William Henry McCarty Vs Billy the Kid

Though numerous movies and tales exaggerate the life of Billy the Kid, the infamous legend is not quite the individual we interpret him to be. In fact, of all the shootings associated with the Kid, only a handful are accurate and likely enough to remain factual. From dime novels to cinema, we perceive a ruthless outlaw intent on criminal notoriety and immoral actions; however, the real Kid was simply a skilled gun-hand in the midst of corruption and controversy.

William Henry McCarty was born around 1860-61 in northeastern America. After moving to the mid-west, and being subjugated to foster care living after the death of his mother; William was immediately involved with trouble. After being repeatedly harassed by a local man, conflict forced him to kill for the first time reported. Refusing to be detained and plead guilty to murder charges, William became an outlaw and enlisted in various gangs. The gang eventually proceeded to helping John Dolan, the competitor of John Tunstall. After participating in a few of the gang initiations to threaten Tunstall, William was arrested, only to be released in the care of Tunstall himself.

Roughly around the age of 16, William H McCarty (aka Bonney) became Billy the Kid to his new gang, who would eventually become known as the Regulators after the death of John Tunstall. Retaliation only created a worse situation as the Regulators confronted Dolan's hired hands and out of revenge, gunned them down. The vengeful actions developed a reputation of criminals whom indulged illegal activities and insisted justice be served with unlawful death. Though the movie Young Guns portrays the final scene in an exclusive gun fight between the army (who was now involved aside Dolan) and the Regulators, the battle is questionable and quite impossible at some lengths. The actual gang of Regulators did not consist of merely 5 individuals, as seen in Young Guns, but is estimated to be over 30. The gang separated and ventured out of town; and while some were killed, the event was not as dramatic as the movie climax describes.

The Regulators had separated and the Kid was an outlaw tired of hiding from the law. He decided to approach the courts, in hopes of a plea bargain, and inform the events that led to the deaths of Dolan's men. Instead, he was sentenced to death. Once again, the Kid escaped and gained publicity and fame as he dodged the law. Newspapers would blame Billy for the deaths of all Dolan's men, though it is unsure of how many he actually killed with so many other Regulators present. Pat Garrett was elected Sheriff, and would eventually be notarized as the man responsible for killing the Kid. But not before he made his final escape from death. He proceeded to Fort Sumner, where Garrett would catch up to him and shoot him in his room. It is uncertain whether Billy even knows it was Garrett, as witnesses claim the lights were out.

To conclude, Billy the Kid was notorious for crimes committed by his gang of Regulators along with the multiple escapes from jail. Apparently, the Kid had abnormally small wrists that enabled him to escape from handcuffs. His legendary number of kills equaled 21. The truth: 4 documented killings. Billy the Kid was killed around the age of 21 and has a tombstone enscribed with his name on it at Fort Sumner.

Summary on the life of Billy the Kid (2009). Retrieved Nov 06, 2009 from http://www.aboutbillythekid.com/summary_billy.htm