Tom O'Folliard
Encyclopedia
Tom O'Folliard was the best friend of the famous outlaw William Bonney (Billy the Kid
). Both were members of the Regulators
, a gang of cattle rustlers operating in the New Mexico Territory
.
O'Folliard, a Texan
, was a participant in the Lincoln County War
and survived the famous Five-Day Battle in Lincoln during July 1878. He is said to have been wounded by a gunshot to the shoulder while escaping from the McSween residence, which had been set fire, with Billy and three others.
's posse on December 19, 1880, at Fort Sumner, and died approximately 45 minutes later.
He was interred at Old Fort Sumner Cemetery in a plot shared by Bonney and Charlie Bowdre
.
He changed his French last name from Folliard to O'Folliard after he met a Irish girl who wanted to marry an Irish man. But, after a couple of months she figured out he was French and broke up. He still went by O'Folliard for the rest of his life.
He is survived even today by relatives in, Chicago, Illinois; California; New York; and Nice, France, who go by the last name Folliard.
Billy the Kid
William H. Bonney William H. Bonney William H. Bonney (born William Henry McCarty, Jr. est. November 23, 1859 – c. July 14, 1881, better known as Billy the Kid but also known as Henry Antrim, was a 19th-century American gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War and became a frontier...
). Both were members of the Regulators
Lincoln County Regulators
The Lincoln County Regulators was a deputized posse in Lincoln County, New Mexico during the Lincoln County War, consisting of a dozen or so members who wanted revenge for the killing of their boss, John Tunstall...
, a gang of cattle rustlers operating in the New Mexico Territory
New Mexico Territory
thumb|right|240px|Proposed boundaries for State of New Mexico, 1850The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of...
.
O'Folliard, a Texan
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, was a participant in the Lincoln County War
Lincoln County War
The Lincoln County War was a 19th-century range war between two factions during the Old West period. Numerous notable figures of the American West were involved, including Billy the Kid, aka William Henry McCarty; sheriffs William Brady and Pat Garrett; cattle rancher John Chisum, lawyer and...
and survived the famous Five-Day Battle in Lincoln during July 1878. He is said to have been wounded by a gunshot to the shoulder while escaping from the McSween residence, which had been set fire, with Billy and three others.
Death
He was shot in the chest by members of Pat GarrettPat Garrett
Patrick Floyd "Pat" Garrett was an American Old West lawman, bartender, and customs agent who was best known for killing Billy the Kid...
's posse on December 19, 1880, at Fort Sumner, and died approximately 45 minutes later.
He was interred at Old Fort Sumner Cemetery in a plot shared by Bonney and Charlie Bowdre
Charlie Bowdre
Charles Bowdre was an American cowboy and outlaw. He was an associate and member of Billy the Kid's gang.-Early life:...
.
He changed his French last name from Folliard to O'Folliard after he met a Irish girl who wanted to marry an Irish man. But, after a couple of months she figured out he was French and broke up. He still went by O'Folliard for the rest of his life.
He is survived even today by relatives in, Chicago, Illinois; California; New York; and Nice, France, who go by the last name Folliard.
Inaccurate portrayals in the media
- O'Folliard was portrayed in the film Young Guns IIYoung Guns IIYoung Guns II is a 1990 western film, and the sequel to Young Guns . It stars Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Christian Slater, and features William Petersen as Pat Garrett. It was written and produced by John Fusco and directed by Geoff Murphy.It follows the life of...
by Balthazar GettyBalthazar GettyBalthazar Getty is an American film actor and member of the band Ringside. He is known for the roles of Thomas Grace on the American action drama Alias and Tommy Walker on the ABC drama Brothers & Sisters.-Early life:...
as a 14-year-old "tenderfoot" orphan from Pennsylvania who begs his way into Billy the Kid's gang. This was inaccurate, as O'Folliard was a Texan, never left the southwest and was in his late teens when he joined the Regulators.
- O'Folliard was not depicted in the original Young GunsYoung GunsYoung Guns is a 1988 action/western film, directed by Christopher Cain and written by John Fusco. The film was the first to be produced by Morgan Creek Productions...
film, although O'Folliard in real life was present for the majority of the events depicted in the movie and had been one of Billy the Kid's best friends since the two first met.
- O'Folliard also appeared in Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973), played by screenwriter Rudy WurlitzerRudy WurlitzerRudolph "Rudy" Wurlitzer is an American novelist and screenwriter. He is known for his experimental style and has a large cult following for both his novels and screenplays. His fiction includes Nog, Flats, Quake, Slow Fade, and Drop Edge of Yonder...
- though he was depicted inaccurately as an older, middle-aged man.