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Post by Texas Truth Teller on Mar 7, 2018 18:33:44 GMT -5
A photograph of Morgan Campbell and William Campbell in “The Real Billy the Kid AKA Brushy Bill Roberts” is a photograph of two Texas Rangers. The individuals are George Black and J. M. Britton. They served in Company B of the Frontier Battalion after the Civil War. The photograph is circa 1895. This is a link to the photograph www.americaremembers.com/product/texas-ranger-tribute-rifle/
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Post by wannabe12 on Mar 8, 2018 22:16:48 GMT -5
I found the same information about this photo. It can be found on multiple sites, and is copyrighted to the Ranger Hall of Fame.
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Post by Texas Truth Teller on Mar 8, 2018 23:50:00 GMT -5
There is a photograph of a medal on page 207 of “The Real Billy the Kid AKA Brushy Bill Roberts”. According to Hall, Brushy Bill was awarded the medal for his service in Cuba with the Rough Riders during the Spanish American War.
There were at least two different medals awarded for Army service during the Spanish American War. website: spanamwar.com The Spanish Campaign Army Service medal was issued by the United States government to all members of the the U.S. Army who served at least 90 days during the period of the Spanish American War in locations other than the active theaters of operations in Cuba, the Philippines or Puerto Rico. In short, it was for men who served in the army during the war, but who did not see action. Those who saw action were eligible for different medal, the Spanish Campaign Medal). The front side (left, above) has the statement "FOR SERVICE IN THE SPANISH WAR" in the front of the keystone. A sheathed knife is slung from the keystone. Surrounding the keystone appears to be a laurel wreath. This was designed by Col. J. R. M. Taylor. The reverse side (right, above) shows the Great Seal of the United States. The Great Seal is flanked to the left by the crossed rifles of the infantry, to the right by the crossed sabers of the cavalry, and below by the crossed cannons of the artillery. A scroll is placed where it can be engraved if desired. The background appears to be a laurel wreath. This was designed by Bailey, Banks and Biddle The medal was authorized by Congress on July 9, 1918. Oddly, the period of eligibility was defined as April 20, 1898 to April 11, 1899 but the war lasted from April 22 to December 10, 1898.
The Spanish Campaign Army Service medal was originally issued by the United States government beginning on January 11, 1905 to all members of the the U.S. Army who served at sea enroute to, or who served on the ground in Cuba (May 11 to July 17, 1898), in Puerto Rico (July 24 - August 13, 1898) or in the Philippines (June 30 and August 16, 1898). It is similar to the Spanish Campaign Marine Corps Service medal and the Spanish Campaign Navy Service medal. The front side (left, above) has the statement "WAR WITH SPAIN" around the top. At the bottom is the date "1898." Depicted in the center is a spanish fortification, possibly a blockhouse. To the right is a stalk of sugar cane, and to the left a stalk of tobacco. Though the images are not the same, the ribbon of yellow and blue, identical to the Navy and Marine version of the medal. The reverse side (right, above) has the statement "UNITED STATES ARMY" around the top, and "FOR SERVICE" below the eagle. The center bears the image of an eagle alighting on a shield, cannon barrel and a collection of flagsfoul anchor. Below the words "FOR SERVICE" are thirteen stars. The medal was designed by Mr. Francis D. Millet.
If Hall’s information is correct, the medal found in Brushy Bill’s collection of artifacts indicates that he did not serve in Cuba.
