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THE ALEXANDER Mcsween SITE ARCHAEOLOGICAL TEST EXCAVATIONS AT THE ALEXANDER McSWEEN SITE, LINCOLN STATE MONUMENT, LINCOLN COUNTY, NEW MEXICO ~ ~ -~- ~ -"-:t; David T. Kirkpatrick and Linda P. Hart Submitted by Human Systems Research, Inc. Tularosa, New Mexico October 1989 Project Nos. HSR 8714 and 8825 Chapter 4. THE McSWEEN HOUSE AND ITS ROLE IN THE LINCOLN COUNTY WAR The Lincoln County War has been discussed in detail by Mullin (1968) and Keleher (1982). Biographies have been written on several individuals who were involved in the conflict, including John H. Tunstall (Nolan 1965), Sheriff William Brady (Lavash 1986), Jesse Evans (McCright and Powell 1983), Billy the Kid (Tuska 1983; Utley 1986), George Coe (Coe 1951), Alexander McSween (Ut1ey 1986), and Nathan Dudley (Greenly 1986; Ut1ey 1986). The Lincoln county War was the result of bitter conflict between two factions seeking political and economic control of Lincoln County. Lincoln County in the 1870s encompassed the southeastern quarter of New Mexico Territory, the largest county in the United States. From 1866 to 1873, Lawrence G. Murphy and Emil Fritz operated a sutler's store at Fort Stanton, but were evicted because of their undesirable business practices. The Murphy-Fritz partnership ended in June 1874, when Fritz died while in Germany (Nolan 1965:449-450). Other associates were James J. Dolan and John H. Riley. L. G. Murphy withdrew from his partnership with James J. Do1an in 1877. Do1an went into partnership with John H. Riley, forming the company known as J. J. Do1an and Co. (Ke1eher 1982:54, 56). On March 3, 1875, Alexander and Susan McSween arrived in Lincoln to set up a law practice. L. G. Murphy was one of McSween's clients. In 1876, John H. Tunstall arrived from London to develop a financial empire. Tunstall and McSween went into direct competition with J. J. Dolan and Co. by establishing a store and bank and by competing for government beef contracts to supply the Mescalero Indians on their reservation near Ruidoso. John S. Chisum, a large rancher on the Pecos River, was a partner with Tunstall and McSween. Charging that Alexander McSween embezzled Emil Fritz' $10,000 life insurance money, Dolan convinced the Fritz' heirs to file charges against McSween. As a result, Sheriff Brady attached and inventoried the McSween property, which was a complicated process because of McSween's business arrangements with Tunstall. Sheriff Brady's posse, led by Buck Morton, went to the Tunstall Ranch to attach a herd of horses. On February 1878, they met Tunstall on his way to Lincoln and shot him and his horse, claiming he resisted being served the attachment. His death brought the conflict to ahead. Over the next 5 months, numerous clashes occurred between the McSween faction and the Dolan faction. Each side had legally deputized posses with arrest warrants for members of the other faction. On April 1, 1878, Billy the Kid and others fired on Sheriff Brady and four of his deputies as they walked past the Tunstall Store. Sheriff Brady and Deputy Hindman were killed (Lavash 1986:105-106). This action perpetuated the violence that culminated in the 5-day 17 battle at the McSween House. The details of the battle are presented below in the Site Chronology section. Violence continued after McSween's death and the burning of his house. Billy the Kid was a hunted man, especially for his murders of Bob Olinger and J. W. Bell during his escape from the Lincoln County Courthouse on April 28, 1881; he escaped the death sentence for these chrimes when he was hung for the murder of Sheriff Brady. Sheriff Pat Garrett shot Billy the Kid at Pete Maxwell's ranch at Fort Sumner about midnight on July 14, 1881. The Kid's death is generally accepted as the end of the Lincoln County War. Chronology ~ ~ McSween ~ The archaeological remains of the Alexander McSween House site can best be interpreted in reference to the history of the property that was once owned by Alexander and Susan McSween. The history of land sales, building episodes, and removal of structures is important to understanding the nature of the subsurface remains of the McSween House. A chronology of major events of the Lincoln County War, which relate to the McSween House, land ownership, and building events was developed from data presented by Caperton (1983, 1985) and Nolan (1965). Table 3. Chronology of the McSween Site (compiled from caperton 1983, 1985; Nolan 1965). Date Event March 3, 1875 Alexander and Susan McSween arrived in Lincoln. May 1876 John D. Bail filed a patent on a 40-acre parcel of land that contained the old Murphy & Co. La Placita Store (?) and sold the land to Murphy. January 1877 McSween purchased this property, including the old La Placita Store, for a home and the future Tunstall store. 