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===The Birth of Billy the Kid's Younger Brother===
===The Birth of Billy the Kid's Younger Brother===


The final McCarty child was born at 210 Greene Street on October 14, 1863. He was born Joseph McCarty, but later took his stepfather's surname and was known for most of his life as "Joseph Antrim." For years he was described as being Billy the Kid's older brother, because of an incorrect age given on his death certificate which suggested he was born in 1854 rather than 1863. One of the earliest documents which support the 1863 date was an 1880 U.S. Federal census in which Joseph Antrim gave his age as 17 and his birth place as New York. <ref>1880 United States Federal Census, Silverton, Colorado, June 1, 1880. In fact, Joseph Antrim was still four months shy of turning 17 on the date this census was taken.</ref> On an 1885 Colorado State Census Joseph Antrim gave his age as 21, which he was on the date the census was taken. <ref>1885 Colorado State Census, Arapahoe County. Joseph McCarty Antrim turned 22 later that year on October 14, 1885.</ref>
The final McCarty child was born at 210 Greene Street on October 14, 1863. He was born Joseph McCarty, but later took his stepfather's surname and was known for most of his life as "Joseph Antrim." For years he was described as being Billy the Kid's older brother, because of an incorrect age on his death certificate which suggested he was born in 1854 rather than 1863. One of the earliest documents which support the 1863 date was an 1880 U.S. Federal census in which Joseph Antrim gave his age as 17 and his birth place as New York. <ref>1880 United States Federal Census, Silverton, Colorado, June 1, 1880. In fact, Joseph Antrim was still four months shy of turning 17 on the date this census was taken.</ref> On an 1885 Colorado State Census Joseph Antrim gave his age as 21, which he was on the date the census was taken. <ref>1885 Colorado State Census, Arapahoe County. Joseph McCarty Antrim turned 22 later that year on October 14, 1885.</ref>


===The Death of Billy the Kid's Father===
===The Death of Billy the Kid's Father===

Revision as of 21:42, 24 December 2015

For other uses, see Billy the Kid (disambiguation).

Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid posing for a ferrotype photograph
Born
Henry McCarty

September 17, 1859
New York City
DiedJuly 14, 1881(1881-07-14) (aged 21)
Fort Sumner, New Mexico
Cause of deathGunshot wound from Sheriff Pat F. Garrett
Resting place34°24′13″N 104°11′37″W / 34.40361°N 104.19361°W / 34.40361; -104.19361 (Billy the Kid's Gravesite)
Other namesWilliam H. Bonney, Henry Antrim, Kid Antrim
Occupation(s)Horse rustler, cowboy, gambler, outlaw
Height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Parents
  • Father: Patrick McCarty
  • Stepfather: William Antrim
  • Mother: Catherine Devine
RelativesBrother: Joseph McCarty

Billy the Kid (also known as William H. Bonney; born Henry McCarty September 17, 1859 – July 14, 1881), was a 19th-century gunman who participated in the 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 that he killed eight.[2]

He was relatively unknown during most of his lifetime, but was catapulted into legend in 1881 when New Mexico's governor Lew Wallace placed a price on his head, and the Las Vegas Gazette (Las Vegas, New Mexico) and the New York Sun carried stories about his exploits.[3] Other newspapers followed suit. He was captured by Sheriff Pat Garrett in 1880, but escaped in April 1881 and evaded capture for two months. Garrett shot and killed Billy the Kid in Fort Sumner, on July 14, 1881. Over the next decades, legends grew that he had not died that night, and several men claimed to be Billy the Kid in subsequent years.

Early life

Birth in New York City

The birth date of Billy the Kid has been disputed for many years.Robert M. Utley, a leading Billy the Kid researcher, credited three historians with using public records that corrected much of the misinformation surrounding the birth of Billy the Kid. [4] Utley cited the work of Philip J. Rasch, [5] as well as Robert N. Mullin, who later co-authored a landmark article with Rasch. [6] Finally, Utley cited a 1980 article by Jack DeMattos that was the first to provide documentary evidence of Billy the Kid's birth, baptism, and residence in New York City. [7] Billy the Kid's parents, 21 year-old Patrick McCarty and 20 year-old Catherine Devine were married on June 15, 1851 at the Church of St. Peter at 16 Barclay Street in lower Manhattan by Rev. M.A. Madden. Their first child, Bridget McCarty, was born in 1853. Henry McCarty was born at 210 Greene Street on September 17, 1859. He was christened on September 28, 1859 at the Church of St. Peter. His godparents were Thomas Cooney and Mary Clark. [8]

