Frank McNab (or MacNab) (died 1878) was a member of the

Regulators Regulator may refer to: Technology * Regulator (automatic control), a device that maintains a designated characteristic, as in: ** Battery regulator ** Pressure regulator ** Diving regulator ** Voltage regulator * Regulator (sewer), a control de ...

who fought on behalf of

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 ...

during the

Lincoln County War The Lincoln County War was an Old West conflict between rival factions which began in 1878 in Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory, the predecessor of the state of New Mexico, and continued until 1881. The feud became famous because of the pa ...

. Of Scottish origin, McNab was a "cattle detective" who worked for Hunter, Evans, & Company, which was managed by

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

cattleman

John Chisum John Simpson Chisum (August 16, 1824 – December 23, 1884) was a wealthy cattle baron in the American West in the mid-to-late 19th century. He was born in Hardeman County, Tennessee, and moved with his family to the Republic of Texas in 1837, ...

. McNab's job was to track down those who stole Chisum's cattle. Drifting into Lincoln County from the Texas Panhandle in the mid-1870s, he soon signed on with

, as his rivals, a group of cattlemen and cowboys from the Seven Rivers area of Lincoln County were allied with

Lawrence Murphy Lawrence Gustave Murphy (1831 – October 20, 1878) was an Irish immigrant to the United States, Union Army veteran, Grand Army of the Republic member, Republican Party ward heeler, racketeer, Old West businessman and gunman, and a main i ...

and James Dolan. With Tunstall's murder and the outbreak of war, McNab took a prominent position in the Regulator

chain of command A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. It can be viewed as part of a power structure, in which it is usually seen as the most vulnerable and also the most powerful part. Milit ...

, second only to foreman Richard "Dick" Brewer. McNab, along with other deputized Regulators, captured Dolan gunmen William Morton and Frank Baker. As Morton was believed to have been one of those who killed John Tunstall, his fate looked grim, especially when the Regulators and their prisoners detoured on their way to Lincoln into the Capitan foothills. Although the Regulators were intent on killing Morton and Baker rather than turning them over for trial, one of their number, William McCloskey, was friendly with Morton and tried to talk the Regulators out of killing him. On March 9, 1878, the Regulators made their move along the Blackwater Creek. According to Pat Garrett's biography of

Billy the Kid Billy the Kid (born Henry McCarty; September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), also known by the pseudonym William H. Bonney, was an outlaw and gunfighter of the American Old West, who killed eight men before he was shot and killed at t ...

, McNab shot McCloskey in the head when he tried to stop the imminent execution of Morton and Baker, who then spurred their mounts and tried to escape before being gunned down by Billy the Kid. McNab was one of the triggermen in the killing of Sheriff Brady and his deputy George W. Hindman in Lincoln on April 1, 1878, and was present three days later when they shot it out with

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 ...

. Upon Dick Brewer's death, McNab was elected captain of the Regulators. On April 29, 1878, McNab,

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 ...

, and Frank Coe were on their way to the latter's ranch. Nine miles below Lincoln, they stopped at the Fritz ranch for a break when they were ambushed by Seven Rivers cowboys, and members of the

Jesse Evans Gang The Jesse Evans Gang, also known as The Boys, was a gang of rustlers and robbers led by outlaw and gunman Jesse Evans, which lasted from 1876 until 1880. The gang was formed after Evans broke with the John Kinney Gang. After breaking away, he ...

, all under the direction of newly appointed Sheriff George Peppin. Saunders was shot through the hip. Also wounded, McNab scrambled up a gully and tried to get away until a cowboy named Manuel "Indian" Segovia caught up with him and shotgunned him to death. Frank Coe surrendered after a shouted parley. In the wake of McNab's death,

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 ...

was elected captain of the Regulators.

Posthumous

McNab's death was avenged several weeks later on May 15, when the Regulators invaded the Seven Rivers area and captured Segovia. He made a futile attempt to escape only to be gunned down by

and Josefita Chavez.

References

*''Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life'', by Robert M. Utley, University of Nebraska Press, 1989. * {{DEFAULTSORT:McNab, Frank Cowboys Gunslingers of the American Old West Outlaws of the American Old West People of the New Mexico Territory 1878 deaths Lincoln County Wars American vigilantes Deaths by firearm in New Mexico American people of Scottish descent Place of birth missing Year of birth missing