Ab Saunders

Ab Saunders (October 14, 1851 – February 5, 1883) was a cowboy and at times gunman best known for his association with Frank McNab, Billy the Kid, Doc Scurlock, Charlie Bowdre, and his cousins Frank and George Coe, when he was a member of the Lincoln County Regulators during the Lincoln County War.

Early move west, cowboy life

Born James Albert Saunders in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, Saunders was called "Ab" for short by those who knew him. Saunders joined his cousins Frank and George Coe in Lincoln County, New Mexico around 1875, after first settling in Colfax County, New Mexico. They all intended to settle and build a ranch together. At the time, the corrupt Santa Fe Ring was in full swing, and in Lincoln businessman and former soldier Lawrence Murphy had a monopoly on business, charging extremely high prices to ranchers and farmers for their goods.

Saunders began working with his cousins on their ranch, and took part in the defending of the herds against cattle rustling. In the Spring of 1876, Saunders, Frank Coe and George Coe met and became friends with Doc Scurlock, Charlie Bowdre, and Dick Brewer. In March of 1876, Billy the Kid, known at the time as either Henry Antrim or William H. Bonney, began working at a cheese factory owned by Doc Scurlock and Charlie Bowdre. Through them, he met Ab Saunders and the Coes.

In July 1876, Frank Coe and Ab Saunders tracked down cattle rustler Nicas Meras, shooting and killing him in the Baca Canyon. That same month, on July 18, 1876, Saunders, Frank Coe, Doc Scurlock, George Coe and Charlie Bowdre broke into the Lincoln jail, freeing horse thief Jesus Largo from Sheriff Saturnino Baca. They then took Largo outside of town and hanged him. When Bonney was fired by rancher Henry Hooker, he began working as a cowboy for Saunders and the Coes.

Involvement in the Lincoln County War

Through ranching, Saunders and his cousins became associated with large rancher John Tunstall, who in 1877 with the backing of the powerful John Chisum opened a rival business to the Murphy businesses, with partner Alexander McSween. This enraged Murphy and partner James Dolan, who hired members of both the Jessie Evans Gang and the John Kinney Gang, in addition to the Seven Rivers Warriors to goad Tunstall into a fight. Tunstall, in turn, hired gunmen of his own, to include Saunders, Dick Brewer, Charlie Bowdre, Doc Scurlock, both the Coes, and William Bonney. On February 18, 1878, Tunstall was murdered by Jessie Evans and members of his gang, sparking the Lincoln County War.

Saunder's remained allied with the McSween faction, and became an original member of the "Regulators", formed to counter the corrupt Sheriff's Office of William J. Brady, allied with Dolan-Murphy. On March 6, 1878, the Regulators arrested Bill Morton and Frank Baker, who were present at Tunstall's murder. Three days later Morton, Baker and Regulator William McCloskey were killed by the Regulators at Agua Negra, with McCloskey believed to have betrayed the Regulators. On April 1, 1878, Regulators Jim French, Frank McNab, John Middleton, Fred Waite, Henry Newton Brown, and Billy Bonney shot at the sheriff and his deputies through makeshift portals of the adobe wall they were behind. Bonney was wounded by Deputy Matthews while attempting to recover the rifle taken from him by Brady. Sheriff Brady and Deputy Hindman were killed.

On April 4, 1878, the Gunfight of Blazer's Mills took place, during which Buckshot Roberts was killed, along with Regulator leader Dick Brewer, in addition to Doc Scurlock, John Middleton, Billy the Kid, George Coe and Charlie Bowdre being wounded. Frank McNab was elected as the new leader of the Regulators following Brewer's death. On April 29, 1878, while en route to the Coe Ranch, Ab Saunders, Frank McNab and Frank Coe stopped off at the Fritz Ranch to rest, where they were ambushed by members of the Seven Rivers Warriors. In the ensuing gun battle, McNab was killed and Saunders was shot through the hip and badly wounded, with Frank Coe captured. Due to his injury, Saunders was left behind.

The following day, George Coe, believing his cousin Frank had been killed and knowing that cousin Saunders was wounded, shots and wounded Seven Rivers Warriors member "Dutch Charlie" Kruling in Lincoln. Seven Rivers members Tom Green, Charles Marshall, Jim Patterson and John Galvin were killed that day in Lincoln, and the Regulators were blamed. However, it is believed just as possible that they were killed by other Seven Rivers members, as the gang had a lot of in-fighting among themselves by that point. Saunders, during that time, was just starting his recovery from his wound.

On May 15, 1878, the Regulators stormed Seven Rivers, New Mexico, killing gang member Manuel Segovia, who was believed to have shot and killed Frank McNab. By July, Saunders had made a fair recovery of his wound, but was not present during the Battle of Lincoln, during which Alex McSween was killed. That battle, for all practical purposes, ended the Lincoln County War. Several others would die in the next four years or so due to their involvement in the war, and Saunders moved with Frank and George to Colorado, then moved on to San Francisco, California to have surgery to correct ongoing problems he suffered due to the severe wound received when Frank McNab was killed. He died during the procedure on February 5, 1883.

External links

* [http://www.findbillythekid.net/id23.html Find Billy the Kid Tintypes]
* [http://www.angelfire.com/mi2/billythekid/chronology.html Births of those involved in the Lincoln County War]
* [http://www.angelfire.com/mi2/billythekid/frankcoe.html A Loyal Regulator]
* [http://www.angelfire.com/mi2/billythekid/chronology2.html Chronology of Events Leading up to the Lincoln County War]
* [http://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-gunfighterindex-r-s.html Old West Gunfighter Index]