Billy The Kid:
Killed In New Mexico, Died In Texas?
History tells us that outlaw Billy The Kid was killed by Sheriff Pat Garret
on July 14, 1881 at Ft. Sumner, New Mexico.
History may be wrong.
In a new book titled Billy The Kid: Killed In New Mexico, Died In Texas (Outlaw
Publications, Box 280627, Dallas, Texas 75228, $11.95, postage paid) author Dr.
Jannay P. Valdez says that Billy The Kid was not killed by Pat Garret.
As incredible as it may sound, Dr. Valdez claims that the kid escaped to Mexico
where he lived until his return to his home state of Texas. Taking the name of "Brushy" Bill
Roberts, Billy The Kid died in Hico, Texas on December 27, 1950 at the age of
91!!!
Dr. Valdez's book is a fascinating story that just may help re-write the history
of the Old West.
Q: Dr. Valdez, why did you write this book?
A: The two purposes of the book were one, to set the story straight, and two
to increase tourism and review an interest in history, Billy The Kid being
a small part of it. For the book, I personally researched geographically
and informationally all the data in the book. I went to almost all the places
that were there. Billy The Kid was born in 1859 and died in 1950. All through
history Billy The Kid has been labeled an outlaw, but he was quite the contrary.
I mean, he was an outlaw for awhile but he got into a bind. Billy
The Kid lived the rest of his life out as Brushy Bill Roberts. This was very necessary because of the fact that in 1881, he had been sentenced to hang for the murder of Sheriff Brady in Lincoln. He escaped from the Lincoln County Courthouse, Lincoln County Jail and in doing so he killed two guards, Bell and Ollinger. Killing Bell was not something he really wanted to do; it was just that he had to. Killing Ollinger was something he got pleasure out of. He just cold bloodedly killed Olinger.
Q: So how can you defend a name like that?
A: Well, I can't defend a lot of his actions but, they went with the times,
you understand? The times back in the 1870's and 1880's were rough. In New
Mexico there was very little law, and many of the outlaws had been run out
of Texas and ended up coming into New Mexico. Another thing is Billy The
Kid was a victim of the Civil War to start with. His dad, Bob Henry Roberts, "Two
Gun" Roberts has served in the Civil War. Billy being born in 1859, the father
left for the Civil War when Billy was just a baby. His mother, Adelaine Dunn,
being left with a small child in a log cabin in Buffalo Gap, Texas, she died.
Billy's half aunt Catherine Bonney from the Indian Territory came down. She
also had the name McCarty because she had been married to Michael McCarty
in New York. She took Billy The Kid and little William Henry. His name as
he was born in Buffalo Gap was William Henry Roberts. He was born December
31, 1859. As he said in his own words, "I was born on the last day of the
year of the decade."