living descendants of billy the kid
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Though his life was short, he left a lasting impression on the American West. 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 is arrested and jailed in Lincoln County for possessing horses belonging to cattleman John Tunstall. The governor, accompanied by James Dolan and associate John Riley, proved hostile to the faction now headed by McSween. A large number of residents in the surrounding country and . I hated those men and am glad that I lived long enough to see them all dead and buried". Most recently explored in the Discovery Channel documentary, Billy the Kid: Unmasked, this theory contends that Garrett went to the bedroom of Pedro Maxwell's sister, Paulita, and bound and gagged her in her bed. The family moved to Silver City in Grant County, located in southern New Mexico. He was a good boy, maybe a little too mischievous at times. After a short standoff, Billy the Kid came out and surrendered. There's also something fishy about this whole incident and there may have been more foul play then we're led to believe. 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]. The Kid got caught with it and was arrested. 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. [96] Mistaken for McCarty, he was shot down by the posse. The Kid surrendered and testified in court, but the Santa Fe Ring had influence over the court system, so members of the Dolan side, including James Dolan, were acquitted. Dave Stamey's "The Skies of Lincoln County", which features the deceased Bonney as narrator, answering historical distortions by Pat Garrett. Billy the Kid was born Henry McCarty and spent his early life in New York. [2] Some historians speculate that his image was created deliberately to distract the public's attention from the nefarious activities of the Dolan faction and their influential supporters in Santa Fe, notably regional political leader Thomas Benton Catron. This was done to prevent an accidental discharge should the hammer be struck. Blyth previously appeared in Benediction. [118] At least two men claimed to be McCarty, and they were successful in persuading a small segment of the public. Though he was serious in emergencies, his humor was often apparent even in such situations. No sooner had he woken Maxwell than the Kid also approached the house, having stopped nearby to get beef for a late dinner. Updates? The Death Of Billy The Kid, 1881. [35], George Coe, a cousin to Frank who also served as a Regulator, stated: "Billy was a brave, resourceful and honest boy. [42] Through them he met Frank Coe, George Coe and Ab Saunders, three cousins who owned their own ranch near to the ranch of Dick Brewer. The Green Mile, Wild Bill has a tattoo of Billy the Kid in the 1999 film. Henry McCarty; aka Billy the Kid; aka Willian H Bonney (he used his grandfather's name). He also appeared in another period. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. The song spent twenty weeks on the Hot Country Songs chart in 1992, peaking at number four. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. [99] Wallace, however, refused to intervene,[99] and the Kid's trial was held in April 1881 in Mesilla. Footnote 2: Its my guess that Billy the Kids stepfather never legally adopted his stepsons, since the Kid would also be referred to by his last name McCarty in Silver City. As for William McCloskey, he was a Regulator suspected for playing both ends of the table and tried to intervene in Morton and Bakers execution after the Regulators arrested them. [26] According to some accounts, he eventually found work as an itinerant ranch hand and shepherd in southeastern Arizona. 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. McCarty was buried the next day in Fort Sumner's old military cemetery, between his fallen companions Tom O'Folliard and Charlie Bowdre. [78] After a five-day siege, McSween's house was set on fire by the sheriff's posse. On the fifth day of the siege the Dolan side was getting impatient, so they set the house on fire. The Illegal Rebirth of Billy the Kid is a science fiction novel by Rebecca Ore, published in 1991. Unlike other Old West outlaws such as Jesse James, Cole Younger or Butch Cassidy, Billy the Kid didnt make his living as a bandit. If his spectacular escape wasn't enough, his controversial death was the final dramatic ending to his story. Thanks to Billy the Kid, New Mexico has a thriving business in tourism as a steady flow of tourists each year come to visit the Billy the Kid sites. [87] While popular accounts often depict McCarty and Garrett as "bosom buddies", there is no concrete evidence that they were ever friends. [12] By 1868, Catherine McCarty had moved with her two young sons, Henry and Joseph, to Indianapolis, Indiana. By July of 1881, Garrett heard rumors that Billy the Kid was in the Fort Sumner area, so with two deputies he rode into Fort Sumner. In 1949, a paralegal named William Morrison located a man in West Texas named Ollie P. Roberts (nicknamed "Brushy Bill"), who claimed to be Billy the Kid and challenged the popular account of Billy's slaying at the hands of Pat Garrett in 1881. Deputy James Carlyle, member of the posse that tried to capture Billy the Kid, Dirty Dave Rudabaugh, and Billy Wilson. Updated: April 8, 2020 | Original: July 14, 2016. One-Eyed Jacks (1961) is the only film directed by actor Marlon Brando, who also played its lead character, Rio. 