Billy the Kid

Destined for Infamy

Dossier

William Henry McCarty, Jr.

AKA: Billy the Kid or El Chivito (Billy goat/Kid goat)

Aliases:

Wm Henry Antrim / Kid Antrim

William H. Bonney / Billy the Kid

William Harrison Bonney / Billy Bonney 

William Henry Roberts / Bill Roberts

Oliver Pleasant Roberts / Ollie Roberts

DoB: November 23, 1859

Died: July 14, 1881 – Age 22

Height: 5’8″ Weight: 160

Hair: Sandy Brown  Eyes: Blue

Father: Patrick Henry McCarty, Ireland 1812 – 1866?

Mother: Catherine Divine Bonney 1829 – 1874

Siblings: Sister- Bridget and brother Joseph “Josie” McCarty

Billy’s CoD: Killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett

Legends claim Billy Reemerged – July 15, 1881  Assumed a new identity and lived on incognito.

There is no solid evidence to support the theory that Billy the Kid faked his death, until now. The photographs in this dossier show an unbroken timeline in the life of the person documented below. While the evidence shows that Billy lived on, it does not appear that Brushy Bill Roberts was Billy the Kid. Roberts may have actually been born 20 years later than Billy.

The journey begins with Billy’s mother…

Catherine McCarty

Catherine Bonney arrived in New York City by way of Devonshire, England in 1846. She may in fact have originally been from Ireland prior to Immigrating. She married William Patrick Henry McCarty prior to 1852, also an immigrant from Ireland. There is little mention of her husband after he arrived in NYC, just that he died there. It was a violent time for Irish labor, unions and mob activity, and of course Southern KGC secret agents were stirring up riots.

Catherine McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Catherine McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Catherine had her first son, William Henry McCarty Jr. in November of 1859 and her second son, Joseph was born in 1863. However, there is more to the story presented below, Billy had a little known sister as well.

Billy's baby photo / RJ Pastore Collection

Billy’s baby photo / RJ Pastore Collection

Wm H McCarty baby photo / RJ Pastore Collection

Wm H McCarty baby photo / RJ Pastore Collection

The actual genealogy on the McCarty clan is still sketchy, but it appears the boys were born in the state of New York. Catherine moved her sons from New York to Indianapolis and then on to Wichita in the early 1870’s.

Young Billy McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Young Billy McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Young Wm. Henry McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Young Wm. Henry McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Billy ran with a gang of street kids who passed the days in search of food and mischief.

Wm. Henry McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Wm. Henry McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Wm. Henry McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Wm. Henry McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

After Catherine met William Antrim, she purchase some land near his place west of Wichita. Billy took to riding his favorite pony and fishing along the Cowskin Creek. Wyatt Earp and his compadres would have gathering at a place along the Creek at what would become the Eberly Farm Retreat. They were said to have gotten liquored up and would sleep it off under a tree on the creek bank.

Wm H McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Wm H McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

William Henry McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

William Henry McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Wichita was called the Peerless Princess of the Plains and the last civilization before entering Indian country. It became a magnet for gamblers, outlaws and lawmen like Wyatt Earp.

Catherine worked as a maid at James & Bess Earp’s “Sporting House” in Wichita’s brothel district. Catherine became acquainted with many iconic figures like Jesse James, and they were rumored to have dated. Jesse gave her the funds to open a commercial laundry that serviced the many brothels in the old Delano Saloon district.

The records are sparse on the McCarty family and few photos have survived. Yet, this early image permits us a glimpse of the entire family, three generations posing together. 

Billy the Kid and his mother, father, sister and grandma.

This rare relic is perhaps the only image of Billy’s father, Patrick. We can certainly see where Billy’s got the large ear genetics. Catherine is looking a bit thin and frail, no doubt from the grueling labor of hotel laundry. Their daughter Bridget is standing next to Billy, and he is standing next to what looks like his Grandma McCarty.

Billy was well educated and loved to read. The strong catholic household ethic would have focused on education and getting his studies done. We see below that the insert from the family photo above is a match for this image. We see that the face insert to the right is a match as well. And last is the match of all three to the known Koch image. 

Billy the Kid holding school books, About age 11.

