140 years ago Billy the Kid died: shot in the dark and the incredible photo with the sheriff who shot him

They have serious, tough faces. The one on the left has a gun in his left hand. They look like members of another gang that ravaged the Old West. Four have mustaches. The youngest – second from the left – no. He’s a well-known boy. His name, associated with the crime and the duels in which the one who shot the fastest lived, has become famous: it is William Henry McCarthy, conocido como Billy the Kid. But this is not the most curious of this worn black and white photograph. Who sits in front on the far right is none other than Pat Garret, the Sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico, which put an end to the adventures of the blond delinquent.

The image was acquired by a lawyer appointed Franck Abrams six years ago at a flea fair in North Carolina for a few dollars. Ten in all. The photograph, taken in what was called a tintype in the late 19th century, is the size of the palm of a hand and is now worth millions of dollars, according to The New York Times.

For several years, Abrams he thought there were only five common cowboys at the time. Of course: he was struck by the fact that a tintype of this style was in North Carolina, of Far Where is. At that time, most were from the southern United States. That’s why he bought it. He shelled out ten dollars and placed it in a picture frame in the room he rented out to tourists for Airbnb. Jokingly, according to the New York newspaper, the host told his guests he was Jesse james, another famous American criminal of this era of shooting and savagery.

But that all changed in 2015, when he read a report that would overwhelm his attention with this photograph of a handful of coins. He read a picture of Billy the Kid playing croquet with Friends had been auctioned for nearly $ 5 million. He remembered the portrait and was right to research online who might be those five big guys who occupied a shelf in his house.

“Oh my God. It’s Pat Garrett”, he managed to recognize. But Abrams I wanted to know more about these fascinating characters. Who was the man with the most angelic face of all? The one without a mustache and with a prominent nut on his neck. ¿Billy era the child? He contacted academics dedicated to the life of the criminal. AT tintype experts who confirmed that the image was taken between 1875 and 1880.

The photography expert of this guy William Dunninway and the forensic expert Kent gibson They were successful and gave great news to Abrams: Billy the kid Yes Garret they were part of the group that had been captured by the lens of a photographer at the time. The shooter and the sheriff were once friends. They used to share endless parties and poker games together. Gambling was part of his life.

But that all changed when the man with the mustache and the deep gaze became an authority. “If you leave New Mexico, I won’t kick you out. But if you stay on the territory, it doesn’t matter where you are, I will have to go look for you ”, was the ultimatum that Garrett gave to his friend.

But Billy the kid he did not choose exile. And he was stopped by the men of Garrett. And sentenced to hang. However, the dangerous criminal managed to escape in a bloody way. He planned everything in prison and a day before his execution convinced the guards to allow him to loosen one of the hands tied with heavy handcuffs so that he could eat properly. They did it. But he didn’t do anything at the time. He waited a long time until he had his only chance. After a few hours, one of the guards came out for a few minutes. Billy managed to get behind the other one who had been left alone and knocked him out. He took his gun from her and fired. A shot in the head. The detonation drew the attention of the other policeman who was entering the cell. He ran to the place, when Billy the kid he already had a powerful rifle in his possession. When the criminal opened a window to jump and escape, he saw that the guard was chasing him. Shout Hello Bill! And pulled. This time to the heart.

The hunt has resumed. And on July 14, 1881, when “the child” was 21 years old, his end would come. Garrett had gone to Strong summer visit a friend of the perpetrator. I wanted to gather information on his whereabouts. But at a certain point, in the middle of a dark room, Billy intervened, who did not make out who was present. Especially who would be his executioner. Greeted, the sheriff he recognized her voice and was fatally shot.

A few days after his death, The New York Times published a column in which he gave an account of “Life and Death of Billy the Kid”. He describes the young man in such a way that it helps to nourish the myth, the legend which surrounds him. “His real name was not known”; “His blue eyes were so attractive that those who looked at him for the first time saw in him someone who was the victim of circumstances”; “But despite his innocent appearance, he was one of the most dangerous characters the country has produced”; “We know that at a young age he murdered 19 people, almost one victim for every year of his life.”

Abrams, a criminal lawyer, has yet to reflect on the value of photography. “It’s like having the biggest case you can imagine,” he says, referring to his profession. And concludes: “I don’t know the price. I like history. It’s a privilege to have something like this”.

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