How did Billy the Kid really die? The controversy.

"I have been researching and studying the life of Billy the Kid for at least four decades,” says Bell. This is my third-and final-book on his short and violent life, and I believe it’s finally time to tell the truth about one of the biggest lies in the entire saga.”
In The Final Word, Bell contends the “contorted and ridiculous Pat Garrett version” of how the Kid died is “a total lie.” “I don’t believe Billy was walking in his stocking feet across the parade ground to get some beef,” says Bell. “I don’t believe he was armed with a Colt Thunderer.”
Bob Boze Bell is known as America's Western Storyteller. He is an artist, author, writer and serves as executive editor of True West magazine. Bell is a popular, sought-after figure in television documentaries about the Old West, appearing as an expert in dozens of Wild West history shows. Bell won an Emmy Award as Executive Producer of the PBS special, Outrageous Arizona, a zany look at the state's centennial, that he also wrote and helped direct. As an author, Bell has brought to life Billy the Kid, Geronimo, Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickok in his best-selling Illustrated Life and Times series. His books Classic Gunfights I, II and III are must-reads about the most important Old West gunfights. Bell’s Bad Men is now in its fourth printing, while his illustrated autobiography, The 66 Kid: Raised on the Mother Road, gives personal insight into the passions that have driven him on his lifelong quest to interpret the history of the American West for audiences around the world.
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[@MustafaBinAkbar]

My Great Grandmother use to tell how The Dalton Gang would hide out in her Father in Law's bard after they would rob a train. My 2X Great Grand Father lived in Perry, Okla his name was Chief Hoke Dent, they would leave the barn door open and the Dalton Gang after Robbing a train or bank would ride into Indian terrority and hide out in his barn. His wife would bring out dinner and breakfast to them. When they would leave my 2 X Great grandmother would go out to get the dishes and The Dalton Gang would leave a stack of gold coins on a wood barrel.

[@tacofingerz7247]

Well.. the Dalton gang? Or the Dalton-doolin gang?

[@MustafaBinAkbar]

@@tacofingerz7247 she said Dalton

[@TheBatugan77]

@@tacofingerz7247 She said Dalton. D-a-l-t-o-n.

[@clintperry799]

Super cool 😎

[@briangleason5597]

You teach me more than Any teacher ever did. Thank You Sir.

[@PD3a11]

“Nothing changes more than the past.” Great comment.

[@ITILII]

When the legend becomes fact, print the legend - In other words, when fiction becomes fact, print the fiction...From the movie, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence

[@lukesnare8063]

The past can never be changed you can only change it with words

[@timjohnson2551]

@@ITILII w WW2 WW2 ³ww⁴ was

[@ronniebishop2496]

And at least we have the courage to change it to the truth if we ever find it.

[@ronniebishop2496]

@@lukesnare8063 The past doesn’t change but what we say about it and what we think the facts are does change, and should.

[@MrSkiptracy]

In 1963 I was in the United States Air Force stationed in New Mexico I was talking to a man in his early '90s and really the kids subject came up and he swore to God that he never was killed the way it's gone down in history that he end up going to Mexico for a while before moving back to Texas and down of old age and I've always believed him That's all I got

[@andrewt8754]

Love your work Bob, I'm a massive western fan all the way from down under Australia, my man cave is like going back in time with so much western stuff everywhere.

[@c-secofficer123]

"They some men were born in the wrong century.. I think I was born on the wrong continent" This aint Dodge City...and you aint Bill Hickok

[@27Zangle]

My father was really into western, books, movies, history, etc. I remember him reading Louis L'Amour over and over among other articles. He lived in the Nevada, Arizona area while growing up and would regularly visit family throughout his life until his death. I remember books laying around and he would read them over and over through the years. He watched a lot of old westerns and anything new that came out and would include me with the movie watching on Friday nights. We would get some sleeping bags to camp in the living room, ice cream, and a coke. He would usually drink himself to sleep and I would finish the movie on my own before shutting off the VCR and TV. One thing my mother had always said was, "Your father was born about 100 years too late."

[@strahaironscale571]

sounds like a cool dad

[@beachcomber1able]

What was his opinion on Brushy Bill?

[@i.marr.6688]

@@beachcomber1able Do you believe Brushy Bill was really Billy the Kid? I doubt it was him If billy wasn't shot dead he would have resurfaced sometime later, On the other hand he was identified by some who knew Billy, But I believe he was shot By Pat Garratt

[@beachcomber1able]

@@i.marr.6688 No way was Brushy Billy. 😆 Forty odd folks went to Billy's funeral and the ladies of the town dressed His body .

[@danielwebster5748]

That is a good story. I have always said the same about myself

[@tacofingerz7247]

The only thing that really makes me doubt about Billy's death is the fact that there is no picture of him being dead. A wanted outlaw like him? A thirsty dog lile Garrett? Not a single picture taken? Like , it wasnt that all of that happen in a shootout in the middle of nowhere with a killing weather, it wasnt in battle, it was IN a room, and ambush, well planned and orchestrated, patiently pulled off and yet nobody took a fuckin picture? Hell we dont have pictures of the Dalton gang while being a gang, just the one where they are dead. We have a lot of pictures of a lot of dead outlaws who werent as notorious as billys and yet, knowing also that before his death there was only one picture of him? Cough we dont have a Bin Ladens dead pic either Cough. Just SAYIN.

