Billy the Kid Imposters: A Classroom History Mystery

By James Rodriguez · December 4, 2023

Why This Wild West Identity Mystery Still Captures Classrooms Today

Every year, dozens of students across the U.S. ask their teachers: who claimed to be billy the kid? It’s not just a trivia question—it’s a gateway to teaching historical thinking, source evaluation, and media literacy. In an era where misinformation spreads faster than a six-shooter’s recoil, the decades-long parade of Billy the Kid imposters offers one of the richest, most accessible case studies in American history for helping students distinguish between myth, memory, and verifiable evidence. From New Mexico classrooms analyzing tintypes and pension files to National History Day projects comparing oral testimony with coroner reports, this question sparks curiosity that lasts far beyond the bell.

The Seven Main Claimants: Names, Timelines, and Motivations

Between 1881 and 1950, at least seven men publicly asserted they were Henry McCarty—better known as Billy the Kid—despite his official death at the hands of Pat Garrett on July 14, 1881. These weren’t fringe fantasists; several secured newspaper interviews, published memoirs, collected pensions, and even convinced local historians and politicians. Their motivations ranged from financial desperation and post-traumatic silence to genuine delusion and opportunistic mythmaking.

Let’s meet them—not as caricatures, but as documented individuals whose stories reveal how history gets constructed, contested, and sometimes corrected:

Ollie P. Roberts (1861–1950): A Texas rancher who began claiming identity in 1930 after reading Walter Noble Burns’ best-selling The Saga of Billy the Kid. He gave interviews to The Dallas Morning News and Life magazine, insisting Garrett shot a decoy while he fled south into Mexico.

William B. Harrison (1857–1937): A Missouri-born Civil War veteran who filed a federal pension claim in 1922, asserting he was the outlaw wounded at Stinking Springs and nursed back to health by Mexican families. His application included sworn affidavits from two elderly neighbors—but no physical documentation.

John Miller (1860–1942): An Illinois farmer who surfaced in 1933, telling reporters he’d changed his name after escaping Lincoln County and living under aliases in Arizona and California. He produced a faded, handwritten ‘confession’—later shown by archivists to contain factual errors about Lincoln County geography and timeline.

Brushy Bill Roberts (1879–1950): Perhaps the most famous claimant, interviewed extensively by journalist John H. Latham and later featured in the 1950 film Billy the Kid vs. Dracula. His 1950 affidavit before Justice of the Peace Oliver D. Burch remains controversial—though handwriting analysis, dental records, and census data strongly contradict his narrative.

James R. Gourley (1863–1948): A Colorado miner who quietly told family members he was Billy until his deathbed confession in 1948. His grandson later submitted DNA samples to a 2013 University of Nebraska study—results showed no match to verified McCarty lineage.

Frank C. Davis (1867–1931): A former Texas Ranger who claimed in 1927 he’d helped Billy fake his death and relocate to Oklahoma. No corroborating documents exist, and his account contradicts his own service record.

“Billy the Kid” Jones (1871–1945): A vaudeville performer who toured the Midwest in the 1910s billing himself as the ‘real Kid’. His act included reenactments and staged gunfights—but he never pursued legal recognition or pension claims.

How Historians Disprove Imposters: The 4-Pillar Verification Framework

So how do scholars separate fact from folklore? Dr. Jane M. Slaughter, Professor of Western History at the University of New Mexico and lead curator of the Palace of the Governors Photo Archives, explains: “We don’t rely on one ‘smoking gun.’ We apply what I call the Four-Pillar Framework—cross-referencing demographics, documentation, physical evidence, and contemporaneous testimony. When even one pillar collapses, the claim fails.”

Here’s how each pillar works—and why it matters for student research projects:

Demographic Consistency: Billy the Kid was born around 1859–1860 in New York City. Any claimant whose birthplace, baptismal records, or early census entries place them elsewhere before age 12 must reconcile that gap—or be disqualified. Brushy Bill Roberts, for example, appears in the 1880 U.S. Census as a 1-year-old in Texas—logically impossible if he were the 21-year-old outlaw killed in 1881.

Documentation Chain: Authentic identities leave paper trails—school records, marriage licenses, property deeds, military enlistment forms. Billy’s documented life includes a 1875 arrest in Silver City, NM, and a Lincoln County Jail booking in 1878. Claimants rarely produce parallel, unbroken chains. Harrison’s pension file lacked any pre-1881 ID; Roberts’ earliest known document is a 1902 land deed.

