Debunking Brushy: Billy the Kid’s Dead Alright

Brushy Bill (left) standing next to Governor Mabry.

The relentless pursuit of uncovering the truth about Billy the Kid can be a tiresome endeavor. For more than 140 years, a multitude of historians, researchers, authors, and enthusiasts have grappled with the task of connecting the dots surrounding this enigmatic figure. However, in 1950, an individual named Ollie L. "Brushy Bill" Roberts emerged from Hico, Texas, adding a new layer of complexity to the already intricate tapestry of accuracy and speculation.

It is worth noting that the myth of Billy the Kid's survival had already taken root long before Brushy Bill made his claim. Even during the era of Sheriff Pat Garrett, it was a popular belief that Billy had been shot that fateful night but had somehow managed to cheat death. In another version of the tale, Garrett was said to have killed someone else and passed them off as Billy to collect the reward. Yet another variant proposed that Garrett and the Kid had conspired to stage the young outlaw's demise. It is important to emphasize that none of these claims have any substantiated evidence, and any serious researcher of Billy the Kid should disregard them altogether. Nevertheless, for some, particularly those with a romanticized view of Billy as a heroic figure rather than a criminal, the myth offered solace, making it difficult to accept the tragic end of the "Robin Hood of the Southwest."

Roberts, with the assistance of his "lawyer" William Morrison, sought a pardon from Governor Thomas Mabry of New Mexico. According to Morrison, Roberts was "old and tired of running." However, it remained unclear whom or what Roberts was evading at such an advanced age, even when questioned directly. On November 30, Mabry met with Brushy Bill in Santa Fe to either validate or dismiss his claim. The meeting occurred at the governor's executive mansion, attended by newspaper reporters, historians, Cliff McKinney (son of Garrett's deputy, Kip), and Oscar and Jarvis Garrett. At one point, Oscar Garrett was given the opportunity to interrogate Roberts regarding his "story," but he chose not to "dignify the occasion" with a response. Frankly, Oscar's refusal was unnecessary since Brushy struggled to provide satisfactory answers to several probing questions. He displayed a lack of knowledge about the individuals with whom Billy had fought in the Lincoln County War, required prompting to recall Garrett's name, and denied involvement in the deaths of James Bell and Bob Olinger. Governor Mabry unequivocally announced that he would not entertain the idea of a pardon, then or ever.

The following day, the Santa Fe New Mexican published an editorial titled "Billy the Kid's Dead Alright," expressing satisfaction with Brushy's lackluster performance and asserting that it had not fooled anyone. Roberts passed away in Hico, Texas, just a month after his meeting with Governor Mabry. Then, in 2003, Billy the Kid and Brushy Bill Roberts once again garnered attention when Sheriff Tom Sullivan of Lincoln County launched an official investigation into the deaths of deputies Bell and Olinger, as well as Garrett's killing of Billy at Fort Sumner. Assisted by Deputy Steve Sederwall and Gary Graves, the sheriff of DeBaca County, Sullivan intended to collect DNA samples from Billy, his mother, and other alleged Kid imposters, such as John Miller, for comparison. However, what initially began as a quest for truth soon spiraled into a nationwide media frenzy, rife with controversy and a subsequent lawsuit.

The irony lies in Brushy Bill's claim and the investigation initiated by Sullivan and his team. The fate of Billy Bonney had already been established long before Brushy appeared in Santa Fe in November 1950, just as it had been confirmed in Fort Sumner back in 1881. In March 1932, Florencio Chavez, a known member of the Regulators and a friend of Billy's, conveyed the following statement to the Frontier Times: "He is dead, my friend Billy. Old Silva knows. And I am sure. These stories of another being killed, of the Kid slipping away, they have come with late years. My friend Bill, he is dead."