The photo above is a match to the shot of Billy in the Family Portrait. Billy seems to have the same coat and chain below as in the last school boy photo above. 

Perhaps these photo were taken annually to mark his birthday. It is amazing that there are so many photos of Billy to survive until today. 

Billy the Kid

In his youth Billy was not inclined toward criminal activity. 

William H. McCarty Jr. / RJ Pastore Collection

William H. McCarty Jr. / RJ Pastore Collection

He was inclined toward mischief and had a few run-ins with the law early on in life. Stealing food and cloths were among some of his petty offenses.

William H. McCarty Jr. / RJ Pastore Collection

William H. McCarty Jr. / RJ Pastore Collection

Wm. Henry McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Wm. Henry McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

The first man Billy shot was bullying him in a saloon. The assailant had Billy down on the floor and was pummeling him. Billy got his hands on a gun and shot him in the gut. The man died two days later and the death was ruled self defense. Billy was serving as a Regulation (Private Police) on the Tunstil ranch defending against cattle rustlers. 

Wm . Henry McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Wm . Henry McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Billy’s life would be shaped by his contact with many famous figures of the wild west. The Youngers, Fords and James Boys had years of outlawry and some were also war vets by the time of the earliest group portrait photograph below.

Wm. Henry McCarty

Wm. Henry McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Billy McCarty with the Younger;s, Ford brothers, Doc Holiday and more.

Billy McCarty with the Younger;s, Ford brothers, Doc Holiday and more.

Catherine McCarty

Catherine McCarty / This drawing is her only known image.

A tintype photo William Henry McCarty with his mother, gives us a rare look at Catherine McCarty. The formal attire no doubt to commemorate Catherine’s marriage to her second husband, William Antrim.

Catherine and Billy McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection (Shown here in reverse to match the other items.)

 Wichita was the final stop for the Texas cattle drives, which supplied the saloons a steady stream of rowdy cowboys, pockets flush with pay. The saloon district thrived on the ready cash for liquor, saloon gals and gambling.

Catherine McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Catherine McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

It is clear to see how Catherine’s health is affected by her battle with TB. She is gaunt and withered compared to the photo above a few years earlier. It appears Billy is wearing the same jacket in both of the photos with his Mom. Billy is wearing a pinkie ring that is also visible in the famous “Regulator” photo.

Billy and Catherine McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Catherine became prominent in the community and was a signer of the charter that made Wichita an official City.  Shortly afterwards, they all relocated to New Mexico  due to Catherine’s health issues.

More about Wichita history at: http://jessejamesphotoalbum.com/jesse-james-museum/

Billy came to manhood among a group of young men who would become some of the most famous figures of the Wild West.

The same group above just a few years later.

The same group above just a few years later.

It appears that Wichita, Kansas was the point of convergence for their affiliation.  This adds a new dimension to the known facts of these gangsters. The fact that Billy the Kid is in the group photos from the early years of the 1870’s is an eye opener.

Younger Brothers, Ford's and McCarty's / RJ Pastore Collection

Younger Brothers, Ford’s and McCarty’s / RJ Pastore Collection

The photo below features three of the better known Regulators. Doc Scurlock was the founding member, seated left front next to Charlie Bowdry. Jose Chavez is standing behind them and he is seen again in the photo that follows this one as well.

Lincoln County Regulators – RJ Pastore Collection

The photo below has seen better days as to the condition, but the image is still vivid enough to make out some amazing details. Billy the Kid poses with his girlfriend, Paulita Maxwell and fellow Regulators. But most astounding is that Billy’s mother is seated in the lower right hand corner. And the girl in the middle looks very much like Bill’s mom, and is most likely Billy’s sister Bridget McCarty. What an extraordinary find.

Let us not overlook the fact that Dan Dedrick is disguised as a woman, wearing a dress and a bonnet upon his lap. Deputy’s Brewer and Chavez are present all of which helps to establish a time and area of the photo. Catherine is said to have died in 1874 and Deputy brewer was killed in 1878. Paulita lived at Fort Sumner so we can assume it was near there because she would not have gone far from home.

