Oliver M. Lee

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Oliver Milton Lee, known simply as Oliver Lee (October 1865 - 15 December 1941) was a sometimes deputy U.S. marshal, rancher, rustler, land grabber, gunman, and murderer. Oliver Milton Lee was born in Buffalo Gap, Texas, and died in Alamogordo, New Mexico, where, ironically, a state park is named in his honor.

[edit] Early life

Lee lived an eventful life, spending most of it in New Mexico. Little is known about his life prior to his move to New Mexico from Texas. Although known somewhat as a gunman, and having worked as a Deputy US Marshal, he was better known for underhanded business deals and schemes, usually with the goal of taking someones land, or acquiring water rights through force, intimidation, or murder. He was described in the book "Tularosa: Last of the Frontier West" (ISBN 978-0826305619) as being "magnificently muscled, straight as a young pine, catlike in his coordination".

Lee moved into the area from Texas, and quickly became known as being extremely ambitious, moving to acquire any land he thought useful, first with tact, then with intimidation, and eventually with force. He employed several not-too well known gunmen during this time to support him.

On December 26, 1894, Lee confronted, then shot and killed rancher Frank Rochas in a land grabbing scheme, but his connections with local law enforcement prevented his ever being arrested for the crime, citing that he acted in self defense.

[edit] Albert Jennings Fountain murder case

Lee, Jim Gililland and William "Billy" McNew[1] were suspected in the 1896 disappearance and presumed murder of Colonel Albert Jennings Fountain and his young son Henry, dubbed the Albert Jennings Fountain disappearance case. They were pursued in relation to that case by lawman Pat Garrett and a posse, and engaged Garrett and his men in a gunbattle near Alamogordo, resulting in the killing of Deputy Sheriff Kurt Kearney. Garrett and his men retreated, and Lee was later captured by other lawmen, but was acquitted of involvement with the Albert Jennings Fountain case.

His involvement in the case, however, did go deeper than his acquittal would reflect. Due to his land ownings, Fountain was a powerful rival to land owners Lee and Albert Fall. In their employ were smalltime gunmen Billy McNew and Jim Gililland. Fall was well known to have hated Fountain. Lee's association with Albert B. Fall, who was a practicing attorney, began when Fall assisted him during a criminal case. In exchange for Fall's continued assistance in legal matters, Lee and his gunmen terrorized local residents on Fall's behalf, both to obtain land, and to intimidate voters into voting for Fall when need-be. By the late 1890s, Lee was rustling cattle from other cattlemen in the area, then altering the brands to resemble his own.

Fountain, however, showed little fear of the Fall/Lee faction, and challenged them openly in the courts as well as in the political arena. Many factors indicated that Lee was involved in the disappearance and murder of Fountain, but investigators had to battle the local court system and the local law enforcement, all of which were controlled to some extent by Fall. The bodies of Fountain and his young son were never found, which hampered prosecution. Albert Fall defended all three of the men who were eventually charged with the crime. They were Oliver Lee, Jim Gililland, and Billy McNew. Charges against McNew were dismissed, while Lee and Gililland were acquitted. The end result of their prosecution, more than anything else, hinged on there being no bodies.

Albert Fall eventually held political office on the New Mexico state senate. He, however, fell from grace in a later scandal that resulted in his serving time in prison, and the loss of most of his assets. Oliver Lee continued operating his ranches, most acquired through land grab schemes, intimidation and murder, until his own death in 1941.

[edit] Further reading

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