Latest / 10 Minute Murder | Bingeable True Crime Stories / Billy the Kid Unmasked: The Real Story Behind the Wild West's Most Notorious Outlaw

Transcript

Billy the Kid Unmasked: The Real Story Behind the Wild West's Most Notorious Outlaw · 10 Minute Murder | Bingeable True Crime Stories

• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Welcome to ten Minute Murder, where we take a quick
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: dive into the shadowy corners of history, the kind of
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: corners where you'd maybe find a guy shuffling cards, sipping whiskey,
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: and plotting his next great escape. Today's episode it's a
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: dusty trail ride back to the wild wild West, a
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: place where you could wake up an outlaw and go
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: to sleep as a lawman, depending on how the cards fell.
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: Picture this Henry McCarty, a kid who began his life
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: as just another face in the crowded New York slums,
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: somehow takes a left turn and he becomes Billy the Kid,
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: an outlaw whose name still echoes in the myths of
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: the American Frontier. It's a story riddled with tragedy, betrayals,
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: and jail breaks that belong in a magician's playbook, and
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: the kind of lawlessness that makes some modern crime look
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: like a very tedious paperwork issue. From losing his parents
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: to facing down hired guns, Billy's journey is a tale
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: of survival, of dancing in and out of sheriff's hands
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: and carving out a name or maybe a myth that
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: still haunts the American imagination, but before we get into
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: the inevitable showdown, before we see Billy go from a
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: hungry street kid to a folk hero and enemy number one,
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: let's talk about the escapades that earned him his famous nickname,
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: and spoiler, it wasn't just because he looked young. So
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: buckle up or you know, saddle up. The story comes
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: with shootouts, secret alliances, bad poker games, and at least
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: one sheriff who really should have taken up a safer profession.
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: And don't worry, I'll leave the biggest twists hanging for
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: the right moment, because, after all, Billy always had a
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: way of keeping people guessing. The wild wild West a
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: place where outlaws could become members of law enforcement overnight
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: or vice versa, for that matter, and a place where
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: many would carve out a level of fame and fortune
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: that would last far longer than their own lifetimes. This
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: was the case for Henry McCarty, son of Irish immigrants
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: in New York City. No one would have expected the
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: life that awaited young baby Henry in those formative early years,
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: but there would be no mistaking the man that he
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: would become in the legacy he would leave behind. Henry's
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: life was marred with tragedy early on, when his father died,
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: leaving his wife, Katherine and their two sons alone in
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: the New World. It was more than likely that Catherine
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: and her children had to live in the slums and
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: on the streets of New York City before Catherine was
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: able to find the means to move her family to Indiana.
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: There it would seem their luck would change. Catherine met
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: and married a man named William Antrim, who would also
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: go on to adopt her sons. That was it. The
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: foundations for a new, fresh lease on life had been
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: provided for the now Antrim family, But for poor Catherine,
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: it was too little, too late. She began showing signs
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: of suffering from tuberculosis, or as they called it in
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: those days, consumption, a disease that was at this point
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: in time, a death sentence. Within a year of their
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: fresh start, Henry McCarty was left an orphan. When Catherine,
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: his mother had gone, Her new husband, William, turned their
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: back on her sons, and they were left with nothing,
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: not even a place to call home. Taking pity on
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: the now fourteen year old Henry, a local innkeeper gave
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: him a bed to sleep on in exchange for work.
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: Shortly after, Henry would be caught stealing food. Shortly after that,
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: he and a friend were arrested while robbing a Chinese launderette. Henry, however,
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: managed to escape from jail by shimmying up a chimney.
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: This was the birth of Henry McCarty the Fugitive, but
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: he wasn't quite the man who would go down in
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: infamy just yet. From prison, Henry escaped to his stepfather's house,
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: only to be met with the cold shoulder. William gave
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: Henry some money to get by, and then he showed
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: him the door. Henry was off once again, officially out
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: on the streets. He quickly fell in with some outlaws
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: and began stealing horses from soldiers. It was during this
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: time that Henry would be given the nickname Kid Antrim.
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: This was one step closer to the man that would
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: go down as one of the all time heroes of
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: the wild West, but not just because of his young age.
