Brushy Bill

[clydec]

Hi folks, I just had a conversation with Steve Sederwall and he informed me that he and WC Jameson are planning to do some work on Brushy, I take this to mean an investigation.  Here is what Steve said " WC and I talked about working on Brushy. I have some cool stuff on him".  I look forward to seeing what they come up with!

[MissyS]

Thanks clydec for that info, I hope theres some new light on Brushy, by the way, WC Jameson has a book published recently Dec 2015 about Pat Garrett entitled" Pat Garrett the man behind the badge", its a real interesting read on Garrett, alot of things I didnt know about him. I recommend it for those that want to learn more about the man besides just knowing he was a sheriff and suposedly shot Billy, and how the movies portray him. He had an interesting life before and after he became a sheriff.

[sushiadam]

People can say what they want about W.C.Jameson, but the man is actually pretty meticulous in his research

[Texas Truth Teller]

Sushiadam,
W. C. Jameson is a talented writer and storyteller. This is an example of his meticulous research:

From the Affidavit of Martile Able: "...the husband of the affiant, knew Wm. Bonney years before from around Pecos, Texas, where with a group of friends had a picture made in 1880, which picture is a good likeness of William Bonney;...

From "The Return of the Outlaw Billy the Kid", pp. 155 and 156. "According to Mrs. 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."

Facts:
Martelia (Martile) Bilberry was born in 1873.
She lived with her parents in Lampasas County, Texas, in the 1880 census.
She married Elijah Henderson 21 July 1891 in San Saba County, TX.
After his death, she married John C. Able/Abel 26 Jan 1898 in Taylor County, TX.
John Abel was in his parents' household in the 1880 census of Uvalde County, TX.
Both John C Abel and Martelia D. Bilberry Ables (Abel) are buried in the Concordia Cemetery, El Paso, Texas. Find A Grave Memorial# 121263674, Find A Grave Memorial# 139534549

Obviously, Jameson accepted the information in Martile's affidavit as fact, and embellished it with unsubstantiated details.
The story about John the barber in 1880 and Billy the Kid really makes the story more interesting, but the scene exists only in Jameson's imagination.

[Texas Truth Teller]

Jameson's meticulous research

"Billy the Kid, Beyond the Grave", p. 109.
Jameson stated without qualification that handwriting analysis of William Henry Roberts and Oliver Pleasant Roberts left no doubt that they were two different men.

No credible record has been found of William Henry Roberts. No document written and signed by William Henry Roberts has been found.

Brushy Bill said he married Mollie Brown. Van Zandt marriage records prove that Oliver Roberts married Mollie Brown 21 August 1912. Oliver Pleasant Roberts registered for the WWI draft 12 September 1918. He identified his nearest relative as Mollie Roberts.

Jameson asks the reader to believe that samples of the handwriting of William Henry Roberts and Oliver Pleasant Roberts were compared. He neglected to identify the documents that were compared.

All evidence indicates that Oliver Pleasant Roberts chose to be known as William Henry Roberts, O. L. Roberts, and Billy the Kid after 1940.

[Texas Truth Teller]

Jameson's research

"Billy the Kid, Beyond the Grave", p. 109

Jameson stated that William Henry Roberts used the alias Oliver L. Roberts for most of his life, but never used the name Oliver P.

Facts:
Brushy Bill claimed he was known as the Hugo Kid and the Texas Kid.
Brushy Bill bought 40 acres of land in Sevier County, AR, in February 1918. He signed the warranty deed as O. P. Roberts.
Brushy Bill sold 40 acres of land in Sevier County, AR, in August 1918. The warranty deed was signed by O. P. Roberts and Mollie Roberts.
Brushy Bill married Mollie Brown 21 August 1912. He registered for the WWI draft 12 September 1918 as Oliver Pleasant Roberts.
Brushy Bill is enumerated in the 1920 census of Van Zandt County. Mollie had died in 1919, and Oliver P. Roberts, age 41, was a widower.
No record has been found where Brushy Bill was known as Oliver L. Roberts. He did use the name of O. L. Roberts when he married Melinda Allison 14 Jan 1945 in Hamilton County, TX. The name of O. L. Roberts also appears on his death certificate.

[sushiadam]

Well judging from your three pages of rambling response your mind is already made up. My point was simply that for every (wrong by you) conclusion that Jameson comes to has the sources cited and reasoning behind it. Every but of info you listed off about Martile Abel could've been dug up just by flipping to the glossary. You may not agree with his conclusions (or anybodys it seems) but they all have basis which is documented.
On another note, if she was younger and had come into the picture later in life, wouldn't it make sense for Brushy to refer to Martile as "John Abels wife" when asked if he knew her?

[Texas Truth Teller]

sushiadam,
I apologize if I rambled.
I agree that Martile was John Abel's wife, and that she was younger. It would also be reasonable for Brushy Bill to refer to her as John Abel's wife if they were married, regardless of her age.

Some statements attributed to Martile by William Morrison are not credible.
"Alias Billy the Kid", p. 111.
"Both she and her husband had been Billy's friends."
This implies that they were friends with Billy the Kid after 1898.

"Alias Billy the Kid", p. 112.
"I had not seen Billy since before Pat Garrett claimed he shot him."
This implies Martile had seen Billy the Kid before 1882 when she was not yet 10 years old and living in central Texas.

"Many times Billy would come to our house when he was on the dodge. My husband would give him horses and would be on the lookout while Billy was eating."
This implies these visits occurred after 1898 when John C. Abel and Martile were married. Billy the Kid was killed in 1882.

[Wayne Land]

An "implication" is not necessarily a fact. Additionally one needs to remember that the same comments could also "imply" quite different things depending on one's point of view.