[83] Although McCarty's testimony helped to indict John Dolan, the district attorney, one of the powerful "House" faction leaders, disregarded Wallace's order to set McCarty free after his testimony. Footnote 3: The Silver City newspaper reported: Henry McCarty, who was arrested Thursday and committed to jail to await the action of the grand jury, upon the charge of stealing clothes from Charley Sun and Sam Chung, celestials, sans cue, sans Joss sticks, escaped from prison yesterday through the chimney. [7] "His many Hispanic friends did not view him as a ruthless killer but rather as a defender of the people who were forced to kill in self-defense," Wallis writes. The actor Richard Jaeckel played The Kid in a 1954 episode of Jim Davis's syndicated television series, Stories of the Century. The ABC series Maverick featured an episode where Bret (James Garner) meets several outlaws, including Billy the Kid. [64], The connection between McSween and the Regulators was ambiguous, however. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. [51] On April 1, Regulators Jim French, Frank McNab, John Middleton, Fred Waite, Henry Brown and McCarty ambushed Sheriff Brady[62] and his deputy, George W. Hindman,[63] killing them both in Lincoln's main street. The Death Of Billy The Kid, 1881. One of the most famous questions about Billy the Kid is whether or not he had any children. [120] 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. According to one version of events, Carlyle heard a shot that had been fired accidentally outside. Most of those he killed deserved what they got. )[114] Indeed, the notion of a left-handed Billy became so entrenched that, in 1958, a film biography of "the Kid" (starring Paul Newman) was titled The Left Handed Gun. [69] For a short period, the Regulators benefited from the appointment of Sheriff John Copeland, who proved sympathetic to the McSween faction. [65], On April 4, in what became known as the Gunfight of Blazer's Mills, the Regulators sought the arrest of an old buffalo hunter known as Buckshot Roberts, whom they suspected of involvement in the Tunstall slaying. [96] Mistaken for McCarty, he was shot down by the posse. "Billy the Kid", a folk song in the public domain, was published in John A. Lomax and Alan Lonax's American Ballads and Folksongs,[126] and also their Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads. Please take notice of the footnote numbers in parenthesis within the summary, you will find the footnotes at the end of the paragraph in italics. We Communicated w/a Ghost Outlaw & Billy The Kid's Enemy - YouTube Marty Robbins' song "Billy the Kid" from the album Gunfighter Ballads & Trail Songs Volume 3. Last of the Desperados (1955) Bob Dylan's album Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, soundtrack of the 1973 film by Sam Peckinpah. [49] Tunstall's murder enraged McCarty and the other ranch hands. On the fifth day of the siege the Dolan side was getting impatient, so they set the house on fire. 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. He always found a touch of humor in everything, being naturally full of fun and jollity. The gang made their way to Lincoln County where the Boys joined forces with James Dolan, who was currently in a feud against an Englishman entrepreneur named John Tunstall and his attorney and partner Alex McSween. Abrana Garcia. These qualities, along with his cunning and celebrated skill with firearms, contributed to his paradoxical image, as both a notorious outlaw and beloved folk hero. [115] More recently, in response to a story from The Guardian that used an uncorrected McCarty ferrotype, Clyde Jeavons, a former curator of the National Film and Television Archive, cited their work and added: This particular reproduction error has occurred so often in books and other publications over the years that it has led to the myth that Billy the Kid was left-handed, for which there is no evidence. [97] As the lawmen began to cook breakfast over an open fire, Garrett and McCarty engaged in a friendly exchange, with Garrett inviting McCarty outside to eat, and McCarty inviting Garrett to "go to hell". HIS "REAL" NAME IS A TOPIC OF DEBATE. Jack has skinned out.. The Kid now had to earn his own keep, so he was put to work washing dishes and waiting on tables at a restaurant. Dolan's gunmen and newly appointed sheriff, George Peppin and his men, had the McSween house surrounded with Alex McSween and many of the Regulators trapped in side. He got in with a band of rustlers in Apache Tejo in part of the county where he was made a hardened character".