Frisco shootout
The Frisco Shootout was an Old West gunfight that occurred in October,1884, in the town of Lower San Francisco Plaza (now Reserve), Elfego Baca arrested a drunk cowboy named Charlie McCarty. Baca flashed his badge at McCarty after deputizing himself as a peace officer and took Charlie's gun. After Bill Milligan, the owner of the bar, refused to press charges against Charlie, Baca took him hostage. The McCarty's fellow cowboys attempted a peaceful negotiation of his release, but Baca refused and opened fire on the negotiator, the foreman to the Jon Slaughter Ranch, and killed him. Baca took refuge in the house of Geronimo Armijo. After bringing in Deputies and Justices of the peace from surrounding towns, Baca was forced to bring Charlie back to the Justice of the peace for a trial and in turn was the assurance of Baca's safety. Justice of the peace Ted White granted Charlie's freedom. After the verdict, Elfego Baca ran out of the courtroom still in possession of McCarty's gun. Bert Hearne, a rancher from Spur Lake Ranch, was summoned to bring Baca back to the Justice for questioning in the murder of Jon Slaughter's foreman. After Baca refused to come out of the adobe jacal, Hearne broke down the door and commanded Baca come out with his hands up. Not soon after that, shots volleyed from the jacal and hit Hearne in the stomach, resulting in death. A standoff with the cowboys ensued and some 80 cowboys gathered to attack the house. Allegedly, the cowboys fired more than 4,000 shots into the house, until the adobe building looked like Swiss cheese. Incredibly, not one of the bullets struck Baca. (The floor of the home is said to have been slightly lower than ground level; thus Baca was able to escape injury.) During the siege, Baca shot and killed four of his attackers and wounded eight others. After about 33 hours,and roughly 1,000 rounds of open fire, the battle ended when a friend convinced Baca to surrender. When they had left, Baca walked out of the house unharmed.
In May 1885, Baca was charged with murder for the death of the Jon Slaughter's ranch foreman and Bert Hearne. He was jailed to await his trial. In August 1885, Baca was acquitted after the door of Armijo’s house was entered as evidence. It had more than 400 bullet holes in it. The incident became known as the Frisco Shootout. Rumor has it that Elfego Baca's defense attorney had false documentation proving Baca's legal deputization because Baca's biography suggests he deputized himself just before the arrest of Charlie McCarty.
Memorial project
On May 24, 2008 the Elfego Baca Foundation opened a memorial in Reserve, New Mexico in honor of Baca.[1]
References
- ^ "Projects", Catron Concerned Citizens Group. Retrieved 8/24/08.
External links
- Frisco, New Mexico. GhostTowns.com
- Elfego Baca & The “Frisco War”. Legends of America website.
