Billy the Kid (born Henry McCarty; September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), also known by the
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
William H. Bonney, was an
outlaw
An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them ...
and
gunfighter
Gunfighters, also called gunslingers (), or in the 19th and early 20th centuries gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in gunfights and shootouts. Today, the t ...
of the
American Old West, who killed eight men before he was shot and killed at the age of 21. He also fought in
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
's
Lincoln County War, during which he allegedly committed three murders.
McCarty was orphaned at the age of 15. His first arrest was for stealing food at the age of 16 in 1875. Ten days later, he robbed a Chinese laundry and was arrested again but escaped shortly afterwards. He fled from
New Mexico Territory
The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of ''Santa Fe de Nuevo México ...
into neighboring
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona (also known as Arizona Territory) was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of ...
, making himself both an outlaw and a federal fugitive. In 1877, he began to call himself "William H. Bonney". Two versions of a
wanted poster
A wanted poster (or wanted sign) is a poster distributed to let the public know of a person whom authorities wish to apprehend. They generally include a picture of the person, either a photograph when one is available or of a facial composite ...
dated September 23, 1875 referred to him as "Wm. Wright, better known as Billy the Kid".
After killing a blacksmith during an altercation in August 1877, McCarty became a wanted man in Arizona and returned to New Mexico, where he joined a group of
cattle rustlers. He became well known in the region when he joined the
Regulators
Regulator may refer to:
Technology
* Regulator (automatic control), a device that maintains a designated characteristic, as in:
** Battery regulator
** Pressure regulator
** Diving regulator
** Voltage regulator
* Regulator (sewer), a control de ...
and took part in the Lincoln County War of 1878. He and two other Regulators were later charged with killing three men, including Lincoln County Sheriff
William J. Brady and one of his deputies.
McCarty's notoriety grew in December 1880 when the ''Las Vegas Gazette'', in
Las Vegas, New Mexico
Las Vegas is a city in and the county seat of San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. Once two separate municipalities (one a city and the other a town), both were named Las Vegas—West Las Vegas ("Old Town") and East Las Vegas ("New Town" ...
, and ''
The Sun'', in New York City, carried stories about his crimes. Sheriff
Pat Garrett captured McCarty later that month. In April 1881, McCarty was tried for and convicted of Brady's murder, and was sentenced to hang in May of that year. He escaped from jail on April 28, killing two sheriff's deputies in the process, and evaded capture for more than two months. Garrett shot and killed McCarty, by then aged 21, in
Fort Sumner
Fort Sumner was a military fort in New Mexico Territory charged with the internment of Navajo and Mescalero Apache populations from 1863 to 1868 at nearby Bosque Redondo.
History
On October 31, 1862, Congress authorized the construction of For ...
on July 14, 1881.
During the decades following his death, legends grew that McCarty had survived, and a number of men claimed to be him. Billy the Kid remains one of the most notorious figures from the era, whose life and likeness have been
frequently dramatized in
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
popular culture.
He has been a feature of more than 50 movies and several television series.
Early life
Henry McCarty was born to parents of
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the British ...
ancestry, Catherine () and Patrick McCarty, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. A theory suggests that he was born on September 17, 1859, in New York City. He was baptized "Patrick Henry McCarthy" at the Church of St. Peter on September 28, 1859. While his birth year has been confirmed as 1859, the exact date of his birth has been disputed as either September 17 or November 23 of that year. A letter from an official of
Saint Peter's Church in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
states it is in possession of records showing McCarty was baptized there on September 28, 1859. Census records indicate his younger brother, Joseph McCarty, was born in 1863.
Following the death of her husband Patrick, Catherine McCarty and her sons moved to
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
, where she met William Henry Harrison Antrim. The McCarty family moved with Antrim to
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...
, in 1870. After moving again a few years later, Catherine married Antrim on March 1, 1873, at the First Presbyterian Church in
Santa Fe, New Mexico Territory; McCarty and his brother Joseph were witnesses to the ceremony. Shortly afterward, the family moved from Santa Fe to
Silver City, New Mexico
Silver City is a town in Grant County, New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat and the home of Western New Mexico University. As of the 2010 census the population was 10,315. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,704.
History
...
, and Joseph McCarty began using the name Joseph Antrim. Shortly before McCarty's mother, Catherine, died of
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
, then called "consumption", on September 16, 1874, William Antrim abandoned the McCarty boys, leaving them orphans.
First crimes
![Rancher Henry C Hooker retouched cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Rancher_Henry_C_Hooker_retouched_cropped.jpg)
McCarty was 15 years old when his mother died. Sarah Brown, the owner of a
boarding house, gave him room and board in exchange for work. On September 16, 1875, McCarty was caught stealing food.
Ten days later, McCarty and George Schaefer robbed a
Chinese laundry
Laundry refers to the washing of clothing and other textiles, and, more broadly, their drying and ironing as well. Laundry has been part of history since humans began to wear clothes, so the methods by which different cultures have dealt with ...
, stealing clothing and two pistols. McCarty was charged with theft and was jailed. He escaped two days later and became a fugitive,
as reported in the ''Silver City Herald'' the next day, the first story published about him. McCarty located his stepfather and stayed with him until Antrim threw him out; McCarty stole clothing and guns from him. It was the last time the two saw each other.
After leaving Antrim, McCarty traveled to southeastern
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona (also known as Arizona Territory) was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of ...
, where he worked as a ranch hand and gambled his wages in nearby gaming houses. In 1876, he was hired as a ranch hand by well-known rancher
Henry Hooker
Henry Clay Hooker (January 10, 1828 – December 5, 1907) was a prominent and wealthy rancher during the American Old West who formed the first and what became the largest American ranch in Arizona Territory. After growing up on the east coast, ...
.
