He soon, however, hailed his friend, who was sleeping in the room, told him to get up and make some coffee, adding: Give me a butcher knife and I will go over to Petes and get some beef; Im hungry. The Mexican arose, handed him the knife, and the Kid, hatless and in his stocking-feet, started to Maxwells, which was but a few steps distant. Garrett had hoped to apprehend the men while they were asleep, but Lee and Gililland set themselves up as lookouts on the roof of the bunkhouse. But they were only able to arrest John Webb, an accused murderer, along with horse thief George Davis. As for Billy the Kid, hes long since passed become an icon of American history, even a folk hero of sorts. 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). Winner will be selected at random on 04/01/2023. Born Henry McCarty, he was the first of two boys raised by a small Irish Catholic family in New York City. After the escape, Garrett set out to remove Billy from the landscape, one way or another. Offer subject to change without notice. By 1876 he was hunting buffalo, until a dispute with another hunter, Joe Briscoe, ended up with Garrett killing Briscoe. Once again, Billy broke out of jail and went on the run. A witness agreed, and Brazel went free. John Miller, an Arizona man, also claimed he was the outlaw. Yet at the same time, Billy the Kid seemed to be making an attempt at going straight. While in prison, the Kid escaped againthis time killing two guards in the process. Garrett settled a truce with the fugitives to retrieve his deputy, who died on the way to Las Cruces. Billy then drew fast and shot Grant in the head before making his escape. After the cease fire, McCarty and most of the Regulators fled town, but they were followed by Garrett, who wanted to cash in on the bounty on McCarty's head. Garretts adversaries attained copies of the photos and sent them to Roosevelt along with a note telling the President that Powers was not a cattleman, but the proprietor of a rowdy saloon. He raised quickly his pistol, a self-cocker, within a foot of my breast. Roberts died a month later, and neither Billy the Kid nor Brushy Bill Roberts ever received a pardon. Once more, Sheriff Garrett was sent after the Kid. 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. The comments below have not been moderated. The second shot was useless; the Kid fell dead. Billy the Kid was a late 19th-century thief and gunfighter. In New Mexico, Garrett worked as a cowboy for Pedro Pete Maxwell but quit to open a saloon. He headed west with his family as a youth and had his first brush with the law in 1875 when he was arrested for stealing clothes from a Chinese laundry in Silver City, New Mexico. Pats son Dudley arranged with Jesse Brazel for a five-year lease of the Garretts Bear Canyon Ranch. 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In the aftermath of the apparent shooting, numerous people claimed to have met the Kid. 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. Shortly after his death, war broke out between the Jesse Evans Gang and the Regulators, who backed Tunstall. We concealed ourselves quickly and listened; but the distance was too great to hear words, or even distinguish voices. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. He was the sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico, as well as Doa Ana County, New Mexico. He moved to Texas, where Governor John Ireland appointed him to the Texas Rangers. William Wallace agrees, also citing that McGinn has, meager qualifications. Thereafter, Garrett was a rancher near Roswell, N.M. (188296), deputy sheriff and then sheriff of Dona Ana County, N.M. (18961902), and collector of customs at El Paso, Texas (190206). I think people really like being associated with it now. See. Mblitch CC BY-SA 3.0. However, Abrams isn't interested in finding out anytime soon. At almost precisely the same time, Garrett woke Maxwell up; his friend was understandably annoyed at being disturbed. In December 1880, he had brought in the infamous outlaw Billy the Kid on charges of murdering a former county sheriff. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. They mistook OFolliard for Bonney, however,and fatally shot him. There are plenty of conspiracy theories about Garrett's assassination. Free shipping for many products! In Chisum (1970), Pat Garret was played by 36-year-old Glenn Corbett, and Billy the Kid was played by 26-year-old Geoffrey Deuel. Omissions? Billy the Kid was also still stealing. On December 19, 1880, Bonney, Billy Wilson, Charlie Bowdre, Tom Pickett, and Tom OFolliard rode into Fort Sumner. WebPat Garrett, byname of Patrick Floyd Garrett, (born June 5, 1850, Chambers County, Ala., U.S.died Feb. 29, 1908, near Las Cruces, N.M.), Western U.S. lawman known as the man In July, Garrett caught wind that Billy might be staying with a friend in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. That's when he recognized Garrett in the image. When the Kid, by me unrecognized, left the orchard, I motioned to my companions, and we cautiously retreated a short distance, and, to avoid the persons whom we had heard at the houses, took another route, approaching Maxwells house from the opposite direction. 