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{{Short description|American outlaw and gunfighter (1859–1881)}} |
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{{Other uses|Billy the Kid (disambiguation)}} |
{{Other uses|Billy the Kid (disambiguation)}} |
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{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2015}} |
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{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2020}} |
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{{Use American English|date=May 2016}} |
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{{Infobox person |
{{Infobox person |
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| name = Billy the Kid |
| name = Billy the Kid |
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| image = Billy the Kid |
| image = Billy the Kid tintype, Fort Sumner, 1879-80-Edit2.jpg |
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| caption |
| caption = Portrait attributed to [[Ben Wittick]], {{circa|1880}} |
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| birth_name = Henry McCarty<ref name="Nolan2015">{{Cite book |first=Frederick |last=Nolan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LdazBgAAQBAJ&pg=PT29 |title=The West of Billy the Kid |year=2015 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=978-0-8061-4887-8 |page=29 |access-date=July 1, 2019 |archive-date=September 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902033606/https://books.google.com/books?id=LdazBgAAQBAJ&pg=PT29 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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| birth_name = Henry McCarty |
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| birth_date = September 17 |
| birth_date = September 17 or {{Birth date|1859|11|23}} |
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| alias = {{hlist|William H. Bonney|Henry Antrim|Kid Antrim}} |
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(alternatively November 23, 1859) |
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| birth_place = New York City, U.S. |
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| alias = William H. Bonney, Henry Antrim, Kid Antrim |
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| death_date = {{death date and age|1881|7|14|1859|9|17}} |
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| birth_place = New York City |
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| death_cause = Gunshot wound |
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| height = 5' 8" |
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| death_place = [[Fort Sumner]], [[New Mexico Territory|New Mexico]] |
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| death_date ={{Death date and age|1881|7|14|1859|9|17}} |
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| restingplace = Old Fort Sumner Cemetery |
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| death_cause = [[Gunshot wound]] from [[Pat Garrett]] |
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| restwoundace = Old Fort Sumner Cemetery |
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| resting_place_coordinates = {{Coord|34|24|13|N|104|11|37|W|region:US-NM_type:landmark|display=inline|name= Billy the Kid's Gravesite}} |
| resting_place_coordinates = {{Coord|34|24|13|N|104|11|37|W|region:US-NM_type:landmark|display=inline|name= Billy the Kid's Gravesite}} |
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| occupation = |
| occupation = {{hlist|[[Cattle raiding|Cattle rustler]]|[[cowboy]] and ranch hand|[[Gambling|gambler]]|[[horse theft|horse thief]]|[[outlaw]]}} |
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}} |
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| parents = {{unbulleted list|'''Father''': Patrick McCarty|'''Stepfather''': William Antrim|'''Mother''': Catherine Devine|}} |
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| relatives = '''Brother''': Joseph McCarty}} |
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'''Henry McCarty''' (September 17 |
'''Henry McCarty''' (September 17 or November 23, 1859{{snd}}July 14, 1881), [[Pseudonym|alias]] '''William H. Bonney''', better known as '''Billy the Kid''', was an American [[outlaw]] and [[gunfighter]] of the [[American frontier|Old West]] who is alleged to have killed 21 men before he was shot and killed at the age of 21.{{sfn|Rasch|1995|pp=23–35}}{{sfn|Wallis|2007|pp=244–245}} He is also known for his involvement in [[New Mexico]]'s [[Lincoln County War]], during which he allegedly committed three murders. |
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McCarty was 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) tall with blue eyes, blond or dirty blond hair, and a smooth [[complexion]]. He was described as being friendly and personable at times <ref>Rasch, Philp J. ''Trailing Billy the Kid'', 1995 - p. 126.</ref> and as lithe as a cat.<ref>Wallis, Michael. ''Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride'', 2007 - p. 129.</ref> Contemporaries described him as a "neat" dresser who favored an "unadorned [[Mexico|Mexican]] [[sombrero]]".<ref>Utley, Robert M. ''Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life'', 1989 - p. 15.</ref> These qualities, along with his cunning and celebrated skill with firearms, contributed to his paradoxical image as both a notorious outlaw and a folk hero.<ref name="Wallis, Michael 2007. pp. 244-245">Wallis, Michael. ''Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride'', 2007. - pp. 244-245.</ref> |
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He was relatively unknown during most of his lifetime, but was catapulted into legend in 1881 when New Mexico's governor [[Lew Wallace]] placed a price on his head. In addition, the ''Las Vegas Gazette'' ([[Las Vegas, New Mexico]]) and the ''[[The Sun (New York)|New York Sun]]'' carried stories about his exploits.<ref>Utley, Robert M. ''Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life'', 1989 - pp. 145-146.</ref> Other newspapers followed suit. Billy the Kid was still alive, and Pat Garrett's prisoner, when a reporter gave what Philip J. Rasch regarded as "The best contemporary description of the famous desperado." <ref>Philip J. Rasch. ''Trailing Billy the Kid'', 1995 - p. 126.</ref> That account was printed in the ''Las Vegas Gazette'' on December 28, 1880 and stated that Billy the Kid "did look human, indeed, but there was nothing very mannish about him in appearance, for he looked to be a mere boy. He is about five feet eight or nine inches tall, slightly built and lithe, weighing about 140; a frank and open countenance, looking like a school boy, with the traditional silky fuzz on his upper lip; clear blue eyes, with a rougish snap about them; light hair and complexion. He is, in all, quite a handsome looking fellow, the only imperfection being two prominent front teeth slightly protruding like squirrel's teeth, and he has agreeable and winning ways." <ref>''Las Vegas Gazette'' (Las Vegas, New Mexico), December 28, 1880. |
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</ref> |
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McCarty was orphaned at the age of 15. His first arrest was for stealing food at the age of 16 in 1875. Ten days later, he robbed a [[Chinese laundry]] and was arrested again but escaped shortly afterwards. He fled from [[New Mexico Territory]] into neighboring [[Arizona Territory]], making himself both an outlaw and a federal fugitive. In 1877, he began to call himself "William H. Bonney".{{sfn|Wallis|2007|p=144}} |
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==Early life== |
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After killing a blacksmith during an altercation in August 1877, Bonney became a wanted man in Arizona and returned to New Mexico, where he joined a group of [[Cattle raiding|cattle rustlers]]. He became well known in the region when he joined the [[Lincoln County Regulators|Regulators]] and took part in the Lincoln County War of 1878. He and two other Regulators were later charged with killing three men, including Lincoln County Sheriff [[William J. Brady]] and one of his deputies. |
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Bonney's notoriety grew in December 1880 when the ''Las Vegas Gazette'', in [[Las Vegas, New Mexico]], and ''[[The Sun (New York City)|The Sun]]'', in New York City, carried stories about his crimes.{{sfn|Utley|1989|pp=145–146}} Sheriff [[Pat Garrett]] captured Bonney later that month. In April 1881, Bonney was tried for and convicted of Brady's murder, and was sentenced to hang in May of that year. He escaped from jail on April 28, killing two sheriff's deputies in the process, and evaded capture for more than two months. Garrett shot and killed Bonney, by then aged 21, in [[Fort Sumner, New Mexico|Fort Sumner]] on July 14, 1881. |
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===Birth in New York City=== |
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The birth of Billy the Kid remains the subject of debate. Robert M. Utley, one of the leading Billy the Kid researchers, paid tribute to three historians who had "tracked Billy the Kid through public records and stripped away much of the myth".<ref>Utley, Robert M. ''High Noon in Lincoln'' (1987), p. 192.</ref> Utley cited the work of Philip J. Rasch,<ref>Rasch, Philip J. "New Light on the Legend of Billy the Kid" (1952–53), pp.1–5.</ref> as well as Robert N. Mullin, who later co-authored a landmark article with Rasch.<ref>Rasch, Philip J. and Mullin, Robert N. "Dim Trails: The Pursuit of the McCarty Family" (1953–54) pp. 6–11.</ref> Finally, Utley cited an article by Jack DeMattos, written in 1980, which was the first one to provide documentary evidence of Billy the Kid's birth, baptism, and residence in New York City.<ref>DeMattos, Jack. "The Search for Billy the Kid's Roots - Is Over!" ''Real West'' (No. 167), January 1980.- pp. 26–28, 59–60.</ref> |
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During the decades following his death, legends grew that Bonney had survived, and a number of men claimed to be him.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 30, 2017 |title=The Old Man Who Claimed to Be Billy the Kid |language=en |work=Atlas Obscura |url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/billy-the-kid-survived-hico-texas |url-status=live |access-date=July 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708134218/http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/billy-the-kid-survived-hico-texas |archive-date=July 8, 2017 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> Billy the Kid remains one of the most notorious figures from the era, whose life and likeness have been [[List of works about Billy the Kid|frequently dramatized]] in [[Western genre|Western]] popular culture. |
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The story of Billy the Kid began on June 15, 1851 when 21-year-old Patrick McCarty married 20-year-old Catherine Devine. The ceremony was performed at the Church of St. Peter at 16 Barclay Street in New York City. The Rev. M.A. Madden performed the ceremony. The first of three children born to this union was Bridget McCarty in 1853. The second and most celebrated of the McCarty children was born at 210 Greene Street in New York City on September 17, 1859. He was christened Henry McCarty on September 28, 1859 at the same church where his parents had been married. His godparents were Thomas Cooney and Mary Clark.<ref>Letter from Rev. James B. Roberts, Church of St. Peter, New York City, to Jack DeMattos. March 24, 1979. The Church of St. Peter is located in lower Manhattan, close to the World Trade Center and a short distance from the Brooklyn Bridge.</ref> |
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He has been a feature of more than 50 movies and several television series. |
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{{TOC limit|3}} |
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===Further New York City Documentation=== |
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==Early life== |
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The next documentation concerning the future "Billy the Kid" and his family was provided on June 26, 1860 when they were enumerated on the census for that year by Assistant Marshal Edward Hogan of New York City. Hogan misspelled their surnames as "McCarthy" rather than "McCarty," but there is no doubt that these Manhattan First Ward residents were the same McCarty family who resided at 210 Greene Street. They were listed as: Patrick McCarthy [''sic''], age 30, born [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]]; Catherine McCarthy [''sic''], age 29, born United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; Bridget McCarthy [''sic''], age 7, born New York; and Henry McCarthy [''sic''], age 1, born New York.<ref>1860 United States Federal Census, Manhattan First Ward. June 26, 1860. p. 176. Greene Street is located in lower Manhattan, close to the section now called "Little Italy". It is also located within walking distance of The Church of St. Peter, where Billy the Kid was baptized.</ref> |
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Henry McCarty was born to parents of [[Irish Catholic]] ancestry,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-07-15 |title=Life and death of Billy the Kid |url=https://clarechampion.ie/life-and-death-of-billy-the-kid/ |access-date=2020-11-13 |website=The Clare Champion |language=en-GB |archive-date=February 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226090313/https://clarechampion.ie/life-and-death-of-billy-the-kid/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Catherine ({{nee|Devine}}) and Patrick McCarty, in [[New York City]].<ref name="Tombstone Epitaph">{{cite news |last1=Slatten |first1=Jeremiah |title=Sign on the Dotted Line: Some truth about the mother of Billy the Kid |access-date= |work=[[The Tombstone Epitaph]] |volume=CXXXXIII|issue= 11|issn=1940-221X |date=November 2023 |pages=1, 8–9|location=Tombstone, AZ}}</ref> While his birth year has been confirmed as 1859, the exact date of his birth has been disputed as either September 17 or November 23 of that year.{{sfn|Nolan|2009a|pp=1–6}}{{sfn|Rasch|Mullin|1953|pp=1–5}}{{sfn|Rasch|1954|pp=6–11}} There is uncertainty among historians about the exact place and date of McCarty's birth.{{sfn|Nolan|2009|pp=1–6}}{{sfn|Rasch|Mullin|1953|pp=1–5}}{{sfn|Rasch|1954|pp=6–11}} Census records indicate that his younger brother Joseph McCarty was born in 1863.{{sfn|Nolan|1998|pp=15, 29}} |
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Following the death of her husband, Catherine McCarty and her sons moved to [[Indianapolis, Indiana]], where she met William Henry Harrison Antrim. The McCarty family moved with Antrim to [[Wichita, Kansas]] in 1870.{{sfn|Wallis|2007|p=15}} After moving again a few years later, Catherine married Antrim on March 1, 1873, at the First Presbyterian Church in [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe, New Mexico Territory]], and the McCarty boys served as witnesses.{{sfn|Nolan|1998|pp=17–19}}{{sfn|Nolan|2009a|p=7}} Shortly afterward, the family moved from Santa Fe to [[Silver City, New Mexico]] and Joseph adopted Antrim's surname.{{sfn|Nolan|1998|pp=15, 29}} Shortly before McCarty's mother died of [[tuberculosis]] on September 16, 1874,{{sfn|Nolan|2009a|p=8}} William Antrim abandoned the McCarty boys, leaving them orphans. |
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The 1860 New York City Directory did manage to get the family's surname correct. That directory only recorded the head of a household's name, and listed Patrick McCarty, "day laborer," as living at "210 Greene |
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Street."<ref>1860 New York City Directory, p. 533.</ref> The surname spelling was confused again in the 1863 New York City Directory, which listed "Patrick McCarthy" [''sic''] as living at 210 Greene Street. This was also the last listing for the father of Billy the Kid.<ref>1863 New York City Directory, p. 541.</ref> |
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===First crimes=== |
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The final McCarty child was born at 210 Greene Street on October 14, 1863. He was born Joseph McCarty, but later took his stepfather's surname and was known for most of his life as "Joseph Antrim." He was routinely identified by historians as Billy the Kid's older brother. That theory was based on a death certificate which suggested that he was born in 1854, rather than the correct year of 1863. That theory persisted for years, until other documents were uncovered which proved that the 1863 birth date was the correct one. One of the earliest supporting documents was an 1880 U.S. Census record in which Joseph Antrim gave his age as seventeen and his birthplace as New York.<ref>1880 United States Federal Census, Silverton, Colorado. June 1, 1880. In fact, Joseph Antrim was still four months shy of turning seventeen on the date that the census was taken.</ref> On an 1885 Colorado State Census for Arapahoe County, Joseph Antrim gave his age as 21, which he still was in the summer of 1885 when the census was taken.<ref>1885 Colorado State Census - Arapahoe County. Joseph McCarty Antime turned twenty-two later that year on October 14, 1885. |
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[[File:Rancher Henry C Hooker retouched cropped.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Henry Hooker]], one-time employer of Billy the Kid, at his [[Sierra Bonita Ranch]] in southeast Arizona]] |
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</ref> |
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McCarty was 14 years old when his mother died. Sarah Brown, the owner of a [[boarding house]], gave him room and board in exchange for work. On September 16, 1875, McCarty was caught stealing food.<ref name="billyhistorynet">{{Cite web |title=Billy The Kid: Facts, information and articles about Billy The Kid, famous outlaw, and a prominent figure from the Wild West |url=http://www.historynet.com/billy-the-kid |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160103175548/http://www.historynet.com/billy-the-kid |archive-date=January 3, 2016 |access-date=January 4, 2016 |publisher=HistoryNet.com |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>''Grant County Herald'' (Silver City, New Mexico), September 26, 1875.</ref> Ten days later, McCarty and George Schaefer robbed a [[Chinese laundry]], stealing clothing and two pistols. McCarty was charged with theft and was jailed. He escaped two days later and became a fugitive,<ref name=billyhistorynet /> as reported in the ''Silver City Herald'' the next day, the first story published about him. McCarty located his stepfather and stayed with him until Antrim threw him out; McCarty stole clothing and guns from him. It was the last time the two saw each other.{{sfn|Wallis|2007|pp=94–95}} |
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After leaving Antrim, McCarty traveled to southeastern [[Arizona Territory]], where he worked as a ranch hand and gambled his wages in nearby gaming houses.{{sfn|Wallis|2007|p=103}} In 1876, he was hired as a ranch hand by well-known rancher [[Henry Hooker]].<ref name="nmdotorg">{{Cite web |title=Billy the Kid |url=http://newmexicohistory.org/people/billy-the-kid |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126043335/http://newmexicohistory.org/people/billy-the-kid |archive-date=January 26, 2016 |access-date=January 6, 2016 |publisher=State of New Mexico |df=mdy-all}}</ref>{{sfn|Utley|1989|pp=10–11}} During this time, McCarty became acquainted with John R. Mackie, a [[Scottish people|Scottish]]-born criminal and former [[United States Cavalry|U.S. Cavalry]] private who, following his discharge, remained near the U.S. Army post at [[Fort Grant, Arizona|Camp Grant]] in Arizona. The two men soon began stealing horses from local soldiers.{{sfn|Wallis|2007|p=107}}{{sfn|Utley|1989|pp=11–12}} McCarty became known as "Kid Antrim" because of his youth, slight build, clean-shaven appearance, and personality.{{sfn|Wallis|2007|pp=110–111}}{{sfn|Utley|1989|p=16}} |
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=== The Death of Billy the Kid's Father=== |
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At some point in 1877, McCarty began to refer to himself by the name "William H. Bonney".{{sfn|Wallis|2007|p=144}} On August 17, 1877, Bonney was at a saloon in the village of [[Bonita, Arizona|Bonita]] when he got into an argument with Francis P. "Windy" Cahill, a blacksmith who reportedly had bullied him and on more than one occasion called him a "[[pimp]]". Bonney in turn called Cahill a "[[Bitch (slang)#Son of a bitch|son of a bitch]]", whereupon Cahill threw Bonney to the floor and the two struggled for Bonney's revolver. Bonney shot and mortally wounded Cahill. A witness said, "[Billy] had no choice; he had to use his equalizer." Cahill died the following day.<ref name="cahill">{{Cite journal |last1=Radbourne |first1=Allan |last2=Rasch |first2=Philip J. |date=August 1985 |title=The Story of 'Windy' Cahill |journal=Real West |issue=204 |pages=22–27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=This Date in History – August 17, 1877 – Billy the Kid kills his first man |url=http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/billy-the-kid-kills-his-first-man |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315024623/http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/billy-the-kid-kills-his-first-man |archive-date=March 15, 2016 |access-date=January 17, 2016 |publisher=History Channel |df=mdy-all}}</ref> Bonney fled but returned a few days later and was apprehended by Miles Wood, the local [[justice of the peace]]. He was detained and held in the Camp Grant guardhouse but escaped before law enforcement could arrive.<ref name="NMHistorg">{{Cite web |last=Wroth |first=William H. |title=Billy the Kid |url=http://newmexicohistory.org/people/billy-the-kid |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126043335/http://newmexicohistory.org/people/billy-the-kid |archive-date=January 26, 2016 |access-date=February 10, 2016 |publisher=New Mexico Office of the State Historian |df=mdy-all}}</ref> |
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Patrick McCarty died shortly after the birth of his third child. The cause of his death has not yet been learned. All that is known is that he was last listed in the 1863 New York City Directory. The following year marked the only appearance of his widow as being the head of a family living at 210 Greene Street. In that 1864 city directory, she was listed as "Catherine McCarty, widow of Patrick."<ref>1864 New York City Directory, p. 537.</ref> |
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Bonney stole a horse and fled Arizona Territory for New Mexico Territory,{{sfn|Wallis|2007|p=119}} but [[Apache]]s took the horse from him, leaving him to walk many miles to the nearest settlement. At [[Fort Stanton]],{{sfn|Nolan|1998|p=77}} starving and near death, he went to the home of friend and [[Seven Rivers Warriors]] gang member John Jones, whose mother Barbara nursed him back to health.<ref name="TWJones">{{Cite magazine |last=Hays |first=Chad |date=March 19, 2013 |title=Ma'am Jones A stitch in time |url=http://www.truewestmagazine.com/maam-jones/ |url-status=live |magazine=True West Magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222225253/http://www.truewestmagazine.com/maam-jones/ |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |access-date=February 10, 2016 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>{{sfn|Wallis|2007|p=144}} After regaining his health, Bonney went to Apache Tejo, a former army post, where he joined a band of rustlers who raided herds owned by cattle magnate [[John Chisum]] in [[Lincoln County, New Mexico|Lincoln County]]. After he was spotted in Silver City, his involvement with the gang was mentioned in a local newspaper.{{sfn|Wallis|2007|pp=123–131}} |
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===Alleged Indianapolis Residence=== |
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No solid documentation has been yet uncovered for the McCarty family's exact whereabouts between late 1864 (when they were last listed in New York City) and the summer of 1870 (when they turned up in Kansas). Some historians have suggested an 1868 Indianapolis residence, due to a city directory listing of "Catherine McCarty, widow of Michael" living at 199 North East Street recorded that year.<ref>1868 Indianapolis City Directory.</ref> However, it seems unlikely for this person to be Billy the Kid's mother, considering the New York listing for her as the "widow of Patrick".<ref>New York City Directory, p. 537. In order to accept the Indianapolis "Catherine McCarty, widow of Michael" as being correct, you would have to believe that Patrick McCarty's New York City widow moved to Indianapolis, where she married "Michael McCarty" and was widowed a second time from someone with the identical surname as her New York City husband.</ref> |
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===Wichita=== |
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The first time that the McCarty family can be located again with any certainty is August 10, 1870 when they settled in Kansas. On September 12, 1870 Mrs. Catherine McCarty was given title to a vacant lot in Wichita.<ref>Deed Records of Sedgwick County, Kansas. Book A, p. 414.</ref> During February 1871, William Henry Harrison Antrim was given title to lots adjoining those of Mrs. Catherine McCarty in Wichita. Then, on March 25, 1871, Mrs. McCarty paid $200 for a quarter section of land at the going price of $1.25 per acre. To support her claim, Antrim submitted a sworn statement that read in part: "I have known Catherine McCarty for 6 years last past; that she is a single woman over the age of twenty-one years, the head of a family consisting of two children and a citizen of the United States." <ref>Koop, Waldo E. "Billy the Kid: The Trail of a Kansas Legend," 1964 - pp. 7-8. |
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</ref> |
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==New Mexico== |
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===Marriage of Catherine Devine McCarty and William H.H. Antrim=== |
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Both the McCarty family and Antrim next turn up on March 1, 1873 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. On that date, William Henry Harrison Antrim married Catherine Devine McCarty at Santa Fe's First Presbyterian Church. They were married by a minister named David F. McFarland. The witnesses were Harvey Edmonds, Mrs. A.R. McFarland, her daughter Katie, and the bride's two sons, 13 year-old Henry and 9 year-old Joseph, who was called "Josie."<ref>Book of Marriages A, Santa Fe County, New Mexico, pp. 35–36.</ref> Shortly after the ceremony, the family moved from Santa Fe to Silver |
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City, New Mexico. |
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===The Death of Billy the Kid's Mother=== |
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On September 16, 1874, eighteen months after her second marriage, Catherine Devine McCarty Antrim died. The only known obituary for Billy the Kid's mother appeared three days later: |
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:"Died in Silver City, on Wednesday the 16th inst., Catherine, wife of William Antrim, aged 45 years. Mrs. Antrim and her husband and family came to Silver City about one year and a half ago, since which time her health has not been good, having suffered from an affliction of the lungs. For the last four months she has been confined to her bed. The funeral occurred from the family residence on Main Street, at 2 o'clock on Thursday."<ref>''Silver City Mining Life'', September 19, 1874.</ref> |
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===Stealing clothes from a Chinese Laundry=== |
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Henry McCarty had his first known run-in with the law exactly one year after his mother's death, and just one day before his sixteenth birthday. A Silver City newspaper gave this report of the event: |
