Murder on the White Sands: The Disappearance of Albert and Henry Fountain

Introduction

1฀ Introduction It฀was฀the฀end฀of฀January฀1896฀when฀the฀Grand฀Jury฀adjourned฀ in฀the฀town฀of฀Lincoln,฀Territory฀of฀New฀Mexico.฀Colonel฀Albert฀ Jennings฀ Fountain฀ had฀ just฀ worked฀ to฀ bring฀ indictments฀ against฀ several฀men฀in฀order฀to฀combat฀the฀cattle฀rustling฀that฀ran฀rampant฀ in฀New฀Mexico. ฀ His฀work฀finished,฀Fountain,฀with฀his฀eight-year-old฀son฀Henry฀ who฀was฀along฀for฀the฀trip,฀left฀Lincoln฀on฀the฀thirtieth฀day฀of฀January .฀The฀pair฀headed฀southwest,฀towards฀their฀Mesilla฀home.฀The฀ journey,฀some฀150฀miles,฀would฀take฀three฀days.฀It฀was฀a฀journey฀ that฀the฀father฀and฀son฀would฀not฀complete,฀for฀on฀the฀third฀day฀ they฀disappeared฀near฀the฀White฀Sands,฀an฀area฀known฀for฀mysterious ฀disappearances.฀What฀became฀of฀them฀remains฀one฀of฀New฀ Mexico’s฀greatest฀mysteries. ฀ The฀disappearance฀of฀the฀prominent฀Colonel฀Fountain฀and฀his฀ young฀ son฀ caused฀ outrage฀ throughout฀ the฀ territory.฀ The฀ sheriff,฀ whose฀deputies฀were฀quickly฀becoming฀suspects,฀did฀little฀to฀solve฀ this฀mystery.฀His฀standing฀was฀shaky฀anyway,฀as฀his฀right฀to฀the฀of- fice฀was฀being฀contested฀in฀the฀courts฀due฀to฀charges฀of฀fraud฀in฀ the฀previous฀election.฀The฀governor,฀anxious฀to฀get฀action฀in฀the฀ Fountain฀case,฀sought฀outside฀help. ฀ First฀he฀called฀on฀Pat฀Garrett,฀the฀man฀who฀fifteen฀years฀earlier฀ had฀killed฀Billy฀the฀Kid.฀Then฀he฀brought฀in฀the฀Pinkerton฀National฀ Detective฀Agency,฀who฀sent฀operative฀John฀Fraser.฀What฀Garrett฀ and฀Fraser฀found฀was฀a฀lawless฀land฀torn฀apart฀by฀a฀political฀feud,฀ a฀place฀where฀theft฀and฀murder฀often฀went฀unpunished.฀What฀followed ฀was฀an฀investigation฀that฀put฀the฀lives฀of฀every฀participant฀in฀ danger. ฀ Along฀with฀Pat฀Garrett,฀some฀of฀New฀Mexico’s฀most฀famous฀ citizens฀ were฀ involved฀ in฀ the฀ investigation฀ and฀ subsequent฀ trial.฀ 2฀—฀Murder฀on฀the฀White฀Sands The฀list฀includes฀Albert฀Fall,฀Oliver฀Lee,฀Thomas฀Branigan,฀Miguel฀ Otero,฀and฀Thomas฀B.฀Catron. ฀ Albert฀ Fountain,฀ who฀ was฀ equally฀ loved฀ and฀ hated฀ wherever฀ he฀went,฀had฀been฀a฀reporter,฀Indian฀fighter฀in฀the฀United฀States฀ Army,฀lawyer,฀and฀newspaper฀editor,฀as฀well฀as฀having฀served฀in฀the฀ Texas฀Senate฀and฀New฀Mexico฀legislature,฀the฀former฀of฀which฀he฀ was฀majority฀leader฀and฀the฀latter฀of฀which฀he฀was฀speaker.฀A฀civic฀ and฀political฀leader,฀Colonel฀Fountain฀made฀as฀many฀enemies฀as฀ friends.฀More฀than฀one฀attempt฀was฀made฀on฀his฀life.฀ ฀ The฀ Territory฀ of฀ New฀ Mexico฀ did฀ not฀ become฀ a฀ state฀ until฀ 1912.฀A฀number฀of฀reasons฀contributed฀to฀the฀delay฀of฀New฀Mexico ’s฀acceptance฀into฀the฀Union,฀though฀the฀primary฀reason฀was฀the฀ widespread฀lawlessness.฀Of฀all฀the฀murders฀in฀New฀Mexico฀in฀the฀ years฀preceding฀statehood,฀none฀did฀more฀to฀damage฀the฀territory’s฀ standing฀than฀the฀murder฀of฀the฀Colonel฀Albert฀J.฀Fountain฀and฀his฀ eight-year-old฀son฀Henry. ...