d until Billy was
eight years of age. In 1868, the family made their home at Silver City,
New Mexico, where they lived until 1871, when Billy was twelve years of
age. His life until then had been one of shifting about, in poverty or
at best rude comfort. His mother seems to have been a wholesome
Irishwoman, of no great education, but of good instincts. Of the boy's
father nothing is known; and of his stepfather little more, except that
he was abusive to the stepchildren. Antrim survived his wife, who died
about 1870. The Kid always said that his stepfather was the cause of his
"getting off wrong."

The Kid was only twelve years old when, in a saloon row in which a
friend of his was being beaten, he killed with a pocket-knife a man who
had previously insulted him. Some say that this was an insult offered to
his mother; others deny it and say that the man had attempted to
horsewhip Billy. The boy turned up with a companion at Fort Bowie, Pima
county, Arizona, and was around the reservation for a while. At last he
and his associate, who appears to have been as well saturated with
border doctrine as himself at tender years, stole some horses from a
band of Apaches, and incidentally killed three of the latter in a night
attack. They made their first step at easy living in this enterprise,
and, young as they were, got means in this way to travel about over
Arizona. They presently turned up at Tucson, where Billy began to employ
his precocious skill at cards; and where, presently, in the
inevitable gambler's quarrel, he killed another man. He fled across
the line now into old Mexico, where, in the state of Sonora, he set up
as a youthful gambler. Here he killed a gambler, Jose Martinez, over a
monte game, on an "even break," being the fraction of a second the
quicker on the draw. He was already beginning to show his natural
fitness as a handler of weapons. He kept up his record by appearing next
at Chihuahua and robbing a few monte dealers there, killing one whom he
waylaid with a new companion by the name of Segura.

[Illustration: BILLY THE KID
Said to have slain twenty-two men in his short career. Killed when
twenty-one years old by Sheriff Pat F. Garrett]

The Kid was now old enough to be dangerous, and his life had been one of
irresponsibility and lawlessness. He was nearly at his physical growth
at this time, possibly five feet seven and a half inches in height, and
weighing a hundred and thirty-five pounds. He was al