 Not much is known about
his origins other than the fact that his mother's name was Catherine
McCarty and he had one brother named Joe. The name and identity of
his father remains a mystery to this day, despite the fact that
historians have scoured America and parts of Europe searching for
his records.
Anyway, it's long been believed that William Bonney, one of the
Old West's most famous outlaws, was an illegitimate son.
When I did a little informal research to find out if many people
have heard of him, three out of four friends said they have never
heard of William Bonney. Two of those friends asked, "You mean of
Bonnie and Clyde?" which made me realize that I need to get some
new, smarter friends. Think about it: How could William Bonney (a
male) be the female half of Bonnie and Clyde?
Bonney was a notorious outlaw and cattle rustler who was alleged
to have killed 21 men -- one for each year of his life. This is one
of many myths surrounding him that were not necessarily true -- for
one reason: He probably never lived to see his 21st birthday. He may
have killed 11 men at most, not including the two men he shot in
self-defense.
He was rumored to be left-handed, but this is probably nothing
more than being portrayed as left-handed in a tintype picture, which
is a mirrored image. He was also portrayed as a left-hander in a
1988 movie.
Another myth, which was shown in the same movie, says that
William Bonney didn't really die a young man but instead was allowed
to go free by Sheriff Pat Garrett. The sheriff was rumored to be one
of William Bonney's friends, which is unlikely considering that
Bonney shot two of the sheriff's deputies. In 1950, a man named
Brushy Bill Roberts claimed to be William Bonney, but there's no
proof that Roberts really was Bonney.
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There were many people who claimed to be William Bonney. One way to
find out whether Bonney was really dead would have been to conduct
DNA testing, but that was impossible because his grave was washed
away in the Pecos River flood of 1904. His mother's grave was moved,
too, and the exact locations of each one remain unknown to this day.
New Mexico's Lincoln County War made William Bonney famous as a
teenager, and Bonney in return made the Lincoln County War famous
all by himself. Otherwise, we probably never would have heard of it.
If you still don't recognize the name of William H. Bonney, it's
because he usually went by his nickname: Billy the Kid.
Billy the Kid was caught with his gang at a stone cabin in
Stinking Springs, N.M. The judge sentenced him to hang on a Friday
the 13th. Now, I'm not superstitious, but I think there's something
unlucky about being scheduled to hang on a Friday the 13th. He later
escaped, which is when he shot two of the sheriff's deputies.
While there is no way to know whether Billy the Kid was born in
1860 or 1862, this much we do know: Sheriff Garrett shot and killed
him on July 14, 1881.
Or did he let him escape, only to reappear in 1950 as Brushy Bill
Roberts?
[By
PAUL NIEMANN]
Paul Niemann may be reached at
niemann7@aol.com.
Copyright Paul Niemann 2008
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