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. [96] Soon afterward, somebody from within the building reached for the horse's halter rope, but Garrett shot and killed the horse, whose body blocked the building's only exit. The colonel came with troops along with a Howitzer and Gatling gun. He also recorded it in 1944 for Moe Asch's Asch/Folkways label (MA67).[128]. 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. [79] McCarty and the other Regulators fled, although McCarty is believed by some to have killed one "House" member named Bob Beckwith. Although he claimed to have killed 21 men, the actual number is likely less than 10. After a year of no parental guidance and looking out for himself, the Kid quickly fell in with the wrong crowd. Dolan sent for Colonel Dudley at Fort Stanton for assistance. The outlaw was found guilty of the murder of Sheriff William Brady and confined to the Lincoln courthouse. [101] The details of the escape are unclear. [28] Sheriff Whitehill would later say that he liked the boy, and his acts of theft were more due to necessity than wantonness. [35], Deluvina Maxwell, a friend of Billy the Kid, stated: "Garrett was afraid to go back in the room to make sure of whom he had shot. Son of Patrick Henry McCarty and Catherine Antrim When Cahill fell over the Kid squirmed free, ran off, and mounted the nearest horse and fled Camp Grant. 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). 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. He went by many names -- Henry McCarty, William Henry Bonney (William H. Bonney), Oliver P. Roberts (Ollie), and, most notably, Billy the Kid. Footnote 1: There's a mystery with the last name of McCarty; it's speculated that it may be his father's name, mother's maiden name, or the last name of his half brother's father. The Kid assumes the alias William H. Bonney. [1] The song was written by Dean and Paul Nelson. [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. Shot three times and killed on Nov. 27, 1880 , possibly by Billy the Kid, Dirty Dave and Wilson, possibly by his own posse. The Kid then jerked Bell's pistol and told him to throw up his hands, but instead the deputy ran and the Kid had no choice but to shoot him. He then armed himself with a double-barreled shotgun and gunned down a second guard who was crossing the street. Some researchers believe that a sympathizer placed a pistol in a nearby privy that McCarty was permitted to use, under escort, each day. The feud would be famously known as the Lincoln County War (4). [89] Recognizing their mistake, the posse members became demoralized and scattered, enabling McCarty and his gang to slip away. The Regulators began to panic, so the cool-headed Billy the Kid, only about seventeen years old, took over leadership of the men. On April 28, 1881 the Kid made his most daring escape (which would also be his last). [19] Although she was fondly remembered by onetime boarders and neighbors as "a jolly Irish lady, full of life and mischief",[20] she was already in the final stages of tuberculosis when the family reached Silver City. [69] For a short period, the Regulators benefited from the appointment of Sheriff John Copeland, who proved sympathetic to the McSween faction. Lucky Billy: a novel about Billy the Kid is a 2008 novel by John Vernon, a professor at Binghamton University. [87], Other versions of this story exist. He never pushed in his advice or opinions, but he had a wonderful presence of mind. They retaliated by killing Bill Morton, Frank Baker and William McCloskey. Early in life, he adopted the nickname Billy the Kid. [74] Around the time of Segovia's death, the Regulator "iron clad" gained a new member, a young Texas "cowpoke" named Tom O'Folliard, who became McCarty's close friend and constant companion. [109] A markedly different theory, in which Garrett and his posse set a trap for McCarty, has also been suggested. Billy the Kids grave is in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. On the contrary, the evidence (from viewing his photo correctly) is that he was right-handed: he wears his pistol on his right hip with the butt pointing backwards in a conventional right-handed draw position. [99], One widely reported characteristic of McCarty has stood the test of research: his personal charisma and popularity. Nashville Tennessean. McCarty retrieved the gun, and turned it on Bell when the pair had reached the top of a flight of stairs in the courthouse. Gore Vidal's Billy the Kid,[125] Gore Vidal's 1989 film starring Val Kilmer as Billy and Duncan Regehr as Pat Garrett. a 19th century American frontier outlaw and gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War. Outside of his gunfighting days with the Regulators, his main criminal enterprise was rustling cattle on the New Mexico plains. Lincoln is. Billy the Kid was unable to settle down, so he made his living by gambling and rustling cattle. Its estimated that he was born around 1860-61 possibly in New York. He became handy with a Winchester rifle and a Colt revolver, and in August 1877 he killed his first man during a dispute in an Arizona saloon. By 1873 he had moved west to New Mexico as a result of his mother remarrying after. [82] In an effort to restore peace to Lincoln County, Wallace proclaimed an amnesty for any man involved in the Lincoln County War who was not already under indictment. 