Billy the Kid w/ Mom, Sister, Girlfriend and Regulators

The above photo has been professionally evaluated by an independent Accredited ASA certified appraiser.  Authenticating the photo was less difficult to evaluate since six of the seven subjects in the photo are known and have published comparison photos. There were several other determining factors which establish the foundation for a current market value for insurance purposes. More on that in time…

The seventh person in the center of the photo resembles Billy and Catherine, so it must be a familial match to Bridget. It is clear by the 1855 census record below that Catherine did have a daughter listed. The RJ Pastore Collection holds the only known photos of Billy with his mother and sister. Catherine’s age is off a few years in both roles, but the children are correct. There are a number of plausible reasons for the variance.

1855 Census of New York City

Bridget McCarty is shown again in the 1860 NYC Census. This is documentary proof of Bridget’s existence and family relationship to Billy.

Catherine appears in the 1870 Wichita Census with Bridget and infant son Henry listed as children. Her husband Patrick is listed as deceased, but we don’t know exactly when or where he died. It is a mystery how it is possible that history has not previously focused on Billy’s sister, Bridget? How can the single most famous outlaw figure of the old west have a sister that was a complete unknown?

Billy with his sister Bridget, Dan Dedrick & GW Coe

Another acquisition from the same lot features Bridget once again with her brother Billy. Also in the image are Dan Dedrick and GW Coe, two more of Billy’s know associates. When taken together with three census records and the two photos it presents evidence proving Billy had a sister names Bridget. Since Bridget and Dan appear together in both of the photos above there is room to speculate that they were somehow tied.

After the murder of Billy’s employer, he was Deputized by a Judge to serve arrest warrants on the perpetrators. Afterward, the corrupt politics of the territory took sides with the perpetrators. Billy and the Regulators were branded as the bad guys. The State of New Mexico never made good on the Governor’s promise of a pardon or amnesty.

Wm. H. McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Wm. H. McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

William H. McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

William H. McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

A new addition to this segment of the timeline has Bill in the same style of attire. He is wearing the signature bandana from the Regulator photo. And the coat is similar in style to many of the other photos of Billy on this page. A closer look reveals that the coat is in rough condition and rather worn out. Perhaps he was trying to go straight and fell on tough times.

Wm Henry McCarty

This image of Billy is a match for the twp prior images above it and the Regulator photo, right down to the slightly wrinkled chin from his facial expression.

Billy was considered the kid of the outfit, even though his taller brother Josey was a few years younger. They both have the familiar bulges of guns hidden under their jackets.

Josey and Billy McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Josey and Billy McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Billy the Kid and his brother Josey look like they just came in to town, off the open range. Dressed in their cowboy best to get their photo taken before a night out to paint the town red.

Billy and Josey McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Billy and Josey McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Billy had a fondness for pretty ladies, liquor and good times.  Josey had the same vices, but was more consumed with gambling and whiskey.

It was only one year prior to Jesse James’ death ruse, that Billy pulled off his hoax. Billy was one of Lucien B. Maxwell’s principle Regulators. Billy was romantically involved with Lucien’s daughter, Maria Paulita Maxwell.

The evidence supports the case that the parties at the scene of the killing were involved in a coverup. The homeowner was heir to the Maxwell empire and had the means to arrange the fake execution. The motive, was to assist Billy circumvent the Governor’s betrayal for a pardon. And the opportunity came in the form of a corpse, whoever the real victim may have been. Presumably, the grim task of procuring a suitable corpse fell upon Sheriff Garrett.

Wm. H. Bonney

Billy was best friends and a fellow Regulator with Pat Garrett, both working for Maxwell. The killing was staged in Lucien’s brother Pete’s home, inside their fort compound. And most obvious flaw of the ruse was the fact that Garrett never produced the body for the coroner. So there was no autopsy or  inquest, there was only a small closed ceremony and swift burial.

As a Deputy US Marshall, these are no small details to be over-looked, and ignored by the authorities all the way up to the Governor. They even paid Pat Garrett the $500.00 reward, in spite of the lack of proof that he had killed Billy.

Maxwell owned 1.7 million acres of land covered in grazing cattle. Even by today’s standards he was considered third richest man in America.

