History of 'Billy the Kid' Part 6

The snow had begun to fly when the "Kid" and the remnant of his gang returned to Fort Sumner, New Mexico.

One of his followers, John Middleton, had sworn off being an outlaw and rode away from Tascosa, for southern Kansas, where the author met him in later years. He had settled down to a peaceful life.

The "Kid" made his headquarters at Fort Sumner, so as to be near his sweetheart. He made several raids into Lincoln County to steal cattle and horses. On one of these trips to Lincoln County, his respect for women and children, avoided a b.l.o.o.d.y battle with United States soldiers.

In the month of February, 1879, Wm. H. McBroom, at the head of a United States surveying crew, established a camp at the Roberts ranch on the Penasco creek, in the Pecos valley.

While absent with most of his crew, Mr. McBroom left a young man, twenty-two years of age, Will M. Tipton, in charge of the camp and extra mules. A young Mexican by the name of Nicholas Gutierez was detailed to help young Tipton care for the stock.

Their camp was within a few hundred feet of the Roberts home, on the bank of the creek. One morning Mr. Roberts started up the river to Roswell to buy supplies, leaving his wife, grown daughter, and five-year-old son at the ranch.

Late that evening, Captain Hooker and some negro soldiers pitched camp near the Roberts home. They had several American prisoners with them, to be taken to Fort Stanton and placed in jail.

That night after supper, Mr. Will M. Tipton, who at this writing, 1920, is a highly respected citizen of Santa Fe, New Mexico, says he and Nicolas Gutierez were sitting on the bank of the creek in their camp. He was playing a guitar while Nicolas was singing. Just then a horseman climbed up the steep embankment from the bed of the creek, and dismounted.

This stranger began asking questions about the soldiers' camp, where the camp-fires blazed brilliantly in the pitchy darkness.

Finally the stranger gave a shrill whistle, and soon a companion rode into camp, out of the bed of the creek.

This second visitor was a slender, boyish young man, who seemed anxious to learn all about the soldiers' camp.

In a few moments three negro soldiers strolled into camp and chatted awhile. When they left to return to their quarters, the two strangers bade Tipton and his companion goodnight, and rode down the bed of the creek.

At noon next day, Mr. Roberts returned from Roswell. On meeting young Tipton, he remarked: "You boys had 'Billy the Kid' as a visitor last night." He then told of meeting the "Kid" and his band of "warriors" that morning, and of how the "Kid" told of his visit to the McBroom camp. He told Will Tipton that the small young man was the "Kid."

"Billy the Kid" had told Roberts that they had planned to make a charge into the soldiers' camp and liberate the prisoners, who were friends of theirs, but finding that Mrs. Roberts and the children were alone, and that the soldiers' camp was so near the Roberts home, they gave up the proposed battle, knowing that the shooting would disturb Mrs. Roberts and the family.

Mr. Roberts explained to Mr. Tipton that he had always fed the "Kid" and his "warriors" when they happened by his place, hence their friends.h.i.+p for him.

Now the "Kid" and his party rode to Lincoln to use their influence in a peaceful way to liberate their friends, whom Capt. Hooker intended to turn over to the new sheriff of Lincoln County.

In Lincoln the "Kid" met his former chum, Jesse Evans, and they started out to celebrate the meeting. With Jesse Evans was a desperado named William Campbell.

One night a lawyer named Chapman, who had been sent from Las Vegas to settle up the McSween estate, was in the saloon, when Campbell shot at his feet to make him dance. The lawyer protested indignantly and was shot dead by Campbell.

Jimmie Dolan and J. B. Mathews, being present, were later arrested, along with Campbell, for this killing.

Dolan and Mathews came clear at the preliminary trial, and Campbell was bound over to the Grand Jury. He was taken to Fort Stanton and placed in jail. There he made his escape and has never been heard of in that part of the country since.

Now "Billy the Kid" and Tom O'Phalliard rode back to Fort Sumner, but soon returned to Lincoln, where they were arrested by Sheriff Kimbrall and his deputies--merely as a matter of performing their duty, but with no intention of disgracing them. They were turned over to Deputy Sheriff T.

B. Longworth and guarded in the home of Don Juan Patron, where they were wined and dined.

On the 21st day of March, 1879, Deputy Sheriff Longworth received orders to place his two prisoners in the town jail--a filthy hole.

