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HISTORY OF .. .. .. .. "BILLY THE KID"
A cowboy outlaw whose youthful
daring has never been equalled in
the annals of criminal history.
When a bullet pierced his heart
he was less than twenty-two years
of age, and had killed twenty-one
men, Indians not included.
[Illustration]
BY CHAS. A. SIRINGO
HISTORY OF "BILLY THE KID."
The true life of the most daring young outlaw of the age.
He was the leading spirit in the bloody Lincoln County, New Mexico, war.
When a bullet from Sheriff Pat Garett's pistol pierced his breast he was
only twenty-one years of age, and had killed twenty-one men, not counting
Indians. His six years of daring outlawry has never been equalled in the
annals of criminal history.
By CHAS. A. SIRINGO.
Author of:
"Fifteen Years on the Hurricane Deck of a Spanish Pony," "A Cowboy
Detective," and "A Lone Star Cowboy."
To my friend, George S. Tweedy--an honest, easy-going, second Abraham
Lincoln; this little volume is affectionately dedicated by the author,
CHAS. A. SIRINGO.
Copyrighted 1920, by Chas. A. Siringo.
All rights reserved.
INTRODUCTION
The author feels that he is capable of writing a true and unvarnished
history of "Billy the Kid," as he was personally acquainted with him, and
assisted in his capture, by furnishing Sheriff Pat Garrett with three of
his fighting cowboys--Jas. H. East, Lee Hall and Lon Chambers.
The facts set down in this narrative were gotten from the lips of "Billy
the Kid," himself, and from such men as Pat Garrett, John W. Poe, Kip
McKinnie, Charlie Wall, the Coe brothers, Tom O'Phalliard, Henry Brown,
John Middleton, Martin Chavez, and Ash Upson. All these men took an active
part, for or against, the "Kid." Ash Upson had known him from childhood,
and was considered one of the family, for several years, in his mother's
home.
Other facts were gained from the lips of Mrs. Charlie Bowdre, who kept
"Billy the Kid," hid out at her home in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, after he
had killed his two guards and escaped.
CHAS. A. SIRINGO.
CHAPTER I.
BILLY BONNEY KILLS HIS FIRST TWO MEN, AND BECOMES A DARING OUTLAW IN THE
REPUBLIC OF MEXICO.
In the slum district of the great city of New York, on the 23rd day of
November, 1859, a blue-eyed baby boy was born to William H. Bonney and his
good looking, auburn haired young wife, Kathleen. Being their first child
he was naturally the joy of their hearts. Later, another baby boy
followed.
In 1862 William H. Bonney shook the dust of New York City from his shoes
and emigrated to Coffeeville, Kansas, on the northern border of the Indian
Territory, with his little family.
Soon after settling down in Coffeeville, Mr. Bonney died. Then the young
widow moved to the Territory of Colorado, where she married a Mr. Antrim.
Shortly after this marriage, the little family of four moved to Santa Fe,
New Mexico, at the end of the old Santa Fe trail.
Here they opened a restaurant, and one of their first boarders was Ash
Upson, then doing work on the Daily New Mexican.
Little, blue-eyed, Billy Bonney, was then about five years of age, and
became greatly attached to good natured, jovial, Ash Upson, who spent much
of his leisure time playing with the bright boy.
Three years later, when the hero of our story was about eight years old,
Ash Upson and the Antrim family pulled up stakes and moved to the booming
silver mining camp of Silver City, in the southwestern part of the
Territory of New Mexico.
Here Mr. and Mrs. Antrim established a new restaurant, and had Ash Upson
as the star boarder.
Naturally their boarders were made up of all classes, both women and
men,--some being gamblers and toughs of the lowest order.
Amidst these surroundings, Billy Bonney grew up. He went to school and was
a bright scholar. When not at school, Billy was associating with tough men
and boys, and learning the art of gambling and shooting.
This didn't suit Mr. Antrim, who became a cruel step-father, according to
Billy Bonney's way of thinking.
Jesse Evans, a little older than Billy, was a young tough who was a hero
in Billy's estimation. They became fast friends, and bosom companions. In
the years to come they were to fight bloody battles side by side, as
friends, and again as bitter enemies.