During this time, McCarty became acquainted with John R. Mackie, a
Scottish-born criminal and former
U.S. Cavalry
The United States Cavalry, or U.S. Cavalry, was the designation of the mounted force of the United States Army by an act of Congress on 3 August 1861.Price (1883) p. 103, 104 This act converted the U.S. Army's two regiments of dragoons, one r ...
private who, following his discharge, remained near the U.S. Army post at
Camp Grant in Arizona. The two men soon began stealing horses from local soldiers. McCarty became known as "Kid Antrim" because of his youth, slight build, clean-shaven appearance, and personality.
On August 17, 1877, McCarty was at a saloon in the village of
Bonita when he got into an argument with Francis P. "Windy" Cahill, a blacksmith who reportedly had bullied McCarty and on more than one occasion called him a "
pimp". McCarty in turn called Cahill a "
son of a bitch
''Bitch'' ( ) is a pejorative slang word for a person, usually a woman. When applied to a woman or girl, it means someone who is belligerent, unreasonable, malicious, controlling, aggressive, or dominant. When applied to a man or boy, ''bitch' ...
", whereupon Cahill threw McCarty to the floor and the two struggled for McCarty's revolver. McCarty shot and mortally wounded Cahill. A witness said, "
illy
Illycaffè S.p.A. (branded and stylised as illy) is an Italian coffee company specializing in espresso, headquartered in Trieste. Illy markets its coffee globally in silver and red pressurized, oxygen-free cans; operates a network of cafes on s ...
had no choice; he had to use his equalizer." Cahill died the following day.
McCarty fled but returned a few days later and was apprehended by Miles Wood, the local
justice of the peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
. McCarty was detained and held in the Camp Grant guardhouse but escaped before law enforcement could arrive.
McCarty stole a horse and fled Arizona Territory for New Mexico Territory, but
Apache
The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...
s took the horse from him, leaving him to walk many miles to the nearest settlement. At
Fort Stanton
Fort Stanton was a United States Army fort near Lincoln, New Mexico.
Army Fort
It was built in 1855 by the 1st Dragoon and the 3rd and 8th Infantry Regiments to serve as a base of military operations against the Mescalero Apaches. Numerous ca ...
in the Pecos Valley, McCarty—starving and near death—went to the home of friend and
Seven Rivers Warriors
The Seven Rivers Warriors was an outlaw gang of the Old West known primarily due to its part in the Pecos War and the Lincoln County War.
Formation
The gang was initially formed during the mid-1870s by disgruntled small ranchers, feeling themse ...
gang member John Jones, whose mother Barbara nursed him back to health.
After regaining his health, McCarty went to Apache Tejo, a former army post, where he joined a band of rustlers who raided herds owned by cattle magnate
John Chisum
John Simpson Chisum (August 16, 1824 – December 23, 1884) was a wealthy cattle baron in the American West in the mid-to-late 19th century. He was born in Hardeman County, Tennessee, and moved with his family to the Republic of Texas in 1837, ...
in
Lincoln County. After McCarty was spotted in Silver City, his involvement with the gang was mentioned in a local newspaper. At some point in 1877, McCarty began to refer to himself by the name "William H. Bonney".
Lincoln County War
Prelude
![John Tunstall seated pose cropped and retouched](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/John_Tunstall_seated_pose_cropped_and_retouched.jpg)
After returning to New Mexico, McCarty worked as a cowboy for English businessman and rancher
John Henry Tunstall (1853–1878), near the Rio Felix, a tributary of the
Pecos River
The Pecos River ( es, Río Pecos) originates in north-central New Mexico and flows into Texas, emptying into the Rio Grande. Its headwaters are on the eastern slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County north of Pecos, New Mexico ...
, in Lincoln County (now in Chaves County). Tunstall and his business partner and lawyer
Alexander McSween
Alexander McSween (June 15, 1837 — July 19, 1878) was a prominent figure during the Lincoln County War of the Old West, and a central character, alongside John Tunstall, in opposing businessmen and gunmen Lawrence Murphy and James Dolan.
Earl ...
were opponents of an alliance formed by
Irish-American
, image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png
, image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state
, caption = Notable Irish Americans
, population =
36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...
businessmen
Lawrence Murphy
Lawrence Gustave Murphy (1831 – October 20, 1878) was an Irish immigrant to the United States, Union Army veteran, Grand Army of the Republic member, Republican Party ward heeler, racketeer, Old West businessman and gunman, and a main i ...
,
James Dolan, and John Riley. The three men had wielded an economic and political hold over Lincoln County since the early 1870s, due in part to their ownership of a beef contract with nearby
Fort Stanton
Fort Stanton was a United States Army fort near Lincoln, New Mexico.
Army Fort
It was built in 1855 by the 1st Dragoon and the 3rd and 8th Infantry Regiments to serve as a base of military operations against the Mescalero Apaches. Numerous ca ...
and a well-patronized dry goods store in the town of
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincol ...
.
By February 1878, McSween owed $8,000 to Dolan, who obtained a court order and asked Lincoln County Sheriff
William J. Brady to
attach nearly $40,000 worth of Tunstall's property and livestock. Tunstall put Bonney in charge of nine prime horses and told him to relocate them to his ranch for safekeeping. Meanwhile, Sheriff Brady assembled a large posse to seize Tunstall's cattle.
On February 18, 1878, Tunstall learned of the posse's presence on his land and rode out to intervene. During the encounter, one member of the posse shot Tunstall in the chest, knocking him off his horse. Another posse member took Tunstall's gun and killed him with a shot to the back of his head.
Tunstall's murder ignited the conflict between the two factions that became known as the
Lincoln County War.
Build-up
![Dick Brewer cropped b&w](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Dick_Brewer_cropped_b%26w.jpg)
After Tunstall was killed, McCarty and
Dick Brewer swore affidavits against Brady and those in his posse, and obtained murder warrants from Lincoln County justice of the peace John B. Wilson. On February 20, 1878, while attempting to arrest Brady, the sheriff and his deputies found and arrested McCarty and two other men riding with him.
