One of Ross' favorite themes is Pat Garrett's pursuit of Billy the Kid in July, 1881. The Kid knew he was a wanted man and had gone into hiding. Garrett, unsure of where the Kid was, had heard that he might be in Ft. Sumner. To avoid detection, Garrett and his two deputies, John Poe and Tip McKinney, would travel only at night; by day they would hide in the hills. This strategy worked and the trio arrived undetected in Ft. Sumner on the night of July 14, 1881, as seen here. Leaving the two deputies on the porch of local rancher, Pete Maxwell's house, Garrett entered Pete's bedroom. As the two men talked softly, a lone figure suddenly jumped into the room; it was the Kid! Garrett recognized the Kid's voice when he asked Pete, "Quien es? Quien es?" ("Who are they? Who are they?" referring to the two men on the porch; the Kid was unaware that Garrett was sitting right next to Maxwell.) Without any hesitation Garrett drew his pistol and fired and the Kid crumpled to the floor dead. In a recent production on The History Channel, journalist Bill Kurtis investigated this killing. In the documentary he made of this investigation I played Pete Maxwell. Bill has since done two more "Investigating History" segments and I can be seen as Curly Bill Brocius in "Wyatt Earp and the OK Corral Controversy" set to air sometime this month. In June I appear as a "talking head" for the segment, which investigates the mystery surrounding the alleged death of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in San Vicente, Bolivia, in November 1908.
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