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:"Henry McCarty, who was arrested on Thursday [September 16, 1875] and committed to jail to await the action of the Grand Jury upon the charge of stealing clothes from Charley Sun and Sam Chung, [[Celestial (Chinese)|celestials]], sans [[Queue (hairstyle)|cues]], sans [[Incense#Joss sticks|joss sticks]], escaped from prison yesterday through the chimney. It's believed that Henry was simply the tool of "Sombrero Jack," who done the stealing while Henry done the hiding. Jack has skinned out."<ref>''Grant County Herald'' (Silver City, New Mexico) - September 26, 1875.</ref> |
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==First major crimes== |
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According to some accounts, McCarty eventually found work as an itinerant ranch hand for Henry C. Hooker in southeastern [[Arizona]].<ref>Utley, Robert M. ''Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life'', 1989 pp. 10-11.</ref> In 1876, McCarty settled in the vicinity of the [[Fort Grant, Arizona|Fort Grant]] Army Post in Arizona where he worked on ranches and tested his skills at local gaming houses.<ref>Wallis, Michael. ''Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride'', 2007 - p. 103.</ref> |
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During this time, he became acquainted with John R. Mackie, a Scottish-born ex-cavalry private with a criminal bent.<ref>Wallis, Michael. ''Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride'', 2007 - p. 107.</ref> The two men supposedly became involved in the risky but profitable enterprise of horse thievery. McCarty stole from local soldiers and became known by the name of "Kid Antrim".<ref>Wallis, Michael. Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride, 2007 - pp. 110-111.</ref> Biographer Robert M. Utley writes that the nickname arose because of McCarty's slight build and beardless countenance, his young years, and his appealing personality.<ref>Utley, Robert M. ''Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life'', 1989 - p. 16.</ref> |
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===The Killing of "Windy" Cahill=== |
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The future "Billy the Kid" managed to keep out of the news for nearly two years. His next press clipping came from Arizona, where he killed his first documented victim Francis P. "Windy" Cahill on August 17, 1877.<ref>Radbourne, Allan and Rasch, Philip J. "The Story of 'Windy' Cahill." ''Real West'' (No. 204), August 1985 - pp. 22-27.</ref> He was exactly one month shy of his eighteenth birthday. A Tucson paper gave this account of the killing: |
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:"Austin [''sic''] Antrim shot F.P. Cahill near Camp Grant on the 17th instant, and the latter died on the 18th. Cahill made a statement before his death to the effect that he had some trouble with Antrim during which the shooting was done ... The coroner's jury found that the shooting 'was criminal and unjustifiable,' and that 'Henry Antrim, alias Kid, is guilty thereof.' The inquest was held by M.L. Wood, J.P., and the jurors were M. McDowell, Geo. Teague, T. McCleary, B.E. Norton, Jas. L. Hunt and D.H. Smith."<ref>''Arizona Citizen'' (Tucson), August 22, 1877.</ref> |
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In fear of Cahill's friends, McCarty fled the [[Arizona Territory]] and entered into [[New Mexico Territory]].<ref>Wallis, Michael. ''Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride'', 2007 - p. 119.</ref> He eventually arrived at the former army post of [http://newmexico.hometownlocator.com/maps/feature-map,ftc,2,fid,900231,n,apache%20tejo.cfm Apache Tejo], where he joined a band of cattle rustlers who raided the sprawling herds of cattle magnate [[John Chisum]].<ref name="Wallis, Michael pp. 123-131">Wallis, Michael. ''Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride'', 2007 - pp. 123-131.</ref> During this period, McCarty was spotted by a resident of Silver City, and the teenager's involvement with the notorious [[List of Old West gangs|gang]] was mentioned in a local newspaper.<ref name="Wallis, Michael pp. 123-131"/> McCarty rode for a time with the gang of rustlers known as the [[Jesse Evans Gang]], but then turned up at Heiskell Jones's house in [[Fort Stanton|Pecos Valley, New Mexico]].<ref>Nolan, Frederick. ''The West of Billy the Kid'', 1998 - p. 77.</ref> |
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According to this account, [[Apache]]s stole McCarty's horse, forcing him to walk many miles to the nearest settlement, which happened to be Jones's home. When he arrived, the young man was supposedly near death, but Mrs. Jones nursed him back to health. The Jones family developed a strong attachment to McCarty and gave him one of their horses. At some point in 1877, McCarty began to refer to himself as "William H. Bonney".<ref>Wallis, ''Michael Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride'', 2007 - p. 144.</ref> |
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==Lincoln County War== |
==Lincoln County War== |
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{{ |
{{Main|Lincoln County War}} |
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===Prelude=== |
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Billy the Kid had returned to New Mexico just in time to play his role in the conflict known as the "Lincoln County War." Since the early 1870's Lincoln County, New Mexico had been under the economic and political control of three Irishmen named Lawrence G. Murphy (1830-1878), James Joseph Dolan (1848-1898) and John Henry Riley (1841-1916). Together, these three held the lucrative beef contract for nearby Fort Stanton and ran the major store in the town of Lincoln known as the "House of Murphy," or simply "The House." <ref>Nolan,Frederick ''The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History, 1992'' - pp. 23-55.</ref> "The House" had the backing of a group of powerful New Mexico lawyers and businessmen known as the "Santa Fe Ring," who were led by Thomas Benton Catron (1840-1921). |
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[[File:John Tunstall seated pose cropped and retouched.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|[[John Henry Tunstall]], 1872|left]] |
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After returning to New Mexico, Bonney worked as a cowboy for English businessman and rancher [[John Henry Tunstall]] (1853–1878), near the Rio Felix, a tributary of the [[Pecos River]], in Lincoln County (now in [[Chaves County]]). Tunstall and his business partner and lawyer [[Alexander McSween]] were opponents of an alliance formed by [[Irish-American]] businessmen [[Lawrence Murphy]], [[James Dolan (Lincoln County War)|James Dolan]], and John Riley. The three men had wielded an economic and political hold over Lincoln County since the early 1870s, due in part to their ownership of a beef contract with nearby [[Fort Stanton]] and a well-patronized dry goods store in the town of [[Lincoln, New Mexico|Lincoln]]. |
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By February 1878, McSween owed $8,000 to Dolan, who obtained a court order and asked Lincoln County Sheriff [[William J. Brady]] to [[Attachment (law)|attach]] nearly $40,000 worth of Tunstall's property and livestock. Tunstall put Bonney in charge of nine prime horses and told him to relocate them to his ranch for safekeeping. Meanwhile, Sheriff Brady assembled a large posse to seize Tunstall's cattle.{{sfn|Nolan|2009a|pp=188–190}}<ref name=tunstallfamily /> |
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A young lawyer named Alexander A. McSween (1844-1878) had once served as the lawyer for "The House." In that capacity, McSween settled a $10,000 insurance claim involving the late Emil Fritz, a one-time partner of Murphy's. The trouble began when McSween objected to the amount that "The House" planned on paying him for a fee. Joining McSween at this point was an Englishman named John Henry Tunstall (1853-1878). McSween and Tunstall had financial backing from cattle baron John Simpson Chisum (1824-1884), and formed a partnership to challenge the Former "House of Murphy," which had been renamed "James J. Dolan & Company," following the dying Murphy's retirement. Tunstall and McSween established a rival store and bank in Lincoln. Many citizens were happy to transfer their business to the new concern. It wasn't long before James J. Dolan & Company began to feel the pinch. At a particular low point, the Dolan firm was reduced to having to ask Tunstall's bank for a loan.<ref>Nolan, Frederick. ''The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History, 1992. pp. 75-86.''</ref> In the meantime, John Henry Tunstall had purchased a ranch on the Rio Feliz and signed the eighteen year-old "Billy the Kid" as one of his cowboys. |
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On February 18, 1878, Tunstall learned of the posse's presence on his land and rode out to intervene. During the encounter, one member of the posse shot Tunstall in the chest, knocking him off his horse. Another posse member took Tunstall's gun and killed him with a shot to the back of his head.<ref name="tunstallfamily">{{Cite magazine |last=Boardman |first=Mark |date=September 25, 2010 |title=The Tunstalls Return – John Tunstall's kin traveled from England to fathom death in Lincoln. |url=http://www.truewestmagazine.com/the-tunstalls-return/ |url-status=live |magazine=True West Magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216031421/http://www.truewestmagazine.com/the-tunstalls-return/ |archive-date=February 16, 2016 |access-date=February 10, 2016 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>{{sfn|Utley|1989|p=46}} Tunstall's murder ignited the conflict between the two factions that became known as the [[Lincoln County War]].<ref name=tunstallfamily />{{sfn|Nolan|2009a|pp=23–55}} |
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Tunstall immediately began having trouble with rustlers. During October 1877 his foreman, Richard M. "Dick" Brewer (1852-1878) led a group that captured four of the suspected rustlers. The four were Jessie [his spelling] Evans, Frank Baker, George Davis and Tom Hill.<ref>Utley, Robert M. ''High Noon in Lincoln: Violence on the Western Frontier'', 1987 pp. 32-34.</ref> These men were turned over to Sheriff William Brady, but escaped from jail on November 17, 1877.<ref>Utley, Robert M. ''High Noon in Lincoln: Violence on the Western Frontier'', 1987 pp. 34-35.</ref> After a writ of attachment was issued on McSween's property, Sheriff Brady attempted to attach Tunstall's property as well. The writ against Tunstall was issued on February 6, 1878 for $8,000.<ref>Nolan, Frederick. ''The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History'', 1992 - p.188.</ref> Sheriff Brady then went far beyond the amount specified in the writ, and attempted to attach nearly $40,000 of Tunstall's holdings.<ref>Nolan, Frederick. ''The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History'', 1992 - p. 189.</ref> On February 13, 1878 deputy sheriff Jacob B. "Billy" Matthews (1847-1904) rode out to Tunstall's ranch, in an attempt to attach the Englishman's stock. Although Matthews had a large posse with him, he was faced down by Dick Brewer, who told Matthews that Tunstall's cattle would remain at the ranch until a ruling came from the court. |
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===Build-up=== |
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===The Killing of John Henry Tunstall ( February 18, 1878 )=== |
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[[File:Dick Brewer cropped b&w.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|[[Richard M. Brewer|Dick Brewer]], {{circa|1875}}]] |
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After Tunstall was killed, Bonney and [[Richard M. Brewer|Dick Brewer]] swore affidavits against Brady and those in his posse, and obtained murder warrants from Lincoln County justice of the peace John B. Wilson.{{sfn|Utley|1989|pp=48–49}} On February 20, 1878, while attempting to arrest Brady, the sheriff and his deputies found and arrested Bonney and two other men riding with him.<ref name="TWfebarrest">{{Cite magazine |last=Bell |first=Bob Boze |date=April 1, 2004 |title=I Shot the Sheriff (and I Killed a Deputy, Too) – Billy Kid and the Regulators vs Sheriff Brady and His Deputies |url=http://www.truewestmagazine.com/i-shot-the-sheriff-and-i-killed-a-deputy-too/ |url-status=live |magazine=True West Magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216031605/http://www.truewestmagazine.com/i-shot-the-sheriff-and-i-killed-a-deputy-too/ |archive-date=February 16, 2016 |access-date=February 10, 2016 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> Deputy [[United States Marshal Service|U.S. Marshal]] [[Robert Widenmann]], a friend of Bonney, and a detachment of soldiers captured Sheriff Brady's jail guards, put them behind bars, and released Bonney and Brewer.<ref name="TWtunstallambush">{{Cite magazine |last=Bell |first=Bob Boze |date=September 11, 2015 |title=Tunstall Ambushed – Regulators vs Dolan's Henchmen |url=http://www.truewestmagazine.com/tunstall-ambushed/ |url-status=live |magazine=True West Magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216032547/http://www.truewestmagazine.com/tunstall-ambushed/ |archive-date=February 16, 2016 |access-date=February 11, 2016 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> |
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Bonney then joined the [[Lincoln County Regulators]]; on March 9 they captured Frank Baker and William Morton, both of whom were accused of killing Tunstall. Baker and Morton were killed while allegedly trying to escape.{{sfn|Utley|1989|pp=56–60}} |
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When Tunstall returned to the ranch, four days later, he learned of the posse's visit and decided to take six of his prime horses to Lincoln for safekeeping. Tunstall left the following morning ( February18, 1878 ) accompanied by Dick Brewer, Robert A. Widenmann, John Middleton and Billy the Kid. Some thirty miles from Tunstall's ranch, Brewer and Widenmann spotted a large group of riders approaching. Brewer and Widenmann shouted a warning to their three companions. Billy the Kid and Middleton spurred their horses forward and joined Brewer and Widenmann. For reasons that cannot be explained, Tunstall refused to accompany Billy the Kid and Middleton and remained where he was to face the approaching posse alone. Within moments, Tunstall was surrounded by an eighteen-man posse led by Deputy Sheriff Billy Mathews. In the forefront of this group were William S. Morton, Jessie Evans and Tom Hill. A shot was fired - apparently by Morton - and Tunstall pitched from his saddle. Jessie Evans then took the dead Tunstall's pistol and fired a shot into his body. As a finishing touch, Evans also killed Tunstall's prized bay horse.<ref>Utley, Robert M. ''Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life'', 1989 - p. 46.</ref> "As a wry and macabre joke on Tunstall's great affection for horses, the dead bay's head was then pillowed on his hat", writes [[Frederick Nolan]], Tunstall's biographer.<ref>Nolan, Frederick ''The Life and Death of John Henry Tunstall'', 1965 - p. 272.</ref> Members of the House sought to portray Tunstall's death as a "justifiable homicide", but evidence at the scene suggested that Tunstall attempted to avoid a confrontation before he was shot down.<ref>Jacobsen, Joel. ''Such Men as Billy the Kid: The Lincoln County War Reconsidered'', 1994 - pp. 87-90. |
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</ref> |
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On April 1, the Regulators ambushed Sheriff Brady and his deputies; Bonney was wounded in the thigh during the battle. Brady and Deputy Sheriff [[George W. Hindman]] were killed.{{sfn|Nolan|2009a|pp=233–49, 549}} On the morning of April 4, 1878, [[Buckshot Roberts]] and Dick Brewer were killed during [[Gunfight at Blazer's Mill|a shootout at Blazer's Mill]].<ref>Rickards, Colin. ''The Gunfight at Blazer's Mill'', 1974 – pp. 36–37.</ref> Warrants were issued for several participants on both sides, and Bonney and two others were charged with killing Brady, Hindman and Roberts.<ref>Wroth, William H. [http://newmexicohistory.org/people/billy-the-kid Billy the Kid] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126043335/http://newmexicohistory.org/people/billy-the-kid |date=January 26, 2016 }}. Retrieved January 9, 2016.</ref> |
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Brewer, Middleton, Widenmann and Billy the Kid watched the brutal murder of Tunstall, and managed to escape before they were discovered by the posse. The following day, warrants were issued for five of the posse members - Jessie Evans, Frank Baker, Tom Hill, George W. Hindman and William S. Morton. A warrant was also issued for James J. Dolan. <ref>Utley, Robert M. ''High Noon in Lincoln: Violence on the Western Frontier'', 1987 - pp. 54-55.</ref> On February 20, Constable Antanacio Martinez deputized Billy the Kid and Frederick T. Waite (1852-1895) to assist him in serving the warrants. Before they could act, Dolan's tool, Sheriff William Brady, arrested Martinez, Waite and the KId on the trumped-up charge of "disturbing the peace." They were finally released on February 22. |
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==== Battle of Lincoln (1878) ==== |
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===The Regulators=== |
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Following the release of the Kid and his companions, a posse calling themselves "Regulators" sprang into action. Its members included Billy the Kid, Charles Bowdre (1848-1880), Henry Newton Brown (1857-1884), Jim French, Frank MacNab, William McCloskey, John Middleton, Josiah Gordon "Doc" Scurlock (1849-1929), Samuel Smith and Frederick T. Waite. The undisputed leader of the "Regulators" was Dick Brewer. |
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===The Killings of Morton, Baker and McCloskey ( March 9, 1878 )=== |
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First blood came on March 9, 1878 when two of Tunstall's accused murderers, Frank Baker and William S. Morton, were captured by the "Regulators" and killed "while trying to escape." One of the "Regulators", William McCloskey was killed as well. McCloskey's death has remained the subject of a controversy that can never be resolved. Tunstall's foreman Dick Brewer had been appointed a special constable and given a warrant to arrest the murderers of Tunstall. He deputized the "Regulators," and they captured two of the wanted men, William S. Morton and Frank Baker. Upon returning to Lincoln, the Regulators reported that Morton and Baker had been shot on March 9, near Agua Negra during an alleged escape attempt.<ref>Utley, Robert M. ''Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life'', 1989 - pp. 56-60.</ref> During their journey to Lincoln, the Regulators killed one of their members, William McCloskey, whom they suspected of being a traitor.<ref>Utley, Robert M. ''Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life'', 1989 - pp. 57-60. |
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</ref> According to the surviving "Regulators," either Baker or Morton managed to grab McCloskey's revolver and kill him. Not surprisingly, the Dolan faction offered an entirely different version, which said that McCloskey was supposedly killed by the "Regulators" after they had executed Barker and Morton, in order to keep him from talking. The local press accepted the Dolan version. The ''Santa Fe New Mexican'' noted that the fact that Baker and Morton had each been shot eleven times, indicated an "execution," and that McCloskey, who objected to what happened, had been eliminated to prevent him from "telling what he knew." <ref>''Santa Fe New Mexican'', May 4, 1878.</ref> Following the three killings, Governor Samuel Beach Axtell invalidated the appointment of Dick Brewer and all of his "Regulators." THis did not deter the group, who then sought vengeance outside the law. |
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===The Killing of Tom Hill ( March 13, 1878 )=== |
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The next of Tunstall's accused murderers, |
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===The Killing of Sheriff Brady ( April 1, 1878 )=== |
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The Regulators planned to settle a score with Sheriff [[William J. Brady]], who had arrested McCarty and fellow deputy [[Fred Waite]] in the aftermath of Tunstall's murder. At the time when Brady arrested them, the two men were trying to serve a warrant on him for his suspected role in looting Tunstall's store after the Englishman's death, as well as against his posse members for the murder of Tunstall.<ref name="wallis193-199">Wallis (2007), pp. 193–199.</ref> On April 1, the Regulators ([[Jim French (cowboy)|Jim French]], [[Frank McNab]], [[John Middleton (cowboy)|John Middleton]], Fred Waite, [[Henry Newton Brown|Henry Brown]], and McCarty/Bonney) ambushed Sheriff Brady<ref name="brady">{{cite web|url=http://www.odmp.org/officer/2168-sheriff-william-brady|title=Sheriff William Brady|publisher=The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc.|accessdate=August 4, 2008}}</ref> and his deputy [[George W. Hindman]],<ref name="hindman">{{cite web|url=http://www.odmp.org/officer/6526-deputy-sheriff-george-hindman|title=Deputy Sheriff George Hindman|publisher=The Officers Down Memorial Page, Inc.|accessdate=August 4, 2008}}</ref> killing them both in Lincoln's main street. |
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McCarty was shot in the thigh while attempting to retrieve a rifle that Brady had seized from him during an earlier arrest.<ref name="SOTP">{{cite web|url=http://www.sptddog.com/sotp|title=Chronology of Billy the Kid|publisher=Shadows of the Past, Inc.|accessdate=August 4, 2008}}</ref> With this move, the Regulators disillusioned many former supporters, who came to view both sides as "equally nefarious and bloodthirsty".<ref name="wallis202">Wallis (2007), p. 202</ref> The connection was ambiguous between McSween and the Regulators, however. McCarty was loyal to the memory of Tunstall, though not necessarily to McSween.<ref name="jacobsen133">Jacobsen (1994), p. 133</ref> Jacobsen doubts whether McCarty and McSween were acquainted at the time of Brady's death. According to a contemporary newspaper account, the Regulators disclaimed "all connection or sympathy with McSween and his affairs" and expressed that their sole desire was to track down Tunstall's murderers.<ref name="jacobsen133"/> |
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===The Gunfight at Blazer's Mill ( April 4, 1878 )=== |
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On the morning of April 4, 1878 Dick Brewer and a party of fourteen "Regulators' assembled at a place called Blazer's Mill. With Brewer were Billy the Kid, Charles Bowdre, Henry Newton Brown (1857-1884), Frank B. Coe (1851-1923), George Washington Coe (1856-1941), Jim French, Ignacio Gonzales, Frank MacNab, John Middleton, John Scroggins, Josiah Gordon "Doc" Scurlock, Stephen Stevens and Frederick Waite.<ref>Rickards, Colin. ''The Gunfight at Blazer's Mill'', 1974 - pp. 25-37.</ref> When the well-armed Andrew L. "Buckshot" Roberts rode up to Blazer's Mill, he was confronted by Frank B. Coe who told Roberts that the "Regulators" held a warrant for his arrest in connection with the Tunstall killing. Charlie Bowdre joined Coe and told Roberts to throw up his hands. Instead, Roberts lifted his rifle and both he and Bowdre fired together. Bowdre's shot hit Roberts in the chest. Bowdre suffered a minor flesh wound.<ref>Rickards, Colin. ''The Gunfight at Blazer's Mill'', 1974 - pp. 27-32.</ref> Other Regulators, firing from hidden positions, now joined the fight. As Roberts fought his way toward the shelter of Dr. Joseph H. Blazer's house, he fired a shot that hit John Middleton in the lung. Roberts carbine was now empty. Billy the Kid charged Roberts. Somehow Roberts managed to jab his empty rifle into the Kid's mid-section, knocking the wind out of him.<ref>Rickards, Colin. ''The Gunfight at Blazer's Mill'', 1974 - p. 32.</ref> Roberts managed to make it to Dr. Blazer's office, where he found Dr. Blazer's single shot Springfield 45-60 in the office with a good supply of cartridges. Dick Brewer made the mistake of looking up from his hidden position. The dying Roberts shot Brewer squarely in the forehead and blew the top of his head off.<ref>Rickards, Colin. ''The Gunfight at Blazer's Mill'', 1974 - pp. 36-37.</ref> As soon as Brewer was killed, Billy the Kid and the other "Regulators" abandoned Blazer's Mill, to seek medical help for three members of their group who had been wounded by Roberts."Buckshot" Roberts died the following day and was buried at Blazer's Mill next to Dick Brewer.<ref>Rickards, Colin. ''The Gunfight at Blazer's Mill'', 1974 - p. 39. |
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</ref> |
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===Killing of Frank McNab and after=== |
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{{Main|Battle of Lincoln (1878)}} |
{{Main|Battle of Lincoln (1878)}} |
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On the night of Sunday, July 14, McSween and the Regulators—now a group of fifty or sixty men—went to Lincoln and stationed themselves in the town among several buildings.{{sfn|Jacobsen|1994|p=173}} At the McSween residence were Bonney, Florencio Chavez, [[Jose Chavez y Chavez]], Jim French, Harvey Morris, [[Tom O'Folliard]], and [[Yginio Salazar]], among others. Another group led by Marin Chavez and [[Doc Scurlock]] positioned themselves on the roof of a saloon. [[Henry Newton Brown]], Dick Smith, and [[George Coe (Lincoln County War)|George Coe]] defended a nearby adobe bunkhouse.{{sfn|Nolan|1992|pp=312–313}}{{sfn|Utley|1987|p=87}} |
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After Brewer's death, the Regulators elected Frank McNab as captain. For a short period, the Regulators benefited from the appointment of Sheriff John Copeland, who proved sympathetic to their cause. Copeland's authority was undermined by the House, which recruited members from among Brady's former deputies. Meanwhile, the Jesse Evans gang formed a posse together with the [[Seven Rivers Warriors]], who were under the direction of former Brady deputy George W. Peppin. On April 29, 1878, this posse engaged in a shootout at the Fritz Ranch against McNab, Ab Saunders, and Frank Coe. They killed McNab, severely wounded Saunders, and captured Frank Coe—though Coe managed to escape from custody a short time later. |
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On Tuesday, July 16, newly appointed sheriff [[George Peppin]] sent sharpshooters to kill the McSween defenders at the saloon. Peppin's men retreated when one of the snipers, Charles Crawford, was killed by Fernando Herrera. Peppin then sent a request for assistance to Colonel [[Nathan Dudley]], commandant of nearby [[Fort Stanton]]. In a reply to Peppin, Dudley refused to intervene but later arrived in Lincoln with troops, turning the battle in favor of the Murphy-Dolan faction.{{sfn|Nolan|1992|p=513}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=New Mexico Office of the State Historian {{!}} people |url=http://newmexicohistory.org/people/billy-the-kid |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629050035/http://newmexicohistory.org/people/billy-the-kid |archive-date=June 29, 2017 |access-date=July 19, 2017 |website=newmexicohistory.org |language=en}}</ref> |
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The next day, the Regulators took up defensive positions in the town of Lincoln, where they traded shots with Dolan's men as well as [[Cavalry (United States)|U.S. cavalry]]men. The only casualty was Dutch Charley Kruling, a House gunman wounded by a rifle slug fired by George Coe.<ref>{{cite book|last=Caldwell|first=C.R.|title=Dead Right — The Lincoln County War|year=2008|publisher=Clifford, Caldwell|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HSysw_UbEIQC|isbn=0-615-17152-4|page=108}}</ref> By shooting at US government troops, the Regulators gained a new set of enemies. On May 15, the Regulators tracked down [[Seven Rivers Warriors]] gang member Manuel Segovia, the suspected murderer of Frank McNab, and killed him.<ref name="wallis209-213">Wallis (2007), pp. 209–213</ref> Around the time of Segovia's death, the Regulators gained a new member, a young Texas "cowpoke" named [[Tom O'Folliard]], who became McCarty's close friend and constant companion.<ref name="wallis209-213"/> |