Arriving at the jail door, the "Kid" told Mr. Longworth that he had been in this jail once before, and he swore he would never go into it again, but to avoid making trouble, he would go back on his pledge.

On a pine door to one of the cells, the "Kid" wrote with his pencil: "William Bonney was incarcerated first time, December 22nd, 1878--Second time, March 21st, 1879, and hope I will never be again. W. H. Bonney."

This inscription showed on the old jail door for many years after it was written.

The first time the "Kid" was put in this jail he walked right out, and this second time, he broke down the door when he got ready to go.

After breaking out of the jail, the "Kid" and O'Phalliard spent a couple of weeks in Lincoln, carrying their rifles whenever they walked through the street, in plain view of the sheriff.

In April, they returned to Fort Sumner and were joined by Charlie Bowdre and Skurlock. Jesse Evans had left for the lower Pecos, where he was later killed, according to reports.

The summer was spent by the "Kid" and his followers stealing cattle and horses.

In October they went to Roswell and stole 118 head of John Chisum's fattest steers, and later sold them to Colorado beef buyers. The "Kid"

claimed that Chisum owed him for fighting his battles during the Lincoln County war, and he was using this method to get his pay.

From now on, for the next year, the "Kid" and gang did a wholesale business in stealing cattle. Tom Cooper and his gang had joined issues with the "Kid" and party, and they established headquarters at the Portales Lake--a salty body of water at the foot of the Staked Plains, about seventy-five miles east of Fort Sumner.

Here a permanent camp was pitched against a cliff of rock, at a fresh water spring, and it afterward became noted as "Billy the Kid's" cave. A rock wall had been built against the cliff to take in the spring, and afforded protection as a fort in case of a surprise from Indians or law-officers.

They had the whole country to themselves, as there were no inhabitants--only drifting bands of buffalo hunters.

Raids were made into the Texas Panhandle, the western line being a few miles east of their camp, and fat steers stolen from the "LX" and "LIT"

cattle ranges on the Canadian river.

These herds of stolen steers were driven to Tularosa, in Dona Ana County, New Mexico, and turned over to Pat Cohglin, the "King of Tularosa," who had a contract to furnish beef to the U. S. soldiers at Ft. Stanton.

Cohglin had made a deal with "Billy the Kid" to buy all the steers he could steal in the Texas Panhandle, and deliver to him in Tularosa.

In January, 1880, the "Kid" added another notch on the handle of his pistol as a mankiller. He and a crowd of the Chisum cowboys were celebrating in Bob Hargroves' saloon in Fort Sumner. A bad-man from Texas, by the name of Joe Grant, was filling his hide full of "Kill-me-quick"

whiskey, in the Hargroves' saloon.

Grant pulled a fine, ivory-handled Colt's pistol from the scabbard of Cowboy Finan, putting his own pistol in place of it.

Here the "Kid" asked Grant to let him look at this beautiful, ivory-handled pistol. The request was granted. Then the "Kid" revolved the cylinder and saw there were two empty chambers. He let the hammer down so that the first two attempts to shoot would be failures.

Now the pretty pistol was handed back to Grant and he stuck it in his scabbard.

A little later Grant stepped behind the bar, so as to face the crowd, and jerking his pistol, he began knocking gla.s.ses off the bar with it. Eyeing "Billy the Kid," he remarked: "Pard, I'll kill a man quicker than you will, for the whiskey."

The "Kid" accepted the challenge. Grant fired at the "Kid," but the hammer struck on an empty chamber. Now the "Kid" planted a ball between Grant's eyes and he fell over dead.

At the Bosque Grande, on the Pecos river, the three Dedrick boys, Sam, Dan, and Mose, owned a ranch, which became quite a rendezvous for the "Kid's" and Tom Cooper's gangs. From here the herds of stolen Panhandle, Texas, cattle were started across the waterless desert to the foot of the Capitan mountains, a distance of about one hundred miles.

Here Dave Rudabaugh, who had the previous fall killed the jailer in Las Vegas in trying to liberate his friend, Webb, joined "Billy the Kid's"

gang. Also Billy Wilson and Tom Pickett joined the party, and their time was spent stealing cattle and horses.

CHAPTER VIII.

"BILLY THE KID" ADDS ONE MORE NOTCH TO HIS GUN AS A KILLER. TRAPPED AT LAST BY PAT GARRETT AND POSSE. TWO OF HIS GANG KILLED. IN JAIL AT SANTA FE.