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VOLUME I.
£cijaf Jlitaeriiscmeiik
i
Y\ liereas. 0. \\ . Hood. Executor of Z..S. Hood,
deceased. represents to this Court, by his petition
duly filed, that lie has fully and completely ad
ministered said deceased's estate, and is entitled
to a discharge from said administration —
'This is to cite all concerned, kindred and cred
itors, to show cause, if any they can, on the first
Mondjyv in Seldom her. 1881 ...at the jerjn
of Hie V'linf <4 ( Unfix? <WSsW county. why Let
ters of Dismission should not be granted the ap
plicant from said trust.
< .iven under my oflicial signature, this May i>D
issi. Ai. YV. BELL, Ord’y.
(~t ilOltlnlA, .lacksoM Coanly.
Whereas, ('. M. Wood. Administrator on the
estate of A. M. l/iggins, late of said comity, de
ceased. represents to the Court, by his petition
duly filed, that he Juts fully administered said es
tate, fntitjcl to| iTiichar^ei-. , ?
Thii? is*fo cite afr t-orrcemcd, knmreif and cred
itors, to show cause, at the Court of Ordinary of
said county, ofutho first Monday in. October, 18fW,
why s;vid applicant slumiKl not hawe fitters of Dis
mission from his said trust.
(liven under my oflicial signature, this June 28.
'* ' A'' 1 :-L.
Ct .lackson Comilv.
vx
Whereas, YV. I*. Cosby. Administrator on the
estate of k'ninees C Cosby', late of said county.
dc<n f ased, repr&chts to the fJotirt that he Has fully
administered said estate, and is therefore entitled |
to betters of Dismission—
This is to cite iyll, concerned, kindred and cred- j
itors, to sKmV caftso, at the CbdVt of Umifi/Vry of;
said county, on the first Monday in October f ISBI, |
why said letters should not he granted the appli- j
cant.
(liven under my oflicial signature, this June 28,
1881. 11. W. BELL, Ord’y.
.lat'lison Coiiifty
Whereas, the reviewers, appointed for the pur
pose of reviewing the road in said county com
mencing on the Athens and Lawrenceville road,
near the residence of Charles Furgerson, thence
by tlie residences of James and Nancy Spencer,
John Marlow, 4'. U. Furgerson. Lewis Anthen
and W. Collms, intersecting with the Watkins
ville and llog Mountain road at or near the resi
dence of the Widow Jones, having marked out and
reported„tlmt the.establishment of said, roiul as
one of the p\#Hl iff* itindsjoP’ said "ociuAby wall iolr
dtice to the convenience of the traveling public,
an order will he passed on Monday, the
day of August. JBSI, grafting-Die
lishment
the county*, If no good cause to the contrary be
,,j liiil2 m?3 **,
Givch under ray official signature, this July 20,
,ssl - ,m i
Jackson County.
Whereas, upon application to mo. in terms of
the law, lv onc-lifth of the qualified voters of llitv,
253d DisrfctJ(ft 111. $f kiid ZimitV % askjn| fen
an clciJtraii to* be mea in safa District, that. tff<r
question of the restriction of tl'.e'salc of intoxicat
ing liquors in said District may be sttWhiltiilito
the voters thereof— ' m %
It is hereby ordered that an election be held in
jit of holding fleo-
t*i tsam\ oh SiyaTsflay* the GU* day of
August. TSSI ; that those voting at said election
who favor restriction shall have written or printed
on their ballots the words, •• For Restriction,’*
and those who oppose shall have written or print
ed on their ballots the words, Against Restric
tion," and that the managers of said election shall
keep duplicate list of voters and talley sheets,
certify and sign the same, one of which shall be
tiled with the Clerk of the Superior C<mrt of
county and fyfwlrmil without delay to
his Excellency the (loverimr.'
julyS v f . U. YV. BEJ.L, Ord'y.
