living descendants of billy the kid

William H. Bonney, known as Billy the Kid, was the youngest and most famous example of a gun-fighter from the American West. Hardly a moron, Billy received at least some formal schooling while he lived in Silver City, New Mexico. [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. He also appeared in another period. [81], In the Autumn of 1878, a former Union Army general, Lew Wallace, became Governor of the New Mexico Territory. The conflict centered on a business rivalry between British-born rancher John Tunstall and a pair of Irish tycoons named James Dolan and Lawrence Murphy. The Death Of Billy The Kid, 1881. Aaron Copland's Billy the Kid, a ballet that premiered in 1938. Always a good marksman, he shot Grant in the chin". 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 the late 1940s, an elderly Texas man known as Brushy Bill Roberts even claimed to be Billy the Kid in the flesh, but his story was largely discredited after family records revealed his birthdate to be 1879. Concluding that the posse members had shot down Greathouse, he chose escape, crashed through a window and was fired upon and killed. 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. [46] After murdering Tunstall, the gunmen shot down his prized bay horse. He then armed himself with a double-barreled shotgun and gunned down a second guard who was crossing the street. The Green Mile, Wild Bill has a tattoo of Billy the Kid in the 1999 film. When Otero met Bonney in 1881, the Otero family and other prominent Hispanos of central and northern New Mexico shared little . Young Guns II, Geoff Murphy's 1990 motion picture starring Emilio Estevez as Billy and William Petersen as Pat Garrett. Who is it?"). He was a pawn in losing game and he was made a scapegoat for other outlaws crimes. Tunstall came to Lincoln to start his own business and ranch, but Dolan didnt like the competition and set out to drive him away. Other investigators have since theorized that the Kid lived to be an old man under the alias John Miller. Millers alleged remains were exhumed in 2005, but a plan to compare his DNA to the Kids never materialized. But after some close calls, arrest, and escaping from custody, the Kid decided it was wiser to give up his new occupation. The other guard Bob Olinger was across the street having dinner when he heard the gunshots. Finally on December 23, 1880 Garrett trapped the Kid and three other gang members at a cabin in Stinking Springs. 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). He was born on December 21, 1925, and he passed away on April 25, 2023. Instead he was a gunfighter in a feud between two factions in which both sides stole from each other and killed. [109] A markedly different theory, in which Garrett and his posse set a trap for McCarty, has also been suggested. The outlaw was found guilty of the murder of Sheriff William Brady and confined to the Lincoln courthouse. [65] According to a contemporary newspaper account, the Regulators disclaimed "all connection or sympathy with McSween and his affairs" and expressed their sole desire to track down Tunstall's murderers. 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. [112] A number of the Regulators faded away or secured amnesty, but McCarty was in no position to accomplish either. As he pretended to admire it, he spun the cylinder so the hammer would fall on an empty chamber. cavalrymen. Upon returning to Lincoln, the Regulators reported that Morton and Baker had been shot on March 9 near Agua Negra during an alleged escape attempt. As the story goes, a drunk named Joe Grant was terrorizing the bars patrons and threatening to kill someone before the night was out. [54][57][58] On the very day that McCloskey, Morton, and Baker were slain, Governor Samuel Beach Axtell arrived in Lincoln County to investigate the ongoing violence. McCarty vehemently denied shooting Carlysle,[89] and later wrote to Governor Wallace, claiming to be innocent of this crime and others attributed to him. Forced to seek new lodgings when his foster family began to experience "domestic problems", McCarty moved into a boarding house and pursued odd jobs. The war was over; the Regulators disbanded and the Kid was now a fugitive. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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. Even in death Billy the Kid is likeable and he has a large following with people all over the word. [30] Biographer Robert M. Utley writes that the nickname arose because of McCarty's "slight build and beardless countenance, his young years, and his appealing personality". The pair had been searching for McCarty's physical remains since 2003, starting in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, and eventually ending up in Arizona. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. McCarty was transported from Fort Sumner to Las Vegas, where he gave an interview to a reporter from the Las Vegas Gazette. When asked about the incident later, he remarked, "It was a game for two, and I got there first". News of the brazen escape was soon reprinted in newspapers across the country, making the Kid the most wanted man in the West. 