The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-02-07
BILLY THE KIDS COUNTRY.
Place Where the Young Desperate
Was Killed and Where His
Bodv Was Buried

6Ony was buried.
Billy the Kid was tried at Mesilla
and condemned to be executed at Lin
coin. A few days before the day set
for his execution ne killed the two
deputies, Orrendorf and Bell, who
were guarding him, and broke back
to his old stamping ground around
Fort Sumner. 81 knew now that l
would have to kill the Kid" said Gar
rett, speaking reminiscently of the old
bloody scenes. II followed him up to
Sumner, as you know, with two depu-
ties, John Poe and Tip Mckinney, and
l killed him alone in room up there
In the old Maxwell house"
He spoke of events now long gone
by. 1t had been only with difficulty
that we located the site of the build
ing where the Kids gang had been
taken prisoners, the structure itself
having been torn down and removed
by an adjacent sheep rancher. AS to
old Fort Sumner, once a famous mill
tary post, it offered nothing better
than a scene of desolation, there be-
ing no longer single human inhabl-
tant there. The old avenue of cotton
woods, once four miles long, is now
ragged and unwatered, and the great
parade ground has gone back to sand
and sage brush. We were obliged 10
search for some time before we could
find the site of the Maxwell house, IN
which was enacted the last tragedy In
the life of a once famous bad man.
Garrett finally located the spot, now
only a rough quadrangle of crumpleu
earthen walls.
This is the place" said he, point
ing at one corner of the grass grown
oblong. "Pete Maxwell's bed was
right In this corner of the room, and
| was sitting in the dark and talking
to Pete, who was in bed. Inc Ma
passed Joe Poe and Tip Mckinney
my deputies, right over there on what
was then the gallery, and came
through the door right here. He could
not tell who | was. Pete he whls'
pered, who is it?' He had his pistol
n double action Al, in his hand, anu
he motioned toward me with 1t as he
spoke, still not recognizing me. Tha'
was about all there was to 1t. sup
posed he would shoot me, and | lean
ed over to the left so that he would
hit me in the right side and not XIII
me so dead but what | could XIII MN
too. | was just shade too quick 1ol
him. His pistol went off as he fell
but | don't suppose he ever knew wht
killed him or how he was killed
Twenty-Five years Of time had done
their work in all that country, as We
learned when we entered the httl'
barbed wire inc.osure OF the cemetery
where the Kid and his fellows were
buried. There are no headstones II
this cemetery, and no sacristan holds
it's records. Again Garrett had L
search in the salt grass and grease
wood. Here is the place" said III
| at length 1--WE buried them all in
row. The first grave is the Kids. ant
next to him is Bowdre, and then o
Folliard. There's nothing left L
mark them"
So passes the glory of this world
Even the headboard which once stoo'
at the Kids grave-and vhien wa
once riddled with bullets by coward
who would not have dared TO shoe
that close to him had he been alive
was gone. 1t is not likely that IN
graves will be visited again by an
one who knows their locality, Ga'
rett looked at them in silence ior
time, and turning, went to the pucf
board for drink al the cantee'
well" said he quietly, heres to IN
boys, anyway If there is any othe
life ! hope they'll make better use
1t than they did the one put the'
out ofr-Saurday Evening Post.