1877 The structure (La Placita Store?) may have been converted into a house for two families. August 1877 Construction was completed and the house was occupied by the McSweens and Shields (Susan McSween's sister Elizabeth, husband David, and their five children). December 1877 McSween sold the east wing of the house to E. Shield for $1.00. The two households were reportedly separated by an internal wall. 18 Table 3. Chronology of the McSween Site (continued). Date Event December 21, 1877 McSween was accused of embezzling money from Emil Fritz' life insurance policy by Fritz' sister, Emelie Scholand. February 1878 Sheriff Brady attached McSween's house and his property in Tunstall's store; he made an inventory of McSween's property. February 18, 1878 John Henry Tunstall was killed by members of Sheriff Brady's posse February 21, 1878 Tunstall was buried near the stables behind his store. April1878 McSween was exonerated by the grand jury of the embezzlement charges. June 1878 McSween purchased a piano and set of bagpipes and insured them against loss or damage July 14, 1878 Five-day siege at McSween house began. Adobe bricks were placed in windows, sand bags were placed behind the doors, and rifle ports were made in the adobe walls. July 15, 1878 The first shots were fired at the McSween house by Dolan's men. July 19, 1878 Col. N. A. M. Dudley, commander of Fort Stanton arrived in Lincoln with cavalry and infantry, i Gatling gun, and a mountain howitzer. July 19, about 1 pm Deputies Long and Dummy unsuccessfully attempted to set fire to Shield's kitchen and the northeast wing. July 19, about 2 pm Boyle and others set fire to the summer kitchen on the northwest corner of McSween's side of the house. Susan and the Shield family were evacuated from the house. The fire burned along the west wing, across the parlor, and up the east wing to the Shield's kitchen. July 19, about dusk The defenders of McSween's house broke out from the Shield's kitchen, heading for shelter in the adjacent Rio Bonito Valley. McSween and three others were killed near the woodpile between the kitchen and the north wall around the yard. Billy the Kid and others escaped through the east gate of the wall. lQ Table 3. Chronology of the McSween Site (continued) Date Event September 1879 Mrs. Shield sold their property (the east half of house) with the ruins of their house to Ira E. Leonard. Wall fragments were reported. Charles Fritz acquired McSween's propertyat sheriff's auction: it had been under a sheriff's deed since 1878. 1883-1886 The Watson House was built west of the former McSween property. April 1885 Leonard sold the former Shield's property to J. J. Dolan for $100. September 1888 Dolan sold the property to M. L. Gorton. The lot was 40 by 90 ft, 53.5 ft east of the Watson House. October 1888 Gorton was granted a butcher's bond, approved by countyofficials. March 1892 Gorton and his wife Orella sold the former Shield's property to William Rosenthall & Co., and no reference was made to improvements to the property (such as buildings). Rosenthall & Co. sold the former Shield's lot to Mrs. John c. West. Mention was made of a shingle-roofed house known as the old Gorton Butcher Shop. The lot measured 64 by 200 ft. 1895 Mrs. West's house was rented to Attorneys Jewett and Mat thews for their offices. about 1900 A two-room frame addition was' built on the west side of the West's house. 1903 The house was occupied by H. B. Hamilton (attorney) and his wife. 1908 Mrs. West died and her husband sold the house and property to Henry Lutz. Lutz sold his property and the house to Teofilo Sisneros and Isidro Fresquez, with a lifetime tenancy clause to George Barber. February 1912 Sisneros sold his share of the property to Fresquez. 20 Table 3. Chronology of the McSween Site (continued). Date Event late 19208 early The frame addition to the Fresquez House was 19308 removed. 19308 Isidro Fresquez lived in the house: in 1935 he found melted silver pieces and pottery sherds under the floor. 1961 Fresquez sold the house and property to Frank c. Boyce, who deeded the property to the State of New Mexico. 19608 The Fresquez House was remodeled by the Old Lincoln County Memorial Commission; the cinder block room, bath, and patio were added. Now the property is part of New Mexico State Monuments. In 1876, L. G. Murphy purchased land on which he built the La Placita Store in the late 1860s. The La Placita Store was probably Murphy's first store in Lincoln. ~lexander McSween purchased the property in January 1877 with plans to modify the store into a dwelling and to build the Tunstall Store farther to the east.
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