John Tunstall's Murder

[Brandon from the air]

youtu.be/BYYqrOLhfbk

Noticed this was about tunstall murder

There's the site from above, rare footage. I believe the only aerial stuff just made it yesterday

If that video ever gets pulled just search out on YouTube I'll re add it with more footage including his grave fly over.

[Brandon from the air]

youtu.be/eKj-FT37yQ8

My apologies please delete above one, this one here is tunstall canyon. Couldn't edit as guest poster.

[ruidosoman]

Question all you like, and believe what you want. I found a revolver grown into a tree and two chains hanging in limbs above the revolver. Why would a revolver be grown into the fork of a tree and have two lengths of leg chains hanging in the branches above it? Brushy Bill said he hung one of the revolvers he was carrying in the fork of a tree, I do not remember what he said about the chains. I remember him stating that he had someone cut the shackles off of his legs for him. Shackles and chains are not the same thing, though they are connected to each other they can be separated.


As for the caliber of the revolver I found, I did not read on the revolver itself that it was a .45 cal Colt. I said it was a .45 cal Colt based on my experience with single action Colt revolvers, specifically the Peacemaker style/configuration. I don't know that I can tell the difference between a .44 and a .45 cal revolver when I can only see about a half inch of the barrel, a small part of the frame, part of the trigger guard, the hammer and the grip. The revolver I saw grown into that tree looked like the .45 Cal Colt Peacemakers that I have seen. Based on what someone in this thread wrote concerning what Brushy said he took with him, I could very well be wrong concerning the cal of the revolver I found.

What sticks in my mind that I cannot get around is the fact that Brushy Bill stated that he stuck a revolver in the fork of a tree, he told his friend about it who returned to the area to try to locate the revolver, but could not locate it, Billy the Kid was wearing leg chains when he left town. I found a revolver grown into the fork of a tree and two lengths of leg chains grown into limbs hanging over the revolver. How many people in that area hung revolvers in the fork of a tree and also hung leg chains in the limbs above the revolver?

As for the direction that BTK was headed when he rode out of town, don't most realize that BTK was not stupid? He may have changed the direction he was riding several times before he reached where he intended to go just to throw people off who may have been tracking him.

I was approx 29/30 years old when I found the revolver, I am now 63. I may never find the revolver again, or I may find a tree stump where it use to be. If I do find it again, I will leave it right where it is and take photo's of it. If I find it again and it is made public, the "genius" know it all money grubbing "historians" will fight and argue and make a lot of money off of the opinions they place in their writings. I don't have the patience nor energy for P***ing contests at my age, nor do I have to protect tourism in my state, nor defend a reputation as a Billy The Kid expert based on books, papers and magazine articles that I have written reflecting that BTK was killed by Pat Garrett.

[mckinley412]

I love that story Ruidosoman. I believe the hanging of the gun was in a book before Brushy said it but I don't remember which--I'm almost positive of it---So one could argue he got it from somewhere else. What's interesting is that many of the things that can be verified the authors did not use as evidence in the footnotes. It's been verified that Corbett's pistol wasn't used just like Brushy said and John P. Meadows said Billy told him he aimed for Beckwith's left eye and wasn't sure if he got him, Brushy's story matches these (Brushy said he believed he may have got him) but the authors made no reference to these things. Other things as well. Of course when Brushy mentions things that can't be verified he doesn't get any credit for being original. Like historians know all the facts about Billy the Kid. Nothing could be further from the truth. Since 1881 to the 50's we've found out so many things that weren't true about the Kid but too many want to say the killing was the one accurate part we must believe is true. P.s. John P. Meadows also said that Pat Garrett told him that he figured out a way to let the Kid go without bloodshed... Pat said he met with the Kid and talked it over....Pat was gonna let the Kid ride away out of New Mexico... (but he told Meadows the Kid wouldn't leave)................

[nmjames]

Thain and Ruidosoman

You can read the story about the direction Billy went from Lincoln and the gun in the tree in Burns Book The Saga of Billy the Kid starting on page 254 - 257. On page 256 he states that he placed the pistol in the tree.

Ruidosoman. I take your word for it that you found a pistol in a tree. I was just telling you the story as I have read it and heard it.

[baltimore]

Brushy Bill IS NOT Billy the kid

[Rattlesnake Whispering Wind]

I believe with anything William H Bonny(Billy The kid) was a Law Man that fell out of favor over Mr. Tunstall's murder.

[kerry]

I think Tunstall was executed by Dolan and his lieutenant - Olinger and the posse was a legal process to mask the killing....The key is the killing of Tunstall's prize horse also...this act would have shocked all present except someone with an extraordinary pathologic hatred of everything John Tunstall represented - including his Englishman's belief in rule of law and the commercial threat he posed to the House..it was personal hatred of one man that started the LCW more than greed and corruption.I think Dolan had Olinger installed as BTK's guard detail to murder him as this was consistently more to their tastes than hanging..

[ruidosoman]

I posted this next bit of information somewhere else, I don't remembered where, but here it is again:

What I could see of the revolver grown into that cedar tree: the grip, the hammer, part of the revolver from half of the trigger guard back towards the grip; on the other side of the tree, I could see the end of the barrel. Although nearly a lifelong deer hunter, I can't determine the difference between a .44 Caliber revolver and a .45 caliber revolver, by sight, I'd have to read the caliber on the barrel. The revolver looked like the Colt .45 Peacemaker revolvers I have seen.

I was 29/30 years of age when I accidentally found the revolver, I am now 66 years of age. I still have not made it back to the sight to look for the revolver. At this time it appears that unless I make the trip alone, I may never make it back to NM.

[jimmy]

Feb 19, 2010 13:46:27 GMT -5 jritter said:

Here is where you are talking about. The site Tunstall was murdered. Thought someone might want to picture it.

[

If you read Steve Sederwall’s book Billy the kid it gives a real good look into Tunstalls killing. They even find spent shell casings at the scene.

[chivato88]

I think Tunstall has been executed from orders given by Dolan,heres why I think this: Lily Klasner's father Robert Casey was killed in Lincoln by a former employee of is, and a few hours before they ate dinner together and seem to be on good terms, this employee was called Bill Wilson ( not the same Wilson who rode the Kid). Now some time after diner Wilson met with Murphy and Dolan and they offered 500$ to kill Casey and a garantee that he would not be punished if arrested. Once he got arrested Murphy's plan to protect him backfired and Wilson was hung not once but twice cause after the first time he was still breathing. It was Murphy that kicked the trigger that srung the trap door and he did not kicked It fast enough cause Wilson had a little time to spill the beans about Murphy.And by that time everyone knew in Lincoln that Murphy ordered the killing. Mr Casey always tried to avoid Murphy, he knew he was trouble, he minded is own buisness. He made one mistake by going to Lincoln and gave is support to the people there in a meeting who were tired of Murphy's grip.

Tunstall provoked the House way more than Robert Casey did, so its logical that Dolan followed his mentor's footsteps.