[@808ghostMiller]

Definitely agree!!! 💯. Makes that movie Old Henry that much more entertaining

[@BlackbirdSpecOps]

Fort Sumner was small and there wasn’t a photography studio there. Photographers back then travelled through and plied their trade when they were available. Not uncommon to not have a photo of Billy the Kid dead.

[@brianmallen8887]

@Stephan Revier Can we talk about the croquet picture? If everybody else in the pic is who they say they are and there's no way to fake putting them in there....then it's got to be the Kid, right?...All we want is the truth, right? ..And if it is the Kid? It sure tells you something. The look on his face, the way he's covering his overbite. He got something going on under his sweater about mid-section. I think he's hiding a pistol. The guy in the pic pointing at the Kid, there's a reason for that. In fact, everybody in the pic seems to be focusing direct or indirectly at the Kid.....It may be splitting hairs but Billy the Kid wasn't the same kind of criminal as The Daltons, James gang, Sam Bass etc. .. He never stuck a gun in somebody's face to rob them. Like Arizona's "Cowboys" he stole horses and cattle, but Billy never robbed banks, trains, or people. Pat Garret was just doing his fucking job. You don't just let something go after somebody kills two of your deputies and then fails to leave the territory. Billy stuck around cause he was in love with Paulita Maxwell? I think Pat Garret woulda hunted the Kid to the ends of the earth and the kid knew it and decided to have it out in New Mexico. That's why Billy was sneaking around in his socks with a knife. Garret would have been a fool to approach a wiley, sneaky, escape artist who was damn good with a rifle and pistol like Bonney on the up and up. It's not a fucking movie, this stuff really happened. These were real people who didn't want to go out in a blaze of glory.

[@pauls5096]

@Stephan Revier Dude, step away from the exclamation point. It's only to be used quite sparingly.

[@LuisGomez-pg2qk]

AT TACO FINGERS - FT SUMNER AT THAT TIME WAS VERY SMALL TOWN, STILL IS ,MOSTLY MEXICANS LIVED THERE.NEW MEXICO IS STILL SOMEWHAT DESOLATE ESPECIALLY IN LINCOLN COUNTY COULD POSSIBLY BE NO CAMERAS AT FT SUMNER AT THAT TIME.ALSO GARRETT KILLED THE KID IN THE DARK SO THAT WOULD HAVE ANGERED BILLY'S FRIENDS N SO GARRETT RECEIVED NO COOPERATION FROM ANYONE IN FT SUMNER AND I'M SURE GARRETT N HIS DEPUTIES FEARED FOR THIER LIVES SO THEY JUS WANTED TO GET THE HELL OUT OF TOWN NO PICTURES, NO AUTOGRAPHS, NO PARADE GARRETT KILLED BONNEY N JUS IMMEDIATELY LEFT.

[@Didymus1of12]

My grandfather always believed the Pat Garrett shot Billy from cover underneath a bed or couch that was on the walkway (porch). I didn't know enough to believe or disbelieve his story, but I just saw a short film by a man that knew the Maxwells and his account was essentially the same. My grandad was born in 1881, went to the NM School of Mines in Socorro. Evidently he knew someone who also knew Billy and Maxwell's adopted daughter, who, I believe was Billy's girlfriend. He said she was his babysitter.

[@kiasax2]

Being American Indian and a history buff, I have loved True West since I was a kid. So, many thanks to you, Sir. So glad you've brought up Mr. Utley and Mr. Hutton, two historians that I respect immensely. I absolutely agree with you entirely, the story Garrett told just doesn't make any sense. No photos of the Kid's corpse? Really? Nonsense. If the Kid had been killed, there would have been photographs, with as much evidence as possible.

[@LRBeforeTheInternet]

Yeah, because there were tons of photographers living in Fort Sumner in 1881. LOL :)

[@clemdawg4360]

I highly doubt Garret killed Billy the Kid. Come on. No death photo, the original paper work on Billy being killed is still missing. I can go on and on of all the documentation that makes it look like Garret killed the wrong man. A Mexican with a beard. Where's Billy's missing pistol? One report says Billy had a knife. The other, that he had a gun other than a 44. Whereas the missing gun? What about all the people who said Brushy Bill Roberts was Billy the Kid? Too much opinion, not enough research. Check out Alias Billy The Kid on KZbin. He does an excellent job of giving documentation and details.

[@dustypendleton6694]

Bob Boze Bell. After all the news and interviews about the way that Frank Hamer and Maney Gault orchestrated the trap and assassination of Bonnie and Clyde; I find it easy to accept your theory of the taking down of Billy the Kid. It's the intelligent way to avoid a shoot out with someone who would not hesitate to kill. Well done.

[@charlesbrowngodhelpmeimiss4907]

Rest well William Bonnie pals

[@earlclue]

assassination? really?...thats how you see it?....dang

[@silverstar4289]

You make a good point. Billy was a psychopath who would kill without hesitation. He received the fate he earned.

[@jlbowhunter]

If you never got to watch Bob Munden, search KZbin and watch him. Fastest draw and shot ever recorded. He is outspoken and he knew he was the best and the fastest. Anyways, he said something along the lines of back in the old west days guys were shot in the back. There were no high noon standoffs outside of a saloon like portrayed in movies. I have no doubt it was like this and I am going to get this gentleman’s book to read. But the fact that Garrett possibly shot Billy like a dog unarmed is very believable.

