"Should Billy the Kid receive a posthumous pardon?"  Result: The majority say YES
Date Poll closed: 12/11/01
Total votes: 401
Yes: (337)  84%
No: (45)  11%
Undecided: (19) 5%

"Whose the best Billy the Kid Biographer?" Result: Pat Garrett
Date Poll closed: 2/6/02
Total votes: 392
Pat Garrett: (199)  51%
Fredrick Nolan: (62)  16%
Robert Utley: (47)  12%
Bob Boze Bell: (35)  9%
John Tuska: (27)  7%
Donald Cline: (22) 6%
NOTE: Garrett's biography may have started the myth and is the most dramatic, but when it comes to facts and accuracy, he is not the best (I'm sorry, but I just had to put my two cents in).

"Who was the Regulators's worse enemy?" Result: L.G. Murphy
Date Poll closed: 5/14/02
Total votes: 300
L.G. Murphy (154)  51%
James J. Dolan (45)  15%
Wm. Brady (36)  12%
Undecided (too close to call) (24)  8%
Gov. Sam Axtell (12)  4%
Judge Bristol (8)  3%
Jesse Evans (9)  3%
Colonel Dudley (6)  2%
Wm. Rynerson (3)  1%
George Peppin (3)  1%
NOTE: It seems that majority of voters were using their judgment from the movie Young Guns, than the actual facts. The Regulators's worse enemy were men such as James Dolan, Judge Bristol, Gov. Axtell, and prosecutor attorney William Rynerson. Murphy was suffering from cancer and not active during the Tunstall & McSween/Dolan feud.

"Who is your favorite Wild West celebrity?"  Result: Billy the Kid
Date Poll closed: 7/14/02
Total votes: 410
Billy the Kid (182)  44%
Doc Holliday (59)  14%
Jesse James (42)  10%
Both Billy the Kid & Wyatt Earp (40) 10%
Wyatt Earp (38)  9%
Geronimo (20)  5%
Wild Bill Hickok (10)  2%
John Wesley Hardin (9)  2%
Buffalo Bill Cody (5)  1%
Other (5) 1%
NOTE: Because a lot of Billy the Kid buffs are also Wyatt Earp buffs (and vice versa), I added the "Both" option. So technically, Billy the Kid received 222 votes in his favor and Earp received 78. Which means the popular vote for second place goes to Wyatt Earp.

"In your opinion, when Pat Garrett killed Billy the Kid -was it a fluke or premeditated murder?"  Result: Yes to premeditated murder
Date Poll closed: 9/13/02
Total votes: 395
Yes, I suspect or believe it was a planned ambush or some type of foul play (279)  71%
No, I believe it happened just as Garrett said (65) 16%
Undecided (51) 13%

"Who killed Deputy James Carlyle?"  Result: The blame unjustly goes to Billy the Kid and his gang
Date Poll closed: 11/29/02
Total votes: 507
Billy the Kid and his gang (228)  45%
The White Oaks posses (205 )  40%
Undecided (74 ) 15%
NOTE: I'm quite disappointed by the results of this poll. Despite, the posse's unusual and suspicious behavior, as well as the fact that the Kid was never charged with the killing, Billy the Kid is unfairly blamed for yet another murder. Once again, voters are going by the movies, novels, and the popular point of view instead of looking at the facts and evidence.

"Did Billy the Kid have a fair trial?"  Result: No
Date Poll closed: 1/31/03
Total votes: 925
No, he was screwed over! (729)  79%
Yes, he had an impartial trial (87)  9%
Undecided (109)  12%

"Did Pete Maxwell tip Pat Garrett off on Billy the Kid's whereabouts?" Results: Yes
Date Poll closed: 5/4/03
Total votes: 490
Yes: (332)  68%
No: (89)  18%
Undecided: (69) 14%

"Which Lincoln County lawman was the most corrupt?" Result: Pat Garrett
Date Poll closed: 9/22/03
Total votes: 1038
Bob Olinger: (127)  12%
William Brady: (368)  35%
Pat Garrett: (491) 47%
Jacob Bill Mathews: (52)  5%

"Was John Tunstall’s murder premeditated?" Results: Yes
Date Poll closed: 11/23/03
Total votes: 1271
Yes, the posse planned it (960)  76%
No, the posse acted on impulse (208)  16%
Undecided (103)  8%

"When Billy the Kid was captured and put on trial, were the surviving former Regulators disloyal to the Kid for not coming to his aid?"  Results: Yes
Date Poll closed: 1/31/04
Total votes: 985
No, they had to look out for themselves (389)  39%
Yes, they could’ve helped or supported him in some way (449)  46%
Undecided (147)  15%

"How did Billy the Kid escape from the courthouse?"  Results: A gun was hidden for him in the outhouse
Date Poll closed: 5/1/04
Total votes: 574
He took Bell’s gun after conking him over the head with his cuffs (184)  32%
He used a gun hidden for him in the outhouse (308)  54%
He got ahead of Bell on the stairs and broke into the armory and grabbed
a pistol (45)  8%
Other (9)  2%
Undecided (28)  5%

"How were Frank Baker, Bill Morton & William McCloskey killed?" Results: The Regulators executed the prisoners & murdered McCloskey.
Date Poll closed: 1/03/05
Total votes: 392
Baker snatched McCloskey’s gun and killed him, and then he and Morton tried to make a break when the Regulators gunned them down (102)  26%
The Regulators executed the two prisoners and killed McCloskey for opposing (205)  52%
Too tough to say –undecided (85)  22%

"What do you think was the reason Billy the Kid return to Fort Sumner after he escaped from the courthouse in Lincoln?" Results: He felt safe in Sumner and was bidding his time until the coast was clear.
Date Poll closed: 1/03/06
Total votes: 1,990
He felt safe in Sumner was bidding his time until the coast was clear (637)  32%
He had a girlfriend he didn’t want to leave (484)  24%
He underestimated the law and was careless (291)  15%
None of the reasons above (333)  17%
He was waiting for someone to ride out with him (127)  6%
He was hiding out until he got money (118)  6%

"Aside from Billy the Kid, who is your other favorite Regulator?" Results: Jose Chavez y Chavez
Date Poll closed: 4/30/06
Total votes: 929
Dick Brewer (75)  8%
Doc Scurlock (230)  25%
Charlie Bowdre (79)  9%
Fred Waite (15)  2%
Yginio Salazar (24)  3%
Jose Chavez y Chavez (262)  28%
The Coe Cousins (Frank & George) (60)  6%
John Middleton (14)  2%
Tom O'Folliard (64)  7%
Other (106)  11%
 

If you have any suggestions for a poll topic, feel free to email me