Billy the Kid | |
---|---|
Born | Henry McCarty September 17, 1859 New York City |
Died | July 14, 1881 | (aged 21)
Cause of death | Gunshot wound from Sheriff Pat F. Garrett |
Resting place | 34°24′13″N 104°11′37″W / 34.40361°N 104.19361°W |
Other names | William H. Bonney, Henry Antrim, Kid Antrim |
Occupation(s) | Horse rustler, cowboy, gambler, outlaw |
Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) |
Parents |
|
Relatives | Brother: Joseph McCarty |
Billy the Kid, also known by the alias William H. Bonney, was born Henry McCarty on September 17, 1859 and died on July 14, 1881. He was a 19th-century gunman who participated in New Mexico's Lincoln County War and became a frontier outlaw in the American Old West. According to legend, he killed twenty-one men,[1] but it is now generally believed he killed eight.[2]
Relatively unknown during most of his lifetime, McCarty became a legend in 1881 when New Mexico's governor Lew Wallace placed a bounty on him and the Las Vegas Gazette (Las Vegas, New Mexico) as well as the New York Sun carried stories about his exploits.[3] He was captured by Sheriff Pat Garrett in 1880, but escaped in April 1881, evading capture for the following two months. Garrett shot and killed Billy the Kid in Fort Sumner, on July 14, 1881. Over the next several decades, legends grew that McCarty had not died that night, and in the subsequent years, a number of men claimed to be him.
Early life
Henry McCarty was born to Patrick McCarty and Catherine Devine in New York City on September 17, 1859. He was baptized eleven days later at the Church of St. Peter, also in New York.[4] There has been confusion about McCarty's birthplace and birthdate among historians due, in part, to McCarty giving false information to a census taker during the 1880 U.S. Census.[5][6] Utley cited the work of Philip J. Rasch,[7][8] The U.S. Census in 1860 shows the McCarty family living in the Manhattan First Ward, although with the surname listed incorrectly as 'McCarthy'.[9] McCarty had a younger brother, Joseph McCarty, who was born on October 14, 1863. Joseph McCarty later took his stepfather's name and became known as Joseph Antrim.
McCarty's father died shortly after the birth of the family's third child. Following his father's death, McCarty, along with his mother and siblings, moved to Kansas with a man named Henry Harrison Antrim in 1870.[10] McCarty's mother married Antrim in March 1873 in Santa Fe, New Mexico; both McCarty and his brother Joseph were witnesses.[11][12] Shortly after, the family moved from Santa Fe to Silver City, New Mexico. McCarty's mother died of tuberculosis on September 16, 1874.[13]
First crimes
McCarty experienced his first run-in with the law by being charged with theft a year after his mother's death and a day before his sixteenth birthday on September 16, 1875.[14]
According to some accounts, McCarty was hired as a ranch hand by Henry Hooker in southeastern Arizona Territory.[when?][15] In 1876, McCarty settled near Fort Grant, Arizona, where he worked on ranches and spent time in local gaming houses.[16] During this time, he became acquainted with John R. Mackie, a Scottish-born former cavalry private and criminal.[17] The two men became horse thieves. Stealing horses from local soldiers, McCarty became known as "Kid Antrim" because of his youth, slight build, clean-shaven appearance, and personality.[18][19]
On August 17, 1877, McCarty killed Francis P. "Windy" Cahill in Arizona after the two had a verbal argument and altercation. McCarty shot Cahill after a physical fight over McCarty's revolver.[20] Fearing retaliation by of Cahill's friends, McCarty fled the Arizona Territory for New Mexico Territory.[21] He eventually arrived at Apache Tejo, a former army post, where he joined a band of rustlers who raided herds owned by cattle magnate John Chisum.[22] After McCarty was spotted in Silver City by a resident, his involvement with the gang was mentioned in a local newspaper.[22] In addition to attaching himself with the rustler, McCarty was known to have ridden with the Jesse Evans Gang.
Before 1877, McCarty had his horse stolen by Apaches; this forced him to walk miles to the nearest settlement, Pecos Valley, New Mexico.[23] Once in Pecos Valley, McCarty went to the home of friend and Seven Rivers Warriors gang member, John Jones. By the time he arrived, McCarty was near death but was nursed back to health by Jones' mother.[24]
At some point in 1877, McCarty began to refer to himself as "William H. Bonney".[24]
Lincoln County War
After Bonney's return from Arizona to New Mexico, he went to work for Englishman and businessman John Tunstall as a cowboy at his Lincoln County, New Mexico ranch located near a tributary of the Rio Grande, the Rio Felix. Tunstall was involved with local lawyer Alexander McSween in challenging the political and economic control of Lincoln County held by three local Irish businessmen and gunmen, Lawrence Murphy, James Dolan, and John Riley. The trio had held control over Lincoln County since the early 1870s and, as well, had the beef contract for nearby Fort Stanton in addition to running a well-known and patronized dry-goods store in the town of Lincoln.[25] The conflict between the two factions was known as the Lincoln County War.
