John
Henry Tunstall (1853-1878) - Born in England on March 6, 1853, Tunstall
emigrated to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in 1872, where he worked
at the Turner, Beeton & Tunstall, a business in which his father was a
partner. Four years later; however, Tunstall moved to the United States
with thoughts of becoming a sheep rancher. He first investigated land in
California but soon headed to New Mexico, where land was more affordable.
He first arrived in Santa Fe, where he met a Lincoln County lawyer and
cattle rancher named
Alexander McSween. After talking to
McSween, Tunstall was
convinced that there were profits to be made in Lincoln County and soon
began ranching there.
But, he also found that the area was monopolized by two men by the names
of Lawrence Murphy and James Dolan, who owned the only store in Lincoln
County -- Murphy & Dolan Mercantile and Banking. Murphy and Dolan, having
influential ties with Santa Fe politicians, virtually controlled the trade
of the county, a fact that neither Tunstall nor his friend,
Alexander McSween,
were happy with. The 24-year old Englishman and
McSween soon set up a
rival business called H.H. Tunstall & Company near the Murphy & Dolan
Mercantile.
Alarmed by Tunstall's
plans, Murphy & Dolan attempted to put the pair out of business, harassing
them legally and when that did not work, Dolan tried goad Tunstall into a
gunfight. However, Tunstall refused to use violence himself but soon
recruited
Billy the Kid, and a half dozen other tough cowboys to protect him and
his investments.
In February, 1878, Dolan
and Murphy obtained a court order to seize some of Tunstall's horses as
payment for an outstanding debt. When Tunstall refused to surrender the
horses, Lincoln County Sheriff, William Brady, formed a posse led by
Deputy William Morton to seize them. After protesting the presence of the
posse on his land, Tunstall was shot in the head on February 18, 1878.
This incident started what became known as the Lincoln County War.