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. I believe all communities are built on legends, and in Hamilton County Brushy Bills stories connect us to those wild days of the frontier.. After seeing a TV program in 2015 about the discovery of a photo of the outlaw playing croquet, Abrams was inspired to research him further. What prompted this last minute decision? When he was unable to make mortgage payments on his ranch, the county auctioned off his personal belongings, but that raised only $650. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. Corrections? HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. Pat Garrett was away at the time and didnt try to track the Kid until he received information that the outlaw was holed up in a ranch at Fort Sumner, some 140 miles away from Lincoln. McNew and Carr were the first to be arrested. It was the last contact he ever had with Antrim. The sheriff and two deputies, John Poe and Thomas McKinney, saddle up and set out in search of their quarry. Each landowner was supported by their own gang. Billy was sentenced to hang on April 13, 1881; the judge set his execution day for May 13. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. It was a good racket, but he couldnt stay out of trouble long enough to enjoy it. Director Sam Peckinpah Writer But this time it was a U.S. https://www.historynet.com/death-of-billy-the-kid-as-pat-garrett-tells-it/, Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot. The Regulators were able to ambush and kill Brady, but that didnt put an end to things. Garrett tried to break the lease when he learned his creditor, W.W. Bill Cox, was financing Brazel. Real Clear Life. Circa 1879-1880. Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. Noticing it only had three rounds loaded, he subtly rotated the drum to an empty cylinder and handed it back. Nobody is sure of the exact date he was born but it seems to have been sometime in September 1859 because theres a baptism record for him from the end of that month. 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. A handwriting expert in Texas compared a signature from Garrett on the photo with ten documents with his known handwriting. Garrett was so impatient to capture the outlawWilliam Bonney, a.k.a. Using the name Billy Antrim and nicknamed the kid for his youth and boyish appearance, McCarty soon came to be known as Billy the Kid and found work as a cowboy and ranch hand in Arizona. He and Garrett went to court, and Brazel agreed to cancel his lease with Garrett providing he could sell his 1,200 goats. Somewhere on his ride, he was surrounded by Apaches who took his stolen horse and left him to walk through the desert for miles back to civilization. Retreating rapidly across the room he cried: Quien es? Garrett did not pursue re-election for sheriff of Lincoln County in 1882. 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Before resigning in disgrace, federal judge William Story preceded the more celebrated hanging judge Isaac Parker in Arkansas Western District. Interviewed later by a reporter, he took in his surroundings and asked, "Is the jail at Santa Fe any better than this? Garrett gets word that the Kid is hiding out near Maxwells place. Garrett had recently caught the Kid, who was sentenced to hanging for killing another Sheriff, but Billy managed to escape. Garrett and his men had received information that the outlaws were coming and set up an ambush. Together the couple had nine children four girls and five boys. He was bareheaded. Billy lights out for old Fort Sumner on the Pecos River, some 150 miles northeast of Lincoln. His age, appearance, and size won him his 'Kid' moniker. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. A stranger named Joe Grant came into the saloon and sidled up to near the spot where Billy was drinking. Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, declined to follow through with that pardon. Garrett was able to get inside the house on July 14 and when Billy entered, Garrett shot him dead. Its now summer 1881. He declared them matching in a notarized letter in September. Word reached him of the death, but he didnt cut his trip short and missed the funeral. All rights reserved. Thinking fast, Billy told Grant that he admired his revolver and asked if he could look at it. The photo of the Kid discovered in 2015 has since been estimated to be worth $5 million. Nevertheless, it says a lot about the continued American fascination with Billy the Kid that a mere photo of him would be valued at $5 million some 135 years after his death. Pat Garrett (2nd from right) with friends on the porch in Roswell, New Mexico. But while under guard by two sheriff's deputies at a home, McCarty killed both men and then fled out of town on horseback. The case dates back to 1881so why the New Years Eve deadline you may ask? While we await the rumored Blu-ray of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid to surface (or was Alex Cox misinformed? He never spoke. Sheriff Pat Garretts grandson, J.P. Garrett, argues that Richardson should have assigned an impartial historian to aid in the case, and believes that McGinns involvement may be a conflict of interest. Marshals Posse. Web2013-08-26 To Hell on a Fast Horse: Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, and the Epic Chase to Justice in the Old West ; 2013-08-24 To Hell on a Fast Horse: Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, and the Epic Chase to Justice in the Old West ; 2013-08-17 The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid ; 2012-03-25 Michael Flynn - The January Dancer The next scene with Jason Robards, James Coburn is sporting a nice moustache. Another hypothesis is that Billy the Kid was in fact Ollie L. (Brushy Bill) Roberts, who escaped, lived in Mexico and the U.S. Southwest, rode in Wild West shows, and died in 1950 in Hico, Texas. 