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Post by MissyS on Mar 9, 2018 8:32:28 GMT -5
Texas Truth Teller, That is interesting what you found about Brushy's medal , I don't have that book to see the photo of it, I may have loaned that book out? But If I understand correctly the photo shows Brushy's medal as a medal they gave to men that DID not serve in Cuba? In The Lost Interviews book by Jameson Brushy describes his duties in Cuba, he said when he got there a Lieutenant decided to put him as a scout for two months, he said one to fifteen would be put as a scout gang, they would hunt the enemy out and report it to headquarters, Brushy did this for two months and then he was put in charge of the horses, there were some horses that were shipped there that the men could not ride so Brushy was in charge of straightening them out, he said him and a helper a Cherokee Indian did that, some of the officers didn't like that he had that job and let their feelings known, as a result there was fist fighting among them and during a battle one day four officers were shot in the back, there were suspicions that maybe the Cherokee Indian and maybe Brushy had done it, they tried to prove it in a court-martial but failed, Brushy said that when his time was out they gave them a Bob -Tailed discharge he put it, and Brushy felt he did not deserve it because they did not prove anything on him. From what Brushy said, it doesn't sound to me like he did much combat duty while there? I don't know? I don't know what the Bob - Tailed discharge meant? Interesting
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Post by Texas Truth Teller on Mar 9, 2018 11:31:46 GMT -5
MissyS, I believe, but am not certain, that “The Real Billy the Kid AKA Brushy Bill Roberts”, by Brett Hall, is available only as an e-book, and not a hard copy. It sounds as if a "bob-tailed" discharge is something other than an honorable discharge. W. C. Jameson is a talented story teller, author of many lost treasure locations. W. C. Jameson said many things about Brushy Bill's activities. Describing something does not make it a fact. W. C. Jameson included a genealogy of Brushy Bill in "The Return of the Outlaw Billy the Kid" on page 90. The fictional genealogy, attributed to a Heath-Roberts family Bible, is a combination of 3 family groups: Oliver P. Roberts' mother and father and half sisters; Henry McCarty's brother, his mother and step-father; and the imaginary parents and ancestors of William Henry Roberts.
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Post by MissyS on Mar 10, 2018 19:42:07 GMT -5
W. C. Jameson said many things about Brushy Bill's activities. Describing something does not make it a fact. Texas Truth Teller, I don't quite understand why W. C. Jameson would feel a need to elaborate or lie about Brushy's activities in the service? Possibly shooting officers in the back and the way he was discharged doesn't seem like things someone would make up or elaborate on to me, what would be gained by it? Reconstructing Brushy's genealogy is something else though, I understand why it would be done, and I admit there are things about Brushy's genealogy that's difficult to connect, but why would Jameson have to make up anything at all about Brushy's activities in Cuba? I'm just trying to understand the reasoning behind it?
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Post by Texas Truth Teller on Mar 11, 2018 15:46:33 GMT -5
“I don't quite understand why W. C. Jameson would feel a need to elaborate or lie about Brushy's activities in the service?”
$$$
Good question. Consider this. A reprint of “Alias Billy the Kid” would not sell many books. New “discoveries” would make a more compelling and interesting story. This is an example. A Bible was found in a trunk that was once in the possession of Brushy’s widow, Lizzie Allison Roberts. Jameson, lacking any evidence, claimed that it was a Roberts family Bible that had belonged to James Henry “Wild Henry Roberts”. (see p. 33, “Billy the Kid, The Lost Interviews”). Jameson said the genealogy of Brushy Bill, including the names of his aunts, uncles, parents, and other relatives, was in the Bible. (Jameson thoughtfully neglected to list any names so researchers could verify his claim.) Jameson added to the Bible story. He described Brushy Bill pointing to a reference in the Bible as Brushy says he was born the last hour of the last day of 1859 (see p. 39, “Billy the Kid, The Lost Interviews”). Very strange that Morrison and Sonnichsen failed to mention a Roberts family Bible in their quest for evidence that Brushy Bill’s story was credible. Jameson had created the Roberts family Bible when he described Brushy Bill as he packed his belongings and the Roberts family Bible and left his father’s home for Indian territory not long after 1872 (see p. 22, “Billy the Kid, Beyond the Grave”). It is left to the reader’s imagination to visualize how Brushy Bill carried the Roberts family Bible for about 70 years with him as the traveled to 2 continents, 3 foreign countries, 8 states and territories, 2 wars, 2 trials, 2 imprisonments, 2 prison escapes, and 3 marriages before it was discovered in a trunk in Temple, Texas.
Was the Bible found in Lizzie’s trunk a Bible from her prior marriage? Probably.
