly thereafter, the posse does arrive and surrounds the house. Sporadic shots from both sides are fired all day, but no one is wounded or killed.
July 5, 1878---In the morning, Dep. Powell realizes that none of his posse's bullets are getting through the house (afterall, the adobe walls are four-feet thick!). He and his posse leave the ranch and plan on returning later when they get reinforcements in the form of Dep. Marion Turner and his posse. Before the combined forces of Powell and Tuner return though, the Regulators leave the Chisum ranch and, after realizing that with Dolan's three gangs (the Jessie Evans Gang, the Seven Rivers Warriors, and the John Kinney Gang) after them, they are grossly outnumbered. They elect to spend the next few days looking for new recruits to join the Regulators.
July 8, 1878---Possibly under the suggestion of Dolan and/or Sheriff Peppin, the John Kinney Gang raids the ranches of Frank Coe and Ab Saunders and George Coe and loots them both.
July 13, 1878---The Regulators have picked up several new members, such as Anglos George Bowers, Dan Dedrick, Joe Smith, and Tom Cullins, and native New Mexicans Vincente Romero, Florencio Chaves, Hernando Ferrera (who is also the father-in-law of Doc Scurlock and Charlie Bowdre), Francisco Gomez, Francisco Zamora, Jose Maria Sanchez, Yginio Salzar (who is only fifteen!), and many more whose names are unknown. All of them have some grudge against the Dolan faction and most of native New Mexicans are citizens of San Pat who want revenge for the attack on their village. McSween is by now sick of being on the run and having to move day-to-day and wants to return to his home in Lincoln. Of course, Peppin currently holds the town, but McSween doesn't really care. He wants his house back and that's it. It's decided by McSween and the Regulators that they will ride into Lincoln tomorrow and take back the entire down, basically kicking out Peppin and all of his men. One of the Regulators suggests going to Picacho the next day before going to Lincoln and enlisting the aid of one Martin Chaves, a very influential and highly respected member of the Hispanic community, who also holds a grudge against the Dolan faction. If the Regulators recruit Chaves, they will also gain his Hispanic followers as a result.
July 14, 1878---The Regulators, with McSween, travel to Picacho, where they meet with Martin Chaves. As expected, Chaves does agree to join them and brings with him to the Regulators a large band of Hispanics. The total number of Regulators is now around sixty. After nightfall, all of the Regulators ride into Lincoln undected by Peppin or his men. It's decided that the Regulators must be placed in strategic locations throughout the town if they intend to kick out Peppin and his men on the following day. About six Regulators take over the McSween house. Also in the McSween house are McSween himself, Susan McSween, Elizabeth Shield and her children, and Harvey Morris, a young law student studying law in McSween's house who had come to New Mexico hoping the climate would relieve his tuberculosis. Taking over the Tunstall store directly next door to the McSween house are Henry Brown, George Coe, and Tiger Sam Smith. Also in the Tunstall store are Dr. Ealy, his family, and school-teacher Susan Gates. On the opposite side of the street in the Montano house/store are Martin Chaves, Constable Atanacio Martinez, Fernando Herrera, about twenty to twenty-five other Hispanics and Billy 'the Kid' Bonney. In the house of Juan Patron are a few more Hispanics. In the Ellis house, the building furthest to the east in Lincoln, are Doc Scurlock, Charlie Bowdre, Fred Waite, John Middleton, Frank Coe, Dirty Steve Stephens, John Scroggins, and Dan Dedrick. The horses of all the Regulators are placed in a corral located directly behind the Ellis house as well. The plan is that tomorrow Peppin and his men will be forcibly 'evicted' from the town. One way or another, this is going to be the final battle of the Lincoln County War.
July 15, 1878---In the morning, Sheriff Peppin discovers that the Regulators have taken the town and that there are only a few other Dolan men in town willing to help fight the Regulators. The posses of John Kinney, Marion Turner, and Buck Powell are still out searching for the Regulators. Trapped in the torreon across the street from the Montano store and next door to the Baca house are Deputy John Long, Billy Mathews, Jim McDaniels, Jim Reese, George 'Roxy' Rose, Sam Perry, and a man known only as 'the Dummy.' Peppin himself, along with Dolan, Pantaleon Gallegos, Lucio Montoya, Andy Boyle, and about a few others take over the Wortley Hotel and the House, located across the street from each other at the west end of town. While the Regulators in the McSween, Ellis, Montano, and Patron houses and Tunstall store begin pilling bags of sand against the doors and windows and carving portholes for their guns in the adobe walls, Peppin sends a rider to find the posses of Kinney, Turner, and Powell. Once McSween himself realizes that Dolan men are in the torreon and that Saturnino Baca is supplying them with food and water, he writes a note to Baca telling him he has three days to vacate his house, or it will be burned down. McSween's reasoning for this is that the Baca house is on his property and that Baca is aiding men who want to kill him (McSween). After Baca receives the note, he panics and appeals to Col. Dudley at Fort Stanton for military protection. However, Dudley cannot take any action, due to the Posse Comitatus Act. However, Dudley does send Lt. Daniel Appel to Lincoln to investigate. After arriving in Lincoln, Appel meets with Baca, then with McSween, who stands by what he wrote in his note to Baca, but adds that he will not allow the Dolan men to force him from his home again. Appel then meets with the men in the torreon and tries to talk them into leaving it, but they refuse unless U. S. troops from Stanton come to occupy it, thereby rendering it neutral. Appel then leaves Lincoln for Fort Stanton, in order to report to Dudley. As Appel leaves Lincoln, the posses of Kinney, Powell, and Turner ride into town from the west, leave their horses in the Wortley Hotel corral, and fire several shots at the McSween house. Hearing the shots, Billy Bonney and five or six other Regulators from the Montano house run across the street to the McSween house, firing their guns at the Dolan men as they go. Taking shelter in the McSween house, the total number of Regulators in the building is now brought to thirteen (Billy the Kid, Big Jim French, Jose Chavez y Chavez, Tom Folliard, Ignacio Gonzales, George Bowers, Tom Cullins, Joe Smith, Francisco Zamora, Florencio Chaves, Yginio Salazar, Vincente Romero, and Jose Maria Sanchez). With the Powell, Turner, and Kinney posses now in town, the Dolan-Peppin forces now number about forty, including Jessie Evans who arrived with the posses. A few hours later, in the early afternoon, Dolan and Peppin order Deputy Jack Long to try to serve the warrants on McSween, Billy Bonney, Jim French and the other Regulators in the McSween house. Long approaches the house and shouts out his intentions to the men inside. His only response is a burst of gunfire from the Regulators. Long takes off and finds cover back at the Wortley Hotel, miraculously without a scratch. For the rest of the day, sporadic shots are fired from both sides, but no one is hurt. Come nightfall, all gunfire comes to a halt.
