He arrived in New Mexico in 1868. A frequenter of saloons, he moved effortlessly into robbery and murder. In 1878 he became prominent in a cattle war, killing the local sheriff, Jim Brady. The territorial governor, Lew Wallace, was unable to persuade Billy to cease his activities. Sheriff Pat Garrett captured him in 1880, but he escaped, only to be shot by Garrett at Fort Sumner, New Mexico.