El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-07-18
Written Especially for the HERALD.

Billy the Kid blew into the town,
Riding big black mare;
Hitc led the brute on the hotel porch;
Sta rted in en- a wild debauch,
Reckless and devil may care.
Songs of Billy the Kid.
"Double hundred it is," sang the
crOupier monotonously, as he rsked
the chips from the board that were
covering the red and the odd, and piled
. stack in front of the bent, gray haired
old man who had backed the winning
hand.
II never lose," said the old man
q uietly. Il never have since rs
W hen 1 saw my first roulette table.
There's sort Of fatality about it with
ne. 1 guess it's to reward me for
this" He held up an empty sleeve
while he watched the ivory ball spin
around the wheel, and then added,
81 lost this at the first game of chance
I ever play ed, and knew then that 1
would never lose money. It's a
terrible thing for man to lose his
arm, and good luck at dice or cards
won't repay him, for 1t. Seems like
must play all the time, though 1 don't
understand it, because hate the sound
of the wheel and the sight of the green
cloth worse than bad whiskey. You
fellows know what it ia to be superst,-
tious, all gam blers do, but I'll bet you
to ho hot
have.
"I've been looking for my arm now
for more than twenty years and l
haven't found it yet. 1 must before 1
die or I'll have to keep on looking
for it after I'm q spirit. It's buried
out somewheres in Kansas. 1 was un-
conscious when they took it off, and
when l come to my senses the boys had
left, and 1 didn't know where to look
for It,"
The men around the gambling table
laid down their chips; the ball was
spun, but they listened to the old mans
story, and even the croupier who is
never Interested in anything forgot to
look when the sphere dropped in the
pocket.
81 guess you fellows don't remember
the Lincoln county war; some called 1t
the McSwain and Chism war and tell
you it was bloody and every man who
1idn't take sides with one or the other
IF the two crowds was likely to get
stretched by both of them. There
in In
1eutral on the border in those days.
You was pretty soon asked Which side
7ou was on, and II 1t didn't suit them
hat asked you, you'd pretty soon Ind
+ out.
81 was just out from the east then, a
twenty four years ago. I
lint but forty-four now, but you would
It guess 1t cause you think this gray
lair means age. But it means-say, were
'ou ever buried in q mine three days,
TX pecting to come out On resurrection
morning, and not sooner? Well, II
lave that's the reason my hairs white.
But amt talking about that now.
Billy the Kid took this arm off for me;
lot that knew then WHO he was. |
ound out afterward.
"Billy was mixed up in the Lincoln
county war. He was on Mes vain q side,
nd hated old John Chism worse than
anything. Billy had killed Sheriff
Brady aud was sentenced to be hung.
hey bad him in jail, but he got away,
nd after that, when he had price on
is head, he was q dangerous man. It
'as in rs, in Lincoln. in Jack Grady's
aloon. that l frat saw him. The saloon
as full and every body laughing and
liking, when all OF a sudden the door
pened and q young fellow come in. It
as Billy the Kid.
"Well, those men just stopped what
ley was doing the quickest you ever
wv. Billy walked up to the bar. called
'r whisky, and drank the whisky be-
re he spoke. There was some in there
lat was his friends, and some that
ere not. He was q brave man, Billy
IS, to come in there with q rope
round his neck, but there wasn't one
'em that would have touched him,