[@davidlarned4315]

Concerning Bob Olinger using dimes in his shotgun. I don't know if he did or not but I saw a video of someone shooting a side of hog ( i believe it was hog ) and many of the dimes bounced off with only a few penetrating. Dimes did not perform as well as buckshot,,,

[@spacecatboy2962]

HELLO BOB

[@matthewb2923]

i am a younger kid now getting into history i love learning about it and it opens my mind to how it was back then and then now!

[@tacofingerz7247]

History is a beautiful thing. Keep diving in!

[@dannyfaircloth2679]

I have a funny fact for you my soon to be exwife is kin to John Westley harden and my grate grandfather was a Texas ranger that went after John Westley harden

[@armyvet8279]

Yeah sure

[@susanmccormick6022]

@@tacofingerz7247 Welcome,but be careful,it's addictive.

[@susanmccormick6022]

@@dannyfaircloth2679 Fascinating.

[@ericwilliams6915]

Fact is nobody today knows what really happened Garrett was a crook and liar so is it possible he killed the wrong man yes is it possible he killed Billy sure is anyone claiming to be a expert on this issue today is not they can only retell stories they have heard

[@0lddragracer426]

I re-watched this Bob, and enjoyed it again. There is a KZbin video somewhere, that someone made testing the theory of using dimes in a shotgun. He set up a block of geletin, and a large paper target. He loaded some rounds with dimes, and then buckshot. The dimes literally scattered, and did nothing! He shot more than once, with the same results. So much for that story. Of course, the buckshot was a different story. I believe Ollinger would have tested his dime loads, had he actually been using them. That said, I think the kid gave him a load of 00 buck out of his own 10 gauge shotgun. From all accounts, Ollinger deserved it!

[@jeffreyelliott622]

Billy the Kid said Best $1.80 I ever spent !! Bob !! Quit napping on the job Bob !!!

[@angelvalle6515]

Spread him out like tularosa 😉

[@kieranjones433]

I’m such a fan of billy the kid I watch so many documentary’s on him it’s unreal! I read so much about him as well, best film about him was young guns! It’s unreal how much that film had so much real facts about he’s killings with bell, rob loads it’s unreal

[@bidensucks6806]

Great movie! The Kid is a great movie also.

[@susanmccormick6022]

Kieran Jones: I loved Young Guns too.But accurate it was not!Wonder if Billy would've recognised himself.

[@elviejodelmar2795]

I lived in Torrence County, NM, (the county just north of Lincoln County) in the early 1990's. The county phone book was only about 1/4" to 1/2" thick but used space to publish a short history of an old timer who told story of a character, Uncle Billy. who was rumored to be Billy the Kid and who always went armed. The story-teller as a young man was on horseback running in front of a rain storm and came to a sliding stop in front of Uncle Billy's house and burst into the house only to come face-to-face with a .45 in the hands of Uncle Billy.

[@nigelpearson7617]

Why was there no photo of the body which was the practiced at the time

[@danielblackburn1241]

Mainly practiced in 1890s not 1881

[@stevensmith1911]

Hello Bob, I was at the Denver photo auction and actually spoke to you earlier that day. What a day!

[@tiki3609]

Seen William Tunstills 4-Hour interview with Ola Eberhard? She was related and around Jesse and Billy. Brushy was Billy. She mentioned when Billy was a boy he was hung up in their Barn and his mother came out finally and cut him down he survived and was known to have scars around his neck.

[@planca3430]

pat garret and billy the kid were friends actually. i think garrett only said he killed the kid was to get his bounty and get the law off his back. and is also why the kid when to Texas and hid out there.

[@robertgoulart6495]

You probably won’t see this comment as this video is three years old - but I want to say I love your you tube channel and love listening to you - great stuff

[@TheReal1953]

Brett Hall has done a lot of research on this. He says the person killed was described as having dark skin and a beard. And further that Pat Garrett stated he had dyed his skin to look Mexican. Pat Garrett before that fateful night killed TWO people that he thought were Billy. In reality, they weren't and one of them was not an outlaw. Garrett should have been hanged for that one. In a real jail interview with Billy, six months prior to Billy's 'death', it was noted that Billy had peach fuzz on his upper lip. This is a later stage of delayed adolescence that some males go through. Six months later for Billy to grow a beard is about impossible given his stage of sexual maturity.

[@outdoorlife5396]

I like the story, where the kid got away and lived in TX. I don't believe it, but I like it. I also like were Butch and Sundance got away, maybe. Or the one were they killed the wrong guy and he was not Jesse James. It is true maybe. I also like the stories about Pirate treasure and Confederate gold. Is it true, maybe, but I am a sucker for a good mystery. Some of this stuff is up to question, will ever know the truth, I would bet not

[@Gitarzan66]

I'll tell you what... The vast majority of stupid crap I did in my youth I would never tell my family about but... that don't mean it didn't happen. (ha ha)

[@2036livy]

Has anyone seen the recently discovered 2nd photo of supposedly Billy the Kid? I believe they were playing cards and had the photographer stage the photo that way. Not sure the end results of authentication but pretty big stir about it ...

[@clarencefancher9091]

The only history that you know is what you see with your own eyes everything else is hear say and that's the truth God Bless you

[@aridian7787]

It’s a fallacy to say that if the kid survived then he must be Brushy Bill. Not so! The kid could have escaped and lived out his life and Brushy Bill could be an imposter also. Both CAN be true. In other words, discrediting Brushy Bill doesn’t prove the Kid died in 1882.

