New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has
declined to pardon William H. Bonney, aka Kid Antrim, aka Henry McCarty, but best known as
Billy the Kid.
Probably born in New York City,
the Kid ended up in New Mexico, where he became involved in the
Lincoln County War, disputing the question of who would control the
dry goods trade on the New Mexican frontier. He was alleged to have killed twenty-one men in his few years as an outlaw; the true number is
probably closer to four. He certainly did participate in the shooting from ambush of
Sheriff William Brady, in the streets of Lincoln in 1878; he was convicted of this killing and sentenced to hang. In escaping from the city jail, the Kid killed two deputies, James Bell and Robert Ollinger. A few months later, he was tracked down and
killed by
Sheriff Pat Garrett. He was twenty-one years old. In the hundred-and-thirty years since his death, the Kid has assumed the status of legend, appearing in
too many films to list, a
number of
songs,
a ballet, and at least one
avant-garde verse novel. On Friday, outgoing Governor Bill Richardson announced that he would
not issue a requested pardon, allegedly promised to Billy by Richardson's predecessor
Lew Wallace over a century ago.
posted by ghharr at 8:17 AM on December 31, 2010 [19 favorites]