Billy the Kid

New Mexico 1877

Billy the Kid

He was born William Harry McCarty, Jr.  in New York City on November 23, 1859.  McCarty grew up in the slums, but moved with his mother to New Mexico Territory when he was 14.  In 1877 he moved to Lincoln County, New Mexico under the assumed name William H. Bonney.

Tunstall's Store

John Tunstall

Billy worked as a cattle guard for John Tunstall, an Englishman who was a cattle rancher, banker and merchant in Lincoln.  A conflict, known as the Lincoln County War, erupted between Tunstall and the other merchants in town who did not want the Englishman doing business there.  The group of local merchants took it upon themselves to get rid of Tunstall.  He was ambushed and murdered by the sheriff, William Brady, and four of his men in February 1878.  Evidence showed that Tunstall had tried to avoid a confrontation before being gunned down. 

Sheriff William Brady

The Regulators

Tunstall’s men vowed revenge and formed their own group known as the Regulators.  On April 1, the Regulators, including Billy the Kid, ambushed Sheriff Brady and his deputy George Hindmen on Lincoln’s main street.  Both the sheriff and deputy were killed.

Lincoln Courthouse

Billy the Kid

Billy agreed to testify against the corrupt district attorney, John Dolan, in exchange for amnesty in the killings.  Although Billy's testimony helped to convict Dolan, the agreement for a pardon was ignored and Billy was jailed.  He escaped with the help of a friend and spent the next couple of years as a gambler, rustler, and general outlaw.  McCarty became known as Billy the Kid when a reporter gave him the moniker because he was so young looking.

It is said that Billy the Kid killed 21 men, although it is believed that the number was actually less than 10. New Mexico Governor, Lew Wallace placed a bounty of $500 on his head, dead or alive. 

Sheriff Pat Garret

Billy McCarty was captured on December 23, 1880, by the new Lincoln sheriff, Pat Garrett.  On April 9, Billy was tried, convicted and sentenced to hang for the murders of the former sheriff and deputy. On the evening of April 28, 1881 as Billy was being returned to his cell, he grabbed the jailer’s gun and shot him dead.  He also gunned down another guard before escaping on horseback.

Old Fort Sumner

In July, Garrett was tipped off that Billy was hiding out at Old Fort Sumner.  Sheriff Garret called on two of his deputies and set out for the fort, about 150 miles away.

Pete Maxwell

Maxwell's House

When Garret arrived one evening he went in search of an old friend, Pete Maxwell.  As he and Maxwell were talking, Billy the Kid entered the darkened room; not realizing the sheriff was there.  Garret recognized Billy and fired. Billy the Kid died in the early morning hours of July 14, 1881.  He was buried later in the day at the Old Fort Sumner Cemetery between two of his friends, Tom O’Folliard and Charlie Bowdre. He was 21 years old.

Lew Wallace

Bill Richardson

One hundred twenty nine years later, in 2010, William McCarty aka Billy the Kid was to be granted a pardon by Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico.   It was to be a final make-good on the promise made by then Governor Lew Wallace in 1879, and a parting gesture by Richardson as he left office.  But an Albuquerque attorney petitioned the pardon and Richardson left office without granting it.

Enclosed in Cage

Headstone

At Old Fort Sumner Cemetery, the spot designated to be Billy the Kid’s grave is covered with reinforced concrete.  His pointed footstone is held in place with an iron shackle.  But oddly enough the exact location of his body is not known.  The wooden cross that marked his original grave was washed away in a flood of the Pecos River in 1889 and again in 1904.  The grave remained unmarked until 1932 when a cemetery tour guide raised funds for a permanent marker.  This stone bears the names of William H. Bonney, Tom O’Folliard and Charles Bowdre. It has never been stolen.

Footstone

In 1940 a footstone was added.  This has become the more famous marker for Billy the Kid’s grave, the one that has disappeared at least two times.  It was first stolen in August 1950, and was missing for over 25 years before being discovered on a ranch in Granbury Texas.  It was stolen again in February 1981, but recovered days later in Huntington Beach, California.  The local town residents then placed a large steel cage over all three gravesites to protect the headstone.  The footstone was also shackled to prevent vandalism and theft.

But Billy’s gravestone is once again in the news.  Last month, on June 16^th it was vandalized.  The two thousand pound marker was tipped over and damaged along with other graves damaged at the Old Fort Sumner Cemetery. Police are following several leads and a $1,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest of those responsible.

Although Bill the Kid has been dead for 131 years, it appears he can still create a stir.  Maybe “Rest in Peace” needs to be added to his stone.

~ Joy

Roadside Memorials

 

We’ve all seen them – those crosses and shrines along the side of the road, marking where someone died in an accident.  Many find them offensive and dangerous, others find them touching and thought provoking.  In the past twenty years, roadside memorials have increased and states are now having to enact laws concerning them.

Roadside memorials have had a place on our highways and byways since man began traveling.  It was only practical, and necessary, from ancient times through the end of the 19^th century, to bury someone where they fell on a journey. The Spanish brought the tradition of roadside memorials to America. The coffin bearers would place a stone on the route each time they set the coffin down to rest on the way from the church to the cemetery.  This was a reminder for others to pray for the deceased.  The Spanish word for this is descansos meaning ‘place of rest’. The use of stones eventually gave way to marking those resting spots with crosses.

Today, roadside memorials are set up at the place where someone has died.  Family members seem to be universal in their reasons for creating roadside memorials:  It marks the spot where their loved one drew his/her last breathe, or where their spirit departed, and allows families to display their grief to the world.

Those opposed find the memorials ghoulish, a distraction and hazard to drivers, and a problem for road workers in maintaining the road’s right-of-way.  Many oppose special exemptions being given for roadside memorials when the law bars all others from placing signs, advertising or promotions on public property.

