Billy the Kid

Billy the Kid was born Henry McCarty in 1859. Throughout his life he went by several aliases including William H. Bonney, Billy Bonney, Henry Antrim, and Kid Antrim. It was not until the final years of his life that he became known as Billy the Kid. Born in New York City in the Irish ghettos, Billy and his older brother lived with their mother Catherine McCarty. The McCarty family later moved to Wichita, Kansas, then settled in New Mexico where Catherine married William Henry Harrison Antrim. By 1875, Catherine was dead of tuberculosis.

After his mother's death, young Billy turned to a life of delinquency. His first crime, at age 15 got him off to a dubious start as a future desperado: the theft of several pounds of butter from a local rancher (James 25). Later Billy was caught stealing clothes from a Chinese laundry. He ended up in jail for this offense, but escaped by climbing through a chimney.

Billy left for Arizona, where he honed his skills as a criminal. There he engaged in horse and cattle thievery, and became an expert with firearms. Billy developed a fascination for guns: "He could t

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gures. His sources are documented in extensive notes and a bibliography. As a result of this exhaustive research, Cline's book contains significant details about Billy's life not available in other sources. The author paints Billy as a flesh and blood human being, unworthy of the legendary status he has attained. In Cline's estimation, the Kid was essentially a coward and a common criminal. Dykes, J.C. Billy the Kid: The Bibliography of a Legend. Albuquerque: The University of New Mexico Press, 1952. Dykes has compiled an extensive annotated bibliography of literature on the brief life of Billy the Kid. The bibliography contains 437 items; included are books, phonograph records, a radio broadcast, motion pictures, plays, songs, comic books, and an advertising leaflet. Dykes's work represents the efforts of a collector as opposed to a professional bibliographer; nevertheless, it is useful in tracing the development of the legend that grew up around Billy the Kid. Garrett, Pat. The Authentic Life of Billy, The Kid. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1954. Garrett's book is said to have given birth to much of the legend that surrounds Billy the Kid. The book was supposedly written by Pat Garrett but much of it
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Approximate Word count = 3470
Approximate Pages = 14 (250 words per page)

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