frontier and
gave little history of their own past. He came West from Texas, but it
is thought that he was born farther east than the Lone Star state. He
was long in the United States army, where he reached the rank of
sergeant before his discharge; after which he lingered on the frontier,
as did very many soldiers of that day. He was at one time a member of
the famous Texas rangers, and had reputation as an Indian fighter. He
had been badly shot by the Comanches. Again, he was on the other side,
against the rangers, and once stood off twenty-five of them, although
nearly killed in this encounter. From these wounds he was so badly
crippled in his right arm that he could not lift a rifle to his
shoulder. He was usually known as "Buckshot" Roberts because of the
nature of his wounds.

Roberts took up a little ranch in the beautiful Ruidoso valley of
central New Mexico, one of the most charming spots in the world; and all
he asked was to be let alone, for he seemed able to get along, and not
afraid of work. When the Lincoln County War broke out, he was recognized
as a friend of Major Murphy, one of the local faction leaders; but when
the fighting men curtly told him it was about time for him to choose his
side, he as curtly replied that he intended to take neither side; that
he had seen fighting enough in his time, and would fight no man's battle
for him. This for the time and place was treason, and punishable with
death. Roberts' friends told him that Billy the Kid and Dick Brewer
intended to kill him, and advised him to leave the country.

It is said that Roberts had closed out his affairs and was preparing to
leave the country, when he heard that the gang was looking for him, and
that he then gave them opportunity to find him. Others say that he went
up to Blazer's Mill to meet there a friend of his by the name of Kitts,
who, he heard, had been shot and badly wounded. There is other rumor
that he went up to Blazer's Mill to have a personal encounter with Major
Godfroy, with whom there had been some altercation. There is a further
absurd story that he went for the purpose of killing Billy the Kid, and
getting the reward which was offered for him. These latter things are
unlikely. The probable truth is that he, being a brave man, though fully
determined to leave the country, simply found it written in his creed to
go up to Blazer's Mill to see his supposedly wounded friend, and also to
see what there was in the threats w