Jesse Evans

Allegedly: Jesse Evans as a young man with an unknown woman

Jesse Evans (* 1853 in Missouri as Billy Jesse Davis ; † unknown) was an American cowboy and cattle thief. Evans was best known for his association with William Bonney, known as Billy the Kid .

Life

Early years

Jesse Evans was born in Missouri (according to other sources in Texas ) and had at least one brother, George Davis, who was later killed in a shootout. Evans was half a Cherokee . Leaving Missouri early to work as a cowboy in Lampasas County , Texas, he first came into conflict with the law in 1871. He and his parents were arrested on June 26, 1871 in Elk City , Kansas , for the use of counterfeit money. He graduated from Washington and Lee College , Virginia , but it is unknown why he traded his regular life for that of an outlaw . Historians suspect the influence of his difficult family circumstances.

A year later, Evans moved to the New Mexico Territory , where he worked for John Chisum on his ranch for a while. But herding cattle was too difficult for him and so he took the path to a life as an outlaw. He first joined the gang of John Kinney , but left the group after some shootings with the US cavalry . With a group of other outlaws, including Tom Hill, Frank Baker and Billy the Kid, he roamed New Mexico, stealing cattle and robbing banks and shops. Billy the Kid met Evans in a saloon in Silver City around 1873 .

Lincoln County War

Briefly jailed, Evans continued to rob in New Mexico and was therefore constantly on trial. When the Lincoln County Cattle War broke out , Evans and his gang were hired to support Lawrence Murphy and James Dolan . Ironically, on the other hand, his old companion Billy the Kid fought for John Chisum and John Tunstall .

On October 17, 1877, Evans, Tom Hill, Frank Baker, and his brother George stole valuable supplies from John Tunstall's ranch, which was in St. Louis . However, Dick Brewer , a supporter of Tunstall, caught Evans and his gang with his men and involved them in a shooting that evening, in which Evans surrendered. He was taken to Lincoln Prison, but from which he fled again.

In January of the next year, Evans and Tom Hill were injured in combat but survived. A month later they intercepted rancher John Tunstall on the way to Lincoln and shot him. In March 1877, Tom Morris and Evans were ransacking an unguarded camp when a Cherokee suddenly appeared and opened fire. After the Indian was hit in the leg, he killed Tom Hill and injured Evans in the wrist. Evans was able to save himself and disappeared with a stolen horse.

However, due to the dangerous situation, Evans decided to leave New Mexico and relocated his raids to southwest Texas.

Years in Texas

Evans believed himself safe in Texas, but was pursued by the Texas Rangers and finally captured near Presidio , Texas on July 3, 1880 . Evans was at Cibola Creek with three other outlaws when Texas Ranger Sergeant EA Sieker and his men found Evans. Evans and his bandits opened fire but retreated to hilly areas. They waited behind rocks when the Texas Rangers followed them. As a result, Evans Private shot and killed George Bingham. At the same time, outlaw John Cross was also killed, which Evans moved to give up.

Evans was then sentenced to ten years in Huntsville prison. During his work in a construction crew in May 1882, he escaped from custody and then disappeared. Nobody knew exactly what happened to him or when he died.

Joe Hines

In 1948 inheritance investigator William V. Morrison traveled to Florida to examine an inheritance case. Joe Hines, an old man, claimed his late brother's land for himself. In a conversation with Morrison, he identified himself as Jesse Evans and told of his participation in the Lincoln County War. Hines and Evans also stated that Billy the Kid was living in Hico , Texas as "Ollier P. Roberts" at the time . Morrison also tracked Roberts down, but most historians do not consider him Billy the Kid.

Hines also claimed that some of his former gang members were still alive. In fact, Morrison managed to track down Evans' old companions Jim McDaniels, Severo Gallegos, Martile Able, Jose Montoya, and Bill and Sam Jones. All members also claimed that Ollier Roberts was, in fact, Billy the Kid.

It is likely that it can never be determined whether Ollier really was Billy the Kid. Still, it seems likely that Joe Hines was really Jesse Evans, even if he would have been 95 years old in 1948. In court, Hines got his late brother's land and was also recognized as Jesse Evans. The exact date of his death is not known, however Evans' death around 1950 seems likely.

literature

• Bill O'Neil: Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters (1997); University of Oklahoma Press; ISBN 3-85833-200-3

Web links

Commons : Jesse Evans  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Short biography