Billy the Kid’s hat and cartridge belt?

[MissyS]

In the December 27, 1881 Fort Worth Daily Democrat and Advance paper. Oddly I don’t remember in any of the accounts of the shooting that night that Billy the Kid was wearing a hat? I may have overlooked that detail though? Also the description of the cartridge belt doesn’t sound like it matches the one the Kid was wearing in his famous photo? 

texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1047432/m1/4/zoom/?resolution=2.207560004037221&lat=9621.413878629415&lon=2609.764700704509https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1047432/m1/4/zoom/?resolution=2.207560004037221&lat=9621.413878629415&lon=2609.764700704509

[chivato88]

Newspapers then were such storytellers and often the same fabricated tales were repeated in other papers in other states. Ive read "Billy the Kid as reported in the 1870's and 1880's by Daniel G Edwards last month and so much bs was said about him, but its always interesting to read them, I really liked the book.

[MissyS]

Feb 27, 2024 19:45:10 GMT -5 chivato88 said:

Newspapers then were such storytellers and often the same fabricated tales were repeated in other papers in other states. Ive read "Billy the Kid as reported in the 1870's and 1880's by Daniel G Edwards last month and so much bs was said about him, but its always interesting to read them, I really liked the book.

You’re so right chivato88.  The papers back then didn’t seem to care all that much for accuracy. When reporting of an incident that happened it seems that little to no investigation about the reports told to them was done. There were many repeated stories. I think the editors for the most part tried to interview major persons involved in a story, but mostly if those people were in earshot of the town, if they weren’t around for questioning then it was second, or third hand information and plenty of elaboration added for emphasis. In the fabricated tales, there’s the thought of a grain of truth that may be in the stories that make them interesting, and makes us wonder.