The Gun That Killed Billy The Kid Is Going Up For Auction. Starting Bid: $2 Million [View all]

[Dial H For Hero]

https://www.npr.org/2021/07/22/1019391848/gun-killed-billy-the-kid-auction-2-million



A revolver that killed one of the most famous wanted men in the Wild West 140 years ago is slated to be offered for millions of dollars next month.

Prior to his killing, a judge is said to have sentenced famed outlaw Billy the Kid to hang until "you are dead, dead, dead." Billy was rumored to respond, "And you can go to hell, hell, hell."

Legends like these — some facts and others fiction — chronicling the Kid's life have persisted more than 100 years after his death. And they've kept history buffs captivated by Billy the Kid's tale. They have also driven interest in pieces of Wild West history, for which collectors are prepared to pay hefty prices. In 2008, for instance, Bonham sold Billy's gun for $64,350.

Billy the Kid, a gunslinger often said to have killed eight men, had been on the run for three months when Sheriff Pat Garrett hid in a dark bedroom and shot him in the chest on July 14, 1881, in Fort Sumner, N.M., according to Garrett's account. The single action revolver Garrett used will be offered at Bonhams auction house, which estimates it could go for $2 million to $3 million. Garrett had taken the gun from another member of the Kid's gang, Billy Wilson, after he arrested him.

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Out of my price range, sadly.