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Henry McCarty (September 17 or November 23, 1859 – July 14, 1881), alias William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West who is alleged to have killed 21 men before he was shot and killed at the age of 21.
Apr 17, 2024 · Billy the Kid (born November 23, 1859?, New York, New York, U.S.—died July 14, 1881, Fort Sumner, New Mexico) was an American outlaw who was one of the most notorious gunfighters of the American West. Although he claimed to have killed 21 men, the actual number is likely less than 10.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
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- 3 min
- He was orphaned as a teen. Little is known about Billy the Kid’s early days, but he was most likely born Henry McCarty in the Irish slums of New York City sometime in late 1859.
- The Kid’s first arrest came for stealing clothes from a laundry. Henry McCarty’s first run-in with the law came in 1875 when he assisted a local street tough known as “Sombrero Jack” in stealing clothing from a Chinese laundry.
- He played a prominent role in a frontier feud. Billy the Kid first earned his reputation as a gunslinger in 1878, when he participated in a bloody frontier war in Lincoln County, New Mexico.
- The Kid never robbed a train or a bank. Billy The Kid shooting down his foe who had taken refuge behind a saloon bar. Unlike other Old West outlaws such as Jesse James, Cole Younger or Butch Cassidy, Billy the Kid didn’t make his living as a bandit.
The legend of Billy the Kid has acquired iconic status in American folklore, yet the outlaw himself, also known as William Bonney, had minimal impact on historical events in New Mexico Territory of the late 1800s.
- Walter Noble Burns
- 1926
This band, known as "the boys," was part of a large outlaw network, a sort of organized crime syndicate of the Southwest. Late 1877. The Kid assumes the alias William H. Bonney. He is...
He was the original Wild West outlaw — but what do we really know about William McCarty? Billy the Kid, depicted in a full-resolution restoration and colorization of his only recognized photograph, was a compadre to many Hispano residents of Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory.
May 18, 2018 · Billy the Kid (1859–81) (William H. Bonney) US frontier outlaw. Bonney is traditionally blamed for 21 murders, but there is no evidence for this figure. In 1878 he killed a sheriff and led a gang of cattle rustlers. Bonney was sentenced in 1880. He escaped from jail, but was caught and killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett.
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