Welcome to Billy the Kid Country!
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You've crossed over that thin line that existed in the days of the Old West between good and bad, right and wrong, righteous and evil. In Star Wars they'd tell you, ''Welcome to the Dark Side.'' But in Old West terminology, you've just entered Billy the Kid Country, pardner! |
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Explore the Wild, Wild Web of Billy the Kid:
Billy the Kid: Outlaw Legend: An information packed site and also one with lots of photos. All of this material has been very nicely organized for convenience in navigating. Also, if you have a website on Billy or any of the other bad guys of the Old West, you can join the BadHombres Web Ring through this site. I did. Billy the Kid: Outlaw Legend Discussion Board: I had a lot of fun here just reading some of the entries. You can learn a lot by doing this at this site. If you've got an article on Billy that you've been wanting to share, or just a point to ponder, then this is a good site to go to. The Old West History & Gunfighter Polls: A real fun site. You can enter your opinion on a multitude of Old West controversies and questions and then view the current poll results. A good site to sharpen up your Old West trivia skills. The Battles of the Lincoln County War: This page provides an excellent chronology of the Lincoln County War in which Billy the Kid was a principal figure. In a battle by battle order, it lists all participants and gives the outcome of each conflict. Henry McCarty: The Wild West's "Billy the Kid": There's lots of good information here on many of the principal figures of the Lincoln County War as well as some info on a few of the background figures of the conflict, such as some of the Kid's "olive- skinned" Latin sweethearts. Billy The Kid: William Bonney: A single page containing 22 links to Billy the Kid and other Old West outlaws. Billy Gang History: Billy the Kid Outlaw Gang is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to: preserve, protect, and promote Billy The Kid/Pat Garrett history in New Mexico. General History of Hico, Texas: "The original town of Hico (pronunced, "High-Koe") was founded in 1856 on Honey Creek, a most picturesque and historical stream that flows into the Bosque River. Hico was named by J.R. Alford, after his old home town of Hico, Kentucky." Billy The Kid Database: Lots of interesting and useful links to info and stuff related to Billy the Kid. Larry Buchanan's Links Page: A page of links to Billy the Kid history and other Old West sites. Second Leader of the House: Not much information here, but the page does contain some good vintage photos of Bob Olinger, James Dolan and his wife.
Weekend getaways - Hico Texas - Legend of Billy the Kid: "Official" history reports that famous Old West outlaw William Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was gunned down by Pat Garret and is buried in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Hico tells a slightly different story, and has some compelling evidence to back up its claim. Don't miss a visit to the Billy the Kid Museum while you're in town and find out what "Brushy Bill" Roberts had to say. Billy the Kid's Graves: This domain name advertises itself as being "Your online guide to offbeat attractions," but it is off by one year on the Kid's death year, which was supposedly 1881. Still, an interesting site with some useful information that is well worth the click. Welcome to our Legend - the Texas tale of Billy the Kid: "Thus began one of the great mysteries of the American west. Could this infamous man, reputed to be one of the worst outlaw killers sworn dead and buried since 1881, have survived until 1950?" Page shows a photo of the grave of William Henry Roberts, aka Billy the Kid. Hico: Where Old West legacy meets New Age leisure: An excellent reference page for anyone who might be planning a trip to or stopover at Brushy Bill's final resting place. On the trail of Billy the Kid: "Visitors from all over the world come to New Mexico to follow his trail, and perhaps to search for clues to the truth about the young man turned outlaw. Today, at the Lincoln County Courthouse, you might hear a tourist with a French accent say, 'I never thought I would be standing in this very place.' And it is the very place. About 60 miles west of Roswell, the small town of Lincoln straddles US Hwy. 380. Although the road is paved, much else remains the same." American West Travelogue: A travel site on the West and a good one at that. Site includes a search engine and a drop-down categorized list of links. Or, you can browse the list of links of places to go in the West. Includes Alaska. Wortley Pat Garrett Hotel New Mexico Territory: "Since 1874, the Historic Wortley Pat Garrett Hotel in Lincoln, New Mexico has provided meals and lodging in Lincoln where the Old West started." Ft. Sumner, NM:"Ft. Sumner has successfully combined the legends of the late 19th century with the vision of the 21st century. The legendary outlaw Billy the Kid sought...." Weather.com for Fort Sumner, NM: Before visiting one of Billy's favorite New Mexico haunts, get the weather report from the internet's leading meteorological site.
Billy the Kid and Me: Musician and music writer Larry Buchanan reminisces about his Billy the Kid related encounters and experiences with various entertainers, poets and fellow muscians, including the set from Young Guns. A truly entertaining site. Author W. C. Jameson: "W. C. Jameson has earned his living at various times as a lifeguard, rodeo performer, radio announcer, cowhand, dock worker, professional boxer (once rated 2nd in the nation). He has a black belt in martial arts, and still fights on regular basis. He began writing professionally more than thirty years ago, and is now the author of more than thirty books, 200 magazine articles, written a multi-award-winning newspaper column with more than 1200 columns, and has twice won the Stirrup Award from the Western Writers of America." Outlaw’s bid for a pardon is DOA: "These days, nobody wants to talk about pardons for outlaws, even when they’ve entered genial American folklore. And at least Billy the Kid never made anything like the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list, as Rich did upon fleeing our country amid charges of the biggest tax evasion in U.S. history."
The West of Billy the Kid.
