The Autobiography of Billy the Kid by Ralph Estes

Author:Ralph Estes [Estes, Ralph]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Biography, black rose writing, wild west, billy the kid, western history, ralph estes, pat garrett, the autobiography of billy the kid
ISBN: 9781612961392
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Published: 2012-10-01T00:00:00+00:00

The Trial

My trial would be before Judge Warren Bristol. Too bad, I’ve told you about him earlier. Bosum buddy of my enemies.

Still, things didn’t start out so bad. There was a federal indictment for the killing of Buckshot Roberts. I didn’t shoot Roberts. But we never got to that, because there was some wrangling about jurisdiction and finally the indictment was dismissed on the grounds, I think, that the federal government didn’t have jurisdiction over the Blazer’s Mill area; it wasn’t Indian land.

I thought my court-appointed lawyer Ira Leonard, Judge Leonard he was called, did a pretty good job getting that indictment dropped. Then they brought up the Brady killing on a territorial indictment, and were going ahead with that. But all of a sudden the judge dismissed Leonard and two new fellows were assigned to me. There was a man named Bail, whom I didn’t know, and Albert Jennings Fountain who was another big buddy of Dolan.

I’m thinking, man, I don’t have a friend in sight. This isn’t going to be a fair trial, I don’t stand a chance with the judge, the prosecutor, and my own, so-called, lawyers on the other side. And as if that wasn’t enough, these same men put their heads together and selected the jury, being sure, I have no doubt, that every one of the jury would vote the “right” way.

Of course if there had been any justice in the territory of New Mexico this trial would never have taken place, because Governor Wallace would have granted me a pardon.

And of course there were six Regulators behind that wall when Brady was killed, so how come I was the only one on trial. Said they hadn’t caught any of the others, but I’m thinking they didn’t try nearly as hard for them as they did for me. I’ve always asked myself, how come?

Anyway, things now began to happen fast. All the testimony went against me. Except that nobody testified they had seen me shoot at Brady, and Mathews testified that all he saw me do was run out to try to get back my Winchester. And got myself shot in the process.

Next old Judge Bristol gave his instructions to the jury, said it didn’t matter whether I shot at Brady or anybody that day, if I was just there they should find me guilty of murder in the first degree. Which, of course, they did.

Ahh, it was just a farce, a joke, except I wasn’t laughing.

I think Judge Bristol had been rehearsing his next little speech from the beginning, sentencing me to hang. Don’t know why they didn’t just go ahead and do it in Mesilla, save some money, but instead I was to be taken to Lincoln. Maybe they wanted the folks in Lincoln to have a show. Well, I’m glad they did send me there, and I guess the folks got a show all right.

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