Deputy
U.S. Marshal
The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforce ...
Robert Widenmann
Robert A. Widenmann (January 24, 1852 – April 13, 1930) was a Deputy United States Marshal and associate of Billy the Kid during the Lincoln County War.
Early life
Widenmann was born January 24, 1852, to German-born parents in Ann Arbor, Mic ...
, a friend of McCarty, and a detachment of soldiers captured Sheriff Brady's jail guards, put them behind bars, and released McCarty and Brewer.
McCarty then joined the
Lincoln County Regulators
The Lincoln County Regulators, or just the Regulators, were an American Old West deputized posse that fought in the Lincoln County War in New Mexico, during the late 19th century.
Members history and friendships
The Regulators were formed o ...
; on March 9 they captured Frank Baker and William Morton, both of whom were accused of killing Tunstall. Baker and Morton were killed while allegedly trying to escape.
On April 1, the Regulators ambushed Sheriff Brady and his deputies; McCarty was wounded in the thigh during the battle. Brady and Deputy Sheriff
George W. Hindman were killed. On the morning of April 4, 1878,
Buckshot Roberts
Andrew L. "Buckshot" Roberts (1831 – April 5, 1878) was an American buffalo hunter, frontiersman and cowboy whose last stand against the Lincoln County Regulators during the Gunfight of Blazer's Mills near Lincoln, New Mexico is a part of fr ...
and Dick Brewer were killed during
a shootout at Blazer's Mill. Warrants were issued for several participants on both sides, and McCarty and two others were charged with killing Brady, Hindman and Roberts.
Battle of Lincoln (1878)
On the night of Sunday, July 14, McSween and the Regulators—now a group of fifty or sixty men—went to Lincoln and stationed themselves in the town among several buildings. At the McSween residence were McCarty, Florencio Chavez,
Jose Chavez y Chavez
Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods.
*Jose ben Abin
*Jose ben Akabya
*Jose the Galilean ...
, Jim French, Harvey Morris,
Tom O'Folliard
Tom O'Folliard (1858 – December 19, 1880) was the best friend of outlaw William Bonney, a.k.a. Billy the Kid. Both were members of the Regulators during the Lincoln County War.
After the war ended, they became cattle rustlers, forming the Bo ...
, and
Yginio Salazar, among others. Another group led by Marin Chavez and
Doc Scurlock
Josiah Gordon "Doc" Scurlock (January 11, 1849 – July 25, 1929) was an American Old West figure, cowboy, and gunfighter. A founding member of the Regulators during the Lincoln County War in New Mexico, Scurlock rode alongside such men as B ...
positioned themselves on the roof of a saloon.
Henry Newton Brown
Henry Newton Brown (1857 – April 30, 1884) was an American Old West gunman who played the roles of both lawman and outlaw during his life.
Brown was raised in Cold Springs Township, in Phelps County, ten miles south of Rolla, Missouri. An o ...
, Dick Smith, and
George Coe
George Coe (born George Julian Cohen; May 10, 1929 – July 18, 2015) was an American actor. He was a cast member for the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'' and voiced the character of Woodhouse in ''Archer''.
Early life
Coe was born in ...
defended a nearby adobe bunkhouse.
On Tuesday, July 16, newly appointed sheriff
George Peppin sent sharpshooters to kill the McSween defenders at the saloon. Peppin's men retreated when one of the snipers, Charles Crawford, was killed by Fernando Herrera. Peppin then sent a request for assistance to Colonel
Nathan Dudley
Nathan Augustus Monroe Dudley (August 20, 1825 – April 29, 1910) was a soldier who served as a colonel of Volunteers and sometimes as an acting brigadier general of Volunteers for the Union Army during the American Civil War. He later served ...
, commandant of nearby
Fort Stanton
Fort Stanton was a United States Army fort near Lincoln, New Mexico.
Army Fort
It was built in 1855 by the 1st Dragoon and the 3rd and 8th Infantry Regiments to serve as a base of military operations against the Mescalero Apaches. Numerous ca ...
. In a reply to Peppin, Dudley refused to intervene but later arrived in Lincoln with troops, turning the battle in favor of the Murphy-Dolan faction.
A shooting war broke out on Friday, July 19. McSween's supporters gathered inside his house; when Buck Powell and Deputy Sheriff Jack Long set fire to the building, the occupants began shooting. McCarty and the other men fled the building when all rooms but one were burning. During the confusion, Alexander McSween was shot and killed by Robert W. Beckwith, who was then shot and killed by McCarty.
Outlaw
![Gov Lew Wallace in 1893 cropped lightened](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Gov_Lew_Wallace_in_1893_cropped_lightened.jpg)
McCarty and three other survivors of the
Battle of Lincoln were near the Mescalero Indian Agency when the agency bookkeeper, Morris Bernstein, was murdered on August 5, 1878. All four were indicted for the murder, despite conflicting evidence that Bernstein had been killed by Constable Atanacio Martinez. All of the indictments, except McCarty's, were later quashed.
On October 5, 1878,
U.S. Marshal
The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforce ...
John Sherman informed newly appointed Territorial Governor and former Union Army general
Lew Wallace
Lewis Wallace (April 10, 1827February 15, 1905) was an American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, governor of the New Mexico Territory, politician, diplomat, and author from Indiana. Among his novels and biographies, Wallace is ...
that he held warrants for several men, including "William H. Antrim, alias Kid, alias Bonny" but was unable to execute them "owing to the disturbed condition of affairs in that county, resulting from the acts of a desperate class of men." Wallace issued an amnesty proclamation on November 13, 1878, which pardoned anyone involved in the Lincoln County War since Tunstall's murder. It specifically excluded persons who had been convicted of or indicted for a crime, and therefore excluded McCarty.