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A gunfight broke out on Friday, July 19. McSween's supporters gathered inside his house; when Buck Powell and Deputy Sheriff Jack Long set fire to the building, the occupants began shooting. Bonney and the other men fled the building when all rooms but one were burning. During the confusion, McSween was shot and killed by Robert W. Beckwith, who was then shot and killed by Bonney.{{sfn|Nolan|1992|pp=322–331}}{{sfn|Utley|1987|pp=96–111}} |
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===The Five-Day Battle=== |
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==Outlaw== |
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The Regulators' position worsened when the governor removed Copeland, in a quasi-legal move, and appointed House ally George Peppin as sheriff.<ref name="wallis209-213"/> McCarty and the other Regulators were under indictment for the Brady killing, and they spent the next several months in hiding. They were trapped on July 15 in McSween's home (along with McSween) in Lincoln by members of the House and some of Brady's men.<ref name="wallis209-213"/> On July 19, a column of U.S. cavalry soldiers entered the fray. The soldiers were ostensibly neutral, but their actions favored the Dolan faction.<ref name="wallis213-215">Wallis (2007), pp. 213–215</ref> After a five-day siege, the posse set McSween's house on fire,<ref name="wallis213-215"/> and McCarty and the other Regulators fled. The posse shot McSween when he escaped the fire, essentially marking the end of the Lincoln County War.<ref name="wallis213-215"/> |
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[[File:Gov Lew Wallace in 1893 cropped lightened.jpg|upright|thumb|left|New Mexico Territorial Governor [[Lew Wallace]] in 1893]] |
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Bonney and three other survivors of the [[Battle of Lincoln (1878)|Battle of Lincoln]] were near the Mescalero Indian Agency when the agency bookkeeper, Morris Bernstein, was murdered on August 5, 1878. All four were indicted for the murder, despite conflicting evidence that Bernstein had been killed by Constable Atanacio Martinez. All of the indictments, except Bonney's, were later quashed.{{sfn|Utley|1989|pp=104–105, 107, 110}}{{sfn|Nolan|2009a|pp=339–340, 342, 445, 514}} |
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On October 5, 1878, [[United States Marshal Service|U.S. Marshal]] John Sherman informed newly appointed Territorial Governor and former Union Army general [[Lew Wallace]] that he held warrants for several men, including "William H. Antrim, alias Kid, alias Bonny{{sic}}" but was unable to execute them "owing to the disturbed condition of affairs in that county, resulting from the acts of a desperate class of men".{{sfn|Utley|1987|p=120}} Wallace issued an amnesty proclamation on November 13, 1878, which pardoned anyone involved in the Lincoln County War since Tunstall's murder. It specifically excluded persons who had been convicted of or indicted for a crime, and therefore excluded Bonney.{{sfn|Nolan|2009a|pp=315, 515}}{{sfn|Utley|1987|pp=122–123, 126–128, 141, 150, 154, 156–158}} |
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==Lew Wallace and amnesty== |
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In the Autumn of 1878, President [[Rutherford B. Hayes]] appointed [[Lew Wallace]] as Governor of the New Mexico Territory.<ref name="wallis225">Wallis (2007), p. 225</ref> (Wallace was a former [[Union Army]] general.) In an effort to restore peace to Lincoln County, Wallace proclaimed an amnesty for any man involved in the Lincoln County War who was not already under indictment.<ref name="wallis225"/> McCarty had fled to Texas after his escape from McSween's house and was already under indictment, but he sent Wallace a letter requesting immunity in return for testifying in front of the Grand Jury.<ref name="wallis227-228">Wallis (2007), pp. 227–8</ref> In March 1879, Wallace and McCarty met in Lincoln County to discuss the possibility of a deal. McCarty greeted the governor with a revolver in one hand and a [[Winchester rifle]] in the other.<ref>Henry (2014), pp. 92</ref> After taking several days to consider Wallace's offer, McCarty agreed to testify in return for amnesty.<ref name="wallis227-228"/> |
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On February 18, 1879, Bonney and friend [[Tom O'Folliard]] were in Lincoln and watched as attorney Huston Chapman was shot and his corpse set on fire. According to eyewitnesses, the pair were innocent bystanders forced at gunpoint by [[Jesse Evans]] to witness the murder.{{sfn|Utley|1987|pp=132–136, 139, 141, 143–144}}{{sfn|Nolan|1992|pp=375–376, 378, 516–517}} Bonney wrote to Governor Wallace on March 13, 1879, with an offer to provide information on the Chapman murder in exchange for amnesty. On March 15, Governor Wallace replied, agreeing to a secret meeting to discuss the situation. He met with Wallace in Lincoln on March 17, 1879. During the meeting and in subsequent correspondence, Wallace promised Bonney protection from his enemies and clemency if he would offer his testimony to a [[grand jury]].{{efn|For years Wallace denied that he had agreed to the bargain with Bonney; however, in a newspaper article published in 1902, Wallace changed his story and said he had promised him a pardon in exchange for the testimony.{{sfn|Cooper|2017|pages=556–561}} }} |
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The arrangement called for McCarty to submit to a token arrest and a short stay in jail until the conclusion of his courtroom testimony.<ref name="wallis227-228"/> McCarty's testimony did help to indict John Dolan, but the district attorney disregarded Wallace's order to set McCarty free after his testimony (the district attorney was one of the powerful "House" faction leaders).<ref name="wallis 228-229">Wallis (2207), pp. 228–229</ref> After the Dolan trial, McCarty and O'Folliard escaped on horses supplied by friends.<ref name="wallis 228-229"/> |
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On March 20, Wallace wrote to Bonney, "to remove all suspicion of understanding, I think it better to put the arresting party in charge of Sheriff Kimbrell [sic] who shall be instructed to see that no violence is used."{{efn|Letter from Governor Wallace to W.H. Bonney, March 20, 1879.{{sfn| Cooper |2017|pages=563–565}} }} Bonney responded on the same day, agreeing to testify and confirming Wallace's proposal for his arrest and detention in a local jail to assure his safety.{{sfn|Cooper|2017|p=565}}{{sfn|Boomhower|2005|p=103}} On March 21, he let himself be captured by a posse led by Sheriff George Kimball of Lincoln County. As agreed, Bonney provided a statement about Chapman's murder and testified in court.{{sfn|Boomhower|2005|p=104}} However, after his testimony, the local district attorney refused to set him free.{{sfn|Boomhower|2005|pp=106–107}}{{sfn|Lifson|2009}} Still in custody several weeks later, Bonney began to suspect Wallace had used subterfuge and would never grant him amnesty. He escaped from the Lincoln County jail on June 17, 1879.{{sfn|Utley|1989|pp=111–125}}[[File:Tom O'Folliard circa 1875 retouched and cropped.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Tom O'Folliard]], {{circa|1875}}]] |
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For the next year and a half, McCarty survived by rustling, gambling, and taking defensive action. In January 1880, he reportedly killed a man named Joe Grant in a [[Fort Sumner]] saloon.<ref name="wallis233-234">Wallis (2007), pp. 233–234</ref> Grant did not realize who his opponent was and boasted that he would kill "Billy the Kid" if he ever encountered him. In those days, men loaded their revolvers with only five rounds, with the hammer down on an empty chamber. This was done to prevent an accidental discharge should the hammer be struck. The Kid asked Grant if he could see his ivory-handled revolver and, while looking at the weapon, rotated the cylinder so that the hammer would fall on the empty chamber when the trigger was pulled. He then told Grant his identity. When Grant fired, nothing happened, and McCarty shot him. When asked about the incident later, he remarked, "It was a game for two, and I got there first."<ref name="wallis233-234"/> |
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Bonney avoided further violence until January 10, 1880, when he shot and killed Joe Grant, a newcomer to the area, at Hargrove's Saloon in [[Fort Sumner, New Mexico]].<ref name="truewestmag">{{Cite magazine |last=Bell |first=Bob Boze |date=May 2, 2007 |title=The Tale of the Empty Chamber Billy the Kid vs Joe Grant |url=http://www.truewestmagazine.com/billy-the-kid-vs-joe-grant/ |url-status=live |magazine=True West Magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216031739/http://www.truewestmagazine.com/billy-the-kid-vs-joe-grant/ |archive-date=February 16, 2016 |access-date=January 10, 2016 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> The ''Santa Fe Weekly New Mexican'' reported, "Billy Bonney, more extensively known as 'the Kid', shot and killed Joe Grant. The origin of the difficulty was not learned."<ref>''Santa Fe Weekly New Mexican'', January 17, 1880.</ref> According to other contemporary sources, Bonney had been warned Grant intended to kill him. He walked up to Grant, told him he admired his revolver, and asked to examine it. Grant handed it over. Before returning the pistol, which he noticed contained only three cartridges, Bonney positioned the cylinder so the next hammer fall would land on an empty chamber. Grant suddenly pointed his pistol at Bonney's face and pulled the trigger. When it failed to fire, he drew his own weapon and shot Grant in the head. A reporter for the ''Las Vegas Optic'' quoted Bonney as saying the encounter "was a game of two and I got there first".{{sfn|Utley|1989|pp=131–133, 145, 203, 249–250}}{{sfn|Nolan|1992|pp=397, 518, 572}} |
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Other versions of this story exist. Biographer Joel Jacobsen recounts the story describing Grant as a "drunk" who was "making himself obnoxious in a bar".<ref name="jacobsen217-218">Jacobsen (1994), pp. 217–218</ref> "The Kid" is described as rotating the cylinder "so an empty chamber was beneath the hammer".<ref name="jacobsen217-218"/> In Jacobsen's recounting of the incident, Grant tried to shoot McCarty in the back. "As [McCarty] was leaving the saloon, his back turned to Grant, he heard a distinct click. He spun around before Grant could reach a loaded chamber. Always a good marksman, he shot Grant in the chin."<ref name="jacobsen217-218"/> |
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In 1880, Bonney formed a friendship with a rancher named Jim Greathouse, who later introduced him to [[Dave Rudabaugh]]. On November 29, 1880, Bonney, Rudabaugh, and [[Billy Wilson (outlaw)|Billy Wilson]] ran from a posse led by sheriff's deputy James Carlysle. Cornered at Greathouse's ranch, he told the posse they were holding Greathouse as a hostage. Carlysle offered to exchange places with Greathouse, and Bonney accepted the offer. Carlysle later attempted to escape by jumping through a window but he was shot three times and killed.<ref name="ODMP2007">{{Cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Deputy Sheriff James Carlysle |url=https://www.odmp.org/officer/2797-deputy-sheriff-james-carlysle |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925131942/http://www.odmp.org/officer/2797-deputy-sheriff-james-carlysle |archive-date=25 September 2020 |access-date=19 November 2020 |website=The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP)}}</ref> The shootout ended in a standoff; the posse withdrew and Bonney, Rudabaugh, and Wilson rode away.{{sfn|Utley|1989|pp=143–146, 179, 204}}{{sfn|Nolan|1992|pp=398–401}} |
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In November 1880, a posse pursued and trapped the Kid's gang inside a ranch house owned by his friend James Greathouse at Anton Chico in the [[White Oaks, New Mexico|White Oaks]] area.<ref name="wallis235-238"/> |
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James Carlysle<ref name="carlysle">{{cite web|url=http://www.odmp.org/officer/2797-deputy-sheriff-james-carlysle|title=Deputy Sheriff James Carlysle|publisher=The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc.|accessdate=August 4, 2008}}</ref> of the posse entered the house under a [[white flag]], in an effort to negotiate the group's surrender.<ref name="wallis235-238"/> Greathouse was sent out to act as a hostage for the posse.<ref name="jacobsen222">Jacobsen (1994), p. 222</ref> At some point in the evening, Carlysle evidently decided that the outlaws were stalling. According to one version, Carlysle heard a shot that had been accidentally fired outside, concluding that the posse had shot down Greathouse. He chose escape, crashed through a window, and was fired upon and killed.<ref name="wallis235-238"/> Recognizing their mistake, the posse became demoralized and scattered, enabling McCarty and his gang to slip away. McCarty vehemently denied shooting Carlysle, and later wrote to Governor Wallace, claiming to be innocent of this crime and others which had been attributed to him.<ref name="wallis235-238"/> |
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A few weeks after the Greathouse incident, Bonney, Rudabaugh, Wilson, O'Folliard, [[Charlie Bowdre]], and [[Tom Pickett (outlaw)|Tom Pickett]] rode into Fort Sumner. Unbeknownst to Bonney and his companions, a posse led by [[Pat Garrett]] was waiting for them. The posse opened fire, killing O'Folliard; the rest of the outlaws escaped unharmed.{{sfn|Metz|1974|pp=74–75}}{{sfn|Utley|1989|pp=155–157, 256–257}} |
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==Pat Garrett== |
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[[File:Pat Garrett2.jpg|thumb|Sheriff Pat Garrett]] |
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During this time, McCarty became acquainted with an ambitious local bartender and former buffalo hunter named [[Pat Garrett]].<ref name="wallis233-234"/> Popular accounts often depict McCarty and Garrett as "bosom buddies", but there is no evidence that they were actual friends.<ref name="wallis235-238"/> Garrett was elected as sheriff of Lincoln County in November 1880, running on a pledge to rid the area of rustlers. In early December, he assembled a posse and set out to arrest McCarty, by that time known almost exclusively as "Billy the Kid." The Kid carried a $500 bounty on his head that had been authorized by governor [[Lew Wallace]].<ref name="wallis235-238">Wallis (2007), pp. 235–38</ref><ref>Utley (1989), p. 147</ref> |
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===Capture and escape=== |
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Garrett's posse fared well, and his men closed in quickly. On December 19, McCarty barely escaped a midnight ambush in [[Fort Sumner]], which left gang member Tom O'Folliard dead.<ref name="wallis235-238"/> On December 23, the Kid was tracked to an abandoned stone building in a remote location known as "Stinking Springs" (near present-day [[Taiban, New Mexico]]). Garrett's posse surrounded the building while McCarty and his gang were asleep inside, and waited for sunrise. The next morning, a cattle rustler named [[Charlie Bowdre]] stepped outside to feed his horse.<ref name="jacobsen226">Jacobsen (1994), p. 226</ref> He was mistaken for McCarty and was shot down by the posse.<ref name="jacobsen226"/> |
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[[File:Pat Garrett2.jpg|thumb|upright|Sheriff Pat Garrett, {{circa|1903}}|left]] |
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On December 13, 1880, Governor Wallace posted a $500 bounty for Bonney's capture.{{sfn|Utley|1989|p=147}} Pat Garrett continued his search for Bonney; on December 23, following the siege in which Bowdre was killed, Garrett and his posse captured Bonney along with Pickett, Rudabaugh, and Wilson at [[Stinking Springs]]. The prisoners, including Bonney, were shackled and taken to Fort Sumner, then later to [[Las Vegas, New Mexico]]. When they arrived on December 26, they were met by crowds of curious onlookers. |
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The following day, an armed mob gathered at the train depot before the prisoners, who were already on board the train with Garrett, departed for Santa Fe.{{sfn|Wallis|2007|p=240}} Deputy Sheriff Romero, backed by the angry group of men, demanded custody of Dave Rudabaugh, who during an unsuccessful escape attempt on April 5, 1880 shot and killed deputy Antonio Lino Valdez in the process.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Deputy Sheriff Antonio Lino Valdez profile |url=http://www.odmp.org/officer/13549-deputy-sheriff-antonio-lino-valdez |access-date=30 December 2019 |website=[[The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc]] |archive-date=November 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127004003/http://www.odmp.org/officer/13549-deputy-sheriff-antonio-lino-valdez |url-status=live }}</ref> Garrett refused to surrender the prisoner, and a tense confrontation ensued until he agreed to let the sheriff and two other men accompany the party to Santa Fe, where they would petition the governor to release Rudabaugh to them.{{sfn|Wallis|2007|pp=126–127}} In a later interview with a reporter, Bonney said he was unafraid during the incident, saying, "if I only had my Winchester I'd lick the whole crowd."{{sfn|Metz|1974|pp=76–85}}{{sfn|Utley|1989|pp=157–166}} The ''Las Vegas Gazette'' ran a story from a jailhouse interview following Bonney's capture; when the reporter said Bonney appeared relaxed, he replied, "What's the use of looking on the gloomy side of everything? The laugh's on me this time."<ref name="historynetbookreview">{{Cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=November 29, 2012 |title=Book Review: Billy the Kid's Writings, Words & Wit, by Gale Cooper |url=http://www.historynet.com/book-review-billy-the-kids-writings-words-wit-by-gale-cooper.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919050505/http://www.historynet.com/book-review-billy-the-kids-writings-words-wit-by-gale-cooper.htm |archive-date=September 19, 2015 |access-date=February 10, 2016 |website=HistoryNet |df=mdy-all}}</ref> During his short career as an outlaw, Bonney was the subject of numerous U.S. newspaper articles, some as far away as New York.{{sfn|Utley|1989|pp=145–147}} |
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Soon afterwards, somebody from within the building reached for the horse's halter rope, but Garrett shot and killed the horse, whose body blocked the building's only exit.<ref name="wallis239">Wallis (2007), p. 239</ref> The lawmen then began to cook breakfast over an open fire, and Garrett and McCarty engaged in a friendly exchange. Garrett invited McCarty outside to eat, and McCarty invited Garrett to "go to hell." Realizing that they had no hope of escape, the besieged and hungry outlaws finally surrendered and were allowed to join in the meal.<ref name="wallis239"/> |
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After arriving in Santa Fe, Bonney, seeking clemency, sent Governor Wallace four letters over the next three months. Wallace refused to intervene,{{sfn|Wallis|2007|pp=240–241}} and he went to trial in April 1881 in [[Mesilla, New Mexico]].{{sfn|Wallis|2007|p=242}} Following two days of testimony, Bonney was found guilty of Sheriff Brady's murder; it was the only conviction secured against any of the combatants in the Lincoln County War. On April 13, Judge Warren Bristol sentenced him to [[hanging|hang]], with his execution scheduled for May 13, 1881.{{sfn|Wallis|2007|p=242}} According to legend, upon sentencing, the judge told Bonney he was going to hang until he was "dead, dead, dead"; his response was, "you can go to hell, hell, hell."<ref name="historydotcom">{{Cite web |title=1881 Billy the Kid is shot to death |url=http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/billy-the-kid-is-shot-to-death |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160215230740/http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/billy-the-kid-is-shot-to-death |archive-date=February 15, 2016 |access-date=February 10, 2016 |website=History.com |df=mdy-all}}</ref> According to the historical record, he did not speak after the reading of his sentence.<ref name="TWMagBtKlegends">{{Cite web |last=Nolan |first=Frederick |date=April 28, 2015 |title='What if everything we know about Billy the Kid is wrong?' – Special Report |url=http://www.truewestmagazine.com/what-if-everything-we-know-about-billy-the-kid-is-wrong/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216044410/http://www.truewestmagazine.com/what-if-everything-we-know-about-billy-the-kid-is-wrong/ |archive-date=February 16, 2016 |access-date=February 12, 2016 |website=True West Magazine |df=mdy-all}}</ref> |
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==Escape from Lincoln== |
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[[File:LincolnNM Jail and Courthouse.jpg|thumb|Courthouse and jail, Lincoln, New Mexico]] |
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The Kid was transported from Fort Sumner to [[Las Vegas, New Mexico|Las Vegas]], where he gave an interview to a reporter from the ''Las Vegas Gazette''.<ref name="wallis240-241">Wallis (2007), pp. 240–241</ref> Next, the prisoner was transferred to Santa Fe, where he sent four separate letters over the next three months to Governor Wallace seeking clemency. Wallace refused to intervene,<ref name="wallis240-241"/> and the Kid's trial was held in April 1881 in [[Mesilla, New Mexico|Mesilla]].<ref name="wallis242">Wallis (2007), p. 242</ref> The Kid was found guilty on April 9 of the murder of Sheriff Brady, after two days of testimony, the only conviction ever secured against any of the combatants in the Lincoln County War. On April 13, he was sentenced by Judge Warren Bristol to [[hanging|hang]], with his execution scheduled for May 13.<ref name="wallis242"/> |
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[[File:LincolnNM Jail and Courthouse.jpg|thumb|Courthouse and jail, [[Lincoln, New Mexico]]]] |
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The Kid was removed to Lincoln, where he was held under guard on the top floor of the town courthouse by two of [[Pat Garrett|Garrett]]'s deputies, Bob Olinger and James Bell. The Kid killed both guards and escaped on April 28, while Garrett was out of town.<ref name="wallis243-244">Wallis (2007), pp. 243–244</ref> |
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Following his sentencing, Bonney was moved to Lincoln, where he was held under guard on the top floor of the town courthouse. On the evening of April 28, 1881, while Garrett was in [[White Oaks, New Mexico|White Oaks]] collecting taxes, Deputy [[Bob Olinger]] took five other prisoners across the street for a meal, leaving [[James Bell (sheriff)|James Bell]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.odmp.org/officer/1713-deputy-sheriff-james-w-bell|title=Deputy Sheriff James W. Bell|website=The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP)|access-date=August 14, 2020|archive-date=October 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023222958/https://www.odmp.org/officer/1713-deputy-sheriff-james-w-bell|url-status=live}}</ref> another deputy, alone with Bonney at the jail. He asked to be taken outside to use the [[outhouse]] behind the courthouse; on their return to the jail, Bonney—who was walking ahead of Bell up the stairs to his cell—hid around a blind corner, slipped out of his handcuffs, and beat Bell with the loose end of the cuffs. During the ensuing scuffle, Bonney grabbed Bell's revolver and fatally shot him in the back as Bell tried to get away.{{sfn|Utley|1989|p=181}} |
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Bonney, with his legs still shackled, broke into Garrett's office and took a loaded shotgun left behind by Olinger. He waited at the upstairs window for Olinger to respond to the gunshot that killed Bell and called out to him, "Look up, old boy, and see what you get." When Olinger looked up, Bonney shot and killed him.{{sfn|Utley|1989|p=181}}{{sfn|Wallis|2007|pp=243–244}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert Olinger |url=https://www.odmp.org/officer/10157-deputy-us-marshal-robert-olinger |website=The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP) |access-date=August 14, 2020 |archive-date=August 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804003517/https://www.odmp.org/officer/10157-deputy-us-marshal-robert-olinger |url-status=live }}</ref> After about an hour, Bonney freed himself from the leg irons with an axe.{{sfn|Jacobsen|1994|p=232}} He obtained a horse and rode out of town; according to some stories he was singing as he left Lincoln.{{sfn|Wallis|2007|pp=243–244}} |
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Deputy James Bell reportedly showed the Kid respect and "never, by word or action, did he betray his prejudice if it existed".<ref>Utley, Robert Marshall. Billy the Kid: a Short and Violent Life. Lincoln: University of Nebraska, 1991.<!--ISBN needed--></ref> |
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Deputy Olinger reportedly treated the Kid badly. Olinger's favorite weapon and tool of choice when tormenting the Kid was his [[double-barreled shotgun]]. He had loaded it with [[buckshot]] and was overconfident in his abilities as a guard. On April 28, 1881, Olinger left the prison for lunch, leaving his shotgun in Bell's custody. The Kid got his hands on a gun somehow and shot Bell, fatally wounding him.<ref name="olinger">{{cite web|url=http://www.odmp.org/officer/10157-deputy-marshal-robert-olinger|title=Deputy Marshal Robert Olinger|publisher=The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc.|accessdate=August 4, 2008}}</ref> It is not clear how the gun came into the Kid's possession, though various theories have been suggested. The Kid himself later claimed that he never wanted to kill Bell, but the other man stood in the way of his escape. |
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===Recapture and death=== |
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The second guard was across the street with some other prisoners, and the Kid waited at the upstairs window for him to respond to the gunshot and come to Bell's aid. As Olinger came running into view, the Kid leveled the shotgun at him, called out "Hello Bob!", and shot him dead.<ref name="wallis243-244"/><ref name="burns248-249">Burns (1953/1992), pp. 248–49</ref> The site of these killings is preserved in [[Lincoln County, Nevada|Lincoln County]] with the hole in the wall on display where Bell was shot, as well as a plaque where Olinger was gunned down.<ref name="bell">{{cite web|url=http://www.odmp.org/officer/1713-deputy-sheriff-james-w.-bell|title=Deputy Sheriff James W. Bell|publisher=The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc.|accessdate=August 4, 2008}}</ref> |
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While Bonney was on the run, Governor Wallace placed a new $500 bounty on the fugitive's head.{{sfn|Utley|1989|p=188}}<ref name="TWbounty">{{cite web |url = http://www.truewestmagazine.com/the-holy-grail-for-sale/ |title = The Holy Grail for Sale – The Billy the Kid tintype is on the auction block, and it might just clear half a million |work = True West Magazine |date = May 24, 2011 |access-date = February 10, 2016 |last = Boardman |first = Mark |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160305011909/http://www.truewestmagazine.com/the-holy-grail-for-sale/ |archive-date = March 5, 2016 |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.abqjournal.com/311743/is-this-the-kid.html |title = Is this Billy the Kid? |work = Albuquerque Journal – Las Cruces Bureau |date = December 1, 2013 |access-date = February 6, 2016 |first = Lauren |last = Villagran |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161215113858/https://www.abqjournal.com/311743/is-this-the-kid.html |archive-date = December 15, 2016 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> Almost three months after his escape, Garrett, responding to rumors that Bonney was in the vicinity of Fort Sumner, left Lincoln with two deputies on July 14, 1881, to question resident Pete Maxwell, a friend of Bonney's.{{sfn|Wallis|2007|pp=245–246}} Maxwell, son of land baron [[Lucien Maxwell]], spoke with Garrett the same day for several hours. Around midnight, the pair sat in Maxwell's darkened bedroom when Bonney unexpectedly entered.{{sfn|Wallis|2007|p=247}} |
