Frank Coe (October 1, 1851 – September 16, 1931) was an

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

, gunman , and member of the

Lincoln County Regulators The Lincoln County Regulators, or just the Regulators, were an American Old West deputized posse that fought in the Lincoln County War in New Mexico, during the late 19th century. Members history and friendships The Regulators were formed out ...

Early years

Benjamin Franklin Coe was born in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

in October 1851. In 1871 he ventured to

New Mexico Territory The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of ''Santa Fe de Nuevo México ...

with his cousin,

George Coe George Coe (born George Julian Cohen; May 10, 1929 – July 18, 2015) was an American actor. He was a cast member for the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'' and voiced the character of Woodhouse in ''Archer''. Early life Coe was born in ...

, where they worked on the ranch of another cousin. For a time they lived near

Raton, New Mexico Raton ( ) is a city and the county seat of Colfax County, New Mexico, Colfax County in northeastern New Mexico. The city is located just south of Raton Pass. The city is also located about 6.5 miles south of the New Mexico–Colorado border and 85 ...

. In July, 1876, Coe and

Ab Saunders Ab Saunders (October 14, 1851 – February 5, 1883) was an American cowboy, and at times gunman, best known for his association with Billy the Kid, Charlie Bowdre, Frank McNab, Doc Scurlock, and Saunders's cousins Frank and George Coe, when he ...

tracked down and killed

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them ...

Nicas Meras in the Baca Canyon due to Meras' rustling of cattle. On July 18, 1876, both the Coe cousins, along with

Doc Scurlock Josiah Gordon "Doc" Scurlock (January 11, 1849 – July 25, 1929) was an American Old West figure, cowboy, and gunfighter. A founding member of the Regulators during the Lincoln County War in New Mexico, Scurlock rode alongside such men as B ...

Charlie Bowdre Charles Bowdre (1848 – December 23, 1880) was an American cowboy and outlaw. He was an associate of Billy the Kid and member of his gang. Early life Bowdre was born in Wilkes County, Georgia. When he was three years old, he and his parent ...

, and Saunders, broke into the Lincoln jail and grabbed an alleged horse thief, Jesus Largo, from Sheriff Saturnino Baco. They took Largo outside of town and

hanged Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging in ...

him.

Lincoln County War

When the Lincoln County War broke out, Coe sided with the

Alexander McSween Alexander McSween (June 15, 1837 — July 19, 1878) was a prominent figure during the Lincoln County War of the Old West, and a central character, alongside John Tunstall, in opposing businessmen and gunmen Lawrence Murphy and James Dolan. Earl ...

faction, facing off against

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

William J. Brady, and the hired gunmen from the

Evans Evans may refer to: People *Evans (surname) *List of people with surname Evans Places United States *Evans Island, an island of Alaska *Evans, Colorado *Evans, Georgia *Evans County, Georgia *Evans, New York *Evans Mills, New York *Evans City, ...

and the Kinney gangs. This followed the murder of a merchant,

John Tunstall John Henry Tunstall (6 March 1853 – 18 February 1878) was an English-born rancher and merchant in Lincoln County, New Mexico, United States. He competed with the Irish Catholic merchants, lawmen, and politicians who ran the town of Li ...

, which sparked the conflict. Coe was present in the

Gunfight of Blazer's Mills The Gunfight at Blazer's Mill (April 4, 1878) was a shootout between what were known as the Lincoln County Regulators and buffalo hunter Buckshot Roberts. The gunfight The Regulators, including Billy the Kid, Charlie Bowdre, and led by Richard ...

in which

Buckshot Roberts Andrew L. "Buckshot" Roberts (1831 – April 5, 1878) was an American buffalo hunter, frontiersman and cowboy whose last stand against the Lincoln County Regulators during the Gunfight of Blazer's Mills near Lincoln, New Mexico is a part of fr ...

was killed by the Regulators. It is reported that he had attempted to convince Roberts to surrender before the shooting started. His cousin George supposedly fired the fatal shot, although that is disputed. Fellow Regulators

, John Middleton, William H. "Billy the Kid" Bonney, and Scurlock were wounded in the shootout, while their leader, Dick Brewer, was killed.

Arrest

Frank Coe was captured on April 29, 1878, by a

posse Posse is a shortened form of posse comitatus, a group of people summoned to assist law enforcement. The term is also used colloquially to mean a group of friends or associates. Posse may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Posse'' (1975 ...

led by

, that included members of both the Evans gang and the

Seven Rivers Warriors The Seven Rivers Warriors was an outlaw gang of the Old West known primarily due to its part in the Pecos War and the Lincoln County War. Formation The gang was initially formed during the mid-1870s by disgruntled small ranchers, feeling themse ...

. During the capture, Regulator

Frank McNab Frank McNab (or MacNab) (died 1878) was a member of the Regulators who fought on behalf of John Tunstall during the Lincoln County War. Of Scottish origin, McNab was a "cattle detective" who worked for Hunter, Evans, & Company, which was managed ...

was killed, and Saunders was badly wounded. Coe escaped sometime prior to the Battle of Lincoln which occurred in July of that year.

Later Years

After the Lincoln County War ended Coe left New Mexico, living for a time in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

and

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

. He returned in 1884, and bought a ranch where he lived the remainder of his life. Between his departure and return he had been arrested in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...

for the murder of Roberts. It was determined, however, that he had been mistaken for his cousin George. In 1880 he was suspected of taking part in another

lynching Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, punish a convicted transgressor, or intimidate people. It can also be an ex ...

, but was never charged. He and his wife, Helena Anne Tully, lived together for fifty years and raised six children.

1898 Murder Charge

In October 1898, Frank Coe shot and killed Irvine Lesnet, who was dating Coe's 16-year-old daughter, Sydney (1882-1955). After about 18 months of court proceedings and trials, Coe was acquitted of the murder charge.

Death

Coe died September 16, 1931, in Lincoln County.

References

External links

A Loyal Regulator
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coe, Frank 1851 births 1931 deaths Cowboys Gunslingers of the American Old West Outlaws of the American Old West People of the New Mexico Territory Lincoln County Wars American vigilantes Place of birth unknown