If Not, What Then?
If Pat Garrett didn’t kill Billy the Kid, what happened to him? Did he simply ride off into the sunset never to be heard from again? The answer to those questions can go in a number of directions. The most popular theory attends a man known as Brushy Bill Roberts who surfaced in Texas around 1950, claiming to be Billy the Kid. Old Brushy Bill made a pretty strong case for himself until, confronted by relatives and descendants of principals in the Garrett narrative, his story broke down. Roberts also laid claim to a fanciful ‘life-after-Billy’ that included numerous aliases, four marriages and employment with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, Pinkerton Detective Agency, U.S. Marshals Service, Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders, Judge Isaac Parker’s court and Pancho Villa’s Division del Norte. Not exactly a ride into the sunset.
There are other theories too. Garrett shot the Kid; but the Kid survived and Garrett never knew it. That one could make for a fun book. Garrett was later murdered. What if the Kid was his killer? Fun, but doubtful. Another theory holds Garrett and the Kid staged the whole thing to allow the Kid to escape. They were acquainted; but hardly good friends. For me, a lesser known story is more interesting. It’s the story of a quiet ride into the sunset; and a story that has never broken down.
This is the story of a mysterious fellow calling himself John Miller, who appeared on the planet less than a month after Garrett allegedly killed the Kid. He married and moved to Arizona where he settled and built a ranch. Like Brushy Bill, Miller seemed to know everything there was to know about Billy the Kid. Physically he resembled the Kid, including the scars of numerous bullet wounds. He lived a quiet life until he passed away in the Pioneer Nursing Home in Prescott Arizona in 1937. The reason Miller’s story has never broken down is that he never claimed to be Billy the Kid. His friends believed him to be Billy. His wife told to a few of her friends her husband was in fact Billy the Kid; but John Miller went to his grave denying he was the Kid. Maybe he had something to hide.
Next Week: Persistent Controversy
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
There are other theories too. Garrett shot the Kid; but the Kid survived and Garrett never knew it. That one could make for a fun book. Garrett was later murdered. What if the Kid was his killer? Fun, but doubtful. Another theory holds Garrett and the Kid staged the whole thing to allow the Kid to escape. They were acquainted; but hardly good friends. For me, a lesser known story is more interesting. It’s the story of a quiet ride into the sunset; and a story that has never broken down.
This is the story of a mysterious fellow calling himself John Miller, who appeared on the planet less than a month after Garrett allegedly killed the Kid. He married and moved to Arizona where he settled and built a ranch. Like Brushy Bill, Miller seemed to know everything there was to know about Billy the Kid. Physically he resembled the Kid, including the scars of numerous bullet wounds. He lived a quiet life until he passed away in the Pioneer Nursing Home in Prescott Arizona in 1937. The reason Miller’s story has never broken down is that he never claimed to be Billy the Kid. His friends believed him to be Billy. His wife told to a few of her friends her husband was in fact Billy the Kid; but John Miller went to his grave denying he was the Kid. Maybe he had something to hide.
Next Week: Persistent Controversy
https://www.amazon.com/author/paulcolt
Ride easy,
Paul
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