Billy the Kid : Beyond the Grave

Did Pat Garrett kill the wrong man in 1881 in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, or did the outlaw known as Billy the Kid live on as William Henry Roberts until 1948? W.C. Jameson analyzes the evidence, including use of new technology to produce a compelling case for Billy's survival. Heralded by Booklist as an enjoyable reexamination of a legendary piece of Americana, this book traces the life of the famous desperado and the controversy that still is debated today. Now in paperback!

Did Billy the Kid escape to die in 1950 in Hico, Texas? W.C. Jameson analyzes the evidence, including use of new technology to produce a compelling case for Billy's survival.

Library Journal

Conspiracy theorists will love this little book. Jameson (Unsolved Mysteries of the Old West), a professional treasure hunter and writer, does his best to make the case that Billy the Kid was not shot by Sheriff Pat Garrett in 1881 in Lincoln County, NM. William Henry Roberts (1859-1950) is put forth as Billy the Kid, renegade turned cowboy and lawman, who supposedly performed in Buffalo Bill's Wild West and joined Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders under an unknown alias. Unfortunately, Jameson weakens his case by uncritically accepting nearly any evidence that supports his position and casting aspersions on those who disagree with him. Librarians looking for a good general history of Billy the Kid would do well to seek out Robert M. Utley's Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life or Frederick Nolan's The West of Billy the Kid. Jameson's book is a popular, anti-establishment account that may be of interest to libraries with large Western outlaw literature collections.-Nathan Bender, Buffalo Bill Historical Ctr., Cody, WY Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Contents......Page 9 Foreword......Page 11 Preface: The “Death” of Billy the Kid......Page 13 Acknowledgments......Page 15 1 Pat Garrett Killed the Wrong Man......Page 17 2 A Traditional History of the Outlaw Billy the Kid......Page 23 3 The Discovery of William Henry Roberts......Page 31 4 William Henry Roberts’s Story, Part I: 1859-1881......Page 37 5 William Henry Roberts’s Story, Part II: 1881-1950......Page 59 6 Birth and Genealogy......Page 67 7 ¿Quién Es? A Reexamination of the Shooting at Fort Sumner......Page 71 8 The Inquest......Page 89 9 The Burial......Page 95 10 Tracking William Henry Roberts......Page 99 11 Evidence......Page 103 12 An Opposing Point of View......Page 123 13 The New Mexico Resistance......Page 131 14 Beyond the Grave......Page 137 Sources......Page 143 Index......Page 149 Photos ......Page 155 Foreword; Preface: The "Death" of Billy the Kid; Acknowledgments; 1 Pat Garrett Killed the Wrong Man; 2 A Traditional History of the Outlaw Billy the Kid; 3 The Discovery of William Henry Roberts; 4 William Henry Roberts's Story, Part I: 1859-1881; 5 William Henry Roberts's Story, Part II: 1881-1950; 6 Birth and Genealogy; 7 ℗ Quie n Es? A Reexamination of the Shooting at Fort Sumner; 8 The Inquest; 9 The Burial; 10 Tracking William Henry Roberts; 11 Evidence; 12 An Opposing Point of View; 13 The New Mexico Resistance; 14 Beyond the Grave; Sources; Index; Billy the Kid: Beyond the Grave traces the life of this famous desperado through his role in the Lincoln County War, the alleged killing by Sheriff Pat Garrett, Billy's escape, and his life for the next sixty-nine years. In 1948, an old man named Wi. The author delves into the legacy of a Western legend, exploring the possibility that Pat Garrett killed someone other than Billy the Kid in Fort Sumner and that the famous gunfighter in fact died in Hico, Texas, in 1950