On February 18, 1879, McCarty and friend
Tom O'Folliard
Tom O'Folliard (1858 – December 19, 1880) was the best friend of outlaw William Bonney, a.k.a. Billy the Kid. Both were members of the Regulators during the Lincoln County War.
After the war ended, they became cattle rustlers, forming the Bo ...
were in Lincoln and watched as attorney Huston Chapman was shot and his corpse set on fire. According to eyewitnesses, the pair were innocent bystanders forced at gunpoint by
Jesse Evans
Jesse Evans (c. 1853 — unknown; disappeared 1882) was an American outlaw and gunman of the Old West, and leader of the Jesse Evans Gang. He received some attention due to his disappearance in 1882, after which he was never seen or heard from a ...
to witness the murder. McCarty wrote to Governor Wallace on March 13, 1879, with an offer to provide information on the Chapman murder in exchange for amnesty. On March 15, Governor Wallace replied, agreeing to a secret meeting to discuss the situation. McCarty met with Wallace in Lincoln on March 17, 1879. During the meeting and in subsequent correspondence, Wallace promised McCarty protection from his enemies and clemency if he would offer his testimony to a
grand jury.
On March 20, Wallace wrote to McCarty, "to remove all suspicion of understanding, I think it better to put the arresting party in charge of Sheriff Kimbrell
icwho shall be instructed to see that no violence is used." McCarty responded on the same day, agreeing to testify and confirming Wallace's proposal for his arrest and detention in a local jail to assure his safety. On March 21, McCarty let himself be captured by a posse led by Sheriff George Kimball of Lincoln County. As agreed, McCarty provided a statement about Chapman's murder and testified in court. However, after McCarty's testimony, the local district attorney refused to set him free. Still in custody several weeks later, McCarty began to suspect Wallace had used subterfuge and would never grant him amnesty. McCarty escaped from the Lincoln County jail on June 17, 1879.
![Tom O'Folliard circa 1875 retouched and cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Tom_O%27Folliard_circa_1875_retouched_and_cropped.jpg)
McCarty avoided further violence until January 10, 1880, when he shot and killed Joe Grant, a newcomer to the area, at Hargrove's Saloon in
Fort Sumner, New Mexico
Fort Sumner is a village in and the county seat of De Baca County, New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex ...
.
The ''Santa Fe Weekly New Mexican'' reported, "Billy Bonney, more extensively known as 'the Kid,' shot and killed Joe Grant. The origin of the difficulty was not learned." According to other contemporary sources, McCarty had been warned Grant intended to kill him. He walked up to Grant, told him he admired his revolver, and asked to examine it. Grant handed it over. Before returning the pistol, which he noticed contained only three cartridges, McCarty positioned the cylinder so the next hammer fall would land on an empty chamber. Grant suddenly pointed his pistol at McCarty's face and pulled the trigger. When it failed to fire, McCarty drew his own weapon and shot Grant in the head. A reporter for the ''Las Vegas Optic'' quoted McCarty as saying the encounter "was a game of two and I got there first."
In 1880, McCarty formed a friendship with a rancher named Jim Greathouse, who later introduced him to
Dave Rudabaugh
David Rudabaugh (July 14, 1854February 18, 1886) was a cowboy, outlaw, and gunfighter in the American Old West. Modern writers often refer to him as "Dirty Dave" because of his alleged aversion to water, though no evidence has emerged to show ...
. On November 29, 1880, McCarty, Rudabaugh, and
Billy Wilson ran from a posse led by sheriff's deputy James Carlysle. Cornered at Greathouse's ranch, McCarty told the posse they were holding Greathouse as a hostage. Carlysle offered to exchange places with Greathouse, and McCarty accepted the offer. Carlysle later attempted to escape by jumping through a window but he was shot three times and killed.
The shootout ended in a standoff; the posse withdrew and McCarty, Rudabaugh, and Wilson rode away.
A few weeks after the Greathouse incident, McCarty, Rudabaugh, Wilson, O'Folliard,
Charlie Bowdre
Charles Bowdre (1848 – December 23, 1880) was an American cowboy and outlaw. He was an associate of Billy the Kid and member of his gang.
Early life
Bowdre was born in Wilkes County, Georgia. When he was three years old, he and his parent ...
, and
Tom Pickett rode into Fort Sumner. Unbeknownst to McCarty and his companions, a posse led by
Pat Garrett was waiting for them. The posse opened fire, killing O'Folliard; the rest of the outlaws escaped unharmed.
Capture and escape
![Pat Garrett2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Pat_Garrett2.jpg)
On December 13, 1880, Governor Wallace posted a $500 bounty for McCarty's capture. Pat Garrett continued his search for McCarty; on December 23, following the siege in which Bowdre was killed, Garrett and his posse captured McCarty along with Pickett, Rudabaugh, and Wilson at Stinking Springs. The prisoners, including McCarty, were shackled and taken to Fort Sumner, then later to
Las Vegas, New Mexico
Las Vegas is a city in and the county seat of San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. Once two separate municipalities (one a city and the other a town), both were named Las Vegas—West Las Vegas ("Old Town") and East Las Vegas ("New Town" ...
. When they arrived on December 26, they were met by crowds of curious onlookers.
The following day, an armed mob gathered at the train depot before the prisoners, who were already on board the train with Garrett, departed for Santa Fe. Deputy Sheriff Romero, backed by the angry group of men, demanded custody of Dave Rudabaugh, who during an unsuccessful escape attempt on April 5, 1880 shot and killed deputy Antonio Lino Valdez in the process. Garrett refused to surrender the prisoner, and a tense confrontation ensued until he agreed to let the sheriff and two other men accompany the party to Santa Fe, where they would petition the governor to release Rudabaugh to them. In a later interview with a reporter, McCarty said he was unafraid during the incident, saying, "if I only had my Winchester I'd lick the whole crowd." The ''Las Vegas Gazette'' ran a story from a jailhouse interview following McCarty's capture; when the reporter said Bonney appeared relaxed, he replied, "What's the use of looking on the gloomy side of everything? The laugh's on me this time."
