Leon Metz: Irishman built empire on rustling of cattle

Pat Coghlan, an Irish immigrant who reached American shores in 1845, enlisted in the U.S. Army and was discharged in 1852 at San Antonio, Texas. By 1873, he had migrated to New Mexico territory, settling in Tularosa. By whatever questionable means, Coghlan from then on always had plenty of cash. He built a substantial adobe house with walls three feet thick, all the whle obsessively persisting in efforts to acquire additional land and cattle. And as his empire expanded, he ruled over it with an iron fist and -- for a while -- with legal impunity. So while it lasted, Coghlan was "King of the Tularosa," a name bestowed upon him by local and regional newspapers. With headquarters at both Tularosa and Three Rivers, including property that included a saloon, store, town lots and ranches -- plus herds of cattle -- Coghlan lived what might be called the good life. He smoked fine cigars, drank aged whiskey, always had plenty of cash, raced pure-bred horses and took occasional trips to California and Ireland. But Coghlan's primary business involved stolen cattle. A recently arrived New Yorker named Henry McCarty, a young man soon going by the name of Billy the Kid and whose age would not have been 21 but closer to 25. Well, the Kid became one of several individuals supplying Coghlan with much of his "imported" beef...more