Just as day began to show, Charlie Bowdre came out to feed his horse, I suppose, for he had a moral in one hand. Garrett told him to throw up his hands, but he grabbed at his six-shooter. Then Garrett and Lee Hall both shot him in the breast. Emory and I didn’t shoot, for there was no use to waste ammunition then.
Charlie turned and went into the house, and we heard the ‘Kid’ say to him: ‘Charlie, you are done for. Go out and see if you can’t get one of the s—of—b’s before you die.’
Charlie then walked out with his hand on his pistol, but was unable to shoot. We didn’t shoot, for we could see he was about dead. He stumbled and fell on Lee Hall. He started to speak, but the words died with him.
Now Garrett, Lee, Tom and I, fired several shots at the ropes which held the horses, and cut them loose—all but one horse which was half way in the door. Garrett shot him down, and that blocked the door, so the ‘Kid’ could not make a wolf dart on his mare.
We then held a medicine talk with the Kid, but of course couldn’t see him. Garrett asked him to give up, Billy answered: ‘Go to h—l, you long-legged s— of a b!’
Garrett then told Tom Emory and I to go around to the other side of the house, as we could hear them trying to pick out a port-hole. Then we took it, time about, guarding the house all that day. When nearly sundown, we saw a white handkerchief on a stick, poked out of the chimney. Some of us crawled up the arroyo near enough to talk to ‘Billy.’ He said they had no show to get away, and wanted to surrender, if we would give our word not to fire into them, when they came out. We gave the promise, and they came out with their hands up, but that traitor, Barney Mason, raised his gun to shoot the ‘Kid,’ when Lee Hall and I covered Barney and told him to drop his gun, which he did.
Now we took the prisoners and the body of Charlie Bowdre to the Wilcox ranch, where we stayed until next day. Then to Ft. Sumner, where we delivered the body of Bowdre to his wife. Garrett asked Louis Bousman and I to take Bowdre in the house to his wife. As we started in with him, she struck me over the head with a branding iron, and I had to drop Charlie at her feet. The poor woman was crazy with grief. I always regretted the death of Charlie Bowdre, for he was a brave man, and true to his friends to the last.
Before we left Ft. Sumner with the prisoners for Santa Fe, the ‘Kid’ asked Garrett to let Tom Emory and I go along as guards, which, as you know, he did.
The ‘Kid’ made me a present of his Winchester rifle, but old Beaver Smith made such a roar about an account he said ‘Billy’ owed him, that at the request of ‘Billy,’ I gave old Beaver the gun. I wish now I had kept it.
On the road to Santa Fe, the ‘Kid’ told Garrett this: That those who live by the sword, die by the sword. Part of that prophecy has come true. Pat Garrett got his, but I am still alive.