Did Pat Garrett kill Billy the Kid as per the official tale? One particular misstep in the Kids life was his affiliation with the Lincoln County War. Real Clear Life. Born Henry McCarty, he was the first of two boys raised by a small Irish Catholic family in New York City. Alternate titles: Brushy Bill, Henry McCarty, William H. Bonney, Jr. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. 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. The first is that Garrett sat down down to speak with the homeowner when McCarty unexpectedly came in with his gun drawn, asking 'Who is it? Hurricane (part 1) Bob Dylan Lyrics 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. Garrettwas dismissed in1906 and returned to New Mexico. Garrett had recently caught the Kid, who was sentenced to hanging for killing In Naples, Praying With Skulls Is an Ancient Tradition, Show & Tell With the Staff of Chicagos Field Museum, A Visit to the Museum of Broken Relationships, A Journey Through Black History in Miniature, The World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things, See the Mysterious Horned Helmet of Henry VIII, One Street: Chinatown-International District, Seattle, Hawaiis Native-Language Newspaper Archive, 'Discovering' Mexico's Monarch Butterfly Migration, The Real Story Behind George Washington's Dentures. Garrett fired twice, hitting Billy once, and killing him. How Billy the Kid Died, as Sheriff Pat Garrett Tells It Pat Garrett 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?" The Kid remained and Garrett was true to his word and arrested his former friend. In 1931, locals raised money to give him a proper headstone. Although the book was not successful when it was released, an originaledition became quite valuable over the years. In November 1950, Morrison filed a petition on behalf of Brushy Bill. Did Billy the Kid Cheat Death and Live on as 'Brushy Bill'? Garrett, who had been tracking the Kid for But they were only able to arrest John Webb, an accused murderer, along with horse thief George Davis. in Spanish. 15 Most Famous Cowboys and Outlaws of the Wild West He added: 'People ask me all the time, what do you think its worth, what do you think its worth. He was buried in the old military cemetery at Fort Sumner next to two of his gang members. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Brazels trial for the murder of Garrett lasted only one day, on May 4, 1909. It was near midnight and Pete was in bed. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life at the best online prices at eBay! 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 After he thought about it, though, he told [Morrison] that he was Billy the Kid. Wikimedia CommonsLew Wallace, before he became governor. WebFind helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Young Guns 2 at Amazon.com. His parents were Irish immigrants who came to America and married just after turning 20. Thats him! Simultaneously the Kid must have seen, or felt, the presence of a third person at the head of the bed. When you listen to his real story, he talks about how he wasnt an outlaw, how he never robbed banks or stagecoaches, how he resented the fact that Governor Lew Wallace reneged on his promise of a pardon in 1879 and left him to die, Edwards says. Exactly how Billy the Kid was shot to death on July 14, 1881 has been the subject of widespread speculation. Billy the Kid convicted of murder 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. Garrett was well aware that Billy was a cockeyed optimist when it came to hopes for escape. He had stopped his wagon on a lonely road about four miles east of Las Cruces, New Mexico, in order to empty his bladder. McCartys family life was total chaos from the start. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). 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. The photo of the Kid discovered in 2015 has since been estimated to be worth $5 million. He also wouldnt have backed into a darkened doorway where more danger possibly lurked. 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 Born on New York Citys East Side, Billy as a child migrated with his parents to Kansas; his father died there, and the mother and her two boys moved to Colorado, where she remarried. 'Only known photograph discovered' of Billy the Kid and Pat During this fight, the Army was forced to intervene and the Regulators lost many of their men. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Billy Hathorn / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0), Carol M. Highsmith/Library of Congress/LC-DIG-highsm-29831. Some believe that the Kid lived on as Brushy Bill Roberts, but others believe that the Kid was in fact buried the next day in the Fort Sumner cemetery. 2023 Atlas Obscura. This story originally ran in 2017; it has been updated for 2022. It is believed to benow worth millions of dollars. They were acquitted of the Fountain killings, and the charges for killing the deputy were dismissed. 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. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pat-Garrett, HistoryNet - Pat Garrett Was the Last Great Frontier Lawman, Texas State Historical Association - The Handbook of Texas Online - Biography of Pat Garrett, Robert Garrett - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). This man was Billy; he was lounging around the orchard at the same time the lawmen entered. Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. In July, Garrett caught wind that Billy might be staying with a friend in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. McCarty, was a member of the Regulators gang. Garrett succeeded in capturing Billy the Kid and a few other outlaws at Stinking Springs on December 23, 1880. He joined the wrong groups and wound up running from the law. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The defining issue revolves around the belief that Wallace promised this pardon in exchange for Kids knowledge in a murder case involving three men. Frank Abrams, a North Carolina attorney, first spotted the tintype photo in Asheville in 2011. Together the couple had nine children four girls and five boys. 