Gunfighter Summaries - Page 2

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George Washington Coe (1856-1941) - The son of a Civil War veteran who had migrated to a Missouri homestead from Iowa, George Coe went to Fort Stanton, New Mexico in 1874 to work on the ranch of a cousin. By 1878, Coe had leased his own spread in Lincoln County, but the area was on the verge of all-out war, and Coe soon found himself arrested unjustly by Sheriff William Brady. While he was in jail, he was subjected to physical torture, and upon his release he bitterly determined to seek revenge. In the subsequent Lincoln County War he fought with the Regulators, figuring prominently in the gunfight with Buckshot Roberts and in assorted other shooting scrapes. His activities in the Lincoln County War made him a wanted man and he moved with his relatives to San Juan County. Eventually Coe obtained amnesty from New Mexico Governor Lew Wallace, and, after brief sojourns in Nebraska and Colorado, he returned to Lincoln County in 1884, where he homesteaded what became known as the Golden Glow Ranch and also operated a store there. He lived the rest of his life as a family man and respected member of the community, living in peace until his death in 1941.

Chunk Colbert (18??-1875) - Colbert established a reputation as a gunman during the early 1870's, reputedly killing seven men in West Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. In the early 1870's, he shot and killed Charles Morris in Cimarron, New Mexico, after becoming convinced that Morris was a little too interested in Mrs. Colbert. However, he made a deadly mistake when he decided to tangle with the likes of a far superior gunfighter - that of Clay Allison.

On January 7, 1875, Colbert and Allison went to the Clifton House, an inn in Colfax County, New Mexico, after racing their horses in a quarter-mile trot. When the pair sat down for dinner, Colbert allegedly fancied that he could get the "drop" on Allison, who some say had killed his uncle nine years earlier. Guessing that there might be trouble, Clay was very cautious but, the talk was friendly as they enjoyed a large meal spread out before them. When they were seated it Colbert laid his gun in his lap and Allison laid his gun on the table. After the meal was finished Colbert suddenly reached for his gun under the table and leveled it towards Allison.  The perceptive Allison followed suit and when Colbert's gun nicked the table, the shot was deflected and Allison shot him in the head. Later Allison was asked why He had accepted to have a meal with him and answered, "Because I didn't want to send a man to hell on an empty stomach."  Colbert was buried in an unmarked grave behind the Clifton House.

Francisco "Pancho" Griego (18??-1875) - Hailing from Santa Fe, New Mexico, Griego was living in Colfax County, New Mexico by the 1870's working as a businessman and a cowboy. Not long after his arrival he had gained a reputation for his terrible temper. On May 30, 1875, after arguing over cards with several cavalry men at a saloon in Cimarron, he shot two of them to death and killed another with a knife. A few months later, Greigo's friend and business associate, Cruz Vega, who was suspected of killing the local minister in the Colfax County War, was lynched by a mob led by Clay Allison. Griego soon sought out Allison, intending on taking his revenge.  Instead when Griego tried to get the drop on Allison on November 1, 1875, he wound up dead.

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