Further New York City Documentation

The next document concerning the McCarty family was the 1860 United States Federal Census, which listed both Patrick, age 30, and his wife Catherine, age 29, as being born in Ireland. Their children Bridget, age 7, and Henry, age 1, were both listed as having been born in New York. [9] The 1860 New York City Directory (which only gave the name of the head of a household) listed Patrick McCarty of 210 Greene Street as being a "day laborer." [10] The last city directory listing for Patrick McCarty of 210 Greene Street appeared in 1863. [11]

The Birth of Billy the Kid's Younger Brother

The final McCarty child was born at 210 Greene Street on October 14, 1863. He was born Joseph McCarty, but later took his stepfather's surname and was known for most of his life as "Joseph Antrim." For years he was described as being Billy the Kid's older brother, because of an incorrect age on his death certificate which suggested he was born in 1854 rather than 1863. One of the earliest documents which support the 1863 date was an 1880 U.S. Federal census in which Joseph Antrim gave his age as 17 and his birth place as New York. [12] On an 1885 Colorado State Census Joseph Antrim gave his age as 21, which he was on the date the census was taken. [13]

The Death of Billy the Kid's Father

Patrick McCarty died shortly after the birth of his third child. The cause of his death has not been learned. He was last listed in the 1863 New York City Directory. [14] The following year marked the only appearance of his widow being listed as the head of her household. In that 1864 New York City Directory she was listed as "Catherine McCarty, widow of Patrick." [15]

Alleged Indianapolis Residence

No solid documentation has been found for the exact whereabouts of Catherine McCarty and her children from late 1864 (when the family was last recorded in New York City) and the summer of 1870 (when they turned up in Wichita, Kansas). An 1868 Indianapolis residence has been suggested. The evidence is flimsy, and comes down to a certain "Catherine McCarty, widow of Michael," who was living that year at 199 North East Street. [16] It seems highly unlikely that this person was Billy the Kid's mother, considering the New York City City evidence that shows she was the widow of Patrick McCarty - not "Michael McCarty." [17]

Kansas and New Mexico

On August 10, 1870, the family settled in Kansas along with William Henry Harrison Antrim.[18] On September 12, 1870, Catherine McCarty[19] was given the title to a vacant lot in Wichita.[20] William Antrim married her on March 1, 1873, at Santa Fe's First Presbyterian Church, with her two sons as witnesses.[19][21] Shortly after the ceremony, the family moved from Santa Fe to Silver City, New Mexico. On September 16, 1874, she died of tuberculosis.[22]

First crimes

Henry McCarty had his first known run-in with the law exactly one year after his mother's death, a day before his sixteenth birthday; he was charged with theft.[23]

According to some accounts, McCarty eventually found work as an itinerant ranch hand for Henry C. Hooker in southeastern Arizona Territory.[24] In 1876, McCarty settled in the vicinity of Fort Grant, where he worked on ranches and tested his skills at local gaming houses.[25] During this time, he became acquainted with John R. Mackie, a Scottish-born ex-cavalry private with a criminal bent.[26] The two men supposedly became involved with horse thievery; McCarty stole from local soldiers and became known as "Kid Antrim" because of his slight build, clean-shaven appearance, his youth, and his personality.[27][28]

McCarty kept out of the news for nearly two years, until August 17, 1877, when he killed Francis P. "Windy" Cahill in Arizona after the two had a verbal argument and a scrum, during which both men fought for McCarty's revolver and McCarty shot Cahill in the abdomen.[29] In fear of Cahill's friends, McCarty fled the Arizona Territory and entered into New Mexico Territory.[30] He eventually arrived at the former army post of Apache Tejo, where he joined a band of cattle rustlers who raided the herds of cattle magnate John Chisum.[31] During this period, McCarty was spotted by a resident of Silver City, and the teenager's involvement with the gang was mentioned in a local newspaper.[31]

