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Billy The Kid Research Paper

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Thomas Hall
English Composition
Billy the Kid
William H. Bonney, who was also known as Billy the Kid and also known as Henry Antrim, was born November 23, 1859. He had slim physique, blue eyes, and sandy blonde hair. These features along with his childish face are why he got the nickname “Kid”. Billy the Kid was a gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War and became a frontier outlaw in the Old American West. According to legend, he killed 21 men, but it is believed that he only killed between four and nine. He killed his first man at the age of 18. He was not a cold-blooded killer or a robber of trains or banks. He is one of the many who fought in the Lincoln County War and he wasn’t a leader but a follower. His wit kept him alive …show more content…

His name was Frank “Windy” Cahill and he attacked the Kid after a verbal conflict. The Kid shot Cahill in the gut with his revolver and he died the next day. The Kid then ran and met up with another outlaw named Jesse Evans who was the leader of a gang called “The Boys” and joined them. The gang then went on to Lincoln County where The Boys joined up with Jon Dolan. Jon Dolan was in a feud with an English entrepreneur named John Tunstall. This feud was known as The Lincoln County War. The conflict was over dry goods trade in the country. Jon Dolan was the owner of a dry goods monopoly in the area and when an English born man named John Tunstall and his business partner Alexander McSween came to the country with competing business the feud …show more content…

In the interview he said “I haven’t stolen any stock. I made my living by gambling but that was the only way I could live. They wouldn’t let me settle down; if they had I wouldn’t be here today” (aboutbillythekid.com). The Kid was then transported to Santa Fe and sentenced to hang after being found guilty of the murder of Sheriff Brady. He tried to get help from Governor Lew Wallace who he had made previous deals with but he never got a letter back. He was then sent to Lincoln to await his death. He was guarded by two men, James Bell and Robert Ollinger. He was able to slip out of his shackles and hit one of them in the head and take his gun. He told the guard to throw up his arms but he ran instead. The Kid shot him in the back and picked up a shotgun. The other guard ran across the street to see what was going on but was shot by the Kid. He had escaped and now headed for Fort

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