William H. Bonney, known as Billy the kid, was the prototype of the American Western gunslingers. He was the youngest and most convincing of the folk hero-villains. People have questions that include, what was his early life like? What was his gang life like? What made him an outlaw, and what was his death story. People even compare Billy the kid to Jesse James too. If this young man died at a young age and was the hot topic back in the day, he must have a good life story. How did Billy the kid end up going down the wrong path? Must’ve had a rough early life. Well, he did. William was born November 23, 1859 in New York, NY. His family moved to Kansas. While he lived in Kansas his father died which caused his mother to remarry a few years later. They then moved to New Mexico, Billy still being a child. Billy was said to have killed many men and frequented saloons and gambled in his teen years. The first person Billy killed was a man who insulted his mother. He was bullied a lot and was in a fight when he quickly pulled his gun out and shot the person dead. Billy was now a wanted man. He fled to the Pecos Valley where he was drawn into the cattle wars which were in progress. Billy traveled to Arizona …show more content…
The definition of outlaw is a person who has broken the law, especially one who remains at large or is a fugitive, basically Billy the Kid summed up in 1 sentence. Billy was considered the best gun fighter in the county war. He became a savage of many men, including Sheriff James Brady and a deputy. Billy the kid never lied so many statements caused his reputation soaring and won his nickname “Billy the Kid.” Since Billy the kid was a cattle rustler and gang member to a vigilante gunfighter, eventually becoming the most wanted man on the American frontier. Billy’s fame was part of a folkloric oral tradition. It had more to do with western chauvinism than with literal