Billy the Kid: An Autobiography

The Story of Brushy Bill Roberts

By: Daniel A. Edwards

Narrated by: Barry Corbin

In 1882, a notorious outlaw and a childhood friend of Billy the Kid was released from prison where he had been serving time for killing a Texas Ranger. His freedom finally secured, the outlaw disappeared and was never heard from again. Never, that is, until 1948, when he came out of hiding after almost 70 years. In the course of proving his identity to a court of law, the outlaw revealed that his friend Billy the Kid was not killed by Pat Garrett but was still alive even to that day. After a period of research and persistence, the young lawyer was finally led to a destitute old man in Texas, who was named not William H. Bonney, but William H. Roberts, although Bonney had been an alias that he had used. Roberts agreed to reveal himself as Billy the Kid if the lawyer would help him obtain a pardon so he could die a free man. You see, the Kid was still wanted for murder, so to come forward was to risk being sentenced and put to death, but this was a risk that William H. Roberts was willing to take. He told his story only one time, to one man. This is his story, now presented for the first time with new evidence and research that supports his claim that he was the one true Billy the Kid of legend.

©2014, 2018 Daniel A. Edwards (P)2022 Daniel A. Edwards

Amazing Evidence

After listening to this book. I am convinced that it was not only possible but highly probable that Brushy Bill Roberts was truly Billy the Kid.

Believe it!

This book made a believer out of me. There is no doubt, Pat Garrett did not kill Billy the Kid.

Good (true?) yarn.

Pleasantly surprised. Really good story, and Corbin did a fine job. True or not, I really enjoyed listening.

Finally a concise book of hard evidence.

People who want the truth outshine the charlatans of our faked history. Kudos to all, especially Billy!

Pat Garrett killed Billy

First, I’m a 5th gen Texan and lots of the aforementioned towns of Brushy Bills consequential life in north Texas are local to me. Sabine River bottom, Longview and Gladewater to name a few.
I even got my dog from Hico, TX where Brushy called home.

I’ve read lots of books on Billy enough to know we know addictively less than we want to about the West’s most charismatic “outlaw” than we want too.

With that said there are far more qualified experts than myself.

That’s where the butter meets the bread though.
This audio book is sadly written in absolute terms.

Arriving at its own conclusions based on long winded yarns from a supposed 90 year old man who claims to been on personal terms with every big name desperado and wanted man or woman and gang including fighting up San Juan Hill with the Rough riders and then a feature member of Wild Bills show.
All while carrying on this facade of aliases.
Nonsense.

He failed with the most important members who saw through his lies and for this books to talk in terms of absolution is laughable.

I thought better of Corbin before listening to his narration which verges on the ragged edge of sling blade occasionally.


No absolute proof was ever substantiated.

Lastly, My grandfather worked the Missouri Pacific Railroad for 50+ yrs before his death in 2010. When we were little he used to talk of his days as an Army vet in WW2 that saw the aftermath of the atomic bomb in Japan.
Later as he grew older the story became more “extravagant”.
He was best pals with Omar Bradley. He was leading the beach invasions in Normandy and captured by nazis and escaped freeing fellow soldiers as he left. He met John Wayne and Robert Taylor over there and they formed a small band of nazi hunters before being transferred to Japan to help lead missions to capture Tokyo.

My point unless it’s not obvious is
Brushy was probably part of some of the stories he claimed. The Bronc riding sounds legit. Prob his Wild West show stuff too but those things only lend cred
To his more incredible acquaintances and deeds. It don’t make them all true or all false.

Some of yall never had an old country grandpa and it shows.

Brushy Billy Robert’s was a skilled yarn spinner and prob had an interesting life but he wasn’t Billy the Kid.

Pat Garrett killed Billy. Suck but his legend will outlive these many goofy pretenders.