Green, Carl R. and William R. Sanford. Billy the Kid. Part of the Outlaws and Lawmen of the Wild West series. 2009. 48p. ISBN 0-7660-3173-X. Available at B BIL on the library shelves.
The Wild West of the 1880s was populated by bandits and villains, ready to make a quick dollar or spill a man's blood for a perceived insult. One of the most prominent criminals of the time was known as Billy the Kid for his good youthful looks. Henry Atrim was fifteen when he first joined a group of outlaws. Over the next six years, the man who became known as Billy the Kid lived a fast life, rustling cattle, stealing horses, and participating in shout-outs.
Arrested several times and sentenced to hang for murder, Billy managed to escape his jailers and kept on running. He was eventually found in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, where he was shot dead at age 21 by Sheriff Pat Garrett. Despite his violent past, Billy the Kid's reputation grew as western dime novels became popular, turning him into a hero of sorts. Today, the truth about Billy the Kid remains clouded by movies that romanticize his life and accomplishments.
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