Arapahoe County History: Joseph “Josie” McCarty

Many have heard of Henry McCarty, particularly his alias, Billy the Kid, opens a new window. But did you know that Billy the Kid had a younger brother, opens a new window named Joseph McCarty? And, did you know that Joseph lived out his last days in Denver, Colorado and that he was buried in a small Arapahoe County pioneer cemetery, opens a new window located on Parker Road near Chambers? The cemetery is visible from Parker Road, but very easy to miss when driving by. 

Josie's Story

In 1871 Joseph McCarty arrived in Denver with his mother Catherine, brother Henry and the man William Antrim, who became step-father to the two boys in 1873. The Antrim family briefly settled in Silver City, New Mexico until Catherine died in 1874. After her death William Antrim headed to Arizona and left the two boys with friends of the family in Silver City. Within a few years Henry became "Billy the Kid, opens a new window" and Joseph eventually left Silver City and went to Arizona, perhaps to mine with his stepdad. In 1880 Joseph moved to Trinidad, Colorado to work as a gambler. Newspaper archives suggest Joseph also spent some time in Silverton, Colorado working as a miner.

While living in Trinidad, Colorado, Joseph heard of his brother’s death. He swore to kill Pat Garret on site; however, in August of 1882 Joseph met up with Garrett at the Armijo House in Albuquerque. The two spoke for a couple of hours and then parted on friendly terms.

In 1883 Joseph headed back to Silver City, New Mexico. It’s said he stopped a lynching there and was also almost killed by a fellow gambler a few months later. Joseph then went to Tombstone, Arizona and eventually headed again for Trinidad, Colorado where he worked as a deputy sheriff in 1890. Newspaper archives suggest he might have also married a women from Pueblo, Colorado named Jennie Small in 1891 and fathered a son named Claudie Stone.

Joseph had travelled between Trinidad and Denver previously but first shows up in the Denver City Directory in 1893. He resided at various places in Denver throughout the remainder of his life. According to city directories these include 1517 Arapahoe, 2236 Lawrence, 1626 Larimer, 1634 Larimer, 1822 Arapahoe, 1928 Lawrence, 611 17th St., and 1530 Market Street.

In 1928 the Denver Post published an article by journalist Ed Hoover on Joseph, but apparently the journalist didn’t know who he was interviewing and nothing about his brother "the Kid" was mentioned. After the article was published, it was pointed out to the journalist that he had interviewed the brother of Billy the Kid, opens a new window. The journalist replied, “so what.”

In 1930 Joseph was staying in a room at the Dewey House located at 1617 Larimer Street, where he died on November 25, likely from a stroke. He was 76 years old.

Joseph’s body went unclaimed and was donated to the Colorado Medical School for science. Joseph’s body was received by the medical school on November 29, 1930. It was later cremated and interred, along with the remains of other individuals whose bodies were donated to science, at the historic Pioneer Cemetery in Aurora, Colorado, now called the Melvin-Lewis Cemetery. The small cemetery is located near the intersection of Parker and Chambers, surrounded by shops and restaurants.