July 16, 1878---By early morning, both sides are firing at each other again. However, all shots are pretty much useless. A few Dolan men suffer minor wounds, but nothing more. Around noon, someone in the Dolan camp (probably Dolan himself) tells Peppin to write a note to Col. Dudley requesting the loan of a howitzer, which would surely drive all the Regulators out of their hiding places. Someone takes the note to Fort Stanton, but, again due to the Posse Comitatus Act, Dudley cannont loan a howitzer to anyone. Dudley orders black trooper Pvt. Berry Robinson to ride to Lincoln and give Peppin the news. A short time later, as Pvt. Robinson rides into Lincoln from the west, he is fired on. Robinson manages to get to the Wortley Hotel without being hit, though. The Dolan men tell Robinson it was the Regulators that fired on him, but this is unlikely, since it was the Dolan men who occupied the entire western end of town. After Robinson informs Peppin of Dudley's response to his request for a howitzer, he rides back to Stanton, where he tells Dudley he was fired on by the Regulators. Dudley is infuriated over this and puts together a board of officers consisting of Lt. Appel, Capt. Tom Blair, and Capt. George Purington for the purpose of going to Lincoln the next day to investigate Robinson's claim. For the rest of the day in Lincoln, intermittent firing continues and by nightfall, two windows of the McSween house are completely shot out.
July 17, 1878---Around dawn, Peppin sends five men to the hills south of Lincoln, located behind the Montano house/store. Peppin wants the men to fire on the Montano house until the Regulators inside are driven out. However, shortly after the five Dolan men open fire, one Regulator inside the Montano house, Fernando Herrera, sticks his rifle out the window, takes aim, and shoots Charlie ''Lollycooler'' Crawford through the gut, dropping him to the ground. The other four Dolan men in the hills then make a hasty retreat to the Wortley Hotel, leaving Crawford where he fell. Later, around noon, Capt. Purington, Capt. Blair, Lt. Appel, and five troopers arrive in Lincoln to investigate the claim that Pvt. Robinson had been shot at by the Regulators the day prior. The soldiers discover the entire town is boarded up and gunfire is everywhere. They meet with Peppin, Dolan, and many other Dolan men, all of whom say it was the Regulators that shot at Pvt. Robinson. Also during their investigation, they discover that Charlie Crawford had been seriously shot and had not been moved from where he had fallen. Lt. Appel, being a doctor feels compelled to help the wounded man and gets Capt. Blair and two troopers to climb the hills with him in order to aid Crawford. As the four men make their way up the hills to Crawford's location, they are fired on by the Regulators in the Montano and Patron houses. However, none of them are hit and they soon reach the moaning and bleeding Crawford. Somehow, they manage to get Crawford down from the hills. It is clear to Appel that Crawford needs urgent medical attention and it's decided that the soldiers will take him back to Fort Stanton with them in order to get him some medical attention at the post hospital. The soldiers leave shortly thereafter, with Crawford going with them. Although Crawford will get immediate medical care at the fort, he will die of his wound less than a week later. For the rest of the day, firing continues throughout Lincoln. After nightfall, Ben Ellis steps out of his house in order to feed his mule, only to be shot by one of the Dolan men in the neck. The Regulators in the Ellis house run out and are able to carry Ellis back inside without being hit themselves. Shortly thereafter, a couple of Regulators from the Ellis house make their way to the Tunstall store under cover of darkness and there request Dr. Ealy to come back with them to the Ellis house in order to treat Ellis. Dr. Ealy agrees, but only moments after stepping out of the Tunstall store, he is shot at several times by the Dolan men. However, he manages to make it back inside the Tunstall store unhurt, and decides to remain in there for the rest of the night.
July 18, 1878---In the morning, Dr. Ealy, along with his wife and children, leave the Tunstall store and boldy walk down the street to the Ellis house in plain view. At the Ellis house, Ealy treats Ben Ellis's neck wound as best he can. He and his family then return to the Tunstall store. Shooting continues throughout the day, and, at some point, Regulator George Bowers, located in the McSween house, takes a bullet, but is only wounded. A short time later, another bullet enters the McSween house and kills Regulator Tom Cullins. The other Regulators in the house then take Cullins's body and place it in the McSween cellar, probably planning to bury it when the battle is over. Also, during the shooting, Sever Rivers Warrior William Johnson and two others are wounded. At some point during the day, three Hispanic women from Lincoln walk the nine miles to Fort Stanton and meet with Col. Dudley in order to request military protection for their homes and families in Lincoln. All three woman complain that they were forced out of their houses by gunmen on both sides. Later in the day, Dolan, John Kinney, Sam Perry, Roxy Rose, and two Dolan men also go to Fort Stanton and meet with Dudley in private. Witnesses overhear Dudley tell Dolan that he will be in Lincoln by noon tomorrow. Shortly thereafter, the Dolan men leave Stanton and return to Lincoln. After meeting with the Dolan men, Dudley approaches Juan Patron, who has been living at the fort for protection for days now, and orders him to leave the fort. It's likely that Dudley thought Patron was a McSween spy. Patron takes Dudley's advice and flees to Las Vegas, San Miguel County, New Mexico Territory. After nightfall, Dudley calls for a meeting with Capt. Purington, Capt. Blair, Lt. Goodwin, Lt. Appel, and Lt. Samuel Pague. The meeting lasts for about and hour and a half and, by its end, all five of the officers present sign a resolution supporting Dudley's new descision to ''place soldiers in the town of Lincoln for the preservation of the lives of the women and children.'' Immediatly following the meeting, Dudley orders the fort's blacksmith, a Mr. Neslon, to fix the old, broken howitzer located on the parade ground. Nelson works all through the night on the howitzer, and has it fixed by morning. Dudley knew that by stating that the U. S. Army's only intention in going to Lincoln was to protect women and children, he would not be disobeying the Posse Comitatus Act.
July 19, 1878---Early in the morning, McSween writes a letter to Roswell postmaster Ash Upson, requesting three dollars worth of stamps and telling that ''right will triumph.'' Shortly thereafter, the mail carrier comes through town and is allowed to make his stops without being shot at by either side. When the carrier stops at McSween's house, he gives him his letter for Upson. After the carrier leaves, sporadic gunfire begins again. At noon, a major turning point happens when Col. Dudley rides into town from the west, along with four officers, one company of cavalry, and one company of infantry, for a total of thirty-five men. Dudley also brings with him the howitzer, a Gatling gun with 2,000 rounds for it, and three days worth of rations for his soldiers. From the second the soldiers enter the town, gunfire from both sides comes to a complete halt. The first thing Dudley does is ride to the Wortley Hotel, where he meets with Peppin and informs him he and his men are only in town to protect noncombatants, women, and children. He goes on to tell Peppin that he will treat both the Dolan men and the Regulators exactly the same and that if either side even fires one shot in his men's direction, he will annihilate them. Dudley and his men then continue to ride east through Lincoln and pass by the McSween house, yet Dudley does not stop to tell McSween the same thing he told Peppin. This alone shows that, at the very least, Dudley thought more of the Dolan faction than he did the McSween faction. While Dudley and his men continue to ride east, Peppin and Dolan take advantage of the cease-fire and have their men take over the houses of Steve Stanley, Ham Mills, Justice of the Peace John Wilson, the Shon family, and McSween's stable, located in the backyard of the McSween house. All of these buildings surround the McSween house. Meanwhile, Dudley stops his men at a half-completed adobe building located right across the street from the Montano house and has them set up camp there. After their camp is complete set up, Dudley orders his men to aim the howitzer at the front door of the Montano house. Upon seeing the cannon pointed at them, Martin Chaves and his men elect to leave the Montano house. They all conceal their faces with blankets so the Dolan men won't be able to identify them and walk out the back door, where they are met by the Regulators from the Patron house, who are also fleeing. After giving up their positions, the two groups of Regulators make it to the Ellis house without being spotted. Around the same time, the Regulators inside the McSween house spot Dolan men walking down the street being accompanied by soldiers. Some of the soldiers begin to surround the McSween house as well. It seems clear now that Dudley's real intention in coming to Lincoln was to help the Dolan faction. McSween writes a quick note for Dudley, asking him why soldiers are surrounding his house. McSween also writes that the constable for San Pat, Jose Chavez y Chavez is in his house and that he has warrants for the arrests of most of Peppin's posse members. McSween then has his young niece, Minnie Shield, walk down the street to Dudley's camp site in order to deliver the note to him. After reading the note, Dudley writes a hasty reply, stating that no soldiers surround his house. A short time later, Deputy Marion Turner and a couple other Seven Rivers Warriors approach the McSween house. Turner yells in that he wants to speak with McSween, and McSween responds by asking what he wants. Turner replies that he has a warrant for his arrest and has warrants for the arrests of most of the Regulators in his house and asks if he wishes to surrender. Big Jim French then yells out that they (the Regulators) have warrants for the arrests of Turner and most of his fellow gunmen. When Turner asks French where his warrants are, French shouts back that they're in their guns. Turner and his men then return to the Wortley Hotel.
