His end wasn't particularly glamorous. When the governors office refused to give Garrett his $500 reward (for reasons that remain unclear), local citizens chipped in and raised $7,000 for him instead. Pats son Dudley arranged with Jesse Brazel for a five-year lease of the Garretts Bear Canyon Ranch. Pat Garrett, the 9 Things You May Not Know About Billy the Kid - HISTORY Sheriff Pat Garretts grandson, J.P. Garrett, argues that Richardson should have assigned an impartial historian to aid in the case, and believes that McGinns involvement may be a conflict of interest. He then worked in Graham County as a farmhand, teamster, and cowboy. Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, declined to follow through with that pardon. 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. I think people really like being associated with it now. By 1876 he was hunting buffalo, until a dispute with another hunter, Joe Briscoe, ended up with Garrett killing Briscoe. Before he reached the bed, I whispered: Who is it, Pete? but received no reply for a moment. Even by frontier standards, he was young. President Roosevelt supported Garrett as complaints piled up and went so far as to invite him to a reunion for the Rough Riders in San Antonio in April of 1905. 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. Garrett was well aware that Billy was a cockeyed optimist when it came to hopes for escape. ), correspondent Darren Gross has come across a watchable web encoding of a Peckinpah TV drama that seems to be more or less lost. Good star performances (Jean Simmons, Bradford When Billy called Cahill a son of a bitch, the fight was on and soon the men were wrestling over Billys (stolen) revolver. These qualities contributed to his image as both a notorious outlaw and a folk hero. He was sentenced to hang and was then transferred to the courthouse and jail in Lincoln, but on April 28, 1881, he killed deputies James Bell and Robert Olinger and escaped. On the evening of April 28, 1881, Billy was left under the supervision of a single guard in the jailhouse while the rest of the staff hit the saloon across the street. Billy the Kid is shot to death - HISTORY How exactly the tension mounted between Billy and Grant remains unclear (some say Billy pegged Grant for a bounty hunter come to kill him; some say Grant was a loudmouth drunk looking for a fight). Soon after, the family moved farther west where Henry McCarty started getting into trouble. For starters, Billy the Kids name wasnt Billy and he wasnt born in the western United States. A Strong-willed Texan Scout Joined the Confederacy at 15. Billy the Kid - Crime Museum In the midst of the act, he was shot in the back of the head. Brazel used the land to raise goats, which was unacceptable to the Garrets. before being shot dead. Scholarly opinion is divided over whether that or William H. Bonney, Jr. (the name he used later, as in the trial), was his true name. The Old Man Who Claimed to Be Billy the Kid - Atlas Obscura Billy the Kidborn William Henry McCarty, but also known as William H. Bonneyoriginally came from New York. For deaths, sure. When she succumbed and died in late 1874, Antrim was a couple of days ride away. When Notorious Outlaw Billy the Kid Briefly Joined a U.S. These qualities contributed to his image as both a notorious outlaw and a folk hero. Apache scouts, the Pinkertons, and local Republican Party members all joined in to try and locate the Fountains, with no results. Pat Garrett, byname of Patrick Floyd Garrett, (born June 5, 1850, Chambers County, Ala., U.S.died Feb. 29, 1908, near Las Cruces, N.M.), Western U.S. lawman He is either a folk hero that single-handedly stood up against a corrupt government system, or he is a ruthless outlaw and cop killer that left a wake of terror in his path.. Carl Adamson agreed to take the goats until Brazel discovered his estimate of the number of goats had been wrong and demanded the buyer take all 1,800 goats. Pat Garrett (2nd from right) with friends on the porch in Roswell, New Mexico. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. He talked the guard into letting him out to use the outhouse and then on the way back in he slipped his chains and beat the guard to the ground. 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. However, he was unable to remember important events in Billys life such as the Lincoln prison escape, he didnt really look like the outlaw, he was illiterate while the Kid wasnt and finally, his birth date was recorded in his family Bible as 1879. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). McCartys family life was total chaos from the start. After his release, Billy the Kid joined up with a posse called the Lincoln County Regulators in order to avenge Tunstalls death. 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. And that included his last escape, from the custody of Sheriff Garrett. However, the true figure is believed to be somewhere between four and nine. Billy supposedly aimed his gun at Poe while backing into the nearest door, which happened to be Maxwells bedroom. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. He realized that the law had made its way to Fort Sumner, so he fled towards Maxwells compound. He was a gambler and heavy drinker andoften deeply in debt. Garrett settled a truce with the fugitives to retrieve his deputy, who died on the way to Las Cruces. Shortly after his death, war broke out between the Jesse Evans Gang and the Regulators, who backed Tunstall. Did Pat Garrett kill Billy the Kid as per the official tale? Pat Garrett is hired as a lawman on behalf of a group of wealthy New Mexico cattle barons to bring down his old friend Billy the Kid. Noticing it only had three rounds loaded, he subtly rotated the drum to an empty cylinder and handed it back. During an interview in 1983, Pat Garretts last surviving daughter, Elizabeth, claimed that her father did not kill the Kid. Some of those in favor of Kids pardon have filed a petition, including defense attorney Randi McGinn who has offered to handle the case for free. The man, local blacksmith Frank Cahill, called Billy a pimp. Garretts adversaries attained copies of the photos and sent them to Roosevelt along with a note telling the President that Powers was not a cattleman, but the proprietor of a rowdy saloon. He also wouldnt have backed into a darkened doorway where more danger possibly lurked. Its all just part of the areas mythology. McCarty was just 21 when he died. The other known pictures of the outlaw were believed to have been taken in 1877, 1878 and 1879. In 1881, he was apprehended by Sheriff Pat Garrett and sentenced to death by hanging for murder. Wallace reneged on his promise., Copyright 2022 Crime Museum, LLC - All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy |. They saw a group of men nearby who were speaking in Spanish. Historians say that this photo shows outlaw Billy the Kid, circled second from left, and Pat Garrett, circled far right, taken in 1880. He was plagued by debt in his later years, and while his ranch holdings weren't anywhere near profitable, their locations were desirable for water rights and staging grounds for, shall we say, nefarious activities. This story originally ran in 2017; it has been updated for 2022. McCarty was then brought to Las Vegas where he stood trial for Brady's murder and on April 13, was sentenced to die. Film Review: The Kid. There is no doubt there that Billy the Kid is one of their own, and theyre happy to tell the world. Circa 1879-1880. But before Garrett could get his prisoners to jail, he had to defend them from a lynch mob that formed around the train on the route to Santa Fe. 