Jim East
Capturing Billy
by J. Young
James Henry East was born on August 30th, 1853, near Kaskaskia, Illinois. He was one of ten siblings of Archibald East and Nancy Coulter. East was known to have been deeply inspired by the tales of Davy Crockett and the Alamo. At the age of sixteen, he moved out West to pursue his passion and started working as a Texas Cowboy. Over the next ten years, East worked on several ranches, honing his skills and gaining valuable experience.
Jim East moved to the Texas Panhandle in 1880 and joined the LS Ranch where he worked with Charles Siringo, a notable individual who authored the book The History of Billy the Kid. One day, while working on the ranch, the workers discovered the theft of cattle, which they suspected had been taken by Billy the Kid. The group set out after picking up the trail southbound and eventually encountered Pat Garrett, who was already on the trail from the opposite direction. The two forces combined and took up position at Fort Sumner. Garrett reportedly paid a Mexican one hundred dollars to deliver a message to Billy, instructing him that the “Texans” had left and that it was safe to return to Fort Sumner, based on Garrett’s own account.
As the gang approached through the heavy fog, the men took positions under the porch and other hidden areas. Pat Garrett called out to the group to put their hands up, and the posse simultaneously fired their guns. Gunfire erupted, striking one of the men while the others quickly turned their horses and fled. Tom Folliard was wounded and dying, so the posse swiftly assisted him off his horse and into a nearby house. At this moment, Barney Mason recalled counseling Tom to “take his medicine.” East reported that he provided Tom with water, but Tom’s anger towards Garrett was evident as he died about 30 minutes later. This event remains a pivotal moment in the story of Billy the Kid.
Billy the Kid and his accomplices arrived at the Wilcox-Brazil ranch and Manuel Brazil was sent to Sumner to investigate. However, Brazil confided in Garrett, resulting in the posse’s timely arrival. Upon reaching the ranch, the posse discovered that the gang had already fled. Garrett speculated that the gang might be heading towards the old stone forage station, located near Stinking Springs, which is roughly 5 miles from Brazil’s ranch.
Time goes by and it’s very cold. The posse can hear the gang inside snoring. Soon after sunrise Garrett talks to his men.
“If Billy comes out to feed the horses he will be wearing a Mexican hat, you boys cut him down and kill him.”
All of the sudden, out stepped a man with a Mexican hat, the posse opened fire and Bowdre fell back into the house, hit through the torso exiting his neck.
Billy Wilson calls out that Bowdre is killed and wants to come out. Bowdre staggered back out through the door towards Garrett, gasping for air, managed to say, “I wish…I wish…” and fell dead.
The gang eventually surrendered. First they took Bowdres body back to Fort Sumner, where Charlie’s wife Manuela, was very angry…
During the process of installing iron restraints on the outlaws, they were also chained together, Dave Rudabaugh was connected to Billy and Tom Pickett was attached to Billy Wilson. Throughout this procedure, Billy generously gifted his Gray Bay Mare to Frank Stewart and his Winchester to Jim East. However, Beaver Smith raised issues about this exchange…
After the group finished their dinner, Deluvina Maxwell approached Garrett to request that Billy be allowed to bid farewell to Paulita. Despite some initial reluctance from some members, Garrett ultimately acquiesced, recognizing the significance of the holiday season. However, Jim East and Lee Hall expressed doubts and only agreed to send Billy over to the Maxwells while he was still restrained to Rudabaugh. Upon arriving, Luz, the head of the Maxwell family, requested that Billy be unchained from Dave and allowed to spend some private time with Paulita. Unfortunately, Jim East was not comfortable with this request and ultimately refused it.
On the road the group stopped at Alexander Grzelachowski for a break, just before dinner on Christmas day. Garrett decided it would be best to eat in 2 shifts. Jim East remembers that day;
On December 26th, the men arrived in Las Vegas with a crowd gathering around the wagon to catch a glimpse of the Kid. The wagon was driven by Manuel Brazil with Garrett on high alert, accompanied by his reliable team Stuart, Mason, East, and Emory. Billy, on the other hand, appeared to relish the moment, even calling out to Dr. Sutfin, a resident of Las Vegas. The next day, a newspaperman visited Billy in jail. During the conversation, Billy clarified that he did not lead any gang, adding that he was “for Billy all the time.
Following the brief interview, the Posse arrived at the jail to retrieve the three prisoners – Rudabaugh, Wilson, and the Kid – on Federal warrants obtained by Sheriff Garrett. Sheriff Desiderio Romero initially refused to hand over Rudabaugh, who had escaped from and killed a jail guard at Vegas in the past. However, after some discussion, the Sheriff released Rudabaugh to the Posse. Sadly, Tom Pickett had to be left behind as there was no federal warrant for him. The Posse successfully boarded the train with the three prisoners, but chaos erupted outside as a mob formed, attempting to forcefully remove Rudabaugh from the train car for vigilante justice. Garrett acted quickly by closing the shades and warning the passengers to stay safe.
The Posse took positions in the windows of the train. Sheriff Romero and a few others came up to the door of the train,
“let’s go right in and take him out of there!” One man was heard saying.
As they pushed forward toward the train Garrett shouted,
“If you wanted them so badly why didn’t you go out and get them yourselves!?”
“We’ll take them now,” someone replied.
Frank Stewart responded by saying
“As soon as the first shot is fired we will unloose every man and arm him!”
The posse shoved up the windows, and East recalled, “Tom Emery took one window and I on another, we made all the prisoners get down on the floor of the coach so they could not be shot through the Windows.”
Garrett again raised his voice at the mob to back off and get off the steps of the train and this time they complied. A post office detective observed the commotion and pulled out 2 six shooters and jumped into the engine room of the train and demanded that the train start rolling. It did!
Just as the train started to pull out a Gazette reporter shouted into the train and asked the kid how he felt.. the kid was heard replying
“if I only had my Winchester I’d lick the whole crowd!” as the train wheels began to turn the mob gave up. The Kid invited The Gazette reporter to come and see him at the Santa Fe jail. Billy then lifted his hat and yelled
“Adios!”
In December of 1884, James East tied the knot with Sarah P. Bouldin (known as Nettie) at Dodge City Kansas. Although the couple never had children, they eventually moved back to Texas where James purchased and managed both The Equity Saloon and The Cattle Exchange Saloon. Additionally, he assumed the role of range foreman for the LS Ranch.
James was later elected as sheriff of Oldham County Texas and utilized his peace officer position to assist Pat Garrett in pursuing outlaws. James’ jurisdiction included the bustling town of Tascosa, TX, where he prevented a gunfight after four men were killed and two were injured. James was also involved in another incident where he engaged in a shootout at one of the local Tascosa bars, killing a gambler.
James Henry East was a notable member of the law enforcement community, with a diverse career that spanned several cities and states. After his time as a Pinkerton detective, he opened his own agency in Amarillo, Texas before moving to Douglas, Arizona in 1903. There, he served as both a city marshal and chief of police before ultimately retiring in the 1920s as a city judge. Sadly, East passed away on May 13th, 1930 at the age of 76. He was laid to rest at the Calvary Cemetery in Douglas, Cochise County, Arizona. His legacy lives on as a hardworking and dedicated public servant who made significant contributions to the communities he served.
