Debunking Brushy: How Did He Know So Much

Brushy Bill Roberts, on the left, standing next to William Morrison.

By Josh Slatten 

One of the most common questions people ask about Brushy Bill is how he knew so much about Billy the Kid's life if he wasn't, in fact, Billy the Kid.

First and foremost, it's important to note that any knowledge related to the Kid's life that Brushy Bill is alleged to know came directly from the mouth and writings of William V. Morrison. Brushy stood on his own two feet only once when making his accusations that he was Billy, and that was when he was at the governor's office trying to receive a pardon. During this meeting, he performed poorly and was unable to answer even the most basic questions about Billy the Kid's life.

Morrison's book, titled "Alias Billy the Kid," published in 1955, makes several claims. Some of the more minute details mentioned in this book might appear to be so obscure that only the real Billy the Kid would know them. Sadly for Brushy, that's just not true. For example, Brushy stated that "Negro" soldiers came in from Fort Stanton and took to the hills during the final battle that resulted in McSween's home burning. Such a small detail might not have possibly been known by anybody there, right? Or how about the claim that after Billy escaped the jail in Lincoln, he stopped on his way to Fort Sumner and hid one of his pistols in a tree? Nobody but the real Billy the Kid would know that detail, right? Or even better yet, Brushy claimed that after he was captured at Stinking Springs, he gave a red handkerchief to Deluvina Maxwell. Another small detail that nobody but the real Billy the Kid would know.

All of these statements initially appear to be a compelling argument that Brushy is the Kid. However, here's the problem: everything we just discussed can be found in one book that was widely available at the time Brushy and Morrison were making their claim. Walter Noble Burns wrote "The Saga of Billy the Kid," which was published in 1925. This book was wildly popular at the time and readily available to reference. What's even more damaging to Brushy's claim is that the same mistakes Brushy made in his story were also made in "The Saga of Billy the Kid" (more on that later).

Walter Noble Burns was not the only person to have a book published on Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War at that time. By 1950, Billy the Kid was a very popular topic, and dozens of books and publications were out on his life. Researching him and finding out the information Brushy was saying was not difficult. Considering Brushy's poor showing when publicly speaking in front of the governor, it's more than likely that Morrison was the one constructing this fairy tale and simply using Brushy as his puppet.

One last detail worth mentioning is Brushy's claim that he once dated the "Sidello girl" down by San Patricio. Brushy believer and author Brett Hall argues that it's impossible for Brushy to have known her and that detail if he wasn't, in fact, Billy the Kid. Unfortunately for Brett Hall and Brushy believers everywhere, the December 1941 issue of Time Life Magazine covered the story and showed photographs of the family, referencing the "Sedillo girl" and her relationship with Billy the Kid.

There are many more errors, quite frankly, too many to list in one article. But as you can see here, Brushy didn't know anything that anyone else couldn't find out by making a simple trip to the public library.