Billy The Kid's letters?

[MissyS]

I have a question, Billy wrote several letters to Gov. Lew Wallace while jailed in Santa Fe, in one letter that was dated March 2nd,1881, Billy wrote that he had some letters dating back two years, and parties anxious to get them, I was wondering what letters these were? Did Billy just say he had letters to get the Governor to come see him? If he did have some letters what could have happened to them? Can someone shed some light on what he meant in his letter about the letters? Thanks

Billy's letter read as follows:


Santa Fe Jail New Mex
March 2d 1881

Gov. Lew Wallace
Dear Sir,

I wish you would come down to the jail and see me. it will be to your interest to come and see me. I have some letters which date back two years, and there are Parties who are very anxious to get them but I shall not dispose of them until I see you. that is if you will come imediately.

Yours Respect-
Wm H. Bonney

i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01457/billy-kid-letters_1457300f.jpg

[MissyS]

oluckyman,
The letters that Billy wrote to Gov. Lew Wallace was described by Billy to go back two years so they would have had something to do during the year of 1879, the mail coach was robbed in Oct. 1880 so it couldn't have been anything pertaining to the stolen mail. Billy was desperate and I believe he wrote the letter to Gov. Lew Wallace as a bribe to get his attention and force him to visit him, it was around the same time that Gov. Lew Wallace left the territory. Whatever the letters were about or if there were any letters at all is puzzling, all that can be known as that there were parties that were anxious to get them according to Billy, what parties and why is a guess, and I havent been able to find any other reference about them.  

[MissyS]

oluckyman,
Thank You for posting the links, and researching this. The name Edgar Walz was also involved in the counterfeiting investigation also in the "Who was Billy Barlow" thread, and he is an interesting character. There is a lot to read in those links, but very interesting stuff. Your idea of the mail robbery could very well be where Billy had gotten a hold of letters, his pals may have had them in their possession at the time. Perhaps those letters may have had content that went back two years and exposed some corruption involving the Lincoln County War?, but whatever the letters were about, Billy felt that they were important enough for the Governor to take notice. Billy said he was not going to dispose of them until he saw the Governor, so he was using them to get him to come see him in a hurry, since he did not describe them makes me wonder if the Governor already knew about them? Since he never came to see Billy in jail he must have disposed of them. I don't think he would have kept them in his possession maybe one of his pals did?, it's a stretch but if they weren't destroyed maybe they were part of the evidence Brushy destroyed later? It was said that Brushy had destroyed evidence that proved he was Billy.

[mckinley412]

Gale Cooper's book Writings, Words and Wits analized every sentence almost. I would see she what she thought.

[leeb]

According to joe Salazar, yginio received a letter from the kid months after his death. Has this letter ever surfaced?

[MissyS]

Leeb,
On the Geneva Pittmon Letter thread on pg.10 on the board, I brought up questions about it. I don't know if any new info about it has happened since though, this was back in 2015, Heres a quick link to that discussion

brushybill.proboards.com/thread/25/geneva-pittmon-letter?page%3D5&page=10