A Question of Bounty: The Shadow of Doubt
What makes a controversy last one hundred thirty years? A damn good story.
Historians agree, Pat Garrett killed Billy the Kid, July 14, 1881. But what if the legend’s a lie? John Poe, Garrett’s deputy on the scene that night, and others question Garrett’s claim. They suggest he killed the wrong man and covered it up.
The historical record of the Kid’s death that comes down to us today rests on Garrett’s 1882 book, The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid. Pick up John Poe’s memoir, The Death of Billy the Kid and lay it beside Garrett’s book and you begin to expose the controversy. Poe was a respected law enforcement officer and political figure of his time. If you take him for a credible witness to the events of the Kid’s death, you are left with two somewhat different accounts.
History is filled with controversies. What is surprising about this one is that it continues to this very day with strong proponents on both sides. Why? Because there are contradictions, procedural irregularities, circumstantial evidence, hearsay and unanswered questions that simply won’t go away. We are left with the question: is Garrett’s claim proven beyond the shadow of doubt; or is it a hastily conceived cover up?
It makes for a great story. It’s an action packed western and a love story with one of those tantalizing discoveries I call ‘unexpected’ history. Purist adherents to Garrett’s account will dismiss any assertion to the contrary as wild conspiracy theory. I’ll leave it for you to decide.
A Question of Bounty: The Shadow of Doubt will be released by Five Star Publishing June 18th. It is available for pre-order at Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Enjoy,
Paul
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Historians agree, Pat Garrett killed Billy the Kid, July 14, 1881. But what if the legend’s a lie? John Poe, Garrett’s deputy on the scene that night, and others question Garrett’s claim. They suggest he killed the wrong man and covered it up.
The historical record of the Kid’s death that comes down to us today rests on Garrett’s 1882 book, The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid. Pick up John Poe’s memoir, The Death of Billy the Kid and lay it beside Garrett’s book and you begin to expose the controversy. Poe was a respected law enforcement officer and political figure of his time. If you take him for a credible witness to the events of the Kid’s death, you are left with two somewhat different accounts.
History is filled with controversies. What is surprising about this one is that it continues to this very day with strong proponents on both sides. Why? Because there are contradictions, procedural irregularities, circumstantial evidence, hearsay and unanswered questions that simply won’t go away. We are left with the question: is Garrett’s claim proven beyond the shadow of doubt; or is it a hastily conceived cover up?
It makes for a great story. It’s an action packed western and a love story with one of those tantalizing discoveries I call ‘unexpected’ history. Purist adherents to Garrett’s account will dismiss any assertion to the contrary as wild conspiracy theory. I’ll leave it for you to decide.
A Question of Bounty: The Shadow of Doubt will be released by Five Star Publishing June 18th. It is available for pre-order at Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Enjoy,
Paul
Like us on facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paul-C...
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