Elfego Baca - The Frisco Shootout

The Frisco Shootout

In October, 1884, in the town of Lower San Francisco Plaza (now Reserve, New Mexico), Elfego Baca arrested a drunk cowboy named Charlie McCarty. Baca flashed his badge at McCarty after deputizing himself as a peace officer, and took Charlie's gun. After Bill Milligan, the owner of the bar, refused to press charges, Baca took Charlie hostage.

McCarty's fellow cowboys attempted a peaceful negotiation of his release, but Baca refused and opened fire on the negotiator, the foreman to the Jon Slaughter Ranch, and killed him. Baca took refuge in the house of Geronimo Armijo. After deputies and justices of the peace were brought in from surrounding towns, Baca was forced to bring Charlie back to the Justice of the peace for a trial and, in turn, was provided with assurance of Baca's safety.

Justice of the peace Ted White granted Charlie's freedom. After the verdict, Elfego Baca ran out of the courtroom still in possession of McCarty's gun.

Bert Hearne, a rancher from Spur Lake Ranch, was summoned to bring Baca back to the Justice for questioning in the murder of Jon Slaughter's foreman. After Baca refused to come out of the adobe jacal, Hearne broke down the door and ordered Baca to come out with his hands up. Not soon after that, shots volleyed from the jacal and hit Hearne in the stomach, resulting in his death.

A standoff with the cowboys ensued. The number of cowboys that gathered has been disputed, with villagers at the scene reporting about forty were present, while Elfego himself later claiming there had been at least eighty. Allegedly, the cowboys fired more than 4,000 shots into the house, until the adobe building was full of holes. Incredibly, not one of the bullets struck Baca. (The floor of the home is said to have been slightly lower than ground level; thus Baca was able to escape injury.)

During the siege, Baca shot and killed four of his attackers and wounded eight others. After about 33 hours, and roughly 1,000 rounds of open fire, the battle ended when Francisquito Naranjo convinced Baca to surrender. When they left, Baca walked out of the house unharmed.

In May 1885, Baca was charged with murder for the death of Jon Slaughter's foreman and Bert Hearne. He was jailed to await his trial. In August 1885, Baca was acquitted after the door of Armijo’s house was entered as evidence. It had more than 400 bullet holes in it. The incident became known as the Frisco Shootout. Rumor has it that Elfego Baca's defense attorney had false documentation proving Baca's legal deputization because Baca's biography suggests he deputized himself just before the arrest of Charlie McCarty.