The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-12-03
BILLY THE KID.


well sheep ranch, near Fort Sumner
New Mexico. Man and beast showed
signs of hard travel and WEAKNESS. II
needed but light touch of the bride
reins to bring the horse to a stop, while
the rider carefully scanned the distant
ranch and it's adjacent corral
The rider was a slender young man
almost boyish in face, with blue eyes OF
the oft-described piercing type
There was a hardened, hunted expires
sion on his countenance, but not a trace
of fear, Around his waist was a field
cartridge belt and at either hip was g
revolver of Colts forty-fve pattern.
Strapped to his saddle was a Winches-
ter of the same caliber He wore the
regulation cowboy suit and his legs
We're encased in bucksldn ''slaps''
Looks pretty safe" he muttered as
he gazed al the ranch. Reckon I'd bet
ter look around first, anyhow"
Turning his horses head to the east,
he coaXed the tired animal to a gentle
lope and approached the ranch in a
roundabout way, so as to keep the cor
| raj between himself and the house
The interior of the corral was first care
fully scanned. No strange horses were
| in it, nor were any picketed about.
Then the rider, satisfied with his scru-
tiny, boldly approached the house.
! AS he neared the door, it opened and
a slightly-built, dark-compleXioned
man emerged. He did not look parric-
ularly pleased at seeing the horseman,
| but managed to muster UP a more or
| less cheerful greeting.
"Hallo, Billy" he said,
"Hallo, Maxwell" said the horseman
prepared to dismount, Anybody
around?"
mot a soul but the help"
Billy the Kid, for such the horseman
was dlsmounted handed his horse over
to a Mexican and entered the house
with Maxwell, owner Of the ranch and
generally supposed to be half-breed.
He and Billy sat down to a breakfast
prepared by Rimoldi, a Mexican wo-
man Of great age.
Billy ate raVenously. Between bites
he told of events that had happened
during the month that had elapsed
since his last visit, His band of rust
lers" broken up, reward of two thou
sand dollars offered for him dead or
alive, and nearly all the ranch-owners
of the country arrayed against him. he
was on his way to the Indian territory,
where he hoped to either hide his iden-
tity, or feel comparatively safe in the
companionship of men as bad as him
self.
While they ate and talked another
horseman appeared on the divide, and
;,,e I, II,
watched the ranch for a few minutes
He, too, made a detour, approaching
the ranch from the rear. In the corral
he saw Billy's horse, and dismounting.
he stole cautiously along beside the
adobe wall drawing his revolver as he
did so.
The newcomer was tall and thin, with
an expression on his face of great de-
termination At the corner of the cor
raj he met the Mexican who had taken
charge of Billy's horse. To him he
psoke few words, asking question or
two; then, warning the Mexican to
keep silent, he moved toward the house.
There was no need to warn the man,
for Pat CARROTS reputation was we'll
known The Mexican promptly pro-
ceeded to put the corral walls between
himself and the house, in anticipation
of the pistol bullets which he knew
would soon ny.
Garrett flung open the door of the
room, his tall form almost filing the
doorway. Billy, who had never seen
the sheriff, but regarded every stranger
as an enemy, turned quickly to Maxwell
and asked in Spanish
"Quien es esta?" CWho is ~Nat)
Maxwell was too terrified to reply.
His tongue Glove to the roof of his
mouth.
"Quien es esta??' again asked Billy,
at the same time half arising and
reaching for his revolver. There came
a flash and a report from the doorway.
The sound seemed to awaken Maxwell
from a trance. With one spring he
went through a doorway opposite the
one by which Garrett had entered
This opened into a kitchen and a door
from there led to a yard. This was at
the corral fence, over which he scram-
bled and crouched down.
Garrett, meanwhile not waiting to
see the result of his shot had retreated
to the yard where he took shelter be-
hind the coping of an artificial we'll
From there he could watch the two ex-
its from the house.
For fifteen minutes the two men-one |
In the corral and the other behind the
well-waited in absolute silence. Not a
sound came from the house The aged
peering tremblngly from her
adobe hut some distance away. was
summoned by the sheriff Placing a |
piece in her hand he babe her |
go into the house and see what Billy |
was doing. The old woman hobbled to |
the door, peered in, then beckoned to
The sheriff. He was beside her in jif- |
fy. :,
Billy was seated on the floor with his +
back against the door, through which
had fed. His position COM
handed the other door by which the
sheriff had entered A cooked revolver
vas in each of Billy's hands, now stiff
ming in death,
With his dying strength he had
ragged himself to that place and died
levoutly praying, no doubt that his en-
amy would reappear while he still had
strength to pull the trigger.
So died Billy the Kid, the famous
outlaw and one of the bravest men
hat ever stood behind a revolver, Not
killed while gayiLs Sc