When Tunstall was bothered by rustlers who got the local sheriff to attach nearly $40,000 of Tunstall's property,[26] Bonney rode out with his boss and others to take six of Tunstall's prime horses to Lincoln for safekeeping. Encountering an eighteen-man posse, Tunstall was shot and killed.[27] Escaping with his companions before they were discovered by the posse, Bonney was arrested on February 20, 1878 for disturbing the peace by Lincoln County sheriff and supporter of Murphy, Dolan, and Riley, William J. Brady. Bonney was released two days later.
Soon afterward, Bonney joined the Lincoln County Regulators, a posse led by Dick Brewer. On March 9, two of Tunstall's accused murderers, Frank Baker and William Morton, were captured by the Regulators and killed "while trying to escape".[28] On April 1, during an ambush on Sheriff Brady and his deputies, Bonney was shot in the thigh.[29]
On the morning of April 4, 1878, during a shootout at Blazer's Mill between the Regulators and buffalo hunter Buckshot Roberts, Dick Brewer was killed.[30] During the shootout, Roberts, Sheriff Brady, and a sheriff's deputy were also killed. Warrants were issued for several participants on both sides of the war, with Bonney and two others charged for the killings of Brady, the deputy, and Roberts.
Battle of Lincoln (1878)
On the night of Sunday, July 14, McSween and the Regulators, by now a group of fifty or sixty men, gathered in Lincoln and stationed themselves there among several buildings.[31] At the McSween residence were Bonney, Florencio Chavez, Jose Chavez y Chavez, Jim French, Harvey Morris, Tom O'Folliard (born Folliard),[32] 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.[33][34]
On Tuesday, July 16, the 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 Fort Stanton. Dudley wrote a reply to Peppin turning him down.[35]
On Friday, July 19, the actual battle began. The McSween supporters who had been in other buildings were all gathered inside the McSween house. When Deputy Sheriff Jack Long and Buck Powell set fire to the McSween house, the occupants opened fire. After all but one room of the home had been engulfed by flames, Bonney and his crew retreated. During the confusion, Alexander McSween was shot and killed by Robert W. Beckwith, who was then shot and killed by Bonney.[36][37]
Outlaw
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 actually been killed by Constable Atanacio Martinez. All of these indictments were later quashed, except for Bonney's.[38]
On October 5, 1878, U.S. Marshal John Sherman informed newly inaugurated Governor 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."[39]
Governor Wallace issued an amnesty proclamation on November 13, 1878, which pardoned anyone involved in the Lincoln County War since the Tunstall murder of February 18, 1878. It specifically did not apply to any person who had been convicted of or was under indictment for a crime, and therefore excluded Bonney.[40]
On February 18, 1879, Bonney and friend Tom O'Folliard were in Lincoln when attorney Huston Chapman, was shot and his corpse set on fire while Bonney and O'Folliard watched. According to eyewitnesses, the pair were innocent bystanders forced at gunpoint by Jesse Evans to witness the murder.[41] Bonney later wrote Governor Wallace with an offer to provide information on the Chapman murder in exchange for amnesty. Bonney met with Wallace in Lincoln on March 15, 1879, talking for over an hour. Wallace promised Bonney a complete pardon if he would offer his testimony to a grand jury regarding what he knew in regard to the Chapman murder. 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."[42] On March 21, Bonney allowed himself to be "captured" by a posse led by Sheriff George Kimball of Lincoln County. As agreed, Bonney provided a statement about Chapman's murder. Still jailed, weeks passed and Bonney began to suspect he had been used by Wallace and would never be granted the promised amnesty. Bonney escaped the Lincoln County Jail on June 17, 1879.[43]
Bonney avoided further violence until January 10, 1880, when he shot and killed Joe Grant at Hargrove's Saloon in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. 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."[44] According to other sources, after Bonney had been advised that Grant intended to kill him. he walked up to Grant, told him he admired his revolver, and asked to examine it. Grant complied. Before handing the pistol holding only three shells back to Grant, Bonney positioned the cylinder so the next shot would fire on an empty chamber. Again in possession of his weapon, Grant stuck the pistol in Bonney's face and pulled the trigger. After the revolver failed to fire, Bonney drew his own pistol, shooting Grant in the head. A reporter for the Las Vegas Optic later quoted Bonney as saying the encounter with Grant "was a game of two and I got there first."[45]
Bonney formed a friendship in 1880 with rancher 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 Carlyle. Cornered at Greathouse's ranch, Bonney let the posse know they were holding Greathouse as a hostage. Carlyle offered to exchange places with Greathouse, and Bonney took him up on the offer. Carlyle later attempted to escape by jumping through a window but was shot three times and killed. The gunfight ended in a standoff when the posse withdrew and Bonney, Rudabaugh, and Wilson rode off.[46]
A few weeks after the Greathouse incident, Bonney, Rudabaugh, Wilson, Bowdre, Tom Pickett, and O'Folliard rode into Fort Sumner. Unknown to the Bonney and the group, a posse led by Pat Garrett was waiting for them at the fort. As they approached, the posse opened fire, killing O'Folliard. Bonney and the rest escaped unharmed.[47]
Capture and escape
On December 23, 1880, Garrett and his posse captured Bonney along with Pickett, Rudabaugh and Wilson at Stinking Springs. The capture followed a siege in which Charlie Bowdre was killed. Along with the other three captured, Bonney was taken to Santa Fe. While enroute and at Las Vegas on December 27, a lynch mob formed. Bonney was unthreatened by the mob and later told a reporter, "if I only had my Winchester I'd lick the whole crowd."[48][49]
