The Controversy About W. H. Bonney During the mid-1800’s, the Southwest was a land full of adventure and legends. Cowboys led cattle drives to towns like Dodge City, and brazen gunmen such as Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and the Clantons walked the streets in Tombstone, Arizona. But no one ranked as one of the most notorious figures of the Western frontier as did William H. Bonney, alias Billy the Kid. Depending on whom you spoke with, the identity of Billy the Kid was sometimes questioned. Billy the Kid was born as William Henry McCarty on November 23, 1859. But during his short lifetime of twenty-one years, he would be known as William H. Bonney, William Henry McCarty and historically as Billy the Kid. There has been much controversy, speculation, …show more content…
and debate over the death of Billy the Kid. There are many historians who have accepted the death that has been published, but there are many people who have claimed to be “The Kid” and that the wrong man was killed and buried in the town of Fort Sumner in Lincoln County, New Mexico. This paper will argue that there is a real possibility that W. H. Bonney was not killed at Fort Sumner by Pat Garrett as history books would have us believe. This paper will in fact provide evidence to support this theory. One particular quote in the article by Mullin and Welch states: “what happened doesn’t matter. What people like to believe does.” These words were so significant in the life and death (?) of Billy the Kid. Writers and reporters were overly anxious of Billy the Kid’s popularity that he gained when he died. From the men that were reported that he had killed to the details of his escape from the jail in Lincoln, New Mexico in April 1881, Billy the Kid was more of an icon in death than he ever was during his life. Mullin and Welch presented situations that could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Billy the Kid pulled the actual trigger in many of these deaths. But these casualties were still attributed to the hands of Billy the Kid. Leon Metz portrayed Pat Garrett as a unique Western gunman who began his life as a buffalo hunter in Texas and eventually arrived in New Mexico hunting the outlaws that tormented the people. Pat went on to be a Texas Ranger captain, a rancher, a Customs Collector but returned to Las Cruces, New Mexico in 1908 where he was killed at the early age of 57. Gunman usually live short lives, and Pat Garrett was always remembered as the one who killed Billy the Kid. Or that is what history has chosen to portray throughout the years. Alfred Adler contributes from a historian’s perspective. From gazing at this death like a mystery, Adler presents points that Garrett was anxious to have the Kid’s death made official. If not for the reward, for the reason that the man that had been killed was indeed not Billy the Kid. The two deputies that were present were not qualified to speak of Kid’s identification. One had not met the Kid at all and the other only saw him as he entered Maxwell’s room. But if this was the first time that he saw the Kid, how did he know that he was indeed the Kid? Was he in fact told to say that he was the Kid? These variances were indeed no proof that the Kid did in fact die on July 14, 1881. A definite mystery has been unfolded. W. C. Jameson is one that takes a different approach to the recollection of facts. Residents of Fort Sumner, New Mexico were not so quick to acknowledge that the man that Pat Garrett shot was Billy the Kid. Many believed that the Kid had escaped to Mexico. Many men tried to claim the title of Billy the Kid but were unsuccessful. It was not until a man by the name of William Henry Roberts admitted to being the actual outlaw Billy the Kid and that he still feared being arrested or killed in the street did writers begin to put these pieces together. Throughout their findings, they discovered where Roberts was at one time called “Kid” Roberts and Billy “Kid” Roberts as well as changing his name in 1875 to Billy Bonney. Jameson continues to find inconsistencies within the accounts of those that were present when the shooting occurred in Maxwell’s room as well as fabricated events provided by Pat Garrett at the time of the shooting. These inconsistencies contributed to Garrett’s creditability greatly. With these varying accounts of specific details, my paper will investigate further into the area of the actual man that was killed on July 14, 1881 by Pat Garrett. Furthermore, this work will differ from what has already been presented due to the persistence of discovering why the case was suddenly closed and why the resistance was so readily abolished. There are many questions and probabilities that still remain a mystery