Billy the Kid: An Autobiography

by Edwards, Daniel A.

  So, it is very interesting that in the exact year that Brushy mentions there is historical evidence of a horse named Cyclone making the rounds of the horse races. Notice that it’s a “great” sweepstakes open to the entire state. These types of races attracted cowboys from all around. In addition to the absolutely huge jackpot of $2200, no doubt lots of bets were placed between ranchers as well. It seems reasonable therefore that Tom Waggoner would share the profits with Brushy if he was backing him in the Cowboy Roundup race in Cheyanne.

  Brushy continues, "We went to Oklahoma City for the winter. In January, 1890, Indian Jim sent me to a boxing school in Cincinnati, Ohio, where I trained. I was tired of riding outlaw horses and thought I would like to be a boxer. I was left-handed and fast, but they put me in the ring with a long-armed fellow and I decided that my arms were too short to continue boxing. I went back to Oklahoma City and rode horses again in spare time. We kept riding the anti-horse-thief trail.”

  "I rode Crazy Fox in Old Mexico. Crazy Fox was a buck skin with a black stripe down his back and black stripes around his legs. He weighed about a thousand pounds and was well built, about eight years old, with a ewe neck and a Roman nose, and it looked as if both his eyes came out the same place. I contested him according to Cheyenne rules. He pitched like a mountain horse, only worse while it lasted, but not so long. Pitching about three hundred yards, he broke into a run. Jim roped him, and they didn't want to pay off. They finally paid up, and we went to Fort Worth, Texas.

  After that I went to Sulphur Springs, where I rode Lone Wolf in Booger Red's show. We went on to Cold Creek, Idaho, where I rode Wild Cat in the summer of '92. In the fall I rode the Black Diamond mare at Buffalo Bill's ranch on North Platte. Then I rode Wild Hyena at Pendleton, Oregon, Smokey at the Diamond A, and Man Killer in Cheyenne.”

  "In 1893, my riding skill gave me a trip to the Argentine Republic. A company had shipped a large bunch of Western horses down there. The natives couldn't do anything with them. The Cattleman's Association sent me and Indian Jim there to break the horses. We left Oklahoma City about the tenth of January, 1893, and sailed to Buenos Aires. For the first few days we looked around to see the brands on the horses so we could tell where they were from. We found quite a few Wyoming horses in the herd.”

  "I was supposed to ride four horses a day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. After we taught them how to ride, we showed them how to drive the horses. I would ride four one day and they would take them the next day, and so on. After we were there some six months, they suggested that we have a contest ride. We held a contest for three days, riding horses and steers, and bulldogging and roping just like we did in the United States. On the third day I rode Zebra Dun.”

  "Zebra Dun was an outlaw when he was shipped there. I asked them to raise a bet and I'd ride him. I told them I was supposed to ride him anyway, but would like to have it sweetened. After I stepped off, I put a bridle on him and hopped on and rode him with a bridle. I had taught them to ride in the slick and to ride with a surcingle. Now they wanted me to ride him with a surcingle, which I did.”

  "Sometime in 1894 we contracted to go to the Shetland Islands to catch ponies. They were hard to rope in that brush. They would run like rabbits. We spent about three months catching some 150 head of ponies. When we came back we joined up again with the Anti-Horse Thief Association in Indian Territory. They put us on the North Canadian River.”

  "One morning Mountain Bill and I were riding along when a shot struck him from across the river. He fell off the horse, wounded. I drew my rifle from the scabbard. Taking my field glasses, I spied a Creek Indian across the river. I fired four shots. He never showed up any more. I put Bill on his horse and took him to a cow ranch some ten miles away. We shipped him to Ardmore, where he died from the wound. I wrote to his sister in Arizona and his brother-in-law came and got his belongings. I made a report of all this and they signed me up with a fellow named Boyles.”

  "In the fall of '94 I went back on the marshal force and served three more years. I would take off a couple of months each year and ride with Buffalo Bill's and Pawnee Bill's Wild West shows.”

