Unsolved mysteries of the Wild West
Did Sheriff Pat Garrett Really Kill Billy the Kid in 1881?
Sheriff Pat Garrett |
'Billy the Kid' |
When a man going by the name Brushy Bill Roberts (above, left) surfaced in Texas in 1950 seeking pardon for the crimes of Billy the Kid, the media took notice. His case was eventually thrown out by the governor of New Mexico, who agreed to meet with him. The Governor did not believe Roberts was Billy the Kid. Roberts died a short time later, reportedly ashamed by the media circus that followed his confession.
Brushy Bill Roberts |
Did Butch Cassidy Return to the United States?
'Butch Cassidy' |
It has been said that Butch Cassidy and his accomplice Henry Alonzo Longabaugh ("the Sundance Kid") were the only outlaws who lived to see themselves portrayed on film. Though the record states—and Hollywood would have you believe—that the famous bank robbers were killed in a gunfight with the Bolivian military after fleeing the U.S., many of Cassidy’s friends and family members report that he actually visited them several times after he was said to have been killed.
'The Sundance Kid' |
Did Outlaw Bill Longley Elude Execution?
Bloody Bill Longley had more than 30 killings to his name before he was hanged at the age of 27, suggesting that Longley was one of the most prolific and psychopathic gunslingers in the Wild West. But was he successfully executed and buried in Texas?
Longley’s acquaintances held that Bloody Bill escaped from prison before being hanged and lived out the remainder of his days as a Louisiana cotton farmer under the name John Calhoun Brown. Longley had escaped prison twice before his recorded execution in 1878. Did a third escape keep this notorious killer from the gallows indefinitely?
Although Smithsonian anthropologist Douglas Owsley claims to have proven through DNA analysis that the body buried in Giddings, Texas did in fact belong to the notorious outlaw, Jameson says “all that (DNA) proves is that (the body) was a Longley relative.” Skeptics are quick to point out that a number of Longley relatives are buried in the same cemetery and that poor records make accurate identification of the body in question difficult.
I hope you have enjoyed this look at just a snippet of Mysteries.
Until next time - stay safe.
Sue
Susan Horsnell
Western Romance Writer
Website: http://horsnells.wix.com/susan--1
Blog: http://susanhorsnell.com
Twitter: @susanhorsnell
Owner/Operator of Easychair Bookshop: http://theeasychairbookshopblog.com
3 comments:
Hi Sue, that was fascinating.
Regards
Margaret
Very interesting post. It mixes two of my favourite topics: outlaws and forensic investigation.
That was all very interesting
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