and a concern to many people. Who was actually killed the night of July 14, 1881? Was it Billy the Kid or was it someone that Pat Garrett and Pete Maxwell allowed to be substituted for this death? Was Pat Garrett so anxious and humiliated that he actually shot the wrong man? Or was it a scheme that Garrett and the Kid organized to allow the Kid to escape while Garrett was allowed to be congratulated with this historical murder? These are answers that are projected to be made throughout this paper. First the backgrounds and histories of both men, William H. McCarty and William H. Roberts, will be analyzed and compared for any and all similarities, differences and consistencies that possibly connect one to the other. All acquaintances of both individuals will be scrutinized for any and all connections that might exist. There are also a great number of newspaper articles that speak to the reported death of Billy the Kid. Even though these primary sources exist from over one hundred years ago, they will be collected, examined and compared so as to eliminate any facts that were erroneously reported. All existing documents including court manuscripts and correspondence between all parties concerned will be dissected for any and all noticeable explanations for their official findings. There should be a cost analysis performed of the loss of revenue that Lincoln County would incur if the death of Billy the Kid at Fort Sumner was found to be erroneous. Any and all connected parties that are profiting or would stand to lose tremendously from this historical legend will be evaluated and analyzed for their connection to this death in Fort Sumner. Also all health and dental records from trustworthy and reliable sources will be put under a microscopic eye for any connection between Roberts and McCarty. The ultimate solution would be a comparison of William H. Robert’s DNA with the DNA of McCarty’s mother since the whereabouts of the actual body of William H. McCarty is unknown due to a flood that uprooted the headstones within the cemetery where he is supposedly buried. There had been a petition brought before the court for the exhumation of William H. McCarty and his mother to obtain samples of DNA, but the petition was dropped in the course of pre-hearing negotiations. The reason for this decision was never presented, so this course of action has not been permitted by the courts at this time. But this would finally put an end to this heated discussion that has been circling for over one hundred years. Also at one time, blood samples that supposedly belonged to the Kid were taken from a bench by a forensic expert. These findings were never introduced into court, nor were the impending results made public. To be able to obtain these results would be an encouraging start in the compiling of evidence to support this possible theory. Time Table Time until due date Task PHASE 1 – Prewriting 26 weeks Begin to review grants and other funding that might be at your disposal for your research. Review the requirements and due date as presented by your professor before initial groundwork is begun. 25-23weeks Begin reading all of the secondary sources that pertain to your thesis 23 weeks Present a short version of your research along with the bibliography to your review. . 19 weeks Organize and write a short document with all angles to be addressed, what topics need to be researched, and what people and places that need to be visited, interviewed or scrutinized. 18-14 weeks Begin locating and reading all of the primary sources that are at your disposable. Make trips to larger libraries if necessary to formulate more research on these primary sources. Prepare a budget if travel is to be expected to complete your research. 14-13 weeks After primary sources have been read and analyzed, review and revisit any sources that might probe more questions for your research. PHASE 2 – Writing 13 weeks Compile all data that has been located and prepare an outline of all sources with appropriate data located. 12-11 weeks Prepare a condensed version of your paper (4-5 pages in length). 10 weeks Spend at least a week analyzing your first application of data that has been compiled. 9 weeks Rewrite your first version by adding more collective data and prepare your first complete draft. 7 weeks Have colleagues and other faculty review your draft and give suggestions or comments. PHASE 2 – Editing 5 weeks Take comments and apply changes or corrections to your draft. 3 weeks Let the paper just “sit” for a week so that you can reflect on it. 2.5 weeks Review due date and ensure that you are on schedule for completion and submission. 2 weeks Review your proposal again, cautiously edit for any more changes, and finalize. 