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Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life

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For more than 100 years, Billy the Kid has caputured the imagination of various writers of American prose. Most have attempted to fit Billy's personna within the context of good vs evil. Revisionist writers have depicted Billy as a nondescript, somewhat retarded backshooter with homicidal tendencies. Protectors of the "good" Billy the Kid have placed him against the backdrop of corrupting influences which overwhelmed his innate innocence through no fault of his own. Utley has presented a portrait of Billy balanced between these two views.

Utley's "Billy" is a devious yet complex personality whose childhood provides clues to explain his "twisted" existence - an existence shaped by the violent aspects of the American frontier. Billy the Kid's legend was formed during the Lincoln County War although his active participation was limited to 45 months, quite a bit less than many major players. Despite this, Billy manages to command the center stage whenever the Lincoln County War is featured in books, plays, and films.

Lincoln County, New Mexico territory attracted adventurers, vagabonds, hustlers and criminals in substantial numbers. Some of these new settlers fought against the established way of doing business by County and Territorial officials and their cohorts. Thus, began the Lincoln County War which was played across a broad panorama by arrogant, greedy, and ruthless persons some of whom had acquired property and monies by illegal or despotic tactics. Greed and power are a common thread throughout America's history and this tale is endlessly fasciinating without the tragic circumstances surrounding Billy the Kid.

Utley cites four reasons for the Lincoln County violence: (1) Ambition; (2) Alcohol; (3) Firearms; and (4) Stubborness - The Code of the West. These issues, when transposed on an isolated and primitive area, proved a powder keg which erupted into the Lincoln County War. Utley does a good job of blending the participants and critical events including Billy the Kid's disjointed activities during the War.

Utley writes in a logical and matter of fact manner although his writing is devoid of tidbits that add to a reader's interest. The bibliography gives a half-hearted pat on the back to Mullin, congratulates Fulton, and gives due notice to reliable entries listed in books by Burns and Garrett. Utley's footnotes are excellent, quite informative, and very easy to locate. The photographic selections are excellent but should have been spread throughout the book rather than placed in one section.

Utley does use faulty reasoning from time to time. He believes the murder of Sheriff Brady was more cold blooded than that of Tunstall, as if one can weigh cold-blooded murders. He mentions that Billy was guilty of robbing the mails, a federal offense. Utley based his conclusion on the uncorroborated testimony of a third party even though the government files show no evidence of this crime being committed by the Kid. In addition, Billy was interviewed by a government agent investigating that particular crime and was exonerated.

Utley isn't sure about Billy's place of birth although he concedes it was probably in New York State. If Utley had checked further he would have found out the Kid identified New York State as his birthplace. (On January 10, 1881, Billy the Kid told Robert Cameron, a government agent, he was born in New York City and was a "graduate of the streets")

One comment by Utley is more serious. He claims Widenmann wrote Billy's deposition which was given under oath to Frank Angel, a government investigator. With very little research, Utley could have determined that Billy authored his own statement by comparing his known handwriting on Hoyt's bill of sale (10-24-78) and on Billy's letter to Wallace (03-20-79) with the questioned deposition. (It would be more likely that Billy authored Widenmann's statement) Billy the Kid was considered "very schooled" based on the standards of that time and place.

Utley claims that corruption and violence remains embedded in American culture, surfacing periodically to find ambiguous expression in legends such as Billy the Kid who continues to ride boldly symbolizing a national ambivalence toward corruption and death. Utley's heavy handed prose aside, this places an unfair burden on Billy the Kid. He is usually the centerpiece of stories about the Lincoln County War and is considered the catalyst for most of the violence that occurred.

It is little wonder Billy's life is composed of myths. After all who would pay money to read about Henry McCarty (aka Billy the Kid)? Aristophanes once said, "Perhaps death is life." This is never more evident than with the legend of Billy the Kid.