McCarty rode for a time with the Jesse Evans Gang, but then turned up at Heiskell Jones's house in Pecos Valley, New Mexico.[32] According to one account, Apaches stole McCarty's horse, forcing him to walk many miles to the nearest settlement, which happened to be Jones's home. When he arrived, the young man was supposedly near death, but Mrs. Jones nursed him back to health. The Jones family developed a strong attachment to McCarty and gave him one of their horses. At some point in 1877, McCarty began to refer to himself as "William H. Bonney".[33]

Lincoln County War

Main article: Lincoln County War

Bonney had returned to New Mexico just in time to play his role in the conflict known as the Lincoln County War. Since the early 1870s Lincoln County, New Mexico had been under the economic and political control of three Irishmen named Lawrence Murphy, James Dolan, and John Henry Riley, who held the lucrative beef contract for nearby Fort Stanton and ran the major store in the town of Lincoln.[34] Their control was challenged by a young lawyer, Alexander McSween, and an Englishman named John Henry Tunstall, who established a rival store and bank in Lincoln, which soon drove their competitors into financial difficulty.[35] Tunstall had purchased a ranch on the Rio Feliz and signed the eighteen year-old "Billy the Kid" as one of his cowboys. When Turnstall was bothered by rustlers who subsequently got the local sheriff to attach nearly $40,000 of Tunstall's property,[36] Billy the Kid rode out with Turnstall and others to take six of Turnstall's prime horses to Lincoln for safekeeping. They ran into an eighteen-man posse, and Turnstall was killed.[37] Billy the Kid and his companions escaped before they were discovered by the posse, but was arrested on February 20 by Sheriff Brady for disturbing the peace. They were released on February 22.

Soon after Billy the Kid joined a posse called the Regulators, led by Richard M. Brewer. On March 9, two of Tunstall's accused murderers, Frank Baker and William S. Morton, were captured by the Regulators and killed "while trying to escape".[38] On April 1, during an ambush on Sheriff Brady and his deputies, Billy the Kid was shot in the thigh.[39]

On the morning of April 4, 1878, during a shootout between the Regulators Andrew L. "Buckshot" Roberts at Blazer's Mill, the group's leader, Richard Brewer, was killed.[40] Warrants were issued for several participants on both sides of the Lincoln County War, and Billy the Kid and two others were charged with the killings of Sheriff Brady and deputy Hindman, and also with the murder of Buckshot Roberts.

File:Tunstall wiki.JPG
John Tunstall

Battle of Lincoln (1878)

Main article: 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.[41] At the McSween residence were Billy the Kid, Florencio Chavez, Jose Chavez y Chavez, Jim French, Harvey Morris, Tom O'Folliard, Yginio Salazar, and a few others. Another group led by Marin Chavez and Doc Scurlock positioned themselves on the roof of Ike Stockton's saloon. In addition to these forces, Henry Newton Brown, Dick Smith and George Coe defended a nearby adobe bunkhouse.[42][43]

On Monday, at high noon, Deputy Sheriff John Long walked to the front of the McSween residence with warrants for McSween and several others. The group inside the McSween house refused to surrender. Later that afternoon, several men from the Seven Rivers Warriors rode into Lincoln to aid the Dolan forces against the McSween group. The McSween partisans stationed on the roof of Ike Stockton's saloon fired the first shots of the day, but didn't hit any targets. The remainder of the day passed without incident.[44]

On Tuesday, July 16, Sheriff Peppin sent sharpshooters to pick off the McSween defenders at the saloon. When one of the snipers, Charles Crawford, was killed by Fernando Herrera, the remainder of Peppin's men retreated. Sheriff Peppin then sent a message, requesting assistance, to Colonel Nathan Dudley, the commandant of nearby Fort Stanton. Dudley wrote a reply to Peppin turning him down, but someone fired a shot at the soldier who was carrying Dudley's reply to Peppin. The soldier was unhurt, but the shot gave Peppin and the Dolan forces a casus belli, which was exactly what they wanted.[45]

Captain Thomas Blair, leading a detachment of cavalry from Fort Stanton, rode into Lincoln on Wednesday to investigate the shots fired at Colonel Dudley's messenger. McSween denied that he or any of his men were responsible. Captain Blair favored the version offered by the Peppin-Dolan faction.[46]

Concerned that Colonel Dudley might still withhold the support of his troops, James J. Dolan rode out to Fort Stanton the next day and asked Colonel Dudley for the "protection of the women and children" of Lincoln. Doubts have been cast upon whether this event really happened.[47]

On Friday, July 19, the actual battle began. Shortly before noon, a column of soldiers from Fort Stanton brought a Howitzer and a Gatling gun into Lincoln. Faced with this heavy artillery, the men at Ike Stockton's saloon quickly abandoned their positions. Sheriff Peppin and a large group of soldiers then went to McSween's house and read him a warrant for his arrest. McSween slammed the door in their faces.

