Nearly 70 years after Billy the Kid was reported gunned down by Sheriff Pat Garrett in 1881, an elderly Texan named Brushy Bill Roberts stepped forward with an explosive claim: he was the real Billy the Kid, and the outlaw had faked his death to escape justice. Roberts insisted that the man Garrett killed in the dark of a Fort Sumner bedroom was not him, but another outlaw named Billy Barlow. According to Roberts, the mistaken identity allowed him to slip away, travel to Mexico, and live quietly for decades under various assumed names. His story gained national attention in the late 1940s and early 1950s, sparked by a chance discovery.
In 1948, a probate investigator from St. Louis named William V. Morrison came across an elderly man called Joe Hines during routine work. Hines, who claimed involvement in the Lincoln County War, told Morrison that Billy the Kid had not died in 1881, though he would not reveal the man’s identity or location.
Morrison’s investigation expanded when he encountered J. Frank Dalton of Oklahoma, who had declared himself to be Jesse James. Dalton further fueled the mystery by asserting that Billy the Kid was still alive, identifying the man known locally in Hamilton, Texas as O. Roberts as the legendary outlaw in hiding.
Following the lead, Morrison began a written exchange with Roberts. Over time, Roberts opened up and eventually declared he was indeed Billy the Kid, recounting detailed stories from his past. One of his main motivations was securing a pardon he claimed New Mexico Governor Lew Wallace had promised him in 1879 following the Lincoln County War but never formally granted. The circumstances of the original shooting cast doubt on the official account.
Only three men were present the night of the killing: Garrett and his two deputies, John W. Poe and Thomas McKini. Both deputies had never seen or barely knew the Kid, and Poe reportedly expressed immediate doubts, telling Garrett he believed the wrong man had been killed. Poor lighting meant none of the men could provide clear visual identification.
Garrett said he recognized the man by his voice, though only hushed words had been exchanged. Though both deputies initially backed Garrett’s account, McKini later changed his position, joining Poe in suggesting Garrett may have misidentified the individual. Local residents in Fort Sumner also questioned whether the real Billy the Kid had died that night. The grave believed to hold the Kid’s remains was over the decades damaged and likely washed away by flooding, and requests for exhumation and DNA testing have consistently been denied.
Roberts claimed his real name was William Henry Roberts, born December 31, 1859, in Buffalo Gap, Texas. However, complications in his story emerged. A 1987 letter from Geneva Pitman, who identified herself as Roberts’s niece, stated her uncle was actually Oliver P. Roberts, born August 26, 1879.
That account would have made him 71 when he died in 1950, while the 1859 birthdate supporters cite would have made him around 90. Additional details complicated matters. Roberts demonstrated what he said were skills from his former life, including the ability to slip out of handcuffs. Morrison claimed that during a personal examination, he observed 26 old wounds on Roberts’s body, which he described as scars from bullets and blades.
Morrison located individuals from Billy the Kid’s past to support the claim. Jim McDaniels, a former member of the Jesse Evans gang, along with three others who had known the Kid, signed sworn statements expressing their belief that Roberts was the same person. However, not everyone agreed. Bill and Sam Jones, also believed to have known the Kid, declined to sign affidavits, with Sam Jones writing that he was too old to take on such a responsibility.
A linguistic gap also emerged as a key point of criticism. It is well documented that Billy the Kid could read and write English and spoke Spanish fluently. In contrast, Roberts was unable to read or write and had only moderate skill in spoken Spanish. In 1950, Roberts traveled to Santa Fe for an official meeting with New Mexico Governor Thomas J.
Mabry, who had publicly announced the event. The meeting drew significant media attention. After hearing Roberts’s account and reviewing the evidence, Mabry declared he did not believe the story and formally rejected the pardon request. Not long after the meeting, Roberts passed away on December 27, 1950.
A 1950 article from the Austin American-Statesman reported that Roberts initially claimed to have been a member of Jesse James’s gang, only later asserting he was Billy the Kid. He also identified J. Frank Dalton as the real Jesse James. Interest in the claim was revived in 1990 when the film Young Guns 2 portrayed Brushy Bill as the narrator recounting the life of Billy the Kid.