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His escape was delayed for an hour while he worked himself free of his leg irons<ref>Jacobsen, p. 232</ref> with an axe. Then he mounted a horse and rode out of town, reportedly singing.<ref name="wallis243-244"/> The horse returned two days later.<ref name="wallis245-246">Wallis (2007), pp. 245–246</ref> |
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Accounts vary as to the course of events. According to the canonical version, as he entered the room, Bonney failed to recognize Garrett due to the poor lighting. Drawing his revolver and backing away, Bonney asked ''"¿Quién es? ¿Quién es?"'' (Spanish for "Who is it? Who is it?").<ref name="Nolan201486">{{cite book|author=Frederick Nolan|title=The Billy the Kid Reader|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MwjjBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA86|year=2014|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|isbn=978-0806182544|page=86|access-date=July 4, 2021|archive-date=July 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709200650/https://books.google.com/books?id=MwjjBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA86|url-status=live}}</ref> Recognizing Bonney's voice, Garrett drew his revolver and fired twice.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/05/us/122-years-later-lawmen-are-still-chasing-billy-the-kid.html |title=122 Years Later, Lawmen Are Still Chasing Billy the Kid |first=Michael |last=Janofsky |date=June 5, 2003 |access-date=January 25, 2019 |page=24 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |archive-date=January 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190125130848/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/05/us/122-years-later-lawmen-are-still-chasing-billy-the-kid.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The first bullet struck Bonney in the chest just above his heart, while the second missed. Garrett's account leaves it unclear whether Bonney was killed instantly or took some time to die.{{sfn|Wallis|2007|p=247}}<ref>{{cite web|title=The Death Of Billy The Kid, 1881|url=http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/billythekid.htm|publisher=Eyewitness to History/Ibis Communications|access-date=February 18, 2020|archive-date=February 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219215459/http://eyewitnesstohistory.com/billythekid.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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==Death== |
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[[File:Billy the Kid Headstone.jpg|thumb|Tombstone at Billy the Kid's grave, Fort Sumner, New Mexico]] |
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Sheriff Pat Garrett responded to rumors that McCarty was lurking in the vicinity of Fort Sumner almost three months after his escape. Garrett and two deputies set out on July 14, 1881 to question one of the town's residents, a friend of McCarty's named Pete Maxwell (son of land baron [[Lucien Maxwell]]).<ref name="wallis245-246"/> Close to midnight, Garrett and Maxwell sat talking in Maxwell's darkened bedroom when McCarty unexpectedly entered the room.<ref name="wallis247">Wallis (2007), p. 247</ref> |
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A few hours after the shooting, a local justice of the peace assembled a [[coroner's jury]] of six people. The jury members interviewed Maxwell and Garrett, and Bonney's body and the location of the shooting were examined. The jury certified the body as Bonney's and, according to a local newspaper, the jury foreman said, "It was the Kid's body that we examined."<ref name="deathcert">{{cite web |url = http://www.history.com/news/historian-seeks-death-certificate-to-end-billy-the-kid-rumors |title = Historian Seeks Death Certificate to End Billy the Kid Rumors |work = History.com |date = February 27, 2015 |access-date = February 10, 2016 |first = Christopher |last = Klein |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060901/http://www.history.com/news/historian-seeks-death-certificate-to-end-billy-the-kid-rumors |archive-date = March 4, 2016 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> Bonney was given a wake by candlelight; he was buried the next day and his grave was denoted with a wooden marker.<ref name="SantaFeExaminer">{{citation |title = Ft. Sumner New Mexico: Where Billy The Kid met his demise |work = Santa Fe Examiner |date = December 31, 2012 |first = Elizabeth R. |last = Rose }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.truewestmagazine.com/a-shot-in-the-dark/ |title = A Shot in the Dark: Billy the Kid vs Pat Garrett |work = True West Magazine |date = August 12, 2014 |access-date = February 10, 2016 |first1 = Bob Boze |last1 = Bell |first2 = Mark Lee |last2 = Gardner |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160216031417/http://www.truewestmagazine.com/a-shot-in-the-dark/ |archive-date = February 16, 2016 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> |
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There are at least two versions of what happened next. One version suggests that, as the Kid entered, he failed to recognize Garrett in the poor light. He drew his revolver and backed away, asking "''¿Quién es? ¿Quién es?''" (Spanish for "Who is it? Who is it?").<ref name="wallis247"/> Recognizing McCarty's voice, Garrett drew his own revolver and fired twice, the first bullet striking McCarty in the chest just above his heart, although the second one missed and struck the mantel behind him. McCarty fell to the floor, gasped for a minute, and died.<ref name="wallis247"/> |
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Five days after Bonney's killing, Garrett traveled to [[Santa Fe, New Mexico]], to collect the $500 reward offered by Governor Lew Wallace for his capture, dead or alive. [[William G. Ritch]], the acting New Mexico governor, refused to pay the reward.<ref name="DNM">{{Citation|title=Santa Fe Daily New Mexican Newspaper|date=July 21, 1881|newspaper=Santa Fe Daily New Mexican|page=4}}</ref> Over the next few weeks, the residents of Las Vegas, Mesilla, Santa Fe, White Oaks, and other New Mexico cities raised over $7,000 in reward money for Garrett. A year and four days after Bonney's death, the New Mexico territorial legislature passed a special act to grant Garrett the $500 bounty reward promised by Governor Wallace.<ref name=ACT>{{Cite court |court=New Mexico Territorial Legislature |date=July 18, 1882}}</ref> |
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In the second version, McCarty entered carrying a knife, evidently heading for a kitchen area. He noticed someone in the darkness, and uttered the words, "''¿Quién es? ¿Quién es?''" at which point he was shot and killed. The popularity of the first story persists and portrays Garrett in a better light, although some historians contend that the second version is probably the accurate one.<ref name="otoole">{{cite web|url=http://deborahotoole.tripod.com/Kid|first=Deborah|last=O'Toole|title=Billy the Kid: Myths and Truths|publisher=tripod.com|accessdate=August 4, 2008}}</ref> |
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Because people had begun to claim Garrett unfairly ambushed Bonney, Garrett felt the need to tell his side of the story and called upon his friend, journalist [[Marshall Ashmun Upson|Marshall Upson]], to [[ghostwrite]] a book for him.{{sfn|Utley|1989|pp=198–199}} The book, ''[[The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid]]'',{{efn|The full title of the Garrett-Upson book was ''The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid, the Noted Desperado of the Southwest, Whose Deeds of Daring and Blood Made His Name a Terror in New Mexico, Arizona and Northern Mexico. By Pat. F. Garrett, Sheriff of Lincoln Co., N.M., By Whom He Was Finally Hunted Down and Captured by Killing Him.''{{sfn|Utley|1989|p=199}}}} was first published in April 1882.<ref>{{cite book |last = LeMay |first = John and Stahl, Robert J. |date = 2020 |
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Garrett allowed the Kid's friends to take his body across the plaza to the carpenter's shop to give him a wake. The next morning, Justice of the Peace Milnor Rudulph viewed the body and made out the death certificate, but Garrett rejected the first one and demanded that another one be written more in his favor. The Kid's body was then prepared for burial, and was buried at noon at the Fort Sumner cemetery between O'Folliard and Bowdre.<ref name="lastdays">{{cite web|url=http://www.aboutbillythekid.com/Last_Days.htm|title=Last Days|publisher=aboutbillythekid.com|accessdate=August 4, 2013}}</ref> |
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|title = The Man Who Invented Billy the Kid: The Authentic Life of Ash Upson |
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|location = Roswell, NM |publisher = Bicep Books |pages = 127–133 |isbn = 978-1953221919}}</ref> Although only a few copies sold following its release, in time, it became a reference for later historians who wrote about Bonney's life.{{sfn|Utley|1989|pp=198–199}} |
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==Rumors of survival== |
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In his book ''Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life'', [[Robert Utley]] tells the story of Pat Garrett's book effort. In the weeks following the Kid's death, Garrett felt the need to tell his side of the story. Many people had begun to talk about the unfairness of the encounter, so Garrett called upon his friend Marshall Ashmun (Ash) Upson to [[ghostwrite]] a book with him.<ref name="utley198-199">Utley (1989), pp. 198–199</ref> Upson was a roving journalist who had a gift for graphic prose. Their collaboration led to a book entitled ''[[The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid]]'' which was first published in April 1882. The book originally sold few copies, but it eventually proved to be an important reference for historians who later wrote about the Kid's life.<ref name="utley198-199"/> |
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Over time, legends grew claiming that Bonney was not killed, and that Garrett staged the incident and death out of friendship so that Bonney could evade the law.{{sfn|Wallis|2007|p=xiv}} During the next 50 years, a number of men claimed they were Billy the Kid.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}} Most of these claims were easily disproven, but two have remained topics of discussion and debate. |
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In 1948, a central Texas man, Ollie P. Roberts, also known as [[Brushy Bill Roberts]], began claiming he was Billy the Kid and went before New Mexico Governor [[Thomas J. Mabry]] seeking a pardon. Mabry dismissed Roberts' claims, and Roberts died shortly afterward.<ref>{{cite journal |title = Field & Stream |journal = Field & Stream 2007–08 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Ewn0bxhvvbYC&pg=PA106 |date = July 1981 |pages = 106– |issn = 8755-8599 |access-date = July 20, 2017 |archive-date = November 1, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171101132237/https://books.google.com/books?id=Ewn0bxhvvbYC&pg=PA106 |url-status = live }}</ref> Nevertheless, [[Hico, Texas]], Roberts' town of residence, capitalized on his claim by opening a Billy the Kid museum.<ref>Texas Department of Transportation, ''Texas State Travel Guide, 2008'', pp. 200–201</ref> |
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===Rumors of survival=== |
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Legends grew over time that Billy the Kid was not killed that night, but that Garrett may have staged it all out of friendship for the Kid so that he could escape the law.<ref name="travels">{{cite web|url=http://www.travelsw.com/southwest-trips/southwest-trips-new%20mexico/billykid.htm|title=Welcome to Billy the Kid legend!|publisher=|accessdate=March 17, 2015}}</ref><ref name="wallisxiv">Wallis (2007), p. xiv.</ref> In the years after 1881, several men came forward to claim that they were the real Kid, who escaped Garrett's bullets. Most of them were easily and immediately debunked and their names lost to history, but there are two who remain topics of discussion and debate for one reason or another. The first of these claimants is Brushy Bill Roberts, a name familiar to most Billy the Kid researchers, and the claimant who has easily received the bulk of press. The second claimant, however, one John Miller, has received comparatively little notoriety, either in life or posthumously. In 2004, researchers sought to exhume the remains of Catherine Antrim, McCarty's mother, "so her DNA could be tested and compared with DNA to be taken from the body buried under the Kid's gravestone".<ref name="wallisxiv"/> Ultimately, the case was bogged down in the courts, "much to the delight of New Mexico Governor [[Bill Richardson]], who knows all too well the value of Billy as a cultural icon and a draw for tourists".<ref name="wallisxiv"/> |
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John Miller, an Arizona man, also claimed he was Bonney. This was unsupported by his family until 1938, some time after his death. Miller's body was buried in the state-owned Arizona Pioneers' Home Cemetery in [[Prescott, Arizona]]; in May 2005, Miller's teeth and bones<ref name="post">{{cite news |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/07/21/one-mans-quest-to-bury-the-wild-west-mystery-of-billy-the-kids-death/ |title = One man's quest to bury the Wild West mystery of Billy the Kid's death |last = Miller |first = Michael E. |date = July 21, 2015 |newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] |access-date = December 25, 2015 |quote = "A family Bible put his age in 1881 at just 2 years old: far too young for even a criminal nicknamed 'the Kid'." |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151223231630/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/07/21/one-mans-quest-to-bury-the-wild-west-mystery-of-billy-the-kids-death/ |archive-date = December 23, 2015 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> were exhumed and examined,<ref name="lbanks">{{cite web |url = https://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/a-new-billy-the-kid/Content?oid=1083797 |first = Leo W. |last = Banks |title = A New Billy the Kid? |work = Tucson Weekly |access-date = August 4, 2008 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090616130840/http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/a-new-billy-the-kid/Content?oid=1083797 |archive-date = June 16, 2009 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> without permission from the state.<ref>Associated Press (October 24, 2006) [http://www.deseretnews.com/article/650201170/2-wont-face-charges-in-Billy-the-Kid-quest.html 2 won't face charges in Billy the Kid quest] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201035347/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/650201170/2-wont-face-charges-in-Billy-the-Kid-quest.html |date=February 1, 2016 }}, ''Deseret News''. Retrieved August 29, 2008.</ref> DNA samples from the remains were sent to a laboratory in [[Dallas]] and tested to compare Miller's DNA with blood samples obtained from floorboards in the [[Lincoln Historic Site|old Lincoln County courthouse]] and a bench where Bonney's body allegedly was placed after he was shot.<ref name="burns" /> According to a July 2015 article in ''The Washington Post'', the lab results were "useless".<ref name="post" /> |
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===Brushy Bill Roberts=== |
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In 1948, a paralegal named William Morrison located a man in Central Texas known as Ollie Partridge Roberts (nicknamed [[Brushy Bill]]), who admitted in private to being Billy the Kid and challenged the popular account of McCarty as shot to death by Pat Garrett in 1881.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesignsyndicate.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t903.html|title=Brushy Bill Roberts and Billy the Kid – The Complete Facts|publisher=TheSignSyndicate.com|date=May 31, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soft-parade.com/?page_id=26|publisher=Soft-Parade.com|title=The Real Kid}}</ref> Brushy Bill later claimed that "Ollie Partridge Roberts" was an assumed name, which accounted for the discrepancies in birth dates and physical appearance between Ollie Roberts and Billy the Kid. Roberts' claim has been rejected by almost all historians and even by his own niece, but there is evidence suggesting that his claim may have had some substance. Five people who had known Billy the Kid signed affidavits that they believed Roberts and the Kid were one and the same.<ref>"Alias Billy the Kid", C. L. Sonnichsen & William V. Morrison</ref> The town of [[Hico, Texas]] (Brushy Bill's residence) has capitalized on the Kid's infamy by opening the "Billy The Kid Museum".<ref>Texas Department of Transportation, ''Texas State Travel Guide, 2008'', pp. 200–201</ref> Brushy Bill's story was further promoted by the 1990 film ''[[Young Guns II]]'', as well as a 2011 episode of ''[[Brad Meltzer's Decoded]]'' on the History Channel. [[Robert Stack]] did a segment on Brushy Bill in early 1990 on the [[NBC]] television series ''[[Unsolved Mysteries]]''. |
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In 2004, researchers sought to [[exhume]] the remains of Catherine Antrim, Bonney's mother, whose DNA would be tested and compared with that of the body buried in William Bonney's grave.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0318/p11s02-ussc.html |title = Shootout over Billy the Kid |last = Miller |first = Patrick |date = March 18, 2004 |work = [[The Christian Science Monitor]] |access-date = December 13, 2015 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151222091453/http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0318/p11s02-ussc.html |archive-date = December 22, 2015 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> {{as of|2012}}, her body had not been exhumed.<ref name="burns">{{cite web |url = http://www.albuquerquebusinesslaw.com/business-law/billy-the-kid-and-new-mexico-open-records-law/ |title = Billy the Kid and New Mexico Open Records Law |last1 = Burns |first1 = James T. |date = April 28, 2012 |website = Albuquerque Business Law |access-date = December 25, 2015 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151226160552/http://www.albuquerquebusinesslaw.com/business-law/billy-the-kid-and-new-mexico-open-records-law/ |archive-date = December 26, 2015 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> |
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Numerous books have also been published since 1950 advancing Brushy's claim, the first of which was ''Alias Billy the Kid'' written by Morrison and renowned western historian C.L. Sonnichsen. This book received mixed reviews at the time but did win support from former President [[Harry S. Truman]], who wrote to Morrison indicating that he believed that Brushy was Billy the Kid and lamenting that he died before being able to go in front of the next governor, where he may have gotten a more favorable result.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Sonnichsen |first1=C.L. |last2=Morrison |first2=William V. |title=Alias Billy the Kid |url=http://www.amazon.com/Alias-Billy-Kid-Brushy-Roberts/dp/1507590792#reader_1507590792 |publisher=[[University of New Mexico Press]] |date=1955 |page=Back cover |isbn=1-5075-9079-2 |accessdate=September 22, 2015}}</ref> In October 2014, new information was published in the book ''Billy the Kid: An Autobiography'', which included military and genealogical records that supported certain aspects of Brushy Bill's story. A new photographic comparison of a young Brushy Bill with the Billy the Kid ferrotype image was included, as well as a photo of him serving with the Rough Riders just as he had claimed.<ref>Daniel A. Edwards. ''Billy the Kid: An Autobiography'', Creative Texts Publishers. <October 31, 2014, 252 pages, ISBN 1-5087-1450-9></ref> In April 2015, media personality Bill O'Reilly weighed in on the topic by publishing his book ''Bill O'Reilly's Legends and Lies: The Real West''. O'Reilly suggests that the evidence in favor of Brushy Bill Roberts outweighs the accepted version of history, citing the original ''Alias Billy the Kid'' book by Morrison and Sonnichsen. O'Reilly followed up his book with an episode on the subject during his national television broadcast depicting the events that occurred during the alleged killing of the Kid from Brushy Bill's perspective. |
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In 2007,<ref name="abqj" /> author and amateur historian Gale Cooper filed a lawsuit against the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office under the state Inspection of Public Records Act to produce records of the results of the 2006 DNA tests and other forensic evidence collected in the Billy the Kid investigations.<ref>Associated Press (August 28, 2008) [http://www.foxnews.com/story/2008/08/28/lawsuit-seeks-dna-evidence-for-1881-death-billy-kid.html Lawsuit seeks DNA evidence for 1881 death of Billy the Kid] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819020407/http://www.foxnews.com/story/2008/08/28/lawsuit-seeks-dna-evidence-for-1881-death-billy-kid.html |date=August 19, 2017 }}, Fox News Channel. Retrieved August 29, 2008.</ref> In April 2012, 133 pages of documents were provided; they offered no conclusive evidence confirming or disproving the generally accepted story of Garrett's killing of Bonney,<ref name="abqj" /> but confirmed the records' existence, and that they could have been produced earlier.<ref name="burns" /> In 2014, Cooper was awarded $100,000 in punitive damages but the decision was later overturned by the New Mexico Court of Appeals.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.pressreader.com/usa/las-vegas-review-journal-sunday/20160626/281874412709878 |title = Billy the Kid quest evolves into records fight |via = PressReader |access-date = August 18, 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170819020746/https://www.pressreader.com/usa/las-vegas-review-journal-sunday/20160626/281874412709878 |archive-date = August 19, 2017 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> The lawsuit ultimately cost Lincoln County nearly $300,000.<ref name="abqj">{{cite web |url = https://www.abqjournal.com/403158/award-ends-lawsuit-over-records-on-billy-the-kid.html |title = Award ends suit over Billy the Kid records |last1 = Villagran |first1 = Lauren |date = May 20, 2014 |website = Albuquerque Journal |access-date = December 25, 2015 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170819061108/https://www.abqjournal.com/403158/award-ends-lawsuit-over-records-on-billy-the-kid.html |archive-date = August 19, 2017 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> |
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===John Miller=== |
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Another individual who claimed to be Billy the Kid was John Miller, whose family supported his claim in 1938, some time after Miller's death. Miller was buried at the state-owned Pioneers' Home Cemetery in [[Prescott, Arizona]]. Tom Sullivan, a former sheriff of Lincoln County, and Steve Sederwall, a former mayor of Capitan, disinterred the bones of John Miller in May 2005.<ref name="lbanks">{{cite web|url=http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Currents/Content?oid=81013|first=Leo W.|last=Banks|title=A New Billy the Kid? |publisher=Tucson Weekly|accessdate=August 4, 2008}}</ref> Sederwall and Sullivan believed that the exhumation was allowed, but official permission had not been given.<ref>Associated Press (October 24, 2006) "[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20061024/ai_n16801551 2 won't face charges in Billy the Kid quest], ''Deseret News'' via FindArticles.com; retrieved August 29, 2008.</ref> DNA samples from the remains were sent to a lab in [[Dallas, Texas]], to be compared with traces of blood obtained from a bench that was believed to be the one upon which McCarty's body was placed after he was shot to death. The two investigators had searched for McCarty's physical remains since 2003. They started in [[Fort Sumner, New Mexico]] and eventually ended up in Arizona. To date, no DNA test results have been made public. As of 2008, a lawsuit is pending against officials in Lincoln County that would, if successful, publicize the results of those tests along with other evidence that Sullivan and Sederwall collected.<ref>Associated Press (August 28, 2008) [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,412761,00.html Lawsuit seeks DNA evidence for 1881 death of Billy the Kid], foxnews.com; retrieved August 29, 2008.</ref> |
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In February 2015, historian Robert Stahl petitioned a district court in Fort Sumner asking the state of New Mexico to issue a death certificate for Bonney.<ref name="deathcert" /> In July 2015, Stahl filed suit in the New Mexico Supreme Court. The suit asked the court to order the state's Office of the Medical Investigator to officially certify Bonney's death under New Mexico state law.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.santafenewmexican.com/life/features/historian-asks-state-s-high-court-to-help-set-record/article_97c4476d-782b-535b-8584-1da98cad441d.html |title = Historian asks state's high court to help set record straight on Billy the Kid's death |last = Constable |first = Anne |date = July 17, 2015 |work = [[The Santa Fe New Mexican]] |access-date = December 14, 2015 |archive-date = November 8, 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201108165155/https://www.santafenewmexican.com/life/features/historian-asks-state-s-high-court-to-help-set-record/article_97c4476d-782b-535b-8584-1da98cad441d.html |url-status = live }}</ref> |
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==Notoriety== |
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[[File:Bob Ollinger death marker.JPG|alt=|thumb|A marker indicating that the deceased was killed by Billy the Kid]] |
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Like many gunfighters of the "Old West", Billy the Kid enjoyed a reputation built partly on exaggerated accounts of his exploits.<ref name="wallis220">Wallis (2007), p. 220</ref> McCarty was credited with killing between 15 and 26 men, depending on varying sources.<ref name="wallis243-244"/><ref>Utley (1989), pp. 197, 203</ref><ref>Garrett (1882), p. xxiv, Intro. by J.C. Dykes</ref> Wallis has speculated that the Dolan faction created the Kid's image to distract the public's attention from their activities and those of their influential supporters in Santa Fe, notably the regional political leader Thomas Benton Catron.<ref name="wallis220"/> |
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==Photographs== |
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The notoriety that McCarty gained during the Lincoln County War effectively doomed his appeals for [[amnesty]].<ref name="wallis236-237">Wallis (2007), pp. 236–237</ref> A number of the Regulators faded away or secured amnesty, but McCarty could not accomplish either. His negotiations for amnesty came to nothing with governor [[Lew Wallace]] (a famed Civil War general and author of the novel ''[[Ben-Hur (novel)|Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ]]''). A string of negative newspaper editorials referred to him as "Billy the Kid".<ref name="wallis236-237"/> When a reporter reminded Wallace that the Kid was depending on the governor's intervention, the governor supposedly smiled and said, "Yes, but I can't see how a fellow like him can expect any clemency from me."<ref name="wallis240-241"/> |
