The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-03-25
BILLY THE KID
AND HIS FINISH
True Story Of His Talk With
Lew Wallace-Pat Gar
rett's Sudden Nerve.
rom the Washington Star:

the old palace in Santa Fe in which
Gen. Lew Wallace, while governor Of
the territory Of New Mexico, wrote a
large part Of Ben Hur,''" observed a
wellknown government official who
travels a great deal through the south
west 1T was in this room that he
spread out his maps and charts and
elaborate Typographical data ana wrote
his colorful and painstaking piece of
fiction before he had ever had so much
as a glimpse of the Holy Land.
ITO good many folks In Santa Fee,
however, that room in the old palace
has an element Of interest entirely
separate from its having been the
birthplace Of the Ben Hur' book
1T was In that same room that Gen.
Wallace had his famous conference
Billy the Kid. Shortly after taking up
the reins as governor of New Mexico
Gen. Wallace sent for the Kid, who was
then living under cover in the terri
tory, a fugitive from justice. Gen.
Wallace had somehow or another
gained the impression that the young
fellow was more slnned against than
SHINING, and, in the natural kindness
Of his heart, he wanted to give the
Kid another chance for his taw marble.
SO he got hold of man known to
be one Of Billy the Kids friends and
told him to bring the Kid to the pal
ace for little talk. The Kid made
his appearance at the palace couple
OF days later. Gen. Wallace gave him
kindly talking to. His fatherly
words made a. genuine impression on
the Kid, who was really only slender
boy-he wasn't much PAST his majority
when he met his f1nish-and I am told
that there was something very much
like frog in the young fellows throat
throughout the Interview.
Index Finger Shooting.
''The general told the kid that if he'd
promise to behave and lead a decent
life from then on he, the governor Of
the territory, would see to it that he
wasn't molested. The kid promised.
and it is matter Of record that he did
behave and cut out the gun business
as long as General Wallace was in the
territory. He kept his word faithfully,
and didn't jump the reservation until
General Wallace had left New Mexico.
1T was at this interview in the old
palace that General Wallace asked the
kid where he had picked up his mar
velous craftsmanship. It was known
to everybody that Billy the Kid never
had sight on any Of his guns, and
yet he had carried the reputation of
being the most unerring shot in the
southwest.
BILLY, who was a quiet, shy sort of
a chap In ordinary circumstances and
without a trace of bluster or swagger,
explained the thing curiously enough
to General Wallace.
~ just point my finger at what I
shoot at, that's ALL he said to the
general, and he illustrated his way OF
pointing, using a pistol to do it.
He simply permitted his foref1nger
to rest along the barrel Of his pistol,
and then. instead 81 attempting to
point the pistol at his mark: he pointed
his forednger at the target, pulling the
trigger with his middle finger. His
theory was that when O. man points at
anything with his finger he points un-
erringly. and with certainty of aim
that is instructive and" quick as thought
to employ a trained system of eye
measuring. holding his gun steady, get
the approximate focus with the aid of
foresight and hindsight and then take
q swell chance of going wide from
hurry or nervousness. So he just used
the system of pointing with his fore
finger, and, with his eye following his
finger, blazing away at his mark. I
don't know how sound this theory may
be as practiced by other people who
have tried it, but Billy the Kid certain
ly made it work like charm. He was
forked lightning :with<a shooting tool,
and a study of the many close-hand
gun fights in which he figured shows
that no man ever succeeded in beating
him to it on the draw and fire up to
the hour that Pat Garrett got him.
John Poe's Account.
From talk which I had on this
same trip with one Of the most prom
inent citizens Of Roswell, New Mexi-
co, I learned that the popular story
as to the way Billy the Kid met his
death is wrong in most of it's details.
The accepted story Is that Sheriff
Pat Garrett tracked the Kid to his
finish with an infaldble sleuthing in
stinct. - The truth Of the matter Is
that Garrett stumbled upon Billy Kid
purely by accident, and that Pat was
strangely lucky to get away with his
own life instead of getting the Kids.
"The man with whom had this
talk is John w. Poe. the president of
the Citizens National bank of Ros-
well. He is one of the solid men Of
New Mexico, and he ought to come
pretty nigh to knowing what he Is
talking about. seeing that he was on
the spot at the time Billy the Kid met
his wind-up at Fort Stanton.
1T will be recalled that Billy the
Kid made a sudden getaway from the
Lincoln county jail In Lincoln, where
ne was under sentence OF Oeatn. rat
Garrett was the sheriff of Lincoln
county at that time. Pat, who is now
collector Of customs at Ell Paso, had
made q record as trimmer Of
bad men during the progress Of the
famous Lincoln county cattle war. Pat
was then, as he Is yet, 6 feet inches
high, and they used to say down there
that he could hit q man on the leg
powerful sudden on the draw, too, and
afraid Of nothing with hide, hair or
teeth.
Garrett was away from Lincoln
piece on the day that Billy the Kid
made his escape from the Lincoln. jail.
The Kid killed two deputy sheriffs in
making that getaway.
1T happened in the middle Of the
day. Billy had number of compan-
ion prisoners. who, like himself, were
under sentence Of death. They all
wore handouts and leg irons. There
were no feeding arrangements in the
Jail, the prisoners being taken across
the street to a little restaurant for
their meals. -:
AT this noon hour Billy professed to