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Posted on 03/09/2005 10:15:25 PM PST by SAMWolf
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
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He was by Billy the Kid's side when Sheriff William Brady was killed and when Alexander McSween's house was set on fire, yet little else is known about the one-time 'Regulator.'  Billy the Kid An uncomplicated explanation of the Lincoln County War is that it was a feud involving two competing groups, termed "rings," intent on monopolizing trade, politics and vast stretches of land in New Mexico Territory. One ring, known as "the House," was a firmly entrenched local commercial empire, so named because most of its business dealings were conducted out of a store that resembled a house, and because the name appealed to the men operating its various nefarious enterprises. The House, besides holding a monopoly on domestic trade, often fulfilled beef contracts for the military through purchasing beef stolen by a band of outlaws known as "the boys," and used this gang as enforcers when necessary. By all accounts, the passel of Irishmen associated with the House--originally led by Lawrence G. Murphy--was as ruthless a band of brigands as ever existed in American commerce, as ready to terminate their detractors and competitors as they were to fleece customers. Attempting to usurp the stranglehold of the House was John Henry Tunstall, a young man with cold, hard cash supplied by his father, a London businessman. By hook or crook, Tunstall was determined to be a success in America, and he came prepared with a bag of tricks that included a combination of Machiavellian tactics and pure capitalism. Tunstall was supported by an able captain, Alexander McSween, an attorney not overly concerned with business ethics and bent on making his own fortune. Through McSween, Tunstall met John Simpson Chisum, a legendary cattle baron with a finger in many pies, who was willing to invest in Tunstall's plans because they held the promise of securing the borders of his empire and ending the rustling that was cutting into his profits. The trio formed a loose association, wherein Tunstall would anchor the territory around Lincoln; Chisum would supply beef, funds, men and the force and integrity of his reputation; while McSween handled the legal affairs of the group. With the formation of this ring, the stage was set for a conflict, one that should have been waged on ledgers, but instead eroded into as bloody a fight as ever hit the Southwest.  Alexander McSween In the opening gambits, the Tunstall-Chisum group opened a bank and store to compete with the House. These economic challengers worked out agreements with the small farmers and ranchers, contracting for all livestock feed raised in Lincoln County. Then agreements were reached with various settlers that would provide Tunstall control of water rights--which in desert country provided the holder sway over pasture for miles around. As capitalism was practiced in Europe, such tactics would not have caused a ripple. But in the American West, economic advantage was largely a matter of forcing one's will on another, and the House quickly realized the danger of Tunstall's schemes and organized a resistance. Tunstall naively expected the battles to be fought in court, as economic wars were waged in Europe and Eastern America. He never dreamed that when his business acumen began to ruin his opponent that Murphy's forces would react so aggressively. By underestimating their resolve and methods, Tunstall wound up dead--shot to death on February 18, 1878, by a sheriff's "posse" composed of outlaws and minions of the House sent to attach livestock as bond for a lawsuit. Immediately after the posse had shot down Tunstall, Alexander McSween gathered around him a cadre of the toughest men he could find. Some were already on the Tunstall payroll, some were sent by Chisum and some joined because they had a grudge against the House--all were bad men to mess with. Among the group was a drifter known as Big Jim French.  John Simpson Chisum Exactly why Big Jim was in New Mexico Territory and how he managed to get involved in the Lincoln County War has never been clearly understood, but the evidence points very strongly to happenstance. Old-timer Frank Coe, who fought in the war, said in the 1870s that French had been a drifter from Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) who had begun working for Chisum. Coe added that he suspected Chisum had sent French along with several others to support the McSween faction. No other participant ever made a statement to explain French's presence. Chisum was known to purchase cattle and horses throughout Indian Territory and Texas to fulfill contracts, and some writers have asserted that in December 1877, Tunstall went with Chisum to purchase horses that were to be delivered to Chisum and held until Tunstall was ready for them. If such a buying trip did happen, it's possible that French was one of the riders hired to escort the herd and that he gained temporary employment with Chisum before being sent to Lincoln. The theory is plausible and fits the timing of French's entry into Lincoln. As to why the man got involved in the fighting, old-timers have hinted that McSween hired men to protect himself and his family. As French's movements during the war can be traced by following the movements of the McSweens, it's probable that French began his career in Lincoln as one of those paid bodyguards. It has also been speculated that McSween offered a bounty for the elimination of the men responsible for Tunstall's death. This bounty and the need for revenge seem to be the reasons the self-styled Regulators began operating in the area. French attached himself to this group. The two killings he participated in during the war were both rumored to be assassinations based on the promised bounty offered by McSween. French was probably in the dangerous game simply for the money.  John Henry Tunstall Florencio Chaves was a member of the Regulator posse that captured Frank Baker and Buck Morton, two of the men responsible for the murder of John Tunstall. After the posse captured the pair, according to Chaves, posse member Bill McCloskey aroused the ire and suspicion of several in the party because of his refusal to allow any harm to befall Baker and Morton. Chaves said that a plan was devised to kill McCloskey. It seems the Kid, Jim French and Fred Waite were riding ahead of the prisoners on March 9, 1878, while Doc Scurlock, McCloskey and Henry Brown were riding behind. Waite dropped back beside Scurlock and asked McCloskey, "How's the best way to kill those sons a bitches?" By insisting the pair be taken to the sheriff, McCloskey sealed his death warrant, because French immediately dropped back, placing his horse in McCloskey's path, effectively boxing him between Waite and Brown. Without a word, Brown pulled out his six-shooter and shot McCloskey, killing him instantly. The prisoners, according to Chaves, now knew for sure what was in store for them, so they tried to make a run for it and were shot to doll rags. Chaves' version makes more sense than the cover story that McCloskey was shot by the prisoners and Baker and Morton were shot trying to escape.  The second killing French participated in was a premeditated murder, for French and several others opened up from concealment, with Winchesters, on Sheriff Brady's party as it passed down the street of Lincoln on April Fool's Day. The excuse used to justify this act was that Brady was thought to be in cahoots with the House, and Deputy George Hindman was a part of the posse that had eliminated Tunstall less than two weeks earlier. During the fighting, Billy the Kid and French ran out to rifle the bodies of the victims, and each was wounded in the hip. French's injury was serious enough that he could not ride. He was given first aid by the Rev. Taylor F. Ealy. Clerk Sam Corbet, who had been one of Tunstall's staunchest supporters, then hid French beneath the floor of the Tunstall store while men searched the building.