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: Kid was a common nickname for juvenile delinquents at that time,
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: and Henry surely fit that profile. Shortly after he started
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: selling horses, Henry was caught and arrested yet again, in
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: a magnificent display of dexterity and brazen confidence. He managed
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: to escape from prison even though he was wearing shackles
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: while the guards were out visiting a local dance hall
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: in an even bigger show of brazen confidence. Instead of fleeing,
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: Henry then returned to the same town and enjoyed a
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: game of poker with a local blacksmith named Francis Wendy
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: k Hill. But it wasn't showing back up in the
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: same town he'd been arrested in, or even the locals
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: ratting him out that would get Henry in trouble yet again,
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: but himself. Francis k Hill picked on Henry during this
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: game of poker, and he reportedly accused Henry of being
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: a pimp. Things then escalated, which resulted in Francis pinning
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: Henry to the ground and slapping him. Quote Billy had
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: no choice, he had to use his equalizer. That's from
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: one witness that later told the local law enforcement what
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: happened Billy and Henry, and his equalizer being the gun
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: that he and blacksmith Francis Cahill had fought over. Henry
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: then fled, leaving Francis bleeding from a gunshot wound to
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: his stomach. Francis died the following day, officially making Billy
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: the Kid a killer. Maybe believing that witness testimony of
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: that evening would be enough to clear his name, he
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: returned to town a few days later, only to be arrested.
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: He broke out of jail, stole a horse, and escaped
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: to New Mexico before facing the courts. On his way there,
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: Billy was attacked and his horse stolen by members of
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: the Apache tribe. He was then forced to walk miles
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: in treacherous conditions before finding refuge with a friend, John Jones.
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: By then was almost dead, and it was only through
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: John Jones and his mother, Barbara Jones's care that Billy survived.
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: Without their intervention, the history books would be short one
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: notable character. Now officially an outlaw and wanted for murder,
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: Billy took to stealing cattle and horses, but he was
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: caught yet again in Lincoln County. Here we see another
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: twist of fate in Billy's story. He was caught in
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: possession of horses belonging to John Tunstall, a rising businessman
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: and cattle rancher, but instead of pressing charges against Billy.
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: John hired him to be a cowboy and a gunman.
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: But then John had a need for a man that
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: could protect his herd, not just from predators and the elements,
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: but from the competition. He and his business partner, Alexander
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: McSween were sworn enemies of Lawrence Murphy, James Dolan, and
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: John Riley. In eighteen seventy eight, Alexander McSween owed James
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: Dolan eight thousand dollars, which in equivalency to today is
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Alexander sent the
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: local sheriff to John's property to collect forty thousand dollars
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: worth of property in livestock to cover what his business
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: partner owed. Desperate to protect what was his, John entrusted
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: Billy with nine horses and sent him away. Only John
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: could have more than likely have used the extra manpower,
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: and this was a move he would come to regret.
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: When the sheriff arrived with his own men to collect
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: John's cattle, John rode out to meet and stop them.
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: During the conversation that followed, a member of the sheriff's
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: party shot John in the chest. John was knocked off
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: his horse, but he was still alive. That was until
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: another member of the sheriff's party got down off his horse,
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: took John's gun, and shot him in the head. John's
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: death sparked a fierce battle between men who had previously
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: only been business rivals, and most notable of those who
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: remained on John's side was none other than Billy the Kid,
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: and what would become known as the Lincoln County War.
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: Dick Brewer, John's former foreman, was granted the power to
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: make arrests. He, Billy, and a number of men formed
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: a group known as the Regulators, all of whom were
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: deputized and sent out on the hunt for the now
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: outlaws who'd killed John. Within a matter of days, they
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: had captured three of James Dolan's men, but all three
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: of them would die before they ever made it to
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: the jailhouse. Back in Lincoln, chaos then ensued, with gunfights
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: breaking out on the daily and both sides suffering casualties.
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: Concerned over the growing turmoil, the governor of Mexico, Samuel
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: Beach Axtel, descended upon Lincoln. He then publicly reversed the
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: decision to deputize the Regulators, and in one fell swoop
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: made the entire party outlaws. This now meant that the
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: regulators were all fair game, but that didn't stop them
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: on their quest to avenge John Tunstall. Only about a
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: month later, a group of about six regulators, including Billy
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: the Kid, gutted the sheriff who led that party against
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: John Tunstall. Walking down the street, they hid themselves behind
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: a ten foot wall and then opened fire. The sheriff
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: was killed, but during the ensuing gunfight, Billy was shot
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: in the thigh. He escaped and, unlike the sheriff, lived
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: to fight another day. Three days later, a buffalo hunter
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: and cowboy Buckshot Roberts tracked down the regulators. Both he
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: and the regulator's leader, Dick Brewer, were killed in the
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: gunfight that followed. This only added fuel to the growing fire.
