Billy the Kid (1859-1881) was a cattle thief and killer in New Mexico. He killed at least 5 men, though according to legends, he killed as many as 21. His real name was Henry McCarty, and he was born on Sept. 15, 1859, in New York City. His mother, Catherine McCarty, married William H. Antrim in 1873. The family settled in Silver City, New Mexico, and Henry often used his stepfather’s name.
Young Henry fell into the wild life of the frontier after his mother died in 1874, and he shot a man to death in a quarrel near Fort Grant, New Mexico, three years later. He became a fugitive after the killing, and went to Lincoln County, New Mexico, using the name William H. Bonney. A rancher who befriended him and gave him a job was killed in 1878 in a frontier feud, the Lincoln County cattle war. The Kid helped kill the murderers as a member of a special posse called the Regulators. The posse’s legal standing was soon canceled, but the Kid’s role in the feud grew larger. He stole livestock and took part in several skirmishes before agreeing to testify against other participants in the feud in exchange for a pardon. But Billy became afraid that state officials could not protect him from some men he planned to testify against, so he escaped. He continued his role as a rustler and killer.
Pat Garrett became sheriff of Lincoln County in November 1880 and trapped Billy in December. Billy was convicted on April 9, 1881, and was sentenced to be hanged. On April 28, he killed two deputies and escaped from jail. Sheriff Garrett found him in a house in Fort Sumner, a military post near the town of Fort Sumner, New Mexico, and killed him on July 14.
See also Garrett, Pat .