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{{As of|2021}}, only one authenticated photograph showing Billy exists; others thought to depict him are disputed.<ref name="BBC-42089464">{{cite web |title = Flea market photo 'shows Billy the Kid' |url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42089464 |website = BBC News |access-date = November 23, 2017 |date = November 22, 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171122235312/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42089464 |archive-date = November 22, 2017 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> |
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===Dedrick ferrotype=== |
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==Firsthand accounts of character== |
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[[File:Billy the Kid tintype, Fort Sumner, 1879-80.jpg|thumb|Unretouched original [[ferrotype]] of Billy the Kid, {{circa|1880}}|227x227px]] |
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Various accounts recorded by friends and acquaintances describe him as fun-loving and jolly, articulate in both his writing and his speech, and loyal to those for whom he cared.<ref name=chrono>{{cite web|url=http://www.angelfire.com/mi2/billythekid/chronology2.html|title=Chronology of the Life of Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War, Part 2|publisher=angelfire.com|accessdate=August 4, 2008}}</ref> He was fluent in Spanish, popular with Latina girls, an accomplished dancer, and well loved in the territory's Hispanic community.<ref name="Wallis, Michael pp. 244-245"/> "His many Hispanic friends did not view him as a ruthless killer but rather as a defender of the people who was forced to kill in self-defense", Wallis writes. "In the time that the Kid roamed the land he chided Hispanic villagers who were fearful of standing up to the big ranchers who stole their land, water, and way of life." <ref name="Wallis, Michael 2007. pp. 244-245"/> |
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One of the few remaining artifacts of Bonney's life is a {{convert|2|x|3|in|cm|adj=on|abbr=off|sp=us}} [[tintype|ferrotype]] photograph of him, attributed to photographer [[Ben Wittick]]<ref name="BowersMuseum2022">{{cite web |author1=Staff |title=Four Views of Walpi |url=https://www.bowers.org/index.php/collection/collection-blog/four-views-of-walpi |website=Bowers Museum |access-date=21 March 2024 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20220703153447/https://bowers.org/index.php/collection/collection-blog/four-views-of-walpi |archive-date=3 July 2022}}</ref> in late 1879 or early 1880. The image shows Bonney wearing a vest under a sweater, a [[slouch hat]] and a bandana, while holding an [[1873 Winchester]] rifle with its butt resting on the floor. For years, this was the only photograph of Bonney accepted by scholars and historians.<ref name="TWbounty" /> The original ferrotype survived because Bonney's friend Dan Dedrick kept it after the outlaw's death. It was passed down through Dedrick's family, and was copied several times, appearing in numerous publications during the 20th century. In June 2011, the original plate was bought at auction for $2.3 million by businessman [[Bill Koch (businessman)|William Koch]].<ref>{{cite news |last1 = Tripp |first1 = Leslie |title = Billy the Kid photograph fetches $2.3 million at auction |url = http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/06/26/colorado.billy.the.kid.photo/index.html |publisher = CNN |access-date = July 4, 2015 |date = June 26, 2011 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150706031600/http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/06/26/colorado.billy.the.kid.photo/index.html |archive-date = July 6, 2015 |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref name="BBCphoto">{{cite news |url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-13919013 |title = Billy the Kid portrait fetches $2.3m at Denver auction |publisher = BBC News US & Canada |date = June 26, 2011 |access-date = January 26, 2016 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160229211130/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-13919013 |archive-date = February 29, 2016 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> |
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The image shows Bonney wearing his holstered Colt revolver on his left side. This led to the belief that he was left-handed, without taking into account that the ferrotype process produces reversed images.<ref name="left hand">{{cite web |url = https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/jun/27/billy-the-kid-photograph-sold |title = Billy the Kid photograph sold at auction in Colorado for $2.3m |work = The Guardian |date = June 26, 2011 |access-date = December 28, 2015 |first = Jo |last = Adetunji |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160305042431/http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/jun/27/billy-the-kid-photograph-sold |archive-date = March 5, 2016 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> In 1954, western historians James D. Horan and Paul Sann wrote that Bonney was right-handed and carried his pistol on his right hip.<ref>Horan, James D. and Sann, Paul. ''Pictorial History of the Wild West'', New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1954 – p. 57.</ref> The opinion was confirmed by Clyde Jeavons, a former curator of the [[BFI National Archive|National Film and Television Archive]].<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.theguardian.com/books/2001/mar/03/1 |last = Mayes |first = Ian |title = I kid you not |newspaper = [[The Guardian]] |date = March 3, 2001 |access-date = June 19, 2009 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140312000916/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2001/mar/03/1 |archive-date = March 12, 2014 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> Several historians have written that Bonney was [[ambidexterity|ambidextrous]].<ref>Gardner, Mark Lee: ''To Hell on a Fast Horse: The Untold Story of Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett'' (2011), pp. 91, 277</ref>{{sfn|Nolan|1998|p=29}}{{sfn|Wallis|2007|p=83}}<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2007/jun/10/the-fact-and-fiction-32of-americas-outlaw/print/ |title = The fact and fiction of America's outlaw |last = Goode |first = Stephen |work = The Washington Times |date = June 10, 2007 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20200611180357/https://www.webcitation.org/5hfNVN6Db?url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2007/jun/10/the-fact-and-fiction-32of-americas-outlaw/print/ |archive-date = June 11, 2020 |access-date = December 25, 2015 |quote = Billy loved to sing and had a good voice, those who knew him claimed ... He was ambidextrous and wrote well with both hands. |url-status = dead |df = mdy }}</ref> |
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==Photographic images== |
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[[File:Billy the Kid tintype, Fort Sumner, 1879-80.png|thumb|right|This [[Tintype|ferrotype]] photograph, the only verified photograph of Billy the Kid, is a mirror image of the outlaw. <small>'''''[https://tools.wmflabs.org/zoomviewer/index.php?f=Billy_the_Kid_tintype,_Fort_Sumner,_1879-80.jpg Zoom]'''''</small>]] |
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One of the few remaining artifacts of McCarty's life is a 2x3 inch [[ferrotype]] taken by an unknown photographer sometime in late 1879 or early 1880. It is the only image of McCarty that scholars agree is authentic.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.truewestmagazine.com/the-holy-grail-for-sale/|title=The Holy Grail for Sale|author=Mark Boardman|work=True West Magazine|accessdate=March 17, 2015}}</ref> The ferrotype survived because Dan Dedrick, one of Billy's rustler friends, held onto the picture after Billy's death, and passed it down in his family. The ferrotype appeared in several copied forms before the original was made public in the mid-1980s by Stephen and Art Upham, descendants of Dedrick. It was displayed for several years in the Lincoln County Heritage Trust Museum before it was withdrawn again. |
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The ferrotype sold at auction on June 25, 2011, in a three-day Western show. It was purchased for $2.3 million by billionaire [[Bill Koch (businessman)|William Koch]], some six times the estimate.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Tripp|first1=Leslie|title=Billy the Kid photograph fetches $2.3 million at auction|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/06/26/colorado.billy.the.kid.photo/index.html?&hpt=hp_c2|website=CNN|publisher=CNN|accessdate=July 4, 2015|date=June 26, 2011}}</ref> It was the most expensive piece ever sold at Brian Lebel's Annual Old West Show & Auction,<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13919013 BBC News – Billy the Kid portrait fetches $2.3m at Denver auction]. Bbc.co.uk (June 26, 2011). Retrieved on August 1, 2011.</ref> and the [[List of most expensive photographs|seventh most expensive photograph]] ever sold. |
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The photograph of The Kid, commonly known as the Upham tintype – after its longtime owner Frank Upham – was the subject of intense study by experts in the late 1980s. Their detailed findings were presented at a [[academic conference|symposium]] held in 1989. The experts concluded that the Colt revolver carried by McCarty was probably not his primary weapon, since his holster is not the type normally associated with gunslingers. Rather, it is a common holster, with a safety strap across the top to keep the six-shooter from bouncing out. McCarty's main weapon appears to be the [[Winchester Rifle|Winchester Carbine]] held in his hand in the ferrotype.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldlibrary.org/articles/billy_the_kid|title=Billy The Kid|publisher=Worldlibrary.org|accessdate=October 18, 2015}}</ref> |
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In August 2013, a tintype photograph was released that appears to be of McCarty and his friend Dan Dedrick.<ref name="Moore1">{{cite web|url=http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_23884872/new-photo-appears-be-billy-kid-and-friend|author=Moore, S. Derrickson|date=August 17, 2013|title=Newly unveiled photo appears to be Billy the Kid and friend|publisher=Las Cruces Sun-News|accessdate=August 30, 2013}}</ref> Recently, the photo was forensically compared to the existing tintype and one forensic investigator deemed the figure in the photo to indeed be the infamous outlaw, with Dedrick to his right.<ref name="Moore1" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_24248626/forensic-detective-says-billy-kid-photo-is-real|author=Moore, S. Derrickson|date=October 5, 2013|title=Forensic detective says Billy the Kid photo is real deal|publisher=Las Cruces Sun-News|accessdate=January 9, 2014}}</ref> However, that investigator never had access to the original tintype, spent only a month examining the image copy (compared to the year of study devoted to a 2015 image), and has no specialized background in Old West history or antiques and collectibles, so his conclusion must be viewed with skepticism until there is corroboration and consensus among experts. |
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===Croquet tintype=== |
===Croquet tintype=== |
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[[File:Photo of Billy the Kid (left).JPG|thumb| |
[[File:Photo of Billy the Kid (left).JPG|thumb|Detail from photograph purporting to show Bonney (left) playing croquet in 1878|left]] |
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A |
A {{convert|4|x|6|in|mm|adj=on}} ferrotype purchased at a memorabilia shop in [[Fresno, California]], in 2010 has been claimed to show Bonney and members of the Regulators playing croquet. If authentic, it is the only known photo of Billy the Kid and the Regulators together and the only image to feature their wives and female companions.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/billy-the-kid-a-fan-of-croquet/article_5a5d7d2c-09e1-58b3-9f2b-dcad9004b1c1.html |title = Billy the Kid: A fan of croquet? |last = Constable |first = Anne |date = August 24, 2015 |access-date = December 10, 2017 |newspaper = [[The New Mexican]] |archive-date = May 8, 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200508201010/https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/billy-the-kid-a-fan-of-croquet/article_5a5d7d2c-09e1-58b3-9f2b-dcad9004b1c1.html |url-status = live }}</ref> Collector Robert{{nbsp}}G. McCubbin and outlaw historian John Boessenecker concluded in 2013 that the photograph does not show Bonney.<ref name="truewestmag2" /> [[Whitny Braun]], a professor and researcher, located an advertisement for croquet sets sold at Chapman's General Store in Las Vegas, New Mexico, dated to June 1878. Kent Gibson, a forensic video and still image expert, offered the services of his facial recognition software, and stated that Bonney is indeed one of the individuals in the image.<ref name="Constable">{{cite news |first = Anne |last = Constable |title = Billy the Kid: A fan of croquet? |newspaper = [[Santa Fe New Mexican]] |date = August 24, 2015 |url = http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/billy-the-kid-a-fan-of-croquet/article_5a5d7d2c-09e1-58b3-9f2b-dcad9004b1c1.html |access-date = September 23, 2015 |archive-date = May 8, 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200508201010/https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/billy-the-kid-a-fan-of-croquet/article_5a5d7d2c-09e1-58b3-9f2b-dcad9004b1c1.html |url-status = live }}</ref> |
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In August 2015, [[Lincoln State Monument]] officials and the [[New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs]] said that despite the new research, they could not confirm that the image showed Bonney or others from the Lincoln County War era, according to Monument manager Gary Cozzens. A photograph curator at the [[Palace of the Governors]] archives, Daniel Kosharek, said the image is "problematic on a lot of fronts", including the small size of the figures and the lack of resemblance of the background landscape to Lincoln County or the state in general.<ref name="Constable" /> Editors from the ''[[True West Magazine]]'' staff said, "no one in our office thinks this photo is of the Kid [and the Regulators]."<ref name=truewestmag2>{{cite web |url = http://www.truewestmagazine.com/billy-the-kid-experts-weigh-in-on-the-croquet-photo/ |title = Billy the Kid Experts Weigh in on the Croquet Photo |date = October 14, 2015 |access-date = February 3, 2016 |work = [[True West Magazine]] |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160301175846/http://www.truewestmagazine.com/billy-the-kid-experts-weigh-in-on-the-croquet-photo |archive-date = March 1, 2016 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> |
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==Left-handed or right-handed?== |
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It was widely assumed throughout much of the 20th century that the Kid was [[left-handed]], largely due to a photograph in which he appears to be wearing a gun belt with a holster on his left side.<ref>The image was taken outside Beaver Smith's Saloon in Old Fort Sumner, probably in late 1879 or early 1880 and was published in the first volume of G. B. Anderson's ''History of New Mexico: Its Resources & People'' in 1907. The photographer employed a tripod-mounted box camera with a four-tube [[lens (optics)|lens]] set that took four identical photographs at the same time. The image shown on this page came from the upper-left hand lens and is known as the ''1907 halftone.'' It had been retouched to eliminate scratches and the original is now lost. The extant unretouched tintype taken by the lower-right hand lens, known as the ''Upham-Dedrick tintype'', contains more detail and shows a hand holding a board to reflect light onto the subject's unlit side and has the thumbprints of the photographer on the bottom edge. Other details not shown clearly in the 1907 halftone include the holster having a strap to prevent the gun from falling out while riding and Billy wearing a "gambler's pinky ring," so called because it could be used as an aid to cheating at [[three-card monte]]. His shirt appears to have a design (a nautical anchor?) but it may be a necklace.[http://www.newmexico.org/billythekid/billypages/famous_photo.php]</ref> All [[Winchester Model 1873]] rifles were made with the loading gate on the right side of the receiver, and closer examination revealed that the loading gate in the photo is on the left; the "left-handed" photograph is, in fact, a mirror image.<ref>{{cite web|title=Billy the Kid's Famous Photo|url=http://www.newmexico.org/billythekid/billypages/famous_photo.php|publisher=NewMexico.org{{spaced ndash}}Tourism Department|accessdate=April 4, 2010}}</ref> |
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In early October 2015, Kagin's, Inc., a [[numismatic]] authentication firm, said the image was authentic after a number of experts, including those associated with a recent [[National Geographic Channel]] program,<ref>{{cite news |last = Guijarro |first = Randy |title = Billy the Kid: New Evidence. Found Photograph |url = http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/galleries/billy-the-kid-new-evidence/at/billy-the-kid-new-evidence14-2100466/ |newspaper = [[National Geographic]] |date = October 18, 2015 |access-date = December 10, 2017 |archive-date = December 14, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171214023054/http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/galleries/billy-the-kid-new-evidence/at/billy-the-kid-new-evidence14-2100466/ |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.natgeotv.com/int/billy-the-kid-new-evidence |title = Billy the Kid: New Evidence |work = [[National Geographic]] |date = October 18, 2015 |access-date = December 10, 2017 |archive-date = December 11, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171211053555/http://www.natgeotv.com/int/billy-the-kid-new-evidence |url-status = dead }}</ref> |
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In 1954, western historians James D. Horan and Paul Sann announced that McCarty was actually "right-handed and carried his pistol on his right hip."<ref name="horansann57">Horan and Sann (1954), p. 57</ref> More recently, Clyde Jeavons responded to a story from ''[[The Guardian]]'' which used an uncorrected McCarty ferrotype. (Jeavons is a former [[curator]] of the [[BFI National Archive|National Film and Television Archive]].) He cited the work of Horan and Sann, and added:{{quote|You can see by the waistcoat buttons and the belt buckle. This is a common error which has continued to reinforce the myth that Billy the Kid was left-handed. He was not. He was right-handed and carried his gun on his right hip. This particular reproduction error has occurred so often in books and other publications over the years that it has led to the myth that Billy the Kid was left-handed, for which there is no evidence. On the contrary, the evidence (from viewing his photo correctly) is that he was right-handed: he wears his pistol on his right hip with the butt pointing backwards in a conventional right-handed draw position.<ref>Qtd. in {{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2001/mar/03/1|last=Mayes|first=Ian|title=I kid you not|work=The Guardian|date=March 3, 2001|accessdate=June 19, 2009}}</ref>}} |
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examined it.<ref name="NPRcroquet">{{cite web |url = https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/10/15/448993361/-2-photo-found-at-junk-store-has-billy-the-kid-in-it-could-be-worth-5-million |title = $2 Photo Found at Junk Store Has Billy The Kid in It, Could Be Worth $5M |publisher = [[NPR]] |date = October 15, 2015 |access-date = January 25, 2016 |first = Brakkton |last = Booker |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160126002311/http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/10/15/448993361/-2-photo-found-at-junk-store-has-billy-the-kid-in-it-could-be-worth-5-million |archive-date = January 26, 2016 |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title = Man who discovered rare Billy the Kid photo: 'The hunt is a really grand thing' |url = https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/19/man-who-discovered-rare-billy-the-kid-photo-the-hunt-is-a-really-grand-thing |date = October 19, 2015 |last = Carroll |first = Rory |author-link = Rory Carroll |newspaper = [[The Guardian]] |access-date = October 27, 2015 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151028141516/http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/19/man-who-discovered-rare-billy-the-kid-photo-the-hunt-is-a-really-grand-thing |archive-date = October 28, 2015 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> |
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==Posthumous pardon request== |
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A second look at the ferrotype appears to confirm Jeavon's position. The prong on the belt buckle points the wrong way, and the buttons on the Kid's vest are on the left side, the side reserved for ladies' [[Blouse#Description and history|blouse]]s. The convention for men's wear is that buttons go down the right side.<ref>{{cite web|title=Shirt (patent application)|url=http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2003/0135910.html|location=#[0029]|publisher=Free Patents Online|date=July 24, 2003|accessdate=June 30, 2011}}</ref> |
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In 2010, New Mexico Governor [[Bill Richardson]] turned down a request for a posthumous pardon of Bonney for the murder of Sheriff William Brady. The pardon was considered to fulfill Governor Lew Wallace's 1879 promise to Bonney. Richardson's decision, citing "historical ambiguity", was announced on December 31, 2010, his last day in office.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/12/31/new.mexico.billy/index.html |title = No pardon for Billy the Kid |publisher = CNN |access-date = December 31, 2010 |date = December 31, 2010 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121109024425/http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/12/31/new.mexico.billy/index.html |archive-date = November 9, 2012 |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title = An Outlaw by Any Name: Billy the Kid |url = https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/obituaries/archives/billy-the-kid |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date = July 14, 2016 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170129080342/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/obituaries/archives/billy-the-kid |archive-date = January 29, 2017 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> |
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==Grave markers== |
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Wallis wrote in 2007 that McCarty was [[Ambidexterity|ambidextrous]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2007/jun/10/the-fact-and-fiction-32of-americas-outlaw/print|title=The fact and fiction of America's outlaw|last=Goode|first=Stephen|work=The Washington Times|date=June 10, 2007|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5hfNVN6Db|archivedate=June 20, 2009|accessdate=June 20, 2009|quote=Billy loved to sing and had a good voice, those who knew him claimed. ... He was ambidextrous and wrote well with both hands.}}</ref> This observation seems to be supported by contemporaneous newspaper accounts reporting that Billy the Kid could shoot handguns "with his left hand as accurately as he does with his right" and that "his aim with a revolver in each hand, shooting simultaneously, is unerring."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90059228/1881-06-29/ed-1/seq-2/;words=BILLY+Kid+Billy+KID?date1=1870&rows=20&searchType=basic&state=&date2=1884&proxtext=billy+the+kid&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&index=12|title="Billy The Kid" : His Recent Escape in the Face of a Score of Armed Men|work=Warren sheaf.|location=Warren, Minnesota|date=June 29, 1881}} (reprinting an article from the Denver Tribune)</ref> |
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[[File:Billy-The-Kid-Individual-Tombstone.jpg|thumb|Grave marker for Billy The Kid, also at Fort Sumner, New Mexico]] |
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[[File:Billy the Kid Headstone.jpg|thumb|The "PALs" gravemarker for Tom O'Folliard, William H. Bonney, alias Billy the Kid, and Charlie Bowdre, at [[Fort Sumner, New Mexico]]]] |
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In 1931, Charles{{nbsp}}W.{{nbsp}}Foor, an unofficial tour guide at Fort Sumner Cemetery, campaigned to raise funds for a permanent marker for the graves of Bonney, O'Folliard, and Bowdre. As a result of his efforts, a stone memorial marked with the names of the three men and their death dates beneath the word "Pals" was erected in the center of the burial area.{{sfn|Simmons|2006|pp=161–163}} |
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In 1940, stone cutter James N. Warner of [[Salida, Colorado]], made and donated to the cemetery a new marker for Bonney's grave.{{sfn|Simmons|2006|pp=164–165}} It was stolen on February 8, 1981, but recovered days later in [[Huntington Beach, California]]. New Mexico Governor [[Bruce King]] arranged for the county sheriff to fly to California to return it to Fort Sumner,<ref>{{cite web |title = Billy the Kid's Elusive Tombstone / Old Fort Sumner and Billy the Kid's Grave |publisher = Cemeteries-of-tx.com |url = http://www.cemeteries-of-tx.com/newmexico/DeBaca/Sumner.html |access-date = February 9, 2016 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160527081257/http://www.cemeteries-of-tx.com/newmexico/DeBaca/Sumner.html |archive-date = May 27, 2016 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> where it was reinstalled in May 1981. Although both markers are behind iron fencing, a group of vandals entered the enclosure at night in June 2012 and tipped the stone over.<ref>{{cite news |title = 'Billy the Kid' tombstone in New Mexico vandalized |last = Lohr |first = David |author-link = David Lohr |url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/29/billy-the-kid-tombstone-vandalized_n_1638484.html |access-date = March 21, 2013 |work = The Huffington Post |date = June 30, 2012 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120704000850/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/29/billy-the-kid-tombstone-vandalized_n_1638484.html |archive-date = July 4, 2012 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> |
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==Posthumous pardons considered== |
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In 2010, New Mexico Governor [[Bill Richardson]] considered a posthumous pardon for the Kid, who had been convicted of killing Sheriff William Brady. The pardon was considered to be a follow-through on a purported promise made by former Governor Lew Wallace in 1879. On December 31, 2010, his last day in office, Richardson announced his decision on ''[[Good Morning America]]'' not to issue the pardon, citing "historical ambiguity" surrounding the conditions of Lew Wallace's pardon.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/12/31/new.mexico.billy/index.html?hpt=T2|title=No pardon for Billy the Kid|publisher=CNN|accessdate=December 31, 2010|date=December 31, 2010}}</ref> |
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== |
==In literature and the arts== |
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{{Main|List of works about Billy the Kid}} |
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The life and likeness of Billy the Kid have been frequently represented in comics, literature, film, music, theater, radio, television, and video games. |
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[[File:Old-Fort-Sumner-Cemetery.jpg|thumb|Old Fort Sumner Cemetery.]] |
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[[File:Billy-The-Kid-Individual-Tombstone.jpg|thumb|Billy the Kid's grave footstone.]] |
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According to Garrett, the Kid was interred at the old military cemetery of [[Fort Sumner]] on July 15, 1881 (the day after he was killed), between his fallen companions Tom O'Folliard and Charlie Bowdre.<ref name="wallis249-250">Wallis (2007), pp. 249–250</ref> |