~ ' . f t- /t i r \ IT r r r t
* \y ? * ? j( ) T ji 11 * y |t- J / v#'"
MORE lET!
x
ia ti* *i *
NOTWITHSTANDING the heavy inroads up
on our stock, we still keep enough of
B\tV\At tvwt\ V\u\f^
..-a
Dry Goods
on hand to supply our Customers, and shall con
tinue to add to the same as tiie requirements of
tin* trade demamJ. a f
r.? T-71 ji i /i W/ .. 1 I
WE AliE STILE OFFEKIXU
vri'4, ft O tt/lt j?.
BARGAINS
-—TINT :
Staple Dry Goods
’.VXD
Glt <) CEItI E S •
Call and price. We will take pleasure in show
ing our .-ftock,
• *5 4 t
V. H. BROCK & CO.
Jefferson, (la., April 20th, ISSJ.
. - -i
at^•^w&eSSsssiiissk^w
■ *rf i" ■ ■ ■ ' I ■II.I—■! ■ *'■ ■ --■ 4 -- ■ .1 ■* ■ " •mi
Boots and Slioes!
New Slioc Siiop it Mailer’s CM CfflCGj
JEFFERSON, GA.
* T/’EEP onharni best of material. Fine sewed
-IV. Bobts and Shoes a specialty My work needs
no talk from me. Give me a trial, and I will give
satisfaction. juuc 10 S. M. STAIIK.
WV.vA'A"? XUSC'VAAN/Wt.
t
* ou
’ I’rrNoilly menrl f —Bid
Twenty-One Years of Aye and One of the
Most Noted of Desperadoes —Shot
D6wn at Last by a Sheriff ■ —
llis Excitinj Life.
r4 s y V i l k V'V is no
doubt abourr it that '*• Hilly 'the Kid,” the no
torious bandit, is dead, lie was killed on
Saturday, by Sheriff Pat Garrett, of Lincoln
county, at Fort Sumner, 120 miles from here.
The coroner's jtyy returned a verdict of justi
fiable* homicide, coupled with a statement that
Pat Garrett deserved the thanks of the whole
community for ridding the country of such a
wfspclado. Tljp Kid \yas a'beardless youth
and is said to have been born in New York,
and it is said that his real name was ?dc
CafUiy. 11 is ‘boast was that lie had killed a
man for ever}' year of his which is prob
ably true. Sheriff XLqyrett Receives the re
vMTl\ iTWffi tlieTcrritory afid $-0(1
will be raised for him by the rejoicing people.
The verdict of justifiable homicide is rather
queer, as the Kid was shot down without
warning. lie had been in the neighborhood
of Sumner for some days, disguised as a Mex
ican. Sheriff Garrett got upon his track and
on Saturday night was waiting for him in the
cabin of Pete Maxwell, a cattle man. Gar
rett had not been in the room over twenty
minutes when the Kid entered in his stocking
feet, knife in hand, and ostensibly for the
purpose of buying some meat. lie observed
Garrett’s crouching form near the bed, but
before he could ascertain who it was, Garrett
fired, the ball passing through the desperado's
heart.
The Kid has shot a number of men since
hU.esoape from jail, abopt two months ago.
He s was tried and sentenced to be hanged,
and taken to Lincoln, near Fort Stanton, for
sajrc kqcpi t ! le gave
'escape*. One day he felled his guard with a
blow from lire shackled' fists, Sfiatchcd a rc
and-seiit a Uuti)Tg|| his heart.
Tnsn he wafkeft across tlTe street to the house
where another guard lived, waited for him to
come up the street and shot him dead. Then
be armed himself with a Winchester rifle and
a lot of revolvers, and as the crowd, attracted
by the noise, gathered, scattered people right
and left. Ho ordered one of the men to get
him a horse and a file. He mounted the for
mer anil with the 1 a tteTli’ ljs3V)lr tap fly s
upon one of his legs, and, not stopping to re
move the other, tied the severed manacle with
its chain to his belt so that it should not.im
pede his movements. Not a man in the crowd
dared draw a bead on him, and, saying that
lie did not intend to steal the horse and would
return it, Billy smarted out-of town on a gal
lop. Before he had gone lar the horse
‘'•bucked” and threw him. lie jumped up.
and at the rtiuzalf of his pistol compelled ohc
of the men to catch his horse, which he re
mounted and rode away. Soon after he went
to Sumner, be had a sweetheart,
and disguised himself.
