HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. Offer subject to change without notice. Pat Garrett Furthermore, several of Billys friends say he only had a knife and not a gun. Its all just part of the areas mythology. 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. There were at least 26 newspaper articles written that claimed Billy was still alive after July 14, 1881. There were various men in the American Southwest who went by the moniker "Billy the Kid." The intruder came close to me, leaned both hands on the bed, his right hand almost touching my knee, and asked, in a low tone:Who are they Pete?at the same instant Maxwell whispered to me. Pat Garrett, the sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory, had been on the trail for months.In December 1880, he had brought in the infamous outlaw Billy the Carl Adamson never appeared at the trial as a witness, and Brazel was acquitted. And that included his last escape, from the custody of Sheriff Garrett. The image could be the last known picture of Billy the Kid, who was born Henry McCarty. When the warden came out into the street to investigate the gunshot, Billy shouted down to him: Look up, old boy, and see what you get! and then he shot him dead (apparently arousing no suspicion from any bystanders in the process). Soldier in range wars, cattle rustler, horse thief, but also universally described as charming, funny, a good singer and good dancer, at least bilingual, and an avid reader. Though quick with a joke, he did not hesitate before pulling the trigger. Hewas elected to the office of sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico, winning ahead ofincumbent Sheriff George Kimball. This story originally ran in 2017; it has been updated for 2022. After Patricks departure, his widow took the young Henry McCarty and his brother out to Indiana, where she met a man named Bill Antrim. Whether his story actually ended in 1881, however, is another matter. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. 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. These qualities contributed to his image as both a notorious outlaw and a folk hero. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Garrett was well aware that Billy was a cockeyed optimist when it came to hopes for escape. Billy agreed and went through with the farce. He states, Just think of all the good publicity New Mexico is receiving around the world on thisIts fun. There is no doubt there that Billy the Kid is one of their own, and theyre happy to tell the world. Winner will be selected at random on 04/01/2023. On his way to freedom, charming Billy killed two of his jailers. In 1903, Garrett got into a public brawl with his employee, George Gaither. Brazel used the land to raise goats, which was unacceptable to the Garrets. Pat Garrett, the The disputed photo bought by Randy Guijarro, allegedly showing Billy the Kid (center). Pat Garrett It is only the fourth known photograph of Billy the Kid and is thought to be a trophy shot taken by Garrett and his posse after they arrested him. Wikimedia CommonsA cropped version of the sole fully authenticated photo of Billy the Kid. Garrett invited Tom Powers to go along and introduced Powers to the President as a prominent Texas cattleman; they sat for photographs with Roosevelt. 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 shooting, Garrett claimed the Kid had a .41 caliber pistol in his hand, Poe said it was a .38 caliber. The report said: We, the jury, find that Billy the Kid (met) his death by a bullet which was fired from a gun in the hands of Pat F. Garrett. Garrett apparently lost the verdict by the next morning. Billy the Kid (left) and Brushy Bill Roberts (right). Pat Garrett was away at the time and didnt try to track the Kid until he received information that the outlaw was holed up in a ranch at Fort Sumner, some 140 miles away from Lincoln. The two talked of this and that. But while under guard by two sheriff's deputies at a home, McCarty killed both men and then fled out of town on horseback. He was bareheaded. Biggest diamond EVER sold at auction sells Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, 'Vindication': Georgia Harrison on ex Stephen Bear's sentencing, Incredible footage of Ukrainian soldiers fighting Russians in Bakhmut, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' Thats him! Simultaneously the Kid must have seen, or felt, the presence of a third person at the head of the bed. On ABCs, Good Morning America Friday, Richardson explained that the evidence of the case simply did not warrant a pardon. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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. But his parents did not long survive the Civil War that devastated the South, leaving the children heavily in debt. About two months later with no amnesty forthcoming, Billy realized hed been had and they were going to hang him instead. The family moved to New Mexico, and, in his early teens, Billy fell into a career of thievery and lawlessness, wandering throughout the Southwest and northern Mexico, often with gangs. From his step I could perceive he was either barefooted or in his stocking-feet, and held a revolver in his right hand and a butcher knife in his left. fourth photo of Billy the Kid is found Billy was sentenced to hang on April 13, 1881; the judge set his execution day for May 13. Director Sam Peckinpah Writer McCarty, a member of the Regulators, vowed to avenge Tunstall's death. 