During his short career as an outlaw, McCarty was the subject of numerous U.S. newspaper articles, some as far away as New York.
After arriving in Santa Fe, McCarty, seeking clemency, sent Governor Wallace four letters over the next three months. Wallace refused to intervene, and McCarty went to trial in April 1881 in
Mesilla, New Mexico. Following two days of testimony, McCarty was found guilty of Sheriff Brady's murder; it was the only conviction secured against any of the combatants in the Lincoln County War. On April 13, Judge Warren Bristol sentenced McCarty to
hang
Hang or Hanging may refer to:
People
* Choe Hang (disambiguation), various people
* Luciano Hang (born 1962/1963), Brazilian billionaire businessman
* Ren Hang (disambiguation), various people
Law
* Hanging, a form of capital punishment
Arts, e ...
, with his execution scheduled for May 13, 1881. According to legend, upon sentencing, the judge told McCarty he was going to hang until he was "dead, dead, dead"; McCarty's response was, "you can go to hell, hell, hell."
According to the historical record, he did not speak after the reading of his sentence.
![LincolnNM Jail and Courthouse](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/LincolnNM_Jail_and_Courthouse.jpg)
Following his sentencing, McCarty was moved to Lincoln, where he was held under guard on the top floor of the town courthouse. On the evening of April 28, 1881, while Garrett was in
White Oaks
The genus ''Quercus'' contains about 500 species, some of which are listed here. The genus, as is the case with many large genera, is divided into subgenera and sections. Traditionally, the genus ''Quercus'' was divided into the two subgenera '' ...
collecting taxes, Deputy
Bob Olinger
Robert Ameredith B. "Pecos Bob" Olinger (1850 in Delphi, Indiana – April 28, 1881 in Lincoln, New Mexico) was a frontier lawman best known as the last victim of Billy the Kid and as a participant in the Lincoln County War.
Early life and care ...
took five other prisoners across the street for a meal, leaving James Bell, another deputy, alone with McCarty at the jail. McCarty asked to be taken outside to use the
outhouse
An outhouse is a small structure, separate from a main building, which covers a toilet. This is typically either a pit latrine or a bucket toilet, but other forms of dry (non-flushing) toilets may be encountered. The term may also be used ...
behind the courthouse; on their return to the jail, McCarty—who was walking ahead of Bell up the stairs to his cell—hid around a blind corner, slipped out of his handcuffs, and beat Bell with the loose end of the cuffs. During the ensuing scuffle, McCarty grabbed Bell's revolver and fatally shot him in the back as Bell tried to get away.
McCarty, with his legs still shackled, broke into Garrett's office and took a loaded shotgun left behind by Olinger. McCarty waited at the upstairs window for Olinger to respond to the gunshot that killed Bell and called out to him, "Look up, old boy, and see what you get." When Olinger looked up, McCarty shot and killed him. After about an hour, McCarty freed himself from the leg irons with an axe. He obtained a horse and rode out of town; according to some stories he was singing as he left Lincoln.
Recapture and death
While McCarty was on the run, Governor Wallace placed a new $500 bounty on the fugitive's head.
Almost three months after his escape, Garrett, responding to rumors that McCarty was in the vicinity of Fort Sumner, left Lincoln with two deputies on July 14, 1881, to question resident Pete Maxwell, a friend of McCarty's. Maxwell, son of land baron
Lucien Maxwell, spoke with Garrett the same day for several hours. Around midnight, the pair sat in Maxwell's darkened bedroom when McCarty unexpectedly entered.
Accounts vary as to the course of events. According to the canonical version, as he entered the room, McCarty failed to recognize Garrett due to the poor lighting. Drawing his revolver and backing away, McCarty asked ''"¿Quién es? ¿Quién es?"'' (Spanish for "Who is it? Who is it?").
Recognizing McCarty's voice, Garrett drew his revolver and fired twice. The first bullet struck McCarty in the chest just above his heart, while the second missed. Garrett’s account leaves it unclear whether McCarty was killed instantly or took some time to die.
A few hours after the shooting, a local justice of the peace assembled a
coroner's jury
A coroner's jury is a body convened to assist a coroner in an inquest, that is, in determining the identity of a deceased person and the cause of death. The laws on its role and function vary by jurisdiction.
United Kingdom
In England and Wal ...
of six people. The jury members interviewed Maxwell and Garrett, and McCarty's body and the location of the shooting were examined. The jury certified the body as McCarty's and, according to a local newspaper, the jury foreman said, "It was the Kid's body that we examined."
McCarty was given a wake by candlelight; he was buried the next day and his grave was denoted with a wooden marker.
Five days after McCarty's killing, Garrett traveled to
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...
, to collect the $500 reward offered by Governor Lew Wallace for his capture, dead or alive. William G. Ritch, the acting New Mexico governor, refused to pay the reward.
Over the next few weeks, the residents of Las Vegas, Mesilla, Santa Fe, White Oaks, and other New Mexico cities raised over $7,000 in reward money for Garrett. A year and four days after McCarty's death, the New Mexico territorial legislature passed a special act to grant Garrett the $500 bounty reward promised by Governor Wallace.
Because people had begun to claim Garrett unfairly ambushed McCarty, Garrett felt the need to tell his side of the story and called upon his friend, journalist
Marshall Upson, to
ghostwrite
A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often h ...
a book for him. The book, ''
The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid
''The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid, The Noted Desperado of the Southwest'' is a biography and partly first-hand account written by Pat Garrett, sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico, in collaboration with a ghostwriter, Marshall Ashmun "Ash" ...
'', was first published in April 1882. Although only a few copies sold following its release, in time, it became a reference for later historians who wrote about McCarty's life.
