Who was the Great Texas Bill?

[MissyS]

I read that Brushy Bill not only performed with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. he also had his own Wild West Show, I’m not sure when this was? I came across an interesting 1905 ad for a “Texas Bill” Wild West Show, I was not able to pull up any information about this “Texas Bill”, who he was? My question is did Buffalo Bill or Pawnee Bill ever advertise using “Texas Bill” name? All the ads I’m seeing for their Wild West Shows clearly indicate their name Buffalo Bill or Pawnee Bill, so “Texas Bill” is a mystery to me? Could this have been Brushy’s Wild West show? Could this have been another Wild West show by someone else? or Buffalo Bill or Pawnee Bill using the Texas Bill name? 

chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn95047178/1905-12-14/ed-1/seq-5/print/image_681x648_from_664%2C2684_to_1523%2C3502/


chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87058235/1904-08-10/ed-1/seq-2/print/image_681x648_from_443%2C2279_to_1529%2C3313/

[Wayne Land]

Missy, I don't how you're so good at finding things like this but thank you. We need to find out if there's any evidence this show was Brushy. If so, then it clearly adds important credence to his whole story. Thank you so much for sharing this.

[MissyS]

Sept 25, 2023 17:39:12 GMT -5 Wayne Land said:

Missy, I don't how you're so good at finding things like this but thank you. We need to find out if there's any evidence this show was Brushy. If so, then it clearly adds important credence to his whole story. Thank you so much for sharing this.

You’re very welcome Wayne,  I’m glad to share with the board any interesting finds. I love searching old newspaper articles, they’re a treasure trove of information. I agree, it would be awesome if we can substantiate that Brushy had his own Wild West Show. It’s been difficult for me to find anything on the name Texas Bill, I’m hoping board members will have better luck than me. When searching that name Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill pop up, I have difficulty accepting Texas Bill was either of these because Pawnee Bill was born in Illinois and had a ranch in Oklahoma, so it wouldn’t make sense to advertise as Texas Bill, and Buffalo Bill to not use his famous name on an ad is also odd, also he had four tours in Europe off and on during the years of 1902 through 1906 narrowing the odds of it being Buffalo Bill in the 1905 advertisement for Texas Bill. I found a link to a Wild West Museum that has photos and fun things to read about Wild West Shows and a list on the main page of over 40 names of Wild West Shows and there’s not a Texas Bill listed. It may be some help in researching or reading interesting information, the list of Wild West Shows is on the main page scrolled down. 

showmensmuseum.org/wild-west-shows-list/

[texas truth teller]

Sept 25, 2023 12:39:45 GMT -5 MissyS said:

I read that Brushy Bill not only performed with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. he also had his own Wild West Show, I’m not sure when this was? I came across an interesting 1905 ad for a “Texas Bill” Wild West Show, I was not able to pull up any information about this “Texas Bill”, who he was? My question is did Buffalo Bill or Pawnee Bill ever advertise using “Texas Bill” name? All the ads I’m seeing for their Wild West Shows clearly indicate their name Buffalo Bill or Pawnee Bill, so “Texas Bill” is a mystery to me? Could this have been Brushy’s Wild West show? Could this have been another Wild West show by someone else? or Buffalo Bill or Pawnee Bill using the Texas Bill name? 

chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn95047178/1905-12-14/ed-1/seq-5/print/image_681x648_from_664%2C2684_to_1523%2C3502/


chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87058235/1904-08-10/ed-1/seq-2/print/image_681x648_from_443%2C2279_to_1529%2C3313/

From newspapers.com


The Democratic Advocate
Greenville, OH
20 Jul 1905, Thu · Page 2

Texas Bill

Killed by a stray bullet in train fight in West Virginia

The great Texas Bill, who appeared here a couple of weeks ago, in a spectacular display of wild west feats, now lies dead in West Virginia, having been killed at Clarksburg, that state, by one of his men. It is said that one of the members of the wild west company was put off of an excursion train and the other members of the company rushed to his assistance when revolvers were discharged, and the Great Texas Bill, whose right name was Joe Johnson, fell mortally wounded.

[MissyS]

Thanks for finding the article! What a tragedy!  Could that really be the same Texas Bill? How can he be killed and have a Wild West Show five months later? Could someone else have taken over that quickly and continued with the show? I found an article about a shooting and it mentions Joe Johnson, but it doesn’t mention that Joe Johnson was Texas Bill, it kinda mentions that he was a cowboy in the show from what it sounds, and his family asked for his body to be taken to Iowa, so was he from Iowa and not Texas? If Joe Johnson was Texas Bill that fact was hid well, the name isn’t on the list of Wild West Shows on the museum link above and it wasn’t mentioned in the papers.

chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86092557/1905-07-12/ed-1/seq-1/print/image_681x737_from_0%2C2112_to_3556%2C5964/

[MissyS]

I’m a bit confused this article is mentioning that gun battle involving Joe Johnson but it’s stating the name of the Wild West Show involved was called “Texas Jack’s Wild West Show” It does state that Joe Johnson died and that he was owner of the Wild West Show. Was this a shootout between two Wild West Shows? Texas Jack was named John Baker Omohundro not Joe Johnson.

chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86092557/1905-07-10/ed-1/seq-1/print/image_681x648_from_1698%2C341_to_4550%2C3057/

[RonBk]

Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]), July 25, 1905, Image 2

[MissyS]

Sept 26, 2023 22:43:35 GMT -5 RonBk said:

Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]), July 25, 1905, Image 2


View Attachment

Great Find. Is that supposed to be Texas Bill on the ad? Looks like that Wild West Show was successful. While Buffalo Bill was off touring in Europe, this show and others filled in the gap. If  the owner wasn’t Brushy, then I wonder why the owner kept his real name private? 

[RonBk]

Maybe Brushy was an associate of Joe Johnsson and acted as a performer in the show, and possibly he took over the show after Johnssons death? Here is some more info on that shooting:

[MissyS]

Sept 26, 2023 23:28:01 GMT -5 RonBk said:

Maybe Brushy was an associate of Joe Johnsson and acted as a performer in the show, and possibly he took over the show after Johnssons death? Here is some more info on that shooting:

View Attachment

Good theory, someone must have took over and continued traveling with the show. I’m not actually completely convinced Texas Bill was Joe Johnson, I’m wondering if that could have been a mistake by the press at the time? I’m wondering if there was a chance that Joe Johnson could have maybe been a foreman or someone with authority over the cowboy performers and was confused as being an owner perhaps? It’s odd there’s not much mention of an owner of a successful Wild West show’s death in the newspapers. Seems like a story like that should have gotten more attention yet it was only mentioned in one or two papers and really wasn’t a headline. Seems like a loss of a show’s owner would have been devastating to the business and would have grounded operations, yet the show continued. Reading the article, Joe Johnson’s family sounded like they were based in Iowa, they requested his body sent there, chances are he was from Iowa too, if so it doesn’t make much sense to call your show Texas Bill if your from Iowa. I would like to try and contact the Showmen’s Museum and maybe they can give me more information on who Texas Bill was and the history of the show, and who could have took over the business?