Old West outlaw William Bonney, aka “Billy the Kid,” was famously shot by Lincoln County Sheriff Pat Garrett in Fort Sumner, New Mexico on July 14, 1881. He was buried in the Old Fort Sumner Cemetery alongside Tom O’Folliard and Charlie Bowdre, two members of the Kid’s gang, who had both been killed by Garrett’s posse in 1880. The Kid’s individual grave marker, which wasn’t placed until 1940, has been stolen and recovered twice. It is presently in shackles inside an iron cage.
There are those who believe that the person buried in Fort Sumner isn’t the real Billy the Kid, but an impostor. Numerous claims have been made, but two possible other Billy the Kids are Ollie “Brushy Bill” Roberts (buried in Hamilton, Texas) and John Miller (buried in Prescott, Arizona, where he died in 1937).
John Miller’s remains were exhumed in 2005. DNA was gathered from two corpses buried next to each other — researchers were unsure at first which of the two was the body of John Miller. DNA samples from these exhumations were to be compared with bloodstains from a bench where the Kid’s body was laid after he was killed in Fort Sumner. But so far the results of any comparisons with Miller’s DNA have not been released to the public.
The same team had also wanted to exhume the bodies of the Fort Sumner Billy the Kid, and the Kid’s mother Catherine Antrim, who is buried in Silver City, New Mexico. But officials in Fort Sumner and Silver City have successfully blocked these exhumations. For more details on the search for Billy the Kid see: A New Billy the Kid? The mad search for the bones of an American outlaw icon has come to Arizona. Despite the impostor theories, many historians believe the real Billy the Kid died and was buried in Fort Sumner.
Photographs by Joe Beine, 17 October 2007, Fort Sumner, New Mexico
October 30, 2007 at 6:37 pm |
Great photos, Joe! Outlaws have always fascinated me.
February 14, 2008 at 7:26 pm |
Even in death he’s STILL behind bars.
February 18, 2008 at 4:35 pm |
Hi Joe; excellent photos and interesting text. The legend surrounding Billy the Kid has made for many stories and speculations. We appreciate your work.
March 30, 2008 at 8:44 am |
The grave of “Brushy Bll” Roberts is at Hico, Texas in *Hamilaton County* but not at Hamilton, Texas. A fanciful statue of “Brushy Bill” is located in Hico as well.
March 30, 2008 at 10:15 am |
Find A Grave shows the grave of Ollie Roberts (aka Brushy Bill) as being in Oakwood Cemetery in Hamilton, Texas (in Hamilton County). He was a resident of Hico, but he is buried in Hamilton.
June 6, 2008 at 11:04 pm |
I think that Ollie Brushy Bill Roberts DNA should be compared to that of his mother, and if he was telling the truth, that can be proven. But if Brushy Bill Roberts wasn’t who he said he was…then who was he? And where did he get 26 bullet and knife scars that he showed Morrison? Why would Pat Garretts own daughter say that her father did not shoot billy the kid when she had nothing to gain by it? Too many unanswered questions for them NOT to exhume the bodies and do dna testing. American history could be changed forever and put an old man’s wishes to rest and he can die the man he claimed to be and finally get that PARDON from America! If nothing else, the whole world would know the truth!
August 22, 2008 at 9:02 am |
those are beautuful pictures you took. id like to know if john miller or brushy bill roberts was him or not either way. people who really care wont get to know because the books could be proved wrong and a couple of government connected whiners have all hopes shut off as you would a light.
August 28, 2008 at 6:32 am |
I love the photos. It’s ironic that to protect the headstone of a famous outlaw, it was put in a jail cell. This issue will never be resolved simply because of the tourist attraction it represents. If it ever came out that “The Kid” is not buried there, the municipality would lose money.
September 23, 2008 at 2:44 am |
I think there can be no doubt as to the death of Billy the Kid at the hands of Pat Garrett inside the Pete Maxwell house. Because there has been plenty of eye witness testimony by all parties at the scene. Along with his subsequent wake and burial the next day. And so, there will always be self deluded individuals and imposters looking for their place in history. But really, there’s only one Billy the Kid. The one who finally died in Fort Sumner after a relentless pursuit by Pat Garrett. Because, after all, what tells the tale better than the will and determination of human beings as they take their place in history?