3-4 Days Print your final copy. 2-3 Days Submit proposal. DUE DATE An Annotated Bibliography Adler, Alfred. “Billy the Kid: A Case Study in Epic Origins.” Western Folklore 10.2 (1951): 143-152. Print. Adler presents evidence that contradicts the reported death of the Kid in 1881. Was the Kid a folk or hero? Was Pat Garrett attempting to redeem the humiliation from the Kid’s escape? Adler presents to his readers that the death of the “hero” was indeed a mystery if not a death that was dishonestly reported. The content that we will read will plant the possibility of dishonesty between Garrett, deputies and the jury that declared the Kid officially dead. Boyle, Alan. “Billy the Kid: Case Closed.” NBCNews.com. 27 Sept 2004. Web. 14 April 2015. Boyle discussed the legal arguments between officials of New Mexico, the Governor of New Mexico and the attorneys that had been appointed for the Kid’s interests. Boyle brought to light the resistance that was met in court, the reasons why some officials decided to drop the case, and the exhumation of the remains of Billy the Kid himself as well as the remains of his mother that are buried in Silver City, New Mexico. This article leads to true speculation that there is an uncertainty of who was really killed on July 14, 1881. “Claiming Billy the Kid.” Las Vegas Daily Gazette 29 July 1881, Image 2. Print. This print from the Las Vegas Daily Gazette newspaper tells of the quarrel that the Kid (William McCarty) had with Tom Moore on the night of September 8, 1876. From this account, many were able to connect the Kid with the name McCarty to be as one and the same. Also mentioned was the scar on his upper part of one of his legs due to an acid burn when Billy was just ten years old. This is a positive identification mark that should be quite noticeable and recognizable. This article lends information as to the physical identity of William McCarty and one distinct way to determine the actual identification of a body. Gardner, Mark Lee. “To Hell On A Fast Horse.” New York: HarperCollins Publisher, 2010. Print. Gardner has been able to re-create the manhunt for Billy the Kid who was known as one of the most iconic outlaws of the Wild West. There are many primary sources that Gardner presents in order to show the connection between Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid and the determination that Garrett had for capturing the Kid. The anger that Garrett held led him on a manhunt that fueled his purpose. Hull, Jack. “Only One Man Living Who Saw Billy the Kid in Both Life and Death.” Clovis Evening News-Journal 1937 (Outlaw Gazette: Vol 8: Nov 2000). Print. Hull discusses the conversation that he had with a woman who insisted that she knew a man who knew Billy the Kid personally and as of 1914 knew that he was living in a small town in Mexico. Other connections to the rumors that the Kid was still alive were discussed. Finally a discussion with Jesus Silva, an 86 year-old Spanish-American who is now blind leads you in the historic direction that the Kid is dead. Silva’s recollection of that night that the Kid supposedly died is trusting and convincing to one point of view. But there is no mention of a deputy present or anyone but Garrett and Silva. Jameson, W. C. “Billy The Kid: Beyond the Grave.” New York: Taylor Trade Publishing, 2005. Print. Jameson follows The Kid’s life through Lincoln County, elaborates on The Kid’s connection to Pat Garrett and ultimately Billy’s escape from jail.
Jameson presents evidence contrary to what has been presented throughout history that suggests and poses the real possibility that a man named William Henry Roberts could have been the real Billy the Kid. There is much evidence presented that has been analyzed including the use of new technology to produce a compelling case for Billy the Kid’s survival. Metz, Leon C. “Pat Garrett: Another Look at a Western Gunman.” Montana: The Magazine of Western History 21.4 (1971): 70-78. Print. Metz provides an analysis of notorious gunmen of the West including Wyatt Earp, James Gillett and Pat Garrett. Pat Garrett’s character is critiqued as well as his accomplishments and undertakings to allow his readers an inside view of the man who was reported to have killed Billy the Kid. This source outlines Garrett’s ambition for office before the Kid and after the Kid was supposedly killed as well as his political journey as Sheriff and various political offices. Mullin, Robert N., Charles E. Welch Jr. “Billy the Kid: The Making of a Hero.” Western Folklore 32.2 (1973): 104-111. …show more content…