After arriving in Santa Fe, Bonney sent four separate letters over the next three months to Governor Wallace seeking clemency. After Wallace refused to intervene,[50] Bonney went to trial in April 1881 in Mesilla, New Mexico.[51] Following two days of testimony, Bonney was found guilty for the murder of Sheriff Brady; it was the only conviction secured against any of the combatants in the Lincoln County War. On April 13, he was sentenced by Judge Warren Bristol to hang with his execution scheduled for May 13, 1881.[51]
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, Garrett was in White Oaks collecting taxes. Deputy Bob Olinger left the jail to take five other prisoners across the street for a meal, leaving the other deputy, James Bell, alone with Bonney. Bonney requested to be taken outside to use the outhouse located behind the courthouse. On the way back 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 surprised Bell, beating him with the loose end of the cuffs. During the ensuing scuffle, Bonney was able to get Bell's revolver and shot Bell in the back as the deputy made for the stairs to get away.[52]
While Bonney's legs were still shackled, he was able to get into Garrett's office, and then took a loaded shotgun left behind by Olinger. Waiting at the upstairs window for Olinger to respond to the gunshot that killed Bell, Bonney called out when spotting the deputy, "Look up, old boy, and see what you get". When looking up at the window, Olinger was shot and killed by Bonney.[52][53] After about an hour, Bonney was able to free himself from the leg irons with an axe.[54] Now unfettered, Bonney obtained a horse and rode out of town. Legend has it he was singing as he left Lincoln.[53]
Death
Almost three months after his escape, Garrett responded to rumors that Bonney was in the vicinity of Fort Sumner. Garrett and two deputies left Lincoln on July 14, 1881 to question one of the town's residents, a friend of McCarty's named Pete Maxwell.[55] Maxwell, the 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 the room.[56]
Accounts vary as to the course of events. The historical version states, as Bonney entered the room, he failed to recognize Garrett due to the the poor lighting. Drawing his revolver and backing away, Bonney asked "¿Quién es? ¿Quién es?", Spanish for "Who is it? Who is it?".[56] Recognizing Bonney's voice, Garrett drew his revolver, firing twice. The first bullet struck Bonney in the chest just above his heart. He fell to the floor, gasped for a minute, and died.[56]
Garrett allowed Bonney's friends to take the body to a 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, with Garrett rejecting it and demanding another be written more in his favor. Bonney's The Kid's body was then prepared for burial, and was buried at noon at the Fort Sumner cemetery between O'Folliard and Bowdre.[57]
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.[58] 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,[59] 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.[58]
Rumors of survival
Legends grew over time that Billy the Kid was not killed that night, but that Garrett staged it all out of friendship for the Kid so that he could escape the law.[61] Several men have come forward to claim that they were the real Kid. Most of them were easily and immediately debunked, but there are two who remain topics of discussion and debate for one reason or another.
In 1948, a man in Central Texas known as Ollie Partridge Roberts (nicknamed Brushy Bill) claimed to be Billy the Kid; his claims were dismissed by everyone, including his own family.[62] His town of residence, Hico, Texas, capitalized on the claim by opening a Billy the Kid museum.[63]
The family of an Arizona man named John Miller supported Miller's claim to be Billy the Kid in 1938, some time after Miller's death. Miller was buried at the state-owned Pioneers' Home Cemetery in Prescott, Arizona; his bones and teeth[64] were dug up in May 2005[65] though without official permission.[66] 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, and from floorboards in the old Lincoln County courthouse,[67] but the lab results were "useless."[64]
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".[68] As of 2012, her body had not been exhumed.[67]
In 2007,[69] a lawsuit was filed against officials in Lincoln County pursuant to 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.[70] In April 2012 133 pages of documents were provided which, "although they offered no conclusive evidence to prove or disprove the generally accepted story of the Kid's death at Garrett's hand,"[69] they did "reveal that the records sought not only exist[ed], but that they could have been easily produced long ago."[67] In 2014 the plaintiffs were awarded a combined amount of nearly $300,000 in damages.[69]
In February 2015, historian Robert Stahl petitioned a district court in Fort Sumner asking the state of New Mexico to posthumously issue a death certificate for McCarty.[71] Stahl took the further step of filing suit in New Mexico supreme court in July 2015 asking the court to order the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator to consider if McCarty's death can be officially certified under New Mexico state law.[72]
Authenticated photographs
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 was for many years the only image of McCarty that scholars agreed was authentic.[73] The ferrotype survived because Dan Dedrick, one of McCarty's rustler friends, held onto the picture after McCarty's death, and passed it down in his family; it was copied several times, and the original was bought at auction on June 25, 2011, for $2.3 million by billionaire William Koch.[74] It was the most expensive piece ever sold at Brian Lebel's Annual Old West Show & Auction,[75] and at the time was the seventh most expensive photograph ever sold.