[35]. The governor agreed and promised the Kid a full pardon. at which point he was shot and killed in ambush style. Instead he was a gunfighter in a feud between two factions in which both sides stole from each other and killed. Another individual who allegedly claimed to be Billy the Kid was John Miller, whose family supported his claim in 1938, some time after Miller's death. On the night of July 14, 1881, Garrett went to the home of rancher Peter Maxwell to question him about the outlaws whereabouts. Billy the Kid was born in 1859, most likely in New York City. That same year, he adopted the alias William H. Bonney and became known as Billy the Kid or simply The Kid.. Aaron Copland's Billy the Kid, a ballet that premiered in 1938. They were now viewed as the bad guys and warrants were put out for their arrest. [61], Unfazed, the Regulators planned to settle a score with Sheriff William J. Brady, who had arrested McCarty and fellow deputy Fred Waite in the aftermath of Tunstall's murder. [108] Recognizing McCarty's voice, Garrett drew his own pistol and fired twice, the first bullet striking McCarty just above his heart, killing him. Footnote 4: James Dolan was the protg of LG Murphy and when Murphy became ill of cancer and hospitalized in Santa Fe, Dolan stepped up to take his place. Little is known about Billy the Kids early days, but he was most likely born Henry McCarty in the Irish slums of New York City sometime in late 1859. [18], Faced with a husband who was frequently absent, McCarty's mother reportedly washed clothes, baked pies, and took in boarders in order to provide for her sons. "As [McCarty] was leaving the saloon, his back turned to Grant, he heard a distinct click. [89] Meanwhile, Greathouse was sent out to act as a hostage for the posse. Geni requires JavaScript! Despite discrepancies in birth dates and physical appearance, the town of Hico, Texas (Brushy Bill's residence), has capitalized on the Kid's infamy by opening the Billy The Kid Museum.[119]. Although he claimed to have killed 21 men, the actual number is likely less than 10. The Kid was in unfriendly territory and one of his threats was prosecutor attorney William Rynerson, who was part of the Ring and wanted to put the Kid on trial for the murder of Sheriff Brady. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Billy the Kid - DesertUSA Dave Stamey's "The Skies of Lincoln County", which features the deceased Bonney as narrator, answering historical distortions by Pat Garrett. WATCH: Cowboys & Outlaws:The Real Billy the Kid on HISTORY Vault. Whatever happened, Bell staggered into the street and collapsed, mortally wounded. There's also something fishy about this whole incident and there may have been more foul play then we're led to believe. A Billy the Kid Mystery Solved IHS owns most of Billy the Kid's more famous letters - including one in our collections that was previously unidentified. 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). Beginning with Garrett's account, Billy the Kid grew into a symbolic figure of the American Old West. Finally on December 23, 1880 Garrett trapped the Kid and three other gang members at a cabin in Stinking Springs. [44] A conflict known today as the Lincoln County War had erupted between the established town merchants, Lawrence Murphy and James Dolan, and competing business interests headed by Tunstall and McSween. [100] On April 9, after two days of testimony, McCarty was found guilty of the murder of Sheriff Brady, the only conviction ever secured against any of the combatants in the Lincoln County Cattle War. Watch Billy Strings Tear Up Willie Nelson's "Whiskey River" For 90th Billy the Kid - Jesse James Photo Album and killed him. Updated: April 8, 2020 | Original: July 14, 2016. [17] At age 14, McCarty was taken in by a neighboring family who operated a hotel where he worked to pay for his keep. Billy "The Kid" Emerson performed all those linked genres over the course of a long career that . The journey begins with Billy's mother Catherine McCarty Catherine Bonney arrived in New York City by way of Devonshire, England in 1846. McSween and three men were killed, but Billy the Kid and the others escaped into the darkness. [111], The undeserved notoriety that McCarty gained during the Lincoln County War effectively doomed his appeals for amnesty. Did Billy the Kid Cheat Death and Live on as 'Brushy Bill'? That is, unless he was buried in the middle of Texas. Some researchers believe that a sympathizer placed a pistol in a nearby privy that McCarty was permitted to use, under escort, each day. The county sheriff decided to keep him locked up for a couple of days just to scare him, but the Kid escaped and ran away (3). [71], What is known about the morning following McNab's death is that the Regulator "iron clad" took up defensive positions in the town of Lincoln, trading shots with Dolan men as well as U.S. He never seemed to care for money, except to buy cartridges with. [45] Events turned bloody on February 18, 1878, when Tunstall was spotted while driving a herd of nine horses towards Lincoln and murdered by William Morton, Jessie Evans, Tom Hill, and Frank Baker all members of the Murphy-Dolan faction, and members of a posse sent to attack McSween's holdings. After a short stint working on the ranch of Henry Hooker, McCarty began working on the Coe-Saunders ranch. The pair's first collaboration is Billy the Kid Makes It Big, a book for children aged 4-7.Inspired by Billy, written by Parton and illustrated by Mackenzie Haley, the story follows a (lightly . Of course the death was credited to the Kid and destroyed any ounce of sympathy the public had for him, not to mention, any chance for him to get things squared up with the governor to get his pardon. On December 19, McCarty barely escaped a midnight ambush in Fort Sumner, which left one member of the gang, Tom O'Folliard, dead. The Kid felt betrayed when he learned that Governor Wallace didnt have the