Richard M. Brewer
| Dick Brewer | |
|---|---|
Brewer, circa 1875
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| Born |
Richard Brewer February 19, 1850 St. Albans, Vermont |
| Died | April 4, 1878 (aged 28) Blazer's Mills, New Mexico |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wound from Buckshot Roberts during the Gunfight of Blazer's Mills |
| Resting place | Blazer Cemetery, Mescalero, Otero County, New Mexico |
| Occupation | Cowboy, lawman |
| Parent(s) |
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Richard M. "Dick" Brewer (February 19, 1850 – April 4, 1878), was an American cowboy and Lincoln County, New Mexico, lawman. He was the founding leader of the Regulators, a deputized posse who fought in the Lincoln County War.
Brewer was born in St. Albans, Vermont. At the age of four, he and his family moved to Boaz, Wisconsin. Brewer moved on to Missouri before arriving in Lincoln County, New Mexico. Brewer tried farming as a profession, and he bought a farm in Lincoln County with this in mind. In the spring of 1871, Brewer began working for Lawrence Murphy, but soon left that job. By 1876, he was working as a cattle foreman for cattleman John Tunstall, owner of one of the largest farms in the area.
On February 18, 1878, Tunstall was murdered. After Tunstall's murder, a posse was deputized to serve arrest warrants on his killers, with Brewer chosen to lead the posse. The Regulators originated from that posse, and included Billy the Kid and Jose Chavez y Chavez.
Dick Brewer established a bond of friendship with Billy the Kid, Chavez and the rest of Billy the Kid's gang, and he was often accompanied by gang members. Being one of the founders of the Regulators, Brewer sometimes assumed a leadership role when around Billy, Chavez and the rest of their company, and was the first leader of the Regulators during the early stages of the Lincoln County War. The pair remained friends until Brewer's death, and evidently he followed Brewer's lead. Brewer was the most mature of the group, by all accounts, and the rest of the Regulators accepted him in that role.
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