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Outlaw Billy The Kid Collection (32) [182486]

Currency:USD Category:Western Americana Start Price:3,200.00 USD Estimated At:8,