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. They were now viewed as the bad guys and warrants were put out for their arrest. John Tunstall was brutally murder by members of Sheriff Bradys posse and the Boys. [97] Realizing that they had no hope of escape, the besieged and hungry outlaws finally surrendered later that day and were allowed to join in the meal. The Kid now had to earn his own keep, so he was put to work washing dishes and waiting on tables at a restaurant. Wallis wrote in 2007 that McCarty was ambidextrous. [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. 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. Billy the Kid was born in 1859, most likely in New York City. Bill Richardson to. [16] Antrim found sporadic work as a bartender and carpenter but soon became more interested in prospecting and gambling for fortune than in his wife and stepsons. 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. [50], McSween, who abhorred violence, took steps to punish Tunstall's murderers through legal means; he obtained warrants for their arrests from the local justice of the peace John B. He was a good boy, maybe a little too mischievous at times. [21] The following year, on September 16, 1874, Catherine McCarty died; she was buried in the Memory Lane Cemetery in Silver City. With appearances from Billy Strings, Charley Crockett, Chris . 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. American composer Mark Nichols (American Composer/Playwright) wrote a popular score for Michael Ondaatje play,"The Collected Works of Billy the Kid" in 1990. 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. [89] A posse member named James Carlyle[90] ventured into the house under a white flag, in an effort to negotiate the group's surrender. According to one version of events, Carlyle heard a shot that had been fired accidentally outside. Little of substance is known about Billy's life during this period, and myth has replaced fact to shroud the early years of Billy . Henry McCarty Billy the Kid (Henry Antrim) ( Henry McCarty) William H. Bonney Born 17 September 1859 - New York, NY Baptized 28 September 1859 - St. Peter's Church, Manhattan, New York, NY Deceased 14 July 1881 - Fort Sumner, DeBaca Co., NM,aged 21 years old Outlaw 2 files available Parents Patrick McCarty 1828-1869 Catherine Devine 1829-1874 (Spanish for "Who is it? "As [McCarty] was leaving the saloon, his back turned to Grant, he heard a distinct click. [66][68] Four other Regulators were wounded in the skirmish. The family moved to New Mexico, and, in his early teens, Billy fell into a career of thievery and lawlessness, wandering throughout the Southwest and northern Mexico, often with gangs. [64], The connection between McSween and the Regulators was ambiguous, however. Although he claimed to have killed 21 men, the actual number is likely less than 10. Story from an adaptation by Rod Serling of a Charles Neider novelization of Billy the Kid's life, with a later revision among others by Sam Peckinpah. History first traces the Kid as a youngster in Indiana in the late 1860s and then in Wichita, Kansas in 1870. 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. 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. By nightfall, the house was completely ablaze and heat from the flames were overwhelming. Legends grew over time that Billy the Kid had somehow cheated death, despite eyewitness accounts of his slaying. The feud would be famously known as the Lincoln County War (4). According to legend, he killed 21 men, but he is generally accepted to have killed between four and nine. Another theory holds that McCarty slipped off his manacles at the top of the stairs, struck Bell[102] over the head with them, grabbed Bell's own gun, and shot him with it. 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. [108] There are at least two versions of what happened next. [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. 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. Ms Kelly, the late Queen's confidante and stylist for more than 20 years, is leaving her grace-and-favour cottage in the grounds of Windsor Castle for a new life in the Peak District - 180 miles away. "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. The arrangement called for McCarty to submit to a token arrest and a short stay in jail until the conclusion of his courtroom testimony. [37] During this period, McCarty was spotted by a resident of Silver City, and the teenager's involvement with the notorious gang was mentioned in a local newspaper. Billy used to lie about his identity often, including his age and birth to Census intakers. We strive for accuracy and fairness. The Kid was the only one convicted and punished over the events of the war. At the time Brady arrested them, the two men were attempting to serve a warrant on Brady for his suspected role in looting Tunstall's store after the