Billy Wilson and Billy The Kid, were they ever mistaken?

[MissyS]

Hello, I was wanting your thoughts about my theory of Billy Wilson and Billy The Kid Bonney that they may have been mistaken for each other back in the day? After reading the book "They Knew Billy the kid, interviews with Old-Time new Mexicans" I found it puzzling there were many different descriptions of how the Kid looked, there were different variations of eye color, & height, and Iv read where The Kid was known to have had blonde hair, and Pat Garrett and some others said he had black. some said he had a mustache, Billy Wilson had a mustache later on, and of course theres some that say the kid was a Good person, & others say he was a ruthless cold blooded murderer. Wilson and Bonney were both named "Billy", both rode together, both were young maybe Wilson a few yrs older?, both was supposed to been slim? both supposedly left home and shot a man at a very young age and went on the run. Billy the Kid had been mistaken by Pat Garrett two times, he shot Charlie Bowdre thinking it was Billy, and the other time he shot Tom O Folliard it was dark and he was riding in front, then Billy was supposedly mistaken for Deputy James Carlyle and shot, and Joe Grant didnt recognize Billy when he first walked up to him and he gave him his gun. The Kid seems to have been confused alot? when he was arrested supposedly some townfolk gathered around the coach and asked which one is the Kid? many didnt know what he actually looked like even then? Billy Wilson escaped jail sometimes after The Kid was supposedly shot and made his way to Texas maybe this is why there were accounts of persons seeing the Kid alive after he was shot? According to the book "Wilson and the Kid" Pat Garrett eventually ran into him and recognized him as being the Outlaw David Anderson and helped get him a full pardon strange why he would do that? Anyway with two men riding together both named Billy it may have confused some people and that may be why the different descriptions of the Kid, What do you think?

[Wayne Land]

That's a very interesting question. In fact, I use to think that possibly the famous tintype of Billy really isn't Billy at all. I entertained the idea that the tintype was of one of the other gang members (Billy Wilson?) and that passing it off as Billy was a way of sending the authorities looking for the wrong guy. But then, I've entertained lots of notions along the way that probably don't make sense and have no basis in fact. I don't know???

[MissyS]

Mar 18, 2014 22:50:59 GMT -5 Wayne Land said:

That's a very interesting question. In fact, I use to think that possibly the famous tintype of Billy really isn't Billy at all. I entertained the idea that the tintype was of one of the other gang members (Billy Wilson?) and that passing it off as Billy was a way of sending the authorities looking for the wrong guy. But then, I've entertained lots of notions along the way that probably don't make sense and have no basis in fact. I don't know???

WOW!, I never thought about The Kid faking that photo with someone else, it's possible?, he was a kinda trickster, and no doubt clever. It's strange because I dont believe Iv ever read anyone from the day commenting that The Kid had big ears, in fact, I dont think Garrett, in his book or George Coe ever mentioning Billy the Kid having big ears or any reporters either? Heres some more parallels for ya, Billy Wilson's full name was William Harrison Wilson so he was William H Wilson, The Kid; William H Bonney both first two initials the same, A reporter from the Las Vegas Gazette wrote that Billy Wilson was a little stouter than Bonney, and far quieter, he said he was light complected, light haired, with bluish-gray eyes and was wearing a broad brimmed hat , this was after the arrest at Stinking Springs.

[Wayne Land]

Well, actually, I still believe the tintype really is Billy The Kid. But for the sake of this discussion, one other reason I had that it might not be is that Billy was described as being a nice dresser and preferred the broad brimmed hat. The image obviously does not reflect that. Did he prefer his left hand for his pistol? When flipped horizontally as it should be the tintype actually shows the pistol being worn on his right side. Or did he normally wear two pistols? If so, why is there only one in this photo? I think too often, historians just accept the status quo which might actually be based on nothing more than hearsay, or where there might have been an effort to mislead.

[MissyS]

Kinda makes me wonder if the potographer hearing the Kid was around, offered to pay him to take his picture because he was so famous? It surely looks to be unplanned. Some newspaper from the day said he was camera shy, but that was probably exaggerated too?

