The Collected Works of Billy the Kid by Michael Ondaatje

your soul
    said Judge Warren H. Bristol

THE TEXAS STAR MARCH 1881
THE KID TELLS ALL
EXCLUSIVE JAIL INTERVIEW!
    INTERVIEWER : Billy…
    BONNEY : Mr. Bonney please.
    I: Mr. Bonney, I am from the
Texas Star
. You are now how old?
    B: 21.
    I: When is your birthday?
    B: November 23rd. On that lap I’ll be 22.
    I: You were reported as saying, as adding, to that phrase— ‘If I make it’ when asked that question before.
    B: Well, sometimes I feel more confident than at others.
    I: And you feel alright now …
    B: Yes, I’m ok now.
    I: Mr. Bonney, when you rejected Governor Houston’s offer of an amnesty, were you aware of the possibility that your life would continue the way it has?
    B: Well, I don’t know; Charlie, Charlie Bowdre that is, said then that I was a fool not to grab what I could out of old Houston. But what the hell. It didn’t mean too much then anyway. All Houston was offering me was protection from the law, and at that time the law had no quarrels with me, so it seemed rather silly.
STOLEN CATTLE IN MY BED
    I: But you were wanted for cattle rustling weren’t you?
    B: Yes, but, well let me put it this way. I could only be arrested if they had proof, definite proof, not just stories. They had to practically catch me with stolen cattle in my bed. And when you rustle, you can see law coming a good two miles away. All I had to do was ride off in the opposite direction and that would have been that.
    I: But couldn’t they catch you with them when you sold them?
    B: Well I don’t do, I didn’t do the selling—I sold them off before they reached the market.
    I: How were, or with whom were you able to do that?
    B : I’d rather not mention names if you don’t mind.
    (Here Mr. Bonney withdrew a black cigarette, lit it, and grinned charmingly, then retreated behind his enigmatic half smile, a smile which was on the verge of one. These smiles of ‘Billy the Kid’ are well known and have become legendary among his friends in this area. Sheriff Garrett has an explanation for this:
    “Billy has a denture system which is prominent, buck teeth you at the paper would call it. So that even when he has no intention of smiling his teeth force his mouth into a half grin. Because of this, people are always amazed at his high spirits in a time of stress.” Mrs. Celsa Gutierrez adds to this:
FED HIM TEQUILA
    “When Billy was 18, a man named John Rapsey (‘…. head’ as he was affectionately called afterwards) broke his (Billy’s) nose with a bottle. Billy was knocked unconscious and Rapsey escaped. Bowdre who was with him, to ease the pain when he came to, fed him some tequila, made him drunk. Billy didn’t get his nose fixed for three days as Bowdre accompanying him on the tequila also got drunk and forgot all about the broken nose. As a result, when Billy finally got to Sumner to get it fixed his breathing channels, or whatever, were clogged. After that he rarely breathed through his nose again, and breathed by sucking the air in through his mouth, or through his teeth as it seemed. If you were near him when he was breathing heavily—when excited or running, you could hear this hissing noise which was quite loud.”)
    B: Anyway, Houston offered me protection from the law, and the only law I knew in Fort Sumner was the Murphy faction which would certainly not uphold Houston if they found me in a dark street without guns. (Laugh)
    I: Did you get on well with Houston?
    B : He was ok.
    I : What do you mean by that?
    B : Just that he was straight about it all. I mean he was disappointed of course that I couldn’t agree, but I think he saw my point. I don’t think he thought much of Murphy’s men, or trusted them either.
    I: But right now you’ve threatened to kill him if you escape this hanging?
    B: WHEN I escape, yes.
    I: Why?
BOTH SIDES GUILTY
    B : Well, I’ve been through all this before. I’ve already made a statement. But anyway, again. In my trial three weeks ago, the chargethat was brought against me was