Brushy Bill Roberts
The Afterlife.
by J. Young.
Before I begin this article I’d like to state that in no way am I suggesting that Brushy Bill Roberts was Billy the Kid.
This write-up is focused on the interesting life of Bill Roberts, AFTER the LIVING legend of Billy the Kid was killed in 1881.
I won’t leave you without the conspiracies either, check the text in the photos for more Brushy Tales!
Let’s just start off in Fort Sumner. On that moonlit July night in 1881.. Brushy Roberts explains,
In the winter of 1883 Roberts returned to Texas. He may have begun using many different aliases to cover his tracks. In fact according to Brushy or Morrison, at some point Brushy took the name of his dead uncle, Ollie P. Roberts. He worked for a Cattle Company and then on to Decatur, Texas. Roberts was reunited with a character he worked with On the Gila river ranch in Arizona. Back in 1877, by the name of “Indian Jim”. A little later Jim, Roberts and a few others were working a cattle drive at Kansas City. While there, Roberts was detained, he did mention it,
The men that were with Roberts got him off the hook.
Roberts and Jim went back to Texas to work for Tom Wagoner, breaking horses. A little Later the two left for the Black Hills, South Dakota. They acquired a job in the area to help guard a stage line on the trail to Idaho. They did this for a few years. Here Roberts acquired the name “Brushy” , unique people get nicknames and because of the Brushy hills they often rode through, the name stuck. After coming back down south breaking horses for an easy dollar at any time he had the opportunity. Some as work and others as a challenge.
Roberts stopped at Buffalo Bill’s ranch at North Platte, Nebraska where he challenged himself to ride a wild stallion, a black diamond mare which no one else could handle. Roberts climbed onto the animal and out into the open prairie they galloped, probably impressing Bill Cody into thinking, I could use a man like that…Buffalo Bill was well known and had been running a wild west show annually, since 1883 and eventually Roberts was said to have participated in them, riding wild stallions to please the crowds. From here Roberts was convinced by Jim that he should try out boxing. Perhaps it was his small but muscular build and strong wrists. Boxing was probably a more popular sport then than it is today. After spending some time training Brushy got into the ring for his first fight. Roberts was defeated and immediately decided that he was not cut out for boxing, having short arms and gave it up.
Roberts began working as a detective. Working with organizations such as the Anti-Horse Thief Association, the Pinkertons, and U.S. Marshals. On one occasion, The Dalton gang was targeting a train robbery. The U.S. Marshals were there including Roberts. But they were outnumbered and a deputy was killed. Roberts recalls answering to the judge about the situation,
At the end of the century, late 1890’s Roberts, Jim and about eight others pitched in to purchase land in old Mexico, to start a ranch. It wasn’t long after, and the Spanish-American war broke out. Teddy Roosevelt put together a large volunteer Cavalry containing 3 regiments. Roberts and his companion signed up. Roberts recalls…
Jim and Roberts were sent to Cuba and had become horse breakers known as Bronco Busters for the Cavalry’s horses. During a battle, some of the officers were shot in the back and Roberts was partly blamed. He was discharged, with dishonors. There is no record showing this, but why would Roberts lie? Saying he was dishonorably discharged . When he was lying, he could have just sweetened it up.?
After the disgrace Roberts and Jim returned to Mexico to their land, where they found their cattle and land being confiscated by soldiers. A gunfight broke out and after a couple of weeks of going the “long route” to avoid being killed. They were being shot at the entire way. Roberts and company made it back to the Rio Grande and crossed into the U.S.
Roberts back in Texas said he would later put on a little wild west show of his own, Probably using what he could round up after being taken in old Mexico, before trading and selling it off later in Indian territory. This little show probably had nothing on the Wild West shows, but probably contained a crowd of bored locals, watching Roberts and others riding wild stallions, and other cowboy trickery.
In 1912 Roberts met and married Mollie Brown. Looking for the right place to settle, Mollie and Roberts went to Texas, Oklahoma and then to a ranch they bought on the Arkansas-Oklahoma border. But later after a job opportunity popped up they headed back to Texas. Roberts…
In Gladewater Roberts worked as an undercover policeman for a while. He did assist the Sheriff on at least one occasion, but probably more. Here he is now…
In 1919 his wife passed away. Roberts remarried six years later to Louticia Ballard. Roberts lived with her until she died about 20 years later. In 1944 as an old man, Roberts got married again, to Melinda Allison.
Roberts was contacted by a man named William Morrison. Morrison was recently on a case where he discovered a man who’s case he was working at, Joe Hines, was really Jesse Evans. Morrison was related to the Maxwells somehow and they started talking. Morrison learned from Evans that Billy the Kid was still alive. Morrison was curious and contacted Roberts. After meeting him he became convinced that he was Billy the Kid. Morrison set up a meeting with then governor Thomas Mabry to see about getting the pardon he thought he deserved before he died.
On November 29th Morrison and Roberts entered the governor’s Mansion in New Mexico to meet Governor Mabry, who promised a private meeting. When they arrived they found the room filled with Garrett’s surviving children as well as armed guards, photographers, reporters and many strangers. Roberts was spooked. While flashing bulbs from the cameras lit up the room, Roberts may have suffered a stroke. He was taken into another room to lie down to rest. Meanwhile in the other room Governor Mabry was shocked by what he saw and decided to decline giving Billy the Kid a pardon, although he did not even look at any of the evidence for Roberts case. It was simply because he did not believe Brushy to be him. Afterwards Roberts was taken to a doctor.
Morrison was not going to give up, and wanted to continue on like an appeal. But Roberts ran out of time. A month later on December 27, 1950, Roberts suffered a heart attack while running an errand on foot in Hico Texas. He is buried in Hamilton, Texas.
If it’s all true, even half true, What A LIfe!
Please read the rest of the story in the photos for
Brushy, in his own words!
Could Brushy Bill really be Billy the Kid?
A few things I have gathered on my own and I am not a professional in any way….
1. The earlobes and the dimple chin may not match the real BTK. It is hard to compare these two features to the tintype because it is so dark, faded and old.
2. Brushy claimed he was shot and wounded in the hip while approaching Sheriff Brady’s corpse on April 1, 1878. But Dr. Ealy who lived at the Tunstall store said he treated Regulator Jim French for a wound in the leg after the Brady killing, not Billy the Kid.
3. A man who was in Fort Sumner that night, George Miller heard only 2 gunshots.
To look at some of the evidence listed for and against Brushy Roberts, click below for an article on Angelfire.
https://www.angelfire.com/mi2/billythekid/brushy.html?fbclid=IwAR2vNqlXPDUxh0ZtjaOJY88m6m0g7sQoyhS7du67KkdwMNhCVLWWeznzB0A
We invite you to read further about a compelling account of a man believed to be Billy the Kid. John Miller, who fits the description much better, has piqued our interest. It appears that Brushy or Morrison may have been attempting to claim credit for THIS man’s story. We encourage you to join us on this trail towards uncovering the truth about this fascinating character.
https://palsofbillythekidhistoricalsociety.com/john-miller/