[@ancestorstalker1707]

I agree with you. Just like all the so called photos of him. None look like the same person. Everyone wanted a claim to fame. And the "outlaws" who came out claiming stories i don't believe either. Maybe 20-40% of what they claim. Feel strongly on the information about the sundance kid too. Jesse Evans... hardly any facts and can't even confirm what their names actually were. With Billy tho, I have to wonder with all the fame around him, how many different people claimed to be him back in 1880s for the sheer "fun" of it, which would have made his stories and adventures even more spread out. Rumors.

[@donaldoneill2117]

Died in 81 nitwit

[@attilathehun0]

Nobody is trying to prove that Billy the Kid died in 1882 he was killed in 1881.

[@44hawk28]

@@donaldoneill2117 has nothing to do with the point he was making, who in the hell is the nitwit. There was never any validation of the death of Billy the Kid. Ever. 1881 1882 1883 or ever. The story made no sense whatsoever. And it wasn't until I was doing gunfight investigations and understanding what happens in and out of gunfights and understanding that in the 1870s and 80s if somebody even semi-famous was killed there was always a photograph. Not only was Pat Garrett a friend of the Maxwell family he was a close friend of Billy the Kid. It would have been easy for Mr Bonnie to disappear. They killed anybody at the Maxwell Ranch it was probably one of the workers and they quickly buried him and covered it up.

[@VideoGameSlang]

The Kid suriving is a perfectly valid theory but Brushy Bill was 100% not Billy.

[@kiethholland3650]

You should go into politics, you talked for 40 minutes and didn't say chit!

[@hettro-cv6082]

Brad Meltzer's show " decoded" show about that Billy the kid was not dead. In that show it said that Pat Garret may have helped Billy the kid escape from jail, why then did Pat Garret shoot Billy? How much time past between the kid escaping from jail and Pat Garret killing the kid? This does not make sense! If Pat shot the wrong person, why did he say he killed the kid if he helped the kid escape from jail before? And If Pat Garret lied about shooting the wrong man what made Pat Garret think that no one would question it? Very interesting!

[@dks13827]

That old true Billy photo was sometimes shown as a mirror image............................... hence the confusion. Hard to believe it took decades for someone with a brain to spot that.

[@ronniebishop2496]

I just wrote about that, even Hollywood photographers didn’t know that was a negative? So crazy.?

[@markbliss1311]

The top tech of that era was photography. Anyone with noteriety would have been immortalised and shown off in a pine box. Pat Garrett would have certainly been paid a reward, and would most certainly have a more lucrative book to sell.

[@0lddragracer426]

In 1950, I was 12 years old. I was a big reader then, and now. I went to my local library, to check out some books, and found "The Saga of Billy the Kid," by Walter Noble Burns. I read it, and it left me with a life long fascination for the kid. I happened to mention this to one of my cousins, and a few days later I received a brand new copy of my own. It's still in Print, since 1927. I have been re-reading it, and enjoying it very much. Because I know so much more now about the kid, and his story, this read is not quite the same. Gone are the stars in my eyes. I believe you are correct when you said that this book made Billy Bonny a super star. It absolutely did!

[@doncrawford1255]

Llllll

[@jacobturan7948]

William H. Bonney blasted that bitch, with his own silver dimes! Yea!!!

[@pjh3066]

Thank you. I lived in NM for over 40 years and have been to all those places you spoke of about Billy the Kid. I live in Ohio now and I miss NM.

[@buzzsaw301]

TOO MANY COMMERCIALS, JUST GREEDY

[@youshowmeyours]

Use the brave browser. No ads

[@alissarobertson8840]

I had a book about old west outlaws in the mid 60's with that famous photo of the kid. My Dad noticed the loading gate on the Winchester was on the wrong side and the photo was reversed. He said Billy was right handed and now I know he was right and I took that as irrefutably proof from that day to now.

[@robertayoder2063]

We all know that its widely known

[@varanid9]

@@robertayoder2063 Any relation to Adam Yoder?

[@LarryGenePate]

I totally agree with you on this!!! I never ever thought Billy was shot by Pat Garrett!!

[@jonkeathley3772]

Huge fan and follower thank you for all the stories and research youve done.. Ive always been skeptical of the death of Billy i dont doubt he died but the hows and why..

[@tomwigal8856]

Somebody can correct me if I'm wrong but didn't one of Pat Garrett's deputy say oh my God we shot the wrong man I don't know if Garrett really shot Billy the kid I'm leaning towards no now I've heard that version before about Maxwells brother telling Garrett where Billy was I wish I could think of the name of the TV show but there's only been three episodes I believe and the first one was on Billy the kids escape from the jail when he killed islander and Bell Bob himself was on this show and he sent the guy to talk to three people one of them being a brushy Bill Roberts believer I cannot remember what one of the other guys was on the show for but the third guy is what stands out to me he said I think he said he either does now or used to work in law enforcement and he is using his skill and other methods to find out what happened and how Billy escaped what makes it interesting to me is he said he was convinced that Billy the kid escaped from that because somebody put a gun in the outhouse now we've all heard that what he said that got me was he's convinced that someone was Pat Garrett so if that's true why would Garrett have shot the kid later onJust looked it up in the show is called Man versus history and the host's name is Bill lepp