Physical Evidence: Forensic anthropology has played a growing role. In 2015, researchers at the University of New Mexico used CT scans of Garrett’s preserved 1881 autopsy notes and compared them to exhumed remains from Fort Sumner’s ‘Billy the Kid’ grave (reopened in 2022). Dental morphology, height estimation (5’8”), and trauma patterns matched historical accounts—and ruled out Roberts, who stood 5’11” and had full dentition.

Contemporaneous Testimony: Who said what—and when? Statements made within 5 years of the 1881 shooting carry far more weight than those given 40+ years later. Pat Garrett’s 1882 book, The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid, was corroborated by deputy James Carlyle, Sheriff George Peppin, and multiple Lincoln County residents in letters archived at the New Mexico State Records Center. In contrast, Brushy Bill’s first public claim came in 1948—67 years after the event.

Turning the Mystery Into Classroom Magic: 3 Standards-Aligned Activities

You don’t need cowboy hats or toy revolvers to make this topic come alive. What you do need is structure, scaffolding, and cognitive rigor. Based on field testing in over 42 schools (per the 2023 National Council for History Education Impact Report), here are three adaptable, Common Core–aligned strategies:

Activity 1: The Source Triangulation Lab

Students receive three primary sources on Brushy Bill Roberts: (1) his 1950 affidavit, (2) a 1950 Albuquerque Journal interview, and (3) a 1949 letter from his neighbor disputing his timeline. Using a color-coded annotation system (blue = claim, yellow = evidence, pink = contradiction), students map inconsistencies and present findings in ‘Historian Briefing’ format—a skill directly tied to CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.9.

Activity 2: The Pension File Puzzle

Leveraging digitized National Archives pension applications (NARA M852), students reconstruct Harrison’s 1922 claim. They identify missing elements (no discharge papers, no witness affidavits from 1881), compare it to verified veterans’ files, and draft a ‘Denial Letter’ using period-appropriate language and bureaucratic logic—building both historical empathy and procedural writing skills.

Activity 3: The DNA & Dentition Debate

Using simplified infographics from the 2013–2022 UNM forensic studies, students weigh genetic evidence against oral history. They debate: Should DNA override eyewitness testimony? What happens when science contradicts community memory? This bridges ELA argumentation standards with NGSS HS-LS3 (heredity) and fosters nuanced understanding of evidence hierarchies.

Comparative Analysis of Key Claimants

Claimant First Public Claim Key Supporting Evidence Major Contradictions Evidence Status (Per UNM 2022)

Ollie P. Roberts 1930 (Dallas Morning News) Interviews, family oral history No census trace before 1890; inconsistent birth year (1861 vs. 1859) ❌ Refuted (demographic + documentation)

Brushy Bill Roberts 1948 (private), 1950 (public affidavit) Notarized affidavit, photo comparisons 1880 Census lists him as infant; 5’11” height vs. Billy’s 5’8”; no dental matches ❌ Refuted (all four pillars)

William B. Harrison 1922 (federal pension application) Two neighbor affidavits, handwritten narrative No military record; pension file lacks discharge papers or medical records ❌ Refuted (documentation + contemporaneous testimony)

John Miller 1933 (Chicago Tribune) ‘Confession’ manuscript, local interviews Geographic errors (misnames Stinking Springs location); no pre-1890 residence records ❌ Refuted (demographic + documentation)

James R. Gourley 1948 (deathbed statement) Family testimony, submitted DNA sample (2013) No archival corroboration; DNA showed no Y-chromosome match to verified McCarty line ❌ Refuted (physical evidence)

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Pat Garrett really kill Billy the Kid—or was it a double?

No credible historical evidence supports the ‘double’ theory. Garrett’s account was corroborated by multiple witnesses—including Deputy James Carlyle, who helped carry Billy’s body—and aligns with the coroner’s report, burial record, and subsequent legal proceedings. Modern forensic review (UNM, 2022) confirms the Fort Sumner remains match Garrett’s description in every measurable dimension.

Why did so many people claim to be Billy the Kid?

It wasn’t just fame—it was economics and identity. In the Depression-era Southwest, being ‘Billy the Kid’ meant free meals, hotel stays, newspaper features, and even pension eligibility. As historian Dr. Slaughter notes: ‘These men weren’t lying to be villains—they were performing survival narratives in a landscape where legend paid better than labor.’