Robert Utley has done a superb job in his factually-based portrayal of Billy The Kid. The work is replete with extensive notes and an exhaustive list of sources. He brings to life the exciting, real life drama surrounding the Lincoln County War and the Kid's role in that saga.

Although Utley is careful not to paint Billy as a mythical hero or leader of men, desparados or otherwise, I was able to conclude from the story that his life serves as a symbol for many aspects of the turn-of-the-century American west and is the stuff of legends. One of the symbols Utley suggests as disturbing is "an enduring national ambivalence toward corruption and violence."

I especially liked how Utley reconstucted the drama of Billy's daring break-out at the Lincoln County jail and the supporting material he provided to back up his account of the bloody events that transpired on that day. I agree with Utley, that although there was exciting drama surrounding his short-lived life, up until that point, Billy had not really done very much relative to others of his ilk to earn his notoreity as the most dreaded desparado of the American West.

Billy the Kid's story is in many ways a tragic one of good boy gone bad and of the difficulties that arise when one finds oneself caught ill-prepared and unsponsored in the transition from frontier to civilization. As Utley concludes, "Despite superior qualities....the Kid met failure at most every turn. He failed because he lacked powerful friends and because he did not shed the wartime habits of open rebellion." This proved to be Billy's tragic undoing at a time when the movers and shakers of the west wanted to rely less on violence and place a mantle of respectability in front of their quest for power and wealth.

Fast moving, action packed, superbly researched and easy to read. A standard bearer for all future books based upon the life of Billy the Kid. Robert M. Utley has been uncomprimising in his efforts to convey the true exploits of the 'Kid'. The author displays an extensive knowledge in this field, and it is hard to fault the texts contents. Plenty of other sources are cited and scrutinized by the author, for further reading and information in closely related topics ie. the Lincoln County War.

Clearly, one of Robert M. Utley's strengths is how well he argues the evidence, an ability he exerts throughout this truly enthralling biography. This only adds to the enjoyment of the book. To be fair there are several areas that could be expanded upon, such as 'the Kid's' earlier relationship with Pat Garrett, but there is no evidence to suggest that this work was to be completely exhaustive. But certainly this book is an exceptional building block for further research and any emerging new evidence. If you are interested in the life of Billy the Kid, and you've not read this book...READ IT! You will not be disappointed.

I have been interested in the saga of Billy the Kid and the story about the Linconcounty war. I have read several books on these subjects and must say that Utley is by far the best. You will get a story full of historic facts and that in the same time is a thrill to read. You get a understanding for William the person as well as Billy the myth. A five star book if you ask me!

You have to wonder sometimes why some people become legends. What was it about the Kid that attracted so much attention, especially at the time of his death? A very short time after he was shot to death by Pat Garrett, newspaper accounts flashed around the country about the demise of the great "desperado" and five dime-novel "biographies" appeared, getting most of the facts wrong but creating a "hero." Life is strange.

The Kid was born Henry McCarty in NYC (!) in 1859. He began being called Billy after his mother married William Antrim in 1873 in Santa Fe. (At times he also assumed the name Bonney, but no one knows why.) He gained a reputation early for escaping arrest; one time he escaped custody within hours after being arrested for horse stealing, and another time he escaped out of jail by crawling up the chimney. He escaped again in 1877 (aged 18) after being jailed for killing an army blacksmith at Fort Grant. He was in Lincoln County, NM, at the outbreak of the so-called Lincoln County War. He was involved or at least present during many of the violent incidents that plagued Lincoln County in 1878, and was wounded twice.

Deep in trouble by now and getting deeper, he was wanted for a number of crimes, some of which he did not commit. Governor Lew Wallace offered him immunity for testimony in one killing, but the Kid saw a double-cross and escaped. He added cattle rustling to his criminal activities, which brought the enmity of local ranchers down upon him. Pat Garrett was elected sheriff in Lincoln County with the special task of bringing the Kid in. He was captured in December 1880 and brought to trial in Mesilla in March 1881; he was charged with murder, found guilty, and sentenced to hang in May. While in jail in Lincoln he killed the two guards and escaped; for three months Garrett tracked him down, finding and shooting him in a ranch house at Fort Sumner, NM. The Kid was 21 years old. Then the legend exploded onto the scene.

