The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-08-28
The Passing of "BronCo BllI''
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| The first time l saw him they had
him on a spring cot on board the G. V.
G. & N. railway, en- route from Geronimo
to Bowie station.
Pale and haggard, with his right arm
/ in sling and a 4O-70 Winchester bullet
/ lodged under his left shoulder blade and
his right upper arm and shoulder shat
tered, this young desperate was on his
way to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to stand
trial for robbing an express train at
Belen station, half way between Albu-
querque and Cocorro, on the Santa Fe
railroad. He was in charge of the OFF,
GERS who had hunted him down for the
heavy rewards that had been offered
for his capture. He wasn't the Bronco
Bill'' l expected to see. Instead of the
big. bully, wild and ferocious looking
desperate 1 had expected, before me lay
a boy with features like girl; his once
| clear, blue eye had been dulled with
| pain, but no complaint was uttered by
those thin lips that remained shut tight,
as If in death. 1 stepped back and the
eager crowd of spectators showed for
ward. They gathered around his body
as If some strange animal had been
Gagged. A little girl pressed through the
crowded car and with plying stare
stood by the cot for a minute and then
returned to her mamma. Only once did
the wounded man open his eyes and gaze
on the crowd. He flashed them from one
face to another and such eyes! They
seemed to penetrate man through and
through. For minute he took in the
situation and as his tired eyelids
dropped, faint smile passed over his
smooth, boyish face. Bill was tired and
worn out and just a little Disguised at
the curiosity manifested by his visitors.
AS the train pulled out for Bowie I
| passed into the day coach where Deputy
United States Marshal j. D. Milton and
Deputy Sheriff George A. Scarborough
were seated. They had planned the cap
ture and carried 1t out to successful
contamination. They are tired and
dirty and around their waists the broad
belts are filled with the latest Winches-
ter cartridges and the trusty rifles are
close at hand. They have had hard
trip, but they went prepared to endure
all manner of hardships. Thacker and
Martin are on ahead in a box car with
the horses and saddles and every pre-
caution had been taken to prevent a
surprise and loss of their prisoner. After
some coaxing and with admonitions not
to use his name In the paper, Scarbo-
rough told me the following story:
GEORGE SCARBOROUGH'S STORY.
About two months ago Milton and
myself decided to make an attempt at
capturing Bronco Bill and Bill John
son. 1t was soon after we heard of the
train robbery at Belen station, in New
Mexico. We knew we had desperate
men to encounter and went to work In
a careful manner. We were undertaking
this job on our own hook and we couldn't
afford to make any mistakes. We were
not In the employ of Wells Fargo or
anyone else, but made up our minds to
make trial for the reward that had
been offered for Bronco Bill and his
partner Johnson. We picked up young
Thacker and Martin at Deming and on
the night of July 18th we went down
through the ella valley on a special
train and had our outfit unloaded at
Buttermilk Point, fifteen miles from
Geronimo. Bronco Bill and johnson
had been seen in Geronimo a few days
before, but we were not looking for any
trails of these gentlemen; Oh, no; not
us. And let me tell you something, right
here; don't you ever go trailing along
behind an outfit like that; they can lay
behind a rock and pick you off too easy.
well, as I was saying, we unloaded
our outfit at Buttermilk Point and there
we commenced a ride, the like of which,
1 have not made in many, many days.
Skirting the ella river that night we
made our way to San Carlos. From there
we struck across the mountains for Fort
Apache, seventy miles distant. We didn't
travel any trails, either, just kept to the
hills all the way"
Here the train was slowed up on ac-
count of a washout and Scarborough
sauntered down the car to see that
everything was all right. Returning to
his seat, he continued:
after two days hard riding we
reached Fort Apache and from there we
struck out towards Black river and
knew we were then within the rendez-
vous of the outlaws. After several days
scouting, taking great care that we
showed ourselves to no one, on the morn
ing Of July Goth we made our way into
Hampsons horse camp on Black river
and made camp.
1--WE had heard nothing of the outlaws,
but had made up our minds to raid
some of the adjacent cow camps Satur-
day night and see what we could find.
At the horse camp we found the horse
wrangler and did not allow him to leave
there that day. Saturday morning we
had gathered in six COW boys who had
ridden in there and were holding them
while we made preparations for the raid
that night. About o'clock Saturday
morning I saw three men come riding
down the hill about three or four hun
dred yards away; while was looking at
them, two stopped and commenced
shooting at rattlesnake that was under
large rock. The third man, who was in
the lead, rode on down towards our
camp, which was near the corral. Up to
this time had no idea who the man was,
but as we had been holding every man
that came in, I intended to hold him,
whoever he might be. He rode up to
within twenty or thirty feet of where
stood and got off his horse. I turned to
one of the COW punchers and asked
who is that MANI" One Of them re-
piled, That's Hinton" By this time
Bronco BILL for it was he, saw what
he had put his foot in.
"He swung himself back into the sad
die and picked up my rifle and started
for him, saying in natural tone of
voice, Hold on there Cap. / want to
speak to YOU In second Bill had his
sixshooter spittin' fire. AS soon as l