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Billy the Kid (William Bonney): Notorious New Mexico Outlaw

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Billy the Kid, also known as William Bonney, was a notorious outlaw active in late-19th-century New Mexico [1]. His criminal career began with his first killing in 1878 and ended with his death at the hands of Sheriff Pat Garrett near Fort Sumner around 1883 [5][4][2].

Billy the Kid, whose birth date and birthplace remain unknown, committed numerous crimes across New Mexico [1]. In 1878, while living with his mother at Chloride Flat east of Silver City, a blacksmith insulted his mother; when the blacksmith refused to apologize, Billy killed him, marking his first killing [2]. He later resided in a historic log cabin [3]. His death came around 1883 at old Fort Sumner, where he was shot by Sheriff Pat Garrett [5][4]. The town of Fort Sumner became famous as the site of his death [6].

Sources

  1. Image 4 of Albuquerque daily citizen (Albuquerque, N.M.), July 7, 1902 (1902) ↗ · details
    THE ALBUQUERQUfc DAILY CITIZEN MONDAY JULY 7 1902 4 BILLY THE KID REMINISCENSES OF GEN LEW WALLACE Thousands of stories have been told of William Bonney alias Billy the Kid the most notorious and picturesque outlaw ever produced by the wild…
  2. Chloride_Flats (1878) ↗ · details
    Chloride_Flats Notes: Back of the photograph reads: "Chloride Flat, 4 miles east of Silver City, N.M. Father John I. Hastings was General Manager of the Breman Silver Mine on this flat. Took out over $1,000,000.00 in Chloride Silver in fou…
  3. The historic log cabin on the corner ad-… (1889)
    The historic log cabin on the corner ad- joining the Enterprise office, once the peaceful home of Billy the Kid, is being fixed up, and will be occupied shortly, as a boot and shoe making establishment.
  4. Ft_Sumner_Construction (1882) ↗ · details
    Ft_Sumner_Construction Notes: The construction of Ft. Sumner, a military fort in New Mexico. After the fort was closed, the town of Ft. Sumner became famous as the town where Billy the Kid was killed by Pat Garrett. Subject: Fortification…
  5. Image 15 of The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times (Tucumcari, N.M.), March 7, 1908 (1908) ↗ · details
    PAT GARRETT KILLED IN A iUN FIGHT The Pioneer Sheriff and Slayer of Billy the Kid a Useful Man In the Civilizing of South cast New Mexico KILLED BY BRAZCL A RANCHMAN Pat Garrett one of the best known among New Mexicos oldtimers and the Linc…
  6. Ft_Sumner_Company_Quarters (1882) ↗ · details
    Ft_Sumner_Company_Quarters Notes: The company quarters at Ft. Sumner, a military fort in New Mexico. After the Fort was closed, the town of Ft. Sumner became famous as the town where Billy the Kid was killed by Pat Garrett. Subject: Forti…
Generated by openrouter/deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash · 91 words · published 2026-05-27

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