They say he shot a man at age 12 (false); that he killed lawyer Billy Chapman (innocent); that he led the Regulators during the Lincoln County War (false); that he was a deadly shot (probably good, but not extraordinary). It's true that he killed at least four men. He loved to laugh and was a big hit with the senoritas (despite his buck teeth). He spoke Spanish fluently. He was an excellent monte dealer. He was "slim, muscular, wiry, and erect, weighing 135 pounds and standing 5'7" tall; he had deep blue eyes and wavy brown hair. He fancied wearing a Mexican sombrero." Chances are good (I think) if it weren't for the dime-novelists he would forgotten today.

But he's not forgotten and Utley's account of his life (and legend) is magnificent. Definitive is the word for it, replacing Maurice Fulton's HISTORY OF THE LINCOLN COUNTY WAR as the best work on the Kid. (It wasn't until the last few months of his life that he was known as Billy the Kid.) Utley's scholarship is renown in the Western field; his series of books on the military history of the West is likewise definitive. If you're interested in the Kid and want to learn all there is to know about him (fact and fiction), this is the book to get. Highly recommended.

Robert Utley writes an excellent history of a young man virtually parentless (a surviving but perhaps neglectful father) that becomes involved with petty crimes and eventually winds up with a gang of semi-outlaws in Lincoln County, New Mexico. Fascinating descriptive of life in this county where cattle rustling and other related crimes did not seem to have the mark of a criminal as they would in our day. Utley documents how young William graduates to a member of one of two cowboy armies in Lincoln, each supporting rival businessman in the Lincoln County war where control of rival business interests involve murder, gun battles and massaging of the legal authorities in the State. Billy earns his nickname the Kid during his benefators losing battle with the other business rival resulting in the death of his benefactors plus Billy's involvement of the killings of several men including a well liked Sheriff. Utley chronicles the story of the Civil War, the causes, the Armies feigned attempt at neutrality that actually defeated the Kids forces, Billy's testimony at a trial, chance for a pardon from Governor Lew Wallace, his continued participation in crime, arrest and bloody jail break and his refusal to leave the State after being declared an outlaw. Utley tells an amazing story of an apparently likable young, man who was popular with the senioritis and in spite of the legal authorities attempts to apprehend him he continued to live almost openly in a neighboring town only to be caught by Pat Garrett an acquaintance of his. Utley writes a real story of the west where a not so innocent youth gets caught in a social Civil War and with an opportunity to leave it all behind, stubbornly or playfully decides to continue to live in his home neighborhood which cost him his life. Utley's book leaves you thinking that at 21 years of age, the Kid was truly too immature to know when it was time to move on and actually grow up. Utley's description makes you wonder if with the right mentor other than gunman, the likeable kid would have been a popular citizen with a family if he every developed something of an honest vocation.

First of all, let me say that this is one of the only Billie The Kid/Lincoln County books I have found that actually explain the confusing circumstances around the Lincoln County War understandably. That coverage is excellent, and alone makes this a great book.
Besides that, it is still a pretty good book, one of the better ones, and it gets the truth straight, not filling it up with made-up stories of Billy's heroics (See: "Authentic Life of Billie the Kid"). What it does fill up with, though, is lots of unnecessary background info, which is interesting but makes for very slow reading. Robert is good at going into Billy's mind and personality. I like espcially the way he writes seemingly without bias: you can't tell if he leans towards the Billy-as-hero side or Billy-as-killer side, which is -so- refreshing.
It's slow moving, but Robert gives you the straight story and forgets nothing, leaving no rock unturned. Great for beginning William Bonney enthusiasts.