By now the McSween supporters who had been in other buildings were all gathered in the McSween house. When Deputy Sheriff Jack Long and Buck Powell attempted to set fire to the McSween house, the occupants opened fire. Long and Powell had to take cover in the only shelter available, a stinking pit beneath an outhouse, and remain there for several hours.[48]

The Dolan forces finally succeeded in setting fire to the McSween house, and the flames spread rapidly from room to room. Susan McSween left her burning home and pleaded with Colonel Dudley to spare the lives of her husband and the others defending her home. Dudley ignored her. By nightfall, all but one room had been engulfed by flames, and Billy the Kid and his companions had no choice but to make a run for it. During the confusion, Alexander McSween was shot and killed by Robert W. Beckwith, who was then shot and killed by Billy the Kid. Three more McSween defenders were killed. Salazar escaped death by pretending to be a corpse while the Dolan force took a body count. Running from the burning building, with both guns blazing, Billy the Kid somehow escaped into the darkness.[49][50]

More murder

Tom O'Folliard

Billy the Kid and three other survivors of the Battle of Lincoln were near the Mescalero Indian Agency when the agency bookkeeper was murdered on August 5, 1878; the Kid and his three companions were indicted for murder, despite conflicting evidence that Bernstein's murder had actually been committed by Antanacio Martinez. All of these indictments were later quashed, except for the one against Billy the Kid.[51]

Governor Axtell was removed from office as a result of the reports compiled by special agent Frank Warner Angel. On September 8, 1878, Lew Wallace was sworn in as the new Territorial Governor of New Mexico. On October 5, U.S. Marshal John Sherman, Jr. informed Governor 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."[52]

Governor Wallace issued an amnesty proclamation on November 13, 1878, which pardoned anyone involved in the Lincoln County bloodletting 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, so it excluded Billy the Kid.[53]

On the afternoon of February 18, 1879, the Kid and O'Folliard were in Lincoln when Susan McSween's lawyer, Huston I. Chapman, shot by Bill Campbell while the Kid and O'Folliard watched. The unarmed Chapman was shot and killed by Bill Campbell, and his corpse set on fire. According to eyewitnesses, the Kid and O'Folliard were innocent bystanders who were forced at gunpoint by Jessie Evans to witness the murder.[54]

The Kid wrote Governor Wallace offering to give information on the Chapman murder in exchange for being granted amnesty. The governor and the gunfighter met in Lincoln on March 15, 1879, and talked for more than an hour. Wallace promised the Kid a complete pardon if he would offer his testimony to a grand jury regarding what he knew of the Chapman murder. On March 20, Wallace wrote the Kid that "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."[55] On March 21, the KId allowed himself to be "captured" by a posse led by Sheriff George Kimball of Lincoln County. True to his word, the Kid provided a long detailed statement about the Chapman murder. As the weeks passed, the Kid began to suspect that had been used by Wallace and would never be granted his promised amnesty. When his doubts became too much, the Kid broke out of jail on June 17, 1879.[56]

Following his escape, the Kid 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 simply reported that "Billy Bonney, more extensively known as 'the Kid,' shot and killed Joe Grant. The origin of the difficulty was not learned."[57] According to other sources, The Kid had been advised that Grant intended to kill him, so he boldly walked up to Grant, told him he admired his revolver, and asked to examine it. Grant complied. Before handing Grant's pistol back (which only contained three shells), the Kid positioned the cylinder so that the next shot would fire on an empty chamber. Within moments, Grant stuck his pistol in the Kid's face and pulled the trigger. The weapon clicked harmlessly, and the Kid drew his pistol and shot Grant in the head. A reporter for the Las Vegas Optic later quoted the Kid as saying that the encounter with Grant "was a game of two and I got there first."[58]

