Billy the Kid-era historical documents to be returned to New Mexico

Probate documents snatched from a scheduled auction in Arizona earlier this year – days before they could have been lost to private collectors – will be coming home to New Mexico, but Lincoln County’s attorney worries they may not make it all the way back to their place of origin: the county clerk’s office. County Manager Nita Taylor reminded commissioners that in January, the clerk’s office found out more than a dozen county probate documents were slated to be auctioned in Mesa, Ariz., as part of the Robert G. McCubbin collection of Western memorabilia. County representatives began working with the McCubbin family to reclaim the documents and family members agreed to donate the historical papers to the county and the state of New Mexico, she said. 12:02am RUIDOSO – Probate documents snatched from a scheduled auction in Arizona earlier this year – days before they could have been lost to private collectors – will be coming home to New Mexico, but Lincoln County’s attorney worries they may not make it all the way back to their place of origin: the county clerk’s office. The old Lincoln County Courthouse in Lincoln later served as the jail to hold Billy the Kid, but he escaped after killing two lawmen. Bullet holes are preserved in a wall. (Ruidoso News photo) County Manager Nita Taylor reminded commissioners that in January, the clerk’s office found out more than a dozen county probate documents were slated to be auctioned in Mesa, Ariz., as part of the Robert G. McCubbin collection of Western memorabilia. County representatives began working with the McCubbin family to reclaim the documents and family members agreed to donate the historical papers to the county and the state of New Mexico, she said. “We went to auction company and they pulled them from the auction,” County Attorney Alan Morel said. “This is a draft (of a mutual release and agreement).” The documents include several items involving names central to the Lincoln County War in 1878 that spawned the outlaw Billy the Kid, such as handwritten claims against the estate of Alexander McSween; five related to the estate of J.H. “John” Tunstall; and others items mentioning Frank Coe, James Bowder, John Middleton and Emil Fritz...MORE