Death Comes to Albuquerque 

Joe Chancellor and the Killing of Marshalls McGuire and Henry - 20 Nov. 1896

Joe Chancellor began life as an outlaw at an early age. Born in 1867 and raised in Texas, by the time his family moved from their home in Ellis County to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1885 Joe was already showing his criminal tendencies. By the fall of that year Chancellor (real name Joe Evans) using the name "Kid" Johnson was already stealing horses in central New Mexico with his new partner Charlie Ross

On Saturday, Nov. 20, 1886, newly appointed town marshal, Michael Robert “Bob” McGuire learned that two cowboys, accused of stealing horses had been seen at Pasqual Cutinola’s dance hall in Martinez Ttown near the northern edge of Albuquerque. Thinking he had proper warrants McGuire took his deputy,  E. D. Henry to the dance hall to attempt an arrest.

On arriving at the dance hall they found that the two young desperados, Charlie Ross and “Kid Johnson,” had already left the premises with two young women.  Those questioned presumed that the foursome had not gone far and were somewhere nearby. Glancing in a window of a small adobe house, about twenty feet south of the dance hall, McGuire and Henry spotted the two men seated at a supper table eating with the two young women, Simona Noya and Terecita Trujillo. The two officers, walking to the closed door of the house formed a simple plan to capture both outlaws. They would throw open the door and, with drawn guns, rush the two, McGuire rushing Johnson, and Henry rushing Ross, thereby capturing them by surprise.

Having just finished eating, Kid Johnson asked for a glass of water. Miss Trujillo picked up a water pitcher and opened the door to fetch water from a nearby well just as the two police officers burst through it. All three, caught by surprise, ended up in a pile of bodies in the doorway. McGuire quickly rose and rushed for Johnson while Henry started after Ross. The two girls, both extremely frightened, dove for safety under the beds. Then the shooting started, Henry shot at Ross, Ross shot at both Henry and McGuire, McGuire shot at Johnson, and Johnson shot wildly in all directions.

When it was all over, Deputy E. D. Henry lay on the floor dead with two bullets to the chest, and one to the leg, McGuire lay in the doorway mortally wounded with two bullet wounds in the side, and another one in his arm. Johnson and Ross fled the scene taking different directions. Johnson wounded slightly in the neck and also in the foot got to his horse first and fled town. Ross, being more severely wounded with a slight wound to the head, and a bullet lodged in his back, made his way to a friend’s home near Old Town and collapsed on the bed.

The next morning, The County Sheriff tracked Ross to Old Town and made an arrest for the murder of Henry and the wounding of McGuire, as McGuire had not yet died. Johnson, having fled town was not able to be tracked and was able to completely escape. Johnson later joined up with an Ox train near the Rio Puerco where he was treated for his wounds before moving on.

Marshal McGuire lived until November 26th when he finally died from his wounds.

Charlie Ross and “Kid” Johnson were never prosecuted for the killings of either McGuire or Henry. “Kid” Johnson whom the Albuquerque Morning Democrat described as “full of cowboy swagger, wears a Chihuahua hat, and wears his pants in his boots,” was never caught nor arrested for this crime, though he did serve two subsequent terms in prison for other crimes. Charlie Ross remained in jail until January 17, 1887, when he escaped with a fellow prisoner Peter Trinkhaus, leaving a note to the Democrat stating in part:” Please write in your paper that hearing there is a reward offered for my partner Johnson that I have gone to find him. Tell the boys not to feel uneasy about my absence as the weather is such that they might take cold, it may be better to stay at home. We’ll turn up in time, and don’t you forget it. [signed] C. Henry Ross with his hair parted in the middle.”

Both Ross and Trinkhaus were captured a few weeks later after attempting to derail and rob a train. In the meantime, the Grand Jury after investigating all of the facts of the shooting, determined that the shooting was in self-defense. McGuire had not obtained a proper warrant, and both McGuire and Henry were disguised in such a way that Ross and Johnson had no idea that they were police officers when they charged in and started shooting.

Once recovered from his wound, "Kid" Johnson, or John "Kid" Johnson as he was sometimes called, who was actually Joe Evans, the son of George W. Evans, the new Colorado & Southern train land agent, once absolved of the killing of McGuire and Henry returned to Albuquerque where he continued to his troublesome ways.

Martinez Town 1898 Suburb of Albuquerque Scene of the Death of Albuquerque City Marshall Robert McGuire, and Deputy E. D. Henry 20 November 1886