Print. Mullin and Welch enlighten their audience by reliving many of the Kid’s former adventures as well as his capture and escape from jail. Billy the Kid had been known as a cattle and horse thief, but his fame was not spread so fast as when the news of his death appeared. Mullin and Welch persisted that Billy the Kid was always to be remembered within the public’s eyes as one of the violent men of the West. This article will lend to those individuals the notoriety that Billy the Kid had claimed as loyal to the “little” people of the Territory or those that were disadvantaged. Orangeburg Times: Orangeburg Court House, South Carolina. 28 July 1881, Image 3. The article that appeared in this newspaper stated that Billy the Kid was a Mexican outlaw that was killed by a Mexican sheriff. There were inaccurate details reported which add to a multiple number of erroneousness facts that have surfaced during my research of Billy the Kid. “Plan Underway to Learn the Truth About Billy the Kid.” Jewish World Review July 2003. Print. This article spells out both accounts of how Billy the Kid died – one as a result of a deadly gunshot from Pat Garrett and one where the Kid escaped to Texas where he died in 1950 as Brushy Bill. The clarification of the truth is more about the boosting tourism that would be lost to New Mexico if the latter account was true. But also it is added that getting to the truth is what the state of Texas wants and if that means increasing interest and tourism to Texas, then the people could not be happier. This article will give both accounts and add to the whys and ifs of this mystery being solved. “The Death of Billy the Kid, 1881,” EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com 2001. Web. 10 Apr 2015. By reading this report, you receive an in-depth journey into Lincoln County and the reported manner in which Billy the Kid was killed. You are given the conversation between Garrett and his old friend, Peter Maxwell. When the Kid was supposedly killed, Maxwell was the one that identified the Kid in the dark to Garrett. This report recounts the random coincidence of Garret finding the Kid. Was it too easy? “The Kid Killed.” Dodge City: Dodge City Times 21 July 1881. Print. This article that appeared in the Dodge City, Kansas newspaper reported that the Las Vegas Gazette was given information that Billy the Kid was killed on July 14, 1881 by Pat Garrett. This article leads to the first account’s authenticity of the Kid’s death. Towanda Daily Review: Towanda, Pennsylvania. 21 July 1881, Image 2. Print. This newspaper article reported that Pat Garrett was justified in the shooting of Billy the Kid. Garrett was given much thanks from the community and was presented the reward of $500 from the territory. An additional $200 is to be raised by the people of the community. This article leads to the possibility that Garrett was acting too hastily in the search and capture of Billy the Kid. Also with Garrett as the actual Sheriff, should he have been given the reward money? Utley, Robert M. Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1989. Print. Utley provides conversation from recorded interviews and actual court transcripts that were obtained during Billy the Kid’s years in Lincoln County. Utley examines the evidence including photographs and maps that pertained to the Kid’s death. This publication adds diversity as opposed to the multitude of material that has been published on this subject. Wallace, Lew. Letter from Lew Wallace to W. H. Bonney. 15 Mar 1879. TS. Lew Wallace Letters Go West. Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis. Two letters exist – one from Lew Wallace, Governor of New Mexico, to William Bonney and one from Bonney to Wallace.
Bonney in his letter confirms his intention to surrender but is concerned with his safety after his arrest. Wallace gives detailed instructions for Bonney to surrender in safety, and he will assure that he will be exempted from prosecution in exchange for his testimony. These correspondences leads to the honesty of the governor and his genuine intentions to stand behind his word to Bonney. We know from further reading that the prosecutor approached Bonney after his arrest, while the Governor was out of town, and told him that the Governor’s pardon was not an option. That Bonney would be found guilty and hanged for his
crimes. Wilson, John P. Escape of “the Kid” Reconsidered. New Mexico History.org. Web. 10 Apr 2015. Wilson recounts many, many sources that have reported on Billy the Kid. Wilson is complementary of Robert Utley and notes that his analysis was thorough and special weight was given to his firsthand sources. Wilson is not as complementary of Frederick Nolan adding that Nolan became engulfed in his own theories and less inclined to rely on source material. Primary sources are provided with verification of locations and events that will contribute to the paper itself.