In August 2013, a tintype photograph was located that appears to show McCarty and friend Dan Dedrick.[76][dead link] The photo was forensically examined and one forensic investigator agreed that it is of McCarty and Dedrick.[76][77][dead link]
A tintype purchased in 2010 for $2.00 at a sale in Fresno, California appears to show McCarty and the Regulators playing croquet, and it was reviewed by several experts who attempted to authenticate it.[78] On October 5, 2015, Kagin's, Inc. auction house declared the image authentic after experts examined it for over a year. A special show describing the examination of the photo was shown on the National Geographic Channel on October 23, 2015. Other experts disagree that the photo shows Billy the Kid.[79] Kagin's insured the original tintype for 5 million dollars.[80]
Handedness
It was widely assumed that the Kid was left-handed, but 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",[81] an opinion confirmed by Clyde Jeavons, a former curator of the National Film and Television Archive.[82] Michael Wallis wrote in 2007 that McCarty was ambidextrous.[83]
Posthumous pardons considered
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.[84]
Grave marker theft and locations
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.[85]
In 1932,[86] 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.[86]
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.[87] It was stolen 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,[88] where it was re-installed in May 1981. On June 16, 2012, a group of vandals entered the cage at night and tipped over the stone.[89]
Selected references in popular culture
Literature
- "The Disinterested Killer Bill Harrigan," by Jorge Luis Borges.
- Billy The Kid (1958), a serial poem by Jack Spicer.
- Billy the Kid (1962), an episode in the ongoing adventures of Lucky Luke by Goscinny and Morris.
- El bandido adolescente ("The teenage outlaw") (1965), a biography written by Spanish author Ramón J. Sender.
- The Collected Works of Billy the Kid: Left-handed Poems, by Michael Ondaatje, 1970 Governor General's Award-winning biography in the form of experimental poetry.
- The Illegal Rebirth of Billy the Kid (1991) is a science fiction novel by Rebecca Ore.
- Anything for Billy (1988) is a fictionalized account of Billy's last year by Larry McMurtry.
- Lucky Billy: a novel about Billy the Kid (2008), is a novel by John Vernon, a professor at Binghamton University.
- The novels, Inferno and Escape from Hell, by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, feature interactions between the novels' contemporary main characters traversing Dante's Inferno and Billy the Kid.
- 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
- Billy the Kid and the Vampyres of Vegas ebook by Michael Scott
Film
- Billy the Kid, a 1911 silent film directed by Laurence Trimble and starring Tefft Johnson. All copies are believed to be lost.
- Billy the Kid, 1930 widescreen film directed by King Vidor and starring Johnny Mack Brown as Billy and Wallace Beery as Pat Garrett[90]
- 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.
- Billy the Kid, 1941 remake of the 1930 film, starring Robert Taylor and Brian Donlevy
- 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] In a 1952 film, Allan "Rocky" Lane goes after Billy the Kid's lost treasure.[91]
- 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.
- I Shot Billy the Kid, a 1950 film directed by William Berke and starring Don "Red" Barry as Billy.
- The Kid from Texas (1950) starring Audie Murphy as Billy the Kid
- 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 Olinger
- 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
- The Boy from Oklahoma (1954), with Tyler MacDuff in the role of Billy the Kid
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Dirty Little Billy (1972), set during Billy's early years as a criminal, starred Michael J. Pollard.
- 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
- Young Guns, Christopher Cain's 1988 motion picture starring Emilio Estevez as Billy and Patrick Wayne as Pat Garrett
- 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.
- Gore Vidal's Billy the Kid, Gore Vidal's 1989 film starring Val Kilmer as Billy and Duncan Regehr as Pat Garrett
- Young Guns II, Geoff Murphy's 1990 motion picture starring Emilio Estevez as Billy and William Petersen as Pat Garrett
- Purgatory, Uli Edel's 1999 made-for-TV movie starring Donnie Wahlberg as Deputy Glen/Billy The Kid
- Requiem for Billy the Kid, Anne Feinsilber's 2006 motion picture starring Kris Kristofferson.
