June 27, 1878; San Patricio, Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory---Alex McSween, fearing his life is in more jeopardy now than ever before, has fled his home in Lincoln and is now hiding out with his Regulators in their haven of San Patricio. Knowing this, Deputy John Long, a member of the Jessie Evans Gang, takes five men with him and heads towards San Pat with the intention of either arresting or ambushing the Regulators. When this six-man posse arrives at San Pat in the early afternoon though, the only McSween man they find is the McSweens' black servant, George Washington. Washington immediately surrenders, and the posse decides to ride back to Lincoln.
As Long and his men are leaving San Pat, McSween himself, former sheriff John Copeland and nine Regulators (Billy 'the Kid' Bonney, Charlie Bowdre, Fred Waite, 'Big Jim' French, 'Dirty Steve' Stephens, John Scroggins, and new comers Atanacio Martinez [Lincoln's local constable], Eusebio Sanchez, and Jesus Rodriguez), are riding into town. The two parties instantly draw their guns and open fire on each other, as the Regulators turn their horses to run. The Long posse pursues the Regs at breakneck speed, but before they can overtake them, a bullet hits Long's horse, killing the animal and spilling Long himself onto the ground. The rest of the posse gives up the chase and return to help Long.
The posse returns to Lincoln and tell Sheriff George Peppin of the event. Peppin, angered, rides to Fort Stanton and signs an affidavit before Capt. Thomas Blair, stating that Long and his posse were fired on while trying to serve legal warrants on the Regulators. Not yet knowing of the recently passed Posse Comitatus Act, Col. Dudley uses this affidavit to allow Capt. Henry Carroll to take twenty-five troops and accompany Peppin and a posse to search the mountains around San Pat for the Regulators. Over the next few hours, the posse and the troops search the mountains south of the Rio Ruidoso, then north of the Rio Hondo, and then northwest near the Blue Water road. However, the Regulators are not able to be located. Before the Regulators can be searched for further, Col. Dudley recalls Capt. Carroll and his troops, after hearing of the Posse Comitatus Act for the first time. Now that they have no military assistance, Peppin and his posse begrudingly return to Lincoln.
Although the U. S. Army is now off their backs, this little skirmish will have dire consequences on the McSween faction. On June 29, after being bullied by Peppin's men, Justice of the Peace John Wilson (a special election had been held in Lincoln early in the month, making Wilson Lincoln's J. P. once again) issues warrants for the arrest of Alex McSween, John Copeland, and the nine Regulators who participated in the San Pat fight for resisting arrest. This makes McSween a legally wanted man once again and makes it so he doesn't even have the option of returning to his home.
Regulators involved
Murphy-Dolan-Riley men involved
