Was Billy the Kid's Death a Hoax?

The Wild West Extravaganza

Wild West Josh

Education, History

4.8 • 667 Ratings

🗓️ 22 August 2023

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

How can we be so certain that Pat Garrett really killed Billy the Kid? Today we take a look at all of the evidence – the eyewitness accounts, official documentation, coroner’s jury report, etc. – all proving that Billy did indeed come to his demise at Fort Sumner in 1881. We also dispel a few myths, discuss why there was no reason for Garrett to take a photo of the Kid, define what the term anecdotal means, and why – at the end of the day – I think it’s ok for us to disagree. Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/ Join Into History for ad-free and bonus content! https://intohistory.com/wildwestextra/ Were people allowed to view Billy’s dead body? https://btkcoalition.com/btk-history-blog/f/debunking-brushy-were-people-allowed-to-view-billys-dead-body Dr. Robert Stahl | Pleading for Death Certificate - http://doc45.com/pleading/tenth-court-pleading-by-dr-robert-stahl-for-kid-death-certificate.pdf Billy the Kid’s Grave by David G. Thomas - https://www.amazon.com/dp/154240472X?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzjoshta02-20&creativeASIN=154240472X&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.YEHGNY7KFAU7&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin Looking for the series on Billy the Kid? Start here - https://www.wildwestextra.com/billy-the-kid-orphan/ Looking for the series on Pat Garrett? Start here - https://www.wildwestextra.com/pat-garrett-origin-story-part-1/ Merchandise! https://www.teepublic.com/user/wild-west-extravaganza Book Recommendations! https://www.amazon.com/shop/wildwestextravaganza/list/YEHGNY7KFAU7?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I can say with near certainty that Billy the kid met his demise at Fort Sumner at the hands of Pat Garrett on the night of July 14, 1881.
0:08.7	Literally all credible evidence points in this direction, and if you'll allow me just a moment, I'll prove it.
0:14.6	That said, it is important to note that the kid's entire life is shrouded in mystery, especially his final moments. Bob Bo's Bell said it best.
0:23.3	Everything about this young man is open to question, including the date of his birth. From birth to death,
0:28.6	almost every facet of his life is completely undocumented. As such, over the past 140-plus years,
0:35.5	a certain amount of myth has built up around Billy the Kid.
0:38.9	Legends and fables that have become so ingrained within his story that it can be extremely
0:43.3	daunting to differentiate between what's true and what's not.
0:47.7	You know the cliche, right?
0:48.9	That famous quote from the man who shot Liberty Valance.
0:52.2	When legend becomes fact, print the legend. And it's these
0:55.5	legends, both in print and on the big screen, some of which are anecdotal and some just fabricated
1:00.9	wholesale out of thin air, that, in my opinion, caused the most confusion when it comes to Billy the
1:06.4	kid's life and death. Now here shortly I will explain why I'm so certain that Garrett killed the kid,
1:12.7	but first I think it would be beneficial to dispel a few of these myths, particularly the one centered
1:18.4	around Billy's passing, stories that are widely believed but have zero bearing in the truth.
1:24.1	One of the most prevailing being that nobody but Pat Garrett and his deputies saw the
1:28.8	kid's body and that they buried him almost immediately, thus denying, prying eyes of the true
1:33.8	identity of the deceased. I can't tell you how often I hear this, and it is holy, thoroughly,
1:40.2	and completely false. Here's what we know. The kid was killed at Fort Sumner sometime around midnight
1:46.7	on the night of July 14th. The following day, there was a coroner's jury investigation. Billy was given
1:52.7	into the care of Fort Sumner residents who cleaned and dressed him and placed him in a coffin.
	...

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