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Post by MissyS on Aug 17, 2020 2:09:49 GMT -5
I wondered after reading a snippet from Billy the Kid’s interview, he mentions owning a ranch with Charlie Bowdre, sounds like in Portales?, I was wondering if Billy and Bowdre bought the ranch together as a joint business venture to open a station? I wonder if any research was done as to any ranches that was ever owned by the two?, and if so whatever happened to the ranch?, was it sold and to who? Part copied from the interview December 27th 1880: Interview with The Las Vegas Gazette at the train depot, shortly after his capture. “I don’t blame you for writing of me as you have. You had to believe other stories but then I don’t know, as anyone would believe anything good of me anyway. I wasn’t the leader of my gang, I was for Billy all the time. About that Portales business, I owned the ranch with Charlie Bowdre. I took it up and was holding it because I knew that sometime a stage would run by there and I wanted to keep it for a station. But I found that there were certain men who wouldn’t let me live in the country and so I was going to leave. We had all our grub in the house when they took us in and we were going to a place about six miles away in the morning to cook it and then light out.”
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Post by cassandra jane on Aug 22, 2020 20:04:37 GMT -5
Can’t remember where the stuff about the Daugherty/Dougherty ranch was posted, and I don’t know if anyone’s done anything with this Portales business yet, if they have apologies! But on a preliminary look on Google I found this (below), and got reminded of Rufus’s (I think) “all roads lead to Texas/Claiborne” as well as the Daugherty story. Might be something to look into here, might not be, but it caught my attention.
“James M. Daugherty, a successful cattleman from Abilene, Texas purchased the ranch from the Elliott Cattle Company in October 1895 for $45,000, which included thirty-five hundred head of cattle and fifty-five saddle horses. The large ranch changed ownership once again in February 1897 when another Abilene citizen, Claiborne Walker Merchant, acquired it from Daugherty and Frank Divers, who still retained partial ownership. Merchant was one of the founders of Abilene and co-owner of the San Simon Ranch near Tucson, Arizona, with his partner, James Harrison Parramore.”
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Post by MissyS on Aug 23, 2020 3:35:02 GMT -5
Thanks, quite interesting info, I was wondering if the ranch Billy mentioned could possibly be where Billy’s “castle” was located that the lost surveyor named Duncan told about seeing in that old news article?, also there was a cave that Billy used to hide out in, and it was I was thinking located in the Portales or there abouts, and I wonder if the ranch was close to there?, and if this cave was the cave Brushy pointed out to Morrison when they were touring New Mexico that he said a horse could fit in it? I was thinking if Charlie owned a ranch with Billy then he and his wife wouldn’t have had to be staying in Fort Sumner at the old hospital building that Manuela was said to have been staying at, I’m guessing the Maxwell’s were charging rent to persons that lived there?, but then again if Charlie worked for Pete then his room and board may have been free? Well one or the other may have won the ranch gambling and lost it gambling? or it was lost when they were arrested? Since Bowdre was deceased and Billy couldn’t afford his attorney as he was trying to sell his horse he gave away to pay attorney’s fees, then he may not have thought to pay taxes on any ranch he once co-owned and may have lost it that way? Or maybe Charlie Bowdre’s widow Manuela was left with the property if they had a ranch? Charlie Bowdre wrote a somewhat long letter from Fort Sumner to Captain J C Lea of Roswell in Dec. 1880, I will try to find it and see if he mentions owning a ranch with Billy in it.
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Post by MissyS on Aug 26, 2020 18:25:00 GMT -5
Thanks rufus, That one cave looks a lot like the cave in this photo in this link I found, and it mentions Billy and Bowdre wanting to operate a stage line here the cave is called “Los Portales” If this is the place Billy was referring to, I wonder if he and Charlie ever actually owned the land? www.angelfire.com/nm/boybanditking/pagePortales.html
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Post by MissyS on Aug 29, 2020 18:07:09 GMT -5
I found a reference or could be a reference to that land Billy and Charlie could have owned in an interview by John Meadows March 3, 1931 he talks about conversations at the time of Billy arrest Meadows said: “The Kid was turned over to Garrett to take to Lincoln and to hang on a certain Friday. I think on Friday, Billy Matthews, Ollinger, Bell and Dave Woods went as guards to take him over. They took him to Lincoln and on the way over the Kid got to talking to Matthews about me, and Matthews told him I had rented his ranch and was living on the Penasco, and told him where I lived.” So maybe John Meadows was living on that property and was renting it from Billy and sub leased it? That interview is interesting and is accessible at the Roswell Daily Record in 4 parts or chapters below is part 4, part 1-3 can also be accessed. Mathew’s gives his account on Billy’s escape and the shooting in part 4 and the part about renting his ranch is in part 4 also. www.rdrnews.com/2020/03/02/historically-speaking-the-story-of-billy-the-kid-told-by-his-friend-john-meadows-part-4/
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2020 11:02:08 GMT -5
I found a reference or could be a reference to that land Billy and Charlie could have owned in an interview by John Meadows March 3, 1931 he talks about conversations at the time of Billy arrest Meadows said: “The Kid was turned over to Garrett to take to Lincoln and to hang on a certain Friday. I think on Friday, Billy Matthews, Ollinger, Bell and Dave Woods went as guards to take him over. They took him to Lincoln and on the way over the Kid got to talking to Matthews about me, and Matthews told him I had rented his ranch and was living on the Penasco, and told him where I lived.” So maybe John Meadows was living on that property and was renting it from Billy and sub leased it? That interview is interesting and is accessible at the Roswell Daily Record in 4 parts or chapters below is part 4, part 1-3 can also be accessed. Mathew’s gives his account on Billy’s escape and the shooting in part 4 and the part about renting his ranch is in part 4 also. www.rdrnews.com/2020/03/02/historically-speaking-the-story-of-billy-the-kid-told-by-his-friend-john-meadows-part-4/I think you cracked the case potentially. Jesus Christ Almighty God bless you all 😊
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Post by MissyS on Feb 26, 2024 14:00:55 GMT -5
I wanted to add a little interesting information I ran across. In the book History of Hutchinson County, Texas: 104 Years, 1876-1980. The book by the Hutchinson Historical Commission 1980. Theres an interesting history of the family of Manuel Brazil on page 95. Without going into much detail, The Kid had sold land to a M.S. Brazil. I’m wondering if this was the property that Billy the Kid was referring to that he owned with Charlie Bowdre in his December 27, 1880 interview with The Las Vegas Gazette at the train? However in that interview Billy hinted at Portales as the location of the ranch he owned with Bowdre, but Portales is around 69 miles from Fort Sumner and the land the Kid sold was supposed to have been close to Fort Sumner, so I’m puzzled as to the location of the ranch the Kid and Bowdre owned?
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