...rnia. Wyatt Earp died on January 13, 1929, and his fame as a lawman has continued to grow since his death. Wyatt Earp literally shot his way into the hearts of Western America. He is familiar to the nation’s people, young and old. From Ellsworth, Kansas to Tombstone, Arizona, he cleaned the streets of desperadoes in town after town. He shot coolly, he shot straight, and he shot deadly, but only in self-defense. Like any other person whose reputation leaned on firepower, there were those who wanted to test, to see if their draw was a split second quicker or if they could find a weak spot. Wyatt put many of their doubts to rest. When the history of the western lawmen is placed in view, Earp’s name leads the parade of Hickok, Masterson, Garrett, Tilghman and all the rest.
McMurtry, Larry. 2005. Oh What a Slaughter: Massacres in the American West: 1846-1890. 10th Ed. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.
Throughout the ages, men and women have been the center of myths and legends, becoming tragic heroes in large part due to the embellishment bestowed upon them over the ages. Perhaps, though, truth can be stranger than fiction. Pat Tillman was a man of many talents and virtues, never satisfied by the mediocre, striving for more excitement, more meaning, in his tragically short time on Earth, and lived out the phrase carpe diem to the letter. Even Pat Tillman had tragic flaws; his unwillingness to be average, his undying loyalty to family and country, and his unusually concrete set of morals all eventually led to his death. These, whatever the outcome might have been, are not, by any means, archetypical tragic flaws. They are, as Jon Krakauer later described, “tragic virtues.” Where Men Win Glory is not solely a tribute to Pat Tillman. What makes it truly unique is its exhaustively comprehensive history leading up to Pat’s death, and just as important, the events that took place after his death, including the cover-ups, scandals, corruption, falsified documents, and lies that helped, also, to emphasize the themes, of which Pat was the epitome. Pat’s loyalty and devotion to the things that he loved, the use of misinformation surrounding his death, and others’ reactions to what Pat considered paramount in his life all played a key role in the tragedy of a man that won glory.
Because of the outlaw hero’s definitive elements, society more so identifies with this myth. Ray said, “…the scarcity of mature heroes in American...
Silva, Lee A. “Sam Colt’s Big Business Was a Boon to Other Gunmakers.” Wild West 25.5
The Taming of the West: Age of the Gunfighter: Men and Weapons of the Frontier 1840-1900.
While the western frontier was still new and untamed, the western hero often took on the role of a vigilante. The vigilante’s role in the frontier was that of extralegal verve which was used to restrain criminal threats to the civil peace and opulence of a local community. Vigilantism was typical to the settler-state societies of the western frontier where the structures and powers of government were at first very feeble and weak. The typical cowboy hero had a willingness to use this extralegal verve. The Virginian demonstrated this throughout with his interactions with Trampas, most notably in the interactions leading up to the shoot out and during the shoot-out itself. “Others struggled with Trampas, and his bullet smashed the ceiling before they could drag the pistol from him… Yet the Virginian stood quiet by the...
Somewhere out in the Old West wind kicks up dust off a lone road through a lawless town, a road once dominated by men with gun belts attached at the hip, boots upon their feet and spurs that clanged as they traversed the dusty road. The gunslinger hero, a man with a violent past and present, a man who eventually would succumb to the progress of the frontier, he is the embodiment of the values of freedom and the land the he defends with his gun. Inseparable is the iconography of the West in the imagination of Americans, the figure of the gunslinger is part of this iconography, his law was through the gun and his boots with spurs signaled his arrival, commanding order by way of violent intentions. The Western also had other iconic figures that populated the Old West, the lawman, in contrast to the gunslinger, had a different weapon to yield, the law. In the frontier, his belief in law and order as well as knowledge and education, brought civility to the untamed frontier. The Western was and still is the “essential American film genre, the cornerstone of American identity.” (Holtz p. 111) There is a strong link between America’s past and the Western film genre, documenting and reflecting the nations changes through conflict in the construction of an expanding nation. Taking the genres classical conventions, such as the gunslinger, and interpret them into the ideology of America. Thus The Western’s classical gunslinger, the personification of America’s violent past to protect the freedoms of a nation, the Modernist takes the familiar convention and buries him to signify that societies attitude has change towards the use of diplomacy, by way of outmoding the gunslinger in favor of the lawman, taming the frontier with civility.