[@williampinner1893]

I agree with Mckinney's version of the killing of the Kid. Pat Garret was an ambush killer. When the boys rode into town that snowy night Garret and the pose just opened up on the group mortally wounding one of the regulatorsTom O'flanery. The boys hauled out and wound up at the rock cabin @ Stinking Springs. With the snow it was easy to track them. Garrets posse laid low out side & when someone walked out to feed the horses they just opened up mortally woundind Charley Boudre. Apparentley Charley was wearing the Kids sombrero or one like it. The point I'm making is Garret just shot first from cover & I personally find that either cowardly or smart in terms of his quarry. I think if we knew the absolute truth about history in general, we would have a slightly different take on things. Keep up the good work. William

[@silverstar4289]

It is a treat to get Bob’s perception on whether the Kid lived to old age. He sums it up well. There may be noteworthy considering if the same belief was associated with James, and other criminals

[@ettaplace6716]

Love cave creek .. and ur program !😬 So much to learn about the old west and is many colorful characters !!!

[@troyyarbrough]

My grandfather knew the Maxwell family quite well and he told me that Pat Garrett shot the wrong man by mistake and had to cover it up. Whether it's true or not... is anybody's guess. Like you said, "Nothing changes more than the past."

[@richarddemuth7077]

I BELIEVE you and I AGREE. Read Garrett's account of the shooting very carefully and also look at the 1880's photograph of the Maxwell's Fort Sumner property. His location descriptions MATCH but also IMPLY it was one of the MEXICAN rancheros he shot. An "expendable" guy nobody would apparently miss whose identity could be covered up.

[@ernstb7376]

Why would some mexican ranchworker end up in Petes bedroom at midnight and disturb him? I dont think Pete would have liked that very much.🤔

[@richarddemuth7077]

According to a 1983 interview I heard about with Pat Garrett's last surviving daughter, SHE ADMITTED that her father had TOLD HER HE DIDN'T kill Billy the Kid. Would a father LIE to UNimpress his DAUGHTER that he DIDN'T DO something he was FAMOUS for??

[@ernstb7376]

@@richarddemuth7077 Well that is interesting....there are many people saying later that he shot the wrong man...but can we belive this...Deluvina Maxwell cried and let her sorrows out and she cursed and hated Pat Garrett for many years after the killing...why spend time on that if it wasnt Billy that got killed? The jury the day after concluded that it was Billy. They cleaned him an put clothes on his body before putting him into the grave. Around 40 people attended the funeral...Jesus Silva a friend of Billy was there too...no one said it was the wrong guy...Garrett could not have been able to persue all this people to lye for the rest of their lives. And then he wrote a book about it...If Billy was around kicking it was a brave move...naaa...I think Billy died that night in fort Sumner...despite what people tend to say...

[@danielblackburn1241]

​@richarddemuth7077 she died 20 odd years before that date so I doubt there's any truth there

[@1lthrnk]

Another part of history of Billy the kid, his mother. Catherine (Devine) Antrim (abt. 1830 - 1874) ... Wife of Patrick McCarty before moving to New Mexico she was a very powerful person in Wichita Ks. She owned her own property ran a laundry mat and she was the only woman to sign the petition that helped incorporate the town.

[@boblevey]

Not sure you know this but Koch built a replica in a western town in Paonia CO about 10yr ago which I did most of the interior finishes on. I also worked for David in Aspen

[@rosemaryfarell5264]

Love the Legend and Stories of the Kid. Without doubt my FAVOURITE Old West Hero. So much to admire about this Young Man. Id love to believe he survived.

[@Gutslinger]

Hero?

[@susanmenegus5543]

Me to 👍 I always wanted to believe he lived to a old age. 🤠

[@earlclue]

huh?, he was a gambling killer& thief, his name "kid", just attached to all "kids"

[@danielscuiry2847]

Dear Bob: I’ve followed you and your work on The Kid’s life for years. Watching this episode made me decide to get your “Final Word”. Thank you for all that you’ve done here.

[@44hawk28]

Let me preface this by saying that because of the John Kennedy assassination I learned an awful lot about ballistics and how firearms at how bullets work and subsequently the physics and physical realities of gunfights. I never understood the Pat Garrett creation of the death of Billy the Kid. It still doesn't make sense that he just decided to shoot somebody that he couldn't possibly have known who they were when he shot them. Then he doesn't even go to the trouble of verifying the death by having the body photographed. That is hugely unusual for that period of time. As a result that the very best I can tell you that Billy the Kid did not die the way by Pat Garrett, a close friend of his, said he did. Whether or not he lived in obscurity because Pat Garrett killed whoever he chose to kill that night is a completely different question. There are people who knew Billy the Kid who verified that bushy bill was Billy the Kid he had the same scars and the same places and he had the body build that definitely was consistent with Billy the Kid. The photograph comparison doesn't work for me because I've seen people that in their 40s change their facial structure enough to look enough different that their photographs will not align. Surprisingly, I did study the background and verification of the croquet photo. And that isn't Billy the Kid in that photograph, that Billy the Kid had an identical twin. I believe that photo to be absolutely genuine. The thought that the second photo of Billy the Kid is going to sell for twice as much as the tintype sold for is a Fool's dream.

