His family later moved to Iowa, and in 1865, after the Civil War ended, Kinney enlisted in the US Army.

He settled in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, and for reasons unknown organized a gang, which began committing acts of robbery and cattle rustling.

On December 31, 1875, Kinney, Evans, Jim McDaniels and Pony Diehl entered a saloon in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where they became involved in a brawl with Cavalry soldiers from Fort Seldon.

During the battle and siege of the McSween house, Billy the Kid fired a shot that hit Kinney in the face, but he survived.

He served in the US Army during the Spanish–American War, and was successful as a miner in Chaparral Gulch, Arizona before retiring to Prescott, where he died on August 25, 1919.