HIS CASTLI-: IX Tin-: WILDERNESS—SHOOTING
TJFOFI.K OFF HAND— IirS BAND.
[Special Correspomlencc Philadelphia Times.]
Fort Sumner, N. M-, July 10. — A month
ago it was generally believed that the famous
bandit known as “Billy the Kid” was dead,
ami as the belief in the truth of the report
grew there was more and more rejoicing.
Now, however, comes the report that Billy is
still in the land of the living, and that lie is
living in disguise at Sumner. There is con
siddrable exokeinent over llio news. Billy
the Kid, who has been greatly feared in this
portion of Xew Mexico, in Texas and parts
of Colorado, for 'several years past, is the
desperado concerning whom less is'known
than an}’ other American outlaw wjio ever out
throats, robbed stage coaches or stole cattle
in this far Western country. Your corres
pondent has accidentally made the acquaint
ance of a young gentleman, the son of a for
mer distinguished member of General Sher
man’s stall’, who had a wonderful experience
with the celebrated bandit, whose deeds have
been so much heralded of lute.
Young Duucan is now a successful trader
at Alamosa, New Mexico, in the “Black
Range.” The news of the renegade's death
was to the effect that “Bill}' the Kid,” dis
guised and going under another name-, was
shot and killed by passengers of a stage coach
within five miles of Alamosa, New Mexico, on
the afternoon of May IG, at thirty minutes
past one o'clock—just twenty-five hours and
thirty minutes later than he would have died
by, the .rope had ho remained in the jail of a
little New Mexico town, where he wars Con
fined under sentence of,death, which sentence
was to have been executed on the lath of
May, at twelve o’clock boon. On the 2d of
Mjay he craped from jail by kiwddpjjjiis
jailer senseless with the manacles on .fiis
hands and got aw a}’, after killing the Deputy
Sheriff and one other citizen. During the
two weeks* freedom which followed, this
young terror of the plains succeeded in tak
ing seven more lives than he already had to
answer for, bringing his grand total of known
LutChcrics up to some thirty-three or thirty-
JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY, GA„ FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, ISSI.
four in number. The news ofhis death proves
false, and there is no doubt that the despe
rado is now in this vicinity, in spite of the
price set upon his head.
A Yi WSTKKIOrs BANDIT.
But little is known of the true history of
the little more than youth called “ Billy the
Kid.” and there is not an individual living
within the radius of several hundred milesof
tliis region (where alt the desperate exploits
of the murderer have taken place) who even
knows the Kid’s true name. This is some
thing he would never tell, and his reasons for
■': . f
withholding it will be found further along in
this history. The young man who tells me
the story of the Kid’s life is one of the best
known young fellows in this whole wild coun
try. Nieyeifis danger threatened the settle
ment but lie is the tirst man to be on the
alert to protect its interests, and it has not
been many days since he headed an expedi
tion in pursuit of a party of Indians
wltf) were suspected af murdering a young
miner. Some time ago young Mr. Duncan
was a member of Mcllroom’s surveying party,
surveying for one of the new railroads through
New Mexico and Texas. lie had at this
particular time been several months in the
country and was pretty well used to its ways,
lie could talk, eat and sleep with “ Greasers’'
and hold fluent converse with nearly all the
different tribes of Indians.
“It was about the middle of April, in 1S80,”
said he, “ that I was with Mcßroom's party,
and, after several weeks’ hard work, we found
ourselves somewhere close to that dangerous
locality, the Llano Fstacada, or Slaked Plain,
occupying an immense territory in the coun
ties of Lincoln and Don Ana, in the extreme
southeastern corner of New Mexico, and
where it is, as you know, very hard work to
find anything in the shape of water or green
ness. In fact, there is no verdue in the whole
immense area. One hot evening, when what
water we yaiyked was exhausted, wc’Yverc ui
successful in tkiAing-a creek r spring! The
night was rapidly approachingYyhen wc finally
werit nhd several of us were dis-
directions to look for the
precious -fluid. I was given three burros
(small Mexican donkeys} and started in a
northerly direction, with instructions if I did
uot strike water before darkness came iu-re
turn to camp. Tp
Uk>i’ DA, ’Ulb I’JALXS.
