Billy the Kid Biography

Billy the Kid was a 19th-century gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War. He was both, a folk hero and a notorious outlaw who was rumored to have killed 27 men though it is generally believed that he killed eight. A frontier outlaw in the American Old West, he is believed to have been a ruthless and cunning young man, highly skilled in using firearms. A legendary figure, he is probably one of the most misunderstood historical figures of the Old West. Several sources project him as a cold-blooded killer who had killed as many as 27 men within his short life though historians and researchers suggest that he actually killed eight people. Not much is known about his early life and even the details surrounding his birth are obscure. However, it is known that he had a tough beginning, having lost his father when he was quite young. He became involved in street violence as a teenager and joined gangs with whom he travelled throughout the Southwest and northern Mexico. He also became notorious as a thief when he took to stealing horses in order to make easy money. He participated in the Lincoln County War and killed several men following which he was arrested and sentenced to death. He managed to escape but was hunted down and shot to death.