- BloodRayne 2: Deliverance featured a vampiric Billy the Kid as the film's main antagonist, played by Zack Ward.
- 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
Music
- "Billy the Kid", a folksong in the public domain, was published in John A. Lomax and Alan Lomax's American Ballads and Folksongs album,[92] and also their Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads album.[93] Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.[94]
- "Billy the Kid" folksong sung by Woody Guthrie, recorded by Alan Lomax in 1940 for the Library of Congress (#3412 B2), 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).[95]
- Aaron Copland's "Billy the Kid", a ballet that premiered in 1938.
- On his 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.[96]
- Bob Dylan's album Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, soundtrack of the 1973 film by Sam Peckinpah.
- Takeoff's verse from the Migos remix to Travi$ Scott's "Quintana mentions Billy the Kid"
- Jon Bon Jovi's album, Blaze of Glory, was used as part of the soundtrack for Young Guns II, and featured the song "Billy Get Your Guns".
- Marty Robbins' song "Billy the Kid" from the album Gunfighter Ballads & Trail Songs Volume 3.
- Ry Cooder recorded the folk song "Billy the Kid", on the album Into The Purple Valley,[97] with his own melody and instrumental. It was also on Ry Cooder Classics Volume II.[98]
- Tom Petty wrote the song "Billy the Kid", released on his 1999 album Echo.
- Dia Frampton's "Billy the Kid," on the 2011 album Red
- Charlie Daniels recorded the song "Billy the Kid" on his 1976 album High Lonesome. Chris LeDoux also covered the song on his album Haywire.
- Joe Ely recorded the song "Me and Billy the Kid" on his 1987 album Lord of the Highway.
- Running Wild recorded the song "Billy the Kid" on their 1991 album Blazon Stone.
Stage
- Joseph Santley's 1906 Broadway play, co-written by Santley, in which he also starred
- Michael McClure's 1965 play The Beard recounts a fictional meeting between Billy the Kid and Jean Harlow.
- Michael Ondaatje's 1973 play, The Collected Works of Billy the Kid.
- Billy the Kid - His Life in Music, 2013, presented by Livestock
Television and radio
- 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 Matt Dillon with giving him the "Billy the Kid" moniker.[99]
- 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.
- Richard Jaeckel played The Kid in a 1954 episode of the syndicated television series Stories of the Century.
- 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.
- Robert Walker, Jr. starred as Billy The Kid in a 1967 episode of the Irwin Allen science fiction series Time Tunnel
- The NBC series The Tall Man ran from 1960 to 1962, starring Clu Gulager as Billy and Barry Sullivan as Pat Garrett.
- American Experience, Billy the Kid, aired on PBS January 9, 2012[100]
See also
Notes
References
- ^ Rasch (1995), pp. 23–35.
- ^ Wallis, 2007, pp. 244–245.
- ^ Utley (1989), pp. 145–146.
- ^ Letter from Rev. James B. Roberts, Church of St. Peter, New York City, to Jack DeMattos, March 24, 1979. 210 Greene Street was within walking distance of the Church of St. Peter.
- ^ Nolan, Frederick. The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History (2009), p. 4 and p. 6
- ^ Utley, Robert M. High Noon in Lincoln (1987), p. 192.
- ^ Rasch,Philip J. "New Light on the Legend of Billy the Kid (1952–53), pp. 1–5.
- ^ Rasch, Philip J. and Mullin, Robert N. "Dim Trails: The Pursuit of the McCarty Family" (1953–54), pp. 6–11.
- ^ 1860 United States Federal Census for New York City, Manhattan First Ward, enumerated by Assistant Marshal Edward Hogan on June 26, 1860, p. 176.
- ^ Wallis (2007), p. 15.
- ^ Nolan (2009), p. 7.
- ^ Book of Marriages A, Santa Fe County, New Mexico, pp. 35–36.
- ^ Nolan, 2009, p.8
- ^ Grant County Herald (Silver City, New Mexico), September 26, 1875.
- ^ Utley (1989), pp. 10–11.
- ^ Wallis (2007), p. 103.
- ^ Wallis (2007), p. 107.
- ^ Wallis (2007), pp. 110–111.
- ^ Utley, (1989), p. 16.
- ^ Radbourne, Allan; Rasch, Philip J. (August 1985). "The Story of 'Windy' Cahill". Real West (204): 22–27.
- ^ Wallis (2007), p. 119.
- ^ a b Wallis (2007) pp. 123–131.
- ^ Nolan (1998), p. 77.
- ^ a b Wallis (2007), p. 144.
- ^ Nolan,Frederick The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History, 1992 - pp. 23–55.
