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Susan Hummer was born in Gettysburg on 30th December, 1845. The family moved to Eureka, Kansas, and on 23rd August, 1873 she married Alexander McSween.
The couple moved to Lincoln County in 1875 and soon afterwards McSween did legal work for John Chisum. In 1876 John Tunstall arrived in Lincoln County. The two men became business partners. The activities of these two men upset Lawrence Murphy and James Dolan who had established the Murphy & Dolan mercantile and banking operation.
Dolan attempted to goad Tunstall into a gunfight. Tunstall refused to use violence himself but he did recruit Billy the Kid to help him in his business dispute. On 18th February, 1878, Tunstall was killed by William Morton, Jesse Evans and Tom Hill. This incident started the Lincoln County War.
Billy the Kid joined the Regulators, a group that supported Alexander McSween. It was claimed that Tunstall had been murdered on the orders of Lawrence Murphy and James Dolan. Over the next few months the Regulators killed Sheriff William Brady, George Hindman, William Morton, Buckshot Roberts and others who they claimed they had been involved in the killing of John Tunstall.
On 19th July, 1878, McSween and his supporters, including Billy the Kid, were besieged by Sheriff George Peppin and a group of his men. McSween's house was set on fire and several people were shot dead as they came out of the house. This included Alexander McSween. No one was ever convicted of his murder.
Susan McSween hired Huston Chapman as her attorney after her husband was killed. Chapman was murdered on 18th February, 1879. James Dolan was accused of the murder but with the help of powerful friends, the case against him was dropped.
She was determined not to be frightened away and with the remains of her husband's money she purchased a ranch in the Three Rivers area. Eventually she owned 3,000 head of cattle. In 1917 she sold her ranch to Albert Fall.
Susan McSween died in White Oaks on 3rd January, 1931.
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