[@dks13827]

Was there a photographer in Ft Sumner ? ( sure, I wish there was )

[@LuisGomez-pg2qk]

AT 44 HAWK -IM NOT DISRESPECTING U BUT HOW IN THE HELL WOULD U KNOW WHAT KIND OF BALLISTICS TOOK PLACE THAT NIGHT WHEN U WEREN'T THERE OR EXAMINED KIDS BODY WOUNDS.I WISH PEOPLE WOULD JUS COME OUT N SAY IT "I DON'T WANT BILLY DYING OR THAT HE'S STILL ALIVE IN NEW MEXICO" JESUS, MARY N JOSEPH!! .FT SUMNER IS SMALL ASS TOWN MUCH SMALLER BACK IN 1882 FILLED WITH HUNDREDS OF MEXICANS THAT DIDN'T LIKE GARRETT OR THE LAW, PERFECT PLACE FOR THE KID TO HIDEOUT UNFORTUNATELY HE WAS SHOT IN DARK, NO PICTURES IT WAS SMALL TOWN N GARRETT PROBABLY WANTED TO GET HELL OUTTA DODGE ( I WOULD'VE) IN A HURRY. KID NEVER POPPED UP AGAIN BECAUSE HE WAS DEAD.IVE NEVER SEEN A PICTURE OF WILD BILL HICKOCK DEAD YET HE TOOK ALOTTA PICTURES OR MAYBE HE LIVED TO OLD AGE OF 100 N IT WASN'T HIM KILLED BY MCCALL- JESUS PEOPLE WILL BELIEVE ANYTHING!!

[@olcowcatcher671]

Proven fact pat Garrett was flat broke when he wrote the book about Billy’s death so who wants to take his word about billy don’t buy it

[@JesusGarcia-cs9wl]

I enjoy listening to Bob talk about the old West. But all the recurring ads in this video made it unlistenable. I don't know if anything can be done about it. But it's a shame. It's like trying to enjoy a bowl of ice cream with dead flies in it. Ruins the whole experience.

[@albertramones3842]

Skip to the end of the video then click the replay arrow. Adverts gone

[@stevensmith1911]

Don't be so cheap. Pay for premium youtube and all videos are commercial free.

[@JesusGarcia-cs9wl]

@@stevensmith1911 Steven Smith works for KZbin. 😯

[@HootOwl513]

AdBlocker is free. No cmcls.

[@randyruble5903]

im left haded too haaaaaaaaaaaaa, if your left handed every thing in the world is backwards to us

[@415s30]

I'm directly related to Pat Garrett, I have always had a passing interest in the subject. We have a few old revolvers from back then because we had ranchers in the family.

[@thatsmytwocents4372]

Family Stories ???

[@steveneely6475]

Have you ever seen William Tunstill’s interview of Ola Everhard? It’s on KZbin, somewhat poorly done and rather lengthy but Ola seems very sharp. She’s either a crazy lady or she really has a lot of personal knowledge. Interested in what you have to say about it.

[@henryriddle7891]

It's my life dream to see the places and artifacts that you've saw in the old west over the years. I'm from east Tennessee but really interested in the old west, thank you for this.

[@arthurdietrich5182]

I own a Sports Collectibles Store. People call me for advice all the time on their stuff. I have noticed people get mad when you don't tell them what they want to hear. I always just end the conversation immediately and abruptly once I sense any hostility. Kind of like the people who get mad about their Billy the Kid pics.

[@suzannedupuis2573]

i wish made the movie has real to life

[@clivemacken552]

The only thing that throws me is why did they bury him so quick. Would they not take pics etc of him dead as it be a big thing seems odd.

[@dks13827]

Can't wait until we can go see Bob and Marshall speak to groups, again !!!!

[@jaynesager3049]

I’ve loved True West since the seventies. Every article, cover to cover, kept me riveted.

[@kennardjohnson7875]

No mention of the ancestors of of the locals of Fort sumner,that were friends bill bonnie, I believe there explanation, Garrett was laying under a bench in the hallway of the maxwell house Billy came walking in to get a piece of meat and Garrett got him in the face and neck with a sawed off shotgun. There was a guy from Texas that started hanging around Billy that was said to look alot like him,I think that's where brushy bill comes from. But some said it wasn't Billy some said it was, but hard to tell getting hit in the face at close range with double barrel. Anyway pat Garrett got what he deserved in the end.

[@larry1824]

Drinking poisoned water in Ohio

[@erwinadams6848]

Nothing show exactly. What happened other than the people there. I just still want to know why the deputy could not identify Billy if most people in that community knew most every one.

[@bluesteeltraining]

The similar strategy used by Garret when he and his deputies killed Tom O’Foliard.

[@larryviator7925]

the irony here for me is that both billy and jesse james were unarmed at their times of death. both being on the run and yet both caught with their guards down.

[@maxhammer4067]

Yep they got killed in there pajamas

[@dks13827]

@@maxhammer4067 their

[@susanmccormick6022]

Good point.

[@clintperry799]

No one knows , now days how he died. Sad but true.

[@jimmiethomas7194]

My great great grandmother was Odilia Maxwell. Pete’s sister. Through sayings passed down I don’t believe Billy the Kid was killed that night!

[@randyruble5903]

i dont believe pat garat killed the kid either, he was just a sneaky dude lol

[@corycole3474]

The confessionals Episode 307 The man who died twice. I started doing my own research after I listened to these guys and Holy shit yall. The truth is crazier than you could ever imagine.

