Billy the Kid: Unraveling the Wild West Legend

Much of his background is murky.

Billy the KidPhoto byCreative Commons: Boston Public Library

First of all, Billy the Kid is generally portrayed as a good-looking guy. For heavens sake, Paul Newman played him. However, based on the picture I found of him, he wasn’t terribly photogenic. More about that picture later.

Billy is perhaps the most romanticized personality of the Old West. There is a ton of information about Billy available. Some of it may even be accurate. I’ve actually read quite a bit about the Old West and Billy thew Kid but took another look at him. So, here are some things you might Billy the Kid.

1: Pick a name, any name.

Billy’s real name is a source of debate. Possible real names include Henry Antrim, Henry McCarty, and William Bonney. There is speculation that the name variance comes from the possible name of his biological father and stepfathers. Or maybe he was trying to evade bill collectors.

2: He was probably right-handed.

The above image shows Billy as a lefty. However, that was probably because the image was improperly reproduced and flipped. I’m not sure why he seems to be shaped like a pear.

3: His reputation is likely exaggerated and that’s a good thing.

Legend has it he killed 21 men during the 21 years of his life. The number of men that he killed that are actually documented is four. He may have had a share in killing five more. However, 21 kills in 21 years gets more clicks than 4–9 kills in 21 years.

4: Different old guys came forward to claim to be Billy the Kid.

Probably the most noteworthy was Ollie “Brushy Bill” Roberts. However, gaps in his memory and photographic comparisons disproved that claim. I wonder if Brushy Bill was right or left-handed?

5: Some speculate Pat Garrett didn’t actually kill Billy, but actually helped Billy fake his death.

However, there is no evidence to support this. Some would have us believe Billy the Kid is hanging out with Elvis and Big Foot.

6: Billy is probably most known for his role in the Lincoln County War.

The governor of the New Mexico Territory, Lew Wallace, put a bounty on Billy’s head and helped make him famous. In addition to being the governor of the New Mexico Territory, Wallace is famous for writing, Ben Hur. So, Wallace helped make Billy the Kid and Charlton Heston famous.

7: Rancher, John Tunstall, is often depicted as being a father figure to Billy.

Tunstall was 24 when he died and never mentioned Billy in his personal letters. Forget father figure, first cousin figure at best.

8: After the murder of John Tunstall, Billy became part of a group known as, “The Regulators.”

Since he was the youngest of the group, calling him “the kid” was a natural occurrence. What’s not natural is having middle-aged guys play somebody called “The Kid” in movies. A rule I would like to see in westerns is anybody who is 50 years old or older, can’t be called “Kid.”

9: Lew Wallace backed out of a deal he made Billy for clemency.

After Billy fulfilled his part of the bargain, Wallace backed out. Even then you couldn’t trust politicians.

10: Billy’s first documented foray into crime wasn’t that auspicious.

He stole another man’s clothing from a Chinese laundry. Billy the Kid, cattle thief and clothes horse.

11: In 2010, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson declined to give Billy a pardon posthumously.

Richardson cited “historical ambiguity "and modern apathy. Okay, I made that last part up.

12: In 2010 a ferrotype purported to show Billy the Kid playing croquet with other Regulators was purchased in a memorabilia shop in Fresno, California.

There has been controversy as to whether the image is Billy the Kid or not. Another photo purportedly of Billy playing racquetball with the Regulators has been proved to be a fake.