  "In '95 I struck out for El Paso, where I run into a bunch of cowboys with whom I was acquainted. They said it was a good time to put up a ranch in Old Mexico, as Old Diaz had offered good terms on the grazing land. By paying a small fee, you could graze all the land you needed. It looked like a good proposition. Ten of us agreed to put up a ranch over there, with not more than ten shares to each man. We bought about a thousand cattle and fifty pony mares. We fixed up everything and appointed a boss. I decided to put Jim in my place and I went back to Indian Territory. Late in the fall I went back to Mexico, arriving about Christmas at the ranch. I was still called Hugo Kid here. We ranched through the years of '96 and '97, raising mules and steel-dust horses.”

  "In the spring of '98 Roosevelt called for volunteers for his regiment of Rough Riders. Jim and I were in Claremore about this time, so we went to Muskogee and enlisted.”

  "They transferred us to San Antonio, where we stayed about three weeks before we started for Cuba. We went through Mobile, Alabama, where they gave us a midnight supper. It was not long until we landed in Cuba. A lieutenant by the name of Cook stepped up to me and said, “Ain't this the Texas Kid?” I told him it was, and he said, “You'd make a good scout. You were good in Indian Territory scouting horse thieves. We will take you and the Cherokee Indian for scouts.”

  “They put from one to fifteen on a scout gang and they would hunt the enemy out and report back to headquarters. I told Jim that we had put ourselves up as another target. I followed that about two months, seeing scouts shot on every side of me. Jim and I always made it out.”

  “They shipped lots of Western ponies down there, and there were lots of them that the boys couldn't ride. Cook told them he could get them a man that could ride them. So they sent for me and the Indian to come down to the corral. I saddled up one and kicked him out like I'd always rode. They said they would give me a job riding them. I told them I wanted Jim for my helper. I thought this was better than being shot from ambush.”

  "In a little while I had charge of these horses. Some of the officers didn't like this and I told them to take off their stripes, which they did, and we proved our manhood. In about four days I whipped two of them, but still held my job. The officers treated lots of the boys very mean.”

  "During a battle one day there were four officers shot in the back. They thought that some of us and the Cherokee Indian did it, which they tried to prove in court-martial, but failed. When our time was out they gave us a bobtailed discharge. I didn't think I was entitled to it, because they did not prove anything on me.”

  "We mustered out, coming back to the U. S. Jim and I went back to Mexico on the ranch.”

  This is the extent of the detail Brushy provided to Morrison regarding his service in the Spanish American War, but it is enough. His claim to be a Rough Rider during the Cuba campaign is often ridiculed by historians. No record, it has been said, has ever been found to validate such a claim.

  Actually, as shown below, the historical record is very clear that William H. Roberts did in fact serve with the Rough Riders as found in the following document in the National Archives:

  U.S., Buffalo Soldiers, Returns From Regular Army Cavalry Regiments, 1866-1916

  Name: William H. Roberts

  Regiment: United States Tenth Cavalry

  Regiment Return Date: Aug 1898

  Officer or Enlisted: Enlisted

  Rank: Private

  Company Letter: D

  Action Date: 26 Aug 1898

  Action Place: Montauk Point, New York

  Roll number: 99

  Archive Publication Number: M744

  ROSTER REGISTER ENTRY SHOWING WILLIAM H. ROBERTS

  This entry would seem to conclusively prove that Brushy is telling the truth about his military service. There is very little information, however, on this William H. Roberts so it
is difficult to corroborate this name to Brushy Bill. There is one mention in an early New York Times article that references a “Dr.” William H. Roberts “who served with the Rough Riders” but does not elaborate in any way. In those days many men would claim to have been members of armies or regiments that they did not actually serve in so it could be possible that this “Dr.” Roberts was making such a claim. After all, would it stand to reason that a doctor would hold the rank of private? Either way, the record exists and shows William H. Roberts present in the muster rolls.

