The Southwesterner du lieu suivant : Columbus, New Mexico • 8

Pag 8 TlFGq tS)EfOi? OTfe BILLY THE KIDS BROTHER CHOSE DEATH CERTIFICATE of Joe Antrim at Denver is above. There isnt much information about Billy's brother on this either. The department of Census refuses to divulge any further information on Antrim, even though it was furnished with addresses where Antrim was living in Denver in the 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930 censuses. The Census cannot be made public without a court order. bureau claims the information is privileged and LIFE OF RECLUSE There is very little definite information concerning the origins and early life of Billy the Kid, and this isnt too surprising.

Billy only lived 21 years, and most of that time hevas moving too fast to sit down and chat about where and when he was jorn. But his brother, Joe, lived to be about 75, spending most of his adult life Denver. He had plenty of time to confide to a friend his birthplace, to fill out some application or another, giving this information, or registering for the draft, or marrying, or some such. Apparently, though, he didnt. I have just spent a week or so in and around Denver, trying to find out what happened to Joe McCarthy, or Joe Antrim, the brother of the famous Billy.

It is surprising how much you can learn, without really learning anything. Joe was a year-and-a-half older than Billy, and apparently was a close-mouthed artful, dodger who lived for nearly three-quarters of a century and left hardly any more of a track than if he hadnt lived at all. The only way I even happened to hear Joe lived in Denver was talking to Herman Lindauer over at Deming one day, when he mentioned that his father had taken him to the National Democratic Convention in Denver, back in 1908, and that they stayed in the Albany Hotel. During the stay, Herman said, a furtive character approached his father and the latter recognized him. Why Joe McCarthy," Hermans father, Sigmund, exclaimed in surprise, what in the name of sense are you doing in Denver? I havent seen you since way back in the days of Georgetown." Herman relates how old Mr.

Lindauer and Joe sat in the Lobby and talked about the old days in Silver City and Georgetown, when Sigmund boarded with Billy andjoes mother, Katherine Antrim, and the boys had waited on the table. Joe told Sigmund he was a "runner in Denver for a poker game and one of the things I couldnt understand was why they had runners" when gambling was completely open and legal, but such Denver historians as Fred Maz-zula explained to me that the really big poker games were never held in a gambling house, anyway, but were moved from place to place iiid held in various hotel rooms. This was done, explained Fred, so that the game wouldnt be robbed, or the winner robbed, after it was over. By changing sites, thieves couldnt get advance notice and a chance to rob the game. Anyway, Billy the Kids brother was a runner for a poker game in HOOVER QUITE A GUY -WE DONT MEAN HERB The Denver Post reporter who interviewed Joe Antrim bock in 1928 was Ed Hoover, I who still lives in Denver.

He is 75, quite a poker player, land can tell a story or two about his days ranching in southern New Mexico. He knew 'all the old-timers, including Gene Rhodes, and the story of his days on a horse is on the opposite page. (' HERE IS THE ONLY known photograph of Joe Antrim, Billy the Kids brother. This was taken in April, 1928, to illustrate an article written by Denver Post Reporter, Ed Hoover. This photo was reproduced from microfilm by courtesy of the Denver Public Library and retouched sliahtly by Advertising Art Associates to take out some bad scratches.

Antrim died about six months after this was taken. (For more about Reporter Hoover, see opposite page.) (' was still around Denver. Sure," said Jimmy Fillas, who runs the club, he comes in every Saturday to play poker with the boys." Ed is 75 now, has an exceptionally sharp memory, but Joe Antrim was just too colorless a character for him to remember vividly- It was just a routine assignment I picked up from the city desk," Ed told me. They said theres some old coot been around Denver a long time and would I go over and interview him. I did.

All I remember is he was completely colorless and I had to pump and prime him with question after question to get anything. A few days after the story appeared, somebody called me I dont re-member who and said, Do you know the man you talked to was Billy the Kids brother? I said So what? and went on about whatever project I was working on at that time." ft THE BUREAU of vital statistics showed that Antrim was found dead at 1617 Latimer Street, Denver, on Nov. 25, 1930, although the city directory for that year showed his addressed at 1530 Market Street. This was explained to me by Freuy Mazzula. The address at 1617 Latimer Street was the old Murphy House, a gambling j)lace," said Fred on P0 0 0 0 years ago.

It didnt mention that Antrim was the brother of Billy the Kid, but it did say he was a-faro dealer and had dealt hands to such worthies as Bet-a-Million" Gates. In reading the story, it became apparent, too, that Joe was trying to hide the fact he was related to Billy the Kid, which, I guess, is natural enough with a fellow trying to build up a reputation as an honest card dealer. Joe told Hoover "he came to Denver in 1871, with his father, a Wells-Fargo Express Agent, from Silver City, N.M. Now Joe obviously knew better than this, for he witnessed his own mothers wedding to William Antrim in 1873 as a small boy in Santa Fe, and Silver City wasnt even there in 1871, for at that time the small adobe village was known as Cienega De San Vicente and consisted of three or four structures. But I thought it was possible he had perhaps come to Denver in 1871 from some other place, with his real, not his stepfather, and that this was before they went to Silver City.

Maybe this is so, I dont ever expect to know. The only way to find out more than what is in the story, I thought, was to find the man who wrote it, if he were still alive, and ask him what went on during the interview. Ed Hoover, the reporter, just might still be living, after 35 years, and it might be he would remember something. I went back to the press club and asked if Ed Hoover povo it. This cleared up why the toy.

were called "McCarthy" whi they lived in Silver City. So, we got to talking about Brother Joe and I told Bob how Wayne Whitehill, had been down in Columbus a few days before and told me he and his father had seen old Joe in the 1930s, he thought, over around Bisbee, Ariz. Bob then said he had a newspaper clippirg about Joe in Denver and that he would send it to me. He later wrote that had been misplaced, but at least I knew one existed. (t I (' 1908.

Then a few days ago, Bob Mullin came to El Paso to attend his 50th high school class reunion and we had dinner at the Paso del Norte, previous to the I had never met Dob before and was fortunate that Dr. C. L. Sonnichsen was there to introduce me. I could not have had a greater feast if we had been eating the side of a cow.

But I dont mean food. To listen to these two is like a thirsty man going over the side of Niagara in a thunderstorm. I drank in every word. I realize I am changing metaphors here, but I think you get the idea I was able to absorb more than just food and drink. Bob Mullin has done more original research cn Billy the Kid than anybody since the night Billy was shot by Garrett.

The last bit was discovering that William Antrim married Catherine McCarthy in Santa Fe in 1873 and Bob dug up the church and civil records to A CHECK at the Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Post only revealed they had no information about Joe McCarthy, or Joe Antrim, and, on the advice of the boys at the Deiiver Press Club, I visited the Western History Department of the Denver Public Library. There I found the story. It was written by a man named Ed Hoover and appeared in the Denver Post on April 1, 1928, just 35.