Frank Coe (Lincoln County War)
| Frank Coe | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 1, 1851 Marshall County, West Virginia |
| Died | September 16, 1931 (aged 79) Lincoln County, New Mexico |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1871–1880 |
Frank Coe (1851–1931) was an Old West cowboy, and for a time, gunman in the company of Billy the Kid, as a member of the Lincoln County Regulators.
Benjamin Franklin Coe was born in West Virginia, and ventured to New Mexico Territory in 1871 with his cousin, George Coe, where they would work on the ranch of a cousin. For a time during this period, they lived near Raton, New Mexico. In July, 1876, Coe and Ab Saunders tracked down and killed outlaw Nicas Meras in the Baca Canyon, it is believed due to the latter rustling cattle. On July 18, 1876, Doc Scurlock, Charlie Bowdre, Frank and George Coe, and Ab Saunders broke into the weak Lincoln jail and freed horse thief Jesus Largo from Sheriff Saturnino Baco, then they took Largo outside of town and hanged him.
When the Lincoln County War broke out, Coe joined the Alexander McSween Faction, following the murder of John Tunstall, facing off against Sheriff William J. Brady, and hired gunmen from the Jesse Evans Gang and the John Kinney Gang. He would be present in the Gunfight of Blazer's Mills in which Buckshot Roberts was killed by the Regulators, and had attempted to convince Roberts to surrender before the shooting started. His cousin George supposedly fired the fatal shot, although that has been disputed. Charlie Bowdre, John Middleton, Billy the Kid and Scurlock were wounded in that shootout, with the Regulators leader, Richard "Dick" Brewer being killed.
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