Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1891-10-02

game. am Billy the Kid, and this l.
the carcass the officers wish to pay sucf
a big price for. DO 7 look worth it?p
told him that while his eyes pos
sessed a nowise gentle gleam, he
didn't look like a very bad man. AZ
ter some conversation regarding hl,
life and 0hscauses which had induced
him to become an outlaw. said:
Billy, I believe l see before me the
most notorious victim of dime move
reading the country ever produced
Is not that the PRIME cause of your
present conditions fugitive from
justice; with a terrible record behind
you and the keenscented hounds OF
the law forever On your tran?p
"Well you are not far from right.
lOf coarse there were other things
that drove me into this life, but be-
lieve il reading them books had not
reused the devil in me | should nov
be straight man. How did you get
otto thatgn
81 inferred lt from the fact that
nine-tenths of our so-called bad men
were iirst induced to so wrong through
reading the vile blood and thunder
novels which are daily firing the
brains OF boys and young men with
crazy ideas Of heroism, and causing
them to leave pleasant homes in the
east and come west to fight Indians or
become famous as highwaymen. The
writers and publishers Of such trash
are a curse to the country"
"Thats rlght!H he replied. 81 know
just as know am sitting here talk
ing to you that the Officers will run
dead into me some day and do me up.
Its only a questlhn of time, but I'll
stand 'em off as long as l can. One
more on the list can't make my
character any wosre than il is, and l
tell you, honestly, it would be a
pleasure to me If | could make the
last act Of my life an interview with
naming well-known publisher
of fash literature. After I'd read one
of that fellows books could not rest
till I'd get another and his works
planted devil in me that's there yet.
I've got the name he set me to achin'
for and what's in it? Hunted like a
dog day and night, and knowing death
II get his clutches on me mighty soon.
Ohlits glorious this terror buslness.
I could not but feel sympathy for
the poor wretca, rcd-hauded murderer
th0ngh kncwahiln-to l1e,a7Itl never
preached such q sermon as / did to
him In that lonely galch far from
human habitation. ] talked to him
OF his mother bis home, what he
might have been had he resisted the
vile influences which led him astray
and the softened expression which
came over his sin-hardeHed counte-
nance convinced me that my words
deeply affected him. At our parting
he said:
Jack, you are the first man that
ever talked that way to me, and 1
thank you for it, Such talk Il long
time ago might have made me differ
ent, but it's too late now No matter
how earnest might be in wanting to
settle down and lead an honest lie,
the officers wouldn't let me, and all l
can do is to so ahead till my time
comes. Good bye. l hope l may
meet you again some time.n
lie mounted his horse and rode
away, and so great was the confidence
he felt in me after my lecture to him
that he never once glanced backward. |
a shot from my rifle would have rid
the country Of its most dreadful des-
perado, whose hands were reeking
with human blood, and would have
placed in my pocket The large reward
offered for "him dead or alive" and
not for worlds would l have betrayed
that trust, villain though he was.
Nogalos Herald: wednesday even
Ing while quietly riding along the line
near Buena Vista ranchi on the Santa
Cruz, Customs Inspector Jensen came
upon two Mexicans who had the
as a mescal distillery on
wagons. Inreply to questions they
said they were taking it to rancher
near there, and the yigilant official
volunteered to accompany them The
-ancher said he knew nothing about
It, and Jensen then told him that so
oug as it had been hauled onto his
place he would hold him responsible |
-lll next day at 10 o'clock. Promptly
next day the officer returned with
Chinese Inspector Sollgnac as inter
prefer and took charge OF heoutflt.
Tucson Citizen; A gentlemen from
.he Salero region tells that the diyid- |
hg line between heavy green feed in
,lenty aud feed that is not by great |
leal 50 plenty or 50 green is at the
empire ranch. Beyond the stock are
n Gne order, through to Nogales this
tide conditions are Of an opposite |
haracter.