The Grave of Tom Folliard, Charlie Bowdre, and, allegedly, Billy the Kid
This page shows photos of the graves of Tom Folliard, Charlie Bowdre, and allegedly Billy the Kid. Tom and Charlie were both Regulators during the Lincoln County War and became members of the Rustlers afterward. Tom was killed late on the night of Dec. 19, 1880 in an ambush set by Pat Garrett and his posse. Charlie was killed in another ambush set by Garrett and his posse on the morning of Dec. 23, 1880. Billy the Kid was also said to have been killed by Garrett on the night of July 14, 1881, though this is disputed by some. The small stone headstone that marked the grave was stolen several times. A larger stone marker was made and placed over the grave, but when souvenir hunters began chipping away pieces of it, a large fence was erected around the grave. The small headstone was later recovered and placed in the fence as well. In actuality, no one knows if the headstone is over the bodies or if any of the bodies are still in the Fort Sumner graveyard at all. The Pecos River flooded the area often, taking several bodies and markers away. Several people claimed to have dug up the bodies as well. In the 1930s, four pallbearers were asked to find the location of the grave. None of them agreed on where the bodies were buried, so the marker was placed in the center of the four different possible locations.
The Grave
This photo shows the grave from a diagonal view.
The Front of the Grave
This photo shows the entire grave from a front view.
The Headstones
This is a closeup of the two headstones. The small, closer headstone was stolen several times.