Following the film’s release, new books explored the mystery, and fresh attention was given to the possibility that Roberts may have been telling the truth. The first major work on the subject was Alias Billy the Kid, co-authored by Morrison and Western historian C. L. Sonnichsen.
Though they attempted a fresh look, most research on the topic relied heavily on the 1882 account published by Garrett. However, Garrett’s book was largely shaped by Ash Upson, the postmaster of Roswell, who contributed both factual elements and fictionalized material that helped solidify the legend. Upon release, Alias Billy the Kid received mixed reviews, but found a surprising supporter in former President Harry Truman. Truman wrote to Morrison expressing his belief that Roberts may indeed have been the Kid, regretting that Brushy Bill had passed away before presenting his case to a more receptive governor.
In 2005, author W. C. Jameson revisited the subject in his book Billy the Kid: Beyond the Grave, renewing interest in the case. Jameson argued that Brushy Bill’s true name was William Henry Roberts, insisting that Oliver Pleasant Roberts and Brushy Bill were two separate individuals, directly contradicting Geneva Pitman’s statement.
In April 2015, broadcaster and author Bill O’Reilly added his voice to the debate, suggesting in his book Bill O’Reilly’s Legends and Lies: The Real West that evidence supporting Brushy Bill’s claim might outweigh the traditional narrative. He cited the original Alias Billy the Kid as a foundational source and featured the story on his national television program. Photographic analysis produced conflicting results. In 1989, the Lincoln County Heritage Trust sponsored a computer-based facial comparison study.
When images of Roberts, Billy the Kid, and 150 additional individuals were analyzed using a similarity index comparing 25 key facial landmarks, Roberts’s image placed 42nd, meaning 41 other individuals more closely matched the famous tintype image of the Kid. A year later, a second study at the University of Texas used advanced facial recognition tools employed by agencies such as the FBI, CIA, and Interpol, correcting for differences in facial angle. An early photograph of Brushy Bill, reportedly taken when he was around 14, was found to closely resemble the tintype of Billy the Kid. A photo of Roberts at age 71 produced a 93 percent similarity rating.
The researchers concluded their findings showed a very close resemblance, though they acknowledged the study would need independent replication. No follow-up studies have been conducted, and facial similarity alone cannot serve as definitive proof of identity. In 1996, the University of Texas results were reviewed by Judge Andre McNeel of Arkansas’s 12th Judicial District and attorney Helen Grinder, both of whom expressed confidence in the findings. Grinder described the case for Brushy Bill being Billy the Kid as strong, substantial, and excellent.
In 2003, an effort was launched to resolve the mystery through DNA testing. Led by Lincoln County Sheriff Tom Sullivan, Capitan Mayor Steve Sederwall, and DeBaca County Sheriff Gary Graves, the initiative proposed exhuming the remains believed to be the Kid’s along with those of his mother for comparative analysis. The plan faced immediate obstacles, including uncertainty over exact burial locations and legal complications. In September 2004, a court ruling blocked the proposed exhumations, halting the investigation before DNA analysis could be conducted.
Today, the town of Hico, Texas, where Roberts spent his final years, has embraced his legacy. The local chamber of commerce supported the establishment of the Billy the Kid Museum, and a commemorative marker stands in downtown Hico. The inscription reads: “O. L.
‘Brushy Bill’ Roberts, alias Billy the Kid, died in Hico, Texas, December 27th, 1950. ” The plaque also acknowledges Roberts’s final mission to convince the world he was truly Billy the Kid and to secure the pardon he said was promised to him by Governor Lew Wallace. Despite decades of investigation, sworn affidavits, photo analysis, and DNA discussions, the truth remains elusive.
The debate continues among historians, descendants, and enthusiasts over whether Brushy Bill Roberts was a forgotten outlaw who slipped through history’s cracks or a man caught up in the legend of a figure bigger than himself.