Billy Burke

William "Billy the Kid" Burke was a gangster in the 19th century. Burke was born to an Irish-American family in Massachusetts on March 18, 1858. By 1880 his mother had been widowed and the family had moved to Chicago and Burke had become a professional criminal. His brother, John “Fat Man” Burke, claimed he was a plumber but he also worked as a professional criminal. Two of Burke's younger brothers held positions in the telegraph office. This proved useful to him later when he needed access to messages sent by private detectives, such as the Pinkertons.