Billy survived that night

[clydec]

Whether or not Brushy Bill was Billy the kid, I believe that the kid survived that night at Fort Sumner.  No way that Billy the kid walks up to that house and does not recognize Kip McKinney, the man who shot his best friend Tom O Folliard and probably shot Charlie Bowdrie as well.  I believe if it had been the kid who came to that house there would have been two dead deputies on that porch before Garrett or anyone else had a chance to shoot.  I also don't think that Garrett fired a shot that night.  I think Kip McKinney mistook someone for Billy and panicked and shot the wrong man!  Then they had to cover it up and make it seem like Billy was dead!

[susan]

According to Abraham (J) "Shotgun Collins" Graham, he said he helped dig the grave for the man Pat Garrett killed July 14, 1881 and it was not Billy The Kid. I think you are right.

[mikegolfpro]

I agree with you Clydec...why in the world would Billy being on the run and yes being in a safe area or at least thought it was safe continue up to a house that he sees 2 men outside that don't belong there and basically not turn around and just leave. And why would John Poe and Kip McKinney stop the person going into the room where Garrett is currently in..just doesn't make sense to me anyhoo...Also, if Billy had a gun with him why he wouldn't just shoot the 2 guys on the porch that he doesn't recognize because he didn't have any other recourse not too. It is all very interesting this time period in our history!

[Wayne Land]

Don't forget what I believe is the most illogical part of the story. Billy, who's first language is English, speaks to the deputies who are obviously "not" Spanish, in Spanish, asking "Quein Es?" Poe answers him in English, making it all the more evident to Billy that he is dealing with English speaking dudes, and yet Billy continues speaking in Spanish, again repeating his query, "Quein Es?" Folks! This makes absolutely no sense accept to suggest the man that got shot was Spanish.

[MissyS]

I think it odd that a man would come to pay a visit to someone around midnight in a total darken room and no one lights an oil lamp or a candle and only after Billy was supposedly shot someone then lights a candle to look in a window, if someone came to visit at such a late hour I would think he would knock on the door then the person asleep would get out of bed and light a lamp, put on a robe maybe? and speak to that person at the door or step outside or invite him in and to a chair, not go back to bed or not get out of bed just lay in bed in the dark and talk to someone by your bedside you can't see, apparently Garrett didnt knock because if he did Pete probably wouldnt have been laying in bed?, which comes to the second question, why would someone walk into some darken bedroom theyre not familiar with where they can't see where theyre walking?, a person could trip on something on the floor?, how did Garret know Pete wasn't in bed with a woman to just walk in? Garrett's story makes one believe he walks up to the room tells the two to wait outside, lets say he knocked on the door, Pete asleep wakes up not lighting any lamp or candle says "come in, im in bed," Garrett then walks in a total dark room probably stumbling around in the dark, tells Pete to scoot over then sits on the side of his bed asking him (who is probably half asleep) about the whereabouts of Billy. If true apparently a midnight visit from a sheriff wasn't worth getting out of bed and lighting a lamp for, just a bit odd to me.
I want to add the reason I posted all this is because I feel clydec's theory of Mckinney shooting Billy or Barlow may be right and the shooting occurred on the porch and the body drug into the house later

[mikegolfpro]

Your spot on MissyS.