Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive.) HISTORY OF .. .. .. .. "BILLY THE KID" A cowboy outlaw whose youthful daring has never been equalled in the annals of criminal history. When a bullet pierced his heart he was less than twenty-two years of age, and had killed twenty-one men, Indians not included. [Illustration] BY CHAS. A. SIRINGO HISTORY OF "BILLY THE KID." The true life of the most daring young outlaw of the age. He was the leading spirit in the bloody Lincoln County, New Mexico, war. When a bullet from Sheriff Pat Garett's pistol pierced his breast he was only twenty-one years of age, and had killed twenty-one men, not counting Indians. His six years of daring outlawry has never been equalled in the annals of criminal history. By CHAS. A. SIRINGO. Author of: "Fifteen Years on the Hurricane Deck of a Spanish Pony," "A Cowboy Detective," and "A Lone Star Cowboy." To my friend, George S. Tweedy--an honest, easy-going, second Abraham Lincoln; this little volume is affectionately dedicated by the author, CHAS. A. SIRINGO. Copyrighted 1920, by Chas. A. Siringo. All rights reserved. INTRODUCTION The author feels that he is capable of writing a true and unvarnished history of "Billy the Kid," as he was personally acquainted with him, and assisted in his capture, by furnishing Sheriff Pat Garrett with three of his fighting cowboys--Jas. H. East, Lee Hall and Lon Chambers. The facts set down in this narrative were gotten from the lips of "Billy the Kid," himself, and from such men as Pat Garrett, John W. Poe, Kip McKinnie, Charlie Wall, the Coe brothers, Tom O'Phalliard, Henry Brown, John Middleton, Martin Chavez, and Ash Upson. All these men took an active part, for or against, the "Kid." Ash Upson had known him from childhood, and was considered one of the family, for several years, in his mother's home. Other facts were gained from the lips of Mrs. Charlie Bowdre, who kept "Billy the Kid," hid out at her home in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, after he had killed his two guards and escaped. CHAS. A. SIRINGO. CHAPTER I. BILLY BONNEY KILLS HIS FIRST TWO MEN, AND BECOMES A DARING OUTLAW IN THE REPUBLIC OF MEXICO. In the slum district of the great city of New York, on the 23rd day of November, 1859, a blue-eyed baby boy was born to William H. Bonney and his good looking, auburn haired young wife, Kathleen. Being their first child he was naturally the joy of their hearts. Later, another baby boy followed. In 1862 William H. Bonney shook the dust of New York City from his shoes and emigrated to Coffeeville, Kansas, on the northern border of the Indian Territory, with his little family. Soon after settling down in Coffeeville, Mr. Bonney died. Then the young widow moved to the Territory of Colorado, where she married a Mr. Antrim.