His real name was George Schaefer, and he got the nickname Sombrero because of the large Mexican hat that he wore, which may have influenced the Kid to don a similar hat. The locals remembered Schaefer as a petty thief and drunk, not the appropriate companion for an orphan. No doubt Schaefer was responsible for a major turning point in Billy the Kid's life.

Harvey H. Whitehill was elected sheriff of Grant County in April of 1875, and he would be forever known as the first sheriff to arrest Billy the Kid. He was a discerning man whose own children played with the Kid and he would later state he locked up the boy just to scare him straight. He had planned on releasing the Kid in a few days and offering him a home in Whitehill’s own household. If the Kid had only waited, his life may have turned out very differently.

Little is know about Frank P. Cahill. He was born in Galway, Ireland and was about 37 years old when the Kid shot him. He ran a blacksmith shop in a small civilian town outside a military fort called Fort Grant. He had a reputation for being a loudmouth and a bully. No sooner did the Kid arrive in the Fort Grant area, Cahill started teasing and harassing the slim teenager.

Born in Missouri around 1853, Jesse Evans came to New Mexico by way of Texas. He had at one time worked for John Chisum, the famous cattle baron of New Mexico, but decided there was more money in the cattle trade as a rustler. He joined up with a chain gang of rustlers in Dona Ana County and sold stolen livestock to John Kinney, more commonly known as "King of the Rustlers." Evans fought for Dolan during the Lincoln County War and was responsible for much of the violence and stealing of property. After the war he returned to Texas and was involved in a robbery, and during a pursuit by the Texas Rangers, he was captured. Evans was convicted and sentenced to serve time at the Huntsville Penitentiary, but would later escape and never be heard of again.

A native of Ireland born in 1848, James Dolan served in the U.S. army before joining the L.G. Murphy & Company also known as "the House" in Lincoln, New Mexico. Lawrence Murphy was a monopolizing businessman, and he passed on his ways to his protégé, Dolan. When Murphy became terminally ill with cancer and relocated to Santa Fe, Dolan took over the House and renamed it J.J. Dolan & Company. The House eventually collapsed at the end of the Lincoln County War, but despite his crooked ways Dolan still remained a successful businessman.

Lawrence Gustave Murphy was a native of Ireland, and upon his arrival to the states, he enlisted with the army. After being stationed at various locations, his service finally expired in New Mexico. He then enlisted with the First New Mexico Volunteer Infantry, and while in this service, he met up William Brady. He also came in contact with another officer named Emil Fritz, who would later become his business partner. Murphy was discharged from the Infantry, and with his associates, he began his empire he called the L.G. Murphy & Company, also known as "the House." By forming a monopoly and dominating the army and Mescalero reservation contracts as well as mortgaging land to poor farmers and taking their goods and property as payment in addition to operating a store, the House was gaining power. But the greed became too much and the House fell into debt with the death of Murphy's associate Emil Fritz, followed by Murphy’s own terminal illness. Before Murphy went into the hospital in Santa Fe, he left everything to James Dolan. Murphy died on October 20, 1878.

Born in 1853, John Tunstall was an entrepreneur from London, England. He left his homeland and worked in the mercantile business in British Columbia. He then wanted to go into business for himself and came up with the idea of raising sheep, but after venturing into New Mexico looking for property, he dropped the sheep idea and focused on cattle. Tunstall quickly realized that to succeed in New Mexico he had to be part of a faction. He didn't want to be at the mercy of J.J. Dolan & Company, so he decided to start his own operation. So with financial help from his wealthy father in England, Tunstall purchased his own ranch, opened a store in Lincoln and joined up with former Dolan attorney Alex McSween. The competition Tunstall brought to Lincoln County would prove to be a fatal mistake.

Born in 1843 in Canada, Alex McSween settled in Eureka, Kansas and worked as school teacher before practicing law. After two years of residing in Eureka, McSween's asthma began to trouble him, so he and his wife Susan relocated to New Mexico for the drier, warmer climate. He settled in Lincoln and was quickly hired by Dolan to collect money regarding a life insurance policy on a business associate named Emil Fritz, who had passed away. After collecting, McSween refused to hand over the money to Dolan, but instead McSween safeguarded the money for the sake of Fritz's heirs. Dolan then had McSween charged for embezzlement, which had a snowball effect that resulted in the Lincoln County War. McSween was now on Dolan's hit list, so he joined up with another name that would make the list, John Tunstall.

