George W. Hindman (died April 1, 1878) was a 19th-century American

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 ...

and law enforcement officer serving as a

deputy 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 ...

Lincoln County, New Mexico Lincoln County is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, the population was 20,497. Its county seat is Carrizozo, while its largest community is Ruidoso. History Lincoln County was named in honor of President Abrah ...

, during the early months of 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 ...

. He was one of several men who murdered rancher

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 Lin ...

and was later hunted down by

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 ...

and 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 ...

and killed.

Biography

Hindman was born in

County Cavan, Ireland County Cavan ( ; gle, Contae an Chabháin) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is base ...

and moved to the United States at a young age, eventually ending up in Texas where he worked for several years. Arriving in the

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 ...

from Texas in 1875, the former cowboy was eventually hired on as a deputy sheriff in

. He was part of the posse who gunned down

, a local rancher and merchant who was a chief rival of Murphy and Dolan, on February 18, 1878. The posse included William Morton, Jessie Evans, Frank Barker, Thomas Hill, J.J. Dolan and several others. He had been one of thirteen men selected by Morton that afternoon to go after Tunstall and his ranch hands under the suspicion of stealing horses from the Murphy-Dolan faction. Only a week earlier, he had helped fellow deputy sheriff Jacob B. Matthews, John Hurley, Manuel Segovia and Andrew L. Roberts in capturing the horses and cattle in the upper Rio Feliz-area owned by Tunstall and McSween. On April 1 he was walking towards the Lincoln courthouse with Dad Peppin, Billy Matthews and Sheriff William J. Brady when they were ambushed from behind the corral wall of the Tunstall & McSween store and residence by Billy the Kid and half a dozen of his Regulators including Jim French,

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 b ...

, John Middleton,

Fred Waite Frederick Tecumseh "Dash" Waite, occasionally spelled Fred WayteOtero, Miguel Antonio (1936). ''The Real Billy the Kid with new light on the Lincoln County War,'' Rufus Rockwell Wilson, New York, p.46 (born September 23, 1853 – September 2 ...

, Henry Brown and possibly Robert A. Widenmann. After Brady was gunned down, Hindman ran nearly a hundred and fifty yards down the street before he was cut down as well, shot in the back by Frank McNab reportedly. No one attempted to get to Hindman as he lay dying in the street until local saloon-keeper

Ike Stockton Ike or IKE may refer to: People * Ike (given name), a list of people with the name or nickname * Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II and President of the United States Surname * ...

finally brought him some water which he carried in his hat. Stockton stayed with him only a short while as Hindman died from his wounds moments later.Garrett, Pat F. ''

The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid ''The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid, The Noted Desperado of the Southwest'' is a biography and partly first-hand account written by Pat Garrett, sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico, in collaboration with a ghostwriter, Marshall Ashmun "Ash" ...

''. Santa Fe: Sunstone Press, 2007. (pg. 78-80) Their bodies remaining in the street for several hours, he was later buried with Brady on the sheriff's ranch a few miles east of Lincoln.

References

External links

Officer Down Memorial Page: Deputy Sheriff George Hindman, Lincoln County Sheriff's DepartmentGeorge Hindman
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hindman, George W. American deputy sheriffs Assassinated police officers Lawmen of the American Old West People of the New Mexico Territory People murdered by law enforcement officers in the United States Year of birth missing 1878 deaths Lincoln County Wars People from Lincoln County, New Mexico People from Texas Cowboys People from County Cavan