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Chronology of Billy the Kid -
1860-1861 Month and Date unknown- William Henry Bonney / McCarty
is born.
1868,
June 18- The census in Anderson, Indiana, show the names of Catherine
McCarty and her sons, William Henry and Joseph.
1870,
August 10- Catherine McCarty and William Antrim buy a lot near
Wichita, Kansas.
1871,
August- One year later, after being diagnosed with consumption,
Catherine McCarty sells the lot and leaves Kansas with Antrim, to seek a
warmer and drier climate.
1872,
October- Catherine McCarty, her sons, and William Antrim are living in
Denver, Colorado.
1873,
March 1- After several years of courtship, Catherine McCarty and
William Antrim are married at the First Presbyterian Church in Santa Fe,
New Mexico.
1873,
March-April- The Antrim family moves to Silver City, New Mexico.
1874,
September 16- Catherine Antrim dies from consumption. The Kid and his
brother Joseph begin their life of moving in and out of foster families.
William Antrim moves to Clifton, Arizona, leaving his step-sons behind.
1875,
September 23- The Kid is arrested for stealing laundry.
1875,
September 25- The Kid escapes jail and runs away. Shortly after, he
turns up in Clifton, Arizona, to find his step-father. Antrim doesn't take
the boy in and the Kid is now on his own.
1876,
April- The Kid works for a short time as a cook at the Hotel de Luna.
Later on he'll meet a horse thief named John Mackie, who'll show him
there's an easier way to make a living.
1877,
March 25- After months of stealing horses, the Kid and John Mackie are
arrested and confined at Fort Grant . The Kid escapes later that evening.
1877,
August 18- In Fort Grant, the Kid kills his first man, Frank "Windy"
Cahill, a bully who attacked the Kid during an argument. The Kid then
leaves Arizona and heads back to New Mexico.
1877,
September- The Kid joins Jesse Evans, the leader of "The Boys," a
gang of rustlers and killers.
1877,
October- The Boys ride into Lincoln County.
1877,
November- The Kid has a falling out with the gang and is hired by John
Tunstall, just in time to fight for him in a feud against the Dolan Co.
1878,
February 18- The Kid rides along with Tunstall and his men, herding
horses to Lincoln. The group is ambushed by Dolan's and Sheriff Brady's
men and Tunstall is killed. The Kid and the others escape.
1878,
February 19- The Kid, Fred Waite and Constable Atanacio Martinez
attempt to serve warrants for the men who murdered Tunstall. But they are
disarmed and taken prisoner by Sheriff Brady. Martinez would be allowed to
leave, but the Kid and Waite are kept prisoner. They would miss Tunstall's
funeral.
1878,
February 23- The Kid and Fred Waite are released from jail.
1878,
March 1- Dick Brewer, Tunstall's foreman, is appointed constable to
bring in Tunstall's murderers. The Kid and several others are deputized.
They called themselves "The Regulators."
1878,
March 6- The Regulators arrest Bill Morton and Frank Baker.
1878,
March 9- The Regulators believed their prisoners would be released and
decided to take matters in their own hands; Morton, Baker and William
McCloskey, a Regulator who was believed to be a traitor, are killed.
1878,
April 1- Members of the Regulators: Frank MacNab, Jim French, Fred
Waite, John Middleton, Henry Brown, and Billy Bonney ambush the Sheriff
and his deputies. Sheriff William Brady and Deputy George Hindman are
killed.
1878,
April 4- The Regulators kill Buckshot Roberts at Blazer's Mill. Frank
Coe and John Middleton are wounded and Dick Brewer is killed in the
gunfight.
1878,
April 18- The Kid, Middleton, and Brown are indicted for the murder of
Sheriff Brady.
1878,
July 4- The Regulators hide out at Chisum's Ranch.
1878,
July 15 thru 19- The Five day battle at McSween's home in Lincoln. On
the 19th, while trying to escape, Alex McSween, Francisco Zamora, and
Harvey Morris are killed; on the Dolan side Robert Beckwith is killed. The
Kid and the Regulators escape.
1878,
August 5- Morris Bernstein is killed. Though, Atanacio Martinez said
he acted in self-defense when Berstein fired on him, it would be the Kid
who is blamed..
1878,
September 4- Governor Axtell is removed from office and replaced by
Lew Wallace.
1878,
September 26 thru 30- A ruthless gang called "The Rustlers," led by
John Selman, raise hell throughout Lincoln County; stealing, killing and
raping women.
1878,
October- The Kid and his gang are in Texas to sell horses they had
stolen from the Fritz ranch in Lincoln. In Tascosa, Texas, the Kid meets
and becomes good friends with a young doctor named Henry Hoyt; the Kid
would give him a fine sorrel horse once belonging to Sheriff Brady.
1878,
November 13- Governor Wallace issues a proclamation of amnesty for
parties involved in the Lincoln County War.
1878,
November/December- The Kid returns to Lincoln County. He's tired of
running and wants to square himself with the law.
1879,
February 18- The Kid meets up with Evans in Lincoln to propose a
parley. A peace treaty is formed and both sides forget their differences.
Susan McSween's attorney, Huston Chapman, is stopped by the men; while the
Kid stands by watching uneasily, Evans and his men harass and then shoot
the attorney.
1879,
March 13- The Kid writes a letter to Governor Lew Wallace, he states
he's willing to surrender and testify against Chapman's killers for a
pardon.
1879,
March 15- The governor writes to the Kid telling him that he would
meet with him. In closing he writes, "If you can trust Jesse Evans, you
can trust me."
1879,
March 17- The Kid and the governor meet and an arrangement is made; if
the Kid submits to a fake arrest and testifies in court against Dolan and
Colonel Dudley, he would be pardoned.
1879,
March 20- The Kid and Tom O'Folliard are arrested and brought to
Lincoln.
1879,
April 14- The Kid testifies in court against Chapman's murders.
1879,
May 28- The Kid testifies against Colonel Dudley for his involvement
in the siege at McSween's home.
1879,
June 17- After three months of jail, the Kid had enough; he kept his
end of the deal and there was no pardon. Feeling betrayed, he simply
walked out of jail and rode off.
1879,
October- The Kid goes back to rustling.
1880,
January 10- A drunk in Fort Sumner named Joe Grant challenges the Kid.
His gun goes "click" and the Kid's goes "BANG BANG."
1880,
June- In Fort Sumner, the Kid has some fun with a census taker, he
gives his age as twenty-five and he was born in Missouri as well as both
his parents, his occupation- "working in cattle."
1880,
October 6- The Kid writes to Ira Leonard, saying that he wants to try
straighten things out again with the law. Leonard agrees to meet in him in
White Oaks within the week. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, the Kid
comes six weeks later but by then, the deal is off.
1880,
November 2- Pat Garrett is elected sheriff of Lincoln County.
1880,
November 27- Deputy James Carlyle is killed at Greathouse ranch. The
Kid is undoubtedly accused, but as the Kid says, "There's more about that
then people known."
1880,
December 12- The Kid writes to Governor Wallace, pleading his
innocence concerning the Carlyle killing and the rustling actives in the
territory.
1880,
December 14- Sheriff Garrett and his posse begin the hunt for Billy
the Kid.
1880,
December 15- The governor puts outs a $500 reward for the Kid's
capture.
1880,
December 19- In Fort Sumner, Garrett and his posse ambush the Kid and
his gang. Tom O'Folliard is killed, but the Kid and the others escape.
1880,
December 23- The Sheriff tracks the Kid and his gang to a rock house
in Stinking Springs. When Charlie Bowdre appears in the door, they think
it's the Kid and open fire, Bowdre is killed and there's a stand-off.
After a couple hours, the Kid and his men surrender.
1880,
December 24- The lawmen bring their prisoners back to Fort Sumner.
Charlie Bowdre's body is delivered to his wife and the Kid and Rudabaugh
are shackled together. The posse then load up the prisoners in a wagon and
head for Las Vegas.
1880,
December 25- The posse and their prisoners have Christmas dinner at
Padre Polaco's store in Puerto de Luna. Later that evening they head out
and travel all night to Las Vegas.
1880,
December 26- Garrett's posse and the prisoners arrive in Las Vegas.
The town is curious about the Kid, but hostile towards Dave Rudabaugh.
1880,
December 27- The next morning Sheriff Garrett and his men take the
prisoners to the depot, where they are met by a mob who are after
Rudabaugh. The lawmen hold the mob back until the train leaves. They then
arrive in Santa Fe, where they prisoners are placed in jail.
1881,
January 1- The Kid writes to Governor Wallace to come down to the jail
to see him. The governor at the time is out of town.
1881,
February 28- The Kid and his cohorts try to dig their way out of jail,
but they are caught. The prisoners are separated and the Kid is chained to
the floor in a dark solitary cell.
1881,
March 2- Getting impatient, the Kid writes another note to the
governor, but there is no reply.
1881,
March 4- The Kid writes another letter, this one with a hint of
frustration.
1881,
March 27- Time's running short and the Kid writes his last note to the
governor, but like all the rest, it was ignored.
1881,
March 28- The Kid is taken to the depot to be transported to La
Mesilla for trial.
1881,
March 30- The Kid's first trial, for the killing of Buckshot Roberts
commences.
1881,
April 6- The Buckshot Roberts case is dismissed due to a technicality.
1881,
April 8- The Kid's second trial commences, for the killing of Sheriff
Brady.
1881,
April 9- The Kid is found guilty of first-degree murder.
1881,
April 13 -The Kid is sentenced to hang on May 13th between the hours
of 9am and 3pm.
1881,
April 15- In the morning the Kid writes a letter to attorney Edgar
Caypless, concerning the suit for his mare. His attorney Albert Fountain,
is willing to carry the case further if the Kid could come up with money
to pay him, so the Kid is dependent on the sale of the horse. Later, at
10pm, the Kid is loaded up in an coach and heads out to Lincoln, where he
is to be hanged.
1881,
April 21- The Kid arrives in Lincoln and is jailed in the courthouse.
1881,
April 28- Around noon, the Kid makes his great escape, killing both
his guards, and rides out of Lincoln for the last time.
1881,
July 14- Late at night in Fort Sumner, the Kid is shot and killed by
Sheriff Garrett at Pete Maxwell's house. The Kid was only nineteen or
twenty years old.
1881,
July 15- Milnor Rudolph organized a coroner's jury and makes out a
verdict, stating the death of Billy the Kid was justifiable homicide. In
the afternoon, the Kid's body is laid to rest next to his friends, Charlie
Bowdre and Tom O'Folliard.
1882,
February or March- Pat Garrett's book The Authentic Life of Billy
the Kid is published. Though, it is more fiction then fact, it
immortalizes Billy the Kid in legend.
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