Category: Cops
None of the Old West characters has ever received as much publicity as the young outlaw from New Mexico that we have come to know as Billy the Kid. Over the years, numerous books have purported to tell his true life story.
A whole raft of western movies has featured him as a main character. And somewhere in the midst of all of that, Billy the Kid has taken on the persona of the good guy/bad guy that rivals England’s Robin Hood. Unfortunately, more untruths have been written about Billy the Kid than just about any other character of the Old West.
Questions about Billy the Kid and his guns and gunfights continue to be raised. For example, did he prefer a Colt Single Action Army or a DA Colt Model 1877? Was he left-handed or right-handed? How did he get the nickname of Billy the Kid? How many gunfights did he really have?
I’ve lived in close proximity to New Mexico for all of my life. I enjoy the rich history and local color of the state, and I have been a life-long student of all things having to do with Billy the Kid. Here are just some of the true facts that I’ve been able to dig up along the way.
As legend has it, Billy the Kid was born in New York, he was 21 years old when Sheriff Pat Garrett shot him to death, and he had killed 21 men during his rowdy life. I’ll get to the 21 men in just a bit, but first here’s a glimpse of Billy the Kid as he really was.
In June of 1880, in Fort Sumner, New Mexico Territory, Billy told a census taker that he had been born in Missouri and that both of his parents had also been born in Missouri.
He also told the same census taker that he was 25 years old at that time. Since then, no one has ever come up with any concrete facts to refute Billy’s simple statement. And no one has come up with a good reason why he would have been lying. The business of dying when he was 21 appears to have been based upon mere rumor and conjecture.
Popular myths also tell us that Billy’s real name was William Bonney. The facts irrefutably show that his true name was Henry McCarty. In about 1873, Henry’s mother and his stepfather, William Antrim, moved to Silver City, New Mexico.
Later, after his mother died, Billy ran away to Arizona Territory and began to go by the name of Kid Antrim. When he finally left Arizona and came back to New Mexico, he was using the name William Bonney. Although some conjecture exits, there is really no way of knowing why he used that alias. It may have been to avoid being arrested for killing Frank Cahill near Camp Grant, Arizona, in 1877.
Legend further informs us that Billy the Kid killed 21 men during his career and had sworn that Sheriff Garrett would be number 22. The known facts reveal a different picture.
Billy is known to have been in a constable’s posse when they captured and then executed three men who were believed to have been responsible for the death of Billy’s employer, J.H. Tunstall. In the same year, 1878, Billy was also in a group that rode into Lincoln, New Mexico, and ambushed a group of lawmen, killing Sheriff William Brady and George Hindman.
It is not known if Billy actually killed either man. However, as a court of law would quickly point out, he was there and undoubtedly did some shooting. It is known that Billy was present throughout the Lincoln County War when the two factions fired on each other. However, to hang a specific killing on Billy the Kid was virtually impossible, even though he was later tried and convicted of killing Sheriff Brady.
In 1880, Billy was back in Fort Sumner, and the Lincoln County War had about run its course. One evening Billy ran into a fellow named Joe Grant, who some believe had been hired by the Chisums to kill the Kid. After talking to Grant, Billy turned to leave the saloon only to hear Grant’s gun snap on a defective cartridge or an empty chamber. Billy turned and shot Grant to death.
In 1881, Billy had been captured by Garrett and was convicted of the murder of Sheriff Brady. He was placed in the Lincoln County Jail to await the day of his execution. On April 21, 1881, while Sheriff Garrett was out of town, Billy convinced Jailer J.W. Bell to escort him to the outhouse. Somehow Billy got hold of a handgun and shot Bell to death as they went back into the building that served as the county’s courthouse and jail. Billy immediately rushed up to the gunroom and grabbed a shotgun, which he used to kill Deputy Bob Olinger as Olinger rushed towards the building to see what the shooting was all about.
So, we can document four killings by Billy the Kid–Cahill, Grant, Bell, and Olinger. And due to the Kid’s involvement in the Lincoln County War, let’s credit him with a couple more killings that we’re not sure of. One historian suggests that there might even be five more killings that involved the Kid. Regardless, nine killings is a long way from the legendary 21. But it’s probably a lot closer to the truth.
Another persistent Billy the Kid legend is that he was left-handed. The source of this fable is an old photo of Billy that shows him standing with a sixgun on his left hip and a rifle in his hand. But this particular photo has never fooled gun buffs.
Glancing at the rifle, one quickly can see that the rifle’s loading gate is on the left side of the gun instead of its usual place on the right side of the receiver. This clearly shows that the photo is from an old tintype that used a reversed image, and someone simply forgot to turn it around.
