The Fuse is Lit

The killing that sparked the Lincoln County War.

February 18, 1878. Rancher/merchant/banker John Tunstall (photo) is driving several horses from his ranch to Lincoln, NM. A posse deputized by Sheriff William Brady stops him on the excuse that the horses are stolen. It’s believed that Tunstall does not resist–but two of the posse members shoot and kill him anyway. Nearby, William Bonney and other Tunstall employees–who’d been separated from their boss–hear the gunfire but are unable to do anything. This is the start of the Lincoln County War, which would claim more than 20 lives over the next couple of years.