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. Billy the Kid is something of a phantom figure. 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. 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. Always a good marksman, he shot Grant in the chin". Then they ambushed Sheriff Brady and his deputy George Hindman in Lincoln (5). The tighter the place the more he showed his cool nerve and quick brain. Buster Crabbe played Billy the Kid in a serial series during 1942 and 1943. [8], Little is known about McCarty's origins, but many reputable scholars of western history "contend that he was born on the eve of the Civil War in the bowels of an Irish neighborhood in New York City (70 Allen Street). Quin es?" Billy stood with us to the end, brave and reliable, one of the best soldiers we had. The Kid asked Grant if he could see his ivory handled revolver and, while looking at the weapon, rotated the cylinder so the hammer would fall on the empty chamber when the trigger was pulled. One day while at a saloon in Camp Grant, Arizona, the Kid who was about sixteen at the time, got into serious trouble. [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. Before the local newspapers reported Pat Garrett shot and killed Billy the Kid in Pete Maxwell's bedroom on July 14, 1881, there were already rumors that Garrett killed the wrong man. [70] Frank Coe escaped custody a short time later, when his captors were occupied elsewhere. WATCH: Cowboys & Outlaws:The Real Billy the Kid on HISTORY Vault. [27] In 1876, he settled in the vicinity of Fort Grant Army Post in Arizona, where he worked local ranches and tested his skills at local gaming houses. According to one version of events, Carlyle heard a shot that had been fired accidentally outside. The Kid from Texas (1950, Universal International) film starring Audie Murphy--location of title character's place of origin changed to appeal to Texans and capitalize on Murphy association with that state. Our family looks favorably on Billy, we have some stories of him from our Jaramillo cousins. On the run again and an outlaw, the Kid went back to making a living the only way he knew how rustling. One version suggests that as the Kid entered, he failed to recognize Garrett in the poor light. All we know is that FOR SURE, according to Census, his mother married a man named Antrim. The tensions finally boiled over in February 1878, when Tunstall was murdered by a posse organized by Sheriff William Brady, a supporter of The House. [69], After Brewer's death, Frank McNab was elected as captain of the Regulators. The other guard Bob Olinger was across the street having dinner when he heard the gunshots. Billy used to lie about his identity often, including his age and birth to Census intakers. Catherine was suffering from consumption and her health began to deteriorate rapidly. [43], Late in 1877, McCarty, along with Brewer, Bowdre, Scurlock, the Coes and the Saunders, was hired as a cattle guard by John Tunstall, an English cattle rancher, banker and merchant, and his partner, Alexander McSween, a prominent lawyer. Wherever they were living, history picks up the family's trail in Santa Fe, New Mexico at the First Presbyterian Church . By 1871, Catherine was diagnosed with Tuberculosis and was told to move to a climate that was warmer and drier. There are also rumors that she had two more children with him . The Collected Works of Billy the Kid: Left-handed Poems, by Michael Ondaatje, 1970 Governor General's Award-winning biography in the form of experimental poetry. [9][10] Some genealogists argue, however, that the future outlaw was born William Henry Bonney, the son of William Harrison Bonney and wife Katherine Boujean, paternal grandson of Levi Bonney and wife Rhoda Pratt and great-grandson of Obadiah Pratt, who in turn were the Grandparents of Mormon leader Parley P. Pratt, making him and McCarty first cousins once removed. It is said that they were very much an item and even had a child together, a boy called Jose Patrocinio Garcia in 1875 which would make Billy only fifteen at the time of the birth. [88], In November 1880, a posse pursued and trapped McCarty's gang inside a ranch house owned by one of the Kid's friends, James Greathouse, at Anton Chico in the White Oaks area. So Tunstall gave him an ultimatum: if he testified against the other rustlers, Tunstall would hire him as an employee. We strive for accuracy and fairness. Ry Cooder recorded the folk song "Billy the Kid", on the album Into The Purple Valley,[129] with his own melody and instrumental. Young Guns II, Geoff Murphy's 1990 motion picture starring Emilio Estevez as Billy and William Petersen as Pat Garrett. [111], The undeserved notoriety that McCarty gained during the Lincoln County War effectively doomed his appeals for amnesty. 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. After a short stint working on the ranch of Henry Hooker, McCarty began working on the Coe-Saunders ranch. Henry hid the loot in his boarding house, but was arrested after his landlord turned him in to the sheriff. Father of Jose Patrocinio Garcia, alleged son of BTK; NN; Florentina Yerby, alleged daughter of BTK and Alexander Montoya [66][68] Four other Regulators were wounded in the skirmish.