History of 'Billy the Kid' Part 8

Dear Charlie:

Yours of the 29th received, and contents noted. I will try to answer your questions, but you know after a lapse of forty years, one's memory may slip a cog. First: We were quartered in the old Government Hospital building in Ft. Sumner, the night of the first fight. Lon Chambers was on guard. Our horses were in Pete Maxwell's stable.

Sheriff Pat Garrett, Tom Emory, Bob Williams, and Barney Mason were playing poker on a blanket on the floor.

I had just laid down on my blanket in the corner, when Chambers ran in and told us that the 'Kid' and his gang were coming. It was about eleven o'clock at night. We all grabbed our guns and stepped out in the yard.

Just then the 'Kid's' men came around the corner of the old hospital building, in front of the room occupied by Charlie Bowdre's woman and her mother. Tom O'Phalliard was riding in the lead. Garrett yelled out: 'Throw up your hands!' But O'Phalliard jerked his pistol. Then the shooting commenced. It being dark, the shooting was at random.

Tom O'Phalliard was shot through the body, near the heart, and lost control of his horse. 'Kid' and the rest of his men whirled their horses and ran up the road.

O'Phalliard's horse came up near us, and Tom said: 'Don't shoot any more, I am dying.' We helped him off his horse and took him in, and laid him down on my blanket. Pat and the other boys then went back to playing poker.

I got Tom some water. He then cussed Garrett and died, in about thirty minutes after being shot.

The horse that Dave Rudabaugh was riding was shot, but not killed instantly. We found the dead horse the next day on the trail, about one mile or so east of Ft. Sumner.

After Dave's horse fell down from loss of blood, he got up behind Billy Wilson, and they all went to Wilc.o.x's ranch that night.

The next morning a big snow storm set in and put out their trail, so we laid over in Sumner and buried Tom O'Phalliard.

The next night, after the fight, it cleared off and about midnight, Mr. Wilc.o.x rode in and reported to us that the "Kid," Dave Rudabaugh, Billy Wilson, Tom Pickett, and Charlie Bowdre, had eaten supper at his ranch about dark, then pulled out for the little rock house at Stinking Spring. So we saddled up and started about one o'clock in the morning.

We got to the rock house just before daylight. Our horses were left with Frank Stewart and some of the other boys under guard, while Garrett took Lee Hall, Tom Emory and myself with him. We crawled up the arroyo to within about thirty feet of the door, where we lay down in the snow.

There was no window in this house, and only one door, which we would cover with our guns.

The "Kid" had taken his race mare into the house, but the other three horses were standing near the door, hitched by ropes to the vega poles.

Just as day began to show, Charlie Bowdre came out to feed his horse, I suppose, for he had a moral in one hand. Garrett told him to throw up his hands, but he grabbed at his six-shooter. Then Garrett and Lee Hall both shot him in the breast. Emory and I didn't shoot, for there was no use to waste ammunition then.

Charlie turned and went into the house, and we heard the 'Kid' say to him: 'Charlie, you are done for. Go out and see if you can't get one of the s--of--b's before you die.'

Charlie then walked out with his hand on his pistol, but was unable to shoot. We didn't shoot, for we could see he was about dead. He stumbled and fell on Lee Hall. He started to speak, but the words died with him.

Now Garrett, Lee, Tom and I, fired several shots at the ropes which held the horses, and cut them loose--all but one horse which was half way in the door. Garrett shot him down, and that blocked the door, so the 'Kid' could not make a wolf dart on his mare.

We then held a medicine talk with the Kid, but of course couldn't see him. Garrett asked him to give up, Billy answered: 'Go to h--l, you long-legged s-- of a b!'

Garrett then told Tom Emory and I to go around to the other side of the house, as we could hear them trying to pick out a port-hole. Then we took it, time about, guarding the house all that day. When nearly sundown, we saw a white handkerchief on a stick, poked out of the chimney. Some of us crawled up the arroyo near enough to talk to 'Billy.' He said they had no show to get away, and wanted to surrender, if we would give our word not to fire into them, when they came out. We gave the promise, and they came out with their hands up, but that traitor, Barney Mason, raised his gun to shoot the 'Kid,'

when Lee Hall and I covered Barney and told him to drop his gun, which he did.

Now we took the prisoners and the body of Charlie Bowdre to the Wilc.o.x ranch, where we stayed until next day. Then to Ft. Sumner, where we delivered the body of Bowdre to his wife. Garrett asked Louis Bousman and I to take Bowdre in the house to his wife. As we started in with him, she struck me over the head with a branding iron, and I had to drop Charlie at her feet. The poor woman was crazy with grief.