During 1880, the Kid formed a friendship with Jim Greathouse, who, in turn, introduced him to Dave Rudabaugh. On November 29, 1880, the Kid, Rudabaugh and Billy Wilson had a running fight with a posse led by Deputy Sheriff James Carlyle. When cornered at Jim Greathouse's ranch, the Kid and his companions yelled out that they were holding Jim Greathouse as their "hostage". Deputy Carlyle offered to exchange places with Greathouse, and the switch was made. Later, Carlyle had a change of heat and attempted to escape by jumping through a window. He was shot three times and killed during the attempt. There is no way to determine who fired the shots that killed Carlyle. They could have been fired by the Kid and his companions or just as easily by Carlyle's own men, who mistook Carlyle for one of the fugitives. The fight ended in a standoff when the posse withdrew and the Kid, Rudabaugh, and Wilson rode off unmolested.[59]

On December 19, Billy the Kid, Rudabaugh, Wilson, Bowdre, Tom Pickett, and Tom O'Folliard rode into Fort Sumner. Awaiting them was a posse led by Pat Garrett, who opened fire, killing O'Folliard. The Kid and his other four companions escaped unharmed.[60]

Sheriff Pat Garrett

Capture and escape

On December 23, Pat Garrett and his posse captured the Kid, Pickett, Rudabaugh and Wilson at Stinking Springs, following a siege in which Charlie Bowdre was killed. The Kid and his companions were taken to Santa Fe. En route, at Las Vegas on December 27, there was a threat from a lynch mob, which was only narrowly averted. The Kid remained unfazed during the threat on his life, later telling a reporter "if I only had my Winchester I'd lick the whole crowd." Garrett got the Kid out of Las Vegas in one piece.[61][62]

Courthouse and jail, Lincoln, New Mexico

The prisoner was transferred to Santa Fe, where he sent four separate letters over the next three months to Governor Wallace seeking clemency. Wallace refused to intervene[63] and the Kid's trial was held in April 1881 in Mesilla.[64] After two days of testimony, the Kid was found guilty on April 9 of the murder of Sheriff Brady. It was the only conviction ever secured against any of the combatants in the Lincoln County War. On April 13, he was sentenced by Judge Warren Bristol to hang; his execution was scheduled for May 13.[64]

The Kid was removed to Lincoln, where he was held under guard on the top floor of the town courthouse by two of Garrett's deputies, Bob Olinger and James Bell. Garrett and Bell treated Billy with consideration. Bell had been a close friend of Jim Carlyle's, for whose murder Billy was held responsible, but Bell still reportedly showed the Kid respect and "never, by word or action, did he betray his prejudice if it existed".[65]

On the other hand, Olinger, one of the Seven Rivers Warriors, called himself 'Pecos Bob' and despised the Kid. The feeling was mutual.[66] Olinger held Billy responsible for the death of his friend Bob Beckwith at McSween's.[67] Olinger's favorite weapon and tool of choice when tormenting the Kid was his double-barreled shotgun. He had loaded it with buckshot and was overconfident in his abilities as a guard.

On the evening of April 28, 1881, Garrett was in White Oaks collecting taxes. Olinger left the prison to take five other prisoners across the street for a meal, leaving Bell alone with Billy. Olinger left the loaded shotgun in Garrett's office.[68] Billy asked Bell to take him outside so he could relieve himself in the outhouse behind the courthouse. On the way back, Billy was walking ahead of Bell up the stairs to his cell, with Bell somewhat behind him. At the top of the stairs Billy hid around a blind corner, slipped out of his handcuffs, hid around the corner, and surprised Bell, beating him with the loose end of the irons. The two men scuffled, Billy got Bell's revolver, and as Bell made for the stairs to get away, Billy shot him in the back.[69] The Kid himself later claimed that he never wanted to kill Bell, but the other man stood in the way of his escape.

