Jose Chavez y Chavez

Chavez in 1909

Jose Chavez y Chavez (* 1851 in Ceboleta, New Mexico , † 1924 ) was an American cowboy of Indian descent. He was part of the gang of regulators around Billy the Kid and took part in the Lincoln County Cattle War.

Life

Chavez y Chavez was one of the few Indians who “switched sides”: he lived and worked as a cowboy and dressed like that. Nonetheless, he was proud of his parentage and, to some extent, continued to feel committed to the beliefs and traditions of his people.

Chavez y Chavez allied with Billy the Kid in his twenties. After some minor robberies and other crimes, he proved to be a very useful member of the gang. Along with Billy and other members of the group, Chavez y Chavez took part in the Lincoln County Cattle War from 1878 to 1879 .

Chavez y Chavez met Billy the Kid, Jim French, Fred Waite, Charlie Bowdre and John Middleton after he decided to join the Tunstall-McSween group in their argument against the Murphy-Dolan Store Company.

Within the Tunstall-McSween group, another group emerged that tried to marginalize the Murphy-Dolan group. They came to be known as the " regulators " and consisted of 45 armed men, including Chavez y Chavez. Some Regulatory membership experiences brought Chavez y Chavez, Billy the Kid, and his other friends closer together.

On February 17, 1878, John Tunstall was murdered. On April 1 of the same year, Billy the Kid and his gang killed Lincoln City Sheriff Brady, who was working with the Murphy Dolan group. Chavez y Chavez attributed this murder to himself.

Eventually more murders ensued on both sides, followed by the burning of McSween's house. Fourteen people lived here, including McSween and his wife, and twelve cowboys. Six people were killed in the fire, but every member of the Billy the Kid gang was able to escape.

In March 1879, New Mexico Governor Lew Wallace launched a fight against crime in his state. One of his priorities was to end the continuing war between the Tunstall-McSween and Dolan supporters. As a result of this project he founded the "Lincoln County Mounted Rifles", a group that Chavez y Chavez also joined. The " Mounted Rifles " could not achieve their goal and lasted for about three months. Chavez y Chavez never left Billy and his gang during this time either.

Working alongside Billy the Kid , Chavez y Chavez tried to convince the court that the army was responsible for the burning down of McSween's house and the deaths associated with it. But the court did not believe this statement and Billy was killed after a successful escape attempt by Pat Garrett in Fort Sumner on July 14, 1881.

Jose Chavez y Chavez lost all footing after Billy's death and traveled aimlessly across the American Southwest. He reached Las Vegas, New Mexico, just as Robert Ford , the alleged murderer of Jesse James , was there. Legends claim that they met for a shooting game , and that Ford was so impressed with Chavez's rifle skills that he fled when Chavez challenged him to a duel.

A short time later, Chavez y Chavez became a police officer, but he was allegedly unable to leave his life as a desperado behind. He made friends with Vincent Silvas and his affiliated gangs. The white caps were associated with terrorism by the public and the Bandits Society functioned like the mafia of today. They tried to drive people off of their property and took their property for their own profit.

Vincent Silvas ordered the murder of Patricio Maes , carried out on October 22, 1892 by Chavez y Chavez, Eugenio Alarid and Julian Trujillo. In February 1893 the group killed Gabriel Sandoval , Silvas' brother-in-law. But Sandoval's death fell back on Silvas when his wife worried about her brother's whereabouts. When Silvas commissioned the murder of his wife Chavez y Chavez, Alarid and Trujillo, they worried about Silvas' state of mind. They decided to kill Silvas while they were digging the grave for his wife. When Silvas was carrying his wife to the grave, the three killed Vincent Silvas and buried him and his wife.

In 1894, several men were arrested and charged in connection with Patricio Maes' murder. Chavez y Chavez managed to escape, but was caught on May 26th. The jury found him guilty and sentenced him to the death penalty . He was also sentenced to death on appeal. The decision was later overturned by a new New Mexico governor . With the pardon, the governor promised to advertise himself on the one hand, and on the other hand, Chavez y Chavez's death at that time would have created enormous public pressure on the government.

While in prison, Chavez y Chavez helped the police. On January 11, 1909, that collaboration paid off, and New Mexico's governor, George Curry, granted Chavez y Chavez's pardon. Chavez's last 15 years have been relatively calm. He died of natural causes at his home in 1924 with a friend by his side.

Film adaptations (selection)

Jose Chavez y Chavez is played by Lou Diamond Phillips in the films Young Guns (1988) and Young Guns II - Blaze of Glory (1990) .

Web links

• biography