There might be some debate where Billy the Kid is buried, he even has a fake grave on the way to his real one in Ft. Sumner, NM, but we for sure know where the man who shot Billy is buried, right here in good old Las Cruces, NM. Pat was bushwacked in the arroyo pretty close to my home. Even at that, 58 was a respectable age to reach in his profession. Pat for sure outlived Billy by many a moon.

Of course, there is quite a large contingent of folks who don't believe Billy fell under Pat's gun. The Facebook Billy pages are full of all kinds of theories about Billy living to a ripe old age. Add to that over 140 years of pop culture mythologizing Billy and the truth is something we will never know for sure. But if I were a betting man, I am going with Billy meeting his maker that fateful July day in 1881 Ft. Sumner.

We love black and white hats in our culture. I have always had the suspicion if we were an eyewitness to the actual events of all the legendary Wild West history we would be underwhelmed. I don't believe it would look a whole lot like 'Young Guns'. I am guessing it would be quite a bit of missing with questionable weapons and unreliable rounds, and a heap of shooting people in the back. These were hard men, living in hard times, in a hard place. All the hats were gray at the end of the day.