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Alexander McSween | |
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.png) McSween c. 1875-1876 | |
| Born | June 15, 1837 |
| Died | July 19, 1878(1878-07-19) (aged 41) Lincoln, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Known for | Death inBattle of Lincoln |
| Spouse | |
Alexander McSween (June 15, 1837 — July 19, 1878) was a prominent figure during theLincoln County War of theOld West, and a central character, alongsideJohn Tunstall, in opposing businessmen and gunmenLawrence Murphy andJames Dolan.
OfScottish descent, Alexander Anderson McSween was born on June 15, 1837, inCanada, in eitherNova Scotia orPrince Edward Island. His widow later claimed that in his youth McSween was aPresbyterianpreacher. According to Robert Utley, however, McSween's name does not appear in the records of any Presbyterian seminary or list of ministers.
Afterwards McSween attendedlaw school for one year, inSt. Louis, Missouri, before moving toKansas, then toNew Mexico Territory. He marriedSusan Hummer on August 23, 1873, inAtchison, Kansas, and they settled inEureka, Kansas. In 1875, the couple moved toLincoln, New Mexico, where her husband had accepted a job as alawyer for the mercantile company and bank ofIrish Catholic immigrantsLawrence Murphy andJames Dolan.
After he arrived inLincoln County, New Mexico, however, McSween left Dolan and Murphy to work for English rancher and businessmanJohn Tunstall, with whom he became close friends and, by 1876, business partners.
When the trouble between the two factions began, Murphy-Dolan accused McSween ofembezzlement, and they hiredgunmen from theEvans andKinney gangs to rustle Tunstall's cattle and harass him.
In response, McSween and Tunstall prepared for war and hired a gang of cowboys called theLincoln County Regulators to protect them and their properties. The Regulators includedBilly the Kid,Dick Brewer,George Coe, andFrank Coe, and others.
On February 18, 1878, Tunstall was shot and killed, officially whileresisting arrest, by Lincoln County Deputies William Morton,Jesse Evans, and Tom Hill.[1]
Soon after, McSween arranged for the Regulators to be sworn in as special Constables by the Lincoln County Justice of the Peace, who had long been allied to him and to Tunstall. On March 6, 1878, the Regulators arrested Frank Baker and Deputy William Morton, and subjected them both tosummary execution
On April 1, 1878, Billy the Kid, Jim French, Frank McNab, John Middleton, Fred Waite, Henry Brown, entered Lincoln and ambushed and murdered Lincoln County SheriffWilliam Brady and DeputyGeorge Hindman.
According to historianRobert Marshall Utley, the assassination of Sheriff Brady had been ordered by Alexander McSween, who knew that the Sheriff was carrying an arrest warrant for him. For this reason, Billy the Kid ran from the place of ambush in order to remove the arrest warrant from the Sheriff's pocket. Instead, the Kid was driven back and slightly wounded, by the gunfire of Deputy William Matthews.
On April 4, 1878, there was a gun battle at Blazer's Mill betweenBuckshot Roberts, abounty hunter working for the Murphy-Dolan faction, and the Regulators. Both Roberts and Regulator Dick Brewer were killed, Middleton was badly wounded, the Kid was grazed by a bullet, and George Coe had his trigger finger shot off.
On April 18, 1878, Billy the Kid,John Middleton,Fred Waite andHenry Newton Brown were indicted for the murder ofSheriff Brady. On the same day, Dolan, Deputy Jesse Evans, Deputy William Matthews and others were indicted for the murder of John Tunstall. On May 15, 1878,Manuel Segovia, the cowboy who had killedFrank McNab, was captured.[citation needed]
On July 15, 1878, the Regulators were surrounded in Lincoln at the McSween home, along with McSween and his law partner, Harvey Morris. Facing them were the Dolan/Murphy/Seven Rivers cowboys, led by SheriffGeorge Peppin. On July 19, after numerous exchanges of gunfire over a four-day period, the house was set afire. As the flames spread and night fell, Susan McSween was granted safe passage out of the house while the men inside continued to fight the fire.[citation needed]
By 9 p.m., the Regulators and McSween made plans to break free of the house.Jim French went out first, followed by Billy the Kid,Tom O'Folliard, andJose Chavez y Chavez. The Dolan gang saw the running men and opened fire, killing Morris. SomeUS Cavalry troopers had arrived by that time with instructions to make arrests to avoid murders by the Dolan Faction. The soldiers had moved into positions in the back yard to take those left into custody. However, a close-order gunfight erupted. McSween, whose white shirt made him an easy target, was killed, as was Seven Rivers cowboy Bob Beckwith.[citation needed]
With McSween dead, theLincoln County War was effectively over. Hiswidow,Susan McSween, remarried some time later, to a businessman named George Barber, but that marriage ended in divorce. Susan would later purchase a ranch inThree Rivers, New Mexico, to become one of the most prominent cattlewomen of the Old West. In 1902,politicianAlbert Fall acquired the ranch and Susan moved toWhite Oaks, New Mexico, where she remained until her death in January 1931, at age 85.
The 1970 movieChisum, starring John Wayne in the title role, portrayed some of the events in which McSween was involved, withAndrew Prine playing McSween.
McSween was portrayed byTerry O'Quinn in the 1988 movieYoung Guns. Unlike with many other actual characters depicted in this movie and itssequel, McSween's death was portrayed more or less accurately, with a scene showing him shot and killed in theBattle of Lincoln.
McSween is mentioned in the 2019 semi-biographical novel of John Chisum's life, by Russ Brown, titledMiss Chisum.[2]
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