Dr. Henry F. Hoyt. Frontier Doctor.

By Josh Slatten

Dr. Henry F. Hoyt, Tascosa pal of Billy the Kid, died in Yokohama, Japan, on January 21, 1930.

Before the letters of William H. Bonney were widely available to the public, Henry Hoyt had what he claimed and truly thought was the only example of Billy’s handwriting in existence: a bill of sale documenting Billy giving a fine racing horse to Henry Hoyt. The horse had once belonged to Sheriff William Brady. 

A bill of sale documenting Billy giving a fine

racing horse to Henry Hoyt.

Hoyt shared a number of tales from his time with Billy. Among them:

- Meeting Billy and his pals in Tascosa, where he witnessed Billy order a drunk John Middleton to stop causing trouble and to leave town and go back to camp. 

- A funny story about him and Billy in a foot-race at a Tascosa dance. 

- Giving Billy a pocket watch. 

- Meeting Jesse James and Billy the Kid at a hotel. 

- Visiting Billy in the Santa Fe jail. 

Hoyt considered himself a friend of Billy’s, and was one of the earliest voices of opposition to the painting of Billy as an evil and heartless desperado.

Sources: 

- Nolan, West of Billy the Kid 

- Hoyt, Frontier Doctor