Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Cowboys Get Owned...!

Sometimes we can learn from history and sometimes we don't! We should remember that there will always be good and bad on both sides.

All my early life, I was taught that the worse thing to do in any fight was to start trouble in someone else's home turf. I always thought that was good advice. It might have served these cowboys better to have followed that as well!

Dec 1, 1884:
Elfego Baca battles Anglo cowboys

Elfego Baca, legendary defender of southwestern Hispanos, manages to hold off a gang of 80 cowboys who are determined to kill him.

The trouble began the previous day, when Baca arrested Charles McCarthy, a cowboy who fired five shots at him in a Frisco (now Reserve), New Mexico, saloon. For months, a vicious band of Texan cowboys had terrorized the Hispanos of Frisco, brutally castrating one young Mexican man and using another for target practice. Outraged by these abuses, Baca gained a commission as deputy sheriff to try to end the terror. His arrest of McCarthy served notice to other Anglo cowboys that further abuses of the Hispanos would not be tolerated.

The Texans, however, were not easily intimidated. The morning after McCarthy's arrest, a group of about 80 cowboys rode into town to free McCarthy and make an example of Baca for all Mexicans. Baca gathered the women and children of the town in a church for their safety and prepared to make a stand. When he saw how outnumbered he was, Baca retreated to an adobe house, where he killed one attacker and wounded several others. The irate cowboys peppered Baca's tiny hideout with bullets, firing about 400 rounds into the flimsy structure. As night fell, they assumed they had killed the defiant deputy sheriff, but the next morning they awoke to the smell of beef stew and tortillas--Baca was fixing his breakfast.

A short while later, two lawmen and several of Baca's friends came to his aid, and the cowboys retreated. Baca turned himself over to the officers, and he was charged with the murder of one of the cowboys. In his trial in Albuquerque, the jury found Baca not guilty because he had acted in self-defense, and he was released to a hero's welcome among the Hispanos of New Mexico. Baca was adored because he had taken a stand against the abusive and racist Anglo newcomers. Hugely popular, Baca later enjoyed a successful career as a lawyer, private detective, and politician in Albuquerque.

Things are not always what they seems. We tend to forget that sometimes the apparent good guys aren't, and that the under dog can sometimes turn out the winner!

Coffee in the kitchen again this morning. I'm hoping for some sunshine to warm things up a tad!

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Cowboys looks very rough and tough, but I always think is that true. May be but hope I also to as them.


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Chickenmom said...

Good story, Mr. Hermit - glad the good guy finished first.
Let me borrow your stove and I'll make french toast for all!

linda m said...

I think Hollywood has tainted our concept of the cowboy. Not all were like they are portrayed. Glad the good guy finished first. Very cold here this morning - 9 degrees. Hopefully we don't get anymore snow for a while. Chickenmom, the french toast sounds good.. thanks.

Jim said...

My brother lived in New Mexico and told me New Mexican's were not to fond of Texan's I see why now.

Jim said...

My brother lived in New Mexico and told me New Mexican's were not to fond of Texan's I see why now.

JO said...

Good story this morning, you know I love southwestern history.

The wind is blowing like mad here again and it's 54 but with wind gust of 40mph it sure feels colder. Kitchen coffee sound real good to me, and the French toast sounds really good. Thank you

HermitJim said...

Hey Bruce...
They were rough, without a doubt. Not always as tough as they thought!

Thanks for coming by today!



Hey Phyllis...
Guess that there was some "real justice", even back then!

Thanks for the toast and for coming by today!



Hey Linda M...
I reckon the cowboys were more like us than we thought, in many ways!

Thanks for dropping by today!



Hey Jim...
Given the way some Texans acted then and even now...I can understand that!

Thanks for coming by this morning!



Hey Jo...
I knew that you liked this type of history. Good story for us historians, huh?

Thanks, sweetie, for stopping by today!



Unknown said...

You made me think of the early western movies was all based around Robert Service's "Dangerous Dan McGrew"