John Chisum
John Chisum (born August 15, 1824 in Madison County , Tennessee , † December 20, 1884 in Eureka Springs , Arkansas ) was an American cattle baron and landowner.
He gained fame primarily through his participation in the Lincoln County Cattle War. He is also considered a pioneer in the development of the Great Plains .
Life
Chisum grew up in Madison County until the family moved to Texas in 1837 . There he began to work as a building contractor and also served as a civil servant for Lamar County .
Chisum began to raise cattle in 1854. He was among the first to herd their herds into the open pastures of the Llano Estacado in New Mexico . Chisum bought a piece of land on the Pecos River and was able to grow his herd to 100,000 cattle.
He became the partner of Alexander McSween and John H. Tunstall, who formed the antithesis of the Murphy-Dolan Store Company controlled by the Santa Fe Ring in the Lincoln County Cattle War . However, Chisum's exact role in this bloody regional economic war is unknown.
The Lincoln County Cattle War
The central person and the victim of the cattle war was Billy the Kid , who - after he came to Lincoln County from New Mexico - first found work at Chisum and was then hired by John Tunstall. After Lewis Wallace was named governor of New Mexico towards the end of the conflict, he issued an amnesty for all concerned. Billy the Kid, however, was about to be arrested for the murder of Sheriff William Brady.
Billy escaped and turned to Chisum. He asked for 500 dollars still owed him Chisum. However, since the latter refused to pay Billy the money, Billy threatened to steal Chisum's cattle until he had the equivalent of the debt claimed. Billy the Kid and his gang began stealing cattle from Chisum and other breeders shortly thereafter, becoming a nuisance to the entire county.
In 1880, Chisum supported Pat Garrett in his election to Lincoln County Sheriff. Garrett immediately began the hunt for Billy the Kid and his accomplices, of whom he shot two and arrested Billy and two others.
John Chisum died on December 20, 1884 in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Chisum was unmarried and left his property, then valued at $ 500,000, to his brothers.
Others
In the Western Chisum , which was filmed in 1970 by director Andrew V. McLaglen , the cattle wars mentioned are part of the action and depict part of the country wars in Lincoln County .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Chisum (1970) - IMDb. In: imdb.com. Retrieved June 8, 2015 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Chisum, John |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American cattle baron |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 15, 1824 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Madison County , Tennessee |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 20, 1884 |
| Place of death | Eureka Springs , Arkansas |