8 Facts about Billy the Kid

Tuesday, June 30th 2015. | Figures

Facts about Billy the Kid talk about the life of Henry McCarty. He was born on 17 September 1859. He died on 14 July 1881. He was famous under the name Billy the Kid. But some people also called him William H. Bonney. He was famous as the person who became a frontier outlaw during the American Out West. This man also participated in Lincoln County War. Get more facts about Billy the Kid below:

Facts about Billy the Kid 1: the victims

If you check the legend of Billy the Kid, he killed 21 men. However, people believe that he killed 8 men. On 17 August 1877, he killed the first man.

Facts about Billy the Kid 2: the physical appearance

Let’s check out the physical appearance of Billy the Kid. He had dirty blonde hair with blue eyes. His height was around 173 cm or 5 feet 8 inches. He had smooth skin. Find out another outlaw in facts about Belle Starr.

Facts about Billy the Kid

Facts about Billy the Kid 3: a neat dressed man

He was described as a neat dressed man. Therefore, he was recognized by the people as a folk hero and an outlaw.

Facts about Billy the Kid 4: the legend

At first, people did not recognize him a lot. Lew Wallace was the governor of Mexico who priced his head for those who could catch him alive or dead in 1881. His prominence was also brought by the New York Sun and Las Vegas Gazette which talked about him.

Billy the Kid Image

Facts about Billy the Kid 5: biographies

After the death of Billy the Kid, there were several biographies about him written by the people. He was described and portrayed in different point of views.

Facts about Billy the Kid 6: parents

His father was Patrick McCarthy and his mother was Catherine Devine. Both married on 15 June 1851. After Henry was born, he was christened. Mary Clark and Thomas Cooney served as his godparents.

Billy the Kid Facts

Facts about Billy the Kid 7: the escape

When Billy the Kid was imprisoned and waited for his execution after killing people, he killed two guards and escaped from the prison. He rode a horse out of town.

Facts about Billy the Kid 8: the death

If we talk about the death of Billy the Kid, there were two versions about it. The report found out that Billy was hiding in Fort Sumner. Billy had a friend, Maxwell. Therefore, the official named Garrett and his deputies come to him to ask about Billy the Kid. Unexpectedly, Billy entered the room. Due to the poor light, he did not recognize Garret. Since Garret recognized his voice, he shot him. The second version stated that Billy the Kid entered the kitchen and he held a knife. Since the room was dark, he spoke and he was shot.