The Complete and Factual Life of Billy The Kid

[MissyS]

The Complete and Factual Life of Billy the Kid, by William Brent, book published 1964. I finished this book and thought I'd share some things about it. The aurthor's parents James and Carlota Brent lived in the territory at the time, his father knew both Billy and was a friend of Pat Garrett. William Brent wrote the book based on what was told to him by his parents and grandfather. This aurthor pretty much describes Billy as more mean and ruthless, not much nice about him, again there's variations, a few interesting things to note in this book both McKinney and Poe admitted hearing three shots, and that Billy was armed that night , the gun described was a new type of handgun that just appeared on the frontier at the time with small rounded derringer type handle, a gun that doesnt seem typical of the Kid to use?, and the aurthor believes somewhat that it was fired that night, and both Mckinney and Poe saw the gun it was still clutched in Billy's hand with 4 bullets in the cylinder, the hammer down on the empty, Billy was 22 yrs old when killed according to this book not 21, and Deluvina described as being elderly at the time, I didnt think she was that old?, there were other details in the book I hadn't read before, and Billy's Character a bit different from the usual, overall an interesting book , as far as it being factual? I have doubts on some of it.

[mckinley412]

I like anyone's reports on books I haven't read. Thank you. I think Billy wasn't mean and sometimes he was, like me.., because sometimes that's how you have to be. He was cool. I don't know what type of gun he had that night but according to the missing guns from the armory it wasn't a self-cocker and there is another story where he got one from and there are multiple stories from people who claimed they were the original Bigfoot I guess. I'm thinking he probably had a gun from the Lincoln Armory, but who knows. Either way nobody has ever been able to trace this supposed gun to a buyer or owner.

[MissyS]

I want to add that the aurthors grandfather was Saturnino Baca, so I had to consider the source, Brent claimed he based the book on what was told to him from his grandfather and parents, good sources , although Billy's character being bad I do recommend the book because it is a different view and sometimes it's good to read a different view, I did learn some things reading it that I didn't know before like Jesse Evans real name was Davis. I wonder if Billy had taken a type of gun he wasn't used to using when he fled Lincoln why he didnt trade em or sell them for a gun he was used to? he may have used many guns I guess, but this one mentioned that he was said to have had in his hand the night he was supposedly shot was a new model just arrived in the territory and maybe it could have played a part in why if it had been fired it missed the mark? the handle of the gun was rounded and maybe he couldn't grab it as fast, or he couldn't grasp it as well?, It's just a thought, they later found a bullet lodged in the wall crevice that they questioned could have been from Billy's gun?, and then another angle was that it wasn't Billy but someone not as quick or accurate a shot and was new to the territory along with his new model gun. anyway this book even concidering the sources is still not proven as facts and still word of mouth.

[MissyS]

I also wonder if it's true according to this book that Jesse Evans real name was Davis, if one of his gang members George Davis could have been his brother? I think George Davis was later shot and killed by Texas Rangers?

[mikegolfpro]

Interesting. I know it's been awhile on this one, but I keep reading everything over and over. LOL! I am just saying very interesting info on possibly a new gun to the area, could be a new person to the area (Billy Barlow) and not a good shot! Just a question, since I am a newby so to speak, you said andI have heard several stories of another bullet being found either in the headboard or now a wall, could they have traced that bullet to the type of gun. Well, lol, maybe the technology wasn't that good back then, but if the bullet is still around find that info out? Probably a stupid thought. Thank you, Missy for this info on this book. I find this all very fascinating due to my love history. Weave to keep this alive.

[mckinley412]

All I know is that one of Pat's shots was unaccounted for and it was found sometime afterwards. I don't recall that they found one of Billy's bullets. (Billy Barlow's that is, heehee.)