July 19, 1878 (cont'd.)---Meanwhile, Dudley and his men discover that the Montano house is deserted and that the Regulators that were in it had fled to the Ellis house. Dudley immediatly has one of his men find Peppin, and to tell him that if he gets enough men at the Ellis house, he may be able to catch the Regulators inside. The soldier meets up with Peppin at the Wortley Hotel and gives him Dudley's message. Peppin, along with Bob Beckwith, John Jones, John Hurley, and two others then begin walking up the street towards the Ellis house. At the same time, Dudley has Lt. Goodwin aim the howitzer and the Gatling gun at the Ellis house and tells him not to fire either unless he (Dudley) gives the order to do so. When the men in the Ellis house see the howitzer and the Gatling gun, they run to the corral behind the house and mount up on their horses. Just as Peppin and his men reach the Ellis house, all of the Regulators that were in it ride out, shooting their guns off at Peppin as they do. One bullet grazes John Jones in the neck, but no serious damage is done. Peppin and his run for cover, but shoot at the fleeing Regulators as they do. One rifle bullet hits Dan Dedrick in the arm, but he keeps riding. The Regulators ride east out of town and head for the hills north of Lincoln, crossing the Rio Bonito on the way. Now, only the twelve Regulators in the McSween house and the three in the Tunstall store remain in Lincoln. With Dudley's arrival in town, the backbone of the McSween faction during this battle was broken. With the Regulators that were located in the eastern half of Lincoln now gone, Peppin and his men go through the Ellis house, where they find four pistols and six rifles that the Regulators left behind. In the corral behind the Ellis house, Peppin's men discover twelve saddles and bridles and thirteen horses, all of which belong to the Regulators still in the McSween house and Tunstall store. All of the Regulators' possesions are appropriated by Peppin's men. Bob Beckwith also discovers some coal oil in the house and takes a bucket of it with him. Shortly thereafter, as Peppin and his men make their way back towards the western end of town, they stop by Dudley's camp, where Dudley yells at Peppin for not getting to the Ellis house quicker, when he may have been able to catch the Regulators. Shortly thereafter, Dudley has one of his men go get Justice of the Peace Wilson and bring him to the camp. The soldier brings Wilson to Dudley's camp, and Dudley orders Wilson to issue a warrant for the arrests of McSween and all the men in his house for the 'attempted murder' of Pvt. Robinson three days previous. Wilson refuses, however, saying he cannot just issue warrants on demand, but needs the correct affidavits and testimony first. Dudley then has Capt. Blair, Capt. Purington, and Lt. Appel sign an affidavit stating that, based on their investigation, the shots directed at Robinson had come from the McSween house. When Wilson still refuses to issue the warrants, Dudley threatens to write to Gov. Axtell to tell him that Wilson won't do his duty and to have him placed in leg and wrist irons. Faced with these threats, Wilson gives in and issues arrest warrants for all the men in the McSween house, including McSween himself. Wilson gives the warrants to Dudley, who then gives them to Peppin. Peppin then deputizes Bob Beckwith and hands him the warrants. Immediatly afterward, Dolan and Peppin (and probably Dudley, too) decide to burn the Regulators out of the McSween house. Peppin tells Deputy Beckwith, John Kinney, and John Hurley to pile logs up against the eastern wing of the McSween house (which is the wing the Shield family lives in). Peppin then orders McSween house servants Joe Dixon, Sebrian Bates, and George Washington to help Beckwith, Kinney, and Hurley. When they protest, Peppin says he'll arrest them if they disobey him. After this, they reluctanlty comply.
July 19, 1878 (cont'd.)---Seeing how the Dolan men are getting ready to burn down her house, Sue McSween decides to ask Dudley in person for military protection for her home. As she leaves her home, she crawls on her hands and knees, due to the danger of random bullets. Once she is a safe distance away from her home, she stands up walks east, towards Dudley's camp. By the torreon, she spots Sheriff Peppin and asks him why her servants are being forced to burn down her home. Peppin replies that if she doesn't want her house burned down, she ought to kick out the men inside. She then angrily continues her walk to Dudley's camp. Upon reaching the camp, she introduces herself to Dudley, who tips his hat to her. When she asks him why he and his men are in town, he replies they are in town only to protect women and children. She then asks why he won't protect her, her sister, or her sister's children, all of whom are still in the McSween house. Dudley replies that he won't protect anyone who is willingly in the same building as ''such men as Billy Kid and Jim French.'' So, basically, he's treating the women and children inside the McSween house as collateral damage. When Sue then asks why Dudley has his soldiers surrounding her house, he simply replies he will send his men whereever he wants to. After more argument, Sue becomes completely convinced that Dudley is a Dolan man and leaves his camp to return to her own house. There, she informs her husband and the Regulators on what Dudley had to say. Around the same time, the Regulators who had fled from the Ellis and Montano houses reappear in the hills north of town and begin firing their rifles off at the Dolan men surrounding the McSween house. The soldiers then aim the howitzer on them and get ready to fire it, making the Regulators halt all fire and flee once again. Immediatly after this, Deputy Jack Long and the man known only as the Dummy approach the logs piled up against the McSween house and throw Deputy Beckwith's bucket of coal oil on them. Long then lights the oil, making the logs and the house start on fire. Luckily, though, there are two full, fresh buckets of water in the house and Elizabeth Shield tosses them both on the flames, extinguishing them. Then, as Long and the Dummy attempt to make their retreat, they are fired on by George Coe, Henry Brown, and Sam Smith from the Tunstall store. The two Dolan men run for cover and find it in the most disgusting place imaginable: the McSweens' privy, located in the McSween's backyard. Both men jump into the privy hole and lay there while the three men from the Tunstall store begin blasting the privy walls to pieces. Only a few minutes later, Deputy Buck Powell, who is coming up from the river north of town, is spotted by the men in the Tunstall store and is also fired on. He too dives into the privy hole for cover, and for the next few hours, all three men will remain in the cramped, disgusting hole. At about two o'clock in the afternoon, Seven Rivers Warrior Andy Boyle sneaks into the McSweens' yard and starts a small fire out of wood shavings and kindling on the western wing of the McSween home (which is the wing the McSweens live in). While making his retreat, Boyle's neck is grazed by a bullet fired from one of the Regulators in the Tunstall store. Nevertheless, Boyle manages to make his escape and is not seriously wounded. The Regulators inside the McSween house attempt to put the fire out, but it grows to quickly (due to the fact that other Dolan men continue to toss buckets of coal oil on the flames) , squashing any hope that it could be extinguished. Thankfully though, the entire house is made of adobe, meaning it will burn very slow. Throughout the day, the fire continues to grow, consuming one room after another. As the fire grows, an increasing amount of gunfire is exchanged from both sides.