Rumors of survival
Over time, legends grew claiming that McCarty was not killed, and that Garrett staged the incident and death out of friendship so that McCarty could evade the law. During the next 50 years, a number of men claimed they were Billy the Kid. Most of these claims were easily disproven, but two have remained topics of discussion and debate.
In 1948, a central Texas man, Ollie P. Roberts, also known as
Brushy Bill Roberts, began claiming he was Billy the Kid and went before New Mexico Governor
Thomas J. Mabry
Thomas Jewett Mabry (October 17, 1884 December 23, 1962) was an American attorney, politician and judge, who was chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court (1939–46) and the 14th governor of New Mexico (1947–51).
Career
Mabry attended t ...
seeking a pardon. Mabry dismissed Roberts' claims, and Roberts died shortly afterward. Nevertheless,
Hico, Texas ''For other instances of Hico, see: Hico (disambiguation)''
Hico (, ) is a small city located in Hamilton County in central Texas, United States.
Named for its founder's hometown of Hico in southwestern Kentucky, Hico's original location was o ...
, Roberts' town of residence, capitalized on his claim by opening a Billy the Kid museum.
John Miller, an Arizona man, also claimed he was McCarty. This was unsupported by his family until 1938, some time after his death. Miller's body was buried in the state-owned Arizona Pioneers' Home Cemetery in
Prescott, Arizona
Prescott ( ) is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827. The city is the county seat of Yavapai County.
In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona T ...
; in May 2005, Miller's teeth and bones
were exhumed and examined,
without permission from the state. DNA samples from the remains were sent to a laboratory in
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
and tested to compare Miller's DNA with blood samples obtained from floorboards in the
old Lincoln County courthouse and a bench where McCarty's body allegedly was placed after he was shot.
According to a July 2015 article in ''The Washington Post'', the lab results were "useless".
In 2004, researchers sought to
exhume
Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...
the remains of Catherine Antrim, McCarty's mother, whose DNA would be tested and compared with that of the body buried in William Bonney's grave. , her body had not been exhumed.
In 2007,
author and amateur historian Gale Cooper filed a lawsuit against the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office under the state Inspection of Public Records Act to produce records of the results of the 2006 DNA tests and other forensic evidence collected in the Billy the Kid investigations. In April 2012, 133 pages of documents were provided; they offered no conclusive evidence confirming or disproving the generally accepted story of Garrett's killing of McCarty,
but confirmed the records' existence, and that they could have been produced earlier.
In 2014, Cooper was awarded $100,000 in punitive damages but the decision was later overturned by the New Mexico Court of Appeals. The lawsuit ultimately cost Lincoln County nearly $300,000.
In February 2015, historian Robert Stahl petitioned a district court in Fort Sumner asking the state of New Mexico to issue a death certificate for McCarty.
In July 2015, Stahl filed suit in the New Mexico Supreme Court. The suit asked the court to order the state's Office of the Medical Investigator to officially certify McCarty's death under New Mexico state law.
Photographs
, only one authenticated photograph showing Billy exists; others thought to depict him are disputed.
Dedrick ferrotype
![Billy the Kid tintype, Fort Sumner, 1879-80](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Billy_the_Kid_tintype%2C_Fort_Sumner%2C_1879-80.jpg)
One of the few remaining artifacts of McCarty's life is a
ferrotype photograph of McCarty by an unknown portrait photographer in late 1879 or early 1880. The image shows McCarty wearing a vest over a sweater, a
slouch hat
A slouch hat is a wide-brimmed felt or cloth hat most commonly worn as part of a military uniform, often, although not always, with a chinstrap. It has been worn by military personnel from many different nations including Australia, Ireland, the ...
and a bandana, while holding an
1873 Winchester rifle with its butt resting on the floor. For years, this was the only photograph scholars and historians agreed showed McCarty.
The ferrotype survived because McCarty's friend Dan Dedrick kept it after the outlaw's death. It was passed down through Dedrick's family, and was copied several times, appearing in numerous publications during the 20th century. In June 2011, the original plate was bought at auction for $2.3 million by businessman
William Koch.
The image shows McCarty wearing his holstered Colt revolver on his left side. This led historians to believe he was left-handed, but they did not take into account that the ferrotype process produces reversed images.
In 1954, western historians James D. Horan and Paul Sann wrote that McCarty was right-handed and carried his pistol on his right hip. The opinion was confirmed by Clyde Jeavons, a former curator of the
National Film and Television Archive
The BFI National Archive is a department of the British Film Institute, and one of the largest film archives in the world. It was founded as the National Film Library in 1935; its first curator was Ernest Lindgren. In 1955, its name became the N ...
. Several historians have written that McCarty was
ambidextrous
Ambidexterity is the ability to use both the right and left hand equally well. When referring to objects, the term indicates that the object is equally suitable for right-handed and left-handed people. When referring to humans, it indicates that ...
.
Croquet tintype
![Photo of Billy the Kid (left)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Photo_of_Billy_the_Kid_%28left%29.JPG)
A ferrotype purchased at a memorabilia shop in
Fresno, California
Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...
, in 2010 has been claimed to show McCarty and members of the Regulators playing croquet. If authentic, it is the only known photo of Billy the Kid and the Regulators together and the only image to feature their wives and female companions.
Collector RobertG. McCubbin and outlaw historian John Boessenecker concluded in 2013 that the photograph does not show McCarty.
Whitny Braun, a professor and researcher, located an advertisement for croquet sets sold at Chapman's General Store in Las Vegas, New Mexico, dated to June 1878. Kent Gibson, a forensic video and still image expert, offered the services of his facial recognition software, and stated that McCarty is indeed one of the individuals in the image.
