Sheriff William Brady

Sheriff William Brady served as the powerful lawman of Lincoln County during one of the most turbulent times in the American frontier. Known for his association with the Murphy-Dolan faction, Brady played a central role in the events leading up to the Lincoln County War — a conflict that would pit him directly against Billy the Kid and the Regulators.

On April 1st, 1878, Brady was ambushed and killed in the streets of Lincoln by the Regulators. His death marked a turning point in the Lincoln County War and remains one of the most infamous shootouts in New Mexico history.

🎬 Watch the Face-Off

📜 Legacy

Though remembered by some as a lawman keeping order, others see Brady as an enforcer of corruption. His legacy remains controversial — a man caught between duty, politics, and the gunfire of a rising legend.

🔗 Related Pages:

• • Billy the Kid
  • Lincoln County War

🪶 Full Biography of Sheriff William Brady (1829–1878)

📍 Early Life & Military Career

• Born: August 16, 1829, in County Cavan, Ireland.

• Immigrated to the U.S.: Date uncertain, but likely before or during the Mexican-American War.

• Military Service:

  • Served in the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War (1846–1848).

  • Re-enlisted during the Civil War, eventually becoming Captain of Company A, 1st New Mexico Cavalry, under Kit Carson.

  • He participated in campaigns against Confederate forces in the Southwest and later in actions against various Indigenous groups.

🛡️ Post-War Life & Law Enforcement

• After the war, Brady settled in Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory.

• He was awarded a land patent in the area and became a prominent rancher and landholder.

• By the 1870s, he was appointed Sheriff of Lincoln County.

• His role soon became entangled with one of the most infamous power struggles in Western history: The Lincoln County War.

🤝 Ties to Murphy & Dolan

• Brady was politically and financially aligned with Lawrence Murphy and James J. Dolan, who operated a corrupt monopoly known locally as “The House.”

• He used his power as sheriff to favor Murphy & Dolan, protect their property, and arrest their business rivals.

• This included harassment of the John Tunstall–Alexander McSween faction, who opposed Murphy’s monopoly and had begun their own business ventures.

💥 The Lincoln County War

• When John Tunstall was murdered on February 18, 1878, it ignited the Lincoln County War.

• The Regulators — a group formed to avenge Tunstall — blamed Brady directly for being complicit in the killing.

• Brady issued arrest warrants for Regulators and became a central enemy of Billy the Kid and others.

⚰️ Brady’s Death (April 1, 1878)

• On the morning of April 1, 1878, Brady and four deputies walked down the main street of Lincoln, unaware that Billy the Kid and several Regulators were waiting in ambush behind an adobe wall near the Tunstall store.

• The Regulators opened fire. Brady was hit multiple times and killed instantly, along with Deputy George Hindman.

• Billy the Kid briefly ran out to retrieve a letter from Brady’s body (possibly a warrant), and was wounded in the thigh during the escape.

• Brady’s death marked a major escalation in the war and symbolized the breakdown of law and order in Lincoln County.

🪦 Burial

• Buried: On his ranch east of Lincoln.

  • A military marker now stands over his grave:
    “Capt. Wm. Brady, Co. A, 1 N.Mex. Cav.”

📜 Legacy

• Brady is remembered as a symbol of law twisted by political power.

• To some, he was a loyal public servant; to others, a corrupt tool of the Murphy-Dolan machine.

• His death at the hands of Billy the Kid cemented both men’s roles in the legend of the Old West.

🔗 Related Figures

• Billy the Kid – Regulator who helped ambush Brady

• John Tunstall – Rancher whose murder sparked the war

• Lawrence Murphy & James Dolan – Businessmen tied to Brady

• Alexander McSween – Tunstall’s partner and legal target of Brady