power to pardon him without Rynersons cooperation, nor was the governor pressuring the attorney to collaborate. As for the Brady shooting, six members of the Regulators (the Kid included) ambushed the sheriff and four of his deputies as they walked down the street in Lincoln to arrest Alex McSween. The Kid left the war with a reputation as one of the Wests most skilled gunmen, but he remained wanted for the murder of Sheriff Brady. Tunstall noticed something different about this rustler, he wasnt rough like the other men, but just a boy who got a bad start in life and was looking for place to belong. He took pleasure in tormenting the helpless prisoner and used his shotgun to intimidate him. Billy the Kid's real name? Its believed that Henry was simply the tool of Sombrero Jack, who done the stealing whilst Henry done the hiding. Henry McCartys first run-in with the law came in 1875, when he assisted a local street tough known as Sombrero Jack in stealing clothing from a Chinese laundry. A more likely explanation, however, was his slender physique, "which placed him in precarious situations with bigger and stronger boys".[24]. Billy the Kid (Billy Dean song) - Wikipedia He then armed himself with a double-barreled shotgun and gunned down a second guard who was crossing the street. He ran toward the building and as the Kid saw him approaching he shot Olinger down with a shotgun (7). Actor Tom Blyth will be starring in the upcoming TV series Billy the Kid, where he plays the titular character. If his spectacular escape wasn't enough, his controversial death was the final dramatic ending to his story. Lincoln is. When Cahill fell over the Kid squirmed free, ran off, and mounted the nearest horse and fled Camp Grant. Abrana Garcia | BlazingYoungGuns Wiki | Fandom The Exhumation Of Billy The Kid: New Evidence Confirms His Death His negotiations with Governor Lew Wallace (famed Civil War general and author of the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ) for amnesty came to nothing. Our family looks favorably on Billy, we have some stories of him from our Jaramillo cousins. His legend survived and grew long after his death. [4] Contemporaries described him as a "neat" dresser who favored an "unadorned Mexican sombrero". Then they ambushed Sheriff Brady and his deputy George Hindman in Lincoln (5). Catherine was suffering from consumption and her health began to deteriorate rapidly. During a trip to the outhouse, the Kid slipped out of his handcuffs, ambushed a guard and shot the man to death with his own pistol. A large number of residents in the surrounding country and . (Spanish for "Who is it? The tombstone has been stolen and recovered three times since it was set in place in the 1940s, and the entire gravesite is now enclosed within a steel cage. I hated those men and am glad that I lived long enough to see them all dead and buried". While McCarty and his gang were asleep inside, Garrett's posse surrounded the building and waited for sunrise. Concluding that the posse members had shot down Greathouse, he chose escape, crashed through a window and was fired upon and killed. [2] Meanwhile, McCarty scooped up Ollinger's[103] 10-gauge double barrel shotgun and waited at the upstairs window for Ollinger, who had been across the street with some other prisoners, to come to Bell's aid. [87], Other versions of this story exist. Son of Patrick Henry McCarty and Catherine Antrim Dolan and Murphys outfitknown as The Househad long held a monopoly over the dry goods and cattle trades in Lincoln County. " Billy the Kid " is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Billy Dean. He was raised in Tarpon Springs, where he also picked up the piano in the local church. Quin es? Quin es?": Revisiting the Racial Context of the Billy the Billy the Kid was born Henry McCarty and spent his early life in New York. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), Cowboys & Outlaws:The Real Billy the Kid, https://www.history.com/news/9-things-you-may-not-know-about-billy-the-kid, 9 Things You May Not Know About Billy the Kid. The Old Man Who Claimed to Be Billy the Kid - Atlas Obscura . [53] The wanted men, Bill Morton and Frank Baker, attempted to flee, but they were captured on March 6. Although he did participate in killings, the men he fought against were much worse than he ever was. To date, no results of the DNA tests have been made public. During this time, McCarty became acquainted with John R. Mackie, a Scottish-born ex-cavalry private with a criminal bent. His father can't be proven, but theory says that his name could be William Harrison Bonney, Patrick Henry McCarty, Patrick McCarthy, and a few more. Some of the most famous actors to play the Kid include Roy Rogers, Paul Newman, Val Kilmer and Emilio Estevez. He never pushed in his advice or opinions, but he had a wonderful presence of mind. Billy the Kid Returns, 1938: Roy Rogers plays a dual role, Billy the Kid and his dead-ringer lookalike who shows up after the Kid has been shot by Pat Garrett. [9] There is clear evidence that his Mother's name was Catherine McCarty, although "there have been continuing debates about whether McCarty was her maiden or married name". [9][10] According to some accounts, McCarty was born as William Henry McCarty, Jr., but his mother preferred to call him "Henry" because she did not wish him to be known as "Junior". There are also rumors that she had two more children with him . Billy the Kid, 1941 remake of the 1930 film, starring Robert Taylor and Brian Donlevy. The outlaw was found guilty of the murder of Sheriff William Brady and confined to the Lincoln courthouse. Billy The Kid shooting down his foe who had taken refuge behind a saloon bar.  