In August 2015,
Lincoln State Monument officials and the
New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs
The New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs is a state agency of the New Mexico government. Created as the Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) in 1980, the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs was elevated to a state Cabinet-level agency in 200 ...
said that despite the new research, they could not confirm that the image showed McCarty or others from the Lincoln County War era, according to Monument manager Gary Cozzens. A photograph curator at the
Palace of the Governors
The Palace of the Governors ( es, Palacio de los Gobernadores) is an adobe structure built in the Territorial Style of Pueblo architecture on Palace Avenue in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Located within the Santa Fe Historic District along the Santa ...
archives, Daniel Kosharek, said the image is "problematic on a lot of fronts," including the small size of the figures and the lack of resemblance of the background landscape to Lincoln County or the state in general.
Editors from the ''
True West Magazine
''True West Magazine'' (alternate title: ''True West'') is an American magazine that covers the icons like Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Billy the Kid, and Jesse James and relates American Old West history back to the present day to show the role conte ...
'' staff said, "no one in our office thinks this photo is of the Kid
nd the Regulators"
In early October 2015, Kagin's, Inc., a
numismatic authentication firm, said the image was authentic after a number of experts, including those associated with a recent
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television television network, network and flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel owned by the National Geograp ...
program,
examined it.
Posthumous pardon request
In 2010, New Mexico Governor
Bill Richardson
William Blaine Richardson III (born November 15, 1947) is an American politician, author, and diplomat who served as the 30th governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011. He was also the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Energy Secretary ...
turned down a request for a posthumous pardon of McCarty for the murder of Sheriff William Brady. The pardon considered was to fulfill Governor Lew Wallace's 1879 promise to Bonney. Richardson's decision, citing "historical ambiguity," was announced on December 31, 2010, his last day in office.
Grave markers
![Billy the Kid Headstone](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Billy_the_Kid_Headstone.jpg)
In 1931, CharlesW.Foor, an unofficial tour guide at Fort Sumner Cemetery, campaigned to raise funds for a permanent marker for the graves of McCarty, O'Folliard, and Bowdre. As a result of his efforts, a stone memorial marked with the names of the three men and their death dates beneath the word "Pals" was erected in the center of the burial area.
In 1940, stone cutter James N. Warner of
Salida, Colorado
The City of Salida ( ; Spanish: , "exit") is the Statutory city that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Chaffee County, Colorado, United States. The population was 5,666 at the 2020 census.
History
A post office has bee ...
, made and donated to the cemetery a new marker for Bonney's grave. It was stolen on February 8, 1981, but recovered days later in
Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, Orange County in Southern California, located southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. The city is named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 duri ...
. New Mexico Governor
Bruce King
Bruce King (April 6, 1924 – November 13, 2009) was an American businessman and politician who for three non-consecutive four-year terms was the governor of New Mexico. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the longest-serving governor in N ...
arranged for the county sheriff to fly to California to return it to Fort Sumner, where it was reinstalled in May 1981. Although both markers are behind iron fencing, a group of vandals entered the enclosure at night in June 2012 and tipped the stone over.
Popular culture
Beginning with the
1911 silent film ''Billy the Kid'', which depicted McCarty as a girl impersonating a boy,
he has been a feature of more than 50 movies as well as several television series.
Films:
* ''
The Adventures of Billy
''The Adventures of Billy'' is a 1911 silent short dramatic film directed by D. W. Griffith. It is one of many Griffith shorts preserved by the paper print and is available for viewing today.
Cast
* Edna Foster - Billy
*Donald Crisp - First Tramp ...
'', another 1911 silent film directed by
D. W. Griffith, Starring
Edna Foster
Edna Foster was a child star at Biograph who was active during Hollywood's silent era. She often played boys' roles and was known for her character named Billy; Biograph even promoted her as Billy Foster.
She was born in Boston to Conrad Foster ...
as a girl impersonating a boy (Billy)
* ''
Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid (born Henry McCarty; September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), also known by the pseudonym William H. Bonney, was an outlaw and gunfighter of the American Old West, who killed eight men before he was shot and killed at th ...
'' (
John Mack Brown as Billy)
* ''
The Outlaw
''The Outlaw'' is a 1943 American Western film, directed by Howard Hughes and starring Jack Buetel, Jane Russell, Thomas Mitchell, and Walter Huston. Hughes also produced the film, while Howard Hawks served as an uncredited co-director. Th ...
'' (
Jack Buetel
Jack Buetel (September 5, 1915 – June 27, 1989) was an American film and television actor.
Life
Born John Alexander Beutel in Dallas, Texas, he moved to Los Angeles, California in the late 1930s with the intention of establishing a film caree ...
as Billy)
* ''
The Left Handed Gun
''The Left Handed Gun'' is a 1958 American Western film and the film directorial debut of Arthur Penn, starring Paul Newman as Billy the Kid and John Dehner as Pat Garrett.
The screenplay was written by Leslie Stevens from a teleplay by Gore V ...
'' (
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...
as Billy)
* ''
Chisum
''Chisum'' is a 1970 American Western film directed by Andrew McLaglen, starring John Wayne in the titular role, and adapted for the screen by Andrew J. Fenady from his short story "Chisum and the Lincoln County War." The supporting cast featu ...
'' (
Geoffrey Deuel as Billy)
* ''
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
''Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid'' is a 1973 American Revisionist Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah, written by Rudy Wurlitzer, and starring James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson, Richard Jaeckel, Katy Jurado, Chill Wills, Barry Sullivan, Jason ...
'' (
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are " Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", " Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and " Help Me Make It Through the ...
as Billy)
* ''
Dirty Little Billy
''Dirty Little Billy'' is a 1972 American revisionist western film co-written and directed by Stan Dragoti and starring Michael J. Pollard and Richard Evans. Set in Coffeyville, Kansas, the film was influenced by the darker, more sinister styl ...
'' (
Michael J. Pollard
Michael J. Pollard (born Michael John Pollack Jr.; May 30, 1939 – November 20, 2019) was an American actor. He is best known for his role as C.W. Moss in the film ''Bonnie and Clyde'' (1967), which earned him critical acclaim along with nomi ...
as Billy)
* ''
Young Guns'' (
Emilio Estevez
Emilio Estevez (; born May 12, 1962) is an American actor and filmmaker.
