Alexander McSween

Alexander McSween (1843 - July 19, 1878) was a prominent figure during the Lincoln County War of the Old West, and the central charactor alongside John Tunstall and opposite the "Murphy-Dolan Faction".

Early life

Born Alexander Anderson McSween, in Canada, McSween was for a time in his youth a preacher. Afterwards he attended law school for one year, in St. Louis, Missouri before moving to Kansas, then to New Mexico Territory. He had married Susan Hummer in 1873. After he arrived in Lincoln County, New Mexico, McSween worked for Murphy-Dolan as an attorney, then left them to work for John Tunstall, with whom he became close friends and by 1876, business partners.

Lincoln County War

When the trouble between the two factions began, Murphy-Dolan accused McSween of embezzlement, and they hired gunmen from the Jessie Evans Gang and the John Kinney Gang to rustle Tunstall's cattle, and harass him. McSween-Tunstall in turn hired gunmen to protect them and their properties, which included Billy the Kid, Dick Brewer, George Coe, and Frank Coe, among others. On February 18, 1878, John Tunstall was murdered by William Morton, Jessie Evans and Tom Hill, with Frank Baker believed to have been present.

The Lincoln County Regulators were formed, and on March 6, 1878, the Regulators arrested Frank Baker and William Morton, and executed them. On April 1, 1878, Billy the Kid, Jim French, Frank McNab, John Middleton, Fred Waite, Henry Brown, enter Lincoln and ambush and kill Sheriff William J. Brady and Deputy George W. Hindman. Deputy Billy Matthews returns fire during the attack, wounding slightly both Billy the Kid and Jim French with leg shots, but the wounds are minor. On April 4, 1878, there is a gun battle at Blazer's Mill between Buckshot Roberts, a bounty hunter working for Dolan, and the Regulators. Roberts and Regulator Dick Brewer are killed, Middleton is badly wounded, Billy the Kid is grazed by a bullet, and George Coe has his trigger finger shot off. On April 18, Billy the Kid, John Middleton, Fred Waite and Henry Newton Brown are indicted for the murder of Sheriff Brady, while Dolan, Jessie Evans, Matthews and others are indicted for the murder of Tunstall. On May 15, 1878, Manuel Segovia, the cowboy who had killed Frank McNab, is captured.

Battle of Lincoln

See main article: Battle of Lincoln, New Mexico

On July 15, 1878, when the Regulators were surrounded in Lincoln at the Alex McSween house, along with Alex McSween and his partner Harvey Morris. Facing them were the Dolan/Murphy/Seven Rivers cowboys, led by Sheriff George 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. By 9pm, 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, and Jose Chavez y Chavez. The Dolan men saw the running men and opened fire, killing Harvey Morris, McSween's law partner. Some US Cavalry troopers had arrived by that time, with instructions to make arrests to avoid executions by the Dolan Faction, and they'd taken up position in the back yard to take those left into custody. However, a close-order gunfight erupted, and Alex McSween was killed, as was Seven Rivers cowboy Bob Beckwith.

With McSween dead the Lincoln County War was in effect over. McSween's widow, Susan, remarried some time later, to a businessman name George Barber, but the marriage did not last and ended in divorce. She would purchase a ranch in Three Rivers, New Mexico, and later became one of the most prominent cattlewomen of the Old West. She sold out in 1902 to politician Albert Fall, and moved to White Oaks, New Mexico, where she remained until her death in 1931.

External links

* [http://www.angelfire.com/mi2/billythekid/alexmcsween.html Alexander McSween]
* [http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WWpeppin.htm Alex McSween]
* [http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WWlincolnwar.htm The Lincoln County War]
* [http://www.angelfire.com/mi2/billythekid/mactungrave.html Graves of Tunstall and McSween]