h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Great entry.

From what I gather, the 1879 ferrotype was what originated the left-handed Billy the Kid myth. The image is often shown laterally reversed and he is seen worn wearing his gun on his left hip (with buttons and belt buckle also reversed). This image has perpetuated the myth that Billy was left-handed.

There was even a Hollywood movie "The Left-handed Gun" (1958, by Arthur Penn) with Paul Newman as Billy the Kid.

You are absolutely right. And so was Billy. There is nothing to indicate that he was anything other than right-handed, except the reversed image. Even today, researchers fail to print the image in its proper state, and some still offer the notion Billy was left-handed. While I have no problem believing he was capable of shooting with his left hand, it was not his dominant side. I think that the reason we still know so little about Billy the Kid is that, often, the little details of his life and his person were overlooked or ignored.