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: Now feeling like they no longer had to avenge just
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: John's death, but also Dick Brewer as well, the regulators
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: put up an even fiercer fight. Both sides had heavy losses,
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: but in the eyes of the courts, only the regulators
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: were the ones breaking the law. After one fight across
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: Lincoln County lasted for five days, Army cavalry and infantry
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: were sent into Lincoln to help keep the peace. They
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: claimed that they were a neutral party in the conflict,
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: but once they arrived at the house the Regulators will
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: hold up in, they aimed their cannons at them and
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: warned them that they would blow the house up if
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: anyone fired their weapon. Seeing this, several members of the
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: Regulators fled the battle, leaving behind only thirteen members loyal
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: to the cause. The local sheriff then approached the house,
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: set it on fire, and demanded that everyone inside surrender.
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: It was then that Billy the Kid rose up to
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: lead what remained of the Regulators. Desperate to save his brethren,
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: Billy sacrificed himself and created a distraction so that the
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: other members could flee. In the resulting gunfight, most of
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: the remaining Regulators were killed and James Dolan's party claimed victory.
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: Billy the Kid, however, managed to escape yet again, and
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: rumor has it that he met with the infamous Missouri
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: outlaw Jesse James on his way back to New Mexico.
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: When he arrived there in early eighteen eighty, he posed
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: for the only photo ever taken of him and the
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: only one that remains with us to this day. By
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: the end of eighteen eighty, Billy was tracked down and
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: pinned in his hideout. After a day of negotiation, Billy
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: and his men agreed to surrender and were escorted into
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: town to face justice. Court lasted for two days, where
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: Billy the Kid's reputation as a folk hero was visibly
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: and notably solidified, as people all across town to come
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: out and see him and show their support. However, despite
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: how the people clearly loved him, a jury would find
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: Billy guilty of first degree murder and sentenced him to death.
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: To this day, he remains the only person to be
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: convicted of any crimes in relation to the Lincoln County War.
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: The story goes that while awaiting his execution in jail,
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: Billy caught wind that his lover, Paulina Maxwell, was expecting
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: his child. Billy then asked one of the guards to
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: take him out to the outhouse, but use the excursion
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: to attack the guard, steal his weapon, and shoot him.
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: Billy then returned to the Sheriff's office and stole a shotgun.
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: From there, he took aim out the window and shot
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: another guard on station. Billy stole a horse and fled
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: the very next day, word about Billy's escape spread far
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: and wide, and a bounty was set for his arrest.
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: He was tracked down by Sheriff Garrett at his home,
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: where he was shot and killed at the age of
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: twenty two. That's ten minute Murder for today, brief and
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: bingeable true crime. I am Joe, I'm the host. Thank
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: you for taking the time to listen. If you're a
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: new listener, make sure you hit subscribe wherever you like
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: to listen to podcasts. Any information you need about the podcast,
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: you can go to ten minute Murder dot com and
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: you'll find it all there, as well as a way
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: to contact me. And you don't have to go to
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: the website to contact me, by the way, you can
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: just send me an email Joe at ten minute Murder
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: dot com. But the website does have all kinds of
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: cool information there. And I'm not going to ramble on here,
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: but I do need to let you know that I
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: do realize that the time this is being released, it's
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: Halloween week, and this isn't necessarily a Halloween themed episode,
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: but I'm working on one. It's going to come after Halloween.
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: Probably the next couple of episodes and it was not planned.
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: I went on a trip of sorts, kind of a
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: little road trip when I stayed at a hotel in Chattanooga, Tennessee,
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: and come to find out that hotel has a murder
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: history there, well one in particular, and supposedly the hotel's haunted.
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: I don't know spoiler alert on that. I didn't see
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: any ghosts, didn't really expect to. But the hotel is
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: fantastic and the murder story is kind of cool as well,
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: and we'll do that episode coming up for the next
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: couple of episodes. I realized it's going to be after Halloween,
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: and better planning by me, it would have been on
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: Halloween that you would be hearing this, but my bad.
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: So I'll be looking for that to come pretty soon.
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: From ten Minute Murder. That's it. That is your episode
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: for today. Thank you so much for listening to ten
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: Minute Murder.