On this day in 1877, Billy the Kid, as a teenager, fatally wounded an Arizona blacksmith, who succumbed to his injuries the following day, marking the infamous outlaw’s first known killing.
The exact number of men Billy the Kid killed remains a subject of debate. Billy allegedly claimed he had taken 21 lives—”One for each year of my life.” However, a more credible source from that era suggests the actual number was closer to nine, with Billy personally responsible for four, and the remaining five committed with the help of others. Compared to other notorious outlaws of the time, Billy’s death toll was relatively low. For instance, John Wesley Hardin killed more than 20 men, with some estimates putting the number as high as 40.
Billy had fled his home in New Mexico after being jailed for a theft he may not have committed. He wandered through Arizona, taking jobs as a ranch hand and sheepherder. By 1877, he was working as a teamster at the Camp Grant Army Post, where he crossed paths with a burly blacksmith named Frank “Windy” Cahill. Cahill, who may have resented Billy’s popularity among others at the camp, took pleasure in belittling the young man.
On this day in 1877, tensions between the two boiled over when Cahill insulted Billy by calling him a “pimp.” Billy retaliated by hurling an insult back, calling Cahill a “son of a bitch.” Enraged, Cahill attacked Billy, easily overpowering him and pinning him to the ground. Feeling desperate and overpowered, Billy drew his pistol and shot Cahill, who died the following day. One witness remarked, “[Billy] had no choice; he had to use his equalizer.” Despite this, the rough justice of the Old West might have deemed Billy guilty of murder since Cahill had not brandished a weapon.
Fearing arrest, Billy fled back to New Mexico, where he became embroiled in the violent Lincoln County War. Over the next four years, he honed his skills as a ruthless killer, becoming increasingly captivated by his own growing legend as an unstoppable outlaw. Billy’s reign of terror was eventually brought to an end on July 14, 1881, when Sheriff Pat Garrett (pictured below) shot and killed him.
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