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In 1932,<ref name="aboutbilly">{{cite web|url=http://www.aboutbillythekid.com/frequently_asked_questions.htm|title=Frequently Asked Questions|accessdate=March 17, 2015}}</ref> Charles W. Foor, the unofficial tour guide of the cemetery, spearheaded the drive to raise funds for a marker. Although the edges are damaged, this large white marker has never been stolen. It serves as a memorial monument noting three individuals buried in the cemetery, O'Folliard, Bowdre, and Bonney.<ref name="aboutbilly"/> |
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Eight years later, [[Warner Bros.]] used a Billy the Kid grave marker as a prop in the movie ''[[The Outlaw]]''. James N. Warner of [[Salida, Colorado]], donated the marker to the cemetery when it was no longer required for the movie.<ref>[http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth141837/m1/1 "Hico Validates Life of Billy the Kid"] The J-TAC (Stephenville, Texas), Vol. 148, No. 10, Ed. 1, texashistory.unt.edu, November 3, 1994.</ref> |
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It was stolen again in February 8, 1981, but recovered days later in [[Huntington Beach, California]]. New Mexico Governor [[Bruce King]] arranged for the Sheriff of the county seat to fly to California to bring it back to Fort Sumner,<ref>[http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=17374 The Historical Marker Database].</ref> where it was re-installed in May 1981. The cemetery is located 34° 24.253′ N, 104° 11.593′ W, about three and a half miles (5,5 km) south of State Highway 60 on Route 212. |
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The stolen tombstone became the inspiration for the World's Richest Tombstone Race, held during Fort Sumner's Old Fort Days Celebration every June.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ftsumnerchamber.com/billy_the_kid_tombstone_race.htm|title=Billy the Kid tombstone|accessdate=March 17, 2015}}</ref> |
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On June 16, 2012, a group of vandals entered the cage at night and tipped over the stone.<ref>{{cite news|title='Billy the Kid' tombstone in New Mexico vandalized|author=Lohr, David|authorlink=David Lohr|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/29/billy-the-kid-tombstone-vandalized_n_1638484.html|accessdate=March 21, 2013|publisher=Huffington Post|date=June 30, 2012|location=Fort Sumner, N.M.}}</ref> |
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==Selected references in popular culture== |
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<!--"Selected" means that the inclusion of items in these sections are limited to the highest profile, most historically reflective, or most well known. The section is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of everything about Billy the Kid that has ever been done. Please do not add to these sections unless you have broached it on the article talk page first. The article cannot encompass all pop culture references to Billy the Kid, nor should it. Don't add "The Simpsons" – it isn't a real reflection of this person. The music section is limited to music contained in films about him, or complete works focusing on him or the genre of Western and/of gunfighting. Billy Joel doesn't meet that definition. Thanks. NO MORE ADDITIONS.--> |
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Billy the Kid has been the subject and inspiration for many popular works, including: |
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===Literature=== |
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<!--"Selected" means that the inclusion of items in these sections are limited to the highest profile, most historically reflective, or most well known. The section is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of everything about Billy the Kid that has ever been done. Please do not add to this section unless you have broached it on the article talk page first. The article cannot encompass all pop culture references to Billy the Kid, nor should it. Thanks. NO MORE ADDITIONS.--> |
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*"The Disinterested Killer Bill Harrigan," by [[Jorge Luis Borges]]. |
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*''Billy The Kid'' (1958), a [[Long poem|serial poem]] by [[Jack Spicer]]. |
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*''Billy the Kid'' (1962), an episode in the ongoing adventures of [[Billy the Kid (Lucky Luke)|Lucky Luke]] by Goscinny and Morris. |
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*''El bandido adolescente'' ("The teenage outlaw") (1965), a biography written by Spanish author [[Ramón J. Sender]]. |
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*''Lincoln County War'' (1968), the definitive history of the Lincoln County War, by [[Maurice G. Fulton]]. |
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*''The Collected Works of Billy the Kid: Left-handed Poems'', by [[Michael Ondaatje]], 1970 [[Governor General's Award#Governor General's Literary Awards|Governor General's Award]]-winning biography in the form of experimental poetry. |
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*''The Illegal Rebirth of Billy the Kid'' (1991) is a science fiction novel by [[Rebecca Ore]]. |
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*''Anything for Billy'' (1988) is a fictionalized account of Billy's last year by [[Larry McMurtry]]. |
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*''Lucky Billy: a novel about Billy the Kid'' (2008), is a novel by John Vernon, a professor at [[Binghamton University]]. |
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*The novels, ''[[Inferno (Niven and Pournelle novel)|Inferno]]'' and ''[[Escape from Hell (novel)|Escape from Hell]],'' by [[Larry Niven]] and [[Jerry Pournelle]], feature interactions between the novels' contemporary main characters traversing [[Dante Alighieri|Dante's]] ''[[Inferno (Dante)|Inferno]]'' and Billy the Kid. |
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*''Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel'' he is first introduced in the Sorceress and is there until the end of the Enchantress by [[Michael Scott (Irish author)|Michael Scott]] |
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*''Billy the Kid and the Vampyres of Vegas'' ebook by [[Michael Scott (Irish author)|Michael Scott]] |
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===Film=== |
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<!--"Selected" means that the inclusion of items in this section are limited to the highest profile, most historically reflective, or most well known. The section is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of everything about Billy the Kid that has ever been done. Please do not add to these sections unless you have broached it on the article talk page first. The article cannot encompass all pop culture references to Billy the Kid, nor should it. Don't add "The Simpsons" – it isn't a real reflection of this person. Thanks. NO MORE ADDITIONS.--> |
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<!-- Sorted by release date --> |
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* ''Billy the Kid'', a 1911 silent film directed by [[Laurence Trimble]] and starring [[Tefft Johnson]]. All copies are believed to be lost. |
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* ''[[Billy the Kid (1930 film)|Billy the Kid]]'', 1930 [[widescreen]] film directed by [[King Vidor]] and starring [[Johnny Mack Brown]] as Billy and [[Wallace Beery]] as Pat Garrett<ref name="wallisxvi">Wallis (2007), p. xvi.</ref> |
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* ''[[Billy the Kid Returns]]'', 1938: [[Roy Rogers]] plays a dual role, Billy the Kid and his dead-ringer lookalike who shows up after the Kid has been shot by Pat Garrett. |
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* ''[[Billy the Kid (1941 film)|Billy the Kid]]'', 1941 remake of the 1930 film, starring [[Robert Taylor (actor)|Robert Taylor]] and [[Brian Donlevy]] |
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* [[Bob Steele (actor)|Bob Steele]] and [[Buster Crabbe]] played Billy the Kid in a series of 42 western films from 1940 through 1946, released by [[Poverty Row]] studio [[Producers Distributing Corporation]]. Some of the titles include ''Blazing Frontier'', ''The Renegade'', ''Cattle Stampede'', and ''Western Cyclone'' (1943).{{citation needed|reason=Information challenged on Talk page|date=November 2015}} In a 1952 film, [[Allan "Rocky" Lane]] goes after Billy the Kid's lost treasure.<ref>Johnny D. Boggs. |
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Billy the Kid on Film, 1911–2012. McFarland</ref> |
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* ''[[The Outlaw]]'', [[Howard Hughes]]' 1943 motion picture starring [[Jack Buetel]] as Billy and featuring [[Jane Russell]] in her breakthrough role as the Kid's fictional love interest. |
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*''I Shot Billy the Kid'', a 1950 film directed by [[William Berke]] and starring [[Don "Red" Barry]] as Billy. |
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* ''[[The Kid from Texas]]'' (1950) starring [[Audie Murphy]] as Billy the Kid |
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* ''The Law vs. Billy the Kid'' (1954, [[Columbia Pictures Corporation]]) starring [[Scott Brady]] as the Kid, [[James Griffith]] as Pat Garrett, [[Betta St. John]] as Nita Maxwell, and [[Alan Hale, Jr.]] as Bob Ollinger |
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* ''[[The Left Handed Gun]]'', [[Arthur Penn]]'s 1958 motion picture based on a [[Gore Vidal]] [[teleplay]], starring [[Paul Newman]] as Billy and [[John Dehner]] as Garrett |
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* ''The Boy from Oklahoma'' (1954), with [[Tyler MacDuff]] in the role of Billy the Kid |
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* ''[[One-Eyed Jacks]]'' (1961), is the only film directed by [[Marlon Brando]], who also played its lead character, Rio. This story is from an adaptation by [[Rod Serling]] of a Charles Neider novelization of Billy the Kid's life, with a later revision by [[Sam Peckinpah]] among others. |
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* ''[[Billy the Kid vs. Dracula]]'' (1966), directed by [[William Beaudine]], has [[Count Dracula]], played by [[John Carradine]], traveling to the [[Old West]], where he takes a shine to Billy's fiancee and tries to turn her into a vampire. Chuck Courtney co-stars as Billy. |
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* ''I'll Kill Him and Return Alone'', a 1967 "[[spaghetti Western]]" directed by [[Julio Buchs]], starred [[Peter Lee Lawrence]] as Billy and [[Fausto Tozzi]] as Pat Garrett. |
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* ''[[Chisum]]'' (1970), set during the Lincoln County War, was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and stars Geoffrey Deuel as Billy and [[Glenn Corbett]] as Pat Garrett. |
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* ''[[Dirty Little Billy]]'' (1972), set during Billy's early years as a criminal, starred [[Michael J. Pollard]]. |
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* ''[[Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid]]'', [[Sam Peckinpah]]'s 1973 motion picture with [[Kris Kristofferson]] as Billy, [[James Coburn]] as Pat Garrett, and with a soundtrack by [[Bob Dylan]], who also appears in the movie |
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* ''[[Young Guns (film)|Young Guns]]'', Christopher Cain's 1988 motion picture starring [[Emilio Estevez]] as Billy and [[Patrick Wayne]] as Pat Garrett |
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* ''[[Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure]]'' (1989) features Billy the Kid (played by [[Dan Shor]]) as the "Historical Figure" that Bill and Ted pick up in the Old West. |
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* ''[[Billy the Kid (1989 film)|Gore Vidal's Billy the Kid]]'', Gore Vidal's 1989 film starring [[Val Kilmer]] as Billy and [[Duncan Regehr]] as Pat Garrett |
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* ''[[Young Guns II]]'', [[Geoff Murphy]]'s 1990 motion picture starring [[Emilio Estevez]] as Billy and [[William Petersen]] as Pat Garrett |
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* ''[[Purgatory (1999 film)|Purgatory]]'', [[Uli Edel]]'s 1999 made-for-TV movie starring [[Donnie Wahlberg]] as Deputy Glen/Billy The Kid |
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* ''Requiem for Billy the Kid'', Anne Feinsilber's 2006 motion picture starring [[Kris Kristofferson]]. |
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* ''[[BloodRayne 2: Deliverance]]'' featured a vampiric Billy the Kid as the film's main antagonist, played by [[Zack Ward]]. |
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* ''Birth of a Legend'', a 2011 film in two parts based on [[Frederick Nolan]]'s book ''The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History'' directed by Andrew Wilkinson |
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===Music=== |
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<!--"Selected" means that the inclusion of items in this section are limited to the highest profile, most historically reflective, or most well known. The section is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of everything about Billy the Kid that has ever been done. Please do not add to this section unless you have broached it on the article talk page first. The article cannot encompass all pop culture references to Billy the Kid, nor should it. The music section is limited to music contained in films about him, or complete works focusing on him or the genre of Western and/of gunfighting. Billy Joel doesn't meet that definition. Thanks. NO MORE ADDITIONS.--> |
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* "Billy Bonney's P.A.L.S.", comedy song based on Billy The Kid's story told in the film ''Young Guns'' – features Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen – written by Ankh Angel and Frank Chessar – #1 hit on Internet Radio<ref>{{Cite web|title=Billy Bonney's P.A.L.S.|url=https://soundcloud.com/ankhangel/pals}}</ref> |
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* "Billy the Kid", a folksong in the public domain, was published in [[John A. Lomax]] and [[Alan Lomax]]'s ''American Ballads and Folksongs'' album,<ref>MacMillan, (1934), p. 137</ref> and also their ''Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads'' album.<ref>MacMillan, (1938), pp. 140–141. From Jim Marby, recorded in 1911, Library of Congress E659098.</ref> Members of the [[Western Writers of America]] chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.<ref name="Top100">{{Cite web|title=The Top 100 Western Songs|author=Western Writers of America|year=2010|authorlink=Western Writers of America|publisher=American Cowboy|url=http://www.americancowboy.com/culture/top-100-western-songs|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6RjFQXqGy|archivedate=August 10, 2014|deadurl=yes}}</ref> |
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* "Billy the Kid" folksong sung by [[Woody Guthrie]], recorded by Alan Lomax in 1940 for the Library of Congress (#3412 B<sub>2</sub>), with a melody Guthrie later used for his song "So Long, it's Been Good to Know You". He also recorded it in 1944 for Moe Asch's Asch/Folkways label (MA67).<ref>[http://media.smithsonianfolkways.org/liner_notes/smithsonian_folkways/SFW40112.pdf Liner notes, p. 63, number 3, "Billy the Kid"] media.smithsonianfolkways.org. Retrieved January 7, 2010</ref> |
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* [[Aaron Copland]]'s "[[Billy the Kid (ballet)|Billy the Kid]]", a ballet that premiered in 1938. |
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* On his album ''[[Piano Man (album)|Piano Man]]'' (1973), [[Billy Joel]] performs a song titled "[[The Ballad of Billy the Kid]]", which was intended to be a western-themed ballad rather than an account of the life of Bonney or any other outlaw; the title refers in part to a bartender Joel was friendly with.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Gamboa, Glenn|title=Billy Joel talks about his top Long Island songs|url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/billy-joel-talks-about-his-top-long-island-songs-1.3880655|website=Newsday|date=August 6, 2012}}</ref> |
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* [[Bob Dylan]]'s album ''[[Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (album)|Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid]]'', soundtrack of the 1973 film by [[Sam Peckinpah]]. |
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* Takeoff's verse from the [[Migos]] remix to [[Travi$ Scott]]'s "Quintana mentions Billy the Kid" |
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* [[Jon Bon Jovi]]'s album, ''[[Blaze of Glory (Jon Bon Jovi album)|Blaze of Glory]]'', was used as part of the soundtrack for ''Young Guns II'', and featured the song "Billy Get Your Guns". |
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* [[Marty Robbins]]' song "Billy the Kid" from the album ''Gunfighter Ballads & Trail Songs Volume 3''. |
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* [[Ry Cooder]] recorded the folk song "Billy the Kid", on the album ''Into The Purple Valley'',<ref>1972 Reprise K44142</ref> with his own melody and instrumental. It was also on ''Ry Cooder Classics Volume II''.<ref>Japan 1992 P-Vine PCD 2541</ref> |
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* [[Tom Petty]] wrote the song "Billy the Kid", released on his 1999 album [[Echo (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album)|Echo]]. |
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* Another "Billy The Kid", was written by Robert W. Marr in 2010 when New Mexico Governor, Bill Richardson talked of pardoning the outlaw. The song has the line, "With a slap in the face to those who had died. To hell with the death and the tears that were cried." |
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* [[Meg & Dia|Dia Frampton's]] "Billy the Kid," on the 2011 album [[Red (Dia Frampton album)|Red]] |
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* [[Charlie Daniels]] recorded the song "Billy the Kid" on his 1976 album [[High Lonesome (Charlie Daniels album)|High Lonesome]]. [[Chris LeDoux]] also covered the song on his album [[Haywire (Chris LeDoux album)|Haywire]]. |
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* [[Joe Ely]] recorded the song "Me and Billy the Kid" on his 1987 album ''Lord of the Highway''. |
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* [[Planet Of Zeus]] recorded the song "Woke Up Dead (William H. Bonney)" on their 2008 album ''Eleven The Hard Way''. |
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* [[Running Wild (band)|Running Wild]] recorded the song "Billy the Kid" on their 1991 album ''Blazon Stone''. |
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===Stage=== |
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* [[Joseph Santley]]'s 1906 Broadway play, co-written by Santley, in which he also starred |
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* [[Michael McClure]]'s 1965 play [[Michael McClure#The Beard|The Beard]] recounts a fictional meeting between Billy the Kid and [[Jean Harlow]]. |
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* [[Michael Ondaatje]]'s 1973 play, ''The Collected Works of Billy the Kid''.<!--NO MORE ADDITIONS.--> |
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* [http://www.livestock.org.uk/#!billy-the-kid---his-life-in-music/c1zbe Billy the Kid - His Life in Music], 2013, presented by Livestock |
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===Television and radio=== |
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<!--"Selected" means that the inclusion of items in these sections are limited to the highest profile, most historically reflective, or well known. The section is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of Please do not add to these sections unless you have broached it on the article talk page first. The article cannot encompass all pop culture references to Billy the Kid, nor should it. Don't add "The Simpsons" – it isn't a real reflection of this person. NO MORE ADDITIONS. Thanks. --> |
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* The ''[[Gunsmoke]]'' radio show had an episode titled "Billy the Kid", broadcast on April 2, 1952. It purports to tell of Billy the Kid's first murder as a runaway boy and credits [[Marshal Matt Dillon|Matt Dillon]] with giving him the "Billy the Kid" moniker.<ref>Gunsmoke radio show "Billy the Kid", first broadcast May 26, 1952</ref> |
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* The [[CBS]] radio series [[Crime Classics]] told the story of Billy the Kid in its October 21, 1953 episode entitled "Billy Bonney - Bloodletter." The episode featured [[Sam Edwards]] as Billy the Kid and [[William Conrad]] as [[Pat Garrett]]. |
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* [[Richard Jaeckel]] played The Kid in a 1954 episode of the [[Television syndication|syndicated]] television series ''[[Stories of the Century]]''. |
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*[[Robert Blake (actor)|Robert Blake]] starred as The Kid in the 1966 episode "The Kid from Hell's Kitchen" of the syndicated western series, ''[[Death Valley Days]]''. He sets out to avenge the death of his friend [[John Tunstall]] played by [[John Anderson (actor)|John Anderson]]. |
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* [[Robert Walker, Jr.]] starred as Billy The Kid in a 1967 episode of the Irwin Allen science fiction series ''[[Time Tunnel]]'' |
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*The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror 13 2002. He is depicted as the leader of a group of corpses who rise from the graves to take over Springfield after the citizens have destroyed all their guns. |
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* The [[National Broadcasting Company|NBC]] series ''[[The Tall Man (TV series)|The Tall Man]]'' ran from 1960 to 1962, starring [[Clu Gulager]] as Billy and [[Barry Sullivan (actor)|Barry Sullivan]] as Pat Garrett. |
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* The Nickelodeon game show [[Nick Arcade]] featured a spoof of Billy The Kid in the "Slurpy Gulch" area named "Silly The Kid", a baby who would say "Let's Dance" at the team who lands on him. |
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* Nickelodeon's [[Legends Of The Hidden Temple]] had an episode during season 2 titled "The Snakeskin Boots Of Billy The Kid". The episode itself is notable because the episode had the first temple win for the "Purple Parrot's", one of the teams on the show. |
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* The 2004 [[Discovery Channel]] Quest, ''Billy the Kid: Unmasked'', investigated the life and death of Billy the Kid through forensic science. |
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* [[American Experience]], ''Billy the Kid'', aired on [[PBS]] January 9, 2012<ref>{{cite web|url=http://video.pbs.org/video/2185484678/|title=Video: Billy the Kid - Watch American Experience Online - PBS Video|work=PBS Video|accessdate=March 17, 2015}}</ref> |
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* The 2014 series "Gunslingers" on American Heroes Channel aired an episode devoted to Billy the Kid on July 27, 2014. |
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* The TV series "Maverick" features Billy the Kid in an episode in which Bret Maverick is mistaken for a man arranging a heist. Bill the Kid is one of the applicants to join his gang. He was played by [[Joel Grey]]. |
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* In the Japanese tokusatsu, ''[[Kamen Rider Ghost]]'', the main character Takeru Tenkuji/Kamen Rider Ghost, uses the spirit of Billy the Kid to transform into his dual wielding Billy the Kid Damashii form. |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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* [[Folklore of the United States]] |
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{{Portal|Biography}} |
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*[[ |
* [[List of Old West gunfighters]] |
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* [[List of Old West lawmen]] |
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*[[Cowboy]] |
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*[[List of American Old West outlaws]] |
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*[[List of Western lawmen]] |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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{{notelist}} |
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{{reflist|colwidth=20em}} |
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== |
==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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* Adams, Ramon F. ''A Fitting Death for Billy the Kid''. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1960. |
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* Burns, Walter Noble. ''The Saga of Billy the Kid''. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1926. |
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===Sources=== |
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* Coe, George W. ''Frontier Fighter: The Autobiography of George W. Coe Who Fought and Rode with Billy the Kid, as Related to Nan Hillary Harrison''. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1934. |
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{{refbegin|30em}} |
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* DeMattos, Jack. "The Search for Billy the Kid's Roots," ''Real West'' (No. 160), November 1978. |
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* {{cite book |last = Adams |first = Ramon F. |title = A Fitting Death for Billy the Kid |url = https://archive.org/details/fittingdeathforb00adam |url-access = registration |date = 1960 |publisher = University of Oklahoma Press |location = Norman |oclc = 8937525 }} |
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* DeMattos, Jack. "The Search for Billy the Kid's Roots - Is Over! ''Real West'' (No. 167), January 1980. |
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* {{cite book |last=Boomhower |first=Ray E. |title=The Sword and the Pen |location=Indianapolis |publisher=Indiana Historical Society Press |year=2005 |page=103|isbn=0-87195-185-1}} |
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* DeMattos, Jack. "Gunfighters of the Real West: Henry McCarty, Alias "Billy the Kid.'" ''Real West'' (No. 192). August 1983. |
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* {{cite book |last = Burns |first = Walter |title = The Saga of Billy the Kid: The Thrilling Life of America's Original Outlaw |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mzNgBgAAQBAJ |date = 2014 |publisher = Skyhorse Publishing |location = Garden City, New York |isbn = 978-1-63220-112-6 |oclc = 894170041 |access-date = May 12, 2016 }} |
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* Dykes, Jefferson C. ''Billy the Kid: The Bibliography of a Legend''. Albuquerque, NM: The University of New Mexico Press,1952. |
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* {{cite book |last = Coe |first = George W. |title = Frontier Fighter: The Autobiography of George W. Coe Who Fought and Rode with Billy the Kid, as Related to Nan Hillary Harrison |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=hCAzAQAAIAAJ |date = 1934 |publisher = Houghton Mifflin |location = Boston |oclc = 692143776 |access-date = August 29, 2016 |archive-date = June 13, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190613213318/https://books.google.com/books?id=hCAzAQAAIAAJ |url-status = live }} |
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* Earle, James H., ed. ''The Capture of Billy the Kid''. College Station, TX: Creative Publishing Co., 1988. ISBN 0-932702-44-9 |
