The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-08-04
DROVE OTHERS HORSES.
Uncle Sans Soldiers Put an End to "BIaeh
BilIy's" Horse stealing.

Uncle Sans Soldiers Put an End to "BIssh
BilIy's" Horse stealing.
"Black Billy" Todd is a most unique
rascal. His speciality has not been in
rObbing of trains and the holding up"
of stage coaches, but he has followed
the lucrative and satisfying practice of
robbing Texan ranchmen of horses and
cattle. In fact, BLACK Billy" Todd
for fifteen years has been known from
Manzanillo to Guaymas, in lower
Texas, as the most successful horse and
cattle stealer in the Lone Star state.
His plan was to quietly visit the ranch
of some cattle raiser with three or four
boon companions making up his band.
Then in the darkness of the night, the
party would round up couple of hum
dred head of cattle or a hundred head
of horses, and by daylight would bs
fifty miles away. When ranchman
owns ten thousand head of horses or
twenty thousand head of cattle the
loss of two hundred head would not be
detected for days, and by that time
BLACK Billy" and his band would be
hundreds of miles away. Black
Billy" it may be as well to state right
here, got his name because of his
swarthy complexion. He was born at
Vinden, near Springfield, Ill, and
like all his pals" ran away from homo
TO be a cowboy. He is now a middle
sized man of fifty years or more, whose
clOse-cropped hair has an iron gray
tinge, and who walks with stoop-
ing shoulders and that queer,
rocking gait which men who
are brought up in the saddle usual
ly have. The reason why BLACK
Billy" along with Sam" Chivatito,
half-breed Indian; Oposarle, or Man
that-Rides," another full-blooded
Apache Indian, and ''Moiave Pete
Groat are doing time. is because all
four made up Black Pete's" band of
horse-thieves. Last March, one dreary
night, the band were encamped a few
miles from Fort Mckavett, Tex, where
the Seventh cavalry Clusters old COM
mand, you know were quartered.
Billy's band had been doing good bust
ness in and around Mason, Junction
City, san Angelo and Fort Concho, and
at this time had started with band Of
stolen horses and cattle for Kerville.
the nearest railroad town, and which
would give them a chance to ship the
several thousand cattle and horses in
their stolen band east. Il say, Billy"
"Mojave Pete" Groat is said to have re-
marked, whats the matter with our
taking along some of the cavalry horses
up at the fort?" Not anything" Black
Billy replied Cavalry horses fetch
gilt-edged prices" The Job is a hard
one, for the United States cavalry guards
its horses very carefully. But BLACK
Billy" knew a thing or two. In the
night time the horses are lariated. or
tied to a long rope, which is fastened
to pin or iron driven frmly into the
ground so that they can Craze on the
succulent bunch grass which grows 50
freely in Texas. A band of fifteen of
the Fort McKavett horses were thus
"staked out, as it is called, on the fol-
lowing night, guarded by single SEN
try. Sentries sometimes snore. This
one did along about one o'clock in the
morning, and while he snored possibly
five minutes BLACK Billy and his band
had cut the lsriates of four horses and
calmly driven them away. They had
not got mile with them when the
sleepy sentry awoke. He counted his
charges; saw the situation; dashed .
back to the fort calmly sleeping in the
wild Texan desert and gave the alarm.
Boots and saddle" rang out in a hurry
you can rest assured. and soon q de-
tachment of cavalrymen were hurry
ing after BLACK Billy and his gang.
They held up the band about two
miles from the fort. Not shot was
fired, for il would not do to resist. -
the soldiers outnumbered Billy's band
two 70 one. Not only We're the cavalry
horses recovered, but Bnly's whole /
drove was confscated, too, and he and
his pals" were sent 10 the Kings
county Jail for ten years each.-ElmiTs
Telegram.