Billy the Kid

Henry McCarty (November 23, 1859–July 14, 1881) better known as Billy the Kid but also known by the alias William Henry Bonney, was a 19th century American frontier outlaw and murderer who was a participant in the Lincoln County War. He is reputed to have killed 21 men, one for each year of his life, but the figure is probably closer to nine (four on his own and five with the help of others). McCarty had blue eyes, smooth cheeks, and was unusually friendly; traits that few other outlaws in the American West had at the time.

Brushy Bill

In 1950, a lawyer named William Morrison dug up a man named Ollie P. Roberts, nick-named Brushy Bill, who claimed to be the actual Billy the Kid, and that he indeed had not been shot and killed by Pat Garrett in 1881. Although generally rejected, it is still a very heated debate, with very convincing evidence leading either way. Some say Brushy was actually born in 1868, others say he was born in 1879, but he himself claimed to be born on December 31, 1859.

Related Topics:
1950 - William Morrison - Ollie P. Roberts - Brushy Bill - Pat Garrett - 1881 - 1868 - 1879 - 1859

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Another claimant, known to be a hoax, was John Miller, who claimed to be Billy the Kid in 1938.

Related Topics:
John Miller - 1938

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Later photographic analysis has proven that neither Brushy Bill nor John Miller could have been Billy the Kid. Nevertheless, the town of Hico, Texas (Brushy Bill's residence) has capitalized on the Kid's infamy by opening the Billy The Kid Museum, where visitors can review the evidence and decide for themselves.

Related Topics:
Brushy Bill - John Miller - Hico, Texas

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