Henry McCarty (November 23rd 1859 - July 14th 1881), better known under the name of Billy the Kid , is probably the most famous outlaw of the '' Wild West '' American. Having several alias (William Harrison Bonney, Henry Antrim, Kid Antrim, William Antrim), the " Kid" was a gangster and a murderer of the 19th century, having taken part in the War of the County of Lincoln. It is famous to have killed 21 men, for each year of its life, but it is closer to a total of nine (four only and five within a band). Small and youthful (from where its nickname of Kid : kid), Billy has an attaching personality but also a coleric attitude and higher qualities in handling of firearms. He was cut down by his ex-friend and Shérif of the county of Lincoln, Pat Garrett, in Fort Sumner with the New Mexico in 1881, which published thereafter the very popular book The Authentic Life off Billy The Kid . The " Kid" entered the legend.

Biography

Billy the Kid was born Henry McCarty with New York, perhaps in 1860. During the American Civil war, Henry moves with the Kansas with his/her parents and his Joe brother. When his/her father (Patrick Henry) dies, the family goes in the New Mexico, with Santa Fe, and her mother (Catherine) wife William H. Antrim in 1873. She dies the following year with Silver City (New Mexico) but Henry takes all the same the name of his father-in-law, Antrim. Rejected by this last, Henry turns then to the petty crime of Silver City to survive.

After having worked two years as Cowboy in the east of the Arizona, it kills its first man in self-defense, Frank Cahill (a Irish which made it fall, sat down on him and spit to him with the face) in Fort Grant (Arizona) in 1877, at the 17 years age. Stopped for murder, he escapes and goes back to New Mexico in the area of Lincoln. The " Kid" is then engaged by a young person British Ranch er, John Tunstall, and joint the rows of the Regulators , a band directed by Dick Brewer with between-other Charlie Bowdre, Tom O' Folliard and Doc. Scurlock. Tunstall is with the right in the middle of a war of territory (for the cattle) with the clan of John Dolan and Lawrence Murphy, supported by the powerful peg ladder John Chisum.

When Tunstall is killed in 1878, the War of the County of Lincoln begins. The Regulators wish to avenge death for their owner and capture Frank Baker and William Morton, two suspects in the murder of Tunstall. They will be assassinated in Steel Springs in March. April 1st, 1878, the sheriff William Brady (protective of the Dolan-Murphy clan) and her assistant George Hindman are victims of an ambush set-up by the Regulators . They will die both but Billy will be reached of a shot by one of the assistants of the sheriff, Billy Matthews. Three days later with Blazer' S Millet, Billy and the Regulators face an opponent strongly armed, " Buckshot Roberts ". Dick Brewer will not survive the battle and Roberts either.

When Kid, Alexander McSween (the partner of Tunstall) and nine Regulators kill Long the Jack sheriff in San Patricio (New Mexico), the War of the County of Lincoln reaches its culminating point. In July 1878 with Lincoln, Billy and its band barricade themselves in the house of McSween during several days vis-a-vis ten gunners outside. The fifth day, the house takes fire and the occupants who try to escape are received by a heavy fire. McSween and O' Folliard are cut down but Billy in unscathed fate.

After having negotiated its forgiveness with the governor of the Territory of New Mexico, Lew Wallace (the author of Ben Hur ), Billy the Kid goes to the authorities. He is imprisoned in June 1879 but escapes when he learns that the public prosecutor wants to defy the orders of Wallace and to keep it in detention. The " Kid" writing then its first letter with the governor. In 1880, Billy kills the bargain hunter Joe Grant in a saloon of Strong Sumner (New Mexico) after being made fun of him. During this time, the " Kid" develop a faithful friendship with a ex-hunter of bisons, Patrick Garrett. Wanting to be established as Fort Sumner restorer, Garrett is finally made elect sheriff of the county of Lincoln in November 1880. During this time, Dave Rudabaugh joint with the band of Billy the Kid in White Oaks (New Mexico). Garrett launches out savagely to their cases. He and its men catches up with the Regulators in Stinking Springs in December and Bowdre is killed after a long exchange of shots. Billy goes to Garrett.

He is imprisoned in Mesilla (New Mexico) and undergoes a short lawsuit where it is condemned to the hanging, planned for on May 13rd, 1881. He is transferred to the Courthouse from Lincoln but escapes after being himself gotten a revolver to cut down the two assistant ones of Garrett (which were in White Oaks at the time of the events), Robert Ollinger and James W. Beautiful. He takes his horse and moves towards Fort Sumner, an old military station. July 14th, 1881 whereas it enters the room of his friend Pete Maxwell (wire of Lucien Maxwell, a peg ladder pioneer), it is reached of two shots coming from the weapon of Pat Garrett. He dies immediately, of a ball in the heart. Garrett had come to question Maxwell in connection with the " Kid". Billy the Kid was buried in the military cemetery of Strong Sumner between his/her buddies Bowdre and O' Folliard.On can see on its tomb its wish: I dream off has world without guns. It should be specified that its nickname of " The gaucher" most probably comes owing to the fact that the first photograph published of him WAS DRAWN WITH BACK! The plate put at back at the time of pulling thus reversed the position of the hands. (A great classic of the errors of laboratory of the time…)

Brushy Bill

In 1950, a lawyer named William Morrison located a man of the name of Ollie P. Roberts, called Brushy Bill, which affirms being the truth Billy the Kid and which wanted to make a request for amnesty for its crimes. He states not to be killed by Pat Garrett in 1881 and claims that an impostor is buried in Fort Sumner. Even if some survivors of the war of Lincoln identified the man as being Billy The Kid, the judge did not believe it and it is little deceased of time afterwards. The general opinion wants that this option is not very probable but the debate always holds. The town of Brushy Bill, Hico with the Texas, put on this history by opening a museum. In the Thirties, another individual, of Prescott in Arizona, also affirmed to be Billy the Kid.

The track of Billy the Kid

Tourism around Billy the Kid is in full growth in the State of New Mexico. The Billy the Kid Scenic Byway is a road loop located between the towns of Ruidoso, Capitan, Fort Stanton, Lincoln, Hondo and San Patricio. It is possible also to traverse with horse the same excursion as Billy, in July of each year.

New Mexico

  • Ruidoso - adjacent center of the visitors to the " Hubbard Museum off the American West"

  • Lincoln - historical city protected by the state, tombs of John Tunstall and Alexander McSween
  • Strong Sumner - two museums, fall from Billy the Kid, plates historical
  • Las Cruces - fall from Pat Garrett, plates historical
  • Mesilla (in suburbs of Mow Cruces) - restoring Posted It, prison, plaza
  • White Oaks - historical phantom city, falls from James W. Beautiful

Texas

  • Hico - town of Brushy Bill Roberts, a museum and a statue of Billy the Kid

  • Hamilton - falls from Brushy Bill Roberts
  • San Elizario (in suburbs of El Paso) - old prison, restaurant Billy the Kid

Cinema

Literature

Music

The American type-setter Aaron Copland (1900-1990) wrote in 1938 a ballet in an act entitled " Billy the Kid".

In 1990, the American group Jon Bon Jovi leaves an album entitled: Blaze off Glory of which the song topic drawn from film: Young Guns II . Emilio Estevez and William Peterson.

In 1992, the French group Kat Onoma leaves the album Billy The Kid , album-concept from which the texts are drawn for most of the book from the same name of Jack Spicer.

Cartoon

Billy The Kid appears in several adventures of Lucky Luke , in a form rather far away from reality: Billy Bonney is represented there like a young capricious and infantile teenager.

Bonds

  • Biographie supplements of Billy the Kid

See too

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