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Post by 44colt on Sept 8, 2014 14:54:21 GMT -5
Hello to the Brushy Bill- Billy the Kid Message Board from a new guy. I became interested in Brushy's story several years ago and became so fascinated I went out and bought an original copy of Morrison's book and whatever else was available at the time. The result of all of my "research" is that at this point I am convinced that Brushy was Billy the Kid. If he is it should be pretty easy to prove: - Is there any genealogical record that shows family relationships between Roberts, Antrim, McCarty, and Bonney? If so, Brushy's story that he was born "William Henry Roberts" and used those aliases makes perfect sense. Also the fact he knew Mrs. Antrim was Billy's Aunt and not his mom is huge. This is all easy to check now that we have www.ancestry.com
- There is PROOF that Brushy WAS IN FACT with Teddy Roosevelt's rough riders as a "Bronc Buster" and he is listed in the rolls and is even in a photo. Likewise there is photographic evidence he was in the "Anti Horse Thief Association".
- The signed affidavits from the people that knew Billy the Kid should be proof on their own. None of these people had anything to gain by signing those.
- Brushy offered photographic record of himself through all stages of his life all the while knowing about the famous tintype photo. If you knew you looked nothing like the photo why would you put out all those photos of yourself??? Speaking of which, at this website there is a photo of "purported" photos of Billy the Kid. Doesn't the top one look like Brushy?
www.angelfire.com/mi2/billythekid/photos6.html - While anecdotal, Brushy's emotional state when he spoke of his escape from the Lincoln County Jail, the death of Dick Brewer, etc. all support that he was who he claimed.
- The fact that Brushy's body was covered with scars IN THE SAME PLACES as Billy the Kid and could do the same trick with his hands is too much of a coincidence to dismiss.
- The very old HAND MADE Mexican scarf in Brushy's possession that he said he traded for the famous tintype fits neatly into the story also.
I'll post some more later but this is a start. The way I see it Brushy did some things in his life when he was younger under an alias and 70 years later that alias persona became larger than life because of the Lincoln County War. Reality is that the rest of his life wasn't quite as spectacular but it was still pretty amazing and consistent with what you would expect from someone like Billy the Kid who was no more an outlaw in the traditional sense than anyone else of that era....only a lot more dynamic and fast with a gun than your average joe. For him to prove he was that same person 70 years later would be next to impossible but he did a pretty amazing job of it anyway because he really was Billy the Kid.
Anyway, I'm interested in your thoughts and also any thoughts on the "Ellison Collection" photo of Billy, Jesse James, etc. I understand that photo has been discredited by some but still interested in knowing more.
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Post by Wayne Land on Sept 8, 2014 18:46:49 GMT -5
44colt,
Welcome to the board. I hope you enjoy our discussions and find them useful in your pursuit of the truth of what happened to the real Billy The Kid. Let me just say I agree with all your points. But I'll share with you that I am a member of Ancestry.com and I have searched tirelessly for any record of William Henry Roberts and his real mother and father. I've searched for some connection between Henry Oliver Roberts (the real Oliver P. Roberts' father) and a brother or even a cousin that could be Brushy's dad and I've yet to find anything at all.
I look forward to your next post.
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Post by 44colt on Sept 9, 2014 20:31:35 GMT -5
Wayne,
If you have read "Billy the Kid The Lost Interviews" Brushy says his father's name was James Henry Roberts according to the family bible and that he was born in 1832 in KY. It also says he served in the civil war. If you search ancestry for "James Henry Roberts" born in 1832 his civil war draft card will show up. He joined in 1863 (his second tour) in Kentucky. In 1863 Quantrill was also in Kentucky. This information is in the National Archives US Civil War Draft Registrations/ Kentucky/ 9th / Vol 2 of 3. I downloaded it as a jpeg and if you send me your email I'll email it to you.
Brushy was Billy the Kid.