[marchus]

Who was Billy Wilson?
Are there any photos of him?
Very interesting discussion here-I honestly have to try and limit my time on this discussion board or I may not get any work done-LOL

[MissyS]

Mar 24, 2014 9:53:05 GMT -5 marchus said:

Who was Billy Wilson?
Are there any photos of him?
Very interesting discussion here-I honestly have to try and limit my time on this discussion board or I may not get any work done-LOL

Billy Wilson is kinda not spoken about much, he rode with Billy & was arrested with The Kid at Stinky Springs along with Dirty Dave Rudabaugh, and Tom Pickett. Wilson was accused of being involved with the counterfeiting ring supposedly involving the Dedricks?, Billy the Kid was never proven to be involved with counterfeiting although I find it interesting that one victim of the counterfeiting was Sallie Chisum's fiance at the time. There is a book "Wilson and the Kid" its hard to find, but it has photos and his life story, he has alot in common with the Kid. Wilson was still in jail when Billy was supposedly shot, sometime later he escaped jail and ended up in Texas he ranched, married and raised a family he used a couple aliases David L Anderson and maybe Buffalo Bill? I tried to find a photo of when he was around 21 close to the age of the Kid and I found one, he had a mustache later

[marchus]

Thanks so much MissyS for this information!
I read a few articles on Billy Wilson and found them interesting especially the fact that there is two different versions of his life and what happened to him after the Lincoln county war.
Does anyone on here know off hand just how many people were in Billy's gangs?
I know there was The regulators and then The Rustlers? I think I have that right?
I keep reading about people in his gangs that I have never heard of and it makes me curious just how many men were riding with him during the Lincoln county war and after.

I have heard of Dave Rudabaugh, Dick Brewer, Charlie Bowdre, Doc Scurlock, Jose Chavez E Chavez, Tom O'Folliard, but after that I am not really familiar with some of the other members.

Thanks for the picture you posted as well-there is definitely a resemblance to Billy Bonney.

[MissyS]

Mar 30, 2014 13:05:57 GMT -5 marchus said:

Thanks so much MissyS for this information!
I read a few articles on Billy Wilson and found them interesting especially the fact that there is two different versions of his life and what happened to him after the Lincoln county war.
Does anyone on here know off hand just how many people were in Billy's gangs?
I know there was The regulators and then The Rustlers? I think I have that right?
I keep reading about people in his gangs that I have never heard of and it makes me curious just how many men were riding with him during the Lincoln county war and after.

I have heard of Dave Rudabaugh, Dick Brewer, Charlie Bowdre, Doc Scurlock, Jose Chavez E Chavez, Tom O'Folliard, but after that I am not really familiar with some of the other members.

Thanks for the picture you posted as well-there is definitely a resemblance to Billy Bonney.

That's a good question, I'll try and answer it , Im not an expert on Billy I'll tell you what iv read, it's confusing because there are some books that tend to get Billy's friends confused with being in his gang, Billy had alot of friends that hid him out, fed him, loaned or gave him fresh horses and gave him information, but didn't necessarily ride with him or rustle ,we know of five that were with him when Garrett and his posse trailed him and arrested him, the two that were shot Bowdre, and O'Folliard, and the other three Wilson, Tom Pickett, & Rudabaugh were arrested together but there may have been more that weren't with him that day?, some books believe Dan Dedrick was a member? In Billy's letter to the Governor he stated that he wasn't a leader of any gang. I believe Billy hired some buddies he trusted to help him round up and move the cattle , he probably didn't think it was a gang but a job , I think he was just trying to make a living the best way he could. As for the number of Regulators? If you consider only the ones signed up or deputized as being the Regulators then there may have been 8 to 10 or so I can recall off hand 8 but sure there's more? Im probably wrong on this number? but if you include the ones that fought in the five day war then there were numerous , there were many Mexicans and others that helped and did their part and supported the Tunstall McSween side of things. I consider them Regulators , but some consider them Tunstall McSween supporters not Regulators, because alot of them didn't fight in every squirmish maybe? Rudabaugh and Wilson were thought to been members of the Dodge City Gang before tangling up with Billy? The book "Wilson and the Kid" said Wilson worked for Tunstall but nothing said about him fighting in the five day war? Maybe he was neutral or just wanted to stay out of it or maybe he did fight in the war but wasn't written about? there probably was members that weren't written about that fought? Maybe someone on the board knows the exact number of members? In Wilson's photo his nose looks a little crooked but in other pictures it looks straight maybe the lighting? If his ears were a little bigger he would look more like the Kid ?

[clydec]

Interesting, that picture of Billy Wilson reminds me somewhat of John Miller! I think Miller knew the kid and may have rode with him!