A Colorado stonecutter named James Noah Warner (1892-1962) read about the Fort Sumner cemetery and decided that Billy the Kid needed his own gravestone. He carved one with two crossed pistols, 21 notches for the men Billy had supposedly killed, and the epitaphs "Truth and History" and "The Boy Bandit King.
Mr. William H. Bonney, some say Billy the Kid lies beneath a headstone inscribed "Pals" with his name and those of two of his outlaw buddies. Visitors often decorate the grave with large caliber bullets and shotgun shells.
Whoever paid for the stone figured they would honor two other members of Billy's gang who were also killed by Pat Garrett and his posse: Charlie Bowdre and Tom O'Folliard. Perhaps wishing to explain why the three men were commemorated with one tombstone, the word “Pals” was engraved on the new stone.
Why does Billy the Kid have a cage around his grave?
Billy the Kid's grave is caged to protect the gravestone, which was stolen multiple times. He's buried with his closest friends, and he has a shared headstone and an individual foot stone. Other graves in the cemetery also deserve a visit.
Abstract. Billy the Kid spoke his last words in Spanish. Calling out “¿Quién es? ¿Quién es?” before he was killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett, the young outlaw's final moments signal his diverse ethnic context.
Henry McCarty (September 17 or November 23, 1859 – July 14, 1881), alias William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West who is alleged to have killed 21 men before he was shot and killed at the age of 21.
Outside is the gravesite, which contains the remains of Bonney and his pals Tom O'Folliard and Charlie Bowdre. The names of all three are on one marker. A second is dedicated just to Bonney, inscribed: "Billy the Kid. Bandit King.
The Kid was a charmer; he spoke fluent Spanish and easily befriended Hispanics, especially the señoritas. But the Kid's cheerful disposition only disguised a quick temper that sometimes drove him to commit audacious acts of crime. Contrary to popular folklore of the Old West, Billy the Kid never killed 21 men.
During the Lincoln County War his associates began calling him “The Kid” because of his youthfulness and slender build. In 1880, newspaper reporters and dime novelists who often embellished his deeds and his legend grew. So did the nickname that most people know him today, “Billy the Kid.”
He stood 5 foot 9 inches tall and weighed approximately 155 pounds. Billy had blue eyes, dirty blond hair, and had two front teeth that protruded. He wore a high-crowned sombrero with a green hatband and was right-handed. Billy also spoke fluent Spanish, was of above average intelligence, and was a born leader.
Bonney, later known as Billy the Kid. It is evident that the two were friends, but how close has not been determined. Some say that Billy the Kid was the closest friend Garrett had at that time. Billy the Kid and his gang went on to become the most feared outlaws in the Southwest.
The "sad ballad" that Billy whistles to let Texas Joe Grant know that he is in fact Billy the Kid is Seán Ó Riada's "Mná na h-Éireann" ("Women of Ireland"), written in the early 1960's.
The posse captured two men and executed them, allegedly as they tried to escape. Then six Regulators, the Kid among them, ambushed Brady and his deputy George Hindman, although it's unclear who fired the fatal bullets. The Kid proved a good shot, constantly practising with either a pistol or his trusty Winchester.
It is a shame the building is no longer open to visitors, but the cemetery was easy to access and well maintained. Billy the Kid's grave is caged to protect the gravestone, which was stolen multiple times. He's buried with his closest friends, and he has a shared headstone and an individual foot stone.
Furthermore, it's mentioned that he had two siblings, but one disappeared from records, while the other did not maintain a connection with him beyond their childhood. It's safe to conclude that he did not have any offspring, and consequently, there are no living descendants.
Reporting on his death in 1881, The New York Times described Billy the Kid as slim, good-looking and mild-mannered. “His soft blue eyes were so attractive that those who saw him for the first time looked upon him as a victim of circumstances,” it reported.
Although he claimed to have killed 21 men, the actual number is likely less than 10. At about age 21, Billy the Kid was gunned down by Sheriff Pat Garrett.
Henry McCarty is believed to be born to an Irish immigrant named Catherine McCarty. Although the identity of his father is uncertain, Henry probably lived alone with his mother in the slums of New York City before moving to Indianapolis some time in the next decade.
Billy was a likable young man. He was very popular with the Latino population in New Mexico. He spoke Spanish fluently, was loyal to his friends, liked music and loved attending the bailes and dancing with the pretty girls. On the other hand, he was a notorious livestock thief.
What is the most historically accurate movie about Billy the Kid?
The title reflects this fact - Gore Vidal's Billy The Kid has been billed with the author's name since it first aired in 1989. Fans of westerns will be quite pleased with Gore Vidal's Billy The Kid. It follows genre conventions closely and is regarded as the most historically accurate movie of the outlaw's life.
