The official version is that Garrett was shot and killed by Wayne Brazel, a cowboy involved in a leasing dispute with Garrett. Brazel said he shot Garrett in self-defense. He was tried and acquitted in a trial in which the only other known person at the scene of the shooting did not testify and the jury returned a verdict in 15 minutes. Ive just killed Pat Garrett! Deputy Lucero locked up Brazel, called for a coroners jury, and rode to the location of the murder. One of Garretts deputies went to check the roof and was fatally shot. He was sentenced to hang and was then transferred to the courthouse and jail in Lincoln, but on April 28, 1881, he killed deputies James Bell and Robert Olinger and escaped. 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The picture is the only known photo of the Regulators gang all together. Billy the Kids grave is in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Although the book was not successful when it was released, an originaledition became quite valuable over the years. Its an area tailor-made for rustlers, and Billy knows it well. Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. He was plagued by debt in his later years, and while his ranch holdings weren't anywhere near profitable, their locations were desirable for water rights and staging grounds for, shall we say, nefarious activities. 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. Garrett settled a truce with the fugitives to retrieve his deputy, who died on the way to Las Cruces. 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? But That Was Just the Beginning. Garrett went on to be a rancher, customs collector, sheriff of another county, and terrible gambler. Though quick with a joke, he did not hesitate before pulling the trigger. In 1882, Garrett and his ghost writer, Marshall Upson, published The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid. New Mexico governor, Bill Richardson, has mere hours left to decide whether or not to pardon Billy the Kid in the killing of a sheriff. They are personal things, and things that make complete sense for him to be upset about if his story was true.. He is thought to have been 17 when he killed his first man in 1877 - although some historians say he could have been as young as 15 as the true year of his birth is not known. The other known pictures of the outlaw were believed to have been taken in 1877, 1878 and 1879. 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. Whos that?) All this occurred in a moment. As you can imagine, there is much controversy arising from this investigationwhich side will you join? Billy the Kid has long been one of the many names associated with the Wild West, alongside the Bob Dalton Gang, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Cole Younger, Jesse James, and more. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. 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. The moment word got out about his escape, New Mexicos governor put another $500 bounty on the Kid, dead or alive. 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. Texas. He hoped that Morrison could help him claim the pardon that New Mexico Governor Lew Wallace supposedly promised Billy the Kid back in 1879. 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. In 1878, to settle a dispute over a large debt owed by Tunstalls business partner to a rival cohort of local businessmen, Sheriff William Brady and his posse attempted to seize around $40,000 worth of Tunstalls cattle. During the Kids time as an outlaw, Pat Garrett was elected Sheriff and sent after him. It was near midnight and Pete was in bed. Now a fugitive, Henry McCarty had to lay low. In 1903, Garrett got into a public brawl with his employee, George Gaither. Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. During the ensuing confrontation, the sheriff and his posse, loyal to Tunstalls rivals, shot Tunstall off his horse and then picked up his own gun and used it to kill him with a shot to the back of the head. Once inside, he asked Maxwell: Who are these fellows outside Pete? Maxwell said: Thats him! to Garrett, who opened fire almost as soon as Billy said: who are you? in Spanish. He states, Just think of all the good publicity New Mexico is receiving around the world on thisIts fun. The Regulators were able to ambush and kill Brady, but that didnt put an end to things. When the governors office refused to give Garrett his $500 reward (for reasons that remain unclear), local citizens chipped in and raised $7,000 for him instead. 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. The black and white image, taken in August 1880, shows the notorious outlaw with a gang of men, one of whom is Sheriff Pat Garrett,Billy the Kid's former friend and the man who gunned him down. Pat Garrett eventually shot and murdered him in July 1881. He declared them matching in a notarized letter in September. 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. The Lincoln County justice of the peace was convinced but before Brady could be arrested, local deputies loyal to the sheriff arrested Billy and threw him in jail. 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. He was a gambler and heavy drinker andoften deeply in debt. 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. He was celebrated for his gun skills and, according to popular legend killed 21 men - one for each year of his short life. 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. Along with deputies Thomas McKinney and John Poe, Garrett reached the Fort on the night of July 14, 1881. 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. He was reportedly killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett, who later burnished the legend of the Wild West outlaw. Updates? 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. 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. I asked him as to the whereabouts of the Kid. Billy's arrest found him in Garrett's custody. Join us for a daily celebration of the worlds most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places. 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. 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. Circa 1879-1880. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. I guess well just all have to anxiously await the outcome of this deceased outlaws judicial fate. Garrett fired twice, hitting Billy once, and killing him. 