The Horrell Brothers | The First Lincoln County War & Their Feud with Pink Higgins

In this deep dive, we explore the violent and often overlooked story of the Horrell Brothers—a family whose actions helped ignite one of the bloodiest chapters on the Texas and New Mexico frontier, years before Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War became household names.From Lampasas County, Texas, to Lincoln County, New Mexico, this episode traces a brutal trail of gunfights, ambushes, cattle theft, frontier justice, and full-scale feuds. We break down the Horrell War in New Mexico, the deadly shootouts with lawmen, and the escalating conflict with Pink Higgins that turned neighbors into enemies and towns into battlefields. Using firsthand accounts, period newspapers, and historical records, this episode examines how weak law, personal grudges, and reputation fueled a war before the war—and why the Horrell Brothers became symbols of how quickly violence could spiral out of control in the Old West.This has to be one of my favorite episodes I have ever done and I really hope y'all enjoy it! God Bless!#WildWest #OldWestHistory #TheHorrellBrothers #LincolnCountyWar #FrontierJustice #TexasHistory #NewMexicoHistory #WesternHistory #Gunfights #Outlaws #Feuds #CattleWars #BeforeBillyTheKid #TrueWest #ForgottenHistorySources for Research;https://www.legendsofamerica.com/tx-horrellbrothers/https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/horrell-higgins-feud By; C.L. Sonnichsenhttps://www.truewestmagazine.com/article/the-horrell-brothers-revenge/ Article by Mark Boardman https://www.nmlincolncountyhistoricalsociety.com/horrellwar By Walter Earl Pittmanhttps://digitalrepository.unm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1703&context=nmhr The Horrell War By PJ RaschThe Story of the Outlaw By; Emerson Hough Silver City Mining Life 20 December, 1873Santa Fe Weekly New Mexican January 26, 1869Journal of the Senate of Texas By F.L. Britton to Edmund J. Davishttps://www.truewestmagazine.com/article/bold-and-lethal/ Article by Kenyon BennettSources for PhotosLincoln, New MexicoWatson House. Courtesy of Palace of the Governors Photo Archives (NMHM/DCA), No. 105473Photos of Martin & SamuelPhotos of Mark & Wash ShortFind a GraveAll photos of LampasasFrom Lampasas County Museum; https://www.lampasas.org/246/History-of-Lampasas“Cattle Rustlers” by Frederic Remingtonhttps://centerofthewest.org/catalogs/remington/?view_id=3051 Edmund J. Davishttps://txfgm.org/governors/edmund-j-davis-1870-1874/ F.L. Brittonhttps://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/britton-frank-l Travis County Jail1876 Travis County Jail, jailor’s residence, and Courthouse Photo No. C00610b, Austin History Center, Austin Public Library https://traviscountyhistory.org/online-exhibits/law-and-lawlessness/ Georgetown Jailhttps://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth497012/ Fort Stantonhttps://www.legendsofamerica.com/nm-fortstanton/