A school of thought exists that Cattle Kate Watson, Ella Watson, Ella Wilson and Kate Maxwell were not one and the same woman, but were three, and perhaps four, entirely different people. She was allegedly an abused divorcee of good taste and well educated. She lived with two foster children and had bills of sale for all her cattle. The other women were said to be small in size and of questionable background. Those believing this theory maintain that the real Cattle Kate was actually Kate Maxwell and that the vigilantes hung the wrong woman when they lynched Ellen Watson.
Most historians tend to believe the original story, however, discounting the naysayers s version.
Either way, the fact remains that a woman named Cattle Kate and a man named James Averill were hung by vigilantes on July 20, 1889. Justice was not served. As a result, Cattle Kate remains either famous or infamous, depending on your point of view.