Legends of the Old West - BILLY THE KID | Prologue

Episode Date: October 30, 2019

The life of the most infamous outlaw in the history of the American West is steeped in mystery. This is the story of Henry McCarty, aka Henry Antrim, otherwise known as William H. Bonney, glorified in legend as Billy the Kid. Please subscribe to the Infamous America podcast to hear the full story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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He could read and write, and he preferred moccasins to boots and a sombrero to a cowboy hat. moccasins to boots and a sombrero to a cowboy hat. He never knew his father, and even his name has been debated. But one thing that is known, in 1877, Henry McCarty, also called Henry Antrim, otherwise known as The Kid, was around 17 years old. That summer, he killed his first man. It was a hot August evening in the town of Bonita. The speck of a settlement sat outside Fort Grant, a small military outpost about 60 miles from Tucson in southern Arizona territory. On this night, the blacksmith from Fort Grant,

an Irishman named Frank Cahill, was playing cards at George Atkins' Cantina. And, as always, he was talking. Cahill earned the nickname Windy because he told stories nonstop, stringing them together one after another. At his table sat Henry Antrim, whom everyone called Kid Antrim.

He was no more than 17 years old, and his baby face and slender frame made him look younger. The kid had endured torments from the loudmouth Windy Cahill on several occasions. The blustery Irishman liked to knock the kid around and tussle his hair and make fun of him at every opportunity. But on this night, the kid reached his breaking point. As they sat at the table, Wendy Cahill continued his loud talk, and the situation grew heated as the blacksmith and the kid traded insults. Cahill called the kid a pimp. The kid called Cahill a son of a bitch. called the kid a pimp. The kid called Cahill a son of a bitch. Cahill dove at the kid. They crashed to the floor and wrestled all the way outside and into the dusty street. Cahill pinned the kid to the ground, but the kid wrenched an arm free and grabbed the.45 caliber pistol that

was stuffed into his pants. The kid jammed the gun into Cahill's side and pulled the trigger. A slug tore through the Irishman's abdomen. As Windy Cahill collapsed into the dust, the kid realized the severity of his actions. He leapt to his feet and ran down the street. He jumped onto a horse that wasn't his and galloped out of Benita. He didn't stop riding until he was all the way out of Arizona territory. The kid had committed other crimes in the last three years, but none as serious as murder. If Cahill died, and gutshot men almost always did,

then the 17-year-old drifter would be a murderer, and that label stuck with a person forever. Cahill lingered for several agonizing hours, during which he dictated his last will and testament. In it, he said he was born in Galway, Ireland, and died in Arizona Territory, killed by a young man called Henry Antrim. After Cahill succumbed to his wound, a coroner's jury of six men declared that the death of Frank Cahill was criminal and unjustifiable, and they found a single young man guilty of the act, Henry Antrim, alias Kid. Henry never set foot in Arizona again, and by the time he resurfaced in New Mexico, he had adopted a new name, but the alias stayed with him. Now he called himself William H. Bonney, which was eventually shortened to Billy the Kid.

eventually shortened to Billy the Kid. For all the dedicated Legends listeners here, this is the one many of you have asked for. If you haven't done so already, please subscribe to the Infamous America Podcast to hear the story. And I also want to ask for your help. Please go to any of our social media channels and take a couple minutes to fill out a survey about Legends of the Old West, or Infamous America, or both if you're really thorough and ambitious. We certainly won't turn you away. We're Legends of the Old West Podcast on Facebook, and Old West Podcast on Twitter and Instagram, or Black Brel Media on Facebook and Instagram, and B Barrel Media on Twitter.

Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy Billy the Kid, and as soon as it's done, we're going to start a full year of non-stop stories here on Legends of the Old West. We'll see you next time. Expedia, and other stores you love. You can even stack sales on top of cash back. Just start your shopping with Rakuten to save money at over 750 stores. Join for free at rakuten.ca or get the Rakuten app. That's R-A-K-U-T-E-N.