Billy the kid
Billy the kidOne of the most famous outlaws and gunfighters of old west, was Henry Mccarty (most people think his name was William H. Bonney) or "Billy the Kid" as most people knew him.
There is much speculation as to where Billy was born. So far, the possibilities are New York City, Indiana, and Missouri. But he did move out west with his family and eventually became a cowboy in Lincoln county, New Mexico Territory, working for cattleman J. H. Tunstall. Tunstall treated Billy like a son and Billy loved him a lot.
But in February 1878, a rival cattle outfit killed Tunstall. Billy vowed vengeance on anyone who was involved in the horrible murder of Tunstall. The death of Tunstall started the Lincoln County War in which Billy played a major part. This "War" was actually a struggle between two rival groups of businessmen and ranchers. Murders and depredations between the two groups culminated in a three-day battle in Lincoln, New Mexico during the July of 1878. There have been many stories that Billy was in the gang that shot Sheriff Bill Brady dead, but probably isn't true, Billy the Kid was not a cold blooded killer.
Governor Lew Wallace (also the Author of "Ben Hur") offered a 500$ reward for anyone who could capture "The Kid" and bring him to any sheriff in New Mexico. In 1880, Lincoln County elected Sheriff Pat Garret and a posse trapped "The Kid" and four of his companions in a hut in Stinking Springs. After a three-day siege, the gang was captured.
In 1880-1881? Billy the Kid was sentenced to be hung. However, on April 23, 1881, Billy escaped from custody, killing two guards. When his escape made the news, it said simply "The Kid's Escaped" and the article didn't have muck detail. But by this time Pat Garret was hot on his trail. The news posted the Kid's supposed whereabouts for about two and a half months. But on July 15, 1881, Pat Garret cornered Billy in a Darkroom and killed him with a single shot to the heart (by cornered I mean Garret walked into the Darkroom and recognized Billy's voice when he said, "Who is it").
In my own opinion, I think that Billy that Kid was infamous, but because of bad press. He didn't kill as many people like so many people say. He only shot to defend himself and because of his vengeance towards his employers killers. There are many rumors about Billy the Kid. Some of them (these are all false) are that he killed a man when he was twelve, or that he killed 21 men by the time he was twenty-one. Since he killed a couple of people, he started to get bad press from everyone. But don't get me wrong, even killing only one person is very wrong, and I don't mean to glorify Billy the Kid in any way. So when you think of Billy the Kid, don't be so quick to call him a cold-blooded killer. Thank you for your time.