Bowdre was born in Mississippi in 1848, and he first appeared in Lincoln County around 1875. He acquired a ranch where he lived with his wife and would become a supporter to the Tunstall side. Following the brutal death of Tunstall, he became a prominent member of the Regulators, and after the war he would ride with Billy the Kid. Bowdre started to limit his involvement with the Kid and his outlaw activities and got work on Thomas Yerby's ranch. Unfortunately, his continuing friendship with the Kid resulted in him being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Tom O'Folliard was born in 1858 in Uvalde, Texas and was orphaned at a young age when both parents died of smallpox. He lived with relatives until he ventured off to New Mexico. O'Folliard was one of the last participants to get involved in the Lincoln County War when he joined the Tunstall side. He and Billy the Kid quickly became inseparable companions and after the war, they embarked on an outlaw lifestyle of rustling and gambling. O'Folliard would dodge the law with Billy the Kid until their luck finally ran out.

Born in Ireland in 1829, William Brady came to America in 1851, enlisted with the army and was stationed in Texas. After being discharged, he relocated to New Mexico and joined the First New Mexico Volunteer Infantry where he met Lawrence Murphy. After he was discharged from the Infantry, Brady then joined up with his friend Murphy who had just formed the L.G. Murphy & Company, also known as "the House," and was starting his business in Lincoln. Because of Murphy's influences, Brady was elected Sheriff of Lincoln County, which gave the House control of the law enforcement in Lincoln.

Born in Vermont in 1850, Dick Brewer made his way west and settled in New Mexico. He bought a ranch from the House on credit and was unaware that he was being taken to the cleaners. Tunstall explained to Brewer that the House didn't have a title to the land and therefore that Brewer owed them nothing; also by Brewer filing under the Desert Land Act, the property would then be his. This of course infuriated Dolan and caused bad blood between the two. Brewer then became a supporter for Tunstall and would also become his ranch foreman. Before the bloodshed of the Lincoln County War broke out, Brewer spent a good deal of his time recovering Tunstall's stolen livestock from the Boys and may have been involved in Billy the Kid's arrest.

Yet another man of mystery, little is known of Andrew L. Roberts. It was said he was a Texan, served in the army and was at one time a Texas Ranger. After Roberts killed a man, the Texas Rangers attempted to arrest him, but Roberts—never known for giving up without a fight—resisted and a gunfight broke out. During this gun battle, Roberts was shot so many times that he earned the nickname Buckshot Roberts. Although, Roberts was a ruthless outlaw, one has to admire his grit. After Roberts was killed in a gunfight at Blazer's Mill, even Billy the Kid commented, "Yes sir, he licked our crowd to a finish." While in New Mexico, Roberts was a gunfighter and horse thief and may have been involved in the Horrell War, another bloody feud in Lincoln County just before the Dolan and Tunstall/McSween feud erupted. Roberts rode with Jesse Evans' gang and was a member of the posse that gunned down John Tunstall.

Josiah Gordon Scurlock was born in Alabama in 1849. Scurlock had studied medicine, which earned him his trademark name of "Doc." He was well-educated, read the classics and even wrote poetry, but a tenderfoot he was not! Scurlock was also a capable gunfighter. He turned up in New Mexico and worked as a cowboy for John Chisum in the mid 1870s. He quit his job at Chisum's ranch and headed to Lincoln County and would join a vigilante group that called themselves the "American Posse," who rid the area of horse thieves and rustlers, whether it be running them out of the county or lynching them. In 1876, Scurlock married a local Mexican girl and she bore him 10 children. Scurlock fought in the Lincoln County War for the Tunstall side and even became the leader of the Regulators after the death of their captain Dick Brewer. After the war, Scurlock left New Mexico and relocated to Texas where he put his past behind him and started a new life for himself and his family. He died in Eastland, Texas in 1929.

George Warden Peppin was born in 1841 in Vermont and served in the Company A, Fifth Regiment California Infantry. He ended up in New Mexico with Carleton's Column until discharged. He stayed in New Mexico and became a mason by trade. He got a lot of work in the Lincoln County area as a builder, until he was deputized by Sheriff Brady. He was one of the four deputies accompanying the sheriff when he was assassinated. After Brady's death, Peppin was appointed county sheriff and was involved in the five-day battle at McSween's house. Several months after the Lincoln County War, Peppin resigned from office and became a family man and lived a quiet life until his death in 1904.

Nathan A.M. Dudley was born in Lexington, Mass. in 1825. Dudley spent most of his life in the army, although he was a controversial officer. He had a bad reputation for being overbearing, drinking too much, and disobeying orders. Even though he wasn't well liked within the army, he was still a high ranked officer and had many powerful friends that backed him whenever he landed himself in trouble. During the Lincoln County War, he violated the Posse Comitatus Act when he brought troops into Lincoln and aided Dolan in his personal war with McSween. There was a court of inquiry against Dudley for his actions, but thanks to Dudley's powerful cronies, he got off the hook. The corrupted colonel continued to get in trouble for his conduct in the army until he retired in 1889. At the time of his death in 1910, he was given full military honors as a brigadier general.