Lincoln County Courthouse, site of Billy the Kids famous 1881 escape.  Movie poster for a 1925 Billy the Kid film. Despite the controversy, historical records show that the Kids body was positively identified by several different people the day after his shooting, leading most historians to conclude that Sheriff Garrett got the right man. 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. In those days people loaded their revolvers with only five rounds, with the hammer down on an empty chamber. (All Winchester Model 1873 rifles were made with the loading gate on the right side of the receiver: the "left-handed" photograph is a mirror image. The Boy from Oklahoma (1954), with Tyler MacDuff in the role of Billy the Kid[123]. He spun around before Grant could reach a loaded chamber. The Illegal Rebirth of Billy the Kid is a science fiction novel by Rebecca Ore, published in 1991. While in Fort Sumner, he would kill a drunk at a saloon (6), but the killing was shrugged off and got almost no attention, but unfortunately, the Kid got into more serious trouble that did get plenty of attention. Billy the Kid's Family Tree REVEALED!! - YouTube 58 Otero's Depression-era embrace of the Kid as a "social bandit" must be understood as a twentieth-century expression of political and cultural sentiments, rather than a rigorously researched documentation of the feelings of all Hispanos during the Kid's lifetime. Contemporaries described him as a "neat" dresser who favored an "unadorned Mexican sombrero". Responding to rumors that McCarty was still lurking in the vicinity of Fort Sumner almost three months after his escape, Sheriff 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). McCarty was loyal to the memory of Tunstall, though not necessarily to McSween. He said he had lived incognito for decades but. [108] In a second version, McCarty entered carrying a knife, evidently headed to a kitchen area. [48] Although members of the Murphy-Dolan faction sought to frame Tunstall's death as a "justifiable homicide", evidence at the scene suggested that Tunstall attempted to avoid a confrontation before he was shot down. As for Billy the Kid's biological father, there is absolutely nothing known about him -not even a name. All we know is he had a mother named Catherine (maiden name unknown) and a younger brother named Joseph (middle and last name unknown), and absolutely nothing is known of his biological father. Its estimated that he was born around 1860-61 possibly in New York. [65] There is some doubt as to whether McCarty and McSween were even acquainted at the time of Brady's death. Or Henry Antrim. Family tree of Henry McCarty Billy the Kid - Geneanet It was released in May 1992 as the third single from his 1991 album Billy Dean. Forced to seek new lodgings when his foster family began to experience "domestic problems", McCarty moved into a boarding house and pursued odd jobs. 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. [33] The coroner's inquest concluded that McCarty's shooting of Cahill was "criminal and unjustifiable." [70] Frank Coe escaped custody a short time later, when his captors were occupied elsewhere. Add languages. There is an interesting tale of a mysterious stranger who came to the Ramah country to live shortly after Billy the Kid was "killed". Now an outlaw and unable to find honest work, the Kid met up with another outlaw named Jesse Evans, who was the leader of a gang of rustlers called The Boys. The Kid didn't have anywhere else to go and since it was suicide to be alone in the hostile and lawless territory, the Kid reluctantly joined the gang. Upon the Kid's release, however, the. History first traces the Kid as a youngster in Indiana in the late 1860s and then in Wichita, Kansas in 1870. 4K views 3 years ago #BillyTheKid #Travel The Spirits of the Lincoln County War | Haunted Travels - In the heart of the state of New Mexico, lies the historic ghost town of Lincoln. A Billy the Kid Mystery Solved - Indiana Historical Society 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. When Grant fired, nothing happened, and McCarty then shot him. By 1873 he had moved west to New Mexico as a result of his mother remarrying after. So they took the law in their own hands. This year, in her book Billy the Kid's Writings, Words, and Wit, Billy the Kid historian Dr. Gale Cooper specifically authenticated an additional Billy the Kid letter. Or maybe William Bonney. The Kid wrote to the governor that he was tired of running and would surrender to authorities and testify against the Dolan side to have his murder charges dropped. Wilson. [59] Notably, Axtell refused to acknowledge the existence of the so-called "Santa Fe Ring", a group of corrupt Republican politicians and business leaders led by U.S. Attorney Thomas Benton Catron.

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