According to several movies and stories, the Kid is also supposed to have favored the Colt Model 1877 double-action revolver in .41 Long Colt. Again, looking at the photo of Billy, it’s clear that he’s packing a single-action revolver–probably a Colt Single Action Army–but he may have been carrying a Colt Lightning when he was killed.
On the night of July 14, 1881, Billy walked in to Pete Maxwell’s bedroom at Maxwell’s house in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Too late, he realized that Maxwell was not alone in the room. Unfortunately for Billy, Maxwell’s guest was Sheriff Garrett. It was the same Sheriff Garrett, in fact, who immediately fired two shots from his .44-40 ColtSingle Action Army, one of which hit the Kid in the chest and killed him almost instantly.
Some historians believe that Billy did not have a gun with him when he was shot to death. Afterwards, they suggest that Garrett, or one of his two posse men, obtained the Colt DA and put it on the floor beside Billy to avoid criticism. Regardless, they all agree that Billy was holding a butcher knife in his other hand. When the rumor got out that the Kid didn’t have a gun on him, Garrett received a good deal of criticism.
As a former lawman, I find that sort of criticism to be ludicrous. Billy had just escaped from Garrett’s jail. He had just murdered two of Garrett’s deputies. And he had presented himself in Garrett’s proximity armed with a knife. In police jargon, the Kid was “bought and paid for.” The coroner’s inquest took the same position.
Without a doubt, the legend of Billy the Kid will continue to grow. Legends, rumors, and folk tales are like that. But it’s still interesting to have a look at some of the real facts about an interesting part of our Western history. I enjoy that, and I hope you do too.
This looks like the Addams family. Faisal bin Abdulaziz is seen here on the left alongside his dad, King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia (seated). The big Lurch-looking dude in the sunglasses is Faisal’s brother Saud. Who would have thought one of their lives would end in assassination?
I sit here typing these words less than 48 hours after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. The Left screamed long enough about how Trump was supposed to be the end of global civilization, and some unhinged nutjob finally paid attention. The headlines trumpet the FBI’s tireless efforts at finding a motive.
Table of contents
How about this? President Biden and every other left-winger in the country have been tacitly begging somebody to do this for seven years now. Kathy Griffin, the legendarily unfunny failed comedienne, actually did a photoshoot holding up a facsimile of Trump’s bloody severed head. In the context of this weekend’s festivities, that has not aged well.
Opinions, Everybody’s Got One…
I’m not necessarily Donald Trump’s biggest fan. He’s always been lightyears ahead of his Left-wing competition, but the guy’s got some well-publicized character flaws. However, I didn’t vote for him because I wanted a new best friend. I voted for him because I wanted somebody to sit on America’s front porch with a big honking stick. He was great at that.
Trump did a superb job of making America scary again. Just ask the relatives of the esteemed Iranian ex-psychopath Qasem Soleimani. The world seems to work better when folks are a little bit afraid of Uncle Sam. We haven’t had that in a long time, and it shows.
We’re Not So Special
By the time you read this, the sordid details of the Trump assassination attempt should be starting to gel. Once everything is laid bare, I’ll no doubt write it up. Regardless, this has already been the most eventful Presidential election in my lifetime.
While things have been undeniably sordid, they were not particularly unusual when viewed through the lens of history. Human beings just suck, like a lot. We have a long and illustrious history of venting our grievances against our leaders through the barrel of a gun. Back in 1975 in Saudi Arabia, vengeance actually came from a relative.
The Players In An Earlier Assassination
I don’t pretend to understand the machinations of the Royal House of Saud. A true monarchy in the traditional sense, these potentates each have scads of kids with multiple women. The royal family tree is more like some kind of vast interdigitated creeping vine.
The Saudis are not the sort to throw convivial family picnics where cordial blood relationships are cemented. Deep-fried chicken and baked beans slathered in bacon grease are frowned upon thereabouts. Toss in a trillion or so petrodollars that literally sprang up out of the ground and you have the chemical formula for family friction.
The Assassination Mark
King Faisal had a convoluted upbringing. Now stick with me here, this is complicated. I’m doing the best I can.
Faisal bin Abdulaziz al Saud was born in 1906 in Riyadh. His dad was Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman, the Emir of Nejd. His mom was Tarfa bint Abdullah Al Sheikh. Tarfa descended from the religious leader Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab. Faisal had an older sister who married a cousin. Faisal’s mom died when the boy was six months old, so he was raised by his maternal grandparents.
