Post by MissyS on Jul 20, 2023 19:30:50 GMT -5
On October 14, 1938 Edith Crawford interviewed Elisha Leslie in Carrizozo New Mexico one of many interviews conducted during the writer’s project, and most of these interviews can be read on the Library of Congress site.
Elisha’s interview raises a a couple questions for me. He mentioned his father Robert Leslie had met Billy the Kid at a railroad construction camp. This made me wonder, how did he happen to have met Billy the Kid at a railroad construction camp if the family had not made the move to New Mexico until 1883? Reading the interview the family had farmed near Dublin Texas and sounds like the family made the move to New Mexico after a man who came to Texas from Lincoln County had often told the father how great New Mexico was. Both Elisha’s parents were from Georgia, it’s not known when the father came to Texas, but Elisha’s parents married in 1871 in Dublin Texas. Sounds like reading the interview the family farmed there until 1883. Robert Leslie may have met Billy while himself had worked at a railroad construction job somewhere since he owned a few teams and used them at times for construction. I don’t recall any mention of Billy the Kid working for a railroad construction crew though? Another question is could this have been Brushy Bill that Elisha’s father had met? Could Brushy had gotten a job with a railroad crew in Texas sometime between 1881 and 1883 and met Robert Leslie? It wouldn’t make sense that Brushy would introduce himself to Robert Leslie as Billy the Kid after 1881 though. If memory serves Brushy was said to have worked as a plainclothes officer I think maybe in Gladewater, could this have been in connection to a railroad construction camp in some way?
Elisha’s interview raises a a couple questions for me. He mentioned his father Robert Leslie had met Billy the Kid at a railroad construction camp. This made me wonder, how did he happen to have met Billy the Kid at a railroad construction camp if the family had not made the move to New Mexico until 1883? Reading the interview the family had farmed near Dublin Texas and sounds like the family made the move to New Mexico after a man who came to Texas from Lincoln County had often told the father how great New Mexico was. Both Elisha’s parents were from Georgia, it’s not known when the father came to Texas, but Elisha’s parents married in 1871 in Dublin Texas. Sounds like reading the interview the family farmed there until 1883. Robert Leslie may have met Billy while himself had worked at a railroad construction job somewhere since he owned a few teams and used them at times for construction. I don’t recall any mention of Billy the Kid working for a railroad construction crew though? Another question is could this have been Brushy Bill that Elisha’s father had met? Could Brushy had gotten a job with a railroad crew in Texas sometime between 1881 and 1883 and met Robert Leslie? It wouldn’t make sense that Brushy would introduce himself to Robert Leslie as Billy the Kid after 1881 though. If memory serves Brushy was said to have worked as a plainclothes officer I think maybe in Gladewater, could this have been in connection to a railroad construction camp in some way?