- ^ Nolan, Frederick. The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History, 1992 - p. 188–89.
- ^ Utley, Robert M. Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life, 1989 - p. 46.
- ^ Utley, Robert M. Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life, 1989 - pp. 56–60.
- ^ Nolan, Frederick. The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History, 1992 - pp. 233–249, 549 n. 1.
- ^ Rickards, Colin. The Gunfight at Blazer's Mill, 1974 - pp. 36–37.
- ^ Jacobsen (1994), p. 173.
- ^ Mark Lee Gardner. To Hell on a Fast Horse: The Untold Story of Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett, 2011, p. 85, 275
- ^ Nolan (1992), pp. 312–313.
- ^ Utley (1987), p. 87.
- ^ Nolan (1992), p. 513.
- ^ Nolan (1992), pp. 322–331
- ^ Utley (1987), pp. 96–111.
- ^ Utley, Robert M. Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life, 1989 - pp. 104–105, 107, 110 and Nolan Frederick. The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History, 1992 - pp. 339–340, 342, 445,514.
- ^ Utley, Robert M. High Noon in Lincoln: Violence on the Western Frontier, 1987 - p. 120.
- ^ Nolan, Frederick. The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History, 1992 = pp. 315, 515, and Utley, Robert M. High Noon in Lincoln: Violence on the Western Frontier, 1987 - pp. 122–123, 126–128, 141, 150, 154, 156–158.
- ^ Utley, Robert M. High Noon in Lincoln: Violence on the Western Frontier, 1987 - pp. 132–136, 139, 141, 143–144 and Nolan, Frederick. The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History, 1992 - 375–376, 378, 516–517.
- ^ Governor Lew Wallace to W.H. Bonney, March 20, 1879.
- ^ Utley, Robert M. Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life, 1989 - p. 111–125.
- ^ Santa Fe Weekly New Mexican, January 17, 1880.
- ^ Utley, Robert M. Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life, 1989 - pp. 131–133, 145, 203, 249–250 and Nolan, Frederick. The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History, 1992 - pp. 397, 518, 572.
- ^ Utley, Robert M. Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life, 1989 - pp. 143–146, 179, 204 and Nolan, Frederick. The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History, 1992 - pp. 398–401.
- ^ Metz, Leon C. Pat Garrett: The Story of a Western Lawman, 1974 - pp. 74–75 and Utley, Robert M. Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life, 1989 - pp. 155–157, 256–257.
- ^ Metz (1974), pp. 76–85
- ^ Utley (1989), pp. 157–166.
- ^ Wallis (2007), pp. 240–241.
- ^ a b Wallis (2007), p. 242.
- ^ a b Utley (1989), p. 181.
- ^ a b Wallis (2007), pp. 243–244.
- ^ Jacobsen (1994), p. 232.
- ^ Wallis, Michael. Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride, 2007 pp. 245–246.
- ^ a b c Wallis, Michael. Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride, 2007 - p. 247.
- ^ "Last Days". aboutbillythekid.com. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
- ^ a b Utley, Robert M. Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life, 1989 - pp. 198–199.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Deputy Sheriff James W. Bell". The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
- ^ Wallis (2007), p. xiv.
- ^ Miller, Michael E. (July 21, 2015). "One man's quest to bury the Wild West mystery of Billy the Kid's death". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
A family Bible put his age in 1881 at just 2 years old: far too young for even a criminal nicknamed 'the Kid.'
- ^ Texas Department of Transportation, Texas State Travel Guide, 2008, pp. 200–201
- ^ a b Miller, Michael E. (July 21, 2015). "One man's quest to bury the Wild West mystery of Billy the Kid's death". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
- ^ Banks, Leo W. "A New Billy the Kid?". Tucson Weekly. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
- ^ Associated Press (October 24, 2006) "2 won't face charges in Billy the Kid quest, Deseret News via FindArticles.com; retrieved August 29, 2008.
- ^ a b c Burns, James T. (April 28, 2012). "Billy the Kid and New Mexico Open Records Law". Albuquerque Business Law. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
- ^ Miller, Patrick (March 18, 2004). "Shootout over Billy the Kid". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
- ^ a b c Villagran, Lauren (May 20, 2014). "Award ends suit over Billy the Kid records". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
- ^ Associated Press (August 28, 2008) Lawsuit seeks DNA evidence for 1881 death of Billy the Kid, foxnews.com; retrieved August 29, 2008.
- ^ Klein, Christopher (February 27, 2015). "Historian Seeks Death Certificate to End Billy the Kid Rumors". History. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
- ^ Constable, Anne (July 17, 2015). "Historian asks state's high court to help set record straight on Billy the Kid's death". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
- ^ Mark Boardman. "The Holy Grail for Sale". True West Magazine. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
- ^ Tripp, Leslie (June 26, 2011). "Billy the Kid photograph fetches $2.3 million at auction". CNN. CNN. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
- ^ BBC News – Billy the Kid portrait fetches $2.3m at Denver auction. Bbc.co.uk (June 26, 2011). Retrieved on August 1, 2011.
