Rare photo found in North Carolina home shows Wild West outlaw Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett

A rare photograph shows Billy the Kid, second from left, and Pat Garrett, far right, taken in the 1800s: Courtesy of Frank Abrams via AP
A rare photograph shows Billy the Kid, second from left, and Pat Garrett, far right, taken in the 1800s: Courtesy of Frank Abrams via AP

A photograph has emerged that is believed to be the only image of Wild West outlaw Billy the Kid and his killer Pat Garrett together.

The photograph, which could be worth millions, was bought for £7 ($10) at a flea market by lawyer Frank Abrams in 2011, the Telegraph reported. It was hanging in an Airbnb room at his North Carolina home.

In 2015, the lawyer took a closer look at the picture, and was convinced the man on the far right was Mr Garrett and the man second from the left could be the Kid.

Experts studied the picture, and using facial recognition technology and a hand-writing expert, they decided it was taken in the 1800s and showed the outlaw and lawman together.

It is the first known image of the two together, and could be highly significant. A picture of the Kid sold for $5 million in 2015.

The pair, who were once friends in New Mexico, developed an infamous feud in the American Old West after Mr Garrett was made sheriff of Lincoln County. Mr Garrett shot Kid in 1881.