July 19, 1878 (cont'd.)---Late in the afternoon, a small keg of gunpowder in the McSween house blows up after it catches fire. However, the only person hurt by the explosion is a John Kinney Gang member known only as Sanders, who takes a piece of debris to the head and is knocked unconscious. Around that time, Susan Gates leave the Tunstall store and carries a note to Dudley from Dr. Ealy, which asks Dudley to dispatch a group of soldiers to the Tunstall store in order to escort himself and his family from it and to safety. Although Dudley doesn't like Ealy, he agrees and sends three soldiers and a wagon to the Tunstall store. Upon reaching the store, the soldiers fill the wagon with the Ealy family's possessions. The Ealys, Susan Gates, and the soldiers then go to Dudley's camp. About an hour later, Mrs. Ealy asks Dudley to have her family escorted to a safer place than his camp. Dudley agrees and sends Lt. Appel, Capt. Blair, Corp. Pergold, and five other men escort the Ealys to a safe location west of town. At the same time, with only the east wing of the house still standing (both the west wing and front, or south, wing of the U-shaped house are now completely gone), the Regulators and McSween decide it would be best if Sue and the Shield family left the house. As the soldiers escorting the Ealys pass by the front of her house, Sue McSween runs out and begs Capt. Blair to escort her and her sister's family to a safe location. Blair agrees and escorts her, Elizabeth Shield, and her five children to the Patron house, which is by now in no danger of gunfire. Throughout the rest of the day, about 2,000 gunshots are fired throughout town. By nightfall, McSween suffers a complete mental breakdown. He simply sits with his head in his hands and mutters to himself. At this point, Billy Bonney, of all people, assumes command of the Regulators. He is very lively and tries to cheer the other depressed Regulators up by dancing and singing and assuring them that they'll all make it through this. By around nine o'clock, only one room of the McSween house remains: the Shield kitchen, located at the eastern end of the building. It's clear that the men inside (twelve Regulators, McSween, and law-student and noncombatant Harvey Morris) must make a break from the house. Billy quickly makes a plan of escape: he, and four others will run through the eastern gate, towards the Tunstall store, and draw their enemies' fire as they go. This will create a diversion and allow McSween and the others to run north, through the back gate, and to the bank of the Rio Bonito, where they will be safe. Billy tells everyone to at first try to sneak out quietly, and only fire their guns if they are spotted. With that, Billy calls for four volunteers to go with him and Big Jim French, Tom Folliard, Jose Chavez y Chavez, and Harvey Morris all volunteer. They all make sure their guns are loaded and wait for Billy's signal to start running. Billy looks outside, sees that the coast is clear, and signals the other men. With that, Morris, French, Folliard, Chavez, and Billy (in that order) run out of the house towards the Tunstall store. They make it only a few feet, however, when they are spotted and fired on by the Dolan men. Just as Morris reaches the eastern gate, a bullet hits him in the head, killing him instantly and dropping him to the ground. Billy, French, and Chavez jump over the man's body and continue to run, although they now are firing their guns off at their enemies. Folliard stops to try to help Morris, but he sees he�s dead and continues only after Billy, French, and Chavez, possibly being shot in the shoulder as he goes. At the same time, McSween's group makes their break from the house and head north. What none of the Regulators know is that about five or six Dolan men are behind the house already and are waiting for the Regulators to make their escape attempt.
July 19, 1878 (cont'd.)---Meanwhile, as Billy's group nears the Tunstall store, they discover three soldiers and a couple of Dolan men already there and firing on them. Billy, Folliard, French, and Chavez then shift course and head north, toward the Bonito, rather than trying to run right through the soldiers (and their bullets) in order to get to the Tunstall store. As Billy's group changes course, Billy's fires a shot with one of his pistols that hits John Kinney in the cheek and knocks him unconscious. At the same time, George Coe, Henry Brown, and Sam Smith see how their friends are trying to escape and also decide to give up their position in the Tunstall store and head for the Bonito's bank. All three of them climb over the high adobe wall surrounding the northern side of the store and reach the river bank without being spotted or shot at. Billy's group manages to make it to the river bank also. As for McSween's group, they are fired on almost the second they leave the house. They all scatter in different directions, with McSween himself freezing in one spot. He then calls out that he wants to surrender. Deputy Beckwith, one of the men in the backyard of the house, calls out he will accept McSween's surrender and starts to approach him. As he does, someone cries out that he will never surrender, and suddenly Beckwith takes a bullet in the right wrist and right eyeball, killing him instantly. The other Dolan men in the yard, John Jones, Marion Turner, Joe Nash, Andy Boyle, and the Dummy, respond by opening fire on McSween, shooting him five times in the torso. McSween�s body then falls to the ground right on top of Beckwith. Meanwhile, Francisco Zamora and Vincente Romero run for McSween's chicken house, but both men are instantly gunned down once inside, with Zamora being shot eight times and Romero three. Young Yginio Salazar then takes a bullet in the back and in the shoulder, making him fall to the ground unconscious. Ignacio Gonzales takes a slug in the right arm, but keeps running. George Bowers, Joe Smith, Gonzales, Jose Maria Sanchez, and Florencio Gonzales are the only ones left and manage to make it through the Dolan men in McSween's backyard and to the Bonito's bank, where they find safety. With that, the gunfire comes to a halt. The McSween faction has been beaten, and the Dolan men throughout town celebrate it throughout the night by getting drunk, looting the Tunstall store, and terrorizing the town. At some point, Andy Boyle approaches Yginio Salazar, not dead, but pretending to be so by lying just where he had fallen when shot. Boyle kicks the boy and gets ready to shoot him again, when Milo Pierce yells at him and tells him that Salazar is surely dead. With that, Boyle does not shoot him. Hours later, after all the Dolan men are gone, Salazar crawls to his sister-in-law's house, located a half-mile outside of Lincoln. There, he receives some medical attention. With McSween now dead and the Regulators thoroughly defeated, the Lincoln County War is now over.