Another problem stems from the use of public space for personal mourning.  Many feel it is the state’s responsibility to keep roadways and right-of-ways clear of debris and distractions.  And the constitutional right of the separation of church and state, i.e. religious symbols placed on state (public) property is being violated. (It doesn’t matter if a Christian cross, Muslin crescent or Jewish Star of David would be used, it is still in violation of the separation of Church and State.)

States around the country are finding that roadside memorials are distracting and dangerous.  With over 50,000 travel-related deaths occurring each year in the U.S., the memorials are becoming too numerous, and if not constantly attended to, quickly dissolve into distracting eyesores.

Although there are no federal laws concerning roadside memorials, many states in the U.S. are enacting laws to limit or eliminate them.

 

In California and Montana, a roadside memorial may only be put up if alcohol was a factor in the crash. 

Wisconsin and New Jersey limit the amount of time a memorial can remain in place.

Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Texas, and West Virginia all offer state-issued memorial markers that bear a safe-driving message and the words “In Memory of” with the victim’s name.  These can be placed at the crash site.

The state of Delaware has taken a different approach – offering remembrance in a memorial garden.  These memorial parks are located near highway exits and at rest areas.  They have reflecting pools, landscaped walking areas, and red bricks –inscribed with the name of someone who died in a highway accident.  The bricks are provided, inscribed and placed free of charge by the state.  Other states such as Illinois and Maryland are considering offering the same type of memorial gardens. 

In view of the problems with roadside memorials, it seems that the state of Delaware may have the optimal solution.  Experts say the increase in roadside memorials offers a new way for people to share the grieving process. However, these memorial gardens will allow family and friends to share their loss without distracting or endangering the lives of highway drivers.  The bottom line must be safety first or the end result could be another roadside memorial.

~ Joy

Cemeteries Worth the Visit - Bardstown Cemetery, Bardstown, Kentucky

Location in Kentucky

Bardstown Cemetery

Bardstown City Cemetery in Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky was established in 1852 with land purchased from Joseph Hart and James Doom.  The current City Cemetery is comprised of 15.5 acres and located in the northern section of town.  Over 3,100 people are interred here.

Bardstown Cemetery

Fenced Plot

Bardstown City Cemetery has many interesting and detailed stones.  Although few are ‘famous,’ you will find many that catch your eye.

James B. Beam

James Beam's Marker

One very famous interment is for Colonel James (Jim) Beauregard Beam, grandson of the man who developed a style of whisky known as Bourbon. Beam was born in 1864 in Kentucky and took over the family business from his father, David Beam.   Despite 13 years of Prohibition in this country, Beam kept the business profitable, turning it into a legendary American company. He was integral in the rebuilding of the distillery in 1933 in Clermont, Kentucky near Bardstown. In 1935 the bourbon was renamed Jim Beam Bourbon in J.B. Beam’s honor.  He died in Kentucky in 1947.

White Bronze Confederate Soldier

Dedication

Bardstown Cemetery is also known for the white bronze Confederate Soldiers Statue.  The memorial is cast from zinc, standing on a limestone base.  The four side panels show the image of General Robert E. Lee, cannons and other war artillery.  The statue cost $900 when it was erected in 1903.  It stands among the sixty-seven Confederate graves of soldiers who died during area Civil War battles. Sixty-six of the soldiers died in 1862, including those at the Battle of Bardstown. Seventeen soldiers are unknown.

Battle of Bardstown

Unknown Soldier

The Battle of Bardstown occurred on October 4, 1862 between the towns of Bardstown and Nazareth, on what is now Highway 31 East. Confederate troops had marched into Bardstown before four Union regiments encircled them.  During this battle the Confederates broke free and withdrew to Perryville.  

8th Texas Cavalry

Confederate Graves

During this battle, the Eighth Texas Cavalry and its leader, Colonel John Wharton, were stationed at the Fairgrounds, ready to intercept the Union Army.  But the Rangers found themselves confronted by far superior numbers of the First and Fourth Kentucky, the Fourth Ohio and the Third Indiana Cavalry regiments.  The Texas Calvary fought hard and won.  It would be called the unit’s finest hour.  The battle is still reenacted each August in Bardstown.

Confederate Marker

Confederate Soldier

In May 2000, the Confederate Soldiers Statue was damaged when a tree fell on it during a storm.  The pieces were shipped to New York and the statue was restored by the Conservation and Sculpture Company.  Restoration cost was around $50,000 and over 90% of the monument was reconstructed from original pieces.  Two years later the statue returned to its place of honor in the cemetery.   It was listed on the National Registry of Historic Markers in 1997.  

Ben Johnson

Bardstown & St Joseph Cemeteries

St Josephs’ Cemetery is adjacent to the Bardstown City Cemetery.  It has over 4,500 interments, including U.S. Congressman Ben Johnson.  Johnson was born in Bardstown on March 19, 1858 and died there on June 4, 1950.  Johnson began as an attorney in 1882, and then was appointed as a member of the State House of Representatives in 1885.  He served as Speaker of the House in 1887, and was appointed as a collector of the Internal Revenue in 1893, a position he held for four years. He served as a U.S. Congressman from 1907 until 1927.

St Michael Defeating the Devil

Close Up of Statue Base

Another monument of interest in St Joseph's, is the statue of St Michael defeating the devil.  The details and the red coloring of the statue draws your attention from throughout the cemetery.

Bardstown Cemetery

Statue Descending Steps

Bardstown City Cemetery is located in the 800 block of North Third Street.  Contact Cemetery Sexton Bobbe Blincoe at (877) 348-5947 for hours and genealogy information.  The cemetery does not have a web site.

~ Joy