History tells us that the outlaw known as Billy the Kid (aka Henry McCarty, aka William Bonney) was gunned downat the ripe old age of 21by Sheriff Pat A Los Angeles forensic video expert said facial recognition software indicates that it is most likely Garrett and Billy the Kid in the picture, according to a signed declaration. Analysis: Did Pat Garrett Really Kill Outlaw Billy the Kid? Historians say that this photo shows outlaw Billy the Kid, circled second from left, and Pat Garrett, circled far right, taken in 1880. It was a game of two, Billy said, and I got there first.. But then they took him to the jail house Where they try to turn a man into a mouse. Garrett, a one-time friend, was the new sheriff of Lincoln County. In December 1880 he was captured by Garrett and stood trial for murder in Mesilla, New Mexico, in April 1881; he was found guilty and was sentenced to hang. They made it safely, however, and Garrett collected the $500 state bounty on Billys head. He wore a broad-brimmed hat, a dark vest and pants, and was in his shirtsleeves. At almost precisely the same time, Garrett woke Maxwell up; his friend was understandably annoyed at being disturbed. Stahl said he thought it was a 'high probability' that it was Garrett in the photo, but he wasn't sure if another man was Billy the Kid. As for Billy the Kid, hes long since passed become an icon of American history, even a folk hero of sorts. Soon after, the family moved farther west where Henry McCarty started getting into trouble. At this point also calling himself William Bonney, he took up honest work as a cowboy for a rancher in Lincoln County named John Tunstall. Wikimedia CommonsPat Garrett, the man who shot Billy the Kid. Perhaps he killed an innocent man as the fugitive escaped and fled to Mexico? Though some say hed previously killed several members of the Apache tribe, the first kill (out of 20 or more total) widely attributed to Billy the Kid came in 1876. After the cease fire, McCarty and most of the Regulators fled town, but they were followed by Garrett, who wanted to cash in on the bounty on McCarty's head. He was a wanted young man. When Garrett was appointed Sheriff of Dona Ana County in April of 1896, it took two years for him to gather enough evidence to ask a judge in Las Cruces for warrants to arrest William McNew, Oliver M. Lee, James Gililland, and Bill Carr. A judge apparently ruled against the efforts, but that hasnt stopped present Governor Richardsons interest in the case. He did, however, manage to escape from jail and go on the run. But That Was Just the Beginning. Webliverpool v nottingham forest 1989 team line ups; best crews to join in gta 5. jay chaudhry house; bimbo bakeries buying back routes; pauline taylor seeley cause of death History tells us that the outlaw known as Billy the Kid (aka Henry McCarty, aka William Bonney) was gunned downat the ripe old age of 21by Sheriff Pat Garrett on July 14, 1881, in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The authenticity of the photo has since been disputed, despite National Geographic standing behind it. During his downtime, he liked visiting the saloon, drinking, playing cards, and other healthy diversions for a 16-year-old boy. Film Review: The Kid. Pat Garrett: The Truth About The Man Who Killed Billy The Kid Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Wikimedia CommonsLew Wallace, before he became governor. The Regulators found themselves cornered and under siege in a local saloon by elements of the local sheriffs posse. Believing the photo to include Billy the Kid (which would make it just the second known photo of him), Guijarro eventually found an authentication firm that verified his claim with facial recognition analysis and valued it at $5 million. https://www.historynet.com/death-of-billy-the-kid-as-pat-garrett-tells-it/, Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot. It was taken at the ranch of John Tunstall, an Englishman rancher who organized the gang to protect his properties against rivals, The photo, zoomed in to see Billy the Kid more closely, wasdiscovered in 2015 and has since been estimated to be worth $5 million. I might not pardon him. Billy the Kid has long been one of the many names associated with the Wild West, alongside the Bob Dalton Gang, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Cole Younger, Jesse James, and more. He got in trouble for petty thefts of things like food and clothing, but things got worse when stole some pistols from a Chinese laundry in 1875 and was sent to jail. He also obtained a deputy U.S. Marshals commission to have jurisdiction in other counties. Corrections? Pat Garrett. The one that counted the one who still counts was variously known as Henry McCarty, Henry Antrim, Kid Antrim, William H. Bonney, Billy Bonney, and sometimes just The Kid. He tried to work straight jobs (hotel worker, ranch hand) but quickly found himself on the wrong side of the law. For all of you Wild, Wild West aficionados out there, here is a post that is sure to be interesting! Richardsons deputy chief of staff Eric Witt wants to clarify that they are not offering a general pardon for all of Kids crimes, but rather a pardon for the individual case of killing a sheriff. The case dates back to 1881so why the New Years Eve deadline you may ask? In 1882, Garrett and his ghost writer, Marshall Upson, published The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid. By Kelly Mclaughlin For Mailonline and Ashley Collman For Dailymail.com and Associated Press, Published: 06:57 EST, 15 November 2017 | Updated: 10:53 EST, 15 November 2017. After this look at Billy the Kid, read up on other legendary Wild West figures like legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley and Bass Reeves, the bullet-dodging black lone ranger. Those who oppose the pardon argue that there is no proof that Governor Wallace ever offered one; he may have simply tricked Kid in to offering up information. Billy was sentenced to hang on April 13, 1881; Garrett did not pursue re-election for sheriff of Lincoln County in 1882. Born on New York Citys East Side, Billy as a child migrated with his parents to