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Billy the Kid’s First Crime: Did He Really Escape Like This?

Billy the Kid’s first crime wasn’t a gunfight or a murder… it was a laundry robbery in Silver City, New Mexico — and a “miracle” jail escape that turned him into a legend of the Wild West. But did it really happen the way the history books say?

In this episode of Ghosts of the Frontier, we investigate the Silver City Laundry Robbery and Billy the Kid’s supposed first jailbreak like a true-crime cold case. Using newspapers, court records, and eyewitness accounts, we’ll test the famous story of his escape against the physical reality of that tiny frontier jail — and see whether the legend of Billy the Kid’s first crime survives the evidence.

This isn’t a Hollywood-style Billy the Kid documentary. It’s a forensic look at how a skinny teenage drifter named Henry Antrim (a.k.a. William Bonney) went from small-time thief to one of the most feared outlaws in American history… and how one doubtful “first escape” story helped create the myth.

What you’ll discover in this video:
• The real story behind Billy the Kid’s first crime in Silver City
• How the “laundry theft” actually went down, according to primary sources
• Whether a kid his size could really escape that frontier jail the way the legend claims
• What the sheriff, the jail, and the layout of Silver City tell us about the case
• Why historians still argue about this so-called “first escape”
• What this early crime reveals about Billy the Kid’s character and his future as an outlaw

If you’re searching for Billy the Kid’s real story, Wild West outlaws, frontier true crime, or you just love breaking down Old West legends with hard evidence, this video is for you.

Hit subscribe to join Ghosts of the Frontier as we dig into more outlaw myths, frontier mysteries, and forgotten cases from the American Old West.

PRIMARY SOURCES
Garrett, Pat F. and Upson, Marshall Ashmun. The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid. Santa Fe: New Mexican Printing and Publishing Co., 1882.
Silver City Herald. September 26, 1875. (First published account of Billy's escape)

SECONDARY SOURCES
PBS American Experience. "The Life and Legend of Billy the Kid." https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexpe... (2019)
Texas State Historical Association. "Billy the Kid (Henry McCarty)." https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/e...
LasCruces.com. "New Mexico History – Chasing Billy the Kid." https://lascruces.com/chasing-billy-t... (2025)
Legends of America. "Billy The Kid – Teenage Outlaw of the Southwest." https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-b...
True West Magazine. "Billy Crosses Over." https://truewestmagazine.com/billy-cr... (2021)
True West Magazine. "The Man Who Invented Billy the Kid." https://www.truewestmagazine.com/arti... (2019)
HistoryNet. "Book Review: The Man Who Invented Billy the Kid." https://www.historynet.com/the-man-wh... (2024)
History.com. "Billy the Kid arrested for first time." https://www.history.com/this-day-in-h...
American Heritage Magazine. "Billy-the-Kid Country." Vol. 42, Issue 2 (April 1991). https://www.americanheritage.com/bill...
Cowboys & Indians Magazine. "Scholar George Matthews Discusses The Life & Legend Of Billy The Kid." https://www.cowboysindians.com/2025/0... (2025)
Wikipedia. "Billy the Kid." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_t...
Wikipedia. "The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Aut...

KEY VERIFIED FACTS
Arrest Date: September 23, 1875
Escape Date: September 25, 1875
Arresting Officer: Sheriff Harvey Whitehill
Accomplice: George "Sombrero Jack" Schaefer
Victim: Charlie Sun (Chinese laundryman)
Stolen Goods: Clothing and two pistols (~$150 value)
Billy's Age: 16 years old
Mother's Death: Catherine McCarty Antrim, September 16, 1874
Note: Modern historians recognize the 1882 Garrett-Upson book as containing numerous fabrications and served as an unreliable source for Billy the Kid stories until the 1960s.

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