Billy the Kid, the (young) man died July 15, 1881. There are a few who have disputed the circumstances of his death, and even claim that he DID NOT die that night at the hands of Pat Garrett. For most Southwest Historians, Billy the Kid's Body is buried in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, but for History Buffs of the Wild West, his Legend lives on.
Part I, Part II
Part III
Playing Croquet
On October 18, 2015, National Geographic aired an episode on a newly discovered tintype photograph that purportedly showed Billy the Kid and some of his Regulators outfit. The documentary follows along with Randy Guijarro, owner of the photograph, in his attempt to have the photograph authenticated.
Picture I took of Enlarged and
Signed Photograph of the orignal.
Only 137 Enlarged Photographs were taken of the Tintype.
They are signed by the owner, Randy Guijarro. This is one 6/137.
And of course, like Billy, the owner of this photograph had some formidable resistance from interested parties that would rather not see another "original" photograph of the Kid. If you can find the video, do watch it. I am convinced that this photograph of Billy and the Regulators playing croquet is the real deal. If you are not able to watch it, Here is a link to a great article on this whole matter. The article clearly demonstrates the feelings of the opposition, and breaks down the findings in the documentary that lead to this photograph being authenticated, even without Provenance.
Article in True West Magazine on the "Newly" Discovered Photograph of Billy the Kid.
I was not able to find a link to the actual aired documentary. Here are some links to clips of that documentary.
Billy the Kid: New Evidence
Billy the Kid: New Evidence
Picture Comparisons
The Kid
Source: History.com
Original Wanted Poster for Billy the Kid
Zoomed in on Figure Believed to be Billy the Kid
Source: Wikimedia
Authentic Pic. of Billy the Kid
Sallie Chisum (nee') Roberts - assumed to be a girl friend of Billy. In her journal, she has an entry noting that the Kid had given her candy hearts.
Source: BAE Daily
Authentic Photo of Sallie Chisum Roberts
Zoomed in on Woman assumed to be Sallie Chisum Roberts in newly found tintype
Another confirmed picture of Sallie Chisum Roberts
Source: Pinterest
Tom O'Folliard - Billy's Good Friend
Zoomed in on supposed image of Tom O'Folliard
Authentic Picture of Tom O'Folliard
Source: WikiMedia
Real or Not Real
The documentary on Randy Guijarro and his discovery of a Billy the Kid picture is fascinating. I am convinced that this tintype photograph is of Billy the Kid and his Regulator's outfit. His boss, John Tunstall was British and known to play croquet, which was very popular at the time. It was also known to be played for gambling purposes. There is a lot more circumstantial evidence in the documentary that can only lead one to conclude that this is an actual photograph of Billy the Kid playing croquet.
The End
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- Billy the Kid- Part 1
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sources:
wikipedia.org
baedaily.com
pinterest.com
truewestmagazine.com
nationalgeographic.com
history.com