The Regent Comes of Age
Faisal engaged in an intensive study of Islamic Law and the Quran that culminated at age nine. Like any proper royal, he was well-versed in horsemanship, military affairs, and politics. It was clear that the boy was being groomed for something special.
Faisal was the first member of the Saudi royal family to see England. From there he tasted France as well, all in an official capacity. In 1926 at the age of twenty, Faisal was granted the title Viceroy of Hejaz, whatever that actually means. Going forward he served as a jet-setting diplomat, acting as the face of the government around both the region and the world.
Faisal started out as a statesman before eventually being crowned King of Saudi Arabia in 1964. He assumed the throne soon after slavery was abolished across the kingdom. The final tranche of 1,682 freedmen earned their owners a flat $2,000 apiece paid by the government in 1962. The Saudis were still holding slaves a mere four years before I was born. Wow.
Everything Changes
In the early part of the 20th century, Saudi royalty was a pretty big deal, but not many folks outside the region much cared. Then the entire planet went to war, and somebody thought to check the desert sands of the Middle East for oil. The first serious oil field, appropriately titled, “Prosperity Well,” was drilled in 1938. A bazillion dollars later, Saudi Arabia was on the map.
It’s tough to be the nouveaux rich. A redneck with a lot of money is still just a well-scrubbed redneck. While Faisal rose to the occasion and generally behaved himself, not everyone in his massive extended family felt constrained to do so.
The Origins of a Proper Villain
Faisal was a pretty popular name in Saudi Arabia. The younger Faisal bin Musa’id bin Abdulaziz (not to be confused with King Faisal we discussed previously) was born in 1944 to Prince Musa’id bin Abdulaziz. This particular Faisal’s dad was the son of the founder of Saudi Arabia and half-brother to fully half a dozen Saudi kings. However, Little Faisal’s old man did not wear his newfound wealth well.
Once Saudi Arabia discovered oil, the royal family became filthy rich overnight. Most of the male kids were sent off to the US and Europe to absorb a little culture. Prince Musa’id bin Abdulaziz spent time in both London and Paris.
While in Paris, the young man was, “Caught in an inappropriate manner.” I can only imagine the details, but I’d bet they involved some hot French femmes. Musa’id soon found himself remanded back home to face Daddy’s wrath. King Abdulaziz subsequently confined the wayward youth to his room, or, in this case to the sprawling palace, until he seemed to have learned his lesson.
Musa’id eventually found time to court a fellow royal named Watfa. They produced a son named Faisal bin Musa’id born in Riyadh in 1940. Musa’id eventually grew weary of Watfa and divorced her, but not before fathering a bunch of kids in addition to Faisal.
Seeds of Discontent
In 1965, there was a sweeping violent demonstration in Riyadh protesting the introduction of television in the Saudi kingdom. That seems pretty silly in retrospect. The crux of the protestors’ grief was that depictions of the human form were offensive. Not meaning to seem flippant, but I’ve no idea how they ever managed the thorny problem of mirrors or reflections in still water. When the dust settled on the TV brouhaha, Faisal’s brother Khaled was dead.
King Faisal was behind the infamous television debacle along with a variety of other secular reforms. All of this was designed to drag Saudi Arabia out of the Iron Age and into the modern era. Along the way, however, the king made some determined enemies. His nephew, the one also named Faisal, was counted among them.
Nobody is sure what actually got the younger upstart Faisal energized. These are hot-blooded people. It often doesn’t take a whole lot to get killed over there.
Prince Faisal’s brother Khaled was purportedly killed resisting arrest at his home. The details were fuzzy, and there never was a proper investigation. Regardless, around that time, young Faisal hatched a plan.
The Assassination In Action
On 25 March 1975, King Faisal was hosting a reception for visiting dignitaries, something called a majlis in that culture. Among the delegation was lurking the younger Prince Faisal. The king recognized his nephew in the crowd and called him forward. As the younger Faisal approached, the king lowered his head to allow him to kiss it, which was a thing they did. I’ve had uncles–that sounds pretty icky to me.
The younger Faisal suddenly produced a compact .38-caliber revolver from underneath his flowing Arabian robes. The first round struck his uncle in the chin. The second entered through his ear. A third went wide.
The assassin then tossed the gun away as the king slumped to the floor. A nearby bodyguard responded immediately, smacking the prince vigorously with a sheathed sword. The timely intervention by the Saudi oil minister, Ahmed Zaki Yamani, was the only thing that kept the security detail from beating the man to death.
The Aftermath Of The Assassination
The king was rushed to the nearby hospital where heroic measures were expended in an effort at saving his life. This included an open heart massage and extensive blood transfusions. However, the damage was done.
