Middletown transcript., 1881-07-22
A DARING DESPERATE.
BILLY THE KID" AND HIS BLOODY
RECORD OF CRIME.


RECORD OF CRIME.
The doings of a noted boy desperate,
known by the euphonious title of Chilly
the Kid, . have been frequently chron-
icled in the telegraphic columns.
Chilly the Kid is bound to achieve
even more fame than the noted Wild
Bill, who, according to western lore,
used to kill man or two before break
fast. Billy's field of operations has
been mostly confined thus far to the
broad prairies of that boundless State,
New Mexico. Billy is terror, and
Lutte Wilcox, of the Las Vegas, n. NJ,
Daily Optic, now visiting in the city,
knows all about the terror of the plains.
This coming to the ears of a Leader
man, he sought out the far western
journalist, subjected him to the tor
ture as an interview, and elected the
following facts The Kid,'' accord
ing to report, was once New York
bootblack. Reading dime novels and
trashy story papers turned his head,
and he bought himself a revolver and
started for the boundless west. On the
way he fingered long enough in Ohio
to kill his first man, after which he
made tracks for Texas, where he be-
came COW boy. His deadly skill as a
marksman and his unquenchable de-
sire for gore, gave him the name and
fame he coveted-that of brutal des-
perado. He was one of the leaders i'll
the Lincoln county, New Mexico war,
killing several men. After this fight
was over he became the leader Of
gang of outlaws, and committed muir
derous atrocities. So offensive did his
operations become that the governor
Of the State offered five hundred dollars
reward for his capture. The citizens
combined to help the officers of the law
bring the fugitive to justice, and after
a hard chase of two weeks he was cap
tured and jailed He, with four COM
panions, was tried at Mesilla, N. NJ,
and sentenced to be hung on May 3D.,
1881. While in Jail he confessed to
Mr.. Wilcox that he had killed no less
than thirty-tWO men. 1.-THE Kid'' is
less than twenty-one years of age, tall
and slender, with blue eyes and a beard
less face.
He had warned the authorities that
he would make his escape, remarking
" You know, boys, that in order to
make this hanging success you must
have me there, and l don't intend to
be present" He struck his guard over
the head with the hand shackles that
were on his wrists, and then snatching
the revolver from the belt of the guard,
he quickly ended the latter's life with
bullet. He then coolly walked up to
the house just across the street, where
the other guard lived, and, picking up
shotgun, seated himself to await the
= a
the latter, unconscious of any danger,
strolled toward the house. A voice
called out, Hello, old fellow - The
guard looked up and saw "Billy the
Kid'' with the gun in his hand. A
second later there was loud report,
and the guard staggered, dying from a
wound in the side. To make sure of
his work, Billy sent the contents of the
other barrel into the guards body.
This made the second man he had killed
within ten minutes. Dropping the
shotgun, he entered rear room which
was used for storing supplies, and
armed himself with half a dozen six
shooters, Winchester repeating rife,
and all the ammunition he could con-
veniently carry. The report of the gun
had caused quite number of people to
assemble around the building, and
when Billy appeared on the porch every
man reached for his pistol With his
Winchester rifle at his side, not raising
it to his shoulder, Billy began to shoot,
and the men began to scatter.
g am fighting the whole world for
my life, . said he, "and 1 mean bust
ness He then ordered one of the
men to get him horse and a file. He
mounted the former, and with the :,
latter filed off the shackles upon one of
his legs, and, not stopping to remove
the other, tied the severed manacle with
it's chain to his belt, so that it should
not impede his movements. Not
man in the crowd dared to draw bead
on him, and, saying that he did not &
intend to steal the horse and would re
turn it, Billy started out of town on
gallop. Before he had gone far the
horse i" "bucked'' and threw him. He :
jumped up, and at the muzzle of his
pistol compelled one of the men to
catch his horse, which he remounted =
and rode away, and has not since been
seen or heard of. It seems almost in ',
credible that one man could take pos y
session of a town and make his escape
IN the face of a score of armed men
Dut such is the fact. =
Billy is said to be master of the use II
If the revolver. He is a dead shot,
md can shoot quicker than any man u
n New Mexico. He can use an ordi- I
lary Colts revolver as quickly as u
mother man can a self-cocking pistol. Il
lie shoots with his left hand as accu- y
ately as he does with his right, and p
lis aim with revolver in each hand, u
hooting simultaneously, is unerring. 81
With Winchester rifle he can shoot III
IS well with the gun at his side, with IL
ut apparently taking any aim, as most ', "
nen can shoot in the usual way. His NJ
quail for the quick and unerring use Of bt
rearms has never been known in New "a
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