Today in History - 1877

Blacksmith, Henry McCarty became a civilian teamster at Fort Grant Army Post in Arizona with the duty of hauling logs from a timber camp to a sawmill. The civilian blacksmith at the camp, Frank "Windy" Cahill, took pleasure in bullying young McCarty. On this date, Cahill attacked McCarty after a verbal exchange and threw him to the ground. McCarty retaliated by drawing his gun and shooting Cahill, who died the next day. Before the marshal could arrive on the scene, McCarty, who became known as "Billy the Kid" escaped with his first notch on his belt.