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* {{cite book |last=Cooper |first=Gale |title=The Lost Pardon of Billy the Kid: An Analysis Factoring in the Santa Fe Ring, Governor Lew Wallace's Dilemma, and a Territory in Rebellion |location=Albuquerque, New Mexico |publisher=Gelcour Books |year=2017 |isbn=978-0986070723}} |
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* Edwards, Harold L. ''Goodbye Billy the Kid''. College Station, TX: Creative Publishing Co., 1995. ISBN 1-57208-000-0. |
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* {{cite magazine |last = DeMattos |first = Jack |date = November 1978 |title = The Search for Billy the Kid's Roots |magazine = Real West |issue = 160 |publisher = Real West }} |
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* Fable, Edmund, Jr. ''The True Life of Billy the Kid, The Noted New Mexican Outlaw''. Denver, CO: The Denver Publishing Co., 1881. A facsimile edition was published by The Creative Publishing Company of College Station, TX in 1980. ISBN 0-932702-11-2. |
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* {{cite magazine |last = DeMattos |first = Jack |date = January 1980 |title = The Search for Billy the Kid's Roots – Is Over! |magazine = Real West |issue = 167 |publisher = Real West }} |
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* Fulton, Maurice Garland. ''History of the Lincoln County War'' (Edited by Robert N. Mullin), Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1968. |
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* {{cite magazine |last = DeMattos |first = Jack |date = August 1983 |title = Gunfighters of the Real West: Henry McCarty, Alias 'Billy the Kid' |magazine = Real West |issue = 192 |publisher = Real West }} |
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* Gardner, Mark Lee. ''To Hell On a Fast Horse: Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, and the Epic Chase to Justice in the Old West''. New York, William Morrow, 2010. ISBN 978-0-06-136827-1 |
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* {{cite book |last = Dworkin |first = Mark J. |date = 2015 |title = American Mythmaker: Walter Noble Burns and the Legends of Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, and Joaquín Murrieta |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=YFbZBgAAQBAJ |location = Norman|publisher = University of Oklahoma Press |isbn = 978-0-8061-4902-8 |access-date = June 13, 2016 |archive-date = June 12, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190612085727/https://books.google.com/books?id=YFbZBgAAQBAJ |url-status = live }} |
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* [[Pat Garrett|Garrett, Pat F.]] ''[[The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid]]''. Santa Fe, NM: New Mexican Printing and Publishing Co., 1882. |
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* {{cite book |last = Dykes |first = Jefferson |title = Billy the Kid: The Bibliography of a Legend |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=9NwSAAAAIAAJ |date = 1952 |publisher = The University of New Mexico Press |location = Albuquerque|access-date = August 29, 2016 |archive-date = June 9, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190609175456/https://books.google.com/books?id=9NwSAAAAIAAJ |url-status = live }} |
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* Hough, Emerson. "Billy the Kid: The True Story of a Western 'Bad Man{{'"}}. ''Everybody's Magazine'', September 1901. |
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* {{cite book |last = Earle |first = James H. |title = The Capture of Billy the Kid |year = 1988 |publisher = Creative Publishing Co. |location = College Station, Texas |isbn = 0-932702-44-9 |oclc = 18052460 |url = https://archive.org/details/captureofbillyki00earl }} |
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* Hunt, Frazier. ''The Tragic Days of Billy the Kid'', New York: Hastings House Publishers, 1956. |
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* {{cite book |last = Edwards |first = Harold L. |title = Goodbye Billy the Kid |year = 1995 |publisher = Creative Publishing Co. |location = College Station, Texas |isbn = 1-57208-000-0 |oclc = 33335740 }} |
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* Jacobsen, Joel. ''Such Men as Billy the Kid: The Lincoln County War Reconsidered.'' Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1994. ISBN 0-8032-2576-8 |
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* {{cite book |last = Fable | first = Edmund Jr. |title = The True Life of Billy the Kid, The Noted New Mexican Outlaw |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=hT3XAAAAMAAJ |date = 1980 |orig-year = 1881 |publisher = Creative Publishing Co. |location = College Station, Texas |isbn = 0-932702-11-2 |oclc = 6487191 }} |
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* Keleher, William A. ''Violence in Lincoln County 1869–1881''. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press, 1957. |
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* {{cite book |last = Fulton |first = Maurice Garland |editor = Robert N. Nullin |author-link = Maurice Garland Fulton |title = History of the Lincoln County War |date = 1968 |publisher = University of Arizona Press |location = Tucson |oclc = 437868 }} |
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* Klasner, Lily. ''My Girlhood Among Outlaws''. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press, 1972. ISBN 0-8165-0354-0. |
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* {{cite book |last = Gardner |first = Mark Lee |title = To Hell on a Fast Horse: Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, and the Epic Chase to Justice in the Old West |date = 2010 |publisher = William Morrow |location = New York |isbn = 978-0-06-136827-1 |oclc = 419859633 |url = https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780061368271 }} |
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* Koop, Waldo E. "Billy the Kid: The Trail of a Kansas Legend." ''The Trail Guide'' (Vol. IX, No.3), Kansas City Posse of Westerners, September 1964. |
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* {{cite book |last = Garrett |first = Pat F. |author-link = Pat Garrett |title = The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=vGVNAAAAYAAJ |edition = 1st |date = 1882 |publisher = New Mexican Printing and Publishing Co. |location = Santa Fe |oclc = 748293298 }} |
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* McCubbin, Robert G. "The Many Faces of Billy the Kid". ''True West'', May 2007. |
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* {{cite magazine |last = Hough |first = Emerson |date = September 1901 |title = Billy the Kid: The True Story of a Western 'Bad Man' |url = https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015023579140;view=1up;seq=316 |magazine = Everybody's Magazine |publisher = The Ridgeway Company |location = New York |access-date = August 28, 2016 |archive-date = September 2, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210902033610/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015023579140&view=1up&seq=316 |url-status = live }} |
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* Metz, Leon C. "My Search for Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid". ''True West'', August 1983. |
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* {{cite book |last = Hunt |first = Frazier |author-link = Frazier Hunt |title = The Tragic Days of Billy the Kid |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=A1Lw1k5WRA0C |year = 2009 |orig-year = 1956 |publisher = Sunstone Press |isbn = 978-0-86534-717-5 |location = Santa Fe, New Mexico |oclc = 316327276 |access-date = November 21, 2017 |archive-date = December 23, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161223154622/https://books.google.com/books?id=A1Lw1k5WRA0C |url-status = live }} |
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* Nolan, Frederick. ''The Life and Death of John Henry Tunstall''. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1965. |
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* {{cite book |last = Jacobsen |first = Joel |title = Such Men as Billy the Kid: The Lincoln County War Reconsidered |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=SR9A9s2QHfkC |date = 1994 |publisher = University of Nebraska Press |location = Lincoln |isbn = 978-0-8032-2576-3 |oclc = 29429457 }} |
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* Nolan, Frederick. ''The West of Billy the Kid''. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1998. ISBN 0-8061-3082-2. |
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* {{cite book |last = Keleher |first = William Aloysius |title = Violence in Lincoln County 1869–1881 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=gABJ88abRooC |date = 2007 |orig-year = 1957 |publisher = Sunstone Press |location = Santa Fe, New Mexico |isbn = 978-0-86534-622-2 |oclc = 182573474 }} |
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* Nolan, Frederick. "The Private Life of Billy the Kid". ''True West'', July 2000. |
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* {{cite book |last1 = Klasner |first1 = Lily |last2 = Chisum |first2 = John Simpson |author-link2 = John Chisum |last3 = Ball |first3 = Eve |title = My Girlhood Among Outlaws |url = https://archive.org/details/mygirlhoodamongo00klas |url-access = registration |date = 1972 |publisher = University of Arizona Press |location = Tucson |isbn = 978-0-8165-0354-4 |oclc = 166482848 }} |
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* Nolan, Frederick. ''The Billy the Kid Reader''. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2007. |
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* {{cite journal |last = Koop |first = Waldo E. |year = 1964 |title = Billy the Kid: The Trail of a Kansas Legend |journal = Kansas City Posse of Westerners |volume = IX |issue = 3 }} |
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* Nolan, Frederick. ''The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History'' (Revised Edition). Santa Fe, NM: Sunstone Press, 2009. ISBN 978-0-86534-721-2. |
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* {{cite magazine|last=Lifson |first=Amy |title=Ben-Hur |magazine=Humanities |volume=30 |issue=6 |publisher=National Endowment for the Humanities |location=Washington, D.C. |date=2009 |url=http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/2009-11/BenHur.html |access-date=August 27, 2014 |archive-date=March 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305215400/http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/2009-11/BenHur.html |url-status=live }} |
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* Nolan, Frederick. "The Hunting of Billy the Kid." ''Wild West'', June 2003. |
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* {{cite magazine |last = McCubbin |first = Robert G. |date = May 2007 |title = The Many Faces of Billy the Kid |magazine = True West |publisher = True West }} |
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* Otero, Miguel Antonio. ''The Real Billy the Kid, With New Light on the Lincoln County War''. New York: Rufus Rockwell Wilson, Inc., 1936. |
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* {{cite magazine |last = Metz |first = Leon C. |date = August 1983 |title = My Search for Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid |magazine = True West |publisher = True West }} |
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* Poe, John William. ''The Death of Billy the Kid''. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1933. |
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* {{cite book |last = Metz |first = Leon C. |title = Pat Garrett: The Story of a Western Lawman |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=_E7r2iowX6QC |date = 1983 |edition = reprint, revised |orig-year = 1974 |publisher = University of Oklahoma Press |location = Norman |isbn = 978-0-8061-1838-3 |oclc = 18722891 |ref = {{harvid|Metz|1974}} }} |
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* Radbourne, Allan and Rasch, Philip J. "The Story of 'Windy' Cahill." ''Real West'' (No. 204), August 1885. |
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* {{cite book |last = Nolan |first = Frederick W. |author-link = Frederick W. Nolan |date = 2009a |title = The Life and Death of John Henry Tunstall |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=c5AZj3dbzj4C |publisher = Sunstone Press |location = Santa Fe, New Mexico |isbn = 978-0-86534-722-9 |oclc = 440562959 }} |
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* Rasch, Philip J. "New Light on the Legend of Billy the Kid." ''New Mexico Folklore Record 7'' (1952–53). |
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* {{cite book |last = Nolan |first = Frederick W. |author-link = Frederick W. Nolan |title = The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=VRpiOdgkFDEC |edition = revised |date = 2009 |orig-year = 1992 |publisher = Sunstone Press |location = Santa Fe, New Mexico |isbn = 978-0-86534-721-2 |oclc = 319064671 |access-date = May 12, 2016 |archive-date = June 11, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190611135227/https://books.google.com/books?id=VRpiOdgkFDEC |url-status = live }} |
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* Rasch, Philip J. and Mullin, Robert N. "Dim Trails: The Pursuit of the McCarty Family." ''New Mexico Folklore Record 8'' (1953–54). |
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* {{cite book |last = Nolan |first = Frederick W. |author-link = Frederick W. Nolan |title = The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History |date = 1992 |publisher = University of Oklahoma Press |location = Norman }} |
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* Rasch, Philip J. "The Twenty-One Men He Put Bullets Through." ''New Mexico Folklore Record 9'' (1954–55). |
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* {{cite magazine |last = Nolan |first = Frederick W. |author-link = Frederick W. Nolan |date = June 2003 |title = The Hunting of Billy the Kid |magazine = Wild West |publisher = Wild West }} |
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* Rasch, Philip J. "A Second Look at the Blazer's Mill Affair." ''Frontier Times'', January 1969. |
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* {{cite book |last = Nolan |first = Frederick W. |author-link = Frederick W. Nolan |date = 1998 |title = The West of Billy the Kid |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mYhw78YF12IC |location = Norman |publisher = University of Oklahoma Press |isbn = 0-8061-3082-2 }} |
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* Rasch, Philip J. "The Trials of Billy the Kid." ''Real West'' (No. 216), November 1987. |
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* {{cite magazine |last = Nolan |first = Frederick W. |author-link = Frederick W. Nolan |date = July 2000 |title = The Private Life of Billy the Kid |magazine = True West |publisher = True West }} |
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* Rasch, Philip J. ''Trailing Billy the Kid''. Stillwater, OK: Western Publications, 1995. ISBN 0-935269-19-3. |
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* {{cite book |last = Nolan |first = Frederick W. |author-link = Frederick W. Nolan |date = 2007 |title = The Billy the Kid Reader |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=AQ3FQtqmXuAC |location = Norman |publisher = University of Oklahoma Press |isbn = 978-0-8061-8446-3 }} |
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* Rasch, Philip J. ''Gunsmoke in Lincoln County''. Stillwater, OK: Western Publications, 1997. ISBN 0-935269-24-X |
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* {{cite book |last = Otero |first = Miguel |date = 2006 |orig-year = 1936 |title = The Real Billy the Kid, With New Light on the Lincoln County War |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=JloxyqgoJnkC |location = New York |publisher = Sunstone Press |isbn = 978-1-61139-100-8 }} |
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* Rasch, Philip J. ''Warriors of Lincoln County''. Stillwater, OK: Western Publications, 1998. ISBN 978-0-935269-26-0 |
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* {{cite book |last = Poe |first = John William |date = 2006 |orig-year = 1933 |title = The Death of Billy the Kid |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=myQ6bUwH_UwC |publisher = Sunstone Press Company |location = Santa Fe |edition = reprint |isbn = 978-0-86534-532-4 }} |
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* Rickards, Colin W. ''The Gunfight at Blazer's Mill'', Southwestern Studies Monograph No. 40. El Paso: Texas Western Press, 1974. |
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* {{cite magazine |last1 = Radbourne |first1 = Allan |last2 = Rasch |first2 = Phillip J. |date = August 1985 |title = The Story of 'Windy' Cahill |magazine = Real West |issue = 204 |publisher = Real West }} |
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* Tuska, Jon. ''Billy the Kid: A Handbook''. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1983 ISBN 0-8032-9406-9. |
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* {{cite journal |last1 = Rasch |first1 = Philip J. |last2 = Mullin |first2 = Robert N. |year = 1953 |title = New Light on the Legend of Billy the Kid |journal = New Mexico Folklore Record 7 }} |
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* Utley, Robert M. ''High Noon in Lincoln: Violence on the Western Frontier''. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press, 1987. ISBN 0-8263-0981-X. |
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* {{cite journal |last = Rasch |first = Philip J. |year = 1954 |title = Dim Trails: The Pursuit of the McCarty Family |journal = New Mexico Folklore Record 8 }} |
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* Utley, Robert M. ''Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life''. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1989. ISBN 0-8032-9558-8. |
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* {{cite journal |last = Rasch |first = Philip J. |year = 1955 |title = The Twenty-One Men He Put Bullets Through |journal = New Mexico Folklore Record 9 }} |
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* Wallis, Michael. ''Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride''. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2007. ISBN 0-393-06068-3 |
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* {{cite magazine |last = Rasch |first = Philip J. |date = January 1969 |title = A Second Look at the Blazer's Mill Affair |magazine = Frontier Times }} |
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* {{cite magazine |last = Rasch |first = Philip J. |date = November 1987 |title = The Trials of Billy the Kid |magazine = Real West |issue = 216 |publisher = Real West }} |
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* {{cite book |last = Rasch |first = Philip J. |date = 1995 |title = Trailing Billy the Kid |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=JRVYPQAACAAJ |location = Stillwater, Oklahoma |publisher = Western Publications |isbn = 978-0-935269-19-2 }} |
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* {{cite book |last = Rasch |first = Philip J. |date = 1997 |title = Gunsmoke in Lincoln County |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=4ygEAAAACAAJ |location = Stillwater, Oklahoma |publisher = Western Publications |isbn = 978-0-935269-24-6 }} |
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* {{cite book |last = Rasch |first = Philip J. |date = 1998 |title = Warriors of Lincoln County |location = Stillwater, Oklahoma |publisher = Western Publications |isbn = 978-0-935269-26-0 }} |
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* {{cite journal |last = Rickards |first = Colin W. |year = 1974 |title = The Gunfight at Blazer's Mill |journal = Southwestern Studies Monograph No. 40 |location = El Paso, Texas |publisher = Western Press }} |
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* {{cite book |last = Simmons |first = Mark |date = 2006 |title = Stalking Billy the Kid: Brief Sketches of a Short Life |publisher = Sunstone Press |isbn = 0-86534-525-2 }} |
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* {{cite web |last = Turk |first = David S. | authorlink = David S. Turk |url = http://www.historynet.com/billy-the-kid-and-the-us-marshals-service.htm |title = Billy the Kid and the U.S. Marshals Service |work = Wild West Magazine |date = February 2007 |access-date = November 2, 2017 |archive-date = August 17, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180817161341/http://www.historynet.com/billy-the-kid-and-the-us-marshals-service.htm |url-status = live }} |
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* {{cite book |last = Tuska |first = Jon |date = 1983 |title = Billy the Kid: A Handbook |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=6VbGeSIyfNcC |location = Lincoln |publisher = University of Nebraska Press |isbn = 0-8032-9406-9 }} |
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* {{cite book |last = Utley |first = Robert M. |author-link = Robert M. Utley |title = High Noon in Lincoln: Violence on the Western Frontier |url = https://archive.org/details/highnooninlincol00utle |url-access = registration |date = 1987 |publisher = University of New Mexico Press |location = Albuquerque|isbn = 978-0-8263-1201-3 |oclc = 15629305 |access-date = May 12, 2016 }} |
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* {{cite book |last = Utley |first = Robert M. |title = Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=MKqfZ_U5MgAC |year = 1989 |publisher = University of Nebraska Press |location = Lincoln |isbn = 978-0-8032-9558-2 |oclc = 37868038 |access-date = May 12, 2016 |archive-date = June 11, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190611080048/https://books.google.com/books?id=MKqfZ_U5MgAC |url-status = live }} |
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* {{cite book |last = Wallis |first = Michael |author-link = Michael Wallis |title = Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride |url = https://archive.org/details/billykidendlessr00wall |url-access = registration |year = 2007 |publisher = W.W. Norton & Co. |location = New York |isbn = 978-0-393-06068-3 |oclc = 77270750 |access-date = November 21, 2017 }} |
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{{refend}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090727111307/http://www.newmexico.org/billythekid/ Billy the Kid Territory] – guide by New Mexico Tourism Department |
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{{Commons}} |
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* [http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/M0292/id/56/rec/14 Letter, 15 March 1879, Lew Wallace to W. H. Bonney], at the [[Indiana Historical Society]], Indianapolis |
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{{Wikiquote}} |
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* [http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/M0292/id/57/rec/16 Letter, 20 March 1879, W. H. Bonney to Lew Wallace], at the Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis |
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*{{worldcat id|id=lccn-n79-55264}} |
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*[http://www.discoverruidoso.com/Billy-The-Kid-Country/ Ruidoso is Billy the Kid Country] Ruidoso Tourism |
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*[http://www.newmexico.org/billythekid/ Billy the Kid Territory] – guide by New Mexico Tourism Department |
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*Peterson, Barbara Tucker and Louis Hart. [http://www.historynet.com/billy-the-kid-the-great-escape.htm "Billy the Kid: The Great Escape."] ''Wild West magazine''. August 1998. |
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*Leighton, David. [http://azstarnet.com/news/local/street-smarts-tucson-street-is-named-after-billy-the-kid/article_70bb4649-d612-597a-a451-d38bec09bd56.html "Tucson Street is Named After Billy the Kid."] Arizona Daily Star, Oct 22, 2013 |
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*[http://www.aboutbillythekid.com/ About Billy the Kid] |
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*Turk, David S. [http://www.historynet.com/billy-the-kid-and-the-us-marshals-service.htm "Billy the Kid and the U.S. Marshals Service."] ''Wild West Magazine''. February 2007 (issued December 2006) |
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*{{Find a Grave|94|William "Billy The Kid" Bonney|work=Legendary Outlaw|date=January 1, 2001|accessdate=December 24, 2012}} |
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*[http://video.pbs.org/video/2185484678 Billy the Kid] — An [[American Experience]] Documentary |
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Revision as of 23:26, 1 June 2024
Billy the Kid | |
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![]() Portrait attributed to Ben Wittick, c. 1880 | |
Born | Henry McCarty[1] September 17 or November 23, 1859 New York City, U.S. |
Died | July 14, 1881 | (aged 21)
Cause of death | Gunshot wound |
Resting place | Old Fort Sumner Cemetery 34°24′13″N 104°11′37″W / 34.40361°N 104.19361°W |
Other names |
|
Occupations |
|
Henry McCarty (September 17 or November 23, 1859 – July 14, 1881), alias William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West who is alleged to have killed 21 men before he was shot and killed at the age of 21.[2][3] He is also known for his involvement in New Mexico's Lincoln County War, during which he allegedly committed three murders.
McCarty was orphaned at the age of 15. His first arrest was for stealing food at the age of 16 in 1875. Ten days later, he robbed a Chinese laundry and was arrested again but escaped shortly afterwards. He fled from New Mexico Territory into neighboring Arizona Territory, making himself both an outlaw and a federal fugitive. In 1877, he began to call himself "William H. Bonney".[4]
After killing a blacksmith during an altercation in August 1877, Bonney became a wanted man in Arizona and returned to New Mexico, where he joined a group of cattle rustlers. He became well known in the region when he joined the Regulators and took part in the Lincoln County War of 1878. He and two other Regulators were later charged with killing three men, including Lincoln County Sheriff William J. Brady and one of his deputies.
Bonney's notoriety grew in December 1880 when the Las Vegas Gazette, in Las Vegas, New Mexico, and The Sun, in New York City, carried stories about his crimes.[5] Sheriff Pat Garrett captured Bonney later that month. In April 1881, Bonney was tried for and convicted of Brady's murder, and was sentenced to hang in May of that year. He escaped from jail on April 28, killing two sheriff's deputies in the process, and evaded capture for more than two months. Garrett shot and killed Bonney, by then aged 21, in Fort Sumner on July 14, 1881.
During the decades following his death, legends grew that Bonney had survived, and a number of men claimed to be him.[6] Billy the Kid remains one of the most notorious figures from the era, whose life and likeness have been frequently dramatized in Western popular culture. He has been a feature of more than 50 movies and several television series.
Early life
Henry McCarty was born to parents of Irish Catholic ancestry,[7] Catherine (née Devine) and Patrick McCarty, in New York City.[8] While his birth year has been confirmed as 1859, the exact date of his birth has been disputed as either September 17 or November 23 of that year.[9][10][11] There is uncertainty among historians about the exact place and date of McCarty's birth.[12][10][11] Census records indicate that his younger brother Joseph McCarty was born in 1863.[13]
Following the death of her husband, Catherine McCarty and her sons moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, where she met William Henry Harrison Antrim. The McCarty family moved with Antrim to Wichita, Kansas in 1870.[14] After moving again a few years later, Catherine married Antrim on March 1, 1873, at the First Presbyterian Church in Santa Fe, New Mexico Territory, and the McCarty boys served as witnesses.[15][16] Shortly afterward, the family moved from Santa Fe to Silver City, New Mexico and Joseph adopted Antrim's surname.[13] Shortly before McCarty's mother died of tuberculosis on September 16, 1874,[17] William Antrim abandoned the McCarty boys, leaving them orphans.