- ^ a b Moore, S. Derrickson (August 17, 2013). "Newly unveiled photo appears to be Billy the Kid and friend". Las Cruces Sun-News. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
- ^ Moore, S. Derrickson (October 5, 2013). "Forensic detective says Billy the Kid photo is real deal". Las Cruces Sun-News. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
- ^ Constable, Anne (August 24, 2015). "Billy the Kid: A fan of croquet?". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ "Billy the Kid Experts Weigh in on the Croquet Photo".
- ^ Carroll, Rory (October 19, 2015). "Man who discovered rare Billy the Kid photo: 'The hunt is a really grand thing'". The Guardian. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- ^ Horan, James D. and Sann, Paul. Pictorial History of the Wild West, New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1954 - p. 57.
- ^ Mayes, Ian (March 3, 2001). "I kid you not". The Guardian. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
- ^ Goode, Stephen (June 10, 2007). "The fact and fiction of America's outlaw". The Washington Times. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
Billy loved to sing and had a good voice, those who knew him claimed ... He was ambidextrous and wrote well with both hands.
{{cite web}}
: Check|archiveurl=
value (help) - ^ "No pardon for Billy the Kid". CNN. December 31, 2010. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
- ^ Wallis, Michael. Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride, 2007 = pp. 249–250.
- ^ a b "Frequently Asked Questions". Retrieved March 17, 2015.
- ^ "Hico Validates Life of Billy the Kid" The J-TAC (Stephenville, Texas), Vol. 148, No. 10, Ed. 1, texashistory.unt.edu, November 3, 1994.
- ^ The Historical Marker Database.
- ^ Lohr, David (June 30, 2012). "'Billy the Kid' tombstone in New Mexico vandalized". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
- ^ Wallis (2007), p. xvi.
- ^ Johnny D. Boggs. Billy the Kid on Film, 1911–2012. McFarland
- ^ MacMillan, (1934), p. 137
- ^ MacMillan, (1938), pp. 140–141. From Jim Marby, recorded in 1911, Library of Congress E659098.
- ^ Western Writers of America (2010). "The Top 100 Western Songs". American Cowboy. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) - ^ Liner notes, p. 63, number 3, "Billy the Kid" media.smithsonianfolkways.org. Retrieved January 7, 2010
- ^ Gamboa, Glenn (August 6, 2012). "Billy Joel talks about his top Long Island songs". Newsday.
- ^ 1972 Reprise K44142
- ^ Japan 1992 P-Vine PCD 2541
- ^ Gunsmoke radio show "Billy the Kid", first broadcast May 26, 1952
- ^ "Video: Billy the Kid - Watch American Experience Online - PBS Video". PBS Video. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
- Sources
- Adams, Ramon F. (1960). A Fitting Death for Billy the Kid. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. OCLC 8937525.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - Burns, Walter (2014). The Saga of Billy the Kid: The Thrilling Life of America's Original Outlaw. Garden City, New York: Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1-63220-112-6. OCLC 894170041.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - Coe, George (1934). Frontier Fighter: The Autobiography of George W. Coe Who Fought and Rode with Billy the Kid, as Related to Nan Hillary Harrison. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 692143776.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - Dykes, Jefferson (1952). Billy the Kid: The Bibliography of a Legend. Alburquerque, New Mexico: The University of New Mexico Press.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - Earle, James H. (1988). The Capture of Billy the Kid. College Station, Texas: Creative Pubishing Co. ISBN 0-932702-44-9. OCLC 18052460.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - Edwards, Harold L. (1995). Goodbye Billy the Kid. College Station, Texas: Creative Publishing Co. ISBN 1-57208-000-0. OCLC 33335740.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - Fable, Edmund, Jr. (1980). The True Life of Billy the Kid, The Noted New Mexican Outlaw (facsimile ed.). College Station, Texas: Creative Publishing Co. ISBN 0-932702-11-2. OCLC 6487191.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Fulton, Maurice Garland (1968). Robert N. Nullin (ed.). History of the Lincoln County War. Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona Press. OCLC 437868.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - Gardner, Mark Lee (2010). 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. ISBN 978-0-06-136827-1. OCLC 419859633.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - Garrett, Pat F. (1980). The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid (reprint ed.). Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books. ISBN 0-8094-3581-0. OCLC 6555318.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - Hunt, Frazier (1956). The Tragic Days of Billy the Kid (electronic ed.). New York: Hastings House. OCLC 575839465.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - Jacobsen, Joel (1994). Such Men as Billy the Kid: The Lincoln County War Reconsidered (electronic ed.). Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-2576-8. OCLC 624941204.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - Keleher, William Aloysius (1957). Violence in Lincoln County 1869–1881. Albuquerque, New Mexico: University of New Mexico Press. OCLC 607689190.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - Klasner, Lily; Chisum, John Simpson; Ball, Eve (1972). My Girlhood Among Outlaws. Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona Press. ISBN 978-0-8165-0328-5. OCLC 793846355.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - Metz, Leon C. (1974). Pat Garrett: The Story of a Western Lawman. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-1067-8. OCLC 666697.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - Nolan, Frederick. The Life and Death of John Henry Tunstall. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1965.