September 28, 2008 at 11:13 am |
As a relative of the late pat garrett I HOPE he didn’t shoot billy the kid. My grandfather WL Garrett said he did though. rz
November 3, 2008 at 8:12 pm |
After watching Young Guns II there are some people that speak about the myth that surround Billy the Kid. I began to do some reading about the issue and personally believe that Billy the Kid was not killed by Pat Garret. I would like to ask about the inscription PALS carved on the headstone. It was said that it was carved after the headstone was set but if that is so then who did it and is it believed to be Billy the Kid himslef? I don’t know I am just curious if anybody has any input.
November 16, 2008 at 10:32 am |
The controvery of whether Billy The Kid was killed by Pat Garrett just makes Billy The Kid more legendary. It is a good way to get more tourists to visit his real grave or his fake grave. He is becoming more famous in death than in life. The fact is Billy The Kid was a killer! I am too facinated with the history of the West as I grew up in Oklahoma.
I like to read the truth about what happend to Billy The Kid, Jesse James, Wyatt Earp and others instead of a made up story. To solve the question of who really killed Billy The Kid or Jesse James would end the legendary status of both.
To many untruths have been told about both Billy The Kid and Jesse James in the past. Untruths keep both alive and will for years to come. What will DNA results do for the legend of Billy The Kid? It will just make Billy The Kid bigger than he really was in life! However, western history buffs will enjoy reading more about the legend of Billy The Kid as well as Jesse James.
April 13, 2009 at 2:00 pm |
Not only has Billy the Kid’s stoen been stolen, but long prior to that there was a flood that dislodged many stones from that cemetery and Billy’s was one of them. It was recovered, but no one could recall precisely where The Kid was buried, so the current placement is probably not on his grave.
May 12, 2009 at 11:15 am |
I think modern day science should unveil the truth about whether or not Billy the kids grave is actually where historians claim it is and if in fact the grave is of Billy the kid.
August 7, 2009 at 11:31 am |
I know w/ out a dought that Pat Garrett shot and killed William H. Bonney a.k.a. Billy the Kid.. Miller and Roberts were just two old man who were wanting to get noticed and or fame before their time was up on this earth.Even today we have the same things happening now look at Elvis Presley people swear he is still alive. Let the kid have peace..R.I.P. Billy kid 7/14/81
November 4, 2009 at 11:11 am |
well im not your idea of a genius but im a great fan of tha kid, and i have enough sence to belive that Garrett gave the kid “the pass” of the century meaning he let the kid walk. As much as he wanted to put a bullit through the kid’s head they had a type of friend ship that no one till this day can figure out. rest in peace “the kid” William H.Bonney
November 7, 2009 at 1:58 pm |
i live about an hour from the old billy the kid hang out and about an hour and a half to 2 hours from billy the kids grave. Suprisingly i haven’t been able to stop at either one, but i say let the myths , tails , stories , and all that other good stuff keep going , other wise there won’t be a spark left in the stories about billy the kid . I’m 24 and when i found out that where i am living is billy the kids old stomping grounds i acted like a little kid whose christmass had come early . so i say leave the stories the way they are. let us keep our dreams .
January 27, 2010 at 10:54 am |
I stand with another reader on this one. Why not dig up the remains of Billy the Kid? Why are officials blocking the exhumation of the grave? The reason? They fear repercussions. 1.) Who wants to come to a grave that’s marked “Billy the Kid” when he is not there….loosing revenue for their city. 2.) It would make many historians look like amateurs who wrote in their biography’s on how they came about proving that the person laying in that grave is the REAL William H. Bonney, AKA “Billy the Kid” and all other accounts fictitious. Boy, what a slap in the face! We should not as people even question their supreme knowledge of the “Old West”…..god forbid!
January 27, 2010 at 11:52 am |
Maybe we need to change History, to the Truth….
January 30, 2010 at 2:34 am |
I agree with palsfan coment. I also agree with kata. I enjoy reading about Billy The Kid,.