First crimes
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Rancher_Henry_C_Hooker_retouched_cropped.jpg/180px-Rancher_Henry_C_Hooker_retouched_cropped.jpg)
McCarty was 14 years old when his mother died. Sarah Brown, the owner of a boarding house, gave him room and board in exchange for work. On September 16, 1875, McCarty was caught stealing food.[18][19] Ten days later, McCarty and George Schaefer robbed a Chinese laundry, stealing clothing and two pistols. McCarty was charged with theft and was jailed. He escaped two days later and became a fugitive,[18] as reported in the Silver City Herald the next day, the first story published about him. McCarty located his stepfather and stayed with him until Antrim threw him out; McCarty stole clothing and guns from him. It was the last time the two saw each other.[20]
After leaving Antrim, McCarty traveled to southeastern Arizona Territory, where he worked as a ranch hand and gambled his wages in nearby gaming houses.[21] In 1876, he was hired as a ranch hand by well-known rancher Henry Hooker.[22][23] During this time, McCarty became acquainted with John R. Mackie, a Scottish-born criminal and former U.S. Cavalry private who, following his discharge, remained near the U.S. Army post at Camp Grant in Arizona. The two men soon began stealing horses from local soldiers.[24][25] McCarty became known as "Kid Antrim" because of his youth, slight build, clean-shaven appearance, and personality.[26][27]
At some point in 1877, McCarty began to refer to himself by the name "William H. Bonney".[4] On August 17, 1877, Bonney was at a saloon in the village of Bonita when he got into an argument with Francis P. "Windy" Cahill, a blacksmith who reportedly had bullied him and on more than one occasion called him a "pimp". Bonney in turn called Cahill a "son of a bitch", whereupon Cahill threw Bonney to the floor and the two struggled for Bonney's revolver. Bonney shot and mortally wounded Cahill. A witness said, "[Billy] had no choice; he had to use his equalizer." Cahill died the following day.[28][29] Bonney fled but returned a few days later and was apprehended by Miles Wood, the local justice of the peace. He was detained and held in the Camp Grant guardhouse but escaped before law enforcement could arrive.[30]
Bonney stole a horse and fled Arizona Territory for New Mexico Territory,[31] but Apaches took the horse from him, leaving him to walk many miles to the nearest settlement. At Fort Stanton,[32] starving and near death, he went to the home of friend and Seven Rivers Warriors gang member John Jones, whose mother Barbara nursed him back to health.[33][4] After regaining his health, Bonney went to Apache Tejo, a former army post, where he joined a band of rustlers who raided herds owned by cattle magnate John Chisum in Lincoln County. After he was spotted in Silver City, his involvement with the gang was mentioned in a local newspaper.[34]
Lincoln County War
Prelude
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/John_Tunstall_seated_pose_cropped_and_retouched.jpg/150px-John_Tunstall_seated_pose_cropped_and_retouched.jpg)
After returning to New Mexico, Bonney worked as a cowboy for English businessman and rancher John Henry Tunstall (1853–1878), near the Rio Felix, a tributary of the Pecos River, in Lincoln County (now in Chaves County). Tunstall and his business partner and lawyer Alexander McSween were opponents of an alliance formed by Irish-American businessmen Lawrence Murphy, James Dolan, and John Riley. The three men had wielded an economic and political hold over Lincoln County since the early 1870s, due in part to their ownership of a beef contract with nearby Fort Stanton and a well-patronized dry goods store in the town of Lincoln.
By February 1878, McSween owed $8,000 to Dolan, who obtained a court order and asked Lincoln County Sheriff William J. Brady to attach nearly $40,000 worth of Tunstall's property and livestock. Tunstall put Bonney in charge of nine prime horses and told him to relocate them to his ranch for safekeeping. Meanwhile, Sheriff Brady assembled a large posse to seize Tunstall's cattle.[35][36]
On February 18, 1878, Tunstall learned of the posse's presence on his land and rode out to intervene. During the encounter, one member of the posse shot Tunstall in the chest, knocking him off his horse. Another posse member took Tunstall's gun and killed him with a shot to the back of his head.[36][37] Tunstall's murder ignited the conflict between the two factions that became known as the Lincoln County War.[36][38]
Build-up
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Dick_Brewer_cropped_b%26w.jpg/150px-Dick_Brewer_cropped_b%26w.jpg)
After Tunstall was killed, Bonney and Dick Brewer swore affidavits against Brady and those in his posse, and obtained murder warrants from Lincoln County justice of the peace John B. Wilson.[39] On February 20, 1878, while attempting to arrest Brady, the sheriff and his deputies found and arrested Bonney and two other men riding with him.[40] Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert Widenmann, a friend of Bonney, and a detachment of soldiers captured Sheriff Brady's jail guards, put them behind bars, and released Bonney and Brewer.[41]
Bonney then joined the Lincoln County Regulators; on March 9 they captured Frank Baker and William Morton, both of whom were accused of killing Tunstall. Baker and Morton were killed while allegedly trying to escape.[42]
On April 1, the Regulators ambushed Sheriff Brady and his deputies; Bonney was wounded in the thigh during the battle. Brady and Deputy Sheriff George W. Hindman were killed.[43] On the morning of April 4, 1878, Buckshot Roberts and Dick Brewer were killed during a shootout at Blazer's Mill.[44] Warrants were issued for several participants on both sides, and Bonney and two others were charged with killing Brady, Hindman and Roberts.[45]
Battle of Lincoln (1878)
On the night of Sunday, July 14, McSween and the Regulators—now a group of fifty or sixty men—went to Lincoln and stationed themselves in the town among several buildings.[46] At the McSween residence were Bonney, Florencio Chavez, Jose Chavez y Chavez, Jim French, Harvey Morris, Tom O'Folliard, and Yginio Salazar, among others. Another group led by Marin Chavez and Doc Scurlock positioned themselves on the roof of a saloon. Henry Newton Brown, Dick Smith, and George Coe defended a nearby adobe bunkhouse.[47][48]
On Tuesday, July 16, newly appointed sheriff George Peppin sent sharpshooters to kill the McSween defenders at the saloon. Peppin's men retreated when one of the snipers, Charles Crawford, was killed by Fernando Herrera. Peppin then sent a request for assistance to Colonel Nathan Dudley, commandant of nearby Fort Stanton. In a reply to Peppin, Dudley refused to intervene but later arrived in Lincoln with troops, turning the battle in favor of the Murphy-Dolan faction.[49][50]
A gunfight broke out on Friday, July 19. McSween's supporters gathered inside his house; when Buck Powell and Deputy Sheriff Jack Long set fire to the building, the occupants began shooting. Bonney and the other men fled the building when all rooms but one were burning. During the confusion, McSween was shot and killed by Robert W. Beckwith, who was then shot and killed by Bonney.[51][52]
Outlaw
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/Gov_Lew_Wallace_in_1893_cropped_lightened.jpg/170px-Gov_Lew_Wallace_in_1893_cropped_lightened.jpg)
Bonney and three other survivors of the Battle of Lincoln were near the Mescalero Indian Agency when the agency bookkeeper, Morris Bernstein, was murdered on August 5, 1878. All four were indicted for the murder, despite conflicting evidence that Bernstein had been killed by Constable Atanacio Martinez. All of the indictments, except Bonney's, were later quashed.[53][54]
On October 5, 1878, U.S. Marshal John Sherman informed newly appointed Territorial Governor and former Union Army general Lew Wallace that he held warrants for several men, including "William H. Antrim, alias Kid, alias Bonny [sic]" but was unable to execute them "owing to the disturbed condition of affairs in that county, resulting from the acts of a desperate class of men".[55] Wallace issued an amnesty proclamation on November 13, 1878, which pardoned anyone involved in the Lincoln County War since Tunstall's murder. It specifically excluded persons who had been convicted of or indicted for a crime, and therefore excluded Bonney.[56][57]
On February 18, 1879, Bonney and friend Tom O'Folliard were in Lincoln and watched as attorney Huston Chapman was shot and his corpse set on fire. According to eyewitnesses, the pair were innocent bystanders forced at gunpoint by Jesse Evans to witness the murder.[58][59] Bonney wrote to Governor Wallace on March 13, 1879, with an offer to provide information on the Chapman murder in exchange for amnesty. On March 15, Governor Wallace replied, agreeing to a secret meeting to discuss the situation. He met with Wallace in Lincoln on March 17, 1879. During the meeting and in subsequent correspondence, Wallace promised Bonney protection from his enemies and clemency if he would offer his testimony to a grand jury.[a]
On March 20, Wallace wrote to Bonney, "to remove all suspicion of understanding, I think it better to put the arresting party in charge of Sheriff Kimbrell [sic] who shall be instructed to see that no violence is used."[b] Bonney responded on the same day, agreeing to testify and confirming Wallace's proposal for his arrest and detention in a local jail to assure his safety.[62][63] On March 21, he let himself be captured by a posse led by Sheriff George Kimball of Lincoln County. As agreed, Bonney provided a statement about Chapman's murder and testified in court.[64] However, after his testimony, the local district attorney refused to set him free.[65][66] Still in custody several weeks later, Bonney began to suspect Wallace had used subterfuge and would never grant him amnesty. He escaped from the Lincoln County jail on June 17, 1879.[67]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Tom_O%27Folliard_circa_1875_retouched_and_cropped.jpg/170px-Tom_O%27Folliard_circa_1875_retouched_and_cropped.jpg)
Bonney avoided further violence until January 10, 1880, when he shot and killed Joe Grant, a newcomer to the area, at Hargrove's Saloon in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.[68] The Santa Fe Weekly New Mexican reported, "Billy Bonney, more extensively known as 'the Kid', shot and killed Joe Grant. The origin of the difficulty was not learned."[69] According to other contemporary sources, Bonney had been warned Grant intended to kill him. He walked up to Grant, told him he admired his revolver, and asked to examine it. Grant handed it over. Before returning the pistol, which he noticed contained only three cartridges, Bonney positioned the cylinder so the next hammer fall would land on an empty chamber. Grant suddenly pointed his pistol at Bonney's face and pulled the trigger. When it failed to fire, he drew his own weapon and shot Grant in the head. A reporter for the Las Vegas Optic quoted Bonney as saying the encounter "was a game of two and I got there first".[70][71]
In 1880, Bonney formed a friendship with a rancher named Jim Greathouse, who later introduced him to Dave Rudabaugh. On November 29, 1880, Bonney, Rudabaugh, and Billy Wilson ran from a posse led by sheriff's deputy James Carlysle. Cornered at Greathouse's ranch, he told the posse they were holding Greathouse as a hostage. Carlysle offered to exchange places with Greathouse, and Bonney accepted the offer. Carlysle later attempted to escape by jumping through a window but he was shot three times and killed.[72] The shootout ended in a standoff; the posse withdrew and Bonney, Rudabaugh, and Wilson rode away.[73][74]
A few weeks after the Greathouse incident, Bonney, Rudabaugh, Wilson, O'Folliard, Charlie Bowdre, and Tom Pickett rode into Fort Sumner. Unbeknownst to Bonney and his companions, a posse led by Pat Garrett was waiting for them. The posse opened fire, killing O'Folliard; the rest of the outlaws escaped unharmed.[75][76]
Capture and escape
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Pat_Garrett2.jpg/170px-Pat_Garrett2.jpg)
On December 13, 1880, Governor Wallace posted a $500 bounty for Bonney's capture.[77] Pat Garrett continued his search for Bonney; on December 23, following the siege in which Bowdre was killed, Garrett and his posse captured Bonney along with Pickett, Rudabaugh, and Wilson at Stinking Springs. The prisoners, including Bonney, were shackled and taken to Fort Sumner, then later to Las Vegas, New Mexico. When they arrived on December 26, they were met by crowds of curious onlookers.
The following day, an armed mob gathered at the train depot before the prisoners, who were already on board the train with Garrett, departed for Santa Fe.[78] Deputy Sheriff Romero, backed by the angry group of men, demanded custody of Dave Rudabaugh, who during an unsuccessful escape attempt on April 5, 1880 shot and killed deputy Antonio Lino Valdez in the process.[79] Garrett refused to surrender the prisoner, and a tense confrontation ensued until he agreed to let the sheriff and two other men accompany the party to Santa Fe, where they would petition the governor to release Rudabaugh to them.[80] In a later interview with a reporter, Bonney said he was unafraid during the incident, saying, "if I only had my Winchester I'd lick the whole crowd."[81][82] The Las Vegas Gazette ran a story from a jailhouse interview following Bonney's capture; when the reporter said Bonney appeared relaxed, he replied, "What's the use of looking on the gloomy side of everything? The laugh's on me this time."[83] During his short career as an outlaw, Bonney was the subject of numerous U.S. newspaper articles, some as far away as New York.[84]
After arriving in Santa Fe, Bonney, seeking clemency, sent Governor Wallace four letters over the next three months. Wallace refused to intervene,[85] and he went to trial in April 1881 in Mesilla, New Mexico.[86] Following two days of testimony, Bonney was found guilty of Sheriff Brady's murder; it was the only conviction secured against any of the combatants in the Lincoln County War. On April 13, Judge Warren Bristol sentenced him to hang, with his execution scheduled for May 13, 1881.[86] According to legend, upon sentencing, the judge told Bonney he was going to hang until he was "dead, dead, dead"; his response was, "you can go to hell, hell, hell."[87] According to the historical record, he did not speak after the reading of his sentence.[88]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/LincolnNM_Jail_and_Courthouse.jpg/220px-LincolnNM_Jail_and_Courthouse.jpg)
Following his sentencing, Bonney was moved to Lincoln, where he was held under guard on the top floor of the town courthouse. On the evening of April 28, 1881, while Garrett was in White Oaks collecting taxes, Deputy Bob Olinger took five other prisoners across the street for a meal, leaving James Bell,[89] another deputy, alone with Bonney at the jail. He asked to be taken outside to use the outhouse behind the courthouse; on their return to the jail, Bonney—who was walking ahead of Bell up the stairs to his cell—hid around a blind corner, slipped out of his handcuffs, and beat Bell with the loose end of the cuffs. During the ensuing scuffle, Bonney grabbed Bell's revolver and fatally shot him in the back as Bell tried to get away.[90]
Bonney, with his legs still shackled, broke into Garrett's office and took a loaded shotgun left behind by Olinger. He waited at the upstairs window for Olinger to respond to the gunshot that killed Bell and called out to him, "Look up, old boy, and see what you get." When Olinger looked up, Bonney shot and killed him.[90][91][92] After about an hour, Bonney freed himself from the leg irons with an axe.[93] He obtained a horse and rode out of town; according to some stories he was singing as he left Lincoln.[91]
Recapture and death
While Bonney was on the run, Governor Wallace placed a new $500 bounty on the fugitive's head.[94][95][96] Almost three months after his escape, Garrett, responding to rumors that Bonney was in the vicinity of Fort Sumner, left Lincoln with two deputies on July 14, 1881, to question resident Pete Maxwell, a friend of Bonney's.[97] Maxwell, son of land baron Lucien Maxwell, spoke with Garrett the same day for several hours. Around midnight, the pair sat in Maxwell's darkened bedroom when Bonney unexpectedly entered.[98]
Accounts vary as to the course of events. According to the canonical version, as he entered the room, Bonney failed to recognize Garrett due to the poor lighting. Drawing his revolver and backing away, Bonney asked "¿Quién es? ¿Quién es?" (Spanish for "Who is it? Who is it?").[99] Recognizing Bonney's voice, Garrett drew his revolver and fired twice.[100] The first bullet struck Bonney in the chest just above his heart, while the second missed. Garrett's account leaves it unclear whether Bonney was killed instantly or took some time to die.[98][101]
A few hours after the shooting, a local justice of the peace assembled a coroner's jury of six people. The jury members interviewed Maxwell and Garrett, and Bonney's body and the location of the shooting were examined. The jury certified the body as Bonney's and, according to a local newspaper, the jury foreman said, "It was the Kid's body that we examined."[102] Bonney was given a wake by candlelight; he was buried the next day and his grave was denoted with a wooden marker.[103][104]
Five days after Bonney's killing, Garrett traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to collect the $500 reward offered by Governor Lew Wallace for his capture, dead or alive. William G. Ritch, the acting New Mexico governor, refused to pay the reward.[105] Over the next few weeks, the residents of Las Vegas, Mesilla, Santa Fe, White Oaks, and other New Mexico cities raised over $7,000 in reward money for Garrett. A year and four days after Bonney's death, the New Mexico territorial legislature passed a special act to grant Garrett the $500 bounty reward promised by Governor Wallace.[106]
Because people had begun to claim Garrett unfairly ambushed Bonney, Garrett felt the need to tell his side of the story and called upon his friend, journalist Marshall Upson, to ghostwrite a book for him.[107] The book, The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid,[c] was first published in April 1882.[109] Although only a few copies sold following its release, in time, it became a reference for later historians who wrote about Bonney's life.[107]
Rumors of survival
Over time, legends grew claiming that Bonney was not killed, and that Garrett staged the incident and death out of friendship so that Bonney could evade the law.[110] During the next 50 years, a number of men claimed they were Billy the Kid.[citation needed] Most of these claims were easily disproven, but two have remained topics of discussion and debate.
In 1948, a central Texas man, Ollie P. Roberts, also known as Brushy Bill Roberts, began claiming he was Billy the Kid and went before New Mexico Governor Thomas J. Mabry seeking a pardon. Mabry dismissed Roberts' claims, and Roberts died shortly afterward.[111] Nevertheless, Hico, Texas, Roberts' town of residence, capitalized on his claim by opening a Billy the Kid museum.[112]
John Miller, an Arizona man, also claimed he was Bonney. This was unsupported by his family until 1938, some time after his death. Miller's body was buried in the state-owned Arizona Pioneers' Home Cemetery in Prescott, Arizona; in May 2005, Miller's teeth and bones[113] were exhumed and examined,[114] without permission from the state.[115] DNA samples from the remains were sent to a laboratory in Dallas and tested to compare Miller's DNA with blood samples obtained from floorboards in the old Lincoln County courthouse and a bench where Bonney's body allegedly was placed after he was shot.[116] According to a July 2015 article in The Washington Post, the lab results were "useless".[113]
In 2004, researchers sought to exhume the remains of Catherine Antrim, Bonney's mother, whose DNA would be tested and compared with that of the body buried in William Bonney's grave.[117] As of 2012, her body had not been exhumed.[116]
In 2007,[118] author and amateur historian Gale Cooper filed a lawsuit against the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office under the state Inspection of Public Records Act to produce records of the results of the 2006 DNA tests and other forensic evidence collected in the Billy the Kid investigations.[119] In April 2012, 133 pages of documents were provided; they offered no conclusive evidence confirming or disproving the generally accepted story of Garrett's killing of Bonney,[118] but confirmed the records' existence, and that they could have been produced earlier.[116] In 2014, Cooper was awarded $100,000 in punitive damages but the decision was later overturned by the New Mexico Court of Appeals.[120] The lawsuit ultimately cost Lincoln County nearly $300,000.[118]
In February 2015, historian Robert Stahl petitioned a district court in Fort Sumner asking the state of New Mexico to issue a death certificate for Bonney.[102] In July 2015, Stahl filed suit in the New Mexico Supreme Court. The suit asked the court to order the state's Office of the Medical Investigator to officially certify Bonney's death under New Mexico state law.[121]
Photographs
As of 2021, only one authenticated photograph showing Billy exists; others thought to depict him are disputed.[122]
Dedrick ferrotype
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Billy_the_Kid_tintype%2C_Fort_Sumner%2C_1879-80.jpg/150px-Billy_the_Kid_tintype%2C_Fort_Sumner%2C_1879-80.jpg)
One of the few remaining artifacts of Bonney's life is a 2-by-3-inch (5.1-by-7.6-centimeter) ferrotype photograph of him, attributed to photographer Ben Wittick[123] in late 1879 or early 1880. The image shows Bonney wearing a vest under a sweater, a slouch hat and a bandana, while holding an 1873 Winchester rifle with its butt resting on the floor. For years, this was the only photograph of Bonney accepted by scholars and historians.[95] The original ferrotype survived because Bonney's friend Dan Dedrick kept it after the outlaw's death. It was passed down through Dedrick's family, and was copied several times, appearing in numerous publications during the 20th century. In June 2011, the original plate was bought at auction for $2.3 million by businessman William Koch.[124][125]
The image shows Bonney wearing his holstered Colt revolver on his left side. This led to the belief that he was left-handed, without taking into account that the ferrotype process produces reversed images.[126] In 1954, western historians James D. Horan and Paul Sann wrote that Bonney was right-handed and carried his pistol on his right hip.[127] The opinion was confirmed by Clyde Jeavons, a former curator of the National Film and Television Archive.[128] Several historians have written that Bonney was ambidextrous.[129][130][131][132]
Croquet tintype
A 4-by-6-inch (100 mm × 150 mm) ferrotype purchased at a memorabilia shop in Fresno, California, in 2010 has been claimed to show Bonney and members of the Regulators playing croquet. If authentic, it is the only known photo of Billy the Kid and the Regulators together and the only image to feature their wives and female companions.[133] Collector Robert G. McCubbin and outlaw historian John Boessenecker concluded in 2013 that the photograph does not show Bonney.[134] Whitny Braun, a professor and researcher, located an advertisement for croquet sets sold at Chapman's General Store in Las Vegas, New Mexico, dated to June 1878. Kent Gibson, a forensic video and still image expert, offered the services of his facial recognition software, and stated that Bonney is indeed one of the individuals in the image.[135]
In August 2015, Lincoln State Monument officials and the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs said that despite the new research, they could not confirm that the image showed Bonney or others from the Lincoln County War era, according to Monument manager Gary Cozzens. A photograph curator at the Palace of the Governors archives, Daniel Kosharek, said the image is "problematic on a lot of fronts", including the small size of the figures and the lack of resemblance of the background landscape to Lincoln County or the state in general.[135] Editors from the True West Magazine staff said, "no one in our office thinks this photo is of the Kid [and the Regulators]."[134]
In early October 2015, Kagin's, Inc., a numismatic authentication firm, said the image was authentic after a number of experts, including those associated with a recent National Geographic Channel program,[136][137] examined it.[138][139]
Posthumous pardon request
In 2010, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson turned down a request for a posthumous pardon of Bonney for the murder of Sheriff William Brady. The pardon was considered to fulfill Governor Lew Wallace's 1879 promise to Bonney. Richardson's decision, citing "historical ambiguity", was announced on December 31, 2010, his last day in office.[140][141]
Grave markers
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Billy-The-Kid-Individual-Tombstone.jpg/220px-Billy-The-Kid-Individual-Tombstone.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/Billy_the_Kid_Headstone.jpg/220px-Billy_the_Kid_Headstone.jpg)
In 1931, Charles W. Foor, an unofficial tour guide at Fort Sumner Cemetery, campaigned to raise funds for a permanent marker for the graves of Bonney, O'Folliard, and Bowdre. As a result of his efforts, a stone memorial marked with the names of the three men and their death dates beneath the word "Pals" was erected in the center of the burial area.[142]
In 1940, stone cutter James N. Warner of Salida, Colorado, made and donated to the cemetery a new marker for Bonney's grave.[143] It was stolen on February 8, 1981, but recovered days later in Huntington Beach, California. New Mexico Governor Bruce King arranged for the county sheriff to fly to California to return it to Fort Sumner,[144] where it was reinstalled in May 1981. Although both markers are behind iron fencing, a group of vandals entered the enclosure at night in June 2012 and tipped the stone over.[145]
In literature and the arts
The life and likeness of Billy the Kid have been frequently represented in comics, literature, film, music, theater, radio, television, and video games.
See also
Notes
- ^ For years Wallace denied that he had agreed to the bargain with Bonney; however, in a newspaper article published in 1902, Wallace changed his story and said he had promised him a pardon in exchange for the testimony.[60]
- ^ Letter from Governor Wallace to W.H. Bonney, March 20, 1879.[61]
- ^ The full title of the Garrett-Upson book was The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid, the Noted Desperado of the Southwest, Whose Deeds of Daring and Blood Made His Name a Terror in New Mexico, Arizona and Northern Mexico. By Pat. F. Garrett, Sheriff of Lincoln Co., N.M., By Whom He Was Finally Hunted Down and Captured by Killing Him.[108]
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{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Wallis 2007, p. xiv.
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A family Bible put his age in 1881 at just 2 years old: far too young for even a criminal nicknamed 'the Kid'.
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Billy loved to sing and had a good voice, those who knew him claimed ... He was ambidextrous and wrote well with both hands.
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Sources
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- Simmons, Mark (2006). Stalking Billy the Kid: Brief Sketches of a Short Life. Sunstone Press. ISBN 0-86534-525-2.
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- Wallis, Michael (2007). Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. ISBN 978-0-393-06068-3. OCLC 77270750. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
External links
- Billy the Kid Territory – guide by New Mexico Tourism Department
- Letter, 15 March 1879, Lew Wallace to W. H. Bonney, at the Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis
- Letter, 20 March 1879, W. H. Bonney to Lew Wallace, at the Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis