Billy the Kid's Great Escape: The Legendary Shootout in Lincoln County
In 1881, Billy the Kid made a daring escape from the Lincoln County Courthouse in Lincoln, New Mexico. This jailbreak cemented the Kid as one of the most notorious outlaws of the Old West
Background
On April 28, 1881, one of the most infamous outlaws of the Wild West made one of the most dramatic jailbreaks in history. William Bonney, aka Billy the Kid, was being held in the Lincoln County Courthouse in New Mexico, awaiting execution, when a series of events allowed the Kid to escape and once again become one of the most wanted outlaws in the country.
Becoming Billy the Kid
Known as one of the most notorious outlaws of the Old West, surprisingly little is known about Billy the Kid’s early life. Most sources agree Henry McCarty (his birth name) was born in New York City around 1859 to a single mother named Catherine McCarty.
The family, including Billy’s brother, Joe, traveled to Indianapolis, where Catherine met a man named William Antrim. The family would move around to various states over the next several years. Catherine and William married and settled in Silver City, New Mexico.
They’d moved there hoping the dry, desert air would cure Catherine of tuberculosis, or consumption as it was called. Sadly, she died a year later, leaving Billy and his brother, Joe, with their stepfather William.
Around 1874, Billy replaced his birth name of Henry with the name William Bonny, after his stepfather. It was eventually shortened to Billy. Others nicknamed him “Billy the Kid” because of his youthful face and demeanor.
A year later, Billy acted as a lookout for a friend, George Shaefer, while Shaefer robbed a Chinese laundry. Thinking it might scare the boy straight, the local sheriff charged Billy with larceny and put him in jail. On September 25, 1875, a day later, Billy pulled off his first escape, which the Silver City Herald noted.
The newspaper article was the first story ever written about Billy the Kid.
Lincoln County Wars
After this, Billy became a petty crook and horse thief until he met someone who would change the course of his life. Cattleman John Chisum often took in young strays to work as cowboys on his ranch.
When Chisum met Billy, he included him in this group. In exchange for their work, he provided them food, shelter, education, and guns. Chisum headed up a group of “Regulators,” or hired guns. Chisum was aligned with another man named John Tunstall.
British-born rancher John Tunstall, together with other small ranchers and nesters (men who were homesteading illegally), wanted to beat out a monopoly operated by two Irishmen, James Dolan and Lawrence Murphy. The Irishmen controlled the cattle, dry goods trades, and banking in Lincoln County and did everything in their power to oust Tunstall and other small-time ranchers like him.
In 1878, John Tunstall was gunned down by the Murphy Dolan faction. This murder sparked what became known as the Lincoln County Wars. These events would turn a sleepy New Mexico town into the scene of four of the bloodiest days in New Mexico’s history.