I'll probably have to stop watching these documentaries on Old West historical characters because they seem to contradict each other and that only leads to frustration. Perhaps not in the main points, but the little things sometimes become big things if you've invested a lot of time in researching the characters yourself. I'm contrasting this episode of 'Gunslingers' with a couple of other documentaries I've seen on Billy the Kid, 1998's "Gunfighters of the West" and the more recent "Legends and Lies". Maybe one has to chalk it up to the idea that each of these shows wants to offer something new and different to the viewer that you haven't heard before.
There's the legend of 'The Left Handed Gun' for example, popularized by a movie of the same name from 1958 starring Paul Newman. The episodes from the series mentioned earlier never brought up this topic, while this treatment states that the impression Billy was left handed came from the often seen image of him from an old tintype photograph. He's holding a gun in what looks like his left hand, but tintypes reversed the image of their subject. This error remained uncorrected for many years until someone offered the countering argument.
By omission, this episode makes no mention of Billy's early years or the names he went by prior to being called 'The Kid'. Brief mention is made of New York City as a possible location where he was born but gives it short shrift and dismisses the idea. Similarly, no mention is made of the role Governor Lew Wallace had in offering a deal to Billy to give himself up for the killing of Sheriff Brady in exchange for a fair trial and then reneging on the offer.
So I guess what I'm coming to realize is that all of the Old West legends like Billy the Kid, Jesse James, Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickok will never be definitively known at this point. On the subject of Billy the Kid alone, there are over a thousand books written and over sixty movies made, many of them offering a very liberal and loose interpretation of an outlaw who's become popularized and romanticized over time. My best advice would be to take what you will from your sources and make up your own mind the best you can.
There's the legend of 'The Left Handed Gun' for example, popularized by a movie of the same name from 1958 starring Paul Newman. The episodes from the series mentioned earlier never brought up this topic, while this treatment states that the impression Billy was left handed came from the often seen image of him from an old tintype photograph. He's holding a gun in what looks like his left hand, but tintypes reversed the image of their subject. This error remained uncorrected for many years until someone offered the countering argument.
By omission, this episode makes no mention of Billy's early years or the names he went by prior to being called 'The Kid'. Brief mention is made of New York City as a possible location where he was born but gives it short shrift and dismisses the idea. Similarly, no mention is made of the role Governor Lew Wallace had in offering a deal to Billy to give himself up for the killing of Sheriff Brady in exchange for a fair trial and then reneging on the offer.
So I guess what I'm coming to realize is that all of the Old West legends like Billy the Kid, Jesse James, Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickok will never be definitively known at this point. On the subject of Billy the Kid alone, there are over a thousand books written and over sixty movies made, many of them offering a very liberal and loose interpretation of an outlaw who's become popularized and romanticized over time. My best advice would be to take what you will from your sources and make up your own mind the best you can.
