And that included his last escape, from the custody of Sheriff Garrett. He contacted the governor to exchange a witness statement for a pardon. Who is it?' 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. Wikimedia CommonsThe full-length version of the sole completely authenticated photo of Billy the Kid. Brushy Bill was very well known around these parts, says Jane Klein, historian at the Billy the Kid Museum. After he thought about it, though, he told [Morrison] that he was Billy the Kid. 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). We approached these houses cautiously, and when within earshot, heard the sound of voices conversing in Spanish. He stated that he decided against the pardon, because of a lack of conclusiveness and the historical ambiguity as to why Gov. But they were only able to arrest John Webb, an accused murderer, along with horse thief George Davis. Who Killed The Sheriff Who Shot Billy the Kid? CNN A Pardon for The Notorious Billy the Kid? He also wouldnt have backed into a darkened doorway where more danger possibly lurked. For example, Billy was extremely nave on the night in question. It was near midnight and Pete was in bed. During a card game, Billy the Kid accused another player of cheating. Soon afterwards he was captured and shot by Lincoln County sheriff, Patrick Floyd Garrett in a sting operation. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Billy-the-Kid-American-outlaw, American Heritage - Billy the Kid: From Outlaw to Legend, PBS - American Experience - The Life and Legend of Billy the Kid, Billy the Kid - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Billy the Kid, byname of William H. Bonney, Jr., original name Henry McCarty?, (born November 23, 1859?, New York, New York, U.S.died July 14, 1881, Fort Sumner, New Mexico), American outlaw who was one of the most notorious gunfighters of the American West. The Gun That Killed Billy The Kid Billy the Kid - Photo, Movie & Pat Garrett - Biography Pat Garrett. 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. In 1931, locals raised money to give him a proper headstone. He made a deal with the governor that should he testify against persons involved in the Lincoln County War, he would receive a full pardon for involvement in Sheriff Bradys death and other misdeeds. Omissions? In 1879 he married and settled in Lincoln County, N.M., where he became first deputy sheriff and then sheriff. Billy the Kid then stayed off the radar until January 1880, when he was drinking in a bar near Santa Fe. From his first robberies to his days as a frontier gunslinger to his epic death, Billy the Kid remains perhaps the definitive legend of the Wild West. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Garrett did not seek re-election as sheriff of Lincoln County the year after McCarty's death. This story originally ran in 2017; it has been updated for 2022. During the ensuing confrontation, the sheriff and his posse, loyal to Tunstalls rivals, shot Tunstall off his horse and then picked up his own gun and used it to kill him with a shot to the back of the head. There were various men in the American Southwest who went by the moniker "Billy the Kid." Billy became a fugitive. The Kid Review: Outlaw Billys Story Told From - Variety Corrections? I walked to the head of the bed and sat down on it, beside him, near the pillow. 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. The picture is the only known photo of the Regulators gang all together. When we reached the porch in front of the building, I left Poe and McKinney at the end of the porch, about twenty feet from the door of Petes room, and went in. These qualities contributed to his image as both a notorious outlaw and a folk hero. 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. On December 19, 1880, Bonney, Billy Wilson, Charlie Bowdre, Tom Pickett, and Tom OFolliard rode into Fort Sumner. "I knew the desperate character of the man," Garrett would later write in his own biography of Billy, "that he was daring and unscrupulous, and that he would sacrifice the lives of a hundred men who stood between him and liberty." 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.". Other sources state that without parental guidance, the Kid simply got a bad start in life. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Even by frontier standards, he was young. Once again, Billy didnt stay in jail for long. 9 Things You May Not Know About Billy the Kid - HISTORY Billy the Kid didnt make it all the way to New Mexico. There are two theories about what happened at the house where Garrett found and killed McCarty. At some point, someone shot and killed Garrett, but exactly who did it has been a subject of debate. Billy had numerous friends and people sympathetic to his plight at the Fort, so the lawmen found it difficult to extract any information. Adamson agreed to meet with Garrett and Brazel to iron out an agreement. Out on his own, McCarty slipped across the border into Arizona Territory, which technically made him a federal fugitive from justice though the federal government didnt have a huge presence in Arizona at the time and Henry was pretty much free to do as he liked. It's my work, he'd say, and I do it for pay And when it's over I'd just as soon go on my way Up to some paradise Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice And ride a horse along a trail. We unsaddled here, got some coffee, and, on foot, entered an orchard which runs from this point down to a row of old buildings, some of them occupied by Mexicans, not more than sixty yards from Maxwells house. As one of the few Regulators whod made it out of the Battle of Lincoln, Billy the Kid Was now a prime target for local law enforcement. Pat Garrett | American lawman | Britannica 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. Were not trying to deceive anyone. Following Billy the Kids death, the media turned him into a folk hero and made Garrett out to be the bad guy. Despite these accusations, McGinn claims that her only link to the administration is that she offered to handle the case for free because of Richardsons lifelong interest in Billy the Kid. He was 57. 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. WebPat 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 known as the man A little over a year later, the New Mexico territorial legislature voted to give Garrett the $500 he was owed. