James Middleton Riley (February 9, 1851 – December 27, 1913), alias David Charles Middleton and better known as Doc Middleton, was a famed outlaw and horse thief in Nebraska.
Criminal career Middleton stole his first horse at the age of 14. In 1870, he was convicted of murder[However see footnotes 4 & 5] and was sentenced to life in prison at the Huntsville Prison. In 1874, he escaped the prison.Note: however the Texas Convicts Register notes a James Reily born 1851 of Grayson County, Texas, in Huntsville Prison July 12, 1875. Ancestry.com. Subscription to see entire record.See also footnote # 17 page 161 of David Johnson's "The Mason County "Hoo Doo" War
He was caught stealing horses in Iowa. After serving 18 months, he moved to Sidney, Nebraska, where he shot and killed a soldier, Pvt. James Keith of the 5th Cavalry Regiment, on January 13, 1877, from nearby Fort Sidney in a bar fight. Omaha daily bee., January 16, 1877, Image 1Baddader's Blog He was arrested but he escaped as a lynch mob gathered.
He was eventually wanted by the Wyoming Stock Growers Association and the Union Pacific Railroad, which offered rewards for his capture. Army officer William H. H. Llewellyn, seeking to protect pony herds on the Pine Ridge Reservation, was dispatched to capture him. Llewellyn, along with an army from detachment under George Crook lured him to a meeting with a promise of a pardon from the governor. In a melee, two of Doc's gang were killed and a lawman named Hazen was woundedyesteryearsnews but Middleton was captured and was taken to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where he was convicted of grand larceny and served a prison sentence from September 18, 1879, and was released on June 18, 1883. At the time of his 1879 arrest, it was reported that he had stolen thirty-five horses from William Irving of Cheyenne in 1877. The Columbus journal., August 20, 1879, Image 4
In 1884, he and his third bride moved to Gordon, Nebraska, where he operated a saloon, and was briefly a deputy sheriff. Omaha daily bee., December 31, 1885, Image 3
In 1897, it was reported that he was the City Marshal of Edgemont, South Dakota. The Saint Paul globe., February 15, 1897, Image 1
In 1900, he later moved to Gordon, Nebraska. He had a saloon in both Gordon and Ardmore, South Dakota, and he also became the town marshal.Yesteryear.wordpress In 1913, he moved to Orin Junction, Wyoming, where he opened a saloon. After getting into a knife fight at the bar, he was arrested for dispensing liquor illegally. While in jail, he contracted erysipelas and died. He is buried in Douglas Park Cemetery in Douglas, Wyoming.
In media A short documentary film aired on Nebraska PBS in 2017 by filmmaker David Higgins (The Aviation Cocktail) called Doc Middleton: The Unwickedest Outlaw. The opening of the short states that Higgins has spent a decade researching the life of the famed Nebraska outlaw. The film uses reenactments and animation, along with interviews from individuals such as Platte County historian Tim Benson, President of the Association of Professional Genealogists Roberta King, Rock County historian Carolyn Hall and Converse County historian Steve Gregersen.
References
External links
Doc Middleton: The Unwickedest Outlaw (short doc) on Vimeo