Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1902-07-07
''BILLY THE KID"
R~EmlNIscENses OF GEN LEW WALLACE.

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of the loss of his reputation as q des.
perate man."
The plan agreed upon in the cabin
on the lonely mesa at midnight was
carried out to the letter. Billy the
Kid was seized the following morning
and confined in the Lincoln county
jail. IL was here that General Wal
lace. in spite of the fears Of the
guards. permitted the outlaw 10 give
an exhibition of his SKILL with a re.
volver and the rife. BILLY, standing
or riding, used either the one weapon
of the other, sent every bullet true to
its mark.
Billy" said the general, there's
some trick to that shooting. How do
you do
We'll, General" replied the desper-
ado, there is a trick to it. When
| was a boy | noticed that a man in
pointing to anything he wished observ-
ed, used his index finger. With long
use. unconsciously, the man had learn
ed to point 1t with unerring aim. When
| lift my revolver | say to myself,
finger along the bar ell and uncon-
finger along the ariel and uncon-
sciously IT makes the aim certain.
There is no failure. | pull the trig-
ger and the bullet goes true to it's
mark
BILLY. though at his own request
kept in irons. did not remain long
confined. One morning the guards
led him to breakfast. Returning, the
voice that was a part and parcel of
his character: Boys, I'm tired. Tell
the governor I'm tired"
The menacles slipped like magic
from his wrists. The guards stood
stupefied, and Billy the Kid, laughing
mockingly, walked leisurely from the
Jail yard, through the gate and across
the street. Easily, gracefully, he threw
himself into the saddle on the back of
a horse standing near at hand, and
putting spurs to the animal dashed
away.
Billy was gone. He had not escaped
in the night; he had walked away in
the broad light of day. with his guards,
heavily armed, standing about him.
Boys, I'm tired" he said. and look
ed them straight in the eye.
They were not in collision with the
desperate. General Wallace satisfied
himself of that fact.
But how account for Billy the Kids
escape?
Hypnotism, some say-hypnotism or
that strange something that lurked in
the depths of the steel gray eyes.
The desperado's freedom, however,
was not long lived. He was arrested
soon afterward for a series of murders
and was brought again to the Lincoln
county jail. Patrick Garrett was sher-
iff. He was probably the one man in
New Mexico who did not fear Billy the
Kid. He vas his match in every re-
spect-as calm, as desperate, as GER
tain.
Perhaps Billy knew this. At any
rate he must have considered himself
in desperate straits. He sent for Gen.
eral Wallace. The general refused to
l respond. Then the outlaw sent him a
note. The note read:
l Come to the Jail. | have some pa
pers you would not want to see DIS
played
) II knew what he meant" said Gen.
eral Wallace, reminiscently. He re
! ferred to the note he received from
Z me and in response to which he ap.
peared at the hut on the mesa. He
was threatening to publish it if | re
6 fused to see him. | thwarted his pur-
! pose by giving a copy of the letter and
a Dul dtlNt vi lnt ClltullSldnCtS COH
nected with it to the paper published
4 in the town. 1t was duly printed and
upon it's appearance a copy was sem tC
Billy in his cell. He had nothing fur
4 Their to say"
r In the end the desperate was con
victed and sentenced to be hanged
When the sentence was read, he stood
before the trial Judge, and said:
sfVp1nn tho% lAorn't friohfap 49,, .
" bit. Billy the Md was not born to be
hung"
e He was a thorough fatalist. He be
lieved he would not die until his
time came and then death was in
v evitable."
From the court o Billy was lee
back to jail. Nine men were put OF
e guard and he was never allowed a mo
ment from the sight from one of them
g On the day before that set for hi
execution n man sat in front o
Billy while he ate his dinner. Dur
Ii ing the meal the guard forgot him
self and suddenly stopped. Billy
quick eye took in the situation at
a glance.
n With a leap he sprang upon thu
e bending mar and dashed his brain.
9 out with his handouts. He seiZe'
S the dead guards revolver and. hi
n steel gray eyes cleaning, walked for
ward deliberately an routed all thu
other guards who ran to the assistanc,
of their comrade.
d Once more Billy the aid escaped il
y the full light of day through the door
of the Jail. He forced a blacksmith L
take off his handsuffs. He seized tn.
dead guards horse that stood near b.
and rode away. He called back as h
spurred the ANNA. into a gallop.
Tell the judge | said Billy the XII,
was not born to be hung"
o Garrett received information tina
Billy the Kid had gone back to an oil
e fort in the mountains to see his sweet
heart. Garrett followed. He lay i
wait in the doorway of the home O
e Billy's love and finally his vigil wa
rewarded when he saw the door ope
Ie one night and a man step out into tn
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