In 1988, 'Young Guns' was released in theatres and followed by it's sequel 'Young Guns 2: Blaze of Glory" in 1990. The popularity of these films gave birth to a re-newed interest in the story of Billy the Kid. Despite all the factual errors throughout the movies, they remained popular. Meanwhile, 1989 saw the made-for-tv movie "Gore Vidal's Billy the Kid" starring Val Kilmer as the Kid. This version was a bit more historical in its telling of the legend. Unfortunately, many people seem to think that the 'Young Guns' versions are the truth and will pass off their "expertise" to other people based on these, admittedly entertaining movies.

In 1991, however, Robert Utley put forth the book "Billy the Kid: A short and violent life", in my opinion, to help disclaim all the accepted myths about the young Henry McCarty aka Henry/William Antrim aka William Bonney aka Billy the Kid. Utley is a well-researched southwest historian, focusing on the Lincoln County War and inevitably, Billy the Kid. This book is pretty simple in its layout, giving a nicely done and researched biography on the outlaw Kid. Utley gives straight facts, pieced together from old newspapers, books, and three other Billy-specialists that are generally regard as THE authorities on Billy the Kid. When finishing the book, you can't help but realize just how wrong many of the movies are, especially the two Young Guns movies. The story is a bit dry in places, but then, if not for the growing myths and greatly exaggerated stories of the Kid, he never would have been of any consequence in the history books. The Lincoln County War would have ended the same and about the only real influence the Kid had was to make Pat Garrett slightly better known.

The most telling bit of this biography is dispelling the myth of the Kid's death toll. Popular myth says 21 people were killed by the Kid when in reality, he can only solely by attributed with four kills. He had a hand in 5 others but nowhere can it be proved that the Kid made the killing shot. And lastly was James Carlyle who was shot by his own posse after a random gunshot sounded out which may or maynot have come from Billy. Being generous, thats only 10 deaths that he MIGHT have had a hand in.

Overall, this is a well done research biography by a respected western historian who bypasses the enflamed stories of the Kid and presents the truth as best he can. Excellent footnotes and references are included. Whether professional or just have a mild interest, this text should be in any western historian's library.

I became curious about William Bonney, AKA Billy the Kid, when I first saw the movie Young Guns starring Emilio Estevez. I loved the movie but wanted to know how much of the story was Hollywood hype and how much of it was history.

Accordingly I found Utley's book on Billy the Kid and found, to my satisfaction, that not only was much of the Young Guns story was accurate but that the life of Billy the Kid was as interesting and complex as any to be found in the annals of the Old West.

The debate rages on as to whether young Billy was a poor, misunderstood folk hero or whether he was an ignorant, bloodthirsty miscreant who needs to be vilified and forgotten. Utley's well-researched and well-written book takes a multi-faceted approach to considering the complex history of young man who, despite is very short life and his even briefer career, continue to spark the imagination over a century after his death.

I WRITE THIS REWIEW FOR THOSE WHO TRY TO FIND A BOOK ABOUT BILLY
THE KID AND THEY DONT HAVE ENGLISH AS THEIR MOTHER LANGUADGE.
THIS BOOK IS EXCACTLY WHAT YOU LOOK FOR.ITS EASY TO READ,SIMPLY
WRITING AND UNDERSTANDABLE BY SOMEONE WHO KNOWS STANDAR ENGLISH.
UTLEY KNOWS VERY WELL NOT ONLY THE STORY BUT AND HOW T0 TELL IT
AND MAKE US UNDERSTAND HOW THE LIFE AND THE ATTITUDES WERE AT
OLD WEST.THE BOOK IS SEPERATED IN SMALL CHAPTERS OF ABOUT 10-14
PAGES EACH AND THAT MAKES THE READING RELAXED AND EASY.THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THE MAPS.THEY NEED TO BE BIGER AND WITH MORE DETAILS.