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. After this look at Billy the Kid, read up on other legendary Wild West figures like legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley and Bass Reeves, the bullet-dodging black lone ranger. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. In April 1878, the Regulators ambushed Brady and four of his deputies on a main street in Lincoln. Even by frontier standards, he was young. These qualities contributed to his image as both a notorious outlaw and a folk hero. He said that the Kid had certainly been about, but he did not know whether he had left or not. He stated that he decided against the pardon, because of a lack of conclusiveness and the historical ambiguity as to why Gov. A few months later, Garrett married Apolinaria Gutierrez, his sister-in-law. This story originally ran in 2017; it has been updated for 2022. 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. But while under guard by two sheriff's deputies at a home, McCarty killed both men and then fled out of town on horseback. He then bought a horse ranch, leased it, and became involved in a heated dispute over the lease. Once again, Billy the Kid ended up in custody. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Either way, Billy sensed that trouble was coming and decided to head it off at the pass. 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. Billy lights out for old Fort Sumner on the Pecos River, some 150 miles northeast of Lincoln. Garrett succeeded in capturing Billy the Kid and a few other outlaws at Stinking Springs on December 23, 1880. A judge apparently ruled against the efforts, but that hasnt stopped present Governor Richardsons interest in the case. 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). Film Review: The Kid. Once again, Billy the Kid was now on the run. One of two confirmed photographs of Billy the Kid (left), playing croquet in New Mexico, 1878. After his release, Billy the Kid joined up with a posse called the Lincoln County Regulators in order to avenge Tunstalls death. While still young, his family relocated to New Mexico. 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. Nine years older than Billy, he'd been a buffalo hunter, hired gun, and cowboy before he ran for sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico, on a law-and-order platform. Garrett wouldn't find McCarty until two years later, a month after he was appointed sheriff. Out on his own, McCarty slipped across the border into Arizona Territory, which technically made him a federal fugitive from justice though the federal government didnt have a huge presence in Arizona at the time and Henry was pretty much free to do as he liked. On ABCs, Good Morning America Friday, Richardson explained that the evidence of the case simply did not warrant a pardon. 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." Pat Garrett. 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! New Lincoln County Sheriff Pat Garrett and his posse captured Billy the Kid at a place called Stinking Springs on December 23, 1880. He tried to work straight jobs (hotel worker, ranch hand) but quickly found himself on the wrong side of the law. Furthermore, several of Billys friends say he only had a knife and not a gun. Billy supposedly aimed his gun at Poe while backing into the nearest door, which happened to be Maxwells bedroom. Pat Garrett was a man of the times. El Paso Times 1934: Pistol That Killed Billy the Kid Will Be Returned to Garretts Widow. In 1879 he married and settled in Lincoln County, N.M., where he became first deputy sheriff and then sheriff. Billy the Kid was up for a posthumous pardon for the murder for which he was to be hanged. The Regulators and the new sheriffs forces clashed in July 1878 at whats become known as the Battle of Lincoln. Richardson is a known Billy the Kid aficionado, and is considering the pardon because of an alleged promise by Governor Lew Wallace. You can read all about Billys last night from the point of view of the man who shot him. Amid controversy, Garrett was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 2, 1902. The comments below have not been moderated. The governor agreed and suggested that, for appearances sake, he should arrest Billy and lock him up in jail before taking his statement about the other murder. 'To me, it's one of the most intriguing and historically significant of those tintypes of the Old West. For all of you Wild, Wild West aficionados out there, here is a post that is sure to be interesting! For example, Billy was extremely nave on the night in question. And this was before McDonald's. Garrett and his men laid siege to the Dedrick ranch at Bosque Grande on November 30th, expecting to find Billy the Kid. This time however, he was sentenced to hang for the death of Sheriff Brady. The Regulators found themselves cornered and under siege in a local saloon by elements of the local sheriffs posse. The Kid was catapulted into legend due to the $500 bounty - then a staggering amount - on his head. Billy the Kid was also still stealing. 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. Four months later, Billy the Kid escaped just after his conviction for murder. 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. Carl Adamson never appeared at the trial as a witness, and Brazel was acquitted. 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. On his way to freedom, charming Billy killed two of his jailers. Brazels trial for the murder of Garrett lasted only one day, on May 4, 1909. Were not trying to deceive anyone. Garrett claims that he stayed in Maxwells house with his men for the entire night. Wallace reneged on his promise., Copyright 2022 Crime Museum, LLC - All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy |. He also obtained a deputy U.S. Marshals commission to have jurisdiction in other counties. ), correspondent Darren Gross has come across a watchable web encoding of a Peckinpah TV drama that seems to be more or less lost. Good star performances (Jean Simmons, Bradford Corrections? They made it safely, however, and Garrett collected the $500 state bounty on Billys head. There are plenty of conspiracy theories about Garrett's assassination. One particular misstep in the Kids life was his affiliation with the Lincoln County War. He, too, knows Fort Sumner; he had once worked for Maxwell as a ranch hand. Its now summer 1881. Free shipping for many products! Its all just part of the areas mythology. 