“ I found no water, ami at dusk started in
a direction which I Supposed would take me
to the camp. It did not, however, and I wan
dered about all that night, hearing no noise
except now and then the screeches of night
birds peculiar to this region. I cannot de
scribe to you my feelings when, at the close
of the second day of 1113- bewilderment, I sank
down exhausted and made a pillow of one of
the little animals which, like were
ncarl3' famished through hunger and thirst.
It came to me all at once that I was lost on
the Llamo Kstacada. For three days I was
alone on that desolate plain, and the fourth
day had set in,before I became delirious. On
the afternoon of the fourth da}% when I was
about ready to lie down and die, the burros
struck up what is known as a ‘ blind trail’
and followed it up. I was startled a short
time after to have one of the burros break
awa3' from me and dash forward. The two
others followed, and a few moments later 1
saw the poor beasts rolling and plunging in
a greenish, stagnant pool of foul water, out
of which grew a lieav}’, rank vegetation. I
thanked God, for I knew there must be clear
water somewhere near, from which this pond
was fed. ;At length I found it—a tiny, silvery
rivulet, very shallow, but every sparkle of
which in the clear sunlight was more precious
to me than so tafaiiy diamonds. I threw my
self prostrate by its side and drank. Getting
up I walked to the top of what is called a
measn, or high plain, that was just before me,
and w'as surprised when my eyes fell on the
valley beneath to sec a cluster of what ap
peared to be cottonwood trees. Immediate!}'
on the other side of them rose another kbdi
C3
plain. The trees were in the valley, and in
the midst of them stood one of the queerest
looking buildings I have ever seen. It was
a round, cone-shaped affair, that might have
been the cast le of some Mexican grandee, the
ranche of a cattle herder or a fort. Situated
as it was between the two abrupt high plains,
it could not be seen until one was
upon it. The building appeared to be built
of adobe, and I could notice all around its
sides holes which I took to be loop holes. I
w'as getting deathly sick, made so by' drink
ing sdimich water, and determined to ap
proach the strange building. Going down
the hfl! I looked for the door, found it, cried
* halloo,’ and would probably' have fallen to
the ground had l not been brought*to my
senses by seeing the cold, cruel bores of
eleven Winchester rifles staring me ih the
face. The rifles were pointed at me from
cracks in the door and the loop-holes sui
roundiug it. I suppose I cried, ‘Don’t shoot;
I’m a friend,’ or something of that sort, for
the}' didn’t shoot, and the next moment the
door was opened and a }’oung man with an
I eye brighter than an eagle’s stepped out. I
I knew him. I had seen him at Sumner, and I
I had seen him shoot down a man in his tracks
FOR THE PEOPLE.
The young man then described to your
correspondent this peculiar and secret hiding
place of one of the most lawless and despe
rate bands of renegades the country has ever
known. When it is stated that only in one
place for probably fifty miles around this sec
tion of country can water fit to drink be found,
and that this water bubbles up from a spring
situated in the middle of the floor of the out
laws’ stronghold, one of the advantages of the
site will be obvious. It was from this gush
ing spring in the above ranclie of the despe
radocs that the little stream trickled on to
feed the slimy pool, accidentally discovered
by the young surveyor. The fearful exposure
to which young Duncan had been subjected
caused a fever to set in, and lie could not
think of leaving his bed for some time. Hu
ring t<he days of his convalescence he had
several long talks with the Kid and other
members of the band. They all treated him
with great kindness, and many Yvcre the allu
sions made as to the jolly life they led, in
tended, no doubt, to influence the young man
to join them. The thoughts that occupied
the mind of the young YYash'iivgtonian vgppn
references were made to a possible onslaught
on the strongliold.by Texan Rafi’gcrs, wlio
wore then in the Territory, were not very
plcagaut, for hying .found in* tfic rbnhgHcTes’ *
company he would -have shared a like fate
with them.