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Post by 44colt on Sept 9, 2014 21:29:35 GMT -5
More on the same topic. I just found William H Roberts (Brushy) in the list of Rough Riders on Ancestry.com
U.S., Buffalo Soldiers, Returns From Regular Army Cavalry Regiments, 1866-1916
about William H Roberts
Name:
William H Roberts
Regiment:
United States Tenth Cavalry
Regiment Return Date:
Aug 1898
Officer or Enlisted:
Enlisted
Rank:
Private
Company Letter:
D
Action Date:
26 Aug 1898
Action Place:
Montauk Point, New York
Roll number:
99
Archive Publication Number:
M744
Archive Publication Title:
Returns From Regular Army Cavalry Regiments 1866-1916
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Post by Wayne Land on Sept 10, 2014 9:52:59 GMT -5
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Post by Wayne Land on Sept 10, 2014 10:03:16 GMT -5
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Post by 44colt on Sept 10, 2014 17:26:42 GMT -5
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Post by 44colt on Sept 10, 2014 17:27:21 GMT -5
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Post by 44colt on Sept 10, 2014 17:41:29 GMT -5
And even more: Brushy Bill states "In the Fall of '88 there was a cowboy roundup in Cheyenne. The judges wanted me to enter the contest riding a horse known as Cyclone. I didn't have the entry fee. I rode horses of every make, breed, and color on every ranch in the state 'til I was really saddled-toughened. They know I was ready for old Cyclone. So, in '89 I returned to the roundup. Tom Waggoner covered all the bets and I won the championship riding Cyclone and Tom gave me $10,000 for winning for him. In them days I was known as the Hugo Kid. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, here is a newspaper article from the FORT WORTH DAILY GAZETTE from January 16th, 1888 that states: "A great sweepstakes for 2 year old horses, open to the state, will take place the first day, entrance fee of $20. The great event will be a match race between RL Dunman's Mark Belmont and J.J. Jackson's horse Cyclone, 445 yards, for $2200 aside. The money is now up on deposit as a forfeit, and the race has created great excitement and interest and many people are expected here. chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86064205/1888-01-16/ed-1/seq-4/#date1=1888&index=1&rows=20&words=Cyclone+horse&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1889&proxtext=horse+cyclone&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1 Unfortunately we don't have a Wyoming newspaper from 1889 but it makes logical sense that following the success of these races they would get bigger and bigger. This article proves that 1. there was a horse named cyclone making the big races in 1888/1889, 2. The prize money was in the thousands of dollars range. Good 'ol Brushy. Right again. |
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Post by 44colt on Sept 10, 2014 17:45:19 GMT -5
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Post by 44colt on Sept 10, 2014 17:56:36 GMT -5
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Post by 44colt on Sept 10, 2014 19:30:40 GMT -5
Here is more. Brushy says he went through Mobile, AL on his way to cuba as part of the rough riders. The Encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars, Volume 1 edited by Spencer Tucker says on p. 94 that there were 3 main embarkation points in the Eastern US. The largest was Tampa, FL but the other two were Mobile, AL and New Orleans, LA. books.google.com/books?id=8V3vZxOmHssC&pg=PA94&lpg=PA94&dq=teddy+roosevelt+rough+riders+mobile,+alabama&source=bl&ots=_B4oaWRuMV&sig=_u5bZmmyFqGKYKMaBCmPNG0NRH8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=RewQVP68F8bIsATIzIL4CQ&ved=0CFAQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q&f=false |
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Post by Wayne Land on Sept 10, 2014 19:46:43 GMT -5
Thank you, thank you, thank you, for those submissions to the board. I can't tell you how long I searched some years back for a horse named Cyclone and found nothing. These submissions are hugely strong evidence to support Brushy's claim of being Billy The Kid, because those stories being true make it highly unlikely if not "impossible" that his true identity was that of one Oliver Pleasant Roberts, dirt farmer from Arkansas. And if he was not really Oliver P. Roberts then it is entirely likely he was exactly who he said he was. The real "Billy The Kid".
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Post by 44colt on Sept 10, 2014 20:21:54 GMT -5
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Post by 44colt on Sept 10, 2014 20:31:29 GMT -5
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