Fate gave Billy the Kid very few years - only 21 years old, but his life still excites the imagination of Americans. About him, since 1943, it was removed - think about it! - as many as ten films. Many songs and computer games are dedicated to him, one of the series of the famous animated series "The Simpsons" tells about him. And collectors are ready to pay $ 5 million for his photo.
CIRCUMSTANCES STRONGER THAN US
This common phrase could well serve as an excuse for all the deeds of Billy the Kid. William Henry McCarthy (his real name) is a vivid example of how life drives a person into a corner so much that he goes all out of desperation. Billy was born on November 23, 1859 in the state of New York, lost his father early, and together with his mother and younger brother traveled across the country in search of happiness. But fate was not kind to his family. The mother did not manage to settle down either in Ohio, or in Kansas, or in Indiana. However, the failures in the new places were flowers compared to the fact that in 1871 Billy's mother was diagnosed with tuberculosis - the disease of the poor. The woman was advised to move south, into a dry and hot climate. She packed up her belongings again and moved to New Mexico. There, a certain William Antrim, who played a fatal role in the fate of Billy Kid, drew attention to her. The woman accepted an offer from him to marry, hoping that it would be easier for her to feed her sons, and in which case they would remain under the supervision of her stepfather. Alas, her calculation turned out to be wrong. She died three years later, and Antrim refused to raise her children. The stepfather shoved the boys into shelters and rushed lightly to Arizona. From that moment on, Billy's life went awry.
WHERE THE CURVE LEADED TO
To earn his living, McCarthy got a job as a waiter and dishwasher in a restaurant. Enduring jabs and slaps, he worked tirelessly from morning to evening, and at night he collapsed from fatigue. The money earned was barely enough to film the corner. And when Sombrero's friend Jack stole laundry from the laundry and asked Billy to hide it, he did not refuse. However, the local sheriff caught the juvenile offender red-handed. Billy was put behind bars - more likely to intimidate, but he did not wait for release and fled through the chimney. He sent his feet to Arizona, relying heavily on the help of his stepfather. And that stepson did not even let him on the threshold. Billy found himself on the street again. He began to walk from one ranch to another and offer his services. Somewhere a boy tended cattle, somewhere he reaped a harvest, somewhere he worked in the kitchen. Once he got acquainted with a horse thief, and he attracted a nimble fellow to his craft. The music did not play for long: soon the young horse thief was again in prison, from which he quickly escaped. Then it dawned on Billy that he had to turn off the curved path onto the path of correction. He returned a few horses to the owners and again began to farm on the ranch. However, his plans were not destined to come true. He once had a fight with local bully Frank Cahill. During an altercation, Cahill rushed at Billy with his fists and knocked him to the ground. He would have strangled the former horse thief if he had not taken out his pistol and shot the offender in the stomach. Billy did not wait for the police, but jumped on a horse and raced to New Mexico. Now, no matter how he wanted it, the road to decent society was closed to him. The 16-year-old killer could not even dream of getting a normal job.
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"REGULATORS" AGAINST "GUYS"
Billy joined a gang of cattle thieves. It was called briefly and simply - "Guys". The gang covered a certain James Dolan, who was trying to oust competitors from the market - the Englishman John Tunstell and his partner Alex Maxwin. The rivalry was so fierce that it went down in history as the "War in Lincoln County". On the side of James Dolan was the entire local power elite, from the sheriff to the governor. The British realized that you couldn't take Dolan with your bare hands, and they also hired bandits. And at the same time, they began to lure away the mafiosi who supported Dolan. Billy McCarthy caught their eye. He was offered a deal: he hands over his own and gets a new job with good content. Billy went over to his former enemies. He was so young that he received the nickname Kid - "baby".
Meanwhile, the war was not for life, but for death. As a result, the Englishman John Tunstell was brutally killed by a detachment of the local sheriff and the "Boys". The workers of his ranch were so outraged by the lawlessness that they joined the bandits who guarded their owner. The new gang called the Traffic Regulators and killed everyone involved in the Tunstell massacre. Billy the Kid was among the "Regulators". The other side did not remain in debt. Dolan's men surrounded the Traffic Controls' house and, after five days of siege, set it on fire. Most of the "Traffic Controllers" died - some from fire, some from bullets, but Billy Kid managed to escape by some miracle.
WITH GOOD INTENTIONS
Once again, Billy began to think about how to end his dark deeds. These reflections led him to the newly appointed Governor of New Mexico, Lew Wallace. Billy promised to turn over Dolan's men, confess to all crimes and tie up with the past if he was pardoned. The governor went to meet him. But the judge suddenly sided with the "Boys" and acquitted everyone, including Dolan. Billy realized he had been framed. He had no choice but to escape from prison.
The circle is complete. Billy was not yet 20, and he was already completely disillusioned with justice. The guy understood: there is nowhere to wait for help, the power will never be on his side, and even sincere repentance will not change anything. There was only one thing left - to return to the crooked track.
Kid put together a new gang and began to trade in his usual craft - theft and extortion. In November 1880, the ranch where he was with his cronies was surrounded by police. By mistake, they shot their own man, blamed Kid, who was never caught. But in December of the same year, Billy still fell into a trap and ended up behind bars. Kid spent six months in prison and fled again - for the last time in his life. During his escape, he shot two. The first victim was a security guard. The sheriff, having lunch in a cafe opposite the prison, heard shots and rushed to the rescue, but the fugitive killed him too.
Billy did not have long to live. The police tracked him down and killed him at the ranch where he bought meat. The next day he was hastily buried in the cemetery next to his murdered friends. The state of New Mexico, and with it the whole of America, breathed freely - at last one of the most dangerous and bloodthirsty criminals in the country went to the forefathers.
For a long period of time, journalists painted the portrait of Billy the Kid in black and ensured that it became one of the darkest symbols of the Wild West. But time passed, and the attitude of Americans towards the criminal changed. In 2010, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson wished to restore historical justice: to posthumously rehabilitate Kid and fulfill Gov. Lew Wallace's promise to grant pardon in exchange for confessing at least three murders. However, the case came to a standstill: the results of the investigation were mixed. This did not stop the Americans from igniting love for Kid. He turned into a legend and stood on a par with the famous criminals of the past - Johnny Dillinger, Lucky Luciano, Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde.
Vlad DRUGOV