Special to KRTN
Tombstone of a Captor of Billy the Kid to be Dedicated at Raton, New Mexico
The Wild West History Association (WWHA) is pleased to announce the completed installation of a grave marker for Frank Stewart (alias of John Wallace Green) in Raton, New Mexico. Stewart was the co-leader, with Pat Garrett, of the posse that captured Billy the Kid and his small group of cohorts at Stinking Spring, east of Fort Sumner, on December 23, 1880.
Stewart/Green died intestate on May 11, 1935, and his body was interred in the Fairmont Cemetery in Raton, New Mexico. For many years, historians tried to find his death date and burial site, with no luck. Then, unavailable by any means other than searching years of newspaper issues, via microfilm, in the May 13, 1935, edition of the Raton Range, the very brief announcement of his death was found – minus any accolades or the slightest mention of the important role the man had played in the chase and capture of Billy the Kid.
The full story of the life of Frank Stewart/John Green was unknown until the 2022 publication of the book Chasing Billy the Kid: The Untold Story of the Manhunt for William H. Bonney, by historians Kurt House and Roy B. Young (Three Rivers Press). During their work and research into Stewart/Green’s life, the two authors determined that ‘if and when’ the location of the man’s grave could be determined, they would work with WWHA to see that it was finally marked with an appropriate tombstone and epitaph.
Knowing that Stewart/Green was buried in Raton, House and Young made a trip there in 2022 to investigate the exact cemetery and hopefully the exact plot in the cemetery. Meeting with several knowledgeable local citizens, cemetery sextons, funeral home directors, and city officials, the cemetery was identified but no record could be found of the exact unmarked plot. Through the courtesy and historic interest of the cemetery sexton, a most desirable unused plot was selected to honor Stewart/Green with a grave marker.
The original plan was to have a dedication ceremony at the cemetery in the fall of 2023, but due to an unforeseen delay in getting the marker engraved and installed, the ceremony is now scheduled for Tuesday, August 6, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. at Raton’s Fairmont Cemetery. The public is cordially invited to attend.
