The Lincoln County War
HISTORY This Week
The HISTORY® Channel | Back Pocket Studios
4.5 • 4.2K Ratings
🗓️ 14 February 2022
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
February 18, 1878. A group of men is leading their horses along a New Mexico mountain trail. This is the Wild West, and danger is never that far away. In fact, before they reach their destination, the leader of their group will be shot. The rest of the cowboys watch the scene unfold in horror, including a future notorious outlaw: Billy the Kid. Over their boss’s dead body, Billy and the others vow to avenge his murder. In the next five months, as much as a quarter of the county's population will be killed. How did this murder turn a community into a battlefield? And what does this conflict reveal about how we understand the Wild West?
Special thanks to Gwendolyn Rogers, president of the Lincoln County Historical Society, and Paul Hutton, whose most recent book, The Apache Wars, tells the story of another war that played out during this time in the Southwest.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The History Channel, original podcast. |
| 0:05.0 | History this week, February 18, 1878. |
| 0:11.0 | I'm Sally Helm. |
| 0:18.0 | A warm winter evening in the New Mexico territory. |
| 0:23.0 | A group of men is leading their horses along a mountain trail. |
| 0:27.0 | They don't know that they're riding into danger. |
| 0:31.0 | But they do know that danger is never that far away. |
| 0:37.0 | This is the Wild West, and it feels that way, especially to these particular men. |
| 0:44.0 | They're in the middle of a brewing conflict down in a nearby town, and they know it could turn ugly. |
| 0:51.0 | In fact, on this day, the leader of these men, John Tunstel, turns to one of his friends as they ride. |
| 0:56.0 | And he says, Robert Old Fellow. |
| 0:59.0 | He's British. You can imagine a British accent. |
| 1:02.0 | Robert Old Fellow. |
| 1:03.0 | If you die or get killed first, I will take care of all there is left of you. |
| 1:08.0 | You will do the same for me, won't you? |
| 1:11.0 | And his friend says, yeah, don't worry, I will. |
| 1:17.0 | Suddenly, a flock of turkeys rises up on the side of the road. |
| 1:21.0 | The perfect opportunity for a hunt. |
| 1:24.0 | The men scatter to shoot what birds they can. |
| 1:27.0 | But at that very moment, another group of horsemen emerges over the crest of the hill. |
| 1:35.0 | According to letters written at the time, the Brit, John Tunstel, rides towards the approaching men. |
| 1:42.0 | He knows they aren't friendly, but he seems to think he can negotiate. |
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