As a boy, Mr. Upson says Billy had a sunny disposition, but when aroused
had an uncontrollable temper.
At the tender age of twelve, young Bonney made a trip to Fort Union, New
Mexico, and there gambled with the negro soldiers. One "black nigger"
cheated Billy, who shot him dead. This story I got from the lips of "Billy
the Kid" in 1878.
Making his way back to Silver City he kept the secret from his fond
mother, who was the idol of his heart.
One day Billy's mother was passing a crowd of toughs on the street. One of
them made an insulting remark about her. Billy, who was in the crowd,
heard it. He struck the fellow in the face with his fist, then picked up
a rock from the street. The "tough" made a rush at Billy, and as he passed
Ed. Moulton he planted a blow back of his ear, and laid him sprawling on
the ground.
This act cemented a friendship between Ed. Moulton and the future young
outlaw.
About three weeks later Ed. Moulton got into a fight with two toughs in
Joe Dyer's saloon. He was getting the best of the fight. The young
blacksmith who had insulted Mrs. Antrim and who had been knocked down by
Ed. Moulton, saw a chance for revenge. He rushed at Moulton with an
uplifted chair. Billy Bonney was standing near by, on nettles, ready to
render assistance to his benefactor, at a moment's notice. The time had
now arrived. He sprang at the blacksmith and stabbed him with a knife
three times. He fell over dead.
Billy ran out of the saloon, his right hand dripping with human blood.
Now to his dear mother's arms, where he showered her pale cheeks with
kisses for the last time.
Realizing the result of his crime, he was soon lost in the pitchy darkness
of the night, headed towards the southwest, afoot. For three days and
nights Billy wandered through the cactus covered hills, without seeing a
human being.
Luck finally brought him to a sheep camp, where the Mexican herder gave
him food.
From the sheep camp he went to McKnight's ranch and stole a horse, riding
away without a saddle.
Three weeks later a boy and a grown man rode into Camp Bowie, a government
post. Both were on a skinny, sore-back pony. This new found companion had
a name and history of his own, which he was nursing in secret. He gave his
name to Billy as "Alias," and that was the name he was known by around
Camp Bowie.
Finally Billy, having disposed of his sore-back pony, started out for the
Apache Indian Reservation, with "Alias," afoot. They were armed with an
old army rifle and a six-shooter, which they had borrowed from soldiers.
About ten miles southwest of Camp Bowie these two young desperados came
onto three Indians, who had twelve ponies, a lot of pelts and several
saddles, besides good fire-arms, and blankets. In telling of the affair
afterwards, Billy said: "It was a ground-hog case. Here were twelve good
ponies, a supply of blankets, and five heavy loads of pelts. Here were
three blood-thirsty savages revelling in luxury and refusing help to two
free-born, white, American citizens, foot-sore and hungry. The plunder had
to change hands. As one live Indian could place a hundred United States
soldiers on our trail, the decision was made.
"In about three minutes there were three dead Indians stretched out on the
ground, and with their ponies and plunder we skipped. There was no fight.
It was the softest thing I ever struck."
About one hundred miles from this bloody field of battle, the surplus
ponies and plunder were sold and traded off to a band of Texas emigrants.
Finally the two young brigands settled down in Tucson, where Billy's skill
as a monte dealer, and card player kept them in luxuriant style, and gave
them prestige among the sporting fraternity.
Becoming tired of town life, the two desperadoes hit the trail for San
Simon, where they beat a band of Indians out of a lot of money in a
"fake" horse race.
The next we hear of Billy Bonney is in the State of Sonora, Old Mexico,
where he went alone, according to his own statement.
In Sonora he joined issues with a Mexican gambler named Melquiades Segura.
One night the two murdered a monte dealer, Don Jose Martinez, and secured
his "bank roll."
Now the two desperadoes shook the dust of Sonora from their feet and
landed in the city of Chihuahua, the capital of the State of Chihuahua,
several hundred miles to the eastward, across the Sierra Madres
mountains.