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!. Eidsons official position on the story echoes that of the rest of the Historical Commissionwe keep an open mind. The Billy the Kid Museum opened in Hico nearly 40 years after Robertss death, and the city actively celebrates the connection. There were various men in the American Southwest who went by the moniker "Billy the Kid." The Gun That Killed Billy The Kid WebIn the scene where Garrett gets a hot shave, he then leaves clean shaven, as Bob Dylan follows him out. So, the Kid escaped custody and eluded the law for the next two years. For instance, Poe does not remember the significant incident at the peach orchard. Afterward, he moved even farther west to New Mexico Territory. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. He and Garrett went to court, and Brazel agreed to cancel his lease with Garrett providing he could sell his 1,200 goats. I wont put a price on it, quite frankly its priceless. He hoped that Morrison could help him claim the pardon that New Mexico Governor Lew Wallace supposedly promised Billy the Kid back in 1879. Garrett was able to get inside the house on July 14 and when Billy entered, Garrett shot him dead. Retreating rapidly across the room he cried: Quien es? Before the sun came up, the Kid was underground with nothing but a wooden marker for his grave. He moved to Texas, where Governor John Ireland appointed him to the Texas Rangers. In 2015, Stahl filed a petition in New Mexico Supreme Court in pursuit of a death certificate for the Kid, also known as William Bonney, from the state's medical examiner. Texas. It was a game of two, Billy said, and I got there first.. While trying to verify the photo, Abrams approached Robert Stahl, a retired professor emeritus at Arizona State University who is no stranger to the history of Billy the Kid. The case dates back to 1881so why the New Years Eve deadline you may ask? Mysteries of the Old West: Did Pat Garrett Kill Billy the Kid? The image could be the last known picture of Billy the Kid, who was born Henry McCarty. He was a wanted young man. He was the sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico, as well as Doa Ana County, New Mexico. A very similar situation arose with yet another disputed photo of Billy in 2017. 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. Pat Garrett, the sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory, had been on the trail for months. In the aftermath of the Lincoln County War, Lew Wallace, the new territorial governor of New Mexico, published a wanted list which included the Kid, who was implicated in the murder of Sheriff Brady in 1878, shortly after Brady arrested the Kid. But Garrett resigned before long and returned to his ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. He states, Just think of all the good publicity New Mexico is receiving around the world on thisIts fun. With a few words, which fell like a murmur on our ears, he went to the fence, jumped it, and walked down towards Maxwells house. The Kid was moved to a jail in Lincoln, New Mexico but escaped on April 28 before the hangmans noose could claim him. During a card game, Billy the Kid accused another player of cheating. Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973 The two men were fined for disturbing the peace. Hes since been romanticized in print, and on stage, television, and film as an emblem of the lawless West. In July, Garrett caught wind that Billy might be staying with a friend in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. WebOn the night of July 14, 1881, Sheriff Pat Garrett gunned down outlaw Billy the Kid in Fort Sumner. From gas leaks to eels, James "Smelly" Kelly changed the history of the city's underground. Garrett attempted to turn himself in to authorities, but no charges were filed. At about age 21, Billy the Kid was gunned down by Sheriff Pat Garrett. No purchase necessary. The authenticity of the photo has since been disputed, despite National Geographic standing behind it. A cropped version of the sole fully authenticated photo of Billy the Kid. One of the residents of Fort Sumner, Paco Anaya, wrote that after the shooting, Garrett handed a piece of paper to Alejandro Segura, the Justice of the Peace. At first, nobody knew which side they were there to take, but when they fell in with Bradys men and set the saloon on fire, Billy the Kid and just a few other Regulators were able to flee. One particular misstep in the Kids life was his affiliation with the Lincoln County War. For those of you scratching your heads wondering who Billy the Kid is; he is the western outlaw also known as William Bonney. They are personal things, and things that make complete sense for him to be upset about if his story was true.. We concealed ourselves quickly and listened; but the distance was too great to hear words, or even distinguish voices. Did Blues King Robert Johnson Sell His Soul To The Devil To Become The World's Greatest Musician? In November 1950, Morrison filed a petition on behalf of Brushy Bill. As is the case with so many mythologized historical figures, it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction. New Lincoln County Sheriff Pat Garrett and his posse captured Billy the Kid at a place called Stinking Springs on December 23, 1880. This man was Billy; he was lounging around the orchard at the same time the lawmen entered. Pat Garrett: The Truth About The Man Who Killed Billy The Kid Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. Did Billy the Kid Cheat Death and Live on as 'Brushy Bill'? Corrections? In 1882, Garrett and his ghost writer, Marshall Upson, published The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid.