April 2018 36 RANGE WARS MAGNET FOR TOUGH Arizona Cowboy Part 2 Enter the Law John Good buried his son under some Cottonwood trees on his ranch. Just before the burial, a Coroner’s jury convened. It determined that Walter Good came to his death at the hands of Jim Cooper, Oliver Lee, Cherokee Bill Kellam and Tom Tucker. County Sheriff Ascarate had brought some men up several times when requested by fearful citizens but failed to take any action. His deputy in Tularosa, E. C. Rucker, was a close ally of John Good. The men in the Lee/Cooper faction knew they had little chance of getting arrested peacefully by Rucker after the Coroner’s Jury issued its ruling. They headed into hiding in the mountains. Rucker didn’t even pursue them. Instead, he began terrorizing Mrs. Lee and the other women in the Lee faction. They were petrified with fear but Mrs. Lee took all of the women into her home and together they managed to avoid open conflict with Rucker and any of the Good faction. Rucker tried to take them all into Las Cruces for “questioning.” He and his deputies rode onto the Lee ranch and read Mrs. Lee a warrant in Spanish. She would have none of it. She and the other women were not going with Rucker until he secured a warrant in English. Rucker backed off and did not try to take the women in again. Nor did he secure another warrant, if he indeed had one in the first place. Lee Men Plan Surrender The Lee and Cooper men had been trying to get arrested peacefully. They sent word to Sheriff Ascarate that they wanted to surrender to him. They received no reply. Their women continued to be harassed at the Lee ranch by night prowlers, rumors of attack, and Rucker and his men lurking around. Finally, John Cooper and Perry Altman managed to ride into Las Cruces and give themselves up. They were jailed for a few days and then a Grand Jury issued indictments against Cooper, Lee, Tucker, Altman, and Kellman. The indictment allowed Judge Henderson to turn Cooper and Altman loose on $25,000 bond. Cherokee Bill Earhart and Tucker followed Cooper and Lee in giving themselves up. They swore out Writs of Habeas Corpus, were released on $10,000 bail each and freed. You can read Part 1 in the March 2018 Issue of Arizona Real Country Magazine Enough Bloodshed There was one more meeting between the freed Lee/Cooper men and John Good and his men. It occurred when Good and his men were out rounding up their horse herd. They had been riding out three days and were riding back to La Luz. On the road, they encountered Jim Cooper and a group of his friends. Each party saw the other approaching but it was too late to turn away without either party losing face. When the parties came abreast on the road, one of the Good men pulled his Winchester and pointed it at Jim Cooper. Cooper eyed him coldly and said quietly, “Don’t do it.” The man backed off. Another Good man drew his pistol and pointed it at Cooper. As he fired, one of the Good family brought his hand down on the man’s arm and the slug missed. About then, John Good turned in his saddle and bellowed “stop it” at his men. It appeared John Good had enough bloodshed. He invited Ira Cooper, Jim’s brother, to come and stay at La Luz and they would discuss peace. Ira did. The Lee/Cooper faction and the Good’s reconciled after that visit and there were no more clashes between them. Legal maneuvering prevented any of the Lee/ Cooper men from going to trial for the killing of Walter Good. The cases just died in the system in time. Cooper leased his five hundred acre spread at La Luz and moved to Las Cruces. Live in and around Tularosa returned to near normal. Oliver Lee acquired more land and cattle and prospered in the Tularosa area. Tucker stayed with him and worked many years by his side. Tucker’s attraction to range wars was far from satisfied, however. 1893 Drought and Conflict By 1890, Tularosa and the surrounding areas were prospering with bountiful farms and ranches. Then the drought hit and cattle were dying by the droves around dry water holes all across the valley. Lawlessness was on the rise including rustling, brand altering, and shootings. The little ranchers and farmers were struggling to survive and the big ranchers, old entrenched families, and politicians were trying to take advantage of the situation and force them out. The small operators asked Oliver Lee to head up an organization they were forming for their own protection. Lee agreed. Lee Adds Firepower Tom Tucker and Cherokee Bill were still at his side. He added Jim Gililland and Bill McNew to his inner circle. McNew had married Nettie Fry after she recovered from the murder of George McDonald. McNew was a tough, blue-eyed Texan who had come down from the mountains to work for Lee. Gililland had moved to Tularosa recently from the cattle ranges of central Texas. Both McNew and Gililland were hardened fighters and supplemented Tucker and Cherokee Bill in Lee’s inner circle. Tucker missed one shootout that Lee and McNew were involved in. The scene was near El Paso, close to the border. Lee and McNew had tracked a herd of missing Lee cattle for several days. When they caught up with the cows, two cowboys were casually moving them towards the Rio Grande which was low at the continued on page 39 The Coroner’s jury determined that Walter Good came to his death at the hands of Jim Cooper, Oliver Lee (pictured), Cherokee Bill Kellam and Tom Tucker