"My first real work," related Mr. Byler, "was on the Coughlin Ranch in Collin County. I ran cattle all over West Texas, from Tom Green to the Pecos and from there to New Mexico.

"(Later on) My feet began to itch again and I decided to try Arizona. I got a recommendation to run a ranch out there and started but ran upon Coughlin again. He had another big ranch and the Government Agency to furnish beef for the Indian Reservation. He got to talkin' to me about what I would get into out there, outlaws, Indians etc., and asked me to stop and work with him, which I did. He found out later that he was buying stolen stuff for the reservation. A new hand knew better than to ask questions. If he had any sense at all he kept his mouth shut and stuck to duty. If he didn't, he didn't last long.

"Billy the Kid was doing his part of the stealing on the Pecos and selling to Coughlin. I've slept many a night right by Billy and never asked a question, just get up next morning and took the cattle he had brought in, up to the reservation without a word.

"Billy the Kid stood in with most of the stage drivers. He stole all the horses from the nearest stage stand, went on out and met the incoming stage, took the driver's gun and all the money and later divided with the driver. The stage company employed Sam Perry to follow them. They furnished him with the best and fastest saddle horses that could be bought and told him to pick his men. Sam was a crook too, so he came by where Tress Underwood and I were working and tried to get us to go with him. He said Billy the Kid's hide-out was on the border, that he knew where it was and that we could sell out to him and split, then get us an old pack jack, trudge back and tell that the Kid and his gang overpowered us and took everything we had. Tress and I told him we had a good job and didn't want to take any chances on losing it. He went on his way but returned some weeks later, just as he had planned, leading the old jack and loaded down with money. He took us into Silver City and we all got drunk. We were eatin' at a hotel and Sam was settin' across the table from a stranger a-poppin' off and he popped once too many. The stranger, he ups and biffs him one in the face with a saucer. Sam's face was cut and the saucer demolished, so we left on that.