Murder on the White Sands: The Disappearance of Albert and Henry Fountain (A.C. Greene Series Book 5)

by Corey Recko

On a cold February evening in 1896, prominent attorney Col. Albert Jennings Fountain and his eight-year-old son Henry rode home across the White Sands of New Mexico. It was a trip the father and son would not complete—they both disappeared in a suspected ambush and murder at the hands of cattle thieves Fountain was prosecuting. The disappearance of Colonel Fountain and his young son resulted in outrage throughout the territory, yet another example of lawlessness that was delaying New Mexico’s progress toward statehood. The sheriff, whose deputies were quickly becoming the prime suspects, did little to solve the mystery. Governor Thornton, eager for action, appointed Pat Garrett as the new sheriff, the man famous for killing Billy the Kid fifteen years earlier. Thornton also called on the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, who assigned top operative John Fraser to assist Garrett with the case. The evidence pointed at three men, former deputies William McNew, James Gililland, and Oliver Lee. These three men, however, were very close with powerful ex-judge, lawyer, and politician Albert B. Fall. It was even said by some that Fall was the mastermind behind the plot to kill Fountain. Forced to wait two years for a change in the political landscape, Garrett finally presented his evidence to the court and secured indictments against the three suspects. Garrett quickly arrested McNew, but Lee and Gililland went into hiding. Lee claimed that Garrett merely wanted to kill him with a warrant for his arrest as an excuse. When both men were tracked down at one of Lee's ranches, Lee and Gililland got the best of the sheriff's posse in the ensuing gun battle, killing one deputy and forcing Garrett and his two remaining deputies to retreat. Lee and Gililland would finally surrender months later, under the condition that they would never be in the custody of Sheriff Garrett. The trial took place in the secluded town of Hillsboro. The murders of the Fountains became an afterthought as the accused men, defended by their attorney Fall, pleaded innocence. Missing witnesses plagued the prosecution, and armed supporters of the defendants, who packed the courtroom, intimidated others. The verdict: not guilty. The bodies of Albert Fountain and his young son Henry still lie in an unmarked grave, the location of which remains a mystery. Corey Recko tells for the first time the complete story of the Fountain case and, through extensive research, reconstructs what really happened to them and who the likely killers were.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

253 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 10, 2007

About the author

Corey Recko's first book, Murder on the White Sands: The Disappearance of Albert and Henry Fountain, won the Wild West History Association's award for the “Best Book on Wild West History.” New Mexico Magazine said of the book, “The story moves along like detective fiction . . . .” Of his second book, A Spy for the Union: The Life and Execution of Timothy Webster, the Civil War News review of the book concluded, “Just about everyone will find something to like in this tale of Civil War espionage that mixes in portions of heroism, intrigue, cowardice and betrayal.” Along with those books and a novel, Death of a Kootch Show Girl, Recko has written articles on a variety of historical topics for websites, magazines, and historical journals, and has become a sought-after speaker (including an appearance on C-SPAN). His latest book, The Colfax County War: Violence and Corruption in Territorial New Mexico, has been sixteen years in the making.

Reviews

[Peg · Rating 5 out of 5]

The result of extensive research and documented references, author Corey Recko investigates the unsolved disappearance of Col Albert Fountain and his young son Henry in the Territory of New Mexico, the last day of January, 1896. Returning home after giving testimony that would surely result in indictments against several men on cattle rusting charges, Fountain and his son are stalked and most certainly murdered near Chalk Hill. Sheriff Pat Garrett, the Pinkerton Detective Agency, Albert B Fall (later known for his part in the Teapot Dome scandal) all play prominent rolls in the aftermath of the alleged crime. At the time NM Territory was so lawless that it didn't qualify for statehood. I was particularly interested in this story because I have just returned from a trip to Otero County and the area where the events occurred. I am always a fan of well-documented research . Author ReCko's efforts are exemplary and his writing reads like a crime novel.

[Florence · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it for work, and loved it. If you like the Billy the Kid period of New Mexico history you will like this book.

[Marieta Grissom · Rating 3 out of 5]

In February 1896 a prominent man and his 8-year-old son disappeared in the White Sands area of southern New Mexico, western Texas and eastern Arizona. In this book Corey Recko details the years-long struggle to find the bodies and to prosecute those responsible. What he uncovered was the extreme lawlessness of the land and the "he said, she said" syndrome which was really, "he said, but he said, next he said, then he said," but possibly no one told the truth or even knew the truth. No one told the same story, and the stories often changed, depending upon who was friends with whom at the time. In the end, no one was held responsible, and the bodies were never found.

So many people were involved that keeping track of them was a monumental task, and when the case went to court, it was unfortunate that the Pinkerton detective was unavailable.

Mr. Recko is to be commended on his phenomenal research and comprehensive explanation of his findings.

[Michael John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although we'll researched, this book rambles and meanders it's way through the incident. There are so many people and personalities involved, that it is hard to keep track of them all. However, it does provide insight into the workings of territorial New Mexico and paints a portrait of the many colorful characters that inhabited the area.

Many of the names mentioned in the book live on in the names of counties: Eddie, Catron, Curry, Otero, etc. It is my firm belief, and this book seems to confirm it, that if you research most things named after people in New Mexico, you will find a crook or swindler behind them.

The Sierra County courthouse is in ruins. Most of the places that are actually mentioned in the events leading up to the murder are off limits on military land. The bodies of the Fountains have never been found and there is a high probability that they never will be.

[Etta Kaufman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Difficult to keep track of story.To many people involved in the history.Was difficult to follow story .

[David Elkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed study of the murder of A. Fountain and his son. Recko poured his heart into this book, doing incredible research of original documents. The history of New Mexico is laid out for the reader and the corruption of the politics of Dona Ana county are obvious to see. Nobody really comes out a hero in this one, but the murder of the 8 year old is hard to stomach. The bodies have never been found and the author gives his best guess to what happened and who it was. This is a treat for a history buff of the SW. It might not suit all casual readers and it is very dependent upon the research. The politics at the time was brutal, and so were the solutions. I live in the area and it resonated with me. The 4 is only because the niche it occupies.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1896 Albert Fountain and his eight year old son Henry never made it to their home in Mesilla New Mexico after they left Lincoln New Mexico. Fountain practiced law in Mesilla and his most famous client was Billy the Kid. At the time of their disappearance Albert Fountain had been assisting the prosecution in bringing charges against Oliver M. Lee and William McNew, they along with many others became suspects on disappearance and possible death of Albert and Henry. Albert and Henry's bodies were never found nor was some of their belongings. Book is interesting but part of the book does drag out with word by word court details.

[Katrin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is interesting to New Mexicans in our centennial year of statehood and might be good resource material for the Fountain murders. Its best point is that it illustrates some of the reasons why NM took so long to become a state: the violence and lawlessness that existed here into the late 1800s.
However, the exhaustive research and repetition of material over and over and over made it dull reading.
K.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really well researched.