Billy the Kid

Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride (2007) by Michael Wallis

This is an exhaustively researched biography of Billy the Kid (also known as Henry McCarty, Henry Antrim, and William Bonney).

Billy was born in New York City in 1859. His mother was an Irishwoman named Catherine McCarty. Catherine, her two sons, and a man named William Antrim (not Billy's father) moved west after the Civil War. Billy's mother died of consumption (tuberculosis) when Billy was 14.

Left to fend for himself, Billy became adept in the art of self-defense (with handguns) and crossed over to the wrong side of the law.

Billy got involved with Jesse Evans and his gang of cattle rustlers/horse thieves.

Later, in the Lincoln County Wars, Evans and Billy were on opposite sides of the conflict. Billy fought for the Tunstall/McSween/Chisum faction, which was the losing side.

Billy was a hero among the Hispanic people in the Southwest. They saw him as a sort of Robin Hood character. Billy had several girlfriends among the Hispanic population. Billy could have left the area and started a new life, but he refused to leave his girlfriends behind, and his fate was sealed.

Billy was shot and killed by Pat Garrett in New Mexico Territory in 1881. According to the author, Garrett was not sure it was Billy. It was dark, and Garrett thought it was Billy, but he was not sure until after he shot him.

Garrett was himself gunned down many years later. The killers were never identified. Garrett seemed like the kind of guy that made a lot of enemies. But maybe it was someone avenging Billy's death.