
Bonnie MacFarlane (1884-) was an American rancher of the Wild West who lived on MacFarlane's Ranch in Hennigan's Stead, Texas during the early 20th century. MacFarlane, although a woman, took care of the day-to-day affairs of the ranch at a young age due to the deaths of five of her six brothers and the estrangement of her only surviving brother, and she managed a large workforce of ranchers on behalf of her father, Drew MacFarlane. She was best known for rescuing the outlaw John Marston after he was shot and left for dead by Bill Williamson's gang outside of Fort Mercer in 1911, and she was soon dragged into the conflict when Williamson's men burned her barn and later kidnapped her before Marston came to her rescue.
Biography[]

MacFarlane in 1898
Bonnie MacFarlane was born on MacFarlane's Ranch in Hennigan's Stead, Texas (near present-day Girvin, Pecos County) in 1884, the daughter of Drew MacFarlane. She had six brothers, but five of them died from either illness or accidents, including her twin brother Ethan. Her sole surviving brother Patrick became a banker in Manhattan, New York City, abandoning the family and leaving Bonnie as the sole inheritor and caretaker of the family ranch for her aging father. She became the "man of the ranch" and managed many ranch-hands, even setting up a general store and guesthouse to cater to travelers. In 1898, she hired the Arizona Kid to recover a wagon which had been stolen from a ranch-hand, and Arizona killed the Del Lobo Gang outlaws who had stolen the wagon and killed its passengers before returning the wagon to the ranch.
1911[]

Marston freeing Bonnie
In 1911, she rescued the critically wounded outlaw John Marston, who had been shot while attempting to confront his former comrade Bill Williamson at Fort Mercer, and she nursed him to health at her ranch after taking him to Doctor Nathanial Johnston. Marston agreed to help around at the ranch in order to make up for the $15 she spent on his healthcare, and Williamson's gang tracked Marston down to the ranch and set the barn on fire, forcing Marston to risk his life by running into the barn and freeing the horses. Bonnie was later captured in a raid by Williamson's men, and they beat her and held her captive at Tumbleweed and planned an ambush of Marston as he brought Norman Deek for a hostage exchange. The bandits then shot Deek and ambushed Marston, attempting to hang Bonnie in the process; however, Marston shot the rope, saving her life. Bonnie returned to her ranch, and, some time later, she and Marston reunited when he and his son Jack Marston came to the ranch to buy cattle from her, and she later met John's wife Abigail Marston when John and Abigail rode to the ranch to bring her some corn to make up for the crops that she had lost to pests. Abigail took a liking to Bonnie after their conversation, and, when John and Abigail rode off, Bonnie stared longingly at them as she shuffled her feet, as she had developed feelings for Marston. Unfortunately, Marston was killed not long after in a shootout with the US Army at his ranch, as he had been a wanted outlaw before being sent by the BOI to take down Williamson. In 1914, Bonnie was finally able to find a husband, and she allowed for John's son Jack to use her ranch's safehouse as a home.