She writes, A promise is a promise and should be enforced. An eye-opening journey through the history, culture, and places of the culinary world. History Channel 9 Things You May Not Know About Billy the Kid, History Channel Billy the Kid Convicted of Murder, History Collection Billy the Kid Is Arrested for the First Time (1875). Since that time, debates have raged over Robertss claims, and whether he was truly one of the Wests most notorious gunmen or just an old man looking for attention. Billy lights out for old Fort Sumner on the Pecos River, some 150 miles northeast of Lincoln. The second shot was useless; the Kid fell dead. To Poes great surprise, he recognized in the camper an old friend and former partner, in Texas, named Jacobs. Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. And that included his last escape, from the custody of Sheriff Garrett. Its the last day of Richardsons term. 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. Billy's arrest found him in Garrett's custody. 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. Believing the photo to include Billy the Kid (which would make it just the second known photo of him), Guijarro eventually found an authentication firm that verified his claim with facial recognition analysis and valued it at $5 million. A cropped version of the sole fully authenticated photo of Billy the Kid. Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. Originally published in the August 2006 issue of American History. Garrett tried to break the lease when he learned his creditor, W.W. Bill Cox, was financing Brazel. Amid controversy, Garrett was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 2, 1902. While we await the rumored Blu-ray of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid to surface (or was Alex Cox misinformed? However, there is no other evidence of this; we are relying on Anayas word alone for the entire existence of the jury and its verdict. During his downtime, he liked visiting the saloon, drinking, playing cards, and other healthy diversions for a 16-year-old boy. In November 1880, he and three of his gang were captured, and the Kid was tried and convicted for the murder of Brady. 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. Carl Adamson agreed to take the goats until Brazel discovered his estimate of the number of goats had been wrong and demanded the buyer take all 1,800 goats. The Regulators were able to ambush and kill Brady, but that didnt put an end to things. 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. Garrett decided to seek out Peter Maxwell, an old friend who lived in the area, in the hope that he could receive some details about the fugitives whereabouts. During a card game, Billy the Kid accused another player of cheating. There were at least 26 newspaper articles written that claimed Billy was still alive after July 14, 1881. According to popular legend, Garrett and McCarty were friends before he became an outlaw, but there is no historical evidence to support the theory. He was buried in the old military cemetery at Fort Sumner next to two of his gang members. 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. The Kid was convicted and sentenced to hang, but the following April, he made an audacious escape from prisonand killed deputies James Bell and Bob Olinger in the process. Garrett had recently caught the Kid, who was sentenced to hanging for killing Now, the stories of what actually happened next seem to clash, so suffice it to say that the Kid ended up in custody. Right, another photo of Billy the Kid, whowas celebrated for his gun skills and, according to popular legend killed 21 men - one for each year of his short life. He contacted the governor to exchange a witness statement for a pardon. 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. Garrett fired twice, hitting Billy once, and killing him. He realized that the law had made its way to Fort Sumner, so he fled towards Maxwells compound. Billy was sentenced to hang on April 13, 1881; the judge set his execution day for May 13. Frank Abrams, a North Carolina attorney, first spotted the tintype photo in Asheville in 2011. After the cease fire, McCarty and most of the Regulators fled town, but they were followed by Garrett, who wanted to cash in on the bounty on McCarty's head. But while under guard by two sheriff's deputies at a home, McCarty killed both men and then fled out of town on horseback. Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, declined to follow through with that pardon. 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.). He was armed with a knife and a gun. From gas leaks to eels, James "Smelly" Kelly changed the history of the city's underground. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Film Review: The Kid. The infamous Billy the Kid was no more. 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. It struck me that it might be Petes brother-in-law, Manuel Abreu, who had seen Poe and McKinney, and wanted to know their business. 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. He Was a Fast-Rising Judge in Arkansas. Click here to sign a petition for the pardon of Billy the Kid, or click here to sign a petition opposed to that pardon. It was at this point that many sources say the Kid began his life of crimestarting with stealing and progressing to murder. He came directly towards me. Billy the Kid, that heasked Sheriff Kimball to appoint him deputy sheriff until his term officiallybegan in January of 1881. He was then sent back to Lincoln County, where he was scheduled to be executed on May 13. Richardson is a known Billy the Kid aficionado, and is considering the pardon because of an alleged promise by Governor Lew Wallace. But how much of the myth is actually true? It was a good racket, but he couldnt stay out of trouble long enough to enjoy it. Brushy Bill and Billy the Kid, the whole story, thats part of who we are now, Eidson says. Billy the Kids life and mystique have inspired countless novels, films, and songs. 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. Does Billy the Kid Deserve the Pardon He was Promised? Pat Garrett. found himself on the wrong side of the law, The authenticity of the photo has since been disputed, Bass Reeves, the bullet-dodging black lone ranger. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. We approached these houses cautiously, and when within earshot, heard the sound of voices conversing in Spanish. 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. 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. 