Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-05-17

loopholes at their foes. who had taken
cover across the street. For three Gays
the battle kept up, some 80 men on
the Kids side and 40 on the SIDE OF
the Murphy men.
To keep the McSween men from
leaving their Notifications, the leader
of the Murphy forces, Peppln, ss9-
toned three men on steep hlilslae
behind the McSWeen house. With long
range buffalo guns they threw many
bullets into the Kids fort. At last q
Mexican. Herrera, who was one OF the
hest shots with the Kid. fired at
distance of 900 wards and broke the
hack of one of the men on the hlll-
side. Charlie Crawford, who died the
next day in great agony.
The following morning troop Oh
negro cavalry from Fort stanton en-
tered Lincoln. but declined to take a
hand in the combat, the commanding
officer saying that the sheriff "a
MIyrpl1v mani was there and in charge
of his own posse. Mrs. McSween, VINO
was In the besieged house WIN her
husband. came out and begged the Of
ficer to stop the fighting. He merely
offered her a safe escort to the tort,
but she refused to go and returned
to her husband for what she knew
must be the end.
ESGHUE Tit AAA0
That evening the Murphy forces SCI
fire 10 the house in front and rear, ana
set a keg of powder where the flames
would reach IL. With the blaze under
way there was an explosion which
made the house untenable. McSween,
his nerve gone, for a time refused to
try to escape, but was finally SUI
ficiently heartened by his wife to make
the effort. The Kid said the time had
come.
burning dwelling there burst forth
group of desperate men, followed by
the one woman. Ahead ran Billy the
Kid and half dozen OF his followers.
There was a flashing of six-shooters al
close range. McSween fell dead with
three other men. Mrs. McSween es-
capped unframed, as did also the KID
and several of his men. The Murphy
Kills Popular Man
In january. 1880, the Kid justifiably
killed a bad man from the Texas Pan
handle by the name Of Grant, who had
come to New Mexico to kill the Kid.
The Youthful outlaw had by this time
gathered a formidable band Of bad
men around him and was going In
for cattle stealing on large scale. In
November, 1880, a posse set forth from
the town Of White Oaks TO bring IN
the Kid dead or alive. They surrounded
the Kid and his gang at the Great
house ranch and laid siege. One OF the
posse, Jimmy Carlyle, after some par
ley, took off his pistol belt and went
unarmed into the ranch house Tor a
conference. Two hours later Carlyle
was seen by the rest of the posse to
break through q window and start TO
run. Several shots followed and Car
lyle fell dead. This murder had a big
effect In sealing the doom Of the KID,
for Carlyle was popular IN that district.
Garrett Stays Kid
Pat Garrett. the new sheriff Of Lin
coin county, organized posse OF such
size and strength that the Kid finally
was run to earth in q ranch house and
forced to surrender. His first trial for
murder ended in his acq1itta1, but a
second trial for the killing Of Sheriff
Brady at Lincoln resulted IN his con-
victiOn and sentence Of death. He was
held under guard in the second story
of store building, from which he Is
capped after killing both Of his guards.
Then the chase was on again and
Sheriff Garrett after some weeks rode
with two deputies into the little town
Of Sumner. The trio went 70 the house
Of a mixed blood, Pete Maxwell, who
was q friend both TO Garrett and the
Kid. The two deputies remained on
the porch, while Garrett entered Max
wells bedroom to talk to him. A few
minutes previously the kid had ridden
into the yard and had started TO 80
10 bed ia q cabin behind the house.
Being hungry he went TO the Maxwell
kitchen to get food. lie was bare
headed and barefooted. His pistol hung
at his side and tn his hand he carried
q butcher knife with which 20 cuI
the meat. The night was dark, and as
the kid stepped onto the verandas one
Of CARROTS deputies moved his foot
jingling spur. This made the Kid s1s-
pacious, and he stepped into Maxwell
bedroom to inquire who was on the
porch. Garrett was sitting on Maxwell's
bed. The Kid spoke 70 Maxwell. AS ne
did 30 Garrett fired at the dim form
between him and the door. The KID
fell dead. He was n years and
months old, and had killed n men
"a "a.