The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1889-04-25
"BILL Y THE KID"
Continued
PART II.

head particularly cool, Che was al
ways and under all circumstances
what is popularity called "a cool
hand" and it was this quality Of cool
self possession, combined with
wonderful dare devlltry, which made
him, almost boy though he was, the
terror of borderland) and when his
head felt particularly steady, he
would have one Of his henchmen
place dozen Of empty beer bottles
in line on the edge Of the station
platform, and about ten to fifteen
feet apart. Billy would then ride
along the platform at "hand- gal
lop," and successfully shatter the
neck of each bottle with a revolver
bullet, using both right and left hand
in firing alternately, as he darted
past the line of bottles. This feat
he regarded-and truly-as much
more difficult one to achieve than
the driving in a circle Of nails, as
previously described. These two
are such startling examples of al
most perfect accuracy and skill in
the use of the deadly Colt; or "Na-
Wy" revolver, that we could not won
der at the fact that men looked up
on this lad as the incarnation of all
that was dangerous to life, limb and
property. Many intelligent persons
with whom we talked, regarded Billy
as under the special protection of
his Satanic Majestic.
When Billy first came to Colorado
and New Mexico, he was merely a
wandering vagrant boy, with ds
cided tendency towards Glow life"
and vicious companionship that is
ALL It is said that he began his ca
reer as a newsboy in New York or
Chicago. Drifting out to the from
tier, along with other scum and
driftwood Of the great seething cal
dron called "society," he gradually
fell into frst,-pecadillos, then mis-
demeanors,-then crimes Gifted
by nature with a perfect set of
nerves and fine muscular develop
ment (he was strong, agile and quick
as the mountain cat, though slenderly
bullt), and having acquired an Sin
dia rubber" conscience and a callous
indifference to the sufferings and
mortal anguish of his fellow man,
how, we will not inquire-and hav-
ing discovered how easy it was to
kill human being Gf you could on
ly "pull' first, and press, finger on
trigger with quick eye and cool,
steady nerve his ambition became
thoroughly aroused, and he deter
mined to get wealth by any means
whatever, even if the path to it lay
over the corpses of those who had
owned it. Billy, however, was just
the opposite Of the popular idea of
the Western bully and "border ruff
fan Instead of a big, burl,,
bushy whiskered waggerer, full of
great oaths, and carrying small ar
senal upon his person, this fellow,
whose mere name and neighborhood
caused strong, brave men to tremble
and sometimes become as wax in his
hands, was a rather slender, light
complexioned youth, with scarcely
an inclpient beard, quiet and unos-
tentatious in general demeanor, and,
on the whole, as far removed from
the yellow covered literature "bravo"
as is possible.
The direct cause Of his being
bounded and pursued, as he was, for
months and years during the later
part Of his criminal career, was his
wholesale robbery of cattle and
horses from honest, Woodworking
ranchmen and herders. Followed
by larger or smaller gang of sub
ordinates, escaped criminals, "cow-
boys of vicious character, and law
less rovers. who-cowed completely
by the cool devilt-y, wonderful
"sang froid,' and unerring aim of
their boy chief, -rendered him a
prompt obedience, he ravaged the
country side from northern Texas to
central Colorado. His principal
haunts, However, appear to have
been the rich valleys and rro1,r