THU . j
Billy, the Kid was a re markable looking
person, and the following is something of a
description of him at the time of which 1
write : He was about twenty years of age,
small of stature, smooth-faced, spare built,
with; several peculiarities that would dis
tinguish him from equally wicked spilits as
himself. One of his chief marks was that
of extreme cruelty. Ilis lips were thin and
his upper lip very short; two sharp, fierce
looking teeth, much longer than any bthers
in his head, grew out from under that 'upper
lip ifi an extremely cruel and vicious man
ner. •- lie was exceedingly vain, not only of
his position as leader of a band of between
two and three hundred desperadoes, but of
his personal appearance and his skill with
the ride. In the latter specialty he perhaps
had a right to be proud, for it is known that
in all the Western country there was not
such a quick and perfect shot as “ Billy the
Kid.” lie took delight in showing the
young man who had so unwittingly fallen
into his bands the nicety with which every
thing in his “ Castle,” as he called his re
treat amidst the loneliness of the Now
Mexican plains, was arranged. And verify,
from the description of it which I received,
and saunter leisurely down the street. I was
in the presence-of the bandit known as. Billy
the Kid. When I had seen him in Sumner
lie had also noticed me, and as I was a
stranger he had inquired as to who 1 was and
had received the information, lie now re
cognized me, and, when he saw my condi
tion, greeted me kindly. I said, ‘How are
you, Kid ?’ and he answered, ‘ Well, you're a
pretty sick kid!* He then looked carefully
around and, seeing that I was entirely alone,
invited me in. I caught a glimpse of a very
handsome young woman. He ordered her to
do something, and soon she brought me about
$ pint of raw corn meal and water. She told
me to drink it."’ I did’ and if life.
I laid myself down on a pile of skins, and, I
guess, being quite a healthy young fellow,
very tired and with a tolerably easy consci
ence, I performed the feat of sleeping for
about thirty hours, without eating or drink
ing. When I awoke it was nearly night of
the next day. I saw all of my arms and am
munition lying beside me on a stool, and then '
I knew I was safe and among people yvlio
would not harm me.”
THE KID’S STRONGHOLD.
it must have been a wonderfully built place
of defence. The main room was about
thirty feet in diameter and about ten feet
high. There were complete cooking arrange
ments in one of the “ante-rooms,” and a great
number of berths fixed one above another on
one side of the apartment. In two other
partitioned spaces there were enough stores
packed away tp last a hundred men thirty
days. The great spring in the middle of the
hard floor was of the most cooling and refresh
ing nature. There were specimens of nearly
all kinds of pillage to be found in abundance
in the place.
OX AN EXPEDITION.
At the time the young man who gives me
these particulars went to the “Kid’s’ head
quarters there were only eleven or twelve
men “at home.” The rest of the gang were
out stealing cattle, and at his other strong
holds in different parts of the couutry.
Young Duncan noticed that a close watch
was always kept at the loopholes during the
day, and that the men never were separated
from their arms. On inquiry it was made
known to him, that which has long been
apparent to everybody in New Mexico and
parts of Colorado and Texas, viz : that there
are about three classes of society in those
regions, which may be thus divided : Fol.
lowers of hands of organized horse and cat
tle thieves, murderers and bandits, such as
“ Billy the Kid,” led on to victory ; the *’ Tex-
an Hangers,” or movable vigilance commit
tees, who have the law of Texas on their
side, but arc, in fact, as great rascals as
those who steal openly. These “ Hangers”
the desperadoes hate with deadly hate, but
they also fear them, When bandit cow-boy
and “ Hanger” meet there is blood on the
face of the New Mexican moon. The “ Han
gers” arc about the only organized sort of
police the Texas employs, and they
frequently make excursions over into New
Mexico to “ whoop up the Greasers.” The
third class in New Mexico society is the
honest, quiet, hard working citizen, and he
is the prey of both “ Hangers” and desper
adocs. • < -*✓
READY TO TAKE A TOWN.
