Billy the Kid, 1859–81, American outlaw, b. New York City. His real name was probably Henry McCarty; he was known as William H. Bonney. His family moved to Kansas and then to New Mexico when he was a child. He frequented saloons and gambling halls and killed several men during his teens. In 1878 he led a gang in the Lincoln co. cattle war, killed two deputies, and engaged in large-scale cattle rustling. John S. Chisum and other cattlemen secured (1880) the election of a new sheriff sworn to rid the country of the cattle thieves. Billy the Kid was captured, tried, and sentenced to death. He escaped but was again trapped and was shot by Sheriff Pat F. Garrett.

 Charles King, a native Coloradan, has been an in-costume host for many out of state company functions dressed as the outlaw and gunslinger William H. Bonny.  Charles' extensive knowledge of the old west, and in particular the role Gold, cattle, and Denver played in the formation of the "wild country," serves well in welcoming visitors to the great state of Colorado.