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. The other account is that it was McCarty who entered the home, holding his knife, when he noticed a dark figure in the house, and again asked 'Who Is it?' 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. He was armed with a knife and a gun. When Notorious Outlaw Billy the Kid Briefly Joined a U.S. 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. McGinn also says that Wallace assured Kid that he had the authority to exempt him from prosecution should he cooperate and share his knowledge, but that Wallace never held up his end of the deal. He continues to look into whether the Kid rightfully deserves a posthumous pardon as promised by Governor Wallace. On December 19, 1880, Bonney, Billy Wilson, Charlie Bowdre, Tom Pickett, and Tom OFolliard rode into Fort Sumner. The photo of the Kid discovered in 2015 has since been estimated to be worth $5 million. There is no doubt there that Billy the Kid is one of their own, and theyre happy to tell the world. That same year, a man named Randy Guijarro bought an old photo for $2 at a shop in Fresno, California. Ethan Hawke and Dane DeHaan ride tall in Vincent DOnofrios fresh take on the saga of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Historians say that this photo shows outlaw Billy the Kid, circled second from left, and Pat Garrett, circled far right, taken in 1880. As is the case with so many mythologized historical figures, it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction. In 1881, he was apprehended by Sheriff Pat Garrett and sentenced to death by hanging for murder. Quien es? (Whos that? However, Abrams isn't interested in finding out anytime soon. And yet with the good cheer came a surprising ruthlessness. There are also suggestions that Billy and Garrett were friends and planned the whole incident so the fugitive could escape. Billy Hathorn / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0), Carol M. Highsmith/Library of Congress/LC-DIG-highsm-29831. 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. That's when he recognized Garrett in the image. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. Thats him! Simultaneously the Kid must have seen, or felt, the presence of a third person at the head of the bed. Lee and Gililland stayed on the run for another eight months and finally surrendered. A quick online search reveals more than 50 films in which Billy the Kid is either the main character or a secondary one. Now the law had yet another reason to be after Billy the Kid. On the night ofJuly 14, 1881, Sheriff Pat Garrett gunned down outlaw Billy the Kid in Fort Sumner. After the shooting, Garrett claimed the Kid had a .41 caliber pistol in his hand, Poe said it was a .38 caliber. Memorial marking spot where Pat Garrett was killed. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The pardon was on behalf of the killing of Sherriff William Brady in 1878. Corrections? Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. There is little or no evidence to back up any of these claims. We learned, subsequently, that, when he left his companions that night, he went to the house of a Mexican friend, pulled off his hat and boots, threw himself on a bed, and commenced reading a newspaper. Each landowner was supported by their own gang. Richard Stockton is a freelance science and technology writer from Sacramento, California. 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.. Soon afterwards he was captured and shot by Lincoln County sheriff, Patrick Floyd Garrett in a sting operation. Patrick Floyd Jarvis Garrett was born in Chambers County, Alabama, on June 5, 1850. And that included his last escape, from the custody of Sheriff Garrett. A witness agreed, and Brazel went free. Mblitch CC BY-SA 3.0. The Kid was moved to a jail in Lincoln, New Mexico but escaped on April 28 before the hangmans noose could claim him. These qualities contributed to his image as both a notorious outlaw and a folk hero. When Billy called Cahill a son of a bitch, the fight was on and soon the men were wrestling over Billys (stolen) revolver. His parents were Irish immigrants who came to America and married just after turning 20. As they talked, Billy, said Garrett, "expressed no enmity towards me, but evinced respect and confidence in me acknowledging that I had only done my duty, without malice, and had treated him with marked leniency and kindness.". 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. The two talked of this and that. This is the real story of Billy the Kid. Originally published in the August 2006 issue of American History. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. Before the sun came up, the Kid was underground with nothing but a wooden marker for his grave. Roberts died a month later, and neither Billy the Kid nor Brushy Bill Roberts ever received a pardon. He was buried, it is said, in Fort Sumner Cemetery, with his associates Tom OFolliard and Charlie Bowdre, and the epitaph Palsthough none of them are likely directly under the tombstone there today. Shortly after his death, war broke out between the Jesse Evans Gang and the Regulators, who backed Tunstall. WebOn the night of July 14, 1881, Sheriff Pat Garrett gunned down outlaw Billy the Kid in Fort Sumner. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. 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. Once again, Billy didnt stay in jail for long. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Before I made the discoveries I made in my book, I did not have an opinion on Brushy Bill, says Edwards. During a card game, Billy the Kid accused another player of cheating. Click here to sign a petition for the pardon of Billy the Kid, or click here to sign a petition opposed to that pardon. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. 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. While in prison, the Kid escaped againthis time killing two guards in the process. Financially, Garrett was a failure. A cropped version of the sole fully authenticated photo of Billy the Kid. Garrett invited Tom Powers to go along and introduced Powers to the President as a prominent Texas cattleman; they sat for photographs with Roosevelt.
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