Charles Rourke's Recollections of the Kid

"The people around Lincoln say Garrett didn't kill Billie the Kid. John Poe was with Garrett the night he was supposed to have killed the Kid. He said he didn't see the man that Garrett killed. I can take you to his grave in Hell's Half Acre, an old government cemetery, where Billie was supposed to be buried and show you the grave.

The cook at Pete Maxwell's was always putting flowers on the grave and praying at it. This woman thought a lot of Billie, but after Garrett killed the man at Maxwell's home, her grandson was never seen again and Billie was need by Bill Nichols, an Indian scout. Bill saw him in Old Mexico.

Pat Garrett and Billie had been good friends, and Garrett knew that Billie wasn't yellow or a coward. Billie never killed without a cause. Billie wasn't mean, he was just quick on the draw and didn't have to practice hours to hit his target. Billie didn't steal. He might borrow a man's horse from his corral, but he would always see that it was returned to him...

Billie the Kid was welcome by all at the dances. He was a good dancer and had nice manners, and always respected everyone. Billie was a jolly, happy-go-lucky person that seemed to bring laughter with him, as well as death to his enemies."

- Charles Rourke (Totty, Frances E, and Charles Rouark?. Early Days In Lincoln County. New Mexico, 1938. Manuscript/Mixed Material. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/wpalh001306/>.)