  But what if the William H. Roberts listed in the roles was not Brushy? Would this necessarily discount his claim and preclude his service? It has already been established that his practice was to use multiple aliases over time. Is it reasonable then to consider the possibility that he would have used an alias during his army service? This line of thinking leads to some very interesting results.

  Immediately prior to his service in the Rough Riders Brushy claims to have been serving as a deputy U.S. Marshal under the “Hanging Judge” Isaac Parker in Oklahoma Territory. He claimed that Judge Parker and he were very close and that the Judge would personally send him on assignments. His claim of being a lawman is perhaps the most verified of all of the claims made by Brushy and supported by the most witnesses. Even most detractors of Mr. Roberts concede that he was in fact a lawman of some type, either a Marshal or at least a member of the “Anti-Horsethief Association”, considered by some a quasi-law enforcement organization or vigilante group, but referenced by others as a legitimate effort. In any event, Brushy had in his possession artifacts and photos to verify his service.

  What is not known, however, is the alias that he would have used during this period. Records and photographs of deputies are extremely scarce as opposed to Sheriffs and Town Marshals. All that is known at present is limited to what Brushy shared during his interviews with Morrison.

  The possibility has already been raised that in 1880 a twenty year old Brushy may have been using the alias John S. Murphy in San Patricio so perhaps it would be worthwhile to search for this name in the historical record, not just in regards to his time as a deputy, but in the rolls of the Rough Riders as well.

  This search leads to an interesting result. While there is no listing of a John S. Murphy listed among the Rough Riders, there is a William S. Murphy listed as a Rough Rider and the details of his service are astounding.

  Brushy claimed that during his service he was first a scout and then assigned to break horses. He said that eventually he was put in charge of all the horses which led to jealousy and conflict with certain officers. Amazingly, William S. Murphy was not only the man in charge of breaking horses for the Army but he was known as “The Judge” because immediately prior to joining the regiment it was thought that he was a judge in Oklahoma, Indian Territory…exactly where Brushy claimed to be serving under Judge Parker. William S. Murphy was also the private chosen by the men to present Roosevelt with Frederic Remington’s famous “Bronc Buster” statue, a copy of which sits in the Oval Office of the White House today.

  Whether this man actually made the claim that he was a judge or whether the men called him that because he was affiliated with a judge is unknown. Nicknames are notoriously vague and often taken up with little question and any blanks filled in by conjecture. This was especially true in the old west where the lack of specificity in historical records is notoriously poor. For example, the contemporary record concerning William S. Murphy is contradictory with it being said of him variously that he was a lawyer, Justice of the Peace, and Judge.

  In his book “Frederic Remington and the West” Ben Merchant Vorpahl writes in regards to the presentation ceremony that “A trooper named William Murphy who had been a Justice of the Peace in Indian Territory, made a brief, emotional speech…”

  On the other hand, contemporary newspaper accounts, the Chicago Tribune for one, referred to Murphy as a lawyer in an article titled “Roosevelt Given a Present” printed on September 14, 1898 it states: “Camp Wikoff, Sept. 13.-Roosevelt’s Rough Riders presented to Colonel Roosevelt today a bronze replica of Remington’s "Bucking Bronco." Private William S. Murphy of Troop M, an Indian Territory lawyer made the speech.”

  It is interesting to note that despite the ubiquitous naming of Mr. Murphy in association with this event and his obvious prominence among the troops, there is no record whatsoever of any William S. Murphy in Indian Territory before or after the war, either as a Justice of the Peace, Judge, Lawyer, or plain citizen. In fact, there is no record of him whatsoever outside of his relation to the Rough Riders. Once again, just as with John S. Murphy in San Patricio, it is as though he never existed aside from the specific point in time where his presence is recorded exactly where William Henry Roberts claimed his would be.

  But there is considerably more in the record concerning this William S. Murphy. For one, he was also a private, like Brushy Bill. He was also involved in and apparently in charge of handling the horses for the army and there is considerable documentation about his service.