July 20, 1878---In the early morning, Dudley and some of his soldiers inspect the site of the burnt-out McSween house. Lying among the ashes and debris, and with chickens pecking at them, are the bullet-riddled bodies of McSween, Harvey Morris, Fransico Zamora, and Vincente Romero (Bob Beckwith's body was taken to the House by some of his friends after the fight ended on the previous day). Dudley has his men cover the bodies with blankets while Sheriff Peppin organizes a coroner's jury, led by Justice Wilson. The jury views the bodies and renders a verdict that McSween and his men were killed by law officers while resisting arrest and Beckwith was in turn killed in the line of duty. Following this, the bodies of Zamora and Romero and taken away by relatives, while former Justice of the Peace David Easton has a couple Mexicans take the bodies of McSween and Morris into the Tunstall store. As Easton and the Mexicans carry the bodies of the two men into the store, they find it is being looted by Jessie Evans, John Kinney, Jake Owens, Andy Boyle, and several others. Easton quickly tells Sam Corbet of this, and the two go to Peppin to complain. Peppin, however, says he is not responsible for the store or for what his men are doing to the property therein. However, with help from Lt. Appel and a few other soldiers, Easton and Corbet are able to drive out the looters. They then board up the store as best they can and quickly flee town, fearing for their lives. In the early afternoon, the bodies of McSween and Morris are buried, without coffins or a change of clothes, beside the Tunstall store, next to the graves of Tunstall and Frank MacNab. Meanwhile, John Kinney and three of his men discover the trail of blood left by the wounded Yginio Salazar as he crawled from the McSween yard late last night. They track the trail to the house of Salazar's sister-in-law, where his wounds are being dressed by Lt. Appel. When Kinney threatens to kill Salazar and the house's owner, Appel tells him that if he harms his patient, he will surely see him (Kinney) hanged. Faced with this, Kinney and his men begrudgingly leave. Shortly thereafter, Justice Wilson arrives to see Salazar and takes his statement regarding the end of the Five-Day Battle. Around four o'clock, Dudley's men begin getting ready to return to Fort Stanton. Dudley does however leave a few men to stand guard at the Saturnino Baca house, since Baca feels the Regulators will want revenge on him for bringing the soldiers to town. Before departing, Dudley also gives an open invitation to anyone in town who wants to accompany him to the fort and receive protection there. The Ealy and Shield families, as well as Susan Gates, accept this offer, but Susan McSween refuses and elects to remain at the Patron house. With that, the soldiers leave Lincoln. Also going with the soldiers is the body of Bob Beckwith, which is buried with full honors in the fort's military cemetery later that day.
July 21, 1878---Returning to town, David Easton discovers the Tunstall store is once again being looted, this time by a bunch of native Hispanics. When Easton questions them, they tell him Mrs. McSween told them they could have whatever they desired from the store. Easton then goes to speak with Mrs. McSween, who confirms this, saying she'd rather the Hispanics have the goods than Peppin's men. She goes on to say, though, that if there is any hope that the store will not be burned down or that the property inside can be saved, she'd like Easton to board it back up. This Easton does, but shortly after he completes the job, it is broken into again. He sends for Sam Corbet to come help him board it back up, but Corbet, hiding in the small village of Magado, refuses to return to Lincoln. Faced with this, Easton, this time aided by Joe Dixon and Sebrian Bates, once again boards up the store. For the rest of the day, the store is left undisturbed.
July 22, 1878---Probably around this date, the varying members of the Regulators that were separated during the Five-Day Battle begin to reunite, probably at Frank Coe's ranch. By now, they all know the outcome of the battle, that being McSween's death and, ostensibly, the end of the war. Faced with this, they no-doubt realize they are no longer fighting a war with a cause, but are rather fighting for their survival. This drastic shift causes many of the recent additions to the Regulators to leave the group, specifically Martin Chaves and the vast majority of his Hispanic fighters, as well as certain Anglos such as Dan Dedrick and Joe Smith. Their ranks now depleted by more than half, the remaining Regulators (now led dually by Doc Scurlock and Billy Bonney), must now acquire new horses to compensate for those belonging to the men in the McSween house and Tunstall store, which were lost to Peppin and his men. Over the next few days, the Regulators make several quiet raids on the Casey ranch and steal several horses.
July 23, 1878---At Fort Stanton, Charlie Crawford, shot through his torso by Regulator Fernando Herrera on the 17th, finally dies of his wound. He will be buried the next day in the fort's military cemetery.

July 25, 1878---Susan McSween begins to venture out of the Patron house for the first time since the Big Killing. She goes to the site of her former house and tries to salvage anything she can, only to be harassed by John Kinney, Andy Boyle, and others. Despite the threats against her, she decides to remain in town for the time being, staying at the Patron house. However, she does plan on leaving soon to escort her sister, Minnie Shield, and her family to Las Vegas, where Minnie's husband, David, already is.
July 27, 1878---Col. Dudley reports that the majority of the Dolan gunmen have left Lincoln on the trail of the Regulators.
July 31, 1878---Charlie Bowdre and Jim French ride into Lincoln to guard Mrs. McSween in the Patron house for the evening. At some point, they cross paths with Saturnino Baca, who will claim that they threatened to burn down his house in retaliation for bringing the soldiers to town on July 19.
Aug. 1, 1878---Col. Dudley sends three soldiers with ten days worth of supplies and large amounts of ammunition into Lincoln to guard the house of Saturnino Baca.
Aug. 3, 1878---Mrs. McSween, the Shield family, and the Ealy family arrive in Las Vegas.
Aug. 5, 1878---Probably with the intent of stealing new, better horses than the ones they managed to steal from the Caseys, the remaining nineteen or twenty Regulators ride to the Mescalero-Apache Reservation Agency. They split into two groups, one made up of the Anglos, the other the Hispanics. Unexpectedly, the Hispanic group is met with resistance by a group of Apaches, and a gunfight ensues. When Agency clerk Morris Bernstein rushes into the battle, he is shot and killed by Regulator Atanacio Martinez. Meanwhile, the group of Anglo Regulators manage to get to one of the corrals unnoticed. Throwing open the gate, they make off with all the horses contained within. By this time, the Hispanic group flees from the scene of the gunfight and both groups of Regulators soon after rendezvous at the ranch of Frank Coe. Upon their arrival, they discover they have stolen many more horses than they needed. Faced with this, they decide to ride north, out of Lincoln County and into San Miguel County, where Sheriff Peppin's posse can't legally touch them, and sell the extra horses off.
Aug. 6, 1878---Hearing of yesterday's Regulator raid and murder of Bernstein, Col. Dudley sends fifteen soldiers and a Gatling gun to the Mescalero-Apache Reservation Agency to protect it against any further violence. Also, since it was government owned horses that were stolen, Dudley legally sends out a detachment of troops under the command of Lt. Millard Goodwin after the Regulators.
Aug. 8, 1878---John Chisum begins making plans to move his cattle herds to Texas, in order to avoid what he feels are growing troubles in Lincoln County.