I always regretted the death of Charlie Bowdre, for he was a brave man, and true to his friends to the last.

Before we left Ft. Sumner with the prisoners for Santa Fe, the 'Kid'

asked Garrett to let Tom Emory and I go along as guards, which, as you know, he did.

The 'Kid' made me a present of his Winchester rifle, but old Beaver Smith made such a roar about an account he said 'Billy' owed him, that at the request of 'Billy,' I gave old Beaver the gun. I wish now I had kept it.

On the road to Santa Fe, the 'Kid' told Garrett this: That those who live by the sword, die by the sword. Part of that prophecy has come true. Pat Garrett got his, but I am still alive.

I must close. You may use any quotations from my letters, for they are true. Good luck to you. Mrs. East joins me in best wishes.

Sincerely yours, JAS. H. EAST."

The author had previously written to Jim East about "Billy the Kid's"

sweetheart, Miss Dulcinea del Toboso. Here is a quotation from his answer, of April 26th, 1920: "Your recollection of Dulcinea del Toboso, about tallies with the way I remember her. She was rather stout, built like her mother, but not so dark.

"After we captured 'Billy the Kid' at Arroyo Tivan, we took him, Dave Rudabaugh, Billy Wilson, and Tom Pickett--also the dead body of Charlie Bowdre--to Fort Sumner.

"After dinner Mrs. Toboso sent over an old Navajo woman to ask Pat Garrett to let 'Billy' come over to the house and see them before taking him to Santa Fe. So Garrett told Lee Hall and I to guard 'Billy' and Dave Rudebough over to Toboso's, Dave and 'Billy' being shackled together. As we went over the lock on Dave's leg came loose, and 'Billy' being very superst.i.tious, said: 'That is a bad sign. I will die, and Dave will go free,' which, as you know, proved true.

"When we went in the house only Mrs. Toboso, Dulcinea, and the old Navajo woman were there.

"Mrs. Toboso asked Hall and I to let 'Billy' and Dulcinea go into another room and talk awhile, but we did not do so, for it was only a stall of 'Billy's' to make a run for liberty, and the old lady and the girl were willing to further the scheme. The lovers embraced, and she gave 'Billy'

one of those soul kisses the novelists tell us about, till it being time to hit the trail for Vegas, we had to pull them apart, much against our wishes, for you know all the world loves a lover."

It was December 23rd, 1880, when the "Kid" and gang, Dave Rudebaugh, Tom Pickett and Billy Wilson--were captured, and Charlie Bowdre killed.

The prisoners were taken to the nearest railroad, at Las Vegas, where a mob tried to take them away from the posse, to string them up.

They were placed in the County jail at Santa Fe, the capital of the Territory of New Mexico, as the penitentiary was not yet completed.

Dave Rudebaugh was tried and sentenced to death for the killing of the jailer in Las Vegas. Later he made his escape and has never been heard of since.

CHAPTER IX.

"BILLY THE KID" IS SENTENCED TO HANG. HE KILLS HIS TWO GUARDS AND MAKES GOOD HIS ESCAPE.

In the latter part of February, 1881, "Billy the Kid" was taken to Mesilla to be tried for the murder of Roberts at Blazer's saw mill. Judge Bristol presided over the District Court, and a.s.signed Ira E. Leonard to defend the "Kid." He was acquitted for the murder of Roberts.

In the same term of court, the "Kid" was put on trial for the murder of Sheriff Wm. Brady, in April, 1878. This time he was convicted, and sentenced to hang on the 13th day of May, 1881, in the Court House yard in Lincoln.

Deputy United States Marshall, Robert Ollinger, and Deputy Sheriff David Wood, drove the "Kid" in a covered back to Fort Stanton, and turned him over to Sheriff Pat Garrett.

As Lincoln had no suitable jail, an upstairs room in the large adobe Court House was selected as the "Kid's" last home on earth--as the officers supposed, but fate decided otherwise.

Bob Ollinger and J. W. Bell were selected to guard "Billy the Kid" until the time came for shutting off his wind with a rope.

The room selected for the "Kid's" home was large, and in the northeast corner of the building, upstairs. There were two windows in it, one on the east side and the other on the north, fronting the main street.

In order to get out of this room one had to pa.s.s through a hall into another room, where a back stairs led down to the rear yard.

In a room in the southwest corner of the building, the surplus firearms were kept, in a closet, or armory. One room was a.s.signed as the Sheriff's private office.