He is the son of actor Martin Sheen and the older brother of Charlie Sheen. Emilio Estevez started his career as an actor and is known for being a member of the acting Br ...
as Billy)
* ''
Young Guns II
''Young Guns II'' is a 1990 American Western film and a sequel to '' Young Guns'' (1988). It stars Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Christian Slater, and features William Petersen as Pat Garrett. It was written ...
'' (Emilio Estevez as Billy)
* ''
The Kid The Kid or The Kids may refer to:
Fictional characters
* The kid (''Blood Meridian''), a character in Cormac McCarthy's 1985 novel ''Blood Meridian''
* The Kid (''The Matrix''), a character in the ''Matrix'' film series
* The Kid (''The Stand'' ...
'' (
Dane DeHaan
Dane William DeHaan ( ; born February 6, 1986) is an American actor known for his roles as Andrew Detmer in ''Chronicle'' (2012), Lucien Carr in '' Kill Your Darlings'' (2013), Harry Osborn / Green Goblin in ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2'' (2014), ...
as Billy)
* ''
Old Henry
''Old Henry'' is a 2021 American Western film written and directed by Potsy Ponciroli. It stars Tim Blake Nelson as the titular character, a farmer who must protect his son from outlaws, with Scott Haze, Gavin Lewis, Trace Adkins, and Stephen ...
'' (
Tim Blake Nelson
Timothy Blake Nelson (born May 11, 1964) is an American actor and playwright.
Described as a "modern character actor", his roles include Delmar O'Donnell in '' O Brother, Where Art Thou?'' (2000), Gideon in '' Minority Report'' (2002), Dr. Pend ...
as Billy)
* ''
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' is a 1989 American science fiction comedy film directed by Stephen Herek and written by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon. The first installment of the ''Bill & Ted'' franchise, it stars Keanu Reeves, Alex Winte ...
'' (
Dan Shor
Daniel Shor (born November 16, 1956) is an American actor, director, writer, and acting teacher with a career spanning over 40 years. His most recognized roles include Enoch Emery in John Huston's ''Wise Blood'' (1979), Ram in ''Tron'' (1982), a ...
as Billy)
Television:
* ''
Maverick
Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to:
History
* Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick
Aviation
* AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design
* General Aviation Design Burea ...
'' episode: "
Full House
''Full House'' is an American television sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for ABC. The show is about widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best friend Joey Gladstone to help raise his three dau ...
" (
Joel Gray
Joel Grey (born Joel David Katz; April 11, 1932) is an American actor, singer, dancer, photographer and theatre director. He is best known for portraying the Master of Ceremonies in the musical ''Cabaret'' on Broadway as well as in the 1972 fil ...
as Billy)
* ''
The Tall Man'' (
Clu Gulager
William Martin Gulager (; November 16, 1928 – August 5, 2022), better known as Clu Gulager, was an American television and film actor and director born in Holdenville, Oklahoma. He first became known for his work in television, appearing in ...
as Billy)
* ''
Gore Vidal's Billy the Kid'' (
Val Kilmer
Val Edward Kilmer (born December 31, 1959) is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer found fame after appearances in comedy films, starting with ''Top Secret!'' (1984) and ''Real Genius'' (1985), as well as the military action film ...
as Billy)
* ''
Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid (born Henry McCarty; September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), also known by the pseudonym William H. Bonney, was an outlaw and gunfighter of the American Old West, who killed eight men before he was shot and killed at th ...
'' on
Epix
Epix (pronounced ''epics'' and stylized as P) is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by the Epix Entertainment LLC subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), a subsidiary of Amazon's MGM Holdings, Inc. The channel's pr ...
(
Tom Blyth
Tom Keir Blyth (born 2 February 1995) is an English actor. His films include '' Scott and Sid'' (2018) and ''Benediction'' (2021). He stars as the titular character of the Epix series ''Billy the Kid'' (2022), and will star in ''The Hunger Games ...
as Billy)
See also
*
Folklore of the United States
American folklore encompasses the folklores that have evolved in the present-day United States since Europeans arrived in the 16th century. While it contains much in the way of Native American tradition, it is not wholly identical to the tribal ...
*
List of Old West gunfighters
This is a list of Old West gunfighters, referring to outlaws or lawmen, of the American frontier who gained fame or notoriety during the American Wild West or Old West. Some listed were never gunfighters. The term ''gunslinger'' is a modern, 2 ...
*
List of Old West lawmen
This is a list of Old West lawmen: notable people who served in various law enforcement positions during the American Frontier, Old West period.
See also
* List of Arizona Rangers
* List of cowboys and cowgirls
* List of Old West gunfighters
...
Notes
References
Sources
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External links
Billy the Kid Territory– guide by New Mexico Tourism Department
Letter, 15 March 1879, Lew Wallace to W. H. Bonney at the
Indiana Historical Society
The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) is one of the United States' oldest and largest historical societies and describes itself as "Indiana's Storyteller". It is housed in the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center at 450 West Ohio Street ...
, Indianapolis
Letter, 20 March 1879, W. H. Bonney to Lew Wallace at the Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis
{{authority control
1859 births
1881 deaths
19th-century American criminals
American escapees
American male criminals
American people convicted of murder
American people convicted of murdering police officers
American people convicted of theft
Cowboys
Criminals from New York City
Deaths by firearm in New Mexico
Escapees from Arizona detention
Escapees from New Mexico detention
Former Roman Catholics
Fugitives
Gunslingers of the American Old West
Lincoln County Wars
Nicknames
Nicknames in crime
People from De Baca County, New Mexico
People of the Arizona Territory
People of the New Mexico Territory
People shot dead by law enforcement officers in the United States