Jose Chavez y Chavez

Jose Chavez y Chavez
Born	1851 (1851)
Died	1924 (aged 72–73)

Jose Chavez y Chavez (1851–1924) was an outlaw from the New Mexican Territory, present day U.S. state of New Mexico. He was said to be of Spanish-Native American ancestry. Chavez y Chavez became an outlaw at a relatively young age when he joined the Lincoln County Regulators.

Chavez y Chavez joined the Lincoln County Regulators in his twenties, having already committed a number of small robberies and other crimes. Chavez y Chavez would prove useful to Billy the Kid's gang. Together with Billy The Kid, Doc Scurlock, Charlie Bowdre and the rest of the Regulators.Chavez y Chavez engaged in the Lincoln County War that lasted from 1878 to 1879.

Chavez y Chavez met Billy the Kid, Jim French, Fred Waite, Charlie Bowdre, John Middleton, and Tom O'Folliard after he decided to join the Tunstall-McSween group in their war against the Dolan group. Inside the Tunstall-McSween group, another group was formed, to try to give the Tunstall-McSween group an edge over the Dolans. The "Regulators", as they were known, were 45 gunfighters that included Jose Chavez y Chavez. During some point of his tenure as a member of the Regulators. Chavez became good friends with Billy the Kid and Jim French.

On February 18, 1878, John Tunstall was murdered. On April 1 of the same year, Lincoln sheriff Brady, a Dolan backer, was killed by Billy the Kid's gang, and Chavez y Chavez credited himself with this killing.

Eventually, more killings from both sides followed, leading to the burning of the McSween home on July 19, 1878. Fourteen people lived at the house, including McSween and his wife, as well as twelve cowboys. Six people died in the fire, but every member of Billy the Kid's gang was able to escape.

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