The Story of the Outlaw: A Study of the Western DesperadoHough, Emerson
History
The Story of the Outlaw: A Study of the Western Desperado
Hough, Emerson
Crime -- West (U.S.); Criminals -- West (U.S.); Outlaws; West (U.S.) -- History
One more southwestern bad man found Texas congenial after the close of
his active fighting, and his is a striking story. Billy Wilson was a
gentlemanly and good-looking young fellow, who ran with Billy the Kid's
gang. Wilson was arrested on a United States warrant, charged with
passing counterfeit money; but he later escaped and disappeared. Several
years after all these events had happened, and after the country had
settled down into quiet, a certain ex-sheriff of Lincoln county chanced
to be near Uvalde, Texas, for several months. There came to him without
invitation, a former merchant of White Oaks, New Mexico, who told the
officer that Billy Wilson, under another name, was living below Uvalde,
towards the Mexican frontier. He stated that Wilson had been a cow hand,
a ranch foreman and cow man, was now doing well, had resigned all his
bad habits, and was a good citizen. He stated that Wilson had heard of
the officer's presence and asked whether the latter would not forego
following up a reformed man on the old charges of another and different
day. The officer replied at once that if Wilson was indeed leading a
right life, and did not intend to go bad again, he would not only leave
him alone, but would endeavor to secure for him a pardon from the
president of the United States. Less than six months from that time,
this pardon, signed by President Grover Cleveland, was in the possession
of this officer, in his office in a Rio Grande town of New Mexico. A
telegram was sent to Billy Wilson, and he was brave man enough to come
and take his chances. The officer, without much speech, went over to his
safe, took out the signed pardon from the president, and handed it to
Wilson. The latter trembled and broke into tears as he took the paper.
"If you ever need my life," said he, "count on me. And I'll never go
back on this!" as he touched the executive pardon. He went back to
Texas, and is living there to-day, a good citizen. It would be wrong to
mention names in an incident like this.
Tom O'Folliard was another noted character. He was something of a gun
expert, in his own belief, at least. He was a man of medium height and
dark complexion, and of no very great amount of mental capacity. He came
into the lower range from somewhere east, probably from Texas, and
little is known of him except that he was in some fighting, and that he
is buried at Sumner with Bowdre and the Kid. He got away with one or two
bluffs and encounters, and came to think that he was as good as the best
of men, or rather as bad as the worst; for he was one of those who
wanted a reputation as a bad man.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account