After Billy the Kid and his gang stole some horses in Puerto de Luna, a posse, including James Carlyle, was formed to chase after him. They followed him to the Greathouse stage stop and cornered him inside. Carlyle demanded Billy surrender and Billy refused. Greathouse agreed to go outside as a hostage while Carlyle came inside to parlay with the outlaws. But Billy had no intention of giving up and stalled instead. Accounts vary, but it’s believed that a gun misfired outside and Carlyle, thinking one of his men killed Greathouse, jumped through the window to escape Billy’s retribution and was shot by his own men assuming he was Billy trying to escape. He was buried near where the stage stop stood.
-bio courtesy of the Billy the Kid Outlaw Gang https://www.billythekidoutlawgang.com
| Name: | James Carlyle | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age: | 26 | ||||||
| Birth Date: | Abt 1854 | ||||||
| Birthplace: | Ohio | ||||||
| Home in 1880: | White Oaks, Lincoln, New Mexico, USA | ||||||
| Dwelling Number: | 12 | ||||||
| Race: | White | ||||||
| Gender: | Male | ||||||
| Relation to Head of House: | Self (Head) | ||||||
| Marital Status: | Single | ||||||
| Father’s Birthplace: | Scotland | ||||||
| Mother’s Birthplace: | Scotland | ||||||
| Occupation: | Blacksmith | ||||||
|
|||||||
James Carlyle
| BIRTH |
Ohio, USA
|
|---|---|
| DEATH | 28 Nov 1880 (aged 25–26)
Corona, Lincoln County, New Mexico, USA
|
| BURIAL |
Corona, Lincoln County, New Mexico, USA |
Newspaper Clippings
Lincoln County Marriage
- 0
Lincoln County Ownership
- 0
See Interactive Map Ownership
NONE
Ancestry.com
- LISTED
Find A Grave
White Oaks Pioneer From 1880-1900?
- No
Gold Miner?
- No
Thanks to Josh Slatten from the
BILLY THE KID HISTORICAL COALITION
The following pictures were sent to the site above. On August 5, 2022 Billy the Kid’s Historical Coalition, Cold West Detective Agency and The Wild West History Association placed a headstone over Deputy James Carlyle. Carlyle’s fate was sealed when gunned down, ending a standoff at a remote outpost known as Greathouse Tavern, located on the Las Vegas to White Oaks trail, approximately five miles south of current Corona NM.