Front Row: Wm. H. Bonney, Lucien B. Maxwell, Dan Dedrick Back: Pat Garrett, James Ellsworth Lay / RJ Pastore Collection

With that kind of clout it would have been easy to orchestrate a death ruse for Billy in remote New Mexico. The men surrounding Mr. Maxwell are all wearing a lapel medallion for a masonic group called the Royal Order of the Palm Tree. The origins and meaning of Masonic Orders are steeped in secrecy and rarely understood.

The Palmetto Guard was the name for the very first CSA forces of the South. It was also the force that fired on Fort Sumter, starting the Civil War between the States on April 12, 1861. The Palm tree became know as a symbol of defiance.

Royal Order of the Palm Tree Masonic Insignia

Royal Order of the Palm Tree Masonic Insignia

The popular legend of Pat Garrett portrays a stark divide between outlaws and lawmen. But the historical facts show that there was quite a close association between them in the western territory. Big Dick Brewer worked as a Regulator, side by side with Billy the Kid and others. Here we see Sheriff Brady and Deputy Brewer not long before their deaths in the line of duty.

Sheriff Brady (left) Sheriff Garrett (right) Deputy Brewer (rear) / RJ Pastore Collection

Sheriff Brady (left) Sheriff Garrett (right) Deputy Brewer (rear) / RJ Pastore Collection

The next photo is a striking group portrait with William Bonney, alias Billy the Kid. As the movie “Young Guns” portrayed, Billy faked his death and took on a new identity as William Henry Roberts.  Whatever Billy had to do with Sheriff Brady’s demise, it doesn’t seem to have affected his friendship with Pat Garrett. Considering some of the powerful people and the politics of the time there must be more to the story.

Billy seems to have had a long term association with many notorious characters. These historical photographs permit us to explore the unknown saga of his mysterious life. We see him here with the Wild Bunch gang and again below some years later.

William H. Roberts Alias, Billy the Kid / RJ Pastore Collection

The group of ten men are all in similar suits and bowler hats, resembling Pinkerton Detectives. They are wearing fraternal ribbon badges on their jackets and a holding walking sticks. Billy and his fellow regulators from the Lucien Maxwell photo above are all present in this photo, along with several other noteworthy historical figures. Butch Cassidy and Sundance are sitting with the Wild Bunch gang members. Most noteworthy, Pat Garrett sits to the left of Billy the Kid, many years after allegedly killing Billy.

Maxwell's Regulators

Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, Butch Cassidy, Sundance and the Wild Bunch / July, 1899 Folsom, New Mexico / RJ Pastore Collection

The brotherhood is seated at the foot of the extinct Capulin volcano a few miles from Folsom, NM. The town was a safe haven for outlaws and lawmen who came to work as Regulators (private policemen) for the wealthy land and cattle barons of the territory. Folsom was home to 800 people at the time and had a railroad stop. Black Jack Ketchum couldn’t resist robbing the train and was captured hiding out in a nearby volcanic lava vent. He was held prisoner in the Folsom Hotel, which still stands as a historic site today. The Folsom Museum has a large collection of artifacts going back 10,000 years when the Natives followed the Bison, which grew to eight feet tall. As to Black Jack, in 1901 he was convicted and sentenced to hang. All of which is documented in photos at the museum.

These group photos opens the floor for many questions that will require deep research. Discussion about the role of Pat Garrett in the Billy the Kid saga leaves a question of who was really killed. To quote Samuel Clemens, “Rumors of his death are greatly exaggerated.”

Wm. H. McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Wm. H. McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Wm. H. McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Wm. H. McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid were close friends. Billy and Pat worked for the wealthiest man in the territory. Billy was romantically involved with Maxwell’s daughter. The death ruse was staged in Lucien Maxwell’s brother Pete’s home. The body was not turned over to the coroner, and buried in a hasty grave. Pat Garrett was publicly ridiculed in the press for having perpetrated a fraud in faking Billy’s death. Pat never overcame the stigma of his ruined public image. The evidence weighs heavily toward a conspiracy to execute a ruse that gave Billy a new life. And the group photo above proves Billy and Pat had a long and close friendship far beyond his supposed death. Who then pray-tell, went to an early grave in Billy’s place?

 

A stunningly clear photo of Billy the Kid in formal attire, holding a bouquet of flowers. The hand is holding the lapel symbolizes KGC membership and to show he’s wearing a shoulder holster weapon. The thinning hairline and drooping earlobes show it was taken long after his alleged death in 1881.