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. Billy the Kid (left) and Brushy Bill Roberts (right). When you listen to his real story, he talks about how he wasnt an outlaw, how he never robbed banks or stagecoaches, how he resented the fact that Governor Lew Wallace reneged on his promise of a pardon in 1879 and left him to die, Edwards says. But before that could happen, Billy snuck out of jail yet again and stole another horse which he rode hard for New Mexico Territory where he was still wanted for robbery. Despite his young age, Kid was said to have killed anywhere between 9 and 21 men. August 10th, 2010. The image could be the last known picture of Billy the Kid, who was born Henry McCarty. Some believe that the Kid lived on as Brushy Bill Roberts, but others believe that the Kid was in fact buried the next day in the Fort Sumner cemetery. Richard Stockton is a freelance science and technology writer from Sacramento, California. The picture is the only known photo of the Regulators gang all together. The Kid remained and Garrett was true to his word and arrested his former friend. He was reportedly killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett, who later burnished the legend of the Wild West outlaw. A suspicion lingered that Brazel or someone else conspired to execute Garrett, a lawman with many enemies. In Hico Billy is everywhere, from a statue downtown, to the standee in the Chamber of Commerce, to the monumental arch over Robertss grave. At around the same time, Billy was hungry, so he woke up and walked towards the fresh meat that was hanging on the rafter above the porch outside of Maxwells bedroom. At some point, due to the debate, there had been a movement to have the supposed bodies of the Kid and his mother exhumed for DNA testing. Following Billy the Kids death, the media turned him into a folk hero and made Garrett out to be the bad guy. By 1892 Garrett and his family had relocated to Uvalde, Texas, where he befriended John Nance Garner, a future United States vice-president. It is believed to be now worth millions of dollars, According to popular legend, Billy the Kid (left) and Garrett were friends before he became known an outlaw, but there is no historical evidence to support the theory. Before I made the discoveries I made in my book, I did not have an opinion on Brushy Bill, says Edwards. This is a terrible place to put a fellow in.". Omissions? At about age 21, Billy the Kid was gunned down by Sheriff Pat Garrett. Garrett succeeded in capturing Billy the Kid and a few other outlaws at Stinking Springs on December 23, 1880. Detail from a larger photo alleged to show Bonney (left) playing croquet in New Mexico in 1878. They lived in a slum on Manhattans east side and his father, Patrick, died soon after his first son was born. During a card game, Billy the Kid accused another player of cheating. The victim, Patrick Floyd Jarvis Pat Garrett, was the former sheriff of Lincoln County best known for having killed outlaw Billy the Kid on July 14, 1881. Garrett served as sheriff of Doa Ana County from 1896 to 1900. He was murdered at about 10:30 on the morning of Feb. 29, 1908, some 5 miles east of Las Cruces. There were at least 26 newspaper articles written that claimed Billy was still alive after July 14, 1881. 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. There are also suggestions that Billy and Garrett were friends and planned the whole incident so the fugitive could escape. Whatever happened, the answer will probably remain a secret forever. For deaths, sure. On November 2, 1880, Garrett turned to law enforcement. 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. What historians do know is that Garrett was elected sheriff of Lincoln County in November 1880, on a platform promising to end the violence between two groups of warring landowners feuding over dry goods and cattle interests in the county. History Channel 9 Things You May Not Know About Billy the Kid, History Channel Billy the Kid Convicted of Murder, History Collection Billy the Kid Is Arrested for the First Time (1875). I wont put a price on it, quite frankly its priceless. He would tell people around here, You know, I have a secret and one of these days youre going to find out what it is. He didnt want to tell his story at first. 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. How exactly the tension mounted between Billy and Grant remains unclear (some say Billy pegged Grant for a bounty hunter come to kill him; some say Grant was a loudmouth drunk looking for a fight). 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One of Bonneys men was killed; Bonney and the rest of his men were captured.