Lee, Robert W. "Gun Report: The Buford Furrow Tragedy." The New American 15 (1999): 33
The image of the cowboy as Jennifer Moskowitz notes in her article “The Cultural Myth of the Cowboy, or, How the West was Won” is “uniquely
Alex Vernon. "Staging Violence in West's "The Day of the Locust" and Shepard's "True West"." South Atlantic Review 65.1 (2000): 132-151. Print.
Over the years, the idea of the western frontier of American history has been unjustly and falsely romanticized by the movie, novel, and television industries. People now believe the west to have been populated by gun-slinging cowboys wearing ten gallon hats who rode off on capricious, idealistic adventures. Not only is this perception of the west far from the truth, but no mention of the atrocities of Indian massacre, avarice, and ill-advised, often deceptive, government programs is even present in the average citizen’s understanding of the frontier. This misunderstanding of the west is epitomized by the statement, “Frederick Jackson Turner’s frontier thesis was as real as the myth of the west. The development of the west was, in fact, A Century of Dishonor.” The frontier thesis, which Turner proposed in 1893 at the World’s Columbian Exposition, viewed the frontier as the sole preserver of the American psyche of democracy and republicanism by compelling Americans to conquer and to settle new areas. This thesis gives a somewhat quixotic explanation of expansion, as opposed to Helen Hunt Jackson’s book, A Century of Dishonor, which truly portrays the settlement of the west as a pattern of cruelty and conceit. Thus, the frontier thesis, offered first in The Significance of the Frontier in American History, is, in fact, false, like the myth of the west. Many historians, however, have attempted to debunk the mythology of the west. Specifically, these historians have refuted the common beliefs that cattle ranging was accepted as legal by the government, that the said business was profitable, that cattle herders were completely independent from any outside influence, and that anyone could become a cattle herder.
Ring, Ray. “Guns R Us.” High Country News (Paonia, Co) Vol. 39, No. 14 Aug. 6 2007:10-17. Sirs Issues Researcher. Web. 6 Oct. 2015.
When Harvey was 21 years old he left to Colorado for the mining and later joined the Union army at Fort Union, New Mexico. Not long after leaving Ohio, Harvey Howard Whitehill married Harriet Stevens. Harvey Howard Whitehill was one of the founders of Silver City and he was later elected Sheriff. As the Sheriff, Harvey Whitehill was the first to arrest Billy the Kid. Not many know the story but those that do find it amusing. Billy the Kid was arrested by Sheriff Harvey Whitehill for stealing the China-man’s laundry. Billy the kid then escaped the county jail by shimmying up the county jail chimney. Sheriff Harvey Whitehill was attempting to help get Billy back on the right path in life and did not want to keep him in jail long because he had a long life ahead of him but Billy the Kid was destined to be an outlaw and Sheriff Harvey Whitehill’s attempt to get Billy the Kid back on the right track had failed. After being the Sheriff of Silver City for many years, he was elected into the New Mexico Territory Assembly and the Council of the 26th
Few Hollywood film makers have captured America’s Wild West history as depicted in the movies, Rio Bravo and El Dorado. Most Western movies had fairly simple but very similar plots, including personal conflicts, land rights, crimes and of course, failed romances that typically led to drinking more alcoholic beverages than could respectfully be consumed by any one person, as they attempted to drown their sorrows away. The 1958 Rio Bravo and 1967 El Dorado Western movies directed by Howard Hawks, and starring John Wayne have a similar theme and plot. They tell the story of a sheriff and three of his deputies, as they stand alone against adversity in the name of the law. Western movies like these two have forever left a memorable and lasting impressions in the memory of every viewer, with its gunfighters, action filled saloons and sardonic showdowns all in the name of masculinity, revenge and unlawful aggressive behavior. Featuring some of the most famous backdrops in the world ranging from the rustic Red Rock Mountains of Monument Valley in Utah, to the jagged snow capped Mountain tops of the Teton Range in Wyoming, gun-slinging cowboys out in search of mischief and most often at their own misfortune traveled far and wide, seeking one dangerous encounter after another, and unfortunately, ending in their own demise.