Aug. 10, 1878---The Santa Fe Weekly New Mexican reports that Sheriff Peppin and the rest of the Dolan men are still in the field hunting for the Regulators. Ironically, probably on this day, Peppin, out of fear for his life, ostensibly relinquishes his position as sheriff and flees to Fort Stanton, where he gets a job as a butcher.
Aug. 13, 1878---The Regulators, with their remuda of stolen horses, arrive at Bosque Grande, the site of the original Chisum ranch in southern San Miguel County. Near the ranch, they run into Jim and Pitzer Chisum, their families, and some cowboys driving a large herd of cattle north to Fort Sumner and from there to Texas. Since they are all heading in the same direction, the Regulators decide to ride with the Chisum caravan. As they ride, Billy Bonney converses frequently with Sallie Chisum, who has remained his friend since they first met in March, when the Regulators stayed at the Chisum ranch after catching Morton and Baker.
Aug. 15, 1878---The District Commander of New Mexico learns of Dudley's ordering soldiers to guard the house of Saturnino Baca and forces Dudley to cease this activity. Also around this time, Susan McSween returns to Lincoln from Las Vegas. As before, she remains at the Patron house.
Aug. 17, 1878---The Regulators and the Chisums arrive at Fort Sumner, a predominantly Hispanic community. Not an actual government fort since the late 1860s, the small town is now basically owned by the Maxwell family (Luz, her son Pete, and several daughters). Liking the town and its people, the Regulators elect to stay for a few days and enjoy themselves at several nightly bailes, of which Billy Bonney is the most fond of. The Chisum party, meanwhile, continues on to Texas. On the same day, Agent Frank Angel is summoned to Washington, D.C. to report his findings of the Lincoln County War to Pres. Hayes. Also on the same day, the Seven Rivers Warriors begin to turn on themselves. Hugh Beckwith, father of the late Bob Beckwith, gets into an argument with William Johnson at Beckwith's ranch in Seven Rivers. Beckwith blames Johnson for getting his son involved in the war, and thereby getting him killed. The argument escalates until Beckwith grabs a shotgun and, before Johnson can react, shoots him to death. Fellow Warrior Wallace Olinger is standing nearby, pulls out his pistol, and fires at Beckwith before the old man can fire at him. Olinger's bullet hits Beckwith in the face and before Olinger can shoot him again, he saddles up on a nearby horses and rides north, towards Lincoln. When he eventually reaches Lincoln, he receives medical attention and turns himself in, but due to the lawlessness that's running rampant, he is quickly released.
Aug. 18, 1878---The Tunstall cattle are stolen by the John Kinney Gang, most likely in payment for serving Dolan's side in the war. Shortly thereafter, Kinney and most of his gang leave Lincoln County and return to the more familiar Dona Ana County. However, a few of Kinney's men remain in Lincoln County and hook-up with a gang new to the area, led by John Selman and his younger brother Tom. The gang, called Selman's Scouts, the Rustlers, or the Wrestlers, and numbering about sixteen, are currently hiding out in Seven Rivers and have recently arrived from Texas with plans of taking advantage of the current state of anarchy in the county.
Aug. 19, 1878 (approx.)---The Regulators decide to leave Fort Sumner and continue riding north, to the small communities of Puerto de Luna and Anton Chico, where they can finally sell off their stolen horses. Doc Scurlock and Charlie Bowdre, however, have each gotten jobs on Pete Maxwell's ranch, located near Sumner, and decide to remain there as opposed to riding with their fellow Regulators. With Doc thereby completely relinquishing his role as the Regulator's captain, Billy Bonney is now their undisputed leader.
Aug. 20, 1878 (approx.)---The Regulators arrive in Puerto de Luna and sell a few of their horses. As in Sumner, they attend the local bailes and remain in town for the next two days.
Aug. 22, 1878 (approx.)---The Regulators move on to Anton Chico, where they hear that San Miguel County Sheriff Desiderio Romero is looking for them. The Regulators, with Billy Bonney leading them, confront Romero and an eight-man posse in a local saloon and, greatly intimidated, Romero admits he has no warrants for their arrests. Remaining affable, Billy buys a round of drinks for the sheriff and his men and instructs them to leave the saloon when they've finished their drinks and not bother the Regulators anymore. Having no desire to test Billy, who is acquiring an infamous reputation throughout the territory, Romero and his men do just as they're told and the Regulators are left undisturbed for the rest of their stay in Anton Chico.
Aug. 25, 1878 (approx.)---Having been in Anton Chico for several days, and with their stolen horses all sold off, the Regulators have a meeting to discuss their next move. George and Frank Coe announce that with the war over, warrants out for their arrests, and both their ranches looted, there is nothing keeping them in New Mexico. They plan on riding north to Colorado to start over. Dirty Steve Stephens, Jose Chavez y Chavez, and John Scroggins also decide to call it quits and go their seperate ways. The remaining eight Regulators (Billy, Fred Waite, John Middleton, Jim French, Henry Brown, Tom Folliard, Sam Smith, and George Bowers), plan to ride back south to Sumner and, for the time being, continue to wage war on what remains of the Dolan faction. With all the decisions made, the Regulators all shake hands, say their goodbyes, and go their seperate ways.
Late Aug. 1878---The Regulators arrive back in Fort Sumner and are reunited with Charlie Bowdre and Doc Scurlock. Both men still have their jobs on the Maxwell ranch and have also obtained living quarters in the old Indian hospital located in the small town. They go on to inform their fellow Regulators that they plan on moving their families from their ranches on the Rio Ruidoso up to Sumner. Meanwhile, Big Jim French continues to ride on to Lincoln, where he resumes his role as Susan McSween's bodyguard.
Aug. 31, 1878---Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz, having reviewed Frank Angel's report on the troubles in New Mexico, advises Pres. Hayes to revoke Gov. Axtell's status as governor and appoint Gen. Lew Wallace, a respected soldier in the Civil War as well as an author, in his place.
Sept. 1, 1878---Doc and Charlie, with help from Billy and the other Regulators, begin moving their families and belongings from their Ruidoso ranch to Fort Sumner. Neither Doc nor Charlie attempt to sell the ranch, basically leaving it abandoned. Instead of riding back to Sumner with Doc and Charlie, Billy and the Regulators elect to return to Lincoln. They basically take over the town, with most of the Dolan gunmen either not present or unwilling to fight.
Sept. 4, 1878---Gov. Axtell is suspended by Pres. Hayes. Meanwhile, Gen. Lew Wallace is on his way to New Mexico to take over Axtell's position as governor.
Sept. 5, 1878---The Regulators decide to leave Lincoln and ride to the ranch of Charles Fritz, site of the murder of Frank MacNab in April. Possibly out of revenge for harboring MacNab's killers or for his allegiance to Dolan, the Regulators plan to steal some of Fritz's horses.
Sept. 6, 1878---Around five in the afternoon, the Regulators arrive at the ranch of Charles Fritz. There, they discover two of Fritz's sons herding a remuda of thirteen horses and 150 head of cattle. Sam Smith and George Bowers put guns to the two boys' heads and order them to dismount their own horses. The Regulators then gather up the remuda, plus the two horses the Fritz boys were riding, and ride off with them. Charles Fritz himself witnesses the act, but is powerless to stop the theft.
