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David G. Thomas sought the cold hard truth amidst the mysteries and mystique of the Old West when he began to research an infamous gunslinging figure: Billy the Kid. 

Everyone’s heard of this menacing guy even if they know nothing about the history behind the tall tales. If they have heard some of the facts, the odds are high, however, that they haven’t heard much about the trial that resulted in the end of Billy’s (whose real name was the ironically stolid-sounding William Henry McCarty) firebrand life. Billy was hung and his story cut short; Thomas’s book explains the details of the unusual situation. 

The author left no stone unturned as he dug up the dirt on Billy the Kid. Actually, it was history that did Billy dirty, he argues, and he has the research to prove it. Mr. Thomas is also author of Killing Pat Garrett, The Wild West’s Most Famous Lawman – Murder or Self-Defense? which BookTrib gladly read and reviewed back in 2019, so it made perfect sense that he’d move on to this endeavor. We were happy to pick his brain about the journey of writing his recent book. Read our review of The Trial of Billy the Kid here

Q: Why the fascination with Billy the Kid?

A: I live just a few miles from Mesilla, New Mexico, where Billy the Kid was tried for the murder of Sheriff William Brady in April of 1881. Billy was convicted and sentenced to death by hanging. The old courthouse building where the trial occurred still stands. One would think that the details of Billy’s trial would be known, as two newspapers existed in the town at the time. I was stunned to learn that almost nothing was known about the trial. The newspapers published little, and no memoirs give any details.

Q: How would you describe Billy the Kid?

A: Billy was charismatic and inspired unwavering loyalty in his friends. Although not school-smart, he was strikingly intelligent. In the few interviews that do exist, he showed himself to be well informed (he read newspapers regularly). He spoke Spanish well. He did not have the devil-may-care personality that he is given in movies and books; he was very cautious of his personal safety and planned his actions accordingly.

Q: What was the most interesting piece of information about Billy the Kid that you uncovered in researching this book?

A: First, how clever and sardonic his comments to news reporters could be. Second, that his conviction of first-degree murder was the product of verbal jury manipulation by his trial judge. Third, that there was a trial transcript made, in spite of what many historians have written. The Territorial law mandated a transcript, but it also mandated that no formal copy be placed in the trial records if a case was not appealed. Billy’s sentence was not appealed because, being penniless, he could not pay for an appeal lawyer. He had definite grounds for an appeal.

Q: You call the trial the most important event in Billy’s life. Why do you feel that way?

A: The appropriate conviction given the trial evidence was second-degree murder. Billy would have served time in the NM pen and been released. He likely would have written his memoirs.

Billy was the sacrificial lamb of the Lincoln County War. The war resulted in an estimated more than 80 murders and deaths over a two-year period. Only Billy was tried for one of these deaths; all the other killers were granted legal pardons by the NM Territorial Governor.

Q: We understand that almost all of the original trial documents were stolen in the 1930s. How did you manage to track them down?

A: By personally searching historical archives from New York to California, I was able to find 58 of the trial documents. I spent 15 years on the research.

Q: How would you want history to portray Billy the Kid?

A: Billy faced the age-old existential question: if you are being railroaded by a government, how far are you willing to go to try to save your life? To escape an unjust hanging, Billy was willing to kill two innocent jailors — his only unjustified killings at a time when defending oneself with a gun was a necessity. That existential question is still faced in many oppressive places in the world today.

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About David G. Thomas:

David G. Thomas is an author, historian, filmmaker, producer, actor, screenwriter, and travel writer. He was Associate Producer of a 2019 documentary film The Wonder of the Century, based on his book on Giovanni Maria de Agostini, an eighteenth-century world traveler. He is the co-founder of the Pat Garrett Western Heritage Festival and co-founder of Friends of Pat Garrett.

BookTrib

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