Billy's legs were still shackled, but he got into Garrett's office, where he took the loaded shotgun and waited at the upstairs window for Olinger to respond to the gunshot and come back across the street to Bell's aid. As Olinger came running into view, the Kid leveled the shotgun out the window at him, called out, "Look up, old boy, and see what you get," and shot him dead.[69][70] The Kid worked himself free of his leg irons with an axe, which took about an hour.[71] He then mounted a horse and rode out of town, reportedly singing.[70] The horse returned two days later.[72]

Death

Tombstone at Billy the Kid's grave in Fort Sumner, New Mexico

Sheriff Pat Garrett responded to rumors that McCarty was lurking in the vicinity of Fort Sumner almost three months after his escape. Garrett and two deputies set out on July 14, 1881 to question one of the town's residents, a friend of McCarty's named Pete Maxwell (son of land baron Lucien Maxwell).[73] Close to midnight, Garrett and Maxwell sat talking in Maxwell's darkened bedroom when McCarty unexpectedly entered the room.[74]

There are different versions of what happened next. The best-known version suggests that, as the Kid entered, he failed to recognize Garrett in the poor light. He drew his revolver and backed away, asking "¿Quién es? ¿Quién es?" (Spanish for "Who is it? Who is it?").[74] Recognizing McCarty's voice, Garrett drew his own revolver and fired twice. The first bullet struck McCarty in the chest just above his heart. McCarty fell to the floor, gasped for a minute, and died.[74]

Garrett allowed the Kid's friends to take his body across the plaza to the carpenter's shop to give him a wake. The next morning, Justice of the Peace Milnor Rudulph viewed the body and made out the death certificate, but Garrett rejected the first one and demanded that another one be written more in his favor. The Kid's body was then prepared for burial, and was buried at noon at the Fort Sumner cemetery between O'Folliard and Bowdre.[75]

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.[76] 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,[77] 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.[76]

Rumors of survival

The site of the Bell and Olinger killings is preserved in Lincoln County with the hole in the wall on display where Bell was shot, as well as a plaque where Olinger was gunned down.[78]

Legends grew over time that Billy the Kid was not killed that night, but that Garrett may have staged it all out of friendship for the Kid so that he could escape the law.[79] 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 being Billy the Kid; his claims were dismissed by everyone, including his own family. His town of residence, Hico, Texas, capitalized on the claim by opening the "Billy The Kid Museum".[80]

The family of a 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 were dug up in May 2005[81] though without official permission.[82] 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, but the DNA samples were useless.[83]

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".[84] To date, no DNA test results have been made public. In 2008, a lawsuit was filed against officials in Lincoln County that would, if successful, publicize the results of those tests along with other evidence that Sullivan and Sederwall collected in the Miller investigation.[85]

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.[86] 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.[87]

Authenticated photographs

Detail from a photo authenticated in 2015 of Billy the Kid (left) playing croquet in New Mexico in 1878

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.[88] 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.[89] It was the most expensive piece ever sold at Brian Lebel's Annual Old West Show & Auction,[90] 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.[91][dead link] The photo has been forensically examined and one forensic investigator agreed that it is of McCarty and Dedrick.[91][92][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.[93] 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.[94] Kagin's insured the original tintype for 5 million dollars.[95]

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",[96] an opinion confirmed by Clyde Jeavons, a former curator of the National Film and Television Archive.[97] Wallis wrote in 2007 that McCarty was ambidextrous.[98]

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.[99]

Grave marker theft and locations

Billy the Kid's grave

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.[100]

In 1932,[101] 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.[101]

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.[102] It was stolen again in February 8, 1981, but recovered days later in Huntington Beach, California. New Mexico Governor Bruce King arranged for the Sheriff of the county seat to fly to California to bring it back to Fort Sumner,[103] 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.[104]

Selected references in popular culture

Literature

Film

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,[107] and also their Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads album.[108] Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.[109]
  • "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).[110]
  • 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.[111]
  • 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,[112] with his own melody and instrumental. It was also on Ry Cooder Classics Volume II.[113]
  • 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

