How did Texas cowboy Charlie Siringo survive decades living among the worst outlaws of the Old West cattle country, such as Billy the Kid, Bill Moore, John Wesley Hardin, Ben Thompson, Clay Allison, Sam Bass, and Tom Horn?
In 1927, Charles A. Siringo published an in-depth narrative of his life among the outlaws and lawmen of the Old West cattle country, as well as first-hand accounts provided by other noteworthy figures of the times. It is this book of 270 pages, titled "Riata and Spurs," that has been republished here for the convenience of the interested reader.
In fact, a reading of Riata and Spurs is like leafing through a Who's Who of the old cattle days in the West. There you will see the names of Old Man Goodnight, John Chisum, Beals of the great LX ranch, Outlaw Bill Moore, the manager of that ranch, Billy the Kid, Jim East, Pat Garrett and a dozen others who were connected with the famous Lincoln county cattle war and the saga of that youthful outlaw. If you would know the true story of how Billy the Kid came to his death before the six-shooter of Pat Garrett read Charlie Siringo's Riata and Spurs.