  Brushy stated, “They shipped lots of Western ponies down there, and there were lots of them that the boys couldn't ride. Cook told them he could get them a man that could ride them. So they sent for me and the Indian to come down to the corral. I saddled up one and kicked him out like I'd always rode. They said they would give me a job riding them. I told them I wanted Jim for my helper. I thought this was better than being shot from ambush.”

  "In a little while I had charge of these horses. Some of the officers didn't like this and I told them to take off their stripes, which they did, and we proved our manhood. In about four days I whipped two of them, but still held my job. The officers treated lots of the boys very mean.”

  It is clear from Brushy’s statement that his job was not one that officers felt suitable for a mere private, yet he had the job regardless. Now compare his comment to those made by fellow Rough Rider Lt. Tom Hall in his book “The Fun and Fighting Rough Riders” published in 1899.

  Hall states, “The horses for the regiment were purchased before the arrival of the horse equipment. They were all Western horses, most of them broncos although a few were of mixed blood—half thoroughbreds. (As a matter of fact the bronco is of mixed blood himself.) Troopers were sent from our camp to Fort Sam Houston several times a day to ride or drive the accepted horses to our picket lines. As most of these horses were practically unbroken, the men were constantly performing feats of horsemanship that were truly remarkable.”

  He goes on to say, “By a peculiar arrangement the regiment did possess some very fine horses, however, of a bluer blood. Many of the Eastern men brought or bought their own horses, valued up in the hundreds, and sold them to the government at the rates that were being paid by the purchasing board for Western horses, with the agreement, of course, that these horses should be assigned to them. By such an arrangement a private (a man of considerable notoriety) came to ride the finest horse in the regiment.”

  While not claiming specifically that said private was in charge of all of the horse breaking, Hall does validate that there was a private responsible for breaking horses and that he rode the finest horse in the regiment. Something one could understand that could lead to resentment from those of supposedly higher status due to their rank.

  Furthermore, Hall makes a point to note that this was no ordinary private but one “of considerable notoriety”. This is an odd comment. How could Brushy know that among the Rough Riders there was a private among troopers that was “of considerable notoriety”. For Hall to make this comment is remarkable especially given that it is the only one of its kind that he makes regarding an enlisted man in his entire book.

  Unfortunately, Hall does not name this trooper but there are references to someone that appears to be the same person in other contemporary accounts where his name is revealed as William S. Murphy. The following scene is recorded in THE STORY OF THE ROUGH RIDERS by Edward Marshal regarding the presentation to Roosevelt of
Frederick Remington’s famous “Bronco Buster” statue: “It was all over before one o'clock; at that hour a committee of embarrassed troopers waited upon Colonel Roosevelt at his tent and asked him if he minded stepping over to a rough pine table, which stood unsteadily on uneven ground. His command was informally drawn up in a square of where this table formed the center. Upon the table was a curious something, full of knobs and bunches and covered by a horse blanket. Lieutenant-Colonel Brodie happened along just then, and taking Roosevelt by the arm, conducted him to a place in front of the table. Up to this time Roosevelt had not known what was coming.

  The breathless silence which pervaded the place and the curious expectant manner of his troopers warned him now that something pleasant was likely to presently occur. His face, already tanned to a deep dark brown, took on the ruddy hue of a Cuban veteran's blush, and he stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. There was a pause while he looked about at the men who followed him so bravely at Guasimas and San Juan. He saw that in the eyes of some of them the tears were beginning to start, and while he waited, his own were dimmed with moisture.

  From the ranks of M Troop stepped William S. Murphy, who, although he was a private in the regiment, had been a judge in the Indian Territory at the time of his enlistment, and was known as one of the most eloquent men in that part of the West. He took off his campaign hat and presented the colonel with Frederick Remington's famous "Bronco Buster." Murphy had prepared an elaborate speech, which would have done honor to the Indian Territory courts, but he couldn't speak it, and if he had, most of the men in the regiment would not have heard it.”