- Nolan, Frederick W. (1992). The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-2377-X. OCLC 24010838.
- Nolan, Frederick W. (2009). The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History (revised ed.). Santa Fe, New Mexico: Sunstone Press. ISBN 978-0-86534-721-2. OCLC 319064671.
- Nolan, Frederick. The West of Billy the Kid. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1998. ISBN 0-8061-3082-2.
- Nolan, Frederick. "The Private Life of Billy the Kid". True West, July 2000.
- Nolan, Frederick. The Billy the Kid Reader. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2007.
- Nolan, Frederick (2009). The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History. Sunstone Press.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - Otero, Miguel Antonio. The Real Billy the Kid, With New Light on the Lincoln County War. New York: Rufus Rockwell Wilson, Inc., 1936.
- Poe, John William. The Death of Billy the Kid. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1933.
- Rasch, Philip J. Trailing Billy the Kid. Stillwater, OK: Western Publications, 1995. ISBN 0-935269-19-3.
- Rasch, Philip J. Gunsmoke in Lincoln County. Stillwater, OK: Western Publications, 1997. ISBN 0-935269-24-X
- Rasch, Philip J. Warriors of Lincoln County. Stillwater, OK: Western Publications, 1998. ISBN 978-0-935269-26-0
- Rickards, Colin W. The Gunfight at Blazer's Mill, Southwestern Studies Monograph No. 40. El Paso: Texas Western Press, 1974.
- Tuska, Jon. Billy the Kid: A Handbook. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1983 ISBN 0-8032-9406-9.
- Utley, Robert M. (1989). High Noon in Lincoln: Violence on the Western Frontier. Albuquerque, New Mexico: University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 978-0-8263-1201-3. OCLC 15629305.
- Utley, Robert M. (1989). Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-9558-2. OCLC 37868038.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - Wallis, Michael (2007). Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride. New York: W. W. Norton & Co. ISBN 978-0-393-06068-3. OCLC 77270750.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help)
- Periodicals
- DeMattos, Jack. "The Search for Billy the Kid's Roots," Real West (No. 160), November 1978.
- DeMattos, Jack. "The Search for Billy the Kid's Roots - Is Over! Real West (No. 167), January 1980.
- DeMattos, Jack. "Gunfighters of the Real West: Henry McCarty, Alias "Billy the Kid.'" Real West (No. 192). August 1983.
- Hough, Emerson. "Billy the Kid: The True Story of a Western 'Bad Man'". Everybody's Magazine, September 1901.
- Koop, Waldo E. (1964). "Billy the Kid: The Trail of a Kansas Legend". Kansas City Posse of Westerners. IX (3).
{{cite journal}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - McCubbin, Robert G. "The Many Faces of Billy the Kid". True West, May 2007.
- Metz, Leon C. "My Search for Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid". True West, August 1983.
- Nolan, Frederick. "The Private Life of Billy the Kid". True West, July 2000.
- Nolan, Frederick. "The Hunting of Billy the Kid." Wild West, June 2003.
- Radbourne, Allan and Rasch, Philip J. "The Story of 'Windy' Cahill." Real West (No. 204), August 1885.
- Rasch, Philip J. "New Light on the Legend of Billy the Kid." New Mexico Folklore Record 7 (1952–53).
- Rasch, Philip J. and Mullin, Robert N. "Dim Trails: The Pursuit of the McCarty Family." New Mexico Folklore Record 8 (1953–54).
- Rasch, Philip J. "The Twenty-One Men He Put Bullets Through." New Mexico Folklore Record 9 (1954–55).
- Rasch, Philip J. "A Second Look at the Blazer's Mill Affair." Frontier Times, January 1969.
- Rasch, Philip J. "The Trials of Billy the Kid." Real West (No. 216), November 1987.
- Rickards, Colin W. The Gunfight at Blazer's Mill, Southwestern Studies Monograph No. 40. El Paso: Texas Western Press, 1974.
External links
- Billy the Kid Territory – guide by New Mexico Tourism Department
- Turk, David S. "Billy the Kid and the U.S. Marshals Service." Wild West Magazine. February 2007 (issued December 2006)
- "William "Billy The Kid" Bonney". Find a Grave. January 1, 2001. Retrieved December 13, 2015.