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

Early life

Murphy was Irish Catholic born in

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...

, Ireland, and as a young adult moved to the United States. He enlisted in the United States Army, from 1851–55, and re-enlisted in 1856. After he was discharged in 1861, he ventured to

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. ...

, and reenlisted once again in the Union Army. He served for the duration of the Civil War, but saw little, if any, combat. He mustered out at Fort Stanton in 1866 and quickly joining the Grand Army of the Republic which united Union Army veterans as auxiliaries of the Republican Party in Reconstruction America. He established relationships with other well-connected G.A.R. members and went into business with German immigrant Emil Fritz. Due to Murphy's connections, the partners immediately began securing military contracts to supply beef, vegetables, and other supplies to the

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

Reservation __NOTOC__ Reservation may refer to: Places Types of places: * Indian reservation, in the United States * Military base, often called reservations * Nature reserve Government and law * Reservation (law), a caveat to a treaty * Reservation in India, ...

. They also hatched schemes to sell land they didn't own to unsuspecting farmers. This, however,was common practice at the time and, in Santa Fe, the capital of the Territory of New Mexico, "a specialized legal profession had grown up around the manipulation of title" to “old Spanish and Mexican land grants."Robert M. Utley (1987), ''High Noon in Lincoln: Violence on the Western Frontier'', University of New Mexico Pres. Page 5. Murphy eventually moved to Lincoln County, New Mexico, and in 1869 he started "L. G. Murphy & Co." In 1873, Murphy hired James Dolan, a fellow Irish Catholic immigrant from Loughrea,

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

. By 1874, Murphy and Dolan had become business partners in a highly profitable mercantile and banking operation. The business saw success mainly due to there being no competition. As a member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

political machine In the politics of Representative democracy, representative democracies, a political machine is a party organization that recruits its members by the use of tangible incentives (such as money or political jobs) and that is characterized by a hig ...

known as the

Santa Fe Ring The Santa Fe Ring was a group of powerful attorneys and land speculators in the United States during the late 19th century and into the early 20th century. It amassed a fortune through political corruption and fraudulent land deals. Many prominen ...

, Murphy also wielded considerable power over law enforcement, as Lincoln County

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 William J. Brady (August 16, 1829 – April 1, 1878) was an American soldier, politician, and law enforcement officer who served as the sheriff of Lincoln County during the Lincoln County Wars in New Mexico, United States. He was murdered in ...

lived on a cattle ranch that he had purchased using money borrowed from Murphy and Dolan's bank.

Lincoln County War

What would become known as the Murphy-Dolan faction charged local farmers and ranchers high prices for their goods, causing them to be resented by many local people. To counter them, rancher John Tunstall and former Murphy-Dolan lawyer Alexander McSween opened a rival business in 1876, called "J. H. Tunstall & Co". The Tunstall-McSween faction had the support of powerful rancher John Chisum, and the business enraged James Dolan. With Murphy's support, Dolan hired gunmen to try to goad Tunstall into a fight, employing the Seven Rivers Warriors, the Jesse Evans Gang and the John Kinney Gang. The gangs began rustling Tunstall's herds or dispersing them which prompted Tunstall to form a gang called the Lincoln County Regulators, which included Dick Brewer, Doc Scurlock, Billy the Kid, and Charlie Bowdre. On February 18, 1878, while Tunstall was alone, he was shot and killed by Jesse Evans, William Morton, Frank Baker and Tom Hill, likely under the orders of Dolan. This event sparked the

, one of the best known range wars. To counter Sheriff Brady's lack of action on the murder, McSween took command of the Regulators, having them legally deputized, and tasked with the apprehension of the murderers. On March 6, 1878, the Regulators captured Morton and Baker. On March 9, 1878, the Regulators executed both men as well as William McCloskey, a fellow Regulator suspected of being a traitor. On April 1, 1878, the Regulators ambushed and murdered Sheriff Brady and Deputy

George W. Hindman George W. Hindman (died April 1, 1878) was a 19th-century American cowboy and law enforcement officer serving as a deputy sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico, during the early months of the Lincoln County War. He was one of several men who murde ...

. This assassination, according to

Robert Marshall Utley Robert Marshall Utley (October 31, 1929 – June 7, 2022) was an American author and historian who wrote sixteen books on the history of the American West. He was a chief historian for the National Park Service. Much of his writing deals with t ...

, had been ordered by McSween, who had learned that the Sheriff was carrying an arrest warrant for him. As the Sheriff lay dead, Billy the Kid ran from the place of ambush in order to remove the arrest warrant from Brady's pocket. Instead, he was driven back and slightly wounded by the gunfire of one of Brady's Deputies. Several other killings following this were committed by both the Regulators and the gunmen employed by Murphy-Dolan. The range war culminated in the Battle of Lincoln from July 15–19, 1878.

Death

By that time Murphy was in poor health, suffering from cancer. He was, by this time, having little to do with the day-to-day activities of his businesses or the gunmen under his employ. He died on October 20, 1878, around the age of 47.

Popular culture

* Murphy was portrayed by Forrest Tucker in the 1970 film '' Chisum''. * Jack Palance portrayed Murphy in the 1988 film '' Young Guns''. Murphy's death was changed to him being killed at the end of the Battle of Lincoln after the Regulators escape. Billy the Kid doubles back and says "Reap it, Murphy, you son of a bitch!" before shooting Murphy between the eyes.

References

External links