The Outlaw's Bride (22 page)

F
or my readers who are as interested in the historical portrayal of the Lincoln County War as in the love story of Noah and Isobel Buchanan, I offer this final note.

BILLY BONNEY (alias Billy the Kid)—Escaped from the burning McSween house with several other Regulators just minutes before Alexander McSween was shot. Lived for three more years, during which he engaged in more killings and daring getaways. He was shot to death on the night of July 13, 1881, by Sheriff Pat Garrett, a former friend. Billy was twenty-one years old.

JIMMIE DOLAN—Financially ruined, he brought himself back to power and wealth through an advantageous marriage and several shrewd business moves. Took over the Tunstall Mercantile in Lincoln and the Tunstall ranch on the Rio Feliz. Later served as county treasurer and territorial senator. Died a natural death on February 26, 1898, at age fifty.

SUSAN GATES—Moved to Zuni, New Mexico, with Dr. Taylor Ealy and his family. Taught school to the
Indians there. Married Jose Perea, a young Presbyterian minister. Later moved with her husband to Jemez and then to Corrales, New Mexico, where she became the mother of a son.

TAYLOR AND MARY EALY—Served as missionaries in Zuni, New Mexico, from 1878 to 1881. Returned to Pennsylvania, where Dr. Ealy began a medical practice and a profitable baby powder company. More about the Ealy family can be read in
Missionaries, Outlaws, and Indians,
edited and annotated by Norman J. Bender.

JOHN CHISUM—Returned to Lincoln County after the Seven-Day War. Built a new home, the “Long House,” at South Spring River Ranch. Developed a malignant tumor on his neck. Went to Kansas City and Arkansas for treatment but died in Eureka Springs on December 20, 1884. Buried in Paris, Texas. Read more about John Chisum in
My Girlhood Among Outlaws,
by Lily Klasner.

JUAN PATRÓN—Moved his family to Puerto de Luna, New Mexico, after the Lincoln County War. There he was murdered by hired assassin Mitch Maney on April 9, 1884. Patrón was twenty-nine years old. Maney’s case never went to trial.

SUSAN McSWEEN—Started her own ranching venture in Three Rivers, an area distant from Lincoln. Remarried in 1884. Obtained a divorce in 1891. Became wealthy through skilled management of her vast land and eight thousand head of cattle. Considered “a woman of genius.” Died in 1931 at age eighty-six.

The following books, among others, provide a well-rounded view of the history of the Lincoln County War:

Violence in Lincoln County, 1869-1881,
William A. Keleher

Pat Garrett: The Story of a Western Lawman,
Leon C. Metz

Maurice G. Fulton’s History of the Lincoln County War,
Robert N. Mullin, ed.

John Henry Tunstall,
Frederick W. Nolan

Billy the Kid: A Handbook,
Jon Tuska

Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life,
Robert M. Utley

High Noon in Lincoln: Violence on the Western Frontier,
Robert M. Utley

Merchants, Guns & Money: The Story of Lincoln County and Its Wars,
John P. Wilson

In writing
The Outlaw’s Bride,
I traced the historical events of the Lincoln County War in New Mexico. Except for the fictional participation of Isobel Matas, Noah Buchanan and Rattlesnake Jim Jackson, the characters and the sequence of events are as accurate as I was able to uncover in my research. Although any errors are my own responsibility, I owe my thanks for research assistance and inspiration to Tim Palmer, Terry Koenig, Lynn Koenig, Lowell Nosker, Bob Hart and the Lincoln County Heritage Trust, Jeremy and Cleis Jordan of Casa de Patrón, Father John Elmer, Sylvia Johnson, Nita Harrell and Sue Breisch Johnson.

Deep appreciation goes to my editor, Joan Golan, and my agent, Karen Solem, for their constant support and encouragement.

Dear Reader,

Years ago, I lived in a town near Lincoln, New Mexico. While visiting there, I listened to descendants of the figures in the Lincoln County War talk about their ancestors. It was interesting to hear that some of them viewed Billy the Kid as a murderer without a conscience, while others called him a misguided and misunderstood boy. Some said he had killed dozens of people, others claimed he had lied about those killings and had shot only one or two people.

What is truth? The Lincoln County War is well documented, but even historical documents fail to agree on certain details. As I researched this story, I became increasingly frustrated about who had recorded the truth and who was lying.

Pondering the events, I began to understand one thing in crystal clarity. Jesus expressed it when He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 (New Living Translation)

Jesus is Truth. God the Father is Truth. The Holy Spirit is Truth. Only in Him can we rest from doubt.

When trouble creeps—or bulldozes—into my life, I use the Bible as a filter. When I lay the Word of God over worries, fears, and confusion, the lies are blocked and the truth becomes clear.

Few of us have lived through anything as violent as the Lincoln County War. But we all search for truth. He’s easy to find…just open your Bible!

Blessings,

Catherine Palmer

1. What are Isobel Matas’s primary goals at the start of the story?
   
2. What goals has Noah Buchanan set for his life?
   
3. Is revenge the same as justice? Is there any good reason to seek revenge against an enemy?
   
4. What did God mean when He said, “Vengeance is mine”? How should we understand that statement? How should we act?
   
5. In what ways did Isobel change during the course of the story? Why? How did Noah’s goals change? Why? What role did their Christian faith play in their transformation?
   
6. The Lincoln County War, as it is now known, played out in a small town with little significance in the world. Yet it affected the lives of many people. Why did those on the McSween side feel justified in their actions? How did those on the Dolan side rationalize their behavior?
   
7. Dozens of people died in the conflict. Were any of those deaths justifiable?
   
8. How did Isobel, Sue McSween, Beatriz Patrón, Susan Gates and other women in Lincoln Town behave
   during the conflict? What do you see as the role of women in the Old West? Is it different now?
   
9. Guillermo Pascal offers Isobel the life she has always wanted. What reasons can you give for her decision to turn him down?
   
10. Do you think Noah and Isobel will live happily ever after? Why? Do you think their faith in God is important to their successful future?