Scholarly opinion is divided over whether that or William H. Bonney, Jr. (the name he used later, as in the trial), was his true name. When it didnt fire, the Kid drew his own gun and shot Grant dead. In 1949, a paralegal named William Morrison located a man in West Texas named Ollie P. Roberts (nicknamed "Brushy Bill"), who claimed to be Billy the Kid and challenged the popular account of Billy's slaying at the hands of Pat Garrett in 1881. A large number of residents in the surrounding country and . Responding to rumors that McCarty was still lurking in the vicinity of Fort Sumner almost three months after his escape, Sheriff Garrett and two deputies set out on July 14, 1881, to question one of the town's residents, a friend of McCarty's named Pete Maxwell (son of land baron Lucien Maxwell). Now fighting for the Tunstall side and in the hopes of a better future, the Kid changed his name to William H. Bonney, but his friends called him Kid. Tensions were high and the feud between Dolan and Tunstall escalated in to bloody violence. It is said that they were very much an item and even had a child together, a boy called Jose Patrocinio Garcia in 1875 which would make Billy only fifteen at the time of the birth. All Rights Reserved. So Billy the Kid used his wit and courage to escape his date with the hangman which boosted his notoriety even more. 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. This wise precautionary move saved the Kid's life, because Grant then pulled his gun on him and fired. A Billy the Kid Mystery Solved - Indiana Historical Society Billy the Kid was quickly put on trial in Mesilla and was sentence to hang for the murder of Sheriff Brady. For the next 2 years the Kid tramped around as a ranch hand and gambler. The Life and Legend of Billy the Kid | American Experience | PBS "Billy the Kid's" Real Name was Not William H. Bonney - Today I Found Out On September 24, 1875, McCarty was again arrested when he was found in possession of clothing and firearms that a fellow boarder had stolen from a Chinese laundry owner. cavalrymen. On April 28, while Garrett was out of town, McCarty stunned the territory by killing both of his guards and escaping. Brother of Joseph McCarty, Miguel Otero is one of my cousins, another Otero cousin helped make the coffin and buried Billy. The Regulators revenge only made things worse. [65], On April 4, in what became known as the Gunfight of Blazer's Mills, the Regulators sought the arrest of an old buffalo hunter known as Buckshot Roberts, whom they suspected of involvement in the Tunstall slaying. [52] After being deputized by rancher Richard "Dick" Brewer, Tunstall's foreman, who had been appointed a special constable and given the warrant to arrest Tunstall's killers, they proceeded to the Murphy-Dolan store. Before long, he fell in with a rough crowd and turned to petty crime and thievery. Beginning with Garrett's account, Billy the Kid grew into a symbolic figure of the American Old West. [25] Two days after McCarty was placed in jail, the teenager escaped by worming his way up the jailhouse chimney. This perception was encouraged by the only documented photograph of McCarty (an undated ferrotype), in which he appears to be wearing a gun belt with a holster on his left side. Lastly, they had a dramatic gunfight with Dolan gunman Buckshot Roberts, but during that shootout their leader Dick Brewer was killed. [50], McSween, who abhorred violence, took steps to punish Tunstall's murderers through legal means; he obtained warrants for their arrests from the local justice of the peace John B. Upon the Kid's release, however, the. There were other outlaws and rustlers in New Mexico, much worse than Billy the Kid, but the Kid had gain fame and was singled out by the newspapers who had built him up into something he wasnt. In 1881, Billy the Kid was captured by Pat Garrett, the Lincoln County Sheriff, for his involvement in the Lincoln County War, and he was found guilty of killing Sheriff Brady. The Kid was the only one convicted and punished over the events of the war. He got into an argument with a bully named Frank Windy Cahill, who had picked on him numerous times before. Henry McCarty Billy the Kid (Henry Antrim) ( Henry McCarty) William H. Bonney Born 17 September 1859 - New York, NY Baptized 28 September 1859 - St. Peter's Church, Manhattan, New York, NY Deceased 14 July 1881 - Fort Sumner, DeBaca Co., NM,aged 21 years old Outlaw 2 files available Parents Patrick McCarty 1828-1869 Catherine Devine 1829-1874 McCarty (or Bonney, the name he used at the height of his notoriety) was 5 feet 8 inches (173 cm) to 5 feet 9 inches (175 cm) tall with blue eyes, a smooth complexion and prominent front teeth. By 1871, Catherine was diagnosed with Tuberculosis and was told to move to a climate that was warmer and drier. History tells us that the outlaw known as Billy the Kid (aka Henry McCarty, aka William Bonney) was gunned downat the ripe old age of 21by Sheriff Pat Garrett on July 14, 1881, in Fort. Connect to the World Family Tree