To recount the stay of Billy the Kid and his gang in the jail, the following text is from an interview with the boys conducted by a Las Vegas Morning Gazette reporter on January 20, 1881.
“A few days ago, a representative of the Gazette paid a visit to Billy Bonney, “the Kid,” Dave Rudabaugh, and Billy Wilson in the Santa Fe jail. They were all heavily shackled and lying about but rose as the heavy iron door swung back on its hinges. After speaking with them, the Gazette man made some remarks on the tidiness of their cell.
“Oh, this is a palace as compared with that place they’ve put fellows in in Vegas,” said Billy. “We’ve been scrubbing up today.”
He continued, glancing around and contemplating their work. The men appeared to be in good humor, and the talk passing from one topic to another, “the Kid” said,
“I’m getting up a terrible reputation.”
Allusion being made to the horrible picture of him in the police news that has been the laughing stock of the town, Billy made all manner of fun of it.
“I got hold of the paper first when it was brought in,” he said, “but I was ashamed to let the other fellows see it. Wasn’t it savage, though?” he inquired.
We gave our unbiased opinion that we thought it was, and we were not a little amused at the way the subject of the front piece of the super sensational paper ran on about it.
“I never had a beautiful Mexican girl with me. It was as much as I could do to take care of myself,” was his disposition of the picture. “But,” his eyes flashing as he spoke, “she was ‘game’ though. See the way she stood off all the crowd after me,” said the admirer of personal courage.
“I say boss,” sang out a fellow lying near the stove,
“Haven’t you got any influence with the US government to get it to give me a hat?”
The fellow swung over his head a paper cap, such as dull scholars in backwoods towns “down east” wear as a symbol of dullness.
“Have you any other hat?”
“No, nor I haven’t had any for sixteen months ever since I was put in here.”
“He’s had hard luck that fellow has,” said one of the boys. “He’s been in here for 16 months waiting for trial for something that his nibs did,” pointing to Dave Rudabaugh who was lying near the fellow with the paper cap.
“Yes, they’ve kept him in for what I did,” attested Rudabaugh.
We were considerably interested in knowing who this long-time incarcerated man might be, and found on inquiry that it was B.S. Jack, well known in Vegas and who was accused of robbing the coach near this city.
“None of them men they’ve got in jail had anything to do with robbing the stage or the train,” said Rudabaugh. “I’m in it for now and might as well tell the truth, the Stokes boys are perfectly innocent and so are all the men who were mistrusted of being mixed up in both affairs. I don’t propose to tell who did do either. But they haven’t got any of the men but me.”
There was a general conversation concerning the Stokes boys, and all of the boys said it was a shame that they were ever arrested. “B.S.” Jack told his story. He said that he was broke and was just tied up with rheumatism.
“I couldn’t have walked as far as where the coach was robbed and back to my room again,” he said. “That’s the way with some of us. Poor devils who haven’t any friend,” said he, “They just pounced down on us because they think no one would believe a word we would say.”
He was in good humor like the rest, But he has had nearly a year and a half to brood over his misfortune and was at times somewhat sour.
“They have got another innocent man in gel in Vegas,” said Rudabaugh. When asked what that might be, he said, “Webb”; He isn’t any more guilty of killing Kelliher than you are.”
The “imported editor” came to the conclusion that if his residence in Vegas in March was made a test of Webb’s innocence, that man was safe.
“I saw the whole affair, and if my word is worth anything, I say that man didn’t do the killing.” He stoutly adhered to this and said that if he only had a chance to testify, he would say so.
“Well, Billy, what do you think of your notoriety?” we asked of “the Kid.”
“I don’t see any money in it. Everything that has been done in that country is laid to me,” and he really seemed ashamed of the reputation he had gained.
“If you get out, you could get up a show like Buffalo Bills. You have had advertising enough.” “IF —-“ Was his only comment.
The boys expressed themselves as having nothing to complain about regarding their keeping and keepers and said that Sheriff Martinez and everyone connected with the jail has treated them right. As the Gazette man turned to go, “B.S.” impressed on his mind his need for a hat and coat, and the doors clanged on the prisoners