Sept. 7, 1878---Charles Fritz rides to Fort Stanton and reports the theft of his horses and cattle to Col. Dudley. Although Dudley would love to send troops after the Regulators, his hands are tied. What Fritz doesn't know is that the Regulators are already herding his horses to the Texas Panhandle town of Tascosa, where they plan to sell them. Tascosa, located near the Canadian River and such ranches as the LX, LIT, and LS, is infamous as a place for dealing with stolen stock. Jim French, Sam Smith, and George Bowers, however, do not accompany the other five Regulators (Billy, Tom Folliard, Fred Waite, John Middleton, and Henry Brown) on the trip, but rather stay in Lincoln County, possibly to remain guarding Susan McSween.
Mid-Sept. 1878---John Selman shoots and kills a member of his gang named Ed Hart, allegedly for trying to usurp his role as leader.

Sept. 17, 1878---Susan McSween gets word from Dolan henchman Bill Gentry that her assassination is close at hand. Faced with this, she gathers whatever belongings she can and hitches a ride on the mail hack when it comes to Lincoln. She then begins her trek to Las Vegas to live with her sister's family. With Mrs. McSween gone, Jim French and George Bowers also leave Lincoln, and possibly return to the area around Fort Sumner to stay with Charlie Bowdre and Doc Scurlock and await the return of the other Regulators from Tascosa. Sam Smith also leaves Lincoln, but goes his own way in an attempt to lie low.
Sept. 23, 1878---An announcement appears in the Mesilla Valley Independent from Judge Bristol, stating that there will not be an October term of court held in Lincoln.
Sept. 25, 1878---At Red River Springs, near the Texas-New Mexico border, the Regulators encounter several Chisum men with a herd of cattle. With the Chisum cowboys is Sallie Chisum, and she and Billy once again renew their friendship. The number of horses in the Regulators' herd has greatly increased from the fifteen they stole from Fritz. Most likely, they stole more horses from other horse thieves when they passed through Puerto de Luna and Anton Chico.
Sept. 27, 1878---Selman's Scouts buy 1,000 rounds of ammunition at Fort Stanton. When Col. Dudley hears of this, he finds the Scouts, takes back all they bought, and has them kicked off the fort. Angered, the Scouts ride to the nearby store and saloon of Will Hudgens, ransack it, abuse Hudgens's wife and sister, and badly beat a man named Sheppard who tried to intervene. They then ride into Lincoln with the intention of looting the Ellis store, but upon finding armed guards there, they elect to break into various homes throughout town instead. Around this same time, the Regulators cross the Texas line. As they ride to Tascosa, they encounter a lone rider on the plains who introduces himself as Dr. Henry Hoyt. Hoyt is a young man ''adventuring in the west'' as he puts it and is also riding towards Tascosa. Though he knows the Regulator's reputation, they are friendly to him so he decides to ride to the town with them. Almost immediately, Hoyt developes a friendship with Billy Bonney.
Sept. 28, 1878---At the small Hondo village of La Junta, Selman's Scouts loot the store of Avery Clenny of $800. They then ride down to the old ranch of Frank Coe and Ab Saunders, loot it, then burn it to the ground. Continuing down the Hondo, they arrive at the Chaves ranch, where they find four young boys cutting hay and a nearby remuda of ten horses. Without warning, the Scouts kill three of the boys, Clato and Desiderio Chaves and Lorenzo Lucero (who is retarded) and steal the horses. Further down the river, near Picacho, they steal several horses from the ranch of Martin Sanches and murder his fourteen-year-old son Gregorio. Possibly on this same day, the Regulators and Hoyt enter Tascosa, where word is quickly spread of their arrival and intentions. When the local cattlemen hear of this, they send LIT Ranch wagon boss C. S. McCarty to speak to the Regulators and find out their real purpose for being in town. McCarty meets with Billy and asks him why he and his men are in Tascosa, to which Billy responds that they have some cattle and horses they wish to sell. McCarty most likely knows that the animals are stolen, but tells Billy that the Regulators can stay in town as long as they want, provided they cause no trouble. Billy gives McCarty his word that there will be no trouble from he nor any of the other Regulators. With that settled, the Regulators quickly begin selling off their livestock. They make their camp at a creek located just outside of town and hang out often at the Howard & McMasters store and saloon. They also enjoy the town's hospitable atmosphere and nightly bailes. Quickly, they make friends with the town's various inhabitants.
Sept. 29, 1878---Gen. Wallace arrives in Santa Fe. On the same day, Jimmy Dolan, who has been staying at Fort Stanton, leaves the fort for Santa Fe himself.
Sept. 30, 1878---Lew Wallace is sworn in as the Governor of New Mexico Territory. On the same day, Selman's Scouts ride to Bartlett's Mill near Lincoln. There, they rape the wives of two millworkers.
Late Sept. 1878---Rob Widenmann leaves La Mesilla (where he has been since the middle of June) for Las Vegas. He does not stop anywhere near Lincoln on his way.
Early Oct. 1878---While Fred Waite, John Middleton, and Tom Folliard remain in Tascosa, Billy and Henry Brown ride to the LX Ranch to try to sell some of their remaining horses. The LX's superintendent, W. C. Moore, has made it clear over the last few days that he holds some disdain for the Regulators, believes they are common thieves, and should be chased out of town. Upon arriving at the ranch, Billy and Brown quickly realize they won't be selling off any of their horses here. Nevertheless, they eat dinner and spend the night and in the morning, Billy and Brown confront Moore in private. With their guns out, the two Regulators tell Moore to keep his mouth shut regarding their activities from now on...or else. With that, they ride back to Tascosa and meet back up with their three comrades.
Oct. 5, 1878---A party led by Isaac Ellis and Sam Corbet is organized in Lincoln to pursue Selman's Scouts, which are again heading for Seven Rivers. Along the way, gang member Roscoe 'Rustling Bob' Bryant is shot and killed by his own gang and his body is dumped somewhere along the banks of the Pecos River.
Oct. 7, 1878---Pres. Hayes issues a proclamation, informing all parties in Lincoln County to cease their fighting and return to their homes before noon on Oct. 13, or else martial law will be declared.
Oct. 9, 1878---Rob Widenmann arrives in Las Vegas from Mesilla. He meets with Susan McSween and gives to her $500, a gift from John Tunstall's family in England. She quickly writes a letter to the Tunstalls thanking them and asks them, if they can spare it, to send her an additional $500. Shortly thereafter, Widenmann leaves New Mexico for his family home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and then onto England, where he stays for a time with the Tunstall family.
Oct. 10, 1878---Dudley writes a letter to Gov. Wallace, detailing to him the recent murders in Lincoln County. Meanwhile, a party from Lincoln led by Juan Patron catches up to and kills three of Selman's Scouts, two of which possibly being John Nelson and V. S. Whitaker. Shortly thereafter, most of the gang return to Texas.
