A Shadow of Doubt
One of my favorite historical controversies is centered on Pat Garrett’s claim he killed Billy the Kid, July 14, 1881. One hundred thirty years later questions remain. 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.
Today Garrett’s claim rests on his 1882 book The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid, It’s not surprising. We’ve talked about the power of the nineteenth century printed word many times on these pages. Legendary treatment given an assorted cast of nineteenth century characters too numerous to mention, all testify to the difference between fact and the cachet of fact.
Garrett’s book comes down to us today as the accepted historical record of the Kid’s death. What is surprising is that controversy surrounding his claim also continues to this very day. Why? Because there are contradictions, irregularities, circumstantial evidence 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?
The controversy piqued my curiosity when I picked up John Poe’s memoir The Death of Billy the Kid and laid it beside Garrett’s book. Poe, a respected law enforcement officer and political figure of his time, enjoys a somewhat more respectable reputation than the often financially troubled ethically challenged Garrett. If you take Poe for a credible witness to the events of the Kid’s death, you are left with two differing accounts, procedural irregularities, circumstantial evidence and unanswered questions.
Next Week: The Poe Contradiction
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
Today Garrett’s claim rests on his 1882 book The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid, It’s not surprising. We’ve talked about the power of the nineteenth century printed word many times on these pages. Legendary treatment given an assorted cast of nineteenth century characters too numerous to mention, all testify to the difference between fact and the cachet of fact.
Garrett’s book comes down to us today as the accepted historical record of the Kid’s death. What is surprising is that controversy surrounding his claim also continues to this very day. Why? Because there are contradictions, irregularities, circumstantial evidence 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?
The controversy piqued my curiosity when I picked up John Poe’s memoir The Death of Billy the Kid and laid it beside Garrett’s book. Poe, a respected law enforcement officer and political figure of his time, enjoys a somewhat more respectable reputation than the often financially troubled ethically challenged Garrett. If you take Poe for a credible witness to the events of the Kid’s death, you are left with two differing accounts, procedural irregularities, circumstantial evidence and unanswered questions.
Next Week: The Poe Contradiction
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
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