Stinking Spring: A Jim East Account

The following is an account of the pursuit and capture of Billy the Kid and company, provided by Jim East, and published in the Galveston Daily News on May 22, 1921.

“We were quartered in the old Government hospital building in Fort Sumner the night of the first fight. Lon Chambers was on guard. Our horses were in Pete Maxwell’s stable. Sheriff Pat Garrett, Tom Emory, Bob Williams and Barney Mason were playing poker on a blanket on the floor.

I had just lain on my blanket in the corner when Chambers ran in and told us that the Kid and his gang were coming. It was about 11 o’clock at night. We all grabbed our guns and stepped out into the yard.

Just then the Kid’s men came around the corner of the old hospital building, in front of the room occupied by Charlie Bowdre’s wife and her mother. Tom O’Phalliard was riding in the lead. Garrett yelled out: ‘Throw up your hands!’

But O’Phalliard jerked his pistol. Then the shooting commenced. It being dark, the shooting was at random.

Tom O’Phalliard was shot through the body, near the heart. He lost control of his horse. The Kid and the rest of his men whirled their horses and ran up the road.

O’Phalliard’s horse came up near us and Tom said: ‘Don’t shoot any more. I’m dying.’

We helped him off his horse and took him in, and laid him down on a blanket. Pat the other boys then went back to playing poker.

I got Tom some water. He then cussed Garrett and died, in about thirty minutes after being shot.

The horse that Dave Rudabaugh was riding was shot, but not killed instantly. We found the dead horse the next day on the trail, about one mile or so east of Fort Sumner.

After Dave’s horse fell down from loss of blood he got up behind Billy Wilson, and they all went to Wilson’s ranch that night.

The next morning a big snowstorm had set in and put out their trail, so we laid over in Sumner and buried Tom O’Phalliard.

The next night, after the fighting cleared off, and, about midnight, Mr. Wilson rode in and reported to us that the Kid, Dave Rudabaugh, Billy Wilson, Tom Pickett and Charlie Bowdre had eaten supper at his ranch about dark and had then pulled out for the little rock house at Stinking Springs. So we saddled up and started about 1 o’clock in the morning.

We got to the rock house just before daylight. Our horses were left with Frank Stewart and some of the other boys under guard, while Garrett took Lee Hall, Tom Emory, and myself with him. We crawled up the arroyo to within about thirty feet of the door, where we lay down in the snow.

There was no window in the house and only one door, which we could cover with our guns.

The Kid had taken his race mare to the house, but the other three horses were standing near the door, hitched by ropes to the vega poles.

Just as day began to show, Charlie Bowdre came out to feed his horse, I suppose, for he had a moral in one hand. Garrett told him to throw up his hands, but he grabbed at his six-shooter. Then Garrett and Lee Hall both shot him in the breast. Emory and I didn’t shoot, for there was no use wasting ammunition then.

Charlie turned and went into the house, and we heard the Kid say to him:

‘Charlie, you are done for. Go out and see if you can’t get one of the ----‘s before you die.'

Charlie then walked out with his hand on his pistol, but was unable to shoot. We didn’t shoot, for we could see that he was about dead. He stumbled and fell on Lee Hall. He started to speak, but the words died with him.

Now Garrett, Lee, Tom and I tried several shots at the ropes which held the horses, and cut them loose – all but one horse, which was half-way in the door. Garrett shot him down, and that blocked the doorway so that the Kid could not make a dart on his mare.

We then held a medicine talk with the Kid, but, of course, could not see him. Garrett asked him to give up. Billy answered:

‘Go to h----, you long-legged -----.’

Garrett then told Tom Emory and me to go around to the other side of the house, as we could hear them trying to pick out a porthole. Then we took it time about, guarding the house all that day. When nearly sundown we saw a white handkerchief on a stick poked out of the chimney. Some of us crawled up the arroyo near enough to talk to Billy. He said he had no show to get away and wanted to surrender if we would give our word not to fire into them when they came out. We gave the promise and they came out with their hands up. Barney Mason raised his gun to shoot the Kid, when Lee Hall and I covered Barney and told him to drop his gun, which he did.

We took the prisoners and the body of Charlie Bowdre to the Wilcox ranch, where we stayed until next day. Then to Fort Sumner, where we delivered the body of Bowdre to his wife. Garrett asked Louis Bozeman and me to take Bowdre in the house to his wife. As we started in with him she struck me over the head with a branding iron and I had to drop Charlie at her feet. I always regretted the death of Charlie Bowdre, for he was a brave man and true to his friends to the last.

Before we left Fort Sumner with the prisoners for Santa Fe the Kid asked Garrett to let Tom Emory and me go along as guards, which he did.

The Kid made me a present of his Winchester rifle, but old Beaver Smith made such a roar about an account he said Billy owed him that, at the request of Billy, I gave old Beaver the gun. I wish now I had kept it.

On the road to Santa Fe the Kid told Garrett this: That those who live by the sword die by the sword.

Part of that prophecy has come true. Pat Garrett got his, but I am still alive."