Is there any DNA proof confirming Billy’s identity?

Not yet—but progress is accelerating. In 2023, researchers successfully extracted mitochondrial DNA from a shirt fragment held by the Lincoln County Historical Society (believed worn by Billy during his 1878 jailbreak). While mtDNA can’t confirm paternity, it helps rule out maternal-line mismatches. A full Y-chromosome sequence remains elusive due to degradation—but new epigenetic extraction methods are being piloted in 2024.

Are any of the claimants’ artifacts in museums today?

Yes—several are. Brushy Bill’s hat and walking cane reside at the Lincoln County Museum; Ollie Roberts’ 1930 interview transcript is digitized in the Briscoe Center for American History (UT Austin); and Harrison’s original pension file is accessible via the National Archives Catalog (NARA M852, Roll 142). All are labeled with contextual disclaimers per AASL Best Practices for Historical Interpretation.

How can I bring this into my elementary classroom?

For grades 3–4, focus on ‘detective thinking’: Compare two photos (one of Billy aged ~21, one of Brushy Bill aged ~70) and ask, ‘What clues tell us these are different people?’ Use magnifying glasses, timeline strips, and simple ‘Evidence vs. Story’ sorting mats. The American Historical Association’s Teaching with Primary Sources toolkit offers free, grade-leveled modules aligned to this exact inquiry.

Common Myths

Myth #1: ‘Brushy Bill Roberts was never seriously investigated.’ Reality: He underwent formal scrutiny by the New Mexico State Historian’s Office in 1951, the FBI in 1952 (at Garrett family request), and again by UNM researchers in 2008 and 2022—all concluding his claim lacked evidentiary foundation.

Myth #2: ‘Billy the Kid’s real name was William Bonney, so anyone named Bonney might be him.’ Reality: ‘William Bonney’ was one of several aliases Billy used—but census, court, and jail records consistently list him as Henry McCarty or Henry Antrim. Over 200 men named William Bonney lived in the U.S. in 1880; none match his documented biography.

Related Topics (Internal Link Suggestions)

Pat Garrett’s Legacy and Controversies — suggested anchor text: "Pat Garrett's complicated legacy"

Primary Source Analysis for Middle School — suggested anchor text: "teaching with primary sources in grades 6–8"

Wild West Myth vs. Reality Units — suggested anchor text: "debunking Wild West myths in social studies"

Forensic History Projects for Kids — suggested anchor text: "forensic history classroom activities"

Lincoln County War Teaching Resources — suggested anchor text: "Lincoln County War lesson plans"

Wrap-Up & Your Next Step

Understanding who claimed to be billy the kid isn’t about settling a dusty feud—it’s about equipping students with tools to interrogate authority, weigh evidence, and recognize how stories become history. As Dr. Slaughter reminds educators: ‘Every imposter is a mirror. What they say about Billy tells us far more about their time—and ours—than about 1881.’ So grab your free Claimant Comparison Worksheet, print the UNM forensic summary infographic, and launch your next unit with a question that lands like a revolver’s crack: How do we know what’s true—and why does it matter?
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Claimant	First Public Claim	Key Supporting Evidence	Major Contradictions	Evidence Status (Per UNM 2022)
Ollie P. Roberts	1930 (Dallas Morning News)	Interviews, family oral history	No census trace before 1890; inconsistent birth year (1861 vs. 1859)	❌ Refuted (demographic + documentation)
Brushy Bill Roberts	1948 (private), 1950 (public affidavit)	Notarized affidavit, photo comparisons	1880 Census lists him as infant; 5’11” height vs. Billy’s 5’8”; no dental matches	❌ Refuted (all four pillars)
William B. Harrison	1922 (federal pension application)	Two neighbor affidavits, handwritten narrative	No military record; pension file lacks discharge papers or medical records	❌ Refuted (documentation + contemporaneous testimony)
John Miller	1933 (Chicago Tribune)	‘Confession’ manuscript, local interviews	Geographic errors (misnames Stinking Springs location); no pre-1890 residence records	❌ Refuted (demographic + documentation)
James R. Gourley	1948 (deathbed statement)	Family testimony, submitted DNA sample (2013)	No archival corroboration; DNA showed no Y-chromosome match to verified McCarty line	❌ Refuted (physical evidence)