Englishman's death, as well as his posse members for the murder of Tunstall. Shot three times and killed on Nov. 27, 1880 , possibly by Billy the Kid, Dirty Dave and Wilson, possibly by his own posse. Following Tunstalls death, the Kid and several other former employees organized themselves into a vigilante group called The Regulators and swore revenge. [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. [1] The song was written by Dean and Paul Nelson. Now fighting for the Tunstall side and in the hopes of a better future, the Kid changed his name to William H. Bonney, but his friends called him Kid. Tensions were high and the feud between Dolan and Tunstall escalated in to bloody violence. Billy the Kid knew he didnt stand a chance in court and he had lost faith in the governor, so he escaped. The Kids original plan of escape was to take Bell prisoner, lock him up, and slip out unseen before Olinger came back. Corrections? The Kid decided to laid low long enough until the law would give up hunting him and he could rustle up some money and leave the territory. In January 1880, he reportedly killed a man named Joe Grant in a Fort Sumner saloon. In late 1880, Lincoln County Sheriff Pat Garrett tracked the Kid to a cabin in Stinking Springs, New Mexico, and forced his surrender. [118] In 2004, researchers sought to exhume the remains of Catherine Antrim, McCarty's mother, "so her DNA could be tested and compared with DNA to be taken from the body buried under the Kid's gravestone". Genealogist and historian Susan Stevenson talks to Michael about the extensive work she's done rebuilding William H. Bonney's family tree. Later that evening, Grant pulled the same pistol on the Kid and tried to shoot him in the back. McCarty retrieved the gun, and turned it on Bell when the pair had reached the top of a flight of stairs in the courthouse. 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. When he arrived, the young man was supposedly near death, but Mrs. Jones nursed him back to health. It was widely assumed throughout much of the 20th century that Billy the Kid was left-handed. Roberts may have actually been born 20 years later than Billy. [70] McNab was killed in a hail of gunfire, while Saunders was severely wounded and Frank Coe was captured. [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. Actor Tom Blyth will be starring in the upcoming TV series Billy the Kid, where he plays the titular character. 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. 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. [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. Omissions? His position was further undermined by a string of negative newspaper editorials that referred to him as "Billy the Kid". [7], A relative unknown during his own lifetime, he was catapulted into legend the year after his death when his killer, Sheriff Pat Garrett, along with co-author M.A. 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. One version suggests that as the Kid entered, he failed to recognize Garrett in the poor light. [118] Ultimately, the case was bogged down in the courts, "much to the delight of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who knows all too well the value of Billy as a cultural icon and a draw for tourists". [35], In fear of Cahill's friends and associates, McCarty fled Arizona Territory and entered New Mexico Territory. If his spectacular escape wasn't enough, his controversial death was the final dramatic ending to his story. The Kid was a thousand times better and braver than any man hunting him, including Pat Garrett". They could hear as the Kid gasped for breath and then all was quiet -Billy the Kid was dead (8). He was born Henry . 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. Source: About Billy the Kid William H. Bonney alias Billy the Kid is probably the most misunderstood historical figure of the Old West. Director: Oliver Drake | Stars: Anthony Dexter, Sonny Tufts, Marie Windsor, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers Votes: 147 15. Of course I cannot very well defend his stealing horses and cattle, but when you consider that the Murphy, Dolan, and Riley people forced him into such a lawless life through efforts to secure his arrest and conviction, it is hard to blame the poor boy for what he did". There is an interesting tale of a mysterious stranger who came to the Ramah country to live shortly after Billy the Kid was "killed". 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. 