Mid-Oct. 1878---With the money she now has, Susan McSween hires local one-armed lawyer Huston I. Chapman and with him, plans to prosecute Col. Dudley for the death of her husband and the burning of her home. Chapman suggests they return to Lincoln to better prepare the case and he writes a letter to Col. Dudley asking him for military protection for himself and Susan while they are in Lincoln. Dudley refuses to do so. At the same time, Chapman writes several letter to Gov. Wallace, bashing Dudley and claiming he is criminally responsible for Alex McSween's death. Furious over this, Dudley mounts his own attack Susan, by trying to paint a picture of her as a dishonest, immoral woman. His first course of action is to get affidavits from her enemies attesting to this. Elsewhere in New Mexico, a group of Mexicans to Texas to sell some crops kill a man known as Hart, who had been a friend of the Jones family of Seven Rivers. When the Mexicans near Black River, they are ambushed by John, Jim, and Bill Jones, Marion Turner, and other Seven Rivers Warriors. In the melee, between three and nine of the Mexicans are killed, while a few others manage to escape. Meanwhile, back in Tascosa, the Regulators continue to enjoy themselves. With most of their stolen horses and cattle now sold, they gamble frequently in the local saloons. Dr. Hoyt has remained a companion of theirs since they arrived in town and attends the local dances with them. The Regulators eventually get banned from the dances, however, when they smuggle firearms inside the dance-hall. Still, the good times persist and at one point, Billy engages in a shooting contest with Temple Houtson and famous visiting lawman Bat Masterson. The Regulators continue to make the Howard & McMasters store and saloon their primary headquarters and, one day, Folliard and a local he's gambling with get into an altercation in the store. The two nearly draw their guns, but Billy, standing nearby, comes between them, pulls Tom away and calms him down.
Oct. 20, 1878---In Santa Fe, L. G. Murphy succumbs to his terminal cancer at the age of forty-four. He is shortly thereafter buried in the Masonic & Odd Fellows Cemetery.
Oct. 22, 1878---Gov. Wallace writes a letter to Carl Schurz, informing him that since Pres. Hayes issued his proclamation, the violence in Lincoln County has subsided considerably.
Oct. 24, 1878---In Tascosa, Billy and Henry Hoyt are hanging out in the Howard & McMasters store. Ever since their arrival in Tascosa, Hoyt has made it known that he admires one of the few Fritz horses Billy still hasn't sold, an Arabian sorrel named Dandy Dick. As they lean across the bar, Billy grabs a piece of paper and pen and hastily scribbles a bill of sale, thereby giving possession of the horse to Hoyt. Forever grateful for this present, Hoyt shortly thereafter says goodbye to Billy and the other Regulators and rides out of Tascosa, onto a new adventure. Several years later, Hoyt will discover that the horse Billy gave him was actually owned by Sheriff William Brady and had been the one he had ridden into Lincoln on the day he was assassinated. Shortly thereafter, Billy announces to his fellow Regulators that it's time to return to New Mexico. To his surprise, Fred Waite, John Middleton, and Henry Brown announce they don't want to return. Waite plans to return to his family home in Indian Territory, Middleton wants to ride over to Kansas to start a new life, and Brown tells of his plan to remain around Tascosa and get a job on one of the local ranches as a cowboy. Tom Folliard, however, remains loyal to Billy and tells him he will follow him wherever he goes. Waite, Middleton, and Brown all try to convince Billy and Tom to also decide against returning to New Mexico, to no avail. With that, the five remaining Regulators disband and Billy and Tom begin riding back to New Mexico.
Early Nov. 1878---Billy and Tom return to New Mexico and once again make Fort Sumner their headquarters. There, they are reunited with Charlie Bowdre and Doc Scurlock, as well as Jim French and George Bowers. Not having their own place, they spend their nights in the homes of Doc, Charlie, or one of Billy's many girlfriends, or at one of the sheep ranches located outside of town. Billy, who frequently gambles in the town's two saloons of Beaver Smith and Bob Hargrove, soon meets a buffalo hunter who arrived from Texas about a year ago. The man, standing almost six-and-a-half feet tall, goes by the name of Pat Garrett and is a bartender in Smith's saloon. He had previously worked on Pete Maxwell's ranch, but had been fired, allegedly for stealing some of his employer's cattle. Billy, as well as his fellow former Regulators, quickly get to know Garrett and become quite friendly with him. Allegedly, Billy developes the closest relationship with Garrett, as the two attend the local bailes together, gamble together, and are basically often seen in each other's company.
Nov. 3, 1878---Hearing that Billy is back in New Mexico, Sheriff Peppin, still at Fort Stanton, requests military assistance to arrest him, as well as any other Regulators still in the territory.
Nov. 6, 1878---Col. Dudley has by now acquired affidavits from Sheriff Peppin, Saturnino Baca, Francisco Gomez, John Priest, and Jack Long, as well as Lt. Dr. Dan Appel, Lt. Samuel Pague, and Lt. George Smith supporting Dudley's assertion that Susan McSween is a lewd, dishonest woman with a bad reputation.
Nov. 13, 1878---Gov. Wallace issues a proclamation stating that all persons who committed a crime in Lincoln County from Feb. 1 through the current date are officially pardoned. Wallace also adds a stipulation stating that military personnel stationed within Lincoln County may also partake of the amnesty. However, the amnesty does not apply to anyone already facing indictments for crimes committed during the war. So, basically, this is no help to Billy Bonney, who has already been indicted for the murders of Sheriff Brady and Buckshot Roberts. When Col. Dudley hears of this amnesty proclamation, he is outraged. He resents Wallace for specifically stating that soldiers may also be pardoned, thereby implying they are guilty of something. He immediately begins writing a letter to the Santa Fe New Mexican, in which he blasts Wallace and the amnesty.
Nov. 21, 1878---Dudley's letter appears in the New Mexican. The letter condemns Wallace for alligning Dudley and his soldiers with the killers and thieves throughout the county. The letter also demands that Dudley be made aware of any crimes he is being accused of. Throughout the letter, it is made perfectly clear that Dudley will not partake in the pardon out of pride, even though it was possibly Wallace's intent to help him with the proclamation, by a way of giving him an easy way out.
Nov. 23, 1878---Susan McSween and Huston Chapman return to the town of Lincoln. Susan has had the family of Saturnino Baca officially evicted from their house, which was on the McSweens' property, and so her and Chapman take up residence there.
Nov. 30, 1878---In La Mesilla, John Kinney is arrested for the 1877 murder Ysable Barela. When the principal witnesses of the murder hear of this, they all either leave the area or claim they have more important matters than to testify at Kinney's trial. Due to this, Kinney asks for, and receives, a change of venue to Grant County.
Late Nov. 1878---Five of the remaining members of Selman's Scouts, Frank Wheeler, Charlie Moore, H. J. Bassett, Jake Owens, and John Irvin, steal several head of cattle from Pat Coghlan's Tularosa ranch. Coghlan, with help from several military troops, pursues the outlaws for three days until they capture all of them. When they appear in court a few days later though, Coghlan does not appear to testify against them, and all five are then released. Owens, Bassett, and Wheeler go their own ways, but Irvin and Moore decide to ride together to Las Cruces. Also around this same time, Col. Dudley has a private meeting at Fort Stanton with a recently arrived Texas hardcase named Billy Campbell. What's discussed in the meeting, and how the two even know each other, is unknown.