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wouldna' used the term swabbie, but 'tis a good pic.
On This Day In History
Birthdates which occurred on March 10:
1452 Ferdinand II the Catholic, King of Aragon/Sicily (expelled Jews)
1503 Ferdinand I German emperor (1558-64)
1538 Thomas Howard Duke of Norfolk; executed by Queen Elizabeth (1572)
1628 Constantine Huygens Jr Dutch poet/painter/cartoonist
1748 John Playfair Scotland, clergyman/geologist/mathematician
1809 William David Porter Commander (Union Navy), died in 1864
1818 George Wythe Randolph Secretary of War (Confederacy), died in 1867
1824 Major General Thomas J Churchill Confederate Army/Fought at Wilson's Creek, Red River
1832 William Henry Penrose Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1903
1845 Alexander III [Romanov] Russian tsar (1881-94)
1888 Barry Fitzgerald Dublin Ireland, actor (Academy Award-Going My Way)
1891 Sam Jaffe New York NY, actor (Gunga Din, Ben Casey)
1903 Bix Beiderbecke jazz cornet player (In a Mist)
1908 Carl Albert US speaker of house (1971-77)
1916 James Herriot Scotland, writer (All Creatures Great & Small)
1923 Kenneth C "Jethro" Burns Conasauga TN, mandolinist/country singer (Homer & Jethro)
1923 Ara Parseghian football coach (Northwestern, Notre Dame)
1928 James Earl Ray assassin (Martin Luther King Jr)
1940 Chuck [Carlos Ray] Norris Ryan OK, martial arts actor (Walker Texas Ranger, Missing in Action)
1940 Dean Torrence Los Angeles CA, surf music singer (Jan & Dean-Little Old Lady from Pasadena)
1947 Avril "Kim" Campbell Canada's 1st female Prime Minister/19th Prime Minister (June 25,1993-November 4, 1993)
1947 Tom Scholz rock guitarist/keyboardist (Boston-More Than a Feeling)
1958 Sharon Stone Meadville PA, actress (Basic Instinct, Sliver, Casino)
1965 Rod Woodson NFL cornerback/kick returner (Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers)
Good morning everyone. Thanks for the article. A very good read. As I was reading it, the movie "Young Guns" came to mind. I was mentally comparing the two and think that even with a little bit of Hollywierd artistic license, they pretty much kept in line historically.
Cheers!
I see you were up in the middle of the night. I'm not sore, you heaved most of them, you should be sleeping.
Mornin' Aeronaut.
Good morning EGC.
Good morning Mayor.
Good morning PE.
Good morning alfa6.
free dixie HUGS,duckie/sw
Of course, much to my chagrin Sam is quoted as saying "sucked". LOL. Talking about birding being a hobby you can get sucked into. As soon as he said it while we were being interviewed I said, "Don't say sucked, it has such a bad connotation to it". Of course we are getting a big laugh out of it today showing up in print. Wait 'til his mom sees it! LOL.
Oh boy, The Sam and Snippy show has gone regional/international, vie the WEB!!
WOO HOO!!!
Hi miss Feather
Goin' muh way sailor?
I didn't realize he's OLD!
From Military.com:
Chuck Norris
Actor, Martial Arts Champion
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| It comes as no surprise that Chuck Norris was named "Veteran of the Year" at the American Veteran awards show. Chuck Norris is famous as a world champion martial artist, and movie and television star. What many people don't know is that Norris is also very dedicated to the military community. Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris was born on March 10, 1940 in Ryan, Oklahoma. His mother was Irish-English and his father was Cherokee. Norris joined the Air Force after high school, with the goal of training in the Security Police in preparation for a career in law enforcement. It was in the Air Force, while stationed in Korea, that Chuck was introduced to martial arts. One night on duty, Norris realized that he couldn't arrest a rowdy drunk without pulling his weapon. He studied Tang Soo Do and Tae Kwan Do, both Korean martial arts, and became the first Westerner to be awarded an eighth-degree Black Belt in Tae Kwan Do. He held the world middleweight karate champion title for six years, and was named Black Belt magazine's "Fighter of the Year" in 1969. He founded 32 martial arts schools, and was actor Steve McQueen's karate teacher. It was McQueen who encouraged Norris to go into acting. Norris has starred in such films as "Good Guys Wear Black," "Delta Force" and "Missing in Action." He currently stars in the popular TV series "Walker, Texas Ranger." Norris has used his success to give back to the military community. He has been a spokesman on behalf of the Veteran's Administration and hospitalized veterans. In 1990 he created the "Kick Drugs out of America" Foundation. |
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Howdy ma'am.
Staying busy? (ducking now)
I'll have to put this on my do not say while being interviewed list. LOL
ROFLOL. Very cute.
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