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. The man, local blacksmith Frank Cahill, called Billy a pimp. The next scene with Jason Robards, James Coburn is sporting a nice moustache. Little is known about Billy the Kids early days, but Interviewed later by a reporter, he took in his surroundings and asked, "Is the jail at Santa Fe any better than this? History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. At around the same time, Billy was hungry, so he woke up and walked towards the fresh meat that was hanging on the rafter above the porch outside of Maxwells bedroom. There were various men in the American Southwest who went by the moniker "Billy the Kid." Brazels trial for the murder of Garrett lasted only one day, on May 4, 1909. He continues to look into whether the Kid rightfully deserves a posthumous pardon as promised by Governor Wallace. 2023 Atlas Obscura. Marshal named Robert Widenmann, there as part of a federal effort to restore order, who let him out (presumably sparing him the hassle of planning his third jail escape). They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Garretts body was left on the side of the road. At almost precisely the same time, Garrett woke Maxwell up; his friend was understandably annoyed at being disturbed. Stealing his gun, Billy shot him dead and hobbled in chains to the wardens office where he grabbed a shotgun and perched in the window. The comments below have not been moderated. In July 1881 he tracked down and shot the escaped murderer Billy the Kid. Those who oppose the pardon argue that there is no proof that Governor Wallace ever offered one; he may have simply tricked Kid in to offering up information. While trying to verify the photo, Abrams approached Robert Stahl, a retired professor emeritus at Arizona State University who is no stranger to the history of Billy the Kid. Wikimedia CommonsThe disputed photo bought by Randy Guijarro, allegedly showing Billy the Kid (center). On his way to freedom, charming Billy killed two of his jailers. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. 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. 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. 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." Another hypothesis is that Billy the Kid was in fact Ollie L. (Brushy Bill) Roberts, who escaped, lived in Mexico and the U.S. Southwest, rode in Wild West shows, and died in 1950 in Hico, Texas. Whos that?) All this occurred in a moment. 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. Richardson told the Associated Press on Wednesday, I dont know where Ill end up. Even by frontier standards, he was young. I wont put a price on it, quite frankly its priceless. We'll see what happens,' Abrams said. This story originally ran in 2017; it has been updated for 2022. Despite his young age, Kid was said to have killed anywhere between 9 and 21 men. After the escape, Garrett set out to remove Billy from the landscape, one way or another. He stated that he decided against the pardon, because of a lack of conclusiveness and the historical ambiguity as to why Gov. Richardsons deputy chief of staff Eric Witt wants to clarify that they are not offering a general pardon for all of Kids crimes, but rather a pardon for the individual case of killing a sheriff. After his release, Billy the Kid joined up with a posse called the Lincoln County Regulators in order to avenge Tunstalls death. After a week or two, he made a connection with some local cattle rustlers who made a living out of stealing cattle from a businessman named John Chisum in Lincoln County, New Mexico. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. The Washington Post One Mans Quest to Bury the Wild West Mystery of Billy the Kids Death. Pats son Dudley arranged with Jesse Brazel for a five-year lease of the Garretts Bear Canyon Ranch. Maybe they lacked imagination, though "Willy Wet Behind the Ears" doesn't scan particularly well. Bonney woke up and went into the kitchen, presumably to get something to eat. Who Killed The Sheriff Who Shot Billy the Kid? In Hico Billy is everywhere, from a statue downtown, to the standee in the Chamber of Commerce, to the monumental arch over Robertss grave. A few months later, Garrett married Apolinaria Gutierrez, his sister-in-law. Mblitch CC BY-SA 3.0. There is no doubt there that Billy the Kid is one of their own, and theyre happy to tell the world. In 1881, he was apprehended by Sheriff Pat Garrett and sentenced to death by hanging for murder. Now the law had yet another reason to be after Billy the Kid. 'Right now, that is not the first thing on my mind. At some point, someone shot and killed Garrett, but exactly who did it has been a subject of debate. Hes since been romanticized in print, and on stage, television, and film as an emblem of the lawless West. So, the Kid escaped custody and eluded the law for the next two years. Billy was sentenced to hang on April 13, 1881; Pat Garrett, the man who shot Billy the Kid. Brushy Bill was very well known around these parts, says Jane Klein, historian at the Billy the Kid Museum. Apache scouts, the Pinkertons, and local Republican Party members all joined in to try and locate the Fountains, with no results. "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." It was near midnight and Pete was in bed. He was the sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico, as well as Doa Ana County, New Mexico. 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). Portrait of Pat Garrett from The Story of the Outlaws. 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. He wore a broad-brimmed hat, a dark vest and pants, and was in his shirtsleeves. Memorial marking spot where Pat Garrett was killed. I guess well just all have to anxiously await the outcome of this deceased outlaws judicial fate. Biggest diamond EVER sold at auction sells Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, 'Vindication': Georgia Harrison on ex Stephen Bear's sentencing, Incredible footage of Ukrainian soldiers fighting Russians in Bakhmut, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' However, Poe and several other people say they moved the body quickly, dressed it and prepared it for a wake. Garrett went on to be a rancher, customs collector, sheriff of another county, and terrible gambler. Thinking fast, Billy told Grant that he admired his revolver and asked if he could look at it. In April 1878, the Regulators ambushed Brady and four of his deputies on a main street in Lincoln. Now these are strange things for someone that is a fraud to focus on. CNN A Pardon for The Notorious Billy the Kid? For horse theft, of course. Billy supposedly aimed his gun at Poe while backing into the nearest door, which happened to be Maxwells bedroom. I asked him as to the whereabouts of the Kid.