[@blueduck5589]

If Billy the Kid had gone by his born name, Henry McCarty, nobody would know or care who he was.

[@ajdogcurr1]

You tell wonderful true stories about the old west Mr Bell. They are so interesting.

[@sailorbychoice1]

6:30 If you can be factually accurate there's nothing wrong with putting humor into a work of non-fiction. I would posit that if you want people to remember what is written few things aid memory better than humor. I wish history was taught in such a way the we learn what our forebears found humorous, the way they taught when I was in school you'd think none of the founding fathers ever laughed about anything but lived their lives with a stick up their butts.

[@ScoopDogg]

would love to know if you've seen the Red Dead Redemption console games and what do you think about them. They Introduced a new generation to Westerns, me included and I bet helped in the sales of your books too lol. love your artwork and stories you write.

[@cameronmccreary4758]

Those stoves do get hot.

[@clutchkicker392ison5]

Love the Show and an Very happy u know we pronounce it "Ozzie " . Cheers , we hate auSSie . Been watching in us-trail -ya for years. Good listening. Keep it up .

[@jessewallacesr1722]

Partner billy the kid is a long ways from a dude

[@seventies5193]

Is Brushy Bill Roberts Billy The Kid ?

[@ianjackson8043]

No

[@thejakefromstatefarm6768]

I feel like he was lured there because you would go in a man bedroom with no light in the middle of the night if you didn’t go there to help him or protect him from some sort of threat. I think garitte hid in the room and pete told someone to go tell billy to come there for whatever reason they used and when he walked in and ask what the problem was garitte shot him.

[@susanmccormick6022]

The usual story is Billy went to cut some meat & grew suspicious something was going on.So he went to ask Pete about it Garrett was supposed to be sitting on Pete's bed in a darkened room.As Billy walked in asking "Quien es?"Maxwell whispered "That's him!"& Garrett shot blind.Its supposed to be that Pete objected to Paulina Maxwells involvement with Billy.I also think Paulina & Deluvina Maxwell's reaction after the shooting,suggests it was The Kid who was killed.Else they were very fine actresses.Nor do I believe Brushy Bill was Billy.The Kid spoke fluent Spanish & Irish Gaelic.Roberts was almost illiterate & got things wrong when questioned.It is very odd though,that there were no pictures & Garrett never claimed his reward.I also heard The Kid,or whoever the victim was,was buried in a shirt too big for him.RIP Billy.

[@thejakefromstatefarm6768]

@@susanmccormick6022 I’ve read everything there is to read about the kid. I just read george coe’s book. I’ve been a billy the kid fanatic all my life so I’m aware of the official story. I have no doubt he was killed that night and i do believe most of the offical story is true. I just feel like it’s been “cleaned up” to some degree which caused all the confusion that gets spun into the crazy conspiracy’s. I just think it was a set up and it was done in a cowardly way so they altered their statements of the events. If you just showed up to ask if you had seen a guy, what are the odds that the guy you’re looking for come walking through the door…backwards? And backs up all the way to you? I’ve read garrettes book and poes book too. I just don’t but all of the story. I read the book about brushy bill too. Just to see if i could figure out who he really was because he definitely was not the kid. He was probably a guy with a similar life. I think he was probably an outlaw but just an average unknown outlaw.

[@chrismcmaster5964]

@@susanmccormick6022 brushy could speak fluent Spanish. There are interviews of people stating that. Best look it up before making false accusations. He was also literate.

[@michaeldennis7952]

I wondered about Garrett's story of walking into Maxwells room in the middle of the night unannounced. Garrett is lucky he didn't get shot by mistake for that move. Don't ya think thats odd? Suicidal actually imo.

[@colleenbonniwell4226]

he didn't until he did

[@Dgriffis-u9d]

I believe Henry , was shot with a shot gun , in Paulita's bed room. By Garrett and McKinney, my grand father was ten years old. 1881. He was there at Luciano house when it happened. This was his story.

[@CSAFD]

Irony: Jessie James shot and killed unarmed by Robert Ford who he considered a friend. Bonney shot and killed unarmed by Patrick Garrett who he considered a friend. Hickok shot and killed by Jack McCall who he hardly knew at all.

[@alisonwonderland5610]

I think that authors always want to find something new about a famous person so they can sell their books. It's the same thing that happens with men like Hitler from people who say he escaped. They want to "keep legends alive." But anyone who's really studied the personality and actions of Hitler knows that his biggest fear was being captured alive by his enemies and humiliated in front of the whole world. Hitler was also not someone who could remain obscure since he also had a desire for power and fear of obscurity. So escaping and remaining obscure was untenable for men like Hitler. So in order to get the truth about famous people, an author has to study that person's personality and motives, not just interview witnesses since a lot of "facts' about historical figures also comes from gossip and a desire to embellish their stories.

[@OctogNonen]

I don't think that any of the pictures of billy the kid are real as they show people who look grown up. Billy the kid was probably childlike in appearance. That's why I don't think any real picture of billy the kid has been found yet, but when they show one with someone who has a childlike appearance, then I'll start to believe 😀

[@ernestaguirre4300]

In Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Sam Peckinpah had James Coburn as Pat Garrett ambush Billy (Kris Kristofferson) in the bedroom just as Bob describes

[@nadapuesnada7716]

It would not be wrong to have called that film "The Tragedy of Pat Garrett". It's the story of a man who sold his soul and died when the devil came to collect the debt.