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Post by MissyS on Mar 16, 2018 20:45:01 GMT -5
wannabe12, Welcome to the board, there is a Texas Ranger Museum in Waco Texas, I believe it is on the same site as the Texas Ranger Hall Of Fame?, I'ts looks like a cool place to visit, and your right that photo is on the site as being George Black and J. M. Britton, I'm planning a trip to visit there and I plan on getting more info about that photo while I'm there. Texas Truth Teller, You brought up some good points, I didn't really visualize Brushy carrying the Robert's family Bible for 70 yrs when I read that, I know he said he took it to the Indian Territory, but I guess I didn't imagine he meant that he took it everywhere he went? I could see how other readers could read deeper into that line though and assume he did because he kinda left it in the air like you said, I don't know if that was his intention?, he just didn't elaborate on the Bible's whereabouts or how it got back in the trunk for some reason? I guess the reader could assume that the Bible was small enough to fit in a pocket?, the Bible found in the trunk was described as being kinda moth eaten and badly worn. Could there have been more than one Bible? With the evidence changing hands, and different persons writing about it, I can see how an item of evidence could be overlooked by another writer, or one item of evidence becoming more interesting to one writer than another. At first Brushy didn't want his wife to know he was Billy the Kid, he told Morrison to come back when she wasn't home so he can discuss his life, anyway knowing how he felt about keeping his wife from knowing his identity, I would guess Brushy would have kept his trunk locked up, so I would guess his wife's Bible would not have been in his trunk?
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Post by Texas Truth Teller on Mar 16, 2018 23:22:22 GMT -5
MissyS, "At first Brushy didn't want his wife to know he was Billy the Kid, he told Morrison to come back when she wasn't home so he can discuss his life, anyway knowing how he felt about keeping his wife from knowing his identity, I would guess Brushy would have kept his trunk locked up, so I would guess his wife's Bible would not have been in his trunk? "
That statement is found in "Alias Billy the Kid". Does that mean Brushy was Billy the Kid just because he said he was? Does that mean he didn't want Lizzie to know that he was telling people he was Billy the Kid, even if he wasn't? Did the trunk belong to Brushy or Lizzie? Lizzie and James Allison were married for about 37 years and never left Texas. They lived in Hamilton County from about 1935 until after 1940, before he died in 1943. Did she keep their trunk after James died? Lizzie and Brushy were married in Hamilton County. When and where did Brushy acquire a trunk to lock up? Easier for Lizzie to move a trunk from one house to another in Hamilton County than for Brushy to move one all over the U S, to the Shetland Islands, Mexico, and Argentine, then from Little River County, AR, to Van Zandt County, to Hamilton County.
I would guess that it was Lizzie's trunk and Lizzie's Bible and not the J.H. Roberts family Bible. I would guess the information about Brushy's parents was entered to support Brushy Bill's story.
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Post by Texas Truth Teller on Mar 17, 2018 10:58:14 GMT -5
Bogus Evidence
Even Morrison provided bogus evidence that Brushy Bill was BtK: Affidavit of Robert E. Lee, who swore he first saw William Bonney in 1889, seven years after the death of BtK. Affidavit of Elbert DeWitt Travis, who was born about 1890, eight years after the death of BtK. Affidavit of Martile Able (Martelia Bilberry Abel), who was 7 years old and living in Lampasas County, Texas, in 1880, when William Bonney was in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.
If none of them had seen William Bonney before 1882, it is not possible for any of them to identify Brushy Bill as BtK.
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Post by Texas Truth Teller on Mar 18, 2018 9:52:19 GMT -5
Bogus Brushy Bill Evidence
Brushy Bill genealogy: “The Return of the Outlaw, Billy the Kid”, p. 90. The genealogy of William Henry Roberts was presumably reconstructed from information in the Heath Roberts Bible, and obviously printed without verification. The chart combines portions of 3 family groups. The chart correctly shows Henry Oliver Roberts and Caroline Dunn as the parents of Martha Vada Roberts and Samantha Bell Roberts, half-sisters of Oliver P. Roberts (AKA Brushy Bill). Henry McCarty’s brother, Joseph McCarty; his mother, Catherine Bonney (should be McCarty); and his step-father, William Antrim, are on the chart. The imaginary family group of William Henry Roberts shown on the chart includes James Henry Roberts, Benjamin Roberts, Mary Adeline Dunn, and William Dunn. No record has been found that supports any member of this family group, or the indicated relationships, as described by Brushy Bill in “Alias Billy the Kid”.
