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    History of 'Billy the Kid'
    History of 'Billy the Kid'
    History of 'Billy the Kid'
    Ebook79 pages2 hours

    History of 'Billy the Kid'

    By Charles A. Siringo

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    Billy the Kid, born Henry McCarty, (1859 – 1881) was an American Old West outlaw and gunfighter who killed eight men before he was shot and killed at age 21. He took part in New Mexico's Lincoln County War, during which he allegedly took part in three murders.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMadison & Adams Press
    Release dateAug 30, 2018
    ISBN9788026897200

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      Book preview

      History of 'Billy the Kid' - Charles A. Siringo

      Introduction

      Table of Contents

      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.

      Table of Contents

      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

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