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. As a society back then, people were tough, strong, and fearless, and yet this little guy is known as the most deadly outlaw of them all, says Daniel A. Edwards, author of Billy the Kid: An Autobiography. Now these are strange things for someone that is a fraud to focus on. In the darkness, he could not see Garrett well and repeatedly asked: Who is it? Garrett replied with two gunshots, killing Bonney. 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. When Notorious Outlaw Billy the Kid Briefly Joined a U.S. On April 15th, Judge Warren Bristol sentenced Billy the Kid to hang, but he escaped before the sentence was carried out. Perhaps he killed an innocent man as the fugitive escaped and fled to Mexico? That same year, a man named Randy Guijarro bought an old photo for $2 at a shop in Fresno, California. Billy Hathorn / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0), Carol M. Highsmith/Library of Congress/LC-DIG-highsm-29831. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. He said that the Kid had certainly been about, but he did not know whether he had left or not. WebPat Garrett was elected Sheriff of Lincoln County in 1880 on a reform ticket with the expectation that he would reinstate justice in the area. McCarty, was a member of the Regulators gang. Pat Garrett was a man of the times. Bonney and the others escaped. 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. 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. From what Ive heard, [Brushy Bill] told a pretty credible tale, says Hamilton Historical Commission Chairman Jim Eidson. Either way, Billy sensed that trouble was coming and decided to head it off at the pass. The Old Man Who Claimed to Be Billy the Kid. His last days have been the central narrative of many of them, including Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, a 1973 film by director Sam Peckinpah that endures as a classic among fans of the genre. Anne Morrow Lindbergh, The Persevering Pilot And Author Who Charted Her Own Course, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. 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. During an interview in 1983, Pat Garretts last surviving daughter, Elizabeth, claimed that her father did not kill the Kid. Originally published in the August 2006 issue of American History. Wallace reneged on his promise., Copyright 2022 Crime Museum, LLC - All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy |. Somehow, he managed to reach a friends house, where he was allowed to rest and recover from his ordeal in the desert. So, the Kid escaped custody and eluded the law for the next two years. 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. Garrett was away from Lincoln on county business when the Kid made his escape. In July, Garrett rode to Fort Sumner and learned the Kid was staying with the same Pedro Maxwell who had employed Garrett when he first arrived in New Mexico. 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. Billy the Kid was also still stealing. One of them suddenly got up, walked out of the orchard, and leaped over a fence. According to Robert M. Utley's definitive Billy the Kid, by the time his life ended on July 14, 1881, at age 21, McCarty/Antrim/Bonney had killed four men for certain, one perhaps, and participated in killing perhaps five more. Who Killed The Sheriff Who Shot Billy the Kid? Did Blues King Robert Johnson Sell His Soul To The Devil To Become The World's Greatest Musician? Circa 1879-1880. Related story from us: One of the men who killed Bonnie & Clyde was Bonnies secret admirer. Returning to the building with pistol in one hand, knife in the other, Billy was startled and instead of opening fire, hesitated, repeatedly asking, in Spanish, "Who is it?" Amazon.co.uk:Customer reviews: Young Guns 2 I believe he lived, had many more adventures before he finally died in Hico in 1950. Four months later, Billy the Kid escaped just after his conviction for murder. The following day, the Kid was buried in the Fort Sumner cemetery. He realized that the law had made its way to Fort Sumner, so he fled towards Maxwells compound. The other known pictures of the outlaw were believed to have been taken in 1877, 1878 and 1879. Garrett wouldn't find McCarty until two years later, a month after he was appointed sheriff. While Garrett was there, he was forced to defend himself from a local bully, Mariano Leiva, by shooting him in the shoulder. He came directly towards me. Antrim tolerated this briefly but the two eventually had a falling out and McCarty left for good, making sure to steal a gun and some clothes on his way out. Marshal named Robert Widenmann, there as part of a federal effort to restore order, who let him out (presumably sparing him the hassle of planning his third jail escape). Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. Another chance at a famous crime solving came after Colonel Albert Jennings Fountain and his eight-year-old son Henry vanished at White Sands, New Mexico, in 1896. I wont put a price on it, quite frankly its priceless. In 1879 he married and settled in Lincoln County, N.M., where he became first deputy sheriff and then sheriff. A few months later, Garrett married Apolinaria Gutierrez, his sister-in-law. I asked him as to the whereabouts of the Kid. Once inside, he asked Maxwell: Who are these fellows outside Pete? Maxwell said: Thats him! to Garrett, who opened fire almost as soon as Billy said: who are you? in Spanish. WebOn the night of July 14, 1881, Sheriff Pat Garrett gunned down outlaw Billy the Kid in Fort Sumner. But Garrett resigned before long and returned to his ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. The extended dance of American mafia founder Albert Anastasia's What a sparkler! The Lincoln County justice of the peace was convinced but before Brady could be arrested, local deputies loyal to the sheriff arrested Billy and threw him in jail. A little over a year later, the New Mexico territorial legislature voted to give Garrett the $500 he was owed. All he wanted to do was to get that pardon that hed been promised, and I believe he felt this was his last chance to get it.. Wikimedia CommonsThe disputed photo bought by Randy Guijarro, allegedly showing Billy the Kid (center). There is little or no evidence to back up any of these claims. He murdered two deputies, James Bell and Bob Olinger, during the escape. Garrett did not seek re-election as sheriff of Lincoln County the year after McCarty's death. Historians say that this photo shows outlaw Billy the Kid, circled second from left, and Pat Garrett, circled far right, taken in 1880. A tiny stone cabbage has a big backstory stretching from Beijings Forbidden City to Taipei's National Palace Museum. People thought me bad before, but if ever I should get free, he said after finally being captured, Ill let them know what bad means., The following spring after a trial that had more to do with putting on a good show for the papers than searching for the truth of what happened in the Lincoln County War, Billy the Kid was found guilty and sentenced to hang. Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, declined to follow through with that pardon. The two men were fined for disturbing the peace. 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. Did Billy the Kid Cheat Death and Live on as 'Brushy Bill'? The infamous Billy the Kid was no more. He contacted the governor to exchange a witness statement for a pardon. He Was a Fast-Rising Judge in Arkansas. The moment word got out about his escape, New Mexicos governor put another $500 bounty on the Kid, dead or alive. While still young, his family relocated to New Mexico. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. Billy the Kid was born Henry McCarty to Irish immigrants in New York City around 1859. As they talked, Billy, said Garrett, "expressed no enmity towards me, but evinced respect and confidence in me acknowledging that I had only done my duty, without malice, and had treated him with marked leniency and kindness.". He escaped jail on April 28, however, killing two deputies, and remained at large until tracked down and ambushed by Garrett, who shot him dead on the evening of July 14 at the ranch home of Pete Maxwell. Some argue his book about Billy Bonney is the only reason why The Kid is remembered today. Garrett related his side of the story in his The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid: I then concluded to go and have a talk with Peter Maxwell, Esq., in whom I felt sure I could rely. Instead, he briefly moved to Texas to serve asa Lieutenant in the Texas Rangers before returning to his ranch in New Mexico. At about age 21, Billy the Kid was gunned down by Sheriff Pat Garrett. He said that he had theories as to why McCarty would have taken a photo with the man who eventually killed him, pointing to the cigars as signs that Garrett and his lawmen were celebrating capturing McCarty. As is the case with so many mythologized historical figures, it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction. Its the last day of Richardsons term. Portrait of American gunman Billy the Kid (18591881). Captured and brought in to Las Vegas, New Mexico, he was described as "in a joyous mood" He called out to an acquaintance, "Thought I jes drop in and see how you fellers in Vegas air behavin' yerselves." While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. When she succumbed and died in late 1874, Antrim was a couple of days ride away. After the escape, Garrett set out to remove Billy from the landscape, one way or another. At around the same time, Billy was hungry, so he woke up and walked towards the fresh meat that was hanging on the rafter above the porch outside of Maxwells bedroom. Well, let me explain by starting with a little history lesson. 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 The months-long war came to a climax with the July 19, 1878, Battle of Lincoln, also called 'The Five-Day Battle'. A year after pulling the trigger, Pat Garrett wrote and published an account of what happened that night, and you can find that account here. Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. 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. The two men knew each other and had socialized with one another; it might be a stretch to call them friends. New Lincoln County Sheriff Pat Garrett and his posse captured Billy the Kid at a place called Stinking Springs on December 23, 1880. On the evening of July 14, Garrett waited inside Maxwell's bedroom. Click here to sign a petition for the pardon of Billy the Kid, or click here to sign a petition opposed to that pardon. Right, another photo of Billy the Kid, whowas celebrated for his gun skills and, according to popular legend killed 21 men - one for each year of his short life.