Tom O'Folliard (1858 – December 19, 1880) was the best friend of outlaw William Bonney, a.k.a. Billy the Kid. Both were members of the Regulators during the Lincoln County War.
Tom O'Folliard | |
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Born | Thomas O. Folliard Jr. 1858 Uvalde, Texas, U.S. |
Died | December 19, 1880 | (aged 21–22)
Cause of death | Gunshot wound |
Resting place | Old Fort Sumner Cemetery 34°24′13″N 104°11′37″W / 34.40361°N 104.19361°W |
Other names | Tom O'Folliard |
Occupation(s) | Ranch hand, gunfighter, outlaw |
Parents |
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After the war ended, they became cattle rustlers, forming the Bonney gang with fellow outlaws Dave Rudabaugh, Charlie Bowdre, Tom Pickett, and Billy Wilson.
O'Folliard, a Texan, was a participant in the Lincoln County War and survived the famous Five-Day Battle in Lincoln in July 1878.
He is said to have been wounded by a gunshot to the shoulder while escaping from the McSween residence, which had been set on fire, with Bonney and three others.
He was shot in the chest by sheriff Pat Garrett on December 19, 1880, at Fort Sumner, dying approximately 45 minutes later. He was interred at Old Fort Sumner Cemetery in a plot he later shared with Bonney and Charlie Bowdre.[1]