Television and radio

See also

Notes

References

  1. ^ Rasch (1995), pp. 23–35.
  2. ^ Wallis, 2007, pp. 244–245.
  3. ^ Utley (1989), pp. 145–146.
  4. ^ Utley, Robert M. High Noon in Lincoln (1987), p. 192.
  5. ^ Rasch, Philip J. "New Light on the Legend of Billy the Kid," (1952-53), pp. 1-5.
  6. ^ Rasch, Philip J. and Mullin, Robert N. "Dim Trails: The pursuit of the McCarty Family (1953-54), pp. 6-11.
  7. ^ DeMattos, Jack. "The Search for Billy the Kid's Roots - Is Over!" Real West (No. 167), January 1980, pp. 26-28, 59-60.
  8. ^ Letter from Rev. James B. Roberts, Church of St. Peter, New York City, to Jack DeMattos, March 24, 1979. This church was within walking distance of 210 Greene Street, where Billy the Kid was born.
  9. ^ 1860 United States Federal Census, Manhattan First Ward, enumerated June 26, 1860 by Assistant Marshal Edward Hogan, p. 176. The McCarty family name was misspelled as "McCarthy" on this document, but there is no doubt that this was the McCarty family who resided at 210 Greene Street.
  10. ^ 1860 New York City Directory, p. 533.
  11. ^ 1863 New York City Directory, p. 533.
  12. ^ 1880 United States Federal Census, Silverton, Colorado, June 1, 1880. In fact, Joseph Antrim was still four months shy of turning 17 on the date this census was taken.
  13. ^ 1885 Colorado State Census, Arapahoe County. Joseph McCarty Antrim turned 22 later that year on October 14, 1885.
  14. ^ 1863 New York City Directory, p. 541.
  15. ^ 1864 New York City Directory,p. 537.
  16. ^ 1868 Indianapolis City Directory.
  17. ^ 1864 New York City Directory, p. 537.
  18. ^ Wallis (2007), p. 15.
  19. ^ a b Nolan (2009), p. 7.
  20. ^ Deed Records of Sedgwick County, Kansas. Book A, p. 414.
  21. ^ Book of Marriages A, Santa Fe County, New Mexico, pp. 35–36.
  22. ^ Nolan, 2009, p.8
  23. ^ Grant County Herald (Silver City, New Mexico), September 26, 1875.
  24. ^ Utley (1989), pp. 10–11.
  25. ^ Wallis (2007), p. 103.
  26. ^ Wallis (2007), p. 107.
  27. ^ Wallis (2007), pp. 110–111.
  28. ^ Utley, (1989), p. 16.
  29. ^ Radbourne, Allan; Rasch, Philip J. (August 1985). "The Story of 'Windy' Cahill". Real West (204): 22–27.
  30. ^ Wallis (2007), p. 119.
  31. ^ a b Wallis (2007) pp. 123–131.
  32. ^ Nolan (1998), p. 77.
  33. ^ Wallis (2007), p. 144.
  34. ^ Nolan,Frederick The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History, 1992 - pp. 23–55.
  35. ^ Nolan, Frederick. The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History, 1992. pp. 75–86.
  36. ^ Nolan, Frederick. The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History, 1992 - p. 188–89.
  37. ^ Utley, Robert M. Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life, 1989 - p. 46.
  38. ^ Utley, Robert M. Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life, 1989 - pp. 56–60.
  39. ^ Nolan, Frederick. The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History, 1992 - pp. 233–249, 549 n. 1.
  40. ^ Rickards, Colin. The Gunfight at Blazer's Mill, 1974 - pp. 36–37.
  41. ^ Jacobsen (1994), p. 173.
  42. ^ Nolan (1992), pp. 312–313.
  43. ^ Utley (1987), p. 87.
  44. ^ Utley (1987), pp. 92–93.
  45. ^ Nolan (1992), p. 513.
  46. ^ Nolan (1992), pp. 315–317.
  47. ^ Nolan (1992), p. 318.
  48. ^ Jacobsen (1994), p. 185.
  49. ^ Nolan (1992), pp. 322–331
  50. ^ Utley (1987), pp. 96–111.
  51. ^ 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.
  52. ^ Utley, Robert M. High Noon in Lincoln: Violence on the Western Frontier, 1987 - p. 120.
  53. ^ 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.
  54. ^ 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.
  55. ^ Governor Lew Wallace to W.H. Bonney, March 20, 1879.
  56. ^ Utley, Robert M. Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life, 1989 - p. 111–125.
  57. ^ Santa Fe Weekly New Mexican, January 17, 1880.
  58. ^ 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.
  59. ^ 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.
  60. ^ 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.
  61. ^ Metz (1974), pp. 76–85
  62. ^ Utley (1989), pp. 157–166.
  63. ^ Wallis (2007), pp. 240–241.
  64. ^ a b Wallis (2007), p. 242.
  65. ^ Utley (1989), p. 179.
  66. ^ Utley (1989), p. 176.
  67. ^ Utley (1989), p. 177.
  68. ^ Utley (1989), p. 180.
  69. ^ a b Utley (1989), p. 181.
  70. ^ a b Wallis (2007), pp. 243–244.
  71. ^ Jacobsen (1994), p. 232.
  72. ^ Wallis (2007), pp. 245–246.
  73. ^ Wallis, Michael. Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride, 2007 pp. 245–246.