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HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. In July 1881 he tracked down and shot the escaped murderer Billy the Kid. ', This undated file photo (left) is thought to be an image of famed gunslinger Billy the Kid near the age of 18. August 10th, 2010. The pardon was on behalf of the killing of Sherriff William Brady in 1878. At almost precisely the same time, Garrett woke Maxwell up; his friend was understandably annoyed at being disturbed. People in Hico, Texaspopulation 1,780 and home to the Billy the Kid Museumtell a slightly different version. For starters, Billy the Kids name wasnt Billy and he wasnt born in the western United States. One of his first acts was to capture Billy the Kid, sending him to trial for the murder of the Lincoln sheriff and his deputy. McCarty was just 21 when he died. He did, however, manage to escape from jail and go on the run. The two men knew each other and had socialized with one another; it might be a stretch to call them friends. Word reached him of the death, but he didnt cut his trip short and missed the funeral. Join us for a daily celebration of the worlds most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places. 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. Circa 1879-1880. I believe he lived, had many more adventures before he finally died in Hico in 1950. Billy the Kid Hes since been romanticized in print, and on stage, television, and film as an emblem of the lawless West. But then I might. For instance, Poe does not remember the significant incident at the peach orchard. Pat Garrett | American lawman | Britannica 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. john chisum ranch map Perhaps he killed an innocent man as the fugitive escaped and fled to Mexico? 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.. 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. Before the sun came up, the Kid was underground with nothing but a wooden marker for his grave. 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. But before Garrett could get his prisoners to jail, he had to defend them from a lynch mob that formed around the train on the route to Santa Fe. Billy the Kid was born Henry McCarty to Irish immigrants in New York City around 1859. Historians say that this photo shows outlaw Billy the Kid, circled second from left, and Pat Garrett, circled far right, taken in 1880. Updates? All rights reserved. That same year, a man named Randy Guijarro bought an old photo for $2 at a shop in Fresno, California. On April 15th, Judge Warren Bristol sentenced Billy the Kid to hang, but he escaped before the sentence was carried out. He hoped that Morrison could help him claim the pardon that New Mexico Governor Lew Wallace supposedly promised Billy the Kid back in 1879. At that moment a man sprang quickly into the door, looking back, and called twice in Spanish, Who comes there? No one replied and he came on in. Lew Wallaces descendant William Wallace argues that pardoning Billy the Kid would, declare Lew Wallace to have been a dishonorable liar. 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. Garrett learned that The Kid had been in and out of Sumner, New Mexico, and was staying there with Pete Maxwell. Before I made the discoveries I made in my book, I did not have an opinion on Brushy Bill, says Edwards. He continues to look into whether the Kid rightfully deserves a posthumous pardon as promised by Governor Wallace. Lets get the issue of imposters out of the way quickly. See. But then they took him to the jail house Where they try to turn a man into a mouse. I've always been somebody who's interested in history and background.'. In 1882, Garrett and his ghost writer, Marshall Upson, published The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid. There are plenty of conspiracy theories about Garrett's assassination. Born in Alabama and reared in Louisiana, Garrett left home at about the age of 17 and headed for Texas and the life of a cowboy and buffalo hunter. 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 known as the man who killed Billy the Kid (q.v.). Sheriff Pat Garretts grandson, J.P. Garrett, argues that Richardson should have assigned an impartial historian to aid in the case, and believes that McGinns involvement may be a conflict of interest. Garrett gets word that the Kid is hiding out near Maxwells place. Each landowner was supported by their own gang. Billy had numerous friends and people sympathetic to his plight at the Fort, so the lawmen found it difficult to extract any information. A photo that was bought at a flea market for $10 shows Billy the Kid standing with the lawman who would ultimately kill him, experts have concluded. When the Kid, by me unrecognized, left the orchard, I motioned to my companions, and we cautiously retreated a short distance, and, to avoid the persons whom we had heard at the houses, took another route, approaching Maxwells house from the opposite direction. Whether it was time with the infamous Regulators and his exploits during the Lincoln County War, or his dramatic escapes from custody culminating in his death at the hands of Pat Garrett in 1881, Billy the Kid is one of the most mythologized figures in American history. Exactly what happened after that has been the subject of speculation ever since, but everyone agrees on one fact: On the night of July 14, Billy the Kid was shot to death in Maxwells home. 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. On the evening of July 14, Garrett waited inside Maxwell's bedroom. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. Amid controversy, Garrett was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 2, 1902. Marshals Posse. Richardson appointed Charles Daniels to the state Supreme Court, whom McGinn is married to. An eye-opening journey through the history, culture, and places of the culinary world. New Lincoln County Sheriff Pat Garrett and his posse captured Billy the Kid at a place called Stinking Springs on December 23, 1880. While Garrett was there, he was forced to defend himself from a local bully, Mariano Leiva, by shooting him in the shoulder. From gas leaks to eels, James "Smelly" Kelly changed the history of the city's underground. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. 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. The Kid's freedom was short lived however, when Garrett set down to find him on July 14, 1881. Financially, Garrett was a failure. In 1901 Garrett was appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt as Collector of Customs in El Paso. 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. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. In 1881, he was apprehended by Sheriff Pat Garrett and sentenced to death by hanging for murder. 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. Second Confirmed Photo of Billy the Kid Billy the Kid - Photo, Movie & Pat Garrett - Biography He managed to locate his stepfathers place in New Mexico, where he holed up for a few weeks. Circa 1879-1880. Brushy Bill Roberts, who died in 1950, claimed that he was the Kid. He was a gambler and heavy drinker andoften deeply in debt. He talked the guard into letting him out to use the outhouse and then on the way back in he slipped his chains and beat the guard to the ground. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. The Kid testified as promised, but the pardon was never granted. Ive just killed Pat Garrett! Deputy Lucero locked up Brazel, called for a coroners jury, and rode to the location of the murder. Now, the stories of what actually happened next seem to clash, so suffice it to say that the Kid ended up in custody. He states, Just think of all the good publicity New Mexico is receiving around the world on thisIts fun. Stahl said he thought it was a 'high probability' that it was Garrett in the photo, but he wasn't sure if another man was Billy the Kid. Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973 William Wallace agrees, also citing that McGinn has, meager qualifications. In 1948, a paralegal named William V. Morrison was investigating a man named Joe Hines, a survivor of the Lincoln County War, the feud that helped make Billy the Kids name. One of the residents of Fort Sumner, Paco Anaya, wrote that after the shooting, Garrett handed a piece of paper to Alejandro Segura, the Justice of the Peace. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. The image could be the last known picture of Billy the Kid, who was born Henry McCarty. Whatever happened, the answer will probably remain a secret forever. The two would have nine children over the years. It was at the saloon that Pat Garrett met and often gambled with William Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid. The two were seen together so often they soon took on the nicknames of Big Casino and Little Casino. But That Was Just the Beginning. As a result of one of the many ambushes that occurred, Lincoln County Sheriff William Brady and one of his deputies were found dead, having been shot by the Kid. But it wasnt to be. Brazel surrendered to Deputy Sheriff Felipe Lucero in Las Cruces, shouting, Lock me up. Billy the Kids life and mystique have inspired countless novels, films, and songs. He died by the gun of Sherriff Pat Garrett at age 21. Nevertheless, it says a lot about the continued American fascination with Billy the Kid that a mere photo of him would be valued at $5 million some 135 years after his death. The Old Man Who Claimed to Be Billy the Kid - Atlas Obscura Some of those in favor of Kids pardon have filed a petition, including defense attorney Randi McGinn who has offered to handle the case for free. Pats son Dudley arranged with Jesse Brazel for a five-year lease of the Garretts Bear Canyon Ranch. He then worked in Graham County as a farmhand, teamster, and cowboy. Now these are strange things for someone that is a fraud to focus on. 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 Wikimedia CommonsPat Garrett, the man who shot Billy the Kid. The Kid was known to be friendly and personable and a smart dresser, often wearing a Mexican sombrero. 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 for murdering a sheriff. He headed west with his family as a youth and had his first brush with the law in 1875 when he was arrested for stealing clothes from a Chinese laundry in Silver City, New Mexico. There are different accounts regarding the tip-off that brought the lawmen to Fort Sumner, the encounter at the orchard, and the moments before and after the shooting. Omissions? For example, a Mrs. Wood of Seven Rivers said she served the outlaw dinner three days after he was supposed to have died. 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. During an interview in 1983, Pat Garretts last surviving daughter, Elizabeth, claimed that her father did not kill the Kid. 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. He, too, knows Fort Sumner; he had once worked for Maxwell as a ranch hand. He was appointed deputy sheriff for the last two months of 1880 before taking office January 1, 1881. Wikimedia CommonsA cropped version of the sole fully authenticated photo of Billy the Kid. The victim, Patrick Floyd Jarvis Pat Garrett, was the former sheriff of Lincoln County best known for having killed outlaw Billy the Kid on July 14, 1881. Garrett served as sheriff of Doa Ana County from 1896 to 1900. He was murdered at about 10:30 on the morning of Feb. 29, 1908, some 5 miles east of Las Cruces. On his way to freedom, charming Billy killed two of his jailers. 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. The Kid was catapulted into legend due to the $500 bounty - then a staggering amount - on his head. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Although he claimed to have killed 21 men, the actual number is likely less than 10. He moved in with an El Paso prostitute; when Curry learned of Garretts situation, he withdrew his offer. The two talked of this and that. Born on New York Citys East Side, Billy as a child migrated with his parents to Kansas; his father died there, and the mother and her two boys moved to Colorado, where she remarried.