Kansas; his father died there, and the mother and her two boys moved to Colorado, where she remarried. The black and white image, taken in August 1880, shows the notorious outlaw with a gang of men, one of whom is Sheriff Pat Garrett,Billy the Kid's former friend and the man who gunned him down. He was high-spirited and, as his notoriety grew, so did his cockiness. However, just two days later, he escaped and his life as a fugitive began. Retreating rapidly across the room he cried: Quien es? When the Kid, by me unrecognized, left the orchard, I motioned to my companions, and we cautiously retreated a short distance, and, to avoid the persons whom we had heard at the houses, took another route, approaching Maxwells house from the opposite direction. We had ridden to within a short distance of Maxwells grounds when we found a man in camp and stopped. Henry Woodson Strong scouted for famed Indian fighter Ranald S. Mackenzie. On July 12, 1898, Garrett and his men encountered Oliver M. Lee and James Gililland at Wildy Well near Orogrande, Texas. The abandoned U.S. Army post on the Goodnight-Loving cattle trail is now the home of rancher Peter Maxwell. Brazels trial for the murder of Garrett lasted only one day, on May 4, 1909. Either way, Billy sensed that trouble was coming and decided to head it off at the pass. I asked him as to the whereabouts of the Kid. Garrett and his men laid siege to the Dedrick ranch at Bosque Grande on November 30th, expecting to find Billy the Kid. New Lincoln County Sheriff Pat Garrett and his posse captured Billy the Kid at a place called Stinking Springs on December 23, 1880. Whether his story actually ended in 1881, however, is another matter. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The other known pictures of the outlaw were believed to have been taken in 1877, 1878 and 1879. Born Henry McCarty, he was the first of two boys raised by a small Irish Catholic family in New York City. WebOn the night of July 14, 1881, Sheriff Pat Garrett gunned down outlaw Billy the Kid in Fort Sumner. At around 9 pm, Garrett and his deputies rode to a peach orchard in the area to chat with Maxwell. Maybe they lacked imagination, though "Willy Wet Behind the Ears" doesn't scan particularly well. He Ended His Career in Disgrace. So, why is the notorious Billy the Kid up for this pardon, you ask? Billy the Kid was there when it happened and went to the courts to convince them that the sheriff and his posse had committed murder. According to popular legend, Garrett and McCarty were friends before he became an outlaw, but there is no historical evidence to support the theory. Wallace reneged on his promise., Copyright 2022 Crime Museum, LLC - All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy |. That's when he recognized Garrett in the image. Some argue his book about Billy Bonney is the only reason why The Kid is remembered today. Garrett settled a truce with the fugitives to retrieve his deputy, who died on the way to Las Cruces. The next time the Kid encountered the sheriff however, it would be his last. Mysteries of the Old West: Did Pat Garrett Kill Billy the Kid? Whos that?) All this occurred in a moment. While we await the rumored Blu-ray of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid to surface (or was Alex Cox misinformed? There are two theories about what happened at the house where Garrett found and killed McCarty. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. Memorial marking spot where Pat Garrett was killed. Pats son Dudley arranged with Jesse Brazel for a five-year lease of the Garretts Bear Canyon Ranch. He added: 'People ask me all the time, what do you think its worth, what do you think its worth. Furthermore, several of Billys friends say he only had a knife and not a gun. 'Right now, that is not the first thing on my mind. Billy the Kid Garrett and his lawman tracked down McCarty to modern day Taiban, New Mexico, where the group surrendered in December 1880. When Billy called Cahill a son of a bitch, the fight was on and soon the men were wrestling over Billys (stolen) revolver. El Paso Times 1934: Pistol That Killed Billy the Kid Will Be Returned to Garretts Widow. Does Billy the Kid Deserve the Pardon He was Promised? Using the name Billy Antrim and nicknamed the kid for his youth and boyish appearance, McCarty soon came to be known as Billy the Kid and found work as a cowboy and ranch hand in Arizona. 15 Most Famous Cowboys and Outlaws of the Wild West He would tell people around here, You know, I have a secret and one of these days youre going to find out what it is. He didnt want to tell his story at first. About two months later with no amnesty forthcoming, Billy realized hed been had and they were going to hang him instead. Billy the Kids grave is in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, declined to pardon Western outlaw Billy the Kid during his last hours in office. 'I told him "The biggest thing you could do right now is get the picture out and let people look at it and give you feedback",' Stahl said. During an interview in 1983, Pat Garretts last surviving daughter, Elizabeth, claimed that her father did not kill the Kid. After he thought about it, though, he told [Morrison] that he was Billy the Kid. I wont put a price on it, quite frankly its priceless. The official version is that Garrett was shot and killed by Wayne Brazel, a cowboy involved in a leasing dispute with Garrett. Brazel said he shot Garrett in self-defense. He was tried and acquitted in a trial in which the only other known person at the scene of the shooting did not testify and the jury returned a verdict in 15 minutes. However, Abrams isn't interested in finding out anytime soon. He had already written down the jurys verdict and asked Segura, Anaya and the rest of the jury to sign it. Each landowner was supported by their own gang. According to legend, the judge shouted at the 21-year-old Kid that he was to hang by the neck until he was dead, dead, dead! Also according to legend, Billys last words on the record were to tell the judge he could go to hell, hell, hell!. One of Garretts deputies went to check the roof and was fatally shot.