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The following account of this shooting appeared in the Arizona Weekly Star six days after the event:
Frank P. Cahill was shot by Henry Antrim alias Kid at Camp Grant on the 17th, and died on the 18th. The following are the dying words of the
deceased:
On this date Sheriff Brady and his deputy George Hindman were shot down and killed by members of the Regulators, of which Billy the Kid was a member of. This was a pivotal event in the escalation of the Lincoln County War. The shooting took place just as Brady and a group of his deputies, four men in all, walked past an adobe wall behind which the Kid and his Regulators lay in ambush. Juan Peppin, who was about eleven years old at the time of the incident and whose father, George Peppin, was one of the deputies walking with Brady on that day, recalled the following account of the incident in 1930 in a deposition to Maurice Garland Fulton:
[That morning] I was doing some work on a fence my father, George Peppin, was building on our place, just outside the town of Lincoln at the
west. My father had gone to the Murphy store. About 9 o'clock I heared shooting in the town, but did not give it much thought until someone came by the house
with the news that Sheriff Brady had been killed. As my father was one of his deputies, I thought it more than likely that he had been with the Sheriff. So I
left my work and went into town. Seeing a large number of people in the vicinity of the Tunstall store, I went there. I saw Major Brady lying on his back in
the street dead, all covered with blood, and one of his deputies, George Hindman, lying mortally wounded a few yards further along the street. My father was
alive but had had a narrow escape.
From hearing him tell about it, I am able to give what happened just before I came on the scene. A fellow by the name of Henry, Brown I believe was his last
name, had created a disturbance at the east end of the town and Sheriff Brady had set out to arrest him, accompanied by George Hindman, Billy Mathews and my
father. They were walking down the street abreast, my father being nearest the side of the street on which the Tunstall store was. Sheriff Brady came next,
then George Hindman, and finally Billy Mathews. These four had just passed the gateway to the corral, when five or six of the McSween men fired at them from
behind the adobe wall of the corral. These men slipped into town during the night and placed themselves in the corral. They had drilled port holes in the east
wall of the corral, so they could level their rifles through them. Brady and Hindman fell, as I have said, but Billy Mathews and my father ran for their lives
and got protection behind a house on the opposite side of the street. It is generally believed that Billy the Kid took a shot at Billy Mathews but did not come
closer to him than to splinter the door facing where he stood. My father saw Billy the Kid go ut and try to take Brady's rifle, but a shot from Billy Mathews
put a stop to his attempt. Green Wilson was working in his garden, and a stray bullet strck him in the rear.
Bob Bell and Bob Olinger were deputies for Sheriff Pat Garrett. On April 27th Garrett had left Lincoln on business away from town, leaving his two deputies in charge of the Kid who was in the Lincoln County courthouse awaiting his hanging for various murders, including that of Sheriff Brady, which was scheduled for May 13th. By means of which remain a mystery to this day, Billy obtained a revolver with which he killed deputy Bell. He then immediately seized Bob Olinger's shotgun and used it to kill the deputy, thus making way for his notorious escape. The following is an eyewitness account by Gottfried Gauss, who was a building caretaker in Lincoln:
I was crossing the yard behind the courthouse when I heard a shot fired, then a tussle upstairs in the courthouse, I saw the other deputy
sheriff, Olinger, coming out of the hotel opposite, with the four or five other county prisoners, where they had taken their dinner. I called to him to come
quick. He did so, leaving his prisoners in front of the hotel. When he had come close up to me, and while standing not more than a yard apart, I told him that
I was just after laying Bell dead on the ground in the yard behind. Before he could reply, he was struck by a well-directed shot fired from a window above us,
and fell dead at my feet. I ran for my life to reach my room and safety, when Bill the Kid called to me: "Don't run, I wouldn't hurt you--I am alone, and
master not only of the courthouse, but also of the town, for I will allow nobody to come near us." "You go," he said, "and saddle one of Judge[Ira} Leonard's
horses, and I will clear out as soon as I can have the shackles loosened from my legs." With a little prospecting pick I had thrown to him through the window
he was working for at least an hour, and could not accomplish more than to free one leg. He came to the conclusion to await a better chance, tie one shackle to
his waistbelt, and start out. Meanwhile I had saddled a small skittish pony belonging to Billy Burt [the County Clerk], as there was no other horse available,
and had also, by Billy's command, tied a pair of red blankets behind the saddle...
When Billy went down stairs at last, on passing the body of Bell he said, "I'm sorry I had to kill him but couldn't help it." On passing the body of Olinger he
gave him a tip with his boot, saying "You are not going to round me up again." ... And so Billy the Kid started out that evening, after he had shaken hands with
everybody around and after having had a little difficulty in mounting on account of the shackle on his leg, he went on his way rejoicing.
History has recorded that Billy the Kid died from a shot in the dark fired by Pat Garrett in Fort Sumner, New Mexico in 1881. This has long been the accepted story of the Kid's ultimate fate. But in 1950 an old character by the name of William Henry Roberts, aka "Brushy Bill" emerged in Hico, Texas claiming to be none other than the notorious outlaw himself. Whatsmore, this weathered old character produced some rather convincing credentials to support his claim. He even managed to take his case before Gov. Thomas Mabry in 1950, requesting a pardon for the crimes committed by Billy the Kid. His pardon was denied and he died shortly after his appearance before the governor. It was never officially confirmed that Brushy Bill was indeed who he claimed to be. Historians today are still trying to unravel this Old West mystery -- was he or wasn't he? What do you think? Review the links to the Brushy Bill legend listed below, then return to this page to take the poll on the Hico, Texas Legend of Brushy Bill. Then you can check the poll results to see how your opinion compares with the popular consensus. Was he or wasn't he? Review the links to the case and take the poll to add your two bits to this raging historical debate.
the Brushy Bill Roberts Legend: Yeah Sayer Sites:
The Real Billy the Kid The Hico Legend of Billy the Kid Brushy Bill Roberts and Billy the Kid---The Real, Honest Truth The Return of the Outlaw Billy the Kid Nay Sayer Sites:
Brushy Bill - The Truth? Brushy Bill Roberts: The Facts
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