Dr. Henry Franklin Hoyt, 1876
Henry Hoyt was born in Rose, Ramsey County, Minnesota on January 30, 1854. He studied medicine and moved out west to adventure. In 1877, he arrived in Fort Sumner, New Mexico to treat William Maxwell, the older brother of Pete and Paulita Maxwell. William had smallpox. He found a love interest at Sumner, but moved on to go to Tascosa, Texas. He met Bat Masterson there and in August 1878, Billy the Kid and the other remaining five Regualtors arrived in Tascosa with a herd of cattle and horses, stolen from ememies. Billy and Hoyt became good friends and Hoyt hung around with the Regulators. Hoyt liked one of Billy's stolen horses, so Billy sold it to him. Hoyt later moved to Las Vegas, New Mexico. In July of 1879, Billy, Tom O'Folliard, and Doc Scurlock ended up in Vegas. They got together with Hoyt and Hoyt witnessed Billy meeting Jesse James. Hoyt later attended a reception that Gov. Lew Wallace was having in Santa Fe after Billy was captured. Hoyt and Billy met again at the jail in Santa Fe. They also met at the train station when Billy was being taken to La Mesilla. Hoyt later returned to Minnesota. For nine years, he worked as City Commissioner of Health at St. Paul. He became a surgeon after that at several cities and forts. He wrote an autobiography in 1929 and died at Yokohama, Japan on January 21, 1930.
