Billy The Kid: A Tragic Hero

Imagine only being remembered as a notorious murderer, cattle rustler, and thief (Latson 1). That is what Billy the Kid is remembered for. He may seem like a cold-blooded criminal, but he was not always that way. He became wanted and hunted early in his life, but that did not last long. Billy the Kid was an extremely notorious criminal throughout his life of crime.

Billy the Kid’s childhood was a mystery to many. Billy was born on November 23rd, 1859 in New York (Garrett 7). Although he was known as Billy the Kid, that was actually his nickname. He was born by the name Henry McCarty, but he became known as William H. Bonney (“Billy” 1). The nickname came about because of his boyish looks and his baby face (Wassner 1). Another reason his nickname is Billy the Kid is

He entered the miner’s house with a gun, but someone saw him and persuaded Billy to return it. Not long after, the person who convinced Billy to return the gun, took part in a fight. During the fight, Billy ran into the crowd holding a pocket knife and that night he became a murderer (Garrett 10). He would never see his mother again after that night. Conversely, he would never see his mother again, he had no more good influences in his life (Garrett 11). When Billy was fifth-teen years old, he was arrested for stealing his neighbor’s laundry (Wassner, 1). He escaped jail by climbing up the chimney (Utley 1). Afterwards, he began to rob horse and cattle and selling livestock (Wassner 1). Billy would steal horses throughout Peros Valley and take them to a market in Tascosa (Nolan 1). During his life, he had several warrants against him for murder (Garrett 62). One day, the house Billy was staying at was set on fire (Garrett 64). In order to escape, Billy said he would surrender. Billy did not surrender, but he fought his way through his nemeses until he could become covered by the weeds and brush by the river (Garrett 65). He again