Josie Antrim

by J. Young

Events and Genealogy
Born: Joseph Antrim
Birthdate:
1863
Birthplace: New York (likely)
Marriage: Jennie Stone on 12/19/1891 at Pueblo Colorado (likely)
Children: Claudie Stone/Antrim (possibly a step son) (likely)
Death: November 25, 1930
Cause of Death: Apoplexy
Burial:  

Joseph McCarty is widely believed to be the brother or half-brother of William Henry McCarty, later known as Billy the Kid. According to all available census records, Joe was born in New York in 1863.

In 1870, Catherine and her sons appeared in historical record as the only woman to sign the petition that helped incorporate Wichita, Kansas. Ms. McCarty owned her own property and opened a successful laundry service, as well as bought and sold empty lots in town. However, her success was cut short when she was diagnosed with tuberculosis and advised to seek a warmer and drier climate. Catherine married William Antrim on March 1st, 1873, in Santa Fe, before moving to Silver City. Unfortunately, her illness took a turn for the worse, and Catherine passed away on September 16, 1874.

Antrim

The Wichita Weekly Beacon
Wichita, Kansas •
Wed, Oct 7, 1874
Page 5

Her sons by either blood or adoption, Joe and Billy moved in with the Truesdell family, before eventually leaving on their own. Young Billy later got into trouble for stealing laundry in Silver City while staying at The Brown residence, according to an interview with Chauncey Truesdell about the Antrim family.

Henry was staying at Mrs. Brown's. When Mrs. Brown saw the clothes that Henry took home, she told Mr. Harvey Whitehill, the sheriff. Everyone in the camp knew the Chinaman had been robbed. Ike Givens was Justice of the Peace and he had Henry locked up. I remember the jail. It was in the north end of town. It was made of adobe. It was built of planks about 2 x 10 laid sideways. Henry was small for his age and kind of skinny. After dark he wormed his way through the fireplace chimney and came to our place. Mother fixed it up for him to go to the lumber camp at Bear Mountain. Mrs. Dyer was cooking for Ed Moulton at the sawmill at Bear Mountain. She took Joe to take care of [him] for a while, too. It was not long before Henry was back. He rapped on our window one night. My mother let him in and he slept with us all night. She washed and ironed some clothes for him and put him on the early stage for Globe. After that, Joe and I were at the Nicholi ranch one evening. We were trying to milk a cow. She was pretty wild and we had her head tied to a fence and tried to keep her quiet enough to milk. I was doing the milking when three men on horses came up. They were right on top of us before we saw them. They had red bands tied around their hats. That is the way the Indians had shown they were peaceful. Joe reached for a rifle but one of the fellows called him by name and it was Henry. They stayed at the ranch all night and the next morning took out for Globe. The next we heard of Henry, the Globe stage driver I think it was, told us he had got in trouble in Globe---accused of killing a man in an argument over a poker game. I think that is the first time I heard him called by the name of Bonney." Joe went to Globe afterwards too. He used to run a game in the Centennial Saloon. Tommy Ashton ran the saloon. My brother met Joe in Globe a good many years later. He was a gambler. $20 was a lot of money in those days but in many big games, they used $20 gold pieces for chips. Everybody carried a good luck piece.”
Chauncy Truesdell
Chauncey Truesdell

As the individuals matured, they led separate lives in distinct regions. Billy endured a challenging existence in New Mexico and subsequently found himself incarcerated on death row at Lincoln New Mexico. Fortunately, he managed to successfully escape. According to “The West of Billy the Kid” by Fred Nolan, page 271 reveals that William Antrim, The Kid’s stepfather, attempted to visit him on horseback before his execution but faced a delay on the road. Unfortunately, he was unable to reach him until the following day. One can only speculate about the potential conversation between them, or whether Joe Antrim was present as well. 
According to legend, three months later Billy the Kid, was shot and killed in a dark room at the hand of Sheriff Pat Garrett. The news was spread nationwide and in a twist of events made Garrett look bad and cowardly. To counter the attack, Garrett wanted to write his own book about the event and events leading up to that day and set out to Albuquerque to meet with Joe Antrim.

 In August of 1882, Pat Garrett confidently encountered Joseph “Josie” Antrim at the Armijo Hotel in Albuquerque.

Joe Antrim
Armijo House,1886. Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico.

Antrim, the brother of notorious outlaw Billy the Kid, was rumored to be seeking revenge for his brother’s death. However, the meeting between the two men proceeded confidently and cordially. They spoke for some time before parting amicably. The content of their conversation was later revealed to be a confident discussion about Billy the Kid and his death at the hands of Garrett. Joseph Antrim did not wish to hold a grudge. 

Joe Antrim
St. Louis Globe Democrat- August 3, 1882

On December 19, 1891, with all joy and love, Joseph and Jennie Stone exchanged their vows and officially became husband and wife in a beautiful ceremony that took place in Pueblo, Colorado.

Joe Antrim

In the late 1880s, Jennie Stone Antrim gave birth to a son, Claudie Stone/Antrim. It is believed that either Joe Antrim was the biological father or stepfather. The marriage dissolved after a few years. However, Joe demonstrated exceptional care and devotion when he realized that his son’s health and education were being neglected. He took the boy to Denver and placed him in a private school. Antrim made the paper in April of 1894, the Pueblo Chieftain originally reported:

Joe Antrim
The Rocky Mountain News (Daily), Volume 35, April 5, 1894

 Joe appeared in the papers in Denver when he registered to vote and lists his address as 1517 Arapahoe street on May 8, 1893. For their time in Denver, the City directories have listed Claudie residing close to Joe’s addresses. It is possible that he was fostered under the state’s supervision or that Joe faced financial difficulties. The Denver city directory displays L. Claude Antrim as the circulation manager at a publishing house, residing at 621 Colfax Avenue. Was this the same Claudie? 
In 1894 Joe was likely the victim of an armed robbery at a private residence. He and some companions were celebrating at an after party when men in masks relieved them of their valuables. Later in October 1903 Joe Antrim was arrested along with several others during a gambling crackdown by Police. 
Joseph Antrim died on November 25, 1930 and his body was possibly given to the Colorado Medical School to be dissected. Afterwards an ad ran in the newspapers for a week of Antrim’s unclaimed body. The remains were likely buried in an unmarked grave or possibly cremated. More on this soon

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