I think Billy the Kid might have survived his ‘final shootout’. Now was he the man known as “Brushy Bill” who, later in life, claimed to be the infamous outlaw? On this I am far from sold. But there are a number of reasons why I believe Billy might not have died in 1881 as is commonly reported…
One reason why I doubt The Kid was killed in 1881, is the fact that he was a HUGE celebrity at the time. The most wanted guy to end all most wanted guys, his mug on each and every wanted poster in every town, shanty and far-flung hole in the dirt. And if an outlaw died, a famous one, that is… people would prop their bodies up. Photograph them. Even take ‘selfies’ with them.
I know, gross, right? But they really did. It was a ‘thing’. The ‘take a selfie with a dead gunslinger’ challenge was quite the hype in the Old West. Entire gangs, when losing a shootout, would be lined up and photographed for posterity. Almost always.
So when Billy the Kid, the most famous of them all, was killed… you’d expect an absolute AVALANCHE of pictures. Selfies galore. Clear shots of his body and face, to ensure there would be zero doubt as to who he was, and that he was, in fact, dead.
But no picture was ever taken of dead Billy the Kid. Even in life photographs of the man were scarce, only one is known to be him beyond reasonable doubt. So he could have hidden. He could have gotten away. Made an agreement with the man who claimed to have killed him. Who knows? He knew fluent Spanish. He was hugely charismatic, sociable and a ladiesman with a great many lovely female friends, not just in America but south of the border as well.
There is no DNA evidence linking Billy the Kid to the grave he is supposed to have been buried under. Several man have claimed to be him, and I doubt he would have ever come forward, had he actually escaped. He would have lived out his life abroad, possibly in Mexico. He likely changed his name. Grew a beard or a moustache, married some sweet signorita and just… disappeared into obscurity. He wasn’t any of the men who claimed to have been The Kid. He never said a word. We have no clue who he was, and if you’re a Mexican national whose great-grandfather was an American immigrant with unusually thick wrists, small hands and an ability to slide out of any pair of handcuffs effortlessly, you may be a descendant!
There are too many holes in the story, and there are several former comrades of the famous outlaw who, later in life, claimed he survived. The fact that no picture of his body was ever taken and his supposed burial was incredibly hasty makes me question he was ever in that grave to begin with…