[MissyS]

I believe either the author thought at the time the bullet found lodged in the wall could have been from Billy, or maybe it was another one found? According to the book there were three shots fired that were heard by Garrett's men, There are many different accounts and alot doesn't make sense, in another account someone maybe Garrett himself?, (I don't remember) had said he had picked up Billy's gun and examined it to see if it had been fired, if true then Garrett must have thought Billy may have fired it as well?, I have read an account of Garrett placing the gun back on a table or night stand and later Deluvina ( I believe?) placed it in a drawer, since the gun was out of view the idea he wasn't armed came from witnesses that didn't see it, I wonder though how Garrett could be so sure if Billy did fire the gun by examining the chamber because I read back in the day many gunmen for safety kept their guns loaded with one chamber empty and the hammer down on that chamber in case it accidentally went off, but not everyone did that, I just wonder if Garrett didn't examine it but just felt it to see if it was hot or warm, he wouldn't need to pick the gun up for that just to touch it?, anyway Im just trying to make some sense out of the different accounts that were written, and like a puzzle try and piece it together. and the pieces are not fitting together. According to a few books besides his rifle Billy's weapon of choice was a Colt Thunderer, he had time before Garrett caught up with him to again reunite with this weapon of choice, the gun he was fast with and was comfortable with, he had months between the time he escaped jail to Fort Sumner to equip himself , it doesn't make sense to me, why he would be caught in the dark with a gun he wasn't that familiar with.

[mckinley412]

This is how I remember it. Billy's favored gun was not a .41 caliber Thunderer, that was the gun supposedly found on the body. Billy preferred .44's because of knock down power and the ammunition was interchangeable with his rifle. When he escaped from jail he took a couple .44's and not a Thunderer. He also has a .44 in the famous tintype. Pat thought three shots were fired, 2 by himself and 1 by Billy. He ultimately concluded that Billy did not fire a shot because they could not find the bullet even though there was an empty chamber which was normal because that's the way people carried them to prevent their pistol from accidentally firing. Pat could only account for one of his bullets (in Billy's chest) and it wasn't until much later that the other bullet was accounted for when it was found by someone much later lodged underneath a sink or washing table or stove or something like that which makes sense if Pat was diving to the ground and firing. This may have been in Charles Siringo's book, I'm not sure. Or the bullet may have come from Brushy firing at the back porch from the backyard but the angle would have been different. I never really believed Brushy's story about that night which sadly is one of the most important parts of his story. In Henry Walker's book Jesse James the Outlaw Brushy gave a different story about being shot through the mouth in which he says, "I sure pumped the lever on my Winchester fast that day." I do lean further towards him being the Kid, but a witness that was there claims he only heard two or three shots. If Brushy did lie, he may have been covering for Pat's integrity who he may have owed his life to. In the book I just read, which I don't really recommend unless you got extra money lying around there is a story that the man killed was named Charlie Wilson and that Billy lived out the rest of his life into the fifties under the name John Miller (not the other more famous John Miller that died in Arizona) and his remains were taken back to England (Tunstall's Country). This book is called An Outlaw Named Kidd and there is very little detail in it about faking his death. There was a youtube video that I can not find again and I doubt anyone else will where just by chance some tourist interview a Hispanic local that tells them how Billy kept in touch with his grandmother for years after 1881 through mail and that he died in Mexico in town that starts with P, I don't remember the name of the town.

[MissyS]

In the Charles Siringo Book "History of Billy the Kid," Garrett had auctioned off Billy's sadle and a Colt he had when he died, so which book is correct? "The Complete and Factual Life of Billy The Kid", says Billy had a newer model type of gun in the territory, If it was Barlow that was shot and he had a newer type of gun would Garrett auction it as Billy's or substitute a Colt? , or is "The Complete and Factual Life of Billy The Kid" book not all Factual? I know there's hearsay things told to the aurthor that get misinterpretted but how could one book be so different on a subject from another? I want to believe the aurthor tried their best to get the history right especially if the book has the words Factual and True or Complete in the title.

[MissyS]

Interesting Article in True West about Billy's Colt Thunderer and him possibly giving it to a lady

www.truewestmagazine.com/momadays-billy-the-kid-pistola/

[mckinley412]

When they say saddle and Colt do they mean a saddle and the Colt that went with it? A colt is a horse. Also a pistol.