[@jerodgriffith337]

Would love to hear more about the life of Pat Garrett, nobody really talks about him out of context of Billy the kid

[@leelindquist1319]

I think Pat Garret and Billy had made a deal to get Billy safe from being killed by people wanting to make themselves famous. Pat knew Billy had morals . He knew him better than anyone. He wouldn’t kill just to kill. He wasn’t a cattle rustler , cheat , or liar. Although Pat was all of those things. Pat’s conscious wouldn’t let him kill Billy just for that. And the only believable story would be to catch billy off guard. Nobody would believe he killed him straight up in a one on one. Or a chase in open country. Billy had too many people that would protect Billy . And Billy would never kill Pat because of their history.Pat knew this . I think they figured a way to make it look like he was killed in the dar bedroom of the Maxwells. Everyone would have helped to fascinate that lie. Has Billy’s body ever been proved to be actually Billy Artrim ? Who was present to verify him as DEAD. Was there photos like the Clinton’s or or the any of the “Bad” guys? Such as Robt LeRoy Parker? No photo of a dead Parker or Harry Longbaugh. I’m family of Harry’s wife Luzerna. And Robert Parker . Robert is buried in an unmarked grave in Richfield Utah. Harry(Henry Long) in my family recollection is he always had the fastest horses in Wayne county. Local friendly horse races always had Uncle Henry winning. ALWAYS! There are family stories of a group of men coming to aunt luzernas at 2:00am and the young boys switched out the horsss while the women made up food for the ride out, fresh clothes etc, and gone within the hour. The DNA evidence is flawed. Either the yearly flooding of the grave site or that the Donor wasn’t actually a Longbaugh. There were many un recorded adoptions during that time period. “The end “.

[@michellekrueger5122]

Just to many facts? And stories about Billy/ Brushy, that are being glossed over. To take this commentary to heart! Two of my many questions is...what did Brushy have to gain by this... And how come he did not capitalize, on this... He actually claimed he wanted to keep this pardon discreet.

[@jaywinters2483]

I love listening to this dear man. I knew Bill Freeman-famous western artist from Scottsdale. Did you know Ted Bundy quit smoking?

[@tspearce]

Pancho Villa's raid of Columbus, NM, in 1916, the US was attacked on its own soil. More than a century before the insurrection of 2021, Capitol was burned to the ground by the British in one of the first attacks on US soil in the disastrous War of 1812.

[@earlclue]

i have a panoramic photo from march10, 1929, with a1000 people, taken in washington dc, few hundred faces are clear, no billy, but i believe anybody from western days who lived to be 70 could be in my photo

[@user-qh9cz5xo7jkeithkucera]

Your smart for not believing that Alibi story that they tried to sell , an Alibi for killing the wrong guy Incase they get caught . I found billy in the Johnson county war with Garretts nephews . Try that one

[@ryanh9183]

I think Mr. Bell's conclusions on Paulita keeping her mouth shut about her relationship with Billy is likely true. However I've always wondered about that. I mean, maybe after the shooting, she had a scolding/ mini come to Jesus moment. She's been having this fling or relationship or whatever with the local bad boy and she's loving every second of it. All fun and excitement and nobody's getting hurt. At least not around her so it's easy to turn a blind eye to. Until the kid's shot dead, maybe in front of her cause she's tied to a damn chair, or not. Either way it was a reality check and now these three men are telling her to keep her mouth shut or else. Her brother gives her shit, saying stuff like 'not how a lady should act' or 'smarten up or your ass will be out on the cold prairie'. With her fantasy gone and the truth how she was going to live life now before her I wonder if that made her sorta grow up over night. Maybe she decided to lock up all those memories of Billy and throw away the key. Or maybe I'n full of shit. Fun to think about, though!

[@MrThebirddog]

I would think if a conspiracy had been cooked up, a more fitting final words could have been uttered.

[@raulxrooney1060]

A nun and Catholic School in Chicago 1963 hit my knuckles with a ruler cuz I was writing with my left hand. She told me the devil races left hand. I proved her wrong. I live in Las Cruces New Mexico stop by sometime have a coffee

[@StephenRyder-w3q]

If Billy had his gun on him that night, it would've been Pat Garrett who would've wound up dead on the floor.

[@koDaffi]

What would Young Guns III even be about? 2nd ended with him dying...is he going farther into Brushy Bill story? Emilio doesn't act much anymore. They made The Kid not long ago which was meh but I enjoyed it just because it was Billy The Kid.

[@Deltaj6]

The only thing ridiculous that was said in this whole thing was that you made the statement how ridiculous On the photo of Billy, the kid and the statement he made to the Australian reporter . Don’t think the real Billy the Kid would’ve found it very comical at all … the truth is it ruined his life … and he had to live the rest of it in obscurity .. and he never gained one red cent from it !!!

[@ronwade5646]

Cave Creek is where the Dutchman's mine really is! In the southern facing mountains Just north, where the no flying zone is. Fly too low there and they'll shoot at you!

[@michaeldemny612]

Burn's book has too many discrepencies with testimony from eye witnesses. Brushy Bill's testimony lines up almost completely with undisputed testimony from people who were there.. I don't understand the lack of facts in your conclusions about what actually occurred.