No mercy for Billy the Kid

In 2010, governor of New Mexico refused to give a posthumous pardon for Billy the Kid, the famous Old West outlaw. That decision heated up once again the legends of notorious robber.

The request for posthumous pardon of Old West legend, Billy the Kid, remained lying in the dust of New Mexico  administration, just like his body, in 1881, when  Sheriff Pat Garrett shot him. Governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, decided not to pardon Billy the Kid for the murder of Sheriff William Brady, in 1878. 

Billy the Kid (born in New York as William Henry McCarty) gained a reputation as the most famous American robber, during his brief but turbulent life. Legends say that he killed 21 people – one victim for each year of his life. However, other sources say that he killed 27 people. Yet, historical facts are telling us a different story. According to them, Billy the Kid killed "only" nine people.

He was short, lithe, with blue eyes, a smooth complexion, and prominent front teeth. Behind his smile a fierce, wild and cunning nature was hidden, which, in combination with his excellent shooting abilities, made him the most dangerous outlaw. He wore a sombrero decorated with a green band.

The request for pardon was initiated by an attorney from Albuquerque, Randi McGinn, who argued that the former governor of New Mexico, Lew Wallace, promised to pardon the Kid in exchange for his testimony in a murder case. Richardson was asked to pardon this outlaw from 19th century, in order to fulfill that promise.

This request caused a sort of a “silent war” between Billy’s supporters and descendants of Sheriff Pat Garrett. Garrett’s three grandchildren sent a letter to Governor Richardson in which they asked of him not to pardon Billy the Kid because such act would place an unforgivable shame on Garrett.

"I don't believe a thief, a liar, a terroriser of the ordinary people and a multiple cop killer should ever be granted a pardon, period. The Kid was a notorious outlaw and murderer. He was on a rampage for a while. I believe Lew Wallace did what he planned all long, get Billy to testify and then hang him. By granting the Kid a pardon are you excusing the murders he committed?" – said Garrett's grandson J.P. Garrett.

It is interesting that Governor Richardson's mandate expired on 31 December 2010, and he made his decision not to pardon Billy one day before that. Richardson said that he decided against a pardon "because of a lack of conclusiveness and the historical ambiguity as to why Governor Wallace reneged on his promise."

Randi McGinn said that she was disappointed with that decision, but she also expressed her satisfaction to the fact that Billy the Kid still causes great interest. She invited people to come to New Mexico, take a look at the letter that Billy wrote to Governor Wallace and conclude on their own whether he was "Robin Hood of the Wild West or cold-blooded killer".

Sheriff Pat Garrett killed Billy after the famous shootout in which two sheriff deputies were killed during Billy’s escape from Lincoln County jail. A year after he killed Billy, Garrett published a sensational biography called “The Authentic Life of BILLY THE KID”. Although Garrett’s intention with this book was only to justify himself to the public for killing Billy, this book became very popular and made Billy the most famous figure of the Wild West. The mentioned biography became a source of many legends and doubt, which, even after 130 years since Billy died, continued to exist.

Billy the Kid lived long and happily in Texas

Billy the Kid found his place in many songs and films. That only contributed to creation of an image of him as Wild West hero. One of the most famous films about Garrett and the Kid is the one from 1973 (Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid), directed by Sam Peckinpah. Bob Dylan composed music for that particular film.

Anyway, some historians claim that Billy the Kid wasn’t killed in the shootout with Garrett. They say that he settled in Texas. He allegedly lived there under the name Brushy Bill Roberts, and he died in 1950 from a heart attack.

read more...

Top 9 destinations in 2010

South Africa invites you with the World Cup - Businessmen will visit World Expo in Shanghai -  México, besides fabulous beaches, is celebrating two spectacular jubilees this year…

South Africa

South Africa will be particularly interesting to visit this year because the World Cup which will take place there, from June 11 to July 11th. Although the main attraction will most definitely be spectacular football, the visitors will also have the chance to visit many interesting places in the south of the African continent. The capital of South Africa, Cape Town, is attraction itself. Many sites of this fabulous town are like from some sci-fi universe – incredible shape of Table Mountain, beautiful beaches, astonishing vineyards, wild landscape and rare seen plants and animals. Those who will follow their national teams during match games will most definitely enjoy and the remaining riches from all parts of this hot African country.   