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. While McCarty and his gang were asleep inside, Garrett's posse surrounded the building and waited for sunrise. For the next 2 years the Kid tramped around as a ranch hand and gambler. As a child, Billy the Kid went under the name of Henry McCarty. [117], Frank Coe, who rode as a Regulator, recalled years after the Kid's death: "I never enjoyed better company. This was done to prevent an accidental discharge should the hammer be struck. There are some exc. To date, no results of the DNA tests have been made public. Various accounts recorded by friends and acquaintances describe him as fun-loving and jolly, articulate in both his writing and his speech, and loyal to those for whom he cared. After a short standoff, Billy the Kid came out and surrendered. MPI/Getty Images. One bullet struck the 21-year-old near his heart, killing him instantly. "[41], In the Autumn of 1877, McCarty (now widely known as Bonney) moved to Lincoln County, New Mexico, and was first hired by Doc Scurlock and Charlie Bowdre to work in their cheese factory. [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. Sarah Brown, the owner of a boarding house, gave him room and board in exchange for work. Billy the Kid has been the subject and inspiration for many popular works, including: Billy The Kid (1958), a serial poem by Jack Spicer. He took pleasure in tormenting the helpless prisoner and used his shotgun to intimidate him. [35], George Coe, a cousin to Frank who also served as a Regulator, stated: "Billy was a brave, resourceful and honest boy. Billy the Kid, also known as William Henry McCarty, Jr., was a 19th-century American outlaw and gunfighter. Though his life was short, he left a lasting impression on the American West. Henry McCarty. Billy the Kid was born Henry McCarty and spent his early life in New York. [99] Wallace, however, refused to intervene,[99] and the Kid's trial was held in April 1881 in Mesilla. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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. [33] The coroner's inquest concluded that McCarty's shooting of Cahill was "criminal and unjustifiable." [57] With this move, the McSween faction disillusioned many former supporters, who came to view both sides as "equally nefarious and bloodthirsty". The Left Handed Gun, Arthur Penn's 1958 motion picture based on a Gore Vidal teleplay, starring Paul Newman as Billy and John Dehner as Garrett. [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. [70] Frank Coe escaped custody a short time later, when his captors were occupied elsewhere. 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. Catherine was suffering from consumption and her health began to deteriorate rapidly. Supporting Dolan was the powerful Santa Fe Ring (similar to a mafia) in which members consisted of the governor, politicians and attorneys. A more likely explanation, however, was his slender physique, "which placed him in precarious situations with bigger and stronger boys".[24]. On the night of July 14, 1881, Garrett went to the home of rancher Peter Maxwell to question him about the outlaws whereabouts. A matter of fact, Billy the Kid is known as the Old West's most favorite outlaw. [69] Copeland's authority, however, was undermined by the Murphy-Dolan faction, which promptly rounded up recruits from among Sheriff Brady's former deputies. The Kid rode out of Lincoln a free man and headed to the only place he could call home: Fort Sumner. On April 28, 1881 the Kid made his most daring escape (which would also be his last). [24] In April, 1875, McCarty was arrested by Grant County Sheriff Harvey Whitehill, after McCarty stole some cheese. [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. In a four-year span between 1877 and 1881, the baby-faced outlaw was involved in the shooting deaths of some nine men, at least four of whom he killed singlehandedly. [101] The details of the escape are unclear. 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. [79] McCarty and the other Regulators fled, although McCarty is believed by some to have killed one "House" member named Bob Beckwith. All we know is that FOR SURE, according to Census, his mother married a man named Antrim. This wise precautionary move saved the Kid's life, because Grant then pulled his gun on him and fired. [78] After a five-day siege, McSween's house was set on fire by the sheriff's posse. Billy stood with us to the end, brave and reliable, one of the best soldiers we had. [17] At age 14, McCarty was taken in by a neighboring family who operated a hotel where he worked to pay for his keep. Ostensibly neutral, the column's actions worked to the clear advantage of the Dolan faction. Marty Robbins' song "Fastest Gun Around" from the 1963 album Return of the Gunfighter. [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. 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. The thirteen films included Blazing Frontier, The Renegade, Cattle Stampede, and Western Cyclone (1943).[122]. This nineteen or twenty year old lived a short life but made a lasting impression. Husband of Abrana Garcia, alleged wife of BTK and Juana Montoya "La Tullida" Patron, alleged girlfriend of BTK Deputy James Carlyle, member of the posse that tried to capture Billy the Kid, Dirty Dave Rudabaugh, and Billy Wilson. Since there were now two Billies in the household, the Kids mother referred to him by his middle name, he was now Henry McCarty-Antrim (2). Marty Robbins' song "Billy the Kid" from the album Gunfighter Ballads & Trail Songs Volume 3.

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