Billy The Kid: The Lincoln County War

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Billy the Kid Billy the Kid was an outlaw and a fugitive. He escaped the county jail, execution, and was a part of the beginning of the Lincoln County War. He was born as William Henry McCarthy Jr. on November 23rd 1859. McCarthy’s Mother died of tuberculosis when he was only 15, and was then sent to a boarding home after his stepfather decided against raising him. The Kid was a significant figure in history because he exposed the corruption in government and cattle ranching in the state of New Mexico and evaded capture numerous times. The Lincoln County War was a significant event in history and McCarthy was there when it all began on February 18th, 1878. John Tunstall was a cattle man who hired The Kid to “work as a cowboy and gunman on his ranch” (The Life and Legend). Tunstall took McCarthy in at a young age when he was on the run. Most of Tunstall’s men working on the ranch were wanted, uneducated, and or orphaned. Tunstall, The Kid, and four other men left the ranch to transport horses when they were approached and threatened by a posse made up of lawmen, outlaws, and cattlemen. When Tunstall …show more content…

The Kid was “an outlaw and a fugitive. He stole horses and cattle until he was arrested in 1880 for killing Sheriff Brady during the Lincoln County War” (Billy the Kid). Sheriff Pat Garrett tracked down McCarthy and eventually got him to surrender. He was sentenced to death and went to jail to wait for his execution. While sitting in jail, The Kid requested his guard take him to the bathroom. While walking to the outhouse, McCarthy “gained possession of the guard’s gun and killed him” (The Life and Legend). McCarthy then obtained a shotgun from Garrett’s office and killed the second guard. He lastly used a pickax to get the shackles off of his legs, and proceeded to escape his execution on a horse. This was one of Billy the Kid’s last and most known acts as an outlaw in the late

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