Wm. Henry McCarty

Wm H. McCarty / RJ Pastore Collection

Billy study 6

The following collage features the various images offered up as William Henry McCarty. It’s obvious that he had more than one photo taken in his lifetime.  It is also irrefutable that Billy faked his death based on the photos he left in evidence.

The most prized photo of Billy the Kid is referred to as the Regulator image. This item was sold at auction in 2012 to Wichita native, Bill Koch. The former America’s Cup winner bid a healthy $2.3 million to ensure this rare artifact stayed inside the USA.

William Henry McCarty William I. Koch Collection

William Henry McCarty
William I. Koch Collection Beaver Smith’s Saloon, Fort Sumner, NM Circa 1880 – Photographer Unknown

Provenance of the above photo: [When Billy was locked up in the Fort Sumner calaboose after his capture at Arroyo Tivan, Deluvina went to visit him. It was a cold winter’s day and, as the little jail was unheated, Deluvina came home and got a heavy scarf she had knitted and took it to her hero. In return for this kindness, the Kid gave her his only photograph, which he had carried around in his pocket. He would have given Deluvina nothing she would have prized more.

“My mother kept the picture in a cedar chest for years, and finally my sister, Odila, gave it to John Legg, a Forth Sumner saloon keeper and friend of the family. Legg was shot and killed and Charlie Foor, an executor of his estate, came into possession of the picture. When Foor’s house was burned down, the original was destroyed but fortunately many copies of it had been made.]

Source- http://www.thebluegrassspecial.com/archive/2011/feb2011/billy-the-kid-feb2011.php

This image below surfaced in 2013 from an undisclosed collector. Presented here for comparison, we can see his earlobes have in fact grown out longer with age.

Dan Dedrick (L) Billy Bonney (R)
Owner Unknown/Anonymous
Not part of the RJ Pastore Collection

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/08/29/newly-discovered-image-shows-billy-kid-claims-historian/

Newly-discovered image shows Billy the Kid, claims historian Frank Parrish.

Published August 29, 2013

FoxNews.com

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/08/29/newly-discovered-image-shows-billy-kid-claims-historian/#ixzz2ek9GIeJ2

Another recently published photo (Below, left) of William McCarty appeared on the News Tribune.com, Missouri’s Capital City News.

The photo is a good match to the more mature image of Billy on the right. The source of the image is linked below, but not credit was cited for the image.

 http://www.newstribune.com/news/2010/dec/31/nm-gov-declines-pardon-outlaw-billy-kid/

Wm Henry McCarty

Wm Henry McCarty

Wm. Henry McCarty

Another newly release photo (below) is purportedly Billy the Kid. The man on the left has a few close similarities, but the ears are larger and tucked in close to the skull. That eliminate him as a match for Billy, however he is a close match for the brother, Josy McCarty. Make a comparison with other photos of Josey and Billy together, go to the Josey dossier page.  http://jessejamesphotoalbum.com/josey-mccarty/

Another new Billy the Kid photo. / RJ de Aragon Collection

Another new Billy the Kid photo. RJ de Aragon Collection

More on the Forensic Artist’s examination: http://www.chron.com/houston/article/Billy-the-Kid-photo-real-Houston-forensic-artist-5757088.php#photo-6869338

More on the life of Henry McCarty: http://www.badhombres.com/outlaws/billy-the-kid.htm

Wm. H. Bonney

Wm. H. Bonney / RJ Pastore Collection

The RJ Pastore Collection has establishes a multi-point framework for objective analysis and authentication. The key photos are cataloged in criminal dossiers that allows them to be viewed their proper context.

The group portrait photos make it is easy to reconcile that they are the stated subjects.

That very linkage between all of the key figures in the group photos, repeatedly appearing together,  documents a pictorial timeline of their lives. The fact that they themselves created the photos shows they meant to reveal the secret death ruse.

The statistical probability of another set of individuals resembling these subjects and repeatedly having group photos taken over several decades is remote beyond consideration. In fact, it is a reverse probability, and therefore impossible to calculate.

In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, this chain of evidence eliminates any reasonable doubt about the authenticity of the photos and the validity of the revelations.