{"product_id":"billy-the-kids-grave-a-history-of-the-wild-wests-most-famous-death-marker-mesilla-valley-history-series","title":"Billy The Kid's Grave: A History of the Wild West's Most Famous Death Marker (Mesilla Valley History Series)","description":"SELECTED AS ONE OF THE FIVE BEST BOOKS EVER WRITTEN ABOUT BILLY THE KID BY JOSH SLATEN\n\"Congratulations to David Thomas for having two books that make my top five.\"\n— Josh Slaten, Executive Director, Billy the Kid Historical Coalition, The Coalition Press, Vol. 4, No. 4 (2024)\n\n\"Quien es?\"\n\nThe answer to this simple question — \"Who is it?\" — was a single gunshot.\n\nMoments later, a bullet fired by Lincoln County Sheriff Patrick F. Garrett from a .44 Colt revolver ended the life of Billy the Kid, born William Henry McCarty.\n\nYet Billy's death was not the end of his story. It was the beginning of one of the greatest legends of the American West.\n\nMore than 140 years later, questions about Billy the Kid — and especially his grave — continue to fascinate historians and visitors alike. What events led to Billy's death? Could he have escaped his fate? Was a woman involved in his final days? Was Billy the Kid's grave robbed just days after his burial — and were his skull and trigger finger stolen? Why was Billy's original grave marker riddled with bullets by a party of drunken soldiers? Why has Billy's grave become the most famous and visited outlaw grave in the American West? Is Billy really buried beneath the famous marker? Is the grave even in its original location? Was the cemetery partially washed away by the Pecos River? Why was the Fort Sumner cemetery once plowed for cultivation? Did another town really attempt to steal Billy's remains by producing a fraudulent relative?\nThese questions — and many more — are answered through extensive research based on eyewitness accounts, contemporary newspapers, official documents, and rare historical sources.\n\nThe book is divided into three parts.\n\nPart One reconstructs the dramatic events that led from Billy's conviction for murder to his escape, recapture, and death, relying whenever possible on the actual words of witnesses and contemporaries.\n\nPart Two traces the remarkable history of Billy's burial and the many mysteries, controversies, and legends surrounding his grave, including attempts to relocate it, disputes over its authenticity, and the evolution of its famous memorials.\n\nPart Three provides short biographies of the 111 men and women known to be buried in the Fort Sumner cemetery alongside Billy the Kid. Sixteen of them had direct personal connections with the outlaw himself, including the first wife of the man who killed him, Sheriff Pat Garrett.\n\nThe appendices include Charles W. Dudrow's correspondence concerning the rediscovery of Fort Sumner's military cemetery and the only newspaper interview Sheriff Patrick F. Garrett ever gave about killing Billy the Kid.\n\nIllustrated with 65 rare photographs, maps, and historical illustrations, the book features every known memorial that has marked Billy's grave, the previously unknown second grave marker, the men who relocated the grave in 1931, photographs of Billy's probable sweetheart Paulita Maxwell and her family, and the rare 1906 map showing the original layout of the Fort Sumner cemetery.\n\nWhether you are a lifelong student of Billy the Kid, a fan of the Old West, or simply fascinated by historical mysteries, this book offers the most complete account ever assembled of the history behind the West's most famous grave.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 154240472X\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: BVV.154240472X.G\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Thomas, David G.\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact  including the dust cover, if applicable . Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Blue Vase Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43612132835389,"sku":"BVV.154240472X.G","price":12.05,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0589\/4225\/9261\/files\/154240472X-0.jpg?v=1789253478","url":"https:\/\/www.bluevasebooks.com\/products\/billy-the-kids-grave-a-history-of-the-wild-wests-most-famous-death-marker-mesilla-valley-history-series","provider":"Blue Vase Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}