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Comment by pavel_lishin | Hacker News Reader

I wish the article had gone into more detail about what the verification process is like.

Yeah, this. I don't see how they could possibly verify that this is actually an image of BtK when the face is so obscured and the provenance of the image so uncertain. Kagin's is being very cagey about it too: "Any qualified individual wishing to review the authentication dossier and discuss the potential acquisition of the Billy the Kid Croquet Match Tintype are welcome to contact..."

Likely coincided with knowledge about where he was living at that point in history. This also takes place after a wedding, so that likely gave some clues if they could determine who was getting married.

As well, the article mentioned that this is the first photo of him with some of his known gang members. The man to his left is quite clear, and therefore if they can identify him as an associate of Billy The Kid, perhaps that gave them more reason to suspect it was Billy.

The location of the wedding would probably have been recorded and the lay of the land could be verified against the current landscape. Similarly, there would be land deeds and if the road in the foreground was a public road, then that could also help identify and confirm the location.

As for the associate, my sister thought it looked liked two boys in the midst of arguing over rules and cheating in the way that older and younger brothers do...

Yeah, it may only be "verified":

http://www.truewestmagazine.com/billy-the-kid-experts-weigh-...

Nice rebuttal though. He has a point. Either show your proof refuting the claim or stfu. I get so tired of armchair experts discounting everything because they just know it can't be true, that it would be nice if someone put people like this in their place once in a while.

From a CBC radio program that aired a weeks ago, they interviewed a facial recognition expert who typically work with law enforcement that confirmed it to be Billy the Kid.

Apparently four people in the photo have also been identified as those known to associate with Billy the Kid, including Sally Chisum. Her diary seems to confirm this event taking place - which was a cattle drive and the wedding of Charlie Bowdre (on the horse).

If you follow the link to the Kagins website, it says "Kevin Costner will narrate and produce the two-hour documentary for National Geographic Channel, covering Western Americana enthusiast Randy Guijarro’s odyssey to authenticate this unique photograph".

So details of the verification process are being withheld in order the make the documentary more appealing.

This article goes into a little more detail: http://news.discovery.com/history/us-history/new-image-shows...

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