Billy the Kid was one of the most notorious outlaws of the Old West, raising the question of whether he ever crossed paths with another infamous cowboy, Jesse James. Both Billy the Kid and Jesse James have been depicted in dozens of film and television series that have adapted and dramatized their legendary tales of violent crime in the United States. While Billy was known for his impressive gunslinging skills and his unfortunate run-ins with the corrupt lawmen in New Mexico, Jesse James became notorious for his string of bank and train robberies that he committed as leader of the James-Yonder Gang.
The most recent film adaptation that centers on Jesse James is 2007’s The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford which stars Brady Pitt as the outlaw. The film is widely considered one of the most accurate portrayals of Jesse James and his eventual killer Robert Ford (Casey Affleck). Billy the Kid suffered a similar fate as Jesse James, having been ambushed and murdered by his former friend turned lawman Pat Garrett. The two real-life outlaws shared several mythical similarities and lived during the same Old West era of American history.
There’s No Record Of Billy The Kid & Jesse James Ever Meeting In Real Life
Despite the similarities between the two outlaws, Billy the Kid and Jesse James likely never met, especially considering that there was no record of their union ever happening. If the two outlaws had met in real life, it almost certainly would have been documented in some capacity, whether by written testimony or even a rare photograph. It’s unclear whether Jesse James and Billy the Kid would have been friends had they known each other even though they each were like-minded in their criminality and willingness to kill in order to survive. Under the right circumstances, Billy the Kid and Jesse James might have joined forces or could also have been opposing enemies.
Billy The Kid & Jesse James’ Crimes Mostly Occurred In Different Parts Of The Country
The majority of Billy the Kid’s crimes occurred while he was living in New Mexico while some also took place in Arizona, including his first known kill. Billy the Kid was an integral part of the Lincoln County War in New Mexico and committed several murders through combat, including multiple members of the Jesse Evans Gang who worked for the powerful businessmen Lawrence Murphy and James Dolan. Billy was eventually captured, jailed, and sentenced to death by hanging in New Mexico until he successfully escaped Lincoln and fled to nearby Fort Sumner. It was at Fort Sumner where ePat Garrett finally caught and killed Billy the Kid, ending his life at the age of 21 and becoming a larger-than-life figure in Lincoln County.
Jesse James died only one year after Billy the Kid in 1882 after being shot in the back of the head by Robert Ford. Jesse James was older than Billy the Kid at the time of his death at 34 years old. Had both of the Old West gunslingers lived longer, they might have had a better chance of crossing paths. The majority of Jesse James bank and train robberies occurred in the Midwest in states such as Missouri, Iowa, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Billy lived in Wichita, Kansas for a time before heading for New Mexico, which might have been the only possible place where he and Jesse James could have theoretically met each other.
Could Jesse James Still Appear In MGM’s Billy The Kid Show?
The MGM series Billy the Kid has mostly portrayed a fairly accurate account of William H. Bonney’s childhood, turn to crime, and participation in the Lincoln County War. There have been several notable alterations to both historical facts and common details of the Billy the Kid legend in the MGM series, but none that steer too far off the major points of Billy’s life. Most of the creative changes in the MGM series are meant to either enhance the plot or smooth over less important aspects of the legend and true accounts.
Even with the willingness of the MGM series to stray away from the historical and mythical accounts of Billy the Kid for the sake of entertainment, including Jesse James in the series would likely be too much of a logical stretch for viewers to go along with. Including Jesse James in the show would forfeit any resemblance of historical accuracy that it had up to that point and would ultimately place the series into the realm of Western fantasy, While that might sound like an intriguing idea for a separate project, it would almost certainly work against MGM’s Billy the Kid in the end.