to find out, William Henry Harrison (Antrim), Catherine Devine Zirkle, Sep 17 1859 - New York City, New York, United States, July 14 1881 - Fort Sumner, DeBaca County, New Mexico Territory, July 14 1881 - Fort Sumner, De Baca, New Mexico, Usa, William Henry Harrison ANTRIM, Catherine DEVINE, Sep 17 1859 - New York, New York County (Manhattan), New York, USA, July 14 1881 - Fort Sumner, DeBaca County, New Mexico, USA, William Harrison Bonney, Catherine Mccarty Antrim, Patrick Mccarty, Catherine Devine Mccarty (born Antrim), July 14 1881 - Fort Sumner, DeBaca, New Mexico, United States, Bonney, Bonney (born Mccarty), Nov 23 1859 - New York, New York, New York, USA, July 14 1881 - Fort Sumner, De Baca, New Mexico, USA, William Harrison Bonney, Catherine Bonney (born Devine), William Harrison Bonney, Katherine Bonney (born Boujean), Harrison (Antrim), Catherine Devine Zirkle, Mccarty (Antrim), Mccarty, Fort Sumner, De Baca County, New Mexico, United States, We're Related to Royalty and Famous People, Juana Montoya "La Tullida" Patron, alleged girlfriend of BTK, Paulita Jaramillo, alleged girlfriend of Billy the Kid, Maria Manuelita Martinez Herrera, alleged girlfriend of BTK, Jose Patrocinio Garcia, alleged son of BTK, Florentina Yerby, alleged daughter of BTK, [speculation] Henry "billy The Kid" Mccarty, William Henry Billy, the Kid McCarty Bonney, Antrim, William Henry (Billy The Kid) Bonney McCarty, William Henry (Billy The Kid) Mccarty Bonney, Birth of Jose Patrocinio Garcia, alleged son of BTK, "Henry McCarty", "William H. Bonney", "Henry Antrim", "Kid Antrim", Cattle rustler, cowboy and ranch hand, gambler horse thief, outlaw, September 17 or November 23, 1859 (disputed) - New York City, United States, Died July 14, 1881 (aged 21) - Fort Sumner, New Mexico Territory, Cause of death Gunshot wound - Resting place Old Fort Sumner Cemetery - 342413N 1041137W, Other names William H. Bonney, Henry Antrim, Kid Antrim, Occupation: Cattle rustler, cowboy and ranch hand, gambler, horse thief, outlaw, Martin Garcia, alias he used when he allegedly married Abrana S. Garcia. Dave Stamey's "The Skies of Lincoln County", which features the deceased Bonney as narrator, answering historical distortions by Pat Garrett. He went by many names -- Henry McCarty, William Henry Bonney (William H. Bonney), Oliver P. Roberts (Ollie), and, most notably, Billy the Kid. And also because he never committed most of the crimes we associate with most Wild West bad guys: He never robbed a bank or a train or held up a stagecoach. 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. Western outlaw Billy the Kid met his demise at about 12:30 a.m. on July 14, 1881, when he went to his friend Pete Maxwell's home in Fort Sumner, New Mexico in search of a slice . During this time, his notoriety with newspapers increased, and they dubbed him "Billy the Kid," and the most important outlaw of New Mexico. The Exhumation Of Billy The Kid: New Evidence Confirms His Death They were now viewed as the bad guys and warrants were put out for their arrest. Billy the Kid was born Henry McCarty and spent his early life in New York. Catherine was suffering from consumption and her health began to deteriorate rapidly. [111] McCarty was credited with the killing of 20 men. He would have been a successful man under other circumstances. Billy the Kid was unable to settle down, so he made his living by gambling and rustling cattle. Watch Billy Strings Tear Up Willie Nelson's "Whiskey River" For 90th One biographer, Joel Jacobsen, recounts the story as described in Utley, describing Grant as a "drunk" who was "making himself obnoxious in a bar". [53] The wanted men, Bill Morton and Frank Baker, attempted to flee, but they were captured on March 6. From that point on, McCarty was more or less a fugitive. Tunstall refused to be intimidated and instead tried to fight back with legal action. Brushy Bill Roberts: The Man Who Claimed To Be Billy The Kid [77] On July 19, a column of U.S. cavalry soldiers entered the fray. The Boys started to steal Tunstalls livestock, so arrests were made and the Kid eventually was caught and placed in jail. at which point he was shot and killed in ambush style. Corrections? Buster Crabbe played Billy the Kid in a serial series during 1942 and 1943. Added as an immortal to Michael Scott's series Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel during the third book The Sorceress. Father of Jose Patrocinio Garcia, alleged son of BTK; NN; Florentina Yerby, alleged daughter of BTK and Alexander Montoya [100] On April 9, after two days of testimony, McCarty was found guilty of the murder of Sheriff Brady, the only conviction ever secured against any of the combatants in the Lincoln County Cattle War. By nightfall, the house was completely ablaze and heat from the flames were overwhelming. "In the time that the Kid roamed the land he chided Hispanic villagers who were fearful of standing up to the big ranchers who stole their land, water, and way of life".[106]. [2] The horse returned two days later.[106].