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Post by Texas Truth Teller on Mar 18, 2018 13:29:49 GMT -5
Bogus Brushy Bill Evidence
“Billy the Kid and Me Were the Same”, p. 63,
“1883 Billy the Kid returned to the United States, crossing the border at El Paso, Texas. He stayed a few days with Mr. and Mrs. John C. Able of El Paso. They furnished him with horse, saddle, and funds to go to Hamilton County, Texas, to locate his father and relatives.”
Not possible. John C. Able (Abel) and Martelia “Martile” Bilberry were married 26 January 1898 in Taylor County, Texas, 15 years after Brushy Bill’s reported visit with them in El Paso in 1883. Martelia, born about 1873, was about 10 years old in 1883.
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Post by Wayne Land on Mar 18, 2018 23:27:54 GMT -5
Morrison assumed some things that he saw as perfectly legitimate assumptions based on the information given him by Brushy. But obviously, some of his assumptions were wrong. This is probably the case where the Ables are concerned. If Brushy said he stayed with John Able for a few days in 1883 and Morrison "thought" the Ables were already married then, it is not surprising that he would write "Mr. and Mrs. John C. Able" even if Brushy didn't specifically say that. There's no smoking gun here. Just some misunderstanding and unintentional filling in of misinformation.
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Post by Texas Truth Teller on Mar 19, 2018 10:59:15 GMT -5
"Just some misunderstanding and unintentional filling in of misinformation."
You are right about that. It seems that is something all Brushy Bill authors have in common.
Morrison did not mention John C. Able. It was William A. Tunstill. The name of John C. Able is found in "Alias Billy the Kid" only in the affidavit signed by Martile Able. She said John C. Able caught a horse for Bonney to ride out.
William A. Tunstill made an attempt to construct a timeline of the activities described by Brushy Bill in "Billy the Kid and Me Were the Same". Tunstill's assumption that Brushy Bill stayed with the Ables in El Paso is a glaring mistake.
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Post by Texas Truth Teller on Mar 19, 2018 22:03:44 GMT -5
Bogus Brushy Bill Evidence
“Alias Billy the Kid”, Affidavit of Mrs. Martile Able “This affiant further states that the family was well acquainted with William Bonney, known as Billy the Kid; that Mr. John C. Able, husband of the affiant, knew Wm Bonney years before around Pecos, Texas, where the group of friends had a picture made in 1880; which picture is a good likeness of William Bonney; that Wm. Bonney visited with the Able family before, and after, the time it was said that Pat Garrett killed him in New Mexico; “
Not possible. John C. Abel, age 19, was living with his parents in Uvalde County, Texas, in 1880. It is over 300 miles from Uvalde County, Texas, to Pecos County, Texas. William Bonney could not have visited with the John C. Abel family before 1882, for John C. Abel and Martelia Bilberry Henderson were not married until 1898.
“The Return of the Outlaw, Billy the Kid”, pp.156-157 “According to Martile Able, she and her husband John were friends with Billy the Kid in 1880. To substantiate her claim, which she made in 1950, she produced a photograph taken in a barbershop. In the picture, John Able, the barber, is shaving a man in the chair. According to Mrs. Able, Billy the Kid, waiting his turn, is seated on a nearby bench.”
Wonderful story but not true. John C. Abel and Martelia Bilberry Henderson were married in 1898, long after the claimed 1880 friendship. There is no record of Billy the Kid in Pecos, Texas. BtK was in San Miguel County, NM, in June 1880. BtK was captured by Sheriff Pat Garrett at Los Portales, NM, in December 1880. The picture described by Martile as having a good likeness of William Bonney became a barbershop scene, with her husband John as the barber and Billy the Kid sitting on a bench. Martile died 23 May 1952 and is buried in Concord Cemetery in El Paso. The description of the barbershop scene must have come from the author’s imagination. John C. Abel was in his parents home in Uvalde County, Texas in the 1880 census; he was a farmer in the 1900 census; and a laborer on a ranch in the 1910 census. No indication he was ever a barber.
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