Throughout it all, Prince Faisal remained calm. As a result, the official narrative in the immediate aftermath was that he had lost his mind. “Deranged” was the term used in the press releases. However, a distinguished panel of Saudi physicians soon established that he appeared to have been in his right mind at the time of the assassination.
The wheels of justice turn swiftly in the Kingdom of Saud. Less than three months after the assassination, a Sharia court found Faisal guilty of the king’s murder. Mere hours after the verdict was read, Saudi officials led Prince Faisal to the Deera Square in Riyadh. There they summarily chopped his head off with a single stroke from a gold-handled sword.
Whatever practical motivations Faisal had for shooting his uncle in the head the prince took with him to the grave. Some thought he was angry because his royal allowance was inadequate ($200k per annum in today’s money).
Another theory was that the king had unfairly restricted him to Saudi Arabia where he could not feed his drug and alcohol habit. Others held that this was somehow revenge for the death of his brother Khaled. Who knows? They lopped the guy’s head off before anybody got the details straight.
Ruminations
Trump survived his recent assassination attempt by a literal whisker. The iconography to spawn from the event—Trump shaking his bloody fist with the American flag in the background—was quite literally perfect. It was so perfect that it looked scripted. Naturally, before the dust settled Internet conspiracy theorists were suggesting exactly that.
Sixteen hours after being shot in the ear, Donald Trump purportedly played a round of golf. After draining a 20-foot putt he reportedly joked to his buddies, “Unlike the shooter, I don’t miss.” Stuff like that is red meat to guys like me.
You wouldn’t think that an overweight old guy with orange hair might ever successfully play the part of a brass-balled Chuck Norris-grade testosterone donor, yet here we are. Donald Trump has now been under fire for real, and on international TV no less. After his attempted assassination, he neither cowered nor ran. He spontaneously shook his fist and spit lightning out of his eyes, not knowing in the immediate aftermath how badly he was hurt or whether or not the threat had been neutralized. For all of his bombast and baggage, Trump’s performance in Pennsylvania was undeniably freaking awesome.
Epilogue
A final word on Corey Comperatore, the great American who was killed during the attempted assassination of President Trump. Corey threw himself across his family when the shooting started and subsequently traded his life to save theirs. We talk about heroes in this space most every week. There was a purity to Comperatore’s sacrifice that seems to eclipse them all. I will have myself had a successful life if I can be half the husband and father that man was.
Bump stocks are now legal! (Photo: Slidefire)
In a 6-3 decision on Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that semiautomatic rifles with bump stocks aren’t machine guns.
The court said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) overstepped by classifying them as such. The case, Garland v. Cargill, represents a huge win for the 2A community.
Alan M. Gottlieb, the founder and Executive Vice President of the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), praised the decision.
“This is a significant victory for gun owners because it reminds the ATF it simply cannot rewrite federal law,” said Gottlieb. “The agency has just been reminded that it can only enforce the law, not usurp the authority of Congress.”
Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the majority, clarified:
We hold that a semiautomatic rifle equipped with a bump stock is not a ‘machinegun’ because it cannot fire more than one shot ‘by a single function of the trigger.’ And, even if it could, it would not do so ‘automatically.’ ATF therefore exceeded its statutory authority by issuing a Rule that classifies bump stocks as machineguns.
The ruling highlighted that for many years, the ATF didn’t consider bump stocks to make rifles machine guns.
This stance changed after the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, leading the ATF to demand bump stock owners surrender or destroy their devices within 90 days.
SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut, who challenged the ATF’s rule in 2018, said, “ATF exceeded its statutory authority by issuing a rule that was logically inconsistent with the plain text of the statute and cut into the prerogative of Congress.”
“As the executive branch has continued to use ATF to implement its will and circumvent congressional authority, we are optimistic that today’s decision will send a message that such actions will not be tolerated and that the courts will strike down more regulations inconsistent with the law as Congress wrote,” he continued.
Meanwhile, Everytown for Gun Safety, the gun-control organization funded by Michael Bloomberg, was irate with the ruling.
“Guns outfitted with bump stocks fire like machine guns, they kill like machine guns, and they should be banned like machine guns — but the Supreme Court just decided to put these deadly devices back on the market,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown.
“We urge Congress to right this wrong and pass bipartisan legislation banning bump stocks, which are accessories of war that have no place in our communities,” he added.
Well, there’s no doubt that anti-gun Democrats will move to ban bump stocks following SCOTUS’ decision. The question is whether they’ll have enough support across the aisle to make it law.