Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-07-06
SAVED BY A DESPERATE.
a CATTLEMAN'9 REASON FOR RE-
MEMBERING BILLY THE KID

hoO YIN, u
"A western cattleman, once met
NJ Billy the Kid, the notorious
desperado, under peculiar
circumstances. Says Mr.. Pendleton in
the New York Sun:
sit was at Tulerosn, then a half
Mexican village, where ranchmen came
for supplies. One of its features was
general merchandise store with sa.
loon attachment. AS was standing in
the store, cowboy, just drunk
enough to be thoroughly mean, came
in from the saloon, and after flourish.
ing his pistol about and cursing things
in general, selected me as his part1cu.
! lar victim. He said some uncompIi.
mentary things to me and then or.
dered me to dance. When 1 tried to
explain to him my objections to dane,
ing under compulsion, he pointed his
pistol at my feet.
Dance, he commanded, growing
out his words between his teeth with a
nasty, grating drawl. Get yer feet
ter goin' quick. Dye hear?'
~ was unarmed, and I saw that he
meant to shoot if I refused, but ]
would not have moved at his bidding
to save my life. He gave me one look,
grinned with his teeth shut together,
and fired into the floor close to my
feet.
Now, you, will you dance?' he
said.
"My temper had come up with the
firing.
No. I said, 'and no cowardly
bully like you can make me-
'Dance' he repeated, and fred
two more shots into the floor at my
feet. The second bullet knocked a
boot heel off and nearly threw me to
the floor. But would not stir q step.
By this time little crowd had gath
cred in the store, running in from the
street and the adjoining saloon, and
were standing round the walls and
counters, keeping out of range of the
glancing bullets. Had 1 weakened,
the most of them would have voted it
a funny performance; but now that it
was plain that l would not be bullied,
I could see that the sympathy of the
bystanders was with me. But against
p cowboy playing bad man, with a
smoking pistol In hand and about to
shoot again, none seemed ready to
take my part.
'Dancep he commanded once
more, and his pistol hammer clicked
back. knew that any shot he made
might wound me painfully, perhaps
| L.,
straight in the eye, and saw that he
was uncomfortable. He had reckoned
that I would weaken easily, and now
that would not he realized that he
had gone too far. He meant to carry
it through, though, now that he had
started in, and saw that he had
braced himself to shoot again. But
the hammer did not fall. A slow, even
voice, almost drawl, came from the
doorway in the partition between the
store and saloon.
Put up that gun, it said. A
young fellow, scarcely moro than a
boy, stood in the doorway, with re-
volver in his hand, and 1t was he who
had spoken. 1t was Billy tho Kid. The
cowboy did not seem to know him,
but the bystanders did, and there was
the hush of suspense that comes upon
frontier crowd when it is understood
that killing is about to begin. The
cowboy felt it, and l could see the
coward look come into his eyes. But
he tried bluff.
"'What are you meddling with my
shooting for?' he blurted out defiant
ly at the young man who had spoken.
His cooked pistol was still pointed at
my feet.
Drop that pistol came the com.
mand again in the same smooth, even
voice. The cowboys arm dropped by
his side, but he kept his hold of the
pistol. Billy's revolver cracked from
the doorway and the cowboys pisto
changed among the shelves at the end
of the store, shot clean from his hand.
With yell of pain and fear the COW.
boy jerked up his hand and looked al
his bleeding fingers. They were
barked and torn by the shock and bul
let, but were all there. The fellow
was thoroughly oowed and in terror
for his life.
t"'Now you Dance said Billy, and
tho cowboy struck up double shuttle
as If he were thankful for the chance
to do SO. Faster came the com
mand, and the crowd laughed and
jeered the cowboy as his feet clattered
like the roll OF drum. Pray was
the sudden order, and down the fellow
went on his knees, and rolled out suct
prayer as he could find words to say
but it was something he was unused
to, and with the best intentions ht
tripped and swore.
"'Here, no blasphemyp exclaimed
Billy, and fred shot close by his eal
as pious reminder.
"He kept the bad man performing
antics for q half hour or so, until the
fellow begged for mercy.
"'You shot the heel from that
gentleman's boot, said Billy, Take
off your own boots. Now git
1.-THE fellow in his stocking feel
rushed for the door where his horse
was tied, jumped to his back and got,