Shanghai

Shanghai’s preparations for the event of global importance, World EXPO, have begun long time ago. And this event has already begun, on May, 1. Since this event will be taking place all the way until October 31 it will most definitely be interesting destination for businessmen. Some predictions indicate that about 70 million people will visit this “urban future window” event. Otherwise, this Chinese city is also being called and “The Paris of the East”, a city where you can get rich really fast, a place where all gain is disputable and a place where many riches have been lost because of a wrong number on a roulette. This is also a place where many adventurers live, cheats, gamblers, dillers, taikuns, missionaries, gangsters and street macros.

Istanbul

Turkey will most definitely be in the centre of attention in 2010. Istanbul is chosen as a European Capital of Culture this year, and thanks to that all kind of manifestations will be held there. Of course, this will only be a supplement to already rich Turkish culture. This country never lacked tourists who enjoyed in Turkish cultural heritage, beaches and attractive and affordable hotels. Although recession had impact on most of the countries, it seems that it avoided Turkey, at least when we talk about tourists.

Mexico

This year Mexico is celebrating two important jubilees and the president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, announced them as two spectacles. In 2010, the Mexicans are celebrating 200 years of independence from Spain and 100 years since the revolution when the dictator Porfirio Diaz was overthrown. The first celebration will be held on September 15, and the second one on November, 20. Besides that, the exotic beaches of Cancun are not to be forgotten. The government of Mexico has invested around 75 million dollars in a campaign with the goal to lure back tourists after the Mexican flue.

Dubai

This year Dubai will probably invest a lot of effort to promote their new miracle – the tallest building in the world, which is now a part of a new urban masterpiece of Dubai called Downtown Dubai. A lot of people will probably want to see this steel-glass miracle which is more than 200 meters high. Among many things inside of this complex most notably are seven stars hotel, a swimming pool on 76 and scene-sight on 124’s floor. Experts are predicting favorable arrangements due to fact that this country has went bankrupt.  On the other hand, in spite of crisis, all apartments are already sold.

Portugal

Although it was once a great naval force, Portugal today is a place where two different worlds meet. For goody goody’s it’s a country of great tradition, of Christian saints festivals at which ox rigs are rolling down the streets covered with flowers, and the old vineyards that are giving life to medieval villages during annual vintage. At the same time, in other parts of the country, something entirely different is happening. Historical city centers, from which the youth has escaped a long time ago, are gradually resurrecting. In once half-ruined buildings, trendy boutiques have arisen, art galleries and coffee bars, and urban life is gaining it’s old grandeur.

El Salvador

Currently one of the most interesting countries in the world, El Salvador fascinates with socialistic coffee bars, war monuments and museums, and with paths through forests with luxuriance vegetation. Travelers tend to skip visiting El Salvador and go to more popular countries like Guatemala and Costa Rica, and that is partly due to frightening stories of a civil war and violence between gangs. Meanwhile, the war ended 20 years ago, and crime, although still on a high level, is playing mainly among rival gangs, so the tourists are almost never victims of these factors.

Germany

They say that Germany was forced to change more often then Maradona, but for those who love continental vacation, it’s a right place to come. 20 years after the last transformation, Germany is still a country where you can witness a history of rising. As a tribute to that, in Hamburg you can see how a whole square has arisen from a ruined port from 19th century, while Dresden is dominated with dome from a famous church, Frauenkirche. And not to forget, Berlin is astonishing as always.


Malaysia

Malaysia is often described as a gentle variation of her fierce neighbors Thailand and Indonesia. That is correct – Malaysia is suffering from less natural catastrophes, and there are no public strikes. The roads don’t have many wholes, buses and trains have air-condition, and a cultural offerings are among most fascinating in the south-east Asia. Besides that, flights from Europe are cheaper, and euro is fairly strong in compare to the local currency, which could provide some serious savings.

read more...