St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-04-08
BILLY THE KID
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BY ". W. Williams
.F the tough characters who infest-

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the tough characters who infest-
~ ed the southwest in the early days
none attracted more attention or COM
mltted more desperate deeds than
Billy the Kidd" He was a young, boy
ash-ioOking fellow, with a retrea1ing
chin and hooked nose-not of the Ro-
man order, but more like the beak of a
parrot. stranger would never pick
him out for a desperate man. but he was
all that the name implies, For reckless
dare-deviltry. handiness witt gun and
bravery almost supernatural. he never
had an equal among the many of his
class who made things lively on the
border in New Mexico and helped to fill
the grayeyards. Hundreds of times he
looked death in. the face with that steel
blue, cold eye of his. which did not
seem to know how to finch. When oc-
casion seemed to demand it he shot his
enemy dead in his tracks and turned
upon his heel with a cool indifference,
or fled to one of his stronghoids, as oc-
casion seemed TO require. The shots
that were fired at him by good marks
men were without number, but for
years he appeared to have a charmed
life, which no bullet. be it never so well
aimed, could cut short. The chances
which he took to escape punishment
for his crimes are almost incredible
when related. No Jail could hold him
hor <,f rdc Eoo
him in their charge. He always found
some way to escape, and in doing so
usually left trail Of blood behind him.
The incident in the career Of Billy
the Kid, which am about to relate, was
given to me by Mr.. w. II. Sammon1e Of
Lake City, Col. Mr.. Sammons. part in
the affair will appear in the narrative.
He said:
I'm the spring of 1851 the COM
mander of the government post at Fort
Craig, n. NJ. received word from Fort
Cummings. near Cooks Peak, that a
gang of White Mountain Apaches were
off the reservation. and that they were
plnndering and killing the settlers by
way of diversion; that they were sup
posed to have crossed the Rio Grande
and to be making their way towards
the Organ or San Andree mountains,
in New Mexico A call for troops was
made to go out and intercept them.
Dispatches were to be carried to Fort
Stanton. near the Pecos river, to this
effect. Capt. Jack Crawford, the ''poet
scout" was then in the employ of the
post as dispatch carrier. He was noti-
fed to leave at day break with the word
that would alarm and warn the settlers
in the Pecos valley and enable the Off
GERS at Fort Stanton to put cavalry in
the field and drive the Indians bacl: to
their reservation west of the Rio
Grande, beyond the Black Range noun
tains. | was stopping at the post for a
few days on a visit to Capt. Jack. being
an old friend and acquaintance of his
years before in the Black Hills. vol
unteered TO accompany him upon his
hard and perilous trip. We left Fort
Craig shortly after daybreak. carrying
our saddles and blankets across the Rio
Grande in a boat and swimming our
animals, which consisted of two saddle
horses and a government pack mule. a
very nimble-footed animal that was
trained 10 follow and could be depended
upon TO be at our heels whenever camp
was made. We were soon in our sad
dies after the river was crossed, and
made for the Tucson ranch, the only
place where water was to be had for
distance of IS miles. having to cross
what was known as the Dry Hornado.
a desert. sand and alkali waste. being
about 125 miles long and from 60 to so
wide. 1t lies just east. of the Rio
Grande river. We arrived at the ranch
about nine O'Clock that evening. very
much fatigned from the hot and dusty
ride Remaining there until day break,
we once more hit the trail for what is
known as Dripping Springs. where the
last water was to be had until we
reached some of the tributaries of the
Pecos river to the east of the noun
tains. which we must cross that day
and which lay between the Pecos val
lev and the Rio Grande.
1--WE arrived at the springs about
noon. having covered about 30 miles
since aybreak. Capt. Jack advised TAX
inr a siesta of two hours. Our course
from Fort Craig had been in a south
easterly direction to the Tucson ranch.
where we intercepted the old trail rum
ming from Fort Stanton to Silver City.
our course to the springs having been
al,out due east. After loosening our
cinches and watering and feeding our
horses. we partook Of our scanty din
ner of harltack and canned horse and
l.y down 10 rest. We had finished our |
siesta. and had started to get ready to
renew our journey when I cast my eyes
n the southeast and beheld what we
to be band of Indians about |
: mile away coming toward us. Los
Indos.' was my only remark. as by a |
u,.ve Of the hand called the attention |
of Cant. Jack to them. There was
mighty quick work, tightening our
.;nches and a hurried departure from
NJ sDot. The Indians. apparently. did |
mt soc us until we were in the saddle, |
t.,.y then being about half mile away |
and coming along on our trail We put
-.,,,rs to our horses and started for the |
ms touching the ground only in high |
rlaces.' as Capt. Jack afterwards ex-
.r,-.ssed il. 4 series, of loud and de-
r,,ouiacal yells told us that we were
and a few stray shots were
h..rd as we rode rapidly away. The
tr.;, We were on was well worn and
fsirly coed. so that we>soon proved