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. His end wasn't particularly glamorous. These absences got longer and more common as McCartys mother got sick with tuberculosis and became more dependent on the men in her family to look after her. Garrett went on to be a rancher, customs collector, sheriff of another county, and terrible gambler. After making sure his siblings had homes with relatives, Pat headed west in 1869 and found work as a cowboy in Dallas for about six years. 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. But when he unwisely returned to the area a few days later, he was locked up in the stockade pending the arrival of law enforcement. In the dark, Billy had gone to cut a slice of meat. Lee and Gililland stayed on the run for another eight months and finally surrendered. The defining issue revolves around the belief that Wallace promised this pardon in exchange for Kids knowledge in a murder case involving three men. Each landowner was supported by their own gang. 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. Garrett is the man who eventually killed Billy the Kid, born as Henry McCarty. He moved in with an El Paso prostitute; when Curry learned of Garretts situation, he withdrew his offer. He had already written down the jurys verdict and asked Segura, Anaya and the rest of the jury to sign it. I think people really like being associated with it now. 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. After seeing a TV program in 2015 about the discovery of a photo of the outlaw playing croquet, Abrams was inspired to research him further. Free shipping for many products! Some argue his book about Billy Bonney is the only reason why The Kid is remembered today. A struggle or two, a little strangling sound as he gasped for breath, and the Kid was with his many victims. One of two confirmed photographs of Billy the Kid (left), playing croquet in New Mexico, 1878. Nine years older than Billy, he'd been a buffalo hunter, hired gun, and cowboy before he ran for sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico, on a law-and-order platform. 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. While Garrett was there, he was forced to defend himself from a local bully, Mariano Leiva, by shooting him in the shoulder. https://www.historynet.com/death-of-billy-the-kid-as-pat-garrett-tells-it/, Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot. Whos that?) All this occurred in a moment. Hines told him a whopper of a tale: Billy the Kid had not been killed in New Mexico but was alive and well and living in a town called Hico in Hamilton County, Texas, as one Ollie Brushy Bill Roberts. 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. Carl Adamson never appeared at the trial as a witness, and Brazel was acquitted. Tim Sweet, owner of the Billy the Kid museum, previously said that he was 95 per cent sure that Garrett is in the photo. 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. At some point, due to the debate, there had been a movement to have the supposed bodies of the Kid and his mother exhumed for DNA testing. McCarty, a member of the Regulators, vowed to avenge Tunstall's death. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. He states, Just think of all the good publicity New Mexico is receiving around the world on thisIts fun. 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." The man who had leased the ranch, Wayne Brazel, alleged that Garrett had drawn a gun on him and that the killing was self-defense. These qualities contributed to his image as both a notorious outlaw and a folk hero. Several said the tintype was likely taken between 1879 and 1880, which coincides with the August 2, 1880, date someone had written on the photo,Abrams said. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Originally published in the August 2006 issue of American History. At some point after these murders, Lew Wallace became governor of New Mexico. On his way to freedom, charming Billy killed two of his jailers. He soon, however, hailed his friend, who was sleeping in the room, told him to get up and make some coffee, adding: Give me a butcher knife and I will go over to Petes and get some beef; Im hungry. The Mexican arose, handed him the knife, and the Kid, hatless and in his stocking-feet, started to Maxwells, which was but a few steps distant. But That Was Just the Beginning. Garrett gets word that the Kid is hiding out near Maxwells place. In 1878, to settle a dispute over a large debt owed by Tunstalls business partner to a rival cohort of local businessmen, Sheriff William Brady and his posse attempted to seize around $40,000 worth of Tunstalls cattle. He was then sent back to Lincoln County, where he was scheduled to be executed on May 13. However, Abrams isn't interested in finding out anytime soon. 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 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. As Currys inauguration was not for a few months, Garrett returned to El Paso to look for work. Unfortunately, by the time the Kid was fifteen years old his mother had passed away from tuberculosis. In April 1878, the Regulators ambushed Brady and four of his deputies on a main street in Lincoln. It was the last contact he ever had with Antrim. Garrett delivered Webb and Davis to the sheriff of San Miguel County and rode on to Puerto de Luna. In July 1881 he tracked down and shot the escaped murderer Billy the Kid. He died by the gun of Sherriff Pat Garrett at age 21. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. In researching his book, Edwards analyzed photographs of Billy the Kid and Roberts, and dug into the details of Robertss account of his life and compared them with known facts about Billy the Kid. Richard Stockton is a freelance science and technology writer from Sacramento, California. Why Billy The Kid Is The Most Infamous Gunslinger Of The Wild West. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. 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. After the shooting, Garrett claimed the Kid had a .41 caliber pistol in his hand, Poe said it was a .38 caliber. Brushy Bill and Billy the Kid, the whole story, thats part of who we are now, Eidson says.