John Middleton (1854–1885) was a friend of

Billy the Kid Billy the Kid (born Henry McCarty; September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), also known by the pseudonym William H. Bonney, was an outlaw and gunfighter of the American Old West, who killed eight men before he was shot and killed at t ...

and a key member of the

Regulators Regulator may refer to: Technology * Regulator (automatic control), a device that maintains a designated characteristic, as in: ** Battery regulator ** Pressure regulator ** Diving regulator ** Voltage regulator * Regulator (sewer), a control de ...

, who fought on behalf of

John Tunstall John Henry Tunstall (6 March 1853 – 18 February 1878) was an English-born rancher and merchant in Lincoln County, New Mexico, United States. He competed with the Irish Catholic merchants, lawmen, and politicians who ran the town of Li ...

during the

Lincoln County War The Lincoln County War was an Old West conflict between rival factions which began in 1878 in Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory, the predecessor of the state of New Mexico, and continued until 1881. The feud became famous because of the pa ...

Background

Born around 1854, Middleton came to Lincoln County in the

New Mexico Territory The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of ''Santa Fe de Nuevo México ...

from

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

in the mid-1870s and went to work for

. Described as a heavyset, swarthy man with black hair and eyes and a large handlebar mustache, Middleton was known as a first-rate

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

as well an excellent fistfighter and pistol marksman. Middleton was close enough to John Tunstall to hear his last words just before he was shot down by Dolan gunmen William Morton,

Jesse Evans Jesse Evans (c. 1853 — unknown; disappeared 1882) was an American outlaw and gunman of the Old West, and leader of the Jesse Evans Gang. He received some attention due to his disappearance in 1882, after which he was never seen or heard from a ...

and Tom Hill on February 18, 1878. After this, Middleton participated in most major

Lincoln County Regulators The Lincoln County Regulators, or just the Regulators, were an American Old West deputized posse that fought in the Lincoln County War in New Mexico, during the late 19th century. Members history and friendships The Regulators were formed out ...

operations of the

Lincoln County Wars The Lincoln County War was an Old West conflict between rival factions which began in 1878 in Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory, the predecessor of the state of New Mexico, and continued until 1881. The feud became famous because of the pa ...

. That included the murder of Sheriff William Brady on April 1, 1878. Three days later, Middleton would be dangerously wounded in the chest during the gunfight with

Buckshot Roberts Andrew L. "Buckshot" Roberts (1831 – April 5, 1878) was an American buffalo hunter, frontiersman and cowboy whose last stand against the Lincoln County Regulators during the Gunfight of Blazer's Mills near Lincoln, New Mexico is a part of fr ...

at the Gunfight at Blazer's Mill. Amazingly, he survived his wound and resumed his place with the Regulators once he recovered. By autumn of 1878, the war was over and Middleton and the last of the Regulators split up. John Middleton's ultimate fate is unclear; some say he remained in the area, dying of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

on November 18, 1882 in San Lorenzo, New Mexico. Others accounts say he moved to

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

, where he married and worked as a cowboy, dying in 1885, either by drowning in a stream or from the effects of his chest wound sustained years earlier at Blazer's Mills.Legends - John Middleton
legendsofamerica.com Retrieved 28 March 2021

References

*''Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life'', by Robert M. Utley, University of Nebraska Press, 1989.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Middleton, John 1854 births 1885 deaths American vigilantes Cowboys Gunslingers of the American Old West Lincoln County Wars Outlaws of the American Old West People of the New Mexico Territory