  74. ^ a b c Wallis, Michael. Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride, 2007 - p. 247.
  75. ^ "Last Days". aboutbillythekid.com. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  76. ^ a b Utley, Robert M. Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life, 1989 - pp. 198–199.
  77. ^ 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.
  78. ^ "Deputy Sheriff James W. Bell". The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  79. ^ Wallis (2007), p. xiv.
  80. ^ Texas Department of Transportation, Texas State Travel Guide, 2008, pp. 200–201
  81. ^ Banks, Leo W. "A New Billy the Kid?". Tucson Weekly. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  82. ^ Associated Press (October 24, 2006) "2 won't face charges in Billy the Kid quest, Deseret News via FindArticles.com; retrieved August 29, 2008.
  83. ^ 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.
  84. ^ Miller, Patrick (March 18, 2004). "Shootout over Billy the Kid". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  85. ^ Associated Press (August 28, 2008) Lawsuit seeks DNA evidence for 1881 death of Billy the Kid, foxnews.com; retrieved August 29, 2008.
  86. ^ Klein, Christopher (February 27, 2015). "Historian Seeks Death Certificate to End Billy the Kid Rumors". History. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  87. ^ 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.
  88. ^ Mark Boardman. "The Holy Grail for Sale". True West Magazine. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  89. ^ Tripp, Leslie (June 26, 2011). "Billy the Kid photograph fetches $2.3 million at auction". CNN. CNN. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  90. ^ BBC News – Billy the Kid portrait fetches $2.3m at Denver auction. Bbc.co.uk (June 26, 2011). Retrieved on August 1, 2011.
  91. ^ 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.
  92. ^ Moore, S. Derrickson (October 5, 2013). "Forensic detective says Billy the Kid photo is real deal". Las Cruces Sun-News. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  93. ^ Constable, Anne (August 24, 2015). "Billy the Kid: A fan of croquet?". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  94. ^ "Billy the Kid Experts Weigh in on the Croquet Photo".
  95. ^ 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.
  96. ^ Horan, James D. and Sann, Paul. Pictorial History of the Wild West, New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1954 - p. 57.
  97. ^ Mayes, Ian (March 3, 2001). "I kid you not". The Guardian. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
  98. ^ Goode, Stephen (June 10, 2007). "The fact and fiction of America's outlaw". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on June 20, 2009. Retrieved June 20, 2009. Billy loved to sing and had a good voice, those who knew him claimed. ... He was ambidextrous and wrote well with both hands.
  99. ^ "No pardon for Billy the Kid". CNN. December 31, 2010. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  100. ^ Wallis, Michael. Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride, 2007 = pp. 249–250.
  101. ^ a b "Frequently Asked Questions". Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  102. ^ "Hico Validates Life of Billy the Kid" The J-TAC (Stephenville, Texas), Vol. 148, No. 10, Ed. 1, texashistory.unt.edu, November 3, 1994.
  103. ^ The Historical Marker Database.
  104. ^ Lohr, David (June 30, 2012). "'Billy the Kid' tombstone in New Mexico vandalized". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
  105. ^ Wallis (2007), p. xvi.
  106. ^ Johnny D. Boggs. Billy the Kid on Film, 1911–2012. McFarland
  107. ^ MacMillan, (1934), p. 137
  108. ^ MacMillan, (1938), pp. 140–141. From Jim Marby, recorded in 1911, Library of Congress E659098.
  109. ^ 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= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  110. ^ Liner notes, p. 63, number 3, "Billy the Kid" media.smithsonianfolkways.org. Retrieved January 7, 2010
  111. ^ Gamboa, Glenn (August 6, 2012). "Billy Joel talks about his top Long Island songs". Newsday.
  112. ^ 1972 Reprise K44142
  113. ^ Japan 1992 P-Vine PCD 2541
  114. ^ Gunsmoke radio show "Billy the Kid", first broadcast May 26, 1952
  115. ^ "Video: Billy the Kid - Watch American Experience Online - PBS Video". PBS Video. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
Sources
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

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