In an immense corral adjacent to the
“Kid’s” castle there was placed on the
fourth clay of Mr. Duncan’s sojourn in the
adobe rancho some two hundred cattle, the
fruits of one expedition of the gentlemen who
had been absent. There was much feasting
and great hilarity on the night of their return
home. The next morning when the stranger
woke tip and looked out where the cattle
had been, lo ! t hey were gone—spirited away,
after having been rebanded, to some still
safer place. On that day the famous young
cut throat got himself up regardless of cost
and went away. Before his departure, one
of las men brought a magnificent black
gelding up to the door of the bidden rancho,
and Billy, while the horse was neighing and
pawing, sprang info the saddle. This is how
lie looked as lie sat giving his last orders to
McCabe, his first lieutenant in villainy : He
wore a blue dragoon’s jacket, of finest broad
cloth, heavily loaded down with gold embroid
ery; buckskin pants, dyed a jet black, with
small, tinkling silver bells sewed on down the
sides. These pants were cut t'glit and fitted
closely bis shapely log. Underneath this
garhiertt were his drawers of fine scarlet
broadcloth, extending clear down to Min ankle
and over his feet, encasing them like stock
ings. But his hat was the most gorgeous and
the crowning feature of his get up, as it is
with the Mexicans. It was Yvhat is known
as a “ chihuah.ua,” made ot costly beaver, with
a flat crown and a brim ten inches wide. And
this whole structure of a hat was covered
with gold and jewels until it sparkled and
shone in a dazzling and blinding manner
when one looked upon it. There was a gold
cord around CrtflVn' large as a man's
tnnVV grtat. bright rosette at the left
side set ifcVJfT in all its glory I '' r fhis lmt cost
nearly $300.' The shoes worn by this young
prince of the plaids were low quartered, with
patent silver spurs fixed in the heels, which
took the place of the common, clumsy arrange
ments that ordinary equestrians use. Digged
out in this gaudy, saucy way the boy demon,
(for 110 can hardly bo described as anything
short of a mixture of the devil and humanity)
would dash into a town and take it; that is,
the citizens would give way to him, let him
race like a meteor through the streets, drink
at their bars without paying when he pleased,
and one man in Sumner, a leading spirit
and the owner of the largest store in the place,
so much feared the Kid and his gang that he
would allow them to use their pleasure in
regard to paying him for articles to which their
fancies might lightly turn and which they
would confiscate.
tiie kid's history.
It was about ten days before the yoifng
king of the renegades returned to Ins hidden
castle. Coming back from his secret mission
to no one knows where, ho became very much
attached to Duncan, admired his bravery and
in a remarkable degree made him his con
fidante. Fourteen days after the young man
fell into the den of the IvTcT that Individual
announced to his new acquaintance that lie
had discovered the whereabouts of Mcßroom’s
party (somewhere on the Vegas river) and
would in person guide his young guest to his
friends. Then he called one of his men, had
a splendid horse saddled for Duncan, caused
his own steed to be again magnificently
caparisoned and the two set out on a cool
morning for a ride that much have been full
of a very unpleasant sort of mystery to one
of the part}’ at least. The Kid seemed to be
in a melancholy sort of mood and became
communicative, giving to his young and honest
companion the fullest history of his life that
lie ever gave to any one. This desperado
has been given many names by those cor
respondents who have written concerning him
and not one of these names, lie himself has
stated, was correct. He was known as Billy
Conley, Billy Coyle, Donovan and by several
other cognomens, bnt none of them were
right. lie was of Irish birth, he told my in
formant, and was one of a large family who,
at the time of his birth, lived near Spring
field, 111. Ilis father was wry poor and to
better his
when Billy was about nine 3 ears old. Here
and in different towns of Texas the boy be
came a celebrity on account of the wonder
ful way in which he could handle a rifle.
Old marksmen stood in awe of him when
ever he appeared, a grinning, saucy bo}’, at
shooting matches, country fairs or ox
roasts, to compete with them for the prizes
offered.
S TERMS, $1.50 PER ANNUM.
( SI.OO for Six Months.
r .\ | f *
in? Ffitsj MrnnEu.
In Sherman or some small town near to
that city, when he was 1G years of age,
Hilly killed his-first man. lie was very pa
thetic when he related the circumstances of
his tragedy. In a bar room one night, a
swaggering youth, whose father was wealthy,
threw out a slur to the Irish boy wlil<sT| 're
flected seriously upon his birth, and particular
ly upon the kind of work in which his (Hilly’s)
father was engaged. Tile boy dared him to
fight, and in the melee that ensued killed his
antagonist. Immediately lie reflected that
his victim’s family, being rich, they would
Lincoln county cattle wbr ftc Iho
unit, fdthmigh one of the youngest
boys engaged in the business ; and that po
sition he ever after maintained, not hesita
ting to kill at a moment’s notice any man,
even of his own band, who aspired to gain
an}' soct of influence over the men or who
questioned his authority. He also told
Mr. Duncan that tho reason he always re
fused to give his real name and the genuine
place of his residence in Texas was that he
had an old mother and three sisters, tho
latter being happily married to law-abiding
and honorable citizens. At that time lie
was anticipating death. Heavy rewards
were everywhere offered to anybody who
would take him, dead or alive, or who could
i give authentic information as to his hiding
places. lie lived in imminent danger of any
hunt him to the death, and he would stand no
chance of getting justice should he remain
and he tried. So he tied and went direct to
Lincoln county, Nep Mexico, where 'several
cattle herders were in want of boj’S. Later
on he was defrauded by one of these men,
who refused to keep his agreement of divid
ing. at a certain time, the profits of his busi
ness (cattle stealing) svitli the oow-boys who
aided him. The buys revolted and a das'
peratc and bloody contest ensuod. This
was during the years of 1878 and 1870. and
has cvfhtmwed up to the present time. There
is no doubt bht what this strange boy was
bound to be a ruler of some kind. In tho
moment'being shot down like a dog, and ho
was honest enough to own that he deserved
it. - •••,-.
The ride was a long and circtiitious one,
and the “ Kid,” no doubt, guided his com
panion in such a manner that it would be a
hard task for Duncan ever again to ftud the
9 pot where the secret ranche wa3 hidden.
Billy acted honorably toward his captive,
pa thq night of the day 011 which they left
Llano E~Lacada Duncan was returned safe
and sound to his friends, lliliy bade him
good bye and vanished. In the first town tho
surveying party stopped my informant saw a
notice posted up offering SSOO reward for
“ Billy the Kid,” dead or alive, and less
amounts for any of his band, or for informa
tion whereby his retreats might be discovered.
The man who lia’d slept in Billy’s rancho
would rather have cut off his right hand than
betray him, even could lie have done so.
now “the kid” mcrdkued.
For years this young desperado has been
engaged in the task of systematically killing
off all persons in this (Valencia) and Lincoln
counties whom lie considered his enemies.
These people were all engaged in the cattle
stealing business. The chief end of his life
of late has been, as he expressed it, to kill off
a man named Giilis, a rich cattle herder, and
who was the first man, Billy said, who “ went
back” on him. Often he would ride up to
where some of Giilis’ men were, shoot down
one or two of them and then send word to
Giilis those whom he allowed to live that
he (Billy) was on his track and intended to
hunt him to his death. At the time the des
perado had this remarkable conversation with
young Duncan he was suspicious of his first
lieutenant, a Texan named McCabe, lie
said that McCabe committed a great
number of crimes against the settlers which
were attributed to himself and which he de
precated. It was not many weeks after this
that Duncan heard McCabe bad been shot
down by his superior. Persons at this place
who witnessed a tragedy in which the “ Kid”
was the chief actor described it to me as one
of the most remarkable feats of quick and
accurate shooting they had ever seen. An
enemy of one of Billy’s fast friends was in
Sumner one day when some of the “ gang”
were on a jamboree. The enemy of the ren
egade’s friend was a “ Ilangcr,” and by pry
ing round and hiding behind doors and store
boxes he thought he had escaped identification.
When the renegade whom he was bent on
slaughtering entered the store the “Danger”
drew a bead on him, and in three seconds
Billy's staunchest friend would have been
food for worms had Jiot the Kid sprang about
six feet, seized his Winchester and with the
rapidity of lightning let fly the leaden
messenger that sought refuge in the heart of
the “ Danger.” lie fell over against a barrel
and expired without a groan, while the entire
party including the renegade who had so
narrowly escaped death, marched up to the
bar and took a drink. After his last escape
from prison Billy was almost maniacal and
was more of a dare-devil than ever before.
Ilis band is now pretty well scattered"
NUMBER 24.