A native of Iowa, Huston Chapman graduated from the Portland Academy and practiced law as well as working for the AT&SF Railroad. Although Chapman had only one arm because of an accident early in life that resulted in amputation, he never let his handicap get in the way of his ambitions. He left the railroad company and started a firm with another attorney in Las Vegas, New Mexico. He took Susan McSween's case against Colonel Dudley for his actions during the five-day battle and being responsible for the death of her husband. So of course, this made Chapman an enemy of the House and a marked man. His cold-blooded murder was the last straw regarding the violence in Lincoln County.

Lewis Wallace was born in Brookville, Indiana in 1827. In his early life, Wallace was a newspaper reporter, studied law, served in the First Indiana Infantry and got involved in politics. When the Civil War broke out, he was appointed adjutant general and eventually became colonel of the Eleventh Indiana Infantry. At the end of the Civil War, he made the rank of general, and following the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, Wallace was a member of the military court that tried the assassinators. Wallace wanted to be an ambassador, but instead was appointed governor of the territory of New Mexico. Wallace reluctantly took the job, but figured he could now have time to finish his book Ben Hur. In March 1881, Wallace resigned as governor and was finally given a more desirable position as U.S. Minister to Turkey. In his retirement years, he returned to Indiana and would write The Prince of India and an autobiography. He died in 1905.

George Kimbrell was a native of Arkansas born in 1842. After an attempt at mining, he ventured into New Mexico and settled near Lincoln. He was elected sheriff of Lincoln County and was on good terms with Billy the Kid, treating him fairly when he was in custody during his "eyewitness protection program." At the end of his term, Kimbrell lost the election to Pat Garrett. For several years, Kimbrell served as a Justice of the Peace in his district. He died in 1925.

All we know of Joe Grant (alias Texas Red) is that he was from Texas and may have been after the Kid to kill him to make a name for himself or he was hired to kill him. Earlier that evening Grant challenged the Kid to a bet, "I bet $25 I kill a man today before you do." The Kid then asked "Why do you want to kill a man for?" The Kid probably had an idea who that man was going to be, so he kept a close eye on him. The killing of Grant raised no objections and the Kid simply shrugged it off. A few days after the shooting, someone asked the Kid about it and he replied, "Aw, it was nothing. It was a game of two and I got there first."

Patrick Floyd Jarvis Garrett was born in Louisiana in 1850. He was a cowboy and a buffalo hunter before he wandered into New Mexico. There he found work at Fort Sumner as a bartender and cowboy and would eventually meet up with Billy the Kid. Although not the close buddies as described in myth, the two men did know each other well. Garrett was familiar with the Kid and his gang and therefore he was persuaded to run for sheriff of Lincoln County. Garrett succeeded in ridding the territory of its most notorious outlaw, but at the end of his term, he was not re-elected. Garrett did pin the star again as the sheriff of Dona Ana County in 1899. In 1901, President Teddy Roosevelt appointed Garrett to be the Collector of Customs of El Paso, but his bad disposition made him unpopular and he would not be reappointed. In 1908, Garrett ended up trying to intimidate the wrong men during a disagreement and was killed. Surviving him was his wife, Apolonaria, and eight children.

A native of New York, Warren H. Bristol was born in 1823. He graduated from Fowler's Law School and practice law in Minnesota. He became district attorney and later probate judge and got involved in politics. In 1872, he was appointed Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of New Mexico. If it wasn't for his biased conduct during the Lincoln County War, things may have turned out differently for the Tunstall and McSween side—most of all for Billy the Kid. After resigning in 1885, Bristol continued to live in New Mexico until his death in 1890.

Ameredith Robert Olinger was born in Indiana in 1850. He and his mother followed his older brother Wallace to New Mexico where the two Olinger brothers got involved in the Lincoln County War fighting for the Dolan side. When the Kid became New Mexico's most wanted man, Olinger was appointed U.S. Deputy Marshall to help hunt Billy the Kid down. After the Kid was finally captured, Olinger would transport the Kid from the Santa Fe jail to La Mesilla for trial and from there to Lincoln. The reason for the Kid's hatred, and the ruthless manner in killing Olinger, stemmed from when Olinger killed a friend of the Kid’s and from the taunting the Kid endured when he was Olinger's prisoner.

Pete Maxwell was the son of the wealthy land baron, Lucien B. Maxwell, whose family at one time owned the Maxwell Land Grant. His father purchased Fort Sumner in 1871, an abandoned military fort, and transformed it into his own little village. After his death, his son Pete took over what was left of the family business, which was now mostly in livestock. The old fort was a stopping place for travelers, local sheepherders, cowboys and most of all, Billy the Kid. Pete Maxwell wasn't too please to see the Kid getting sweet on his sister Paulita, which may have encouraged him to tip Garrett off that the Kid was in Fort Sumner.

Paulita Maxwell wea born in Mora in 1864. She was the sister of Peter Maxwell. Paulita married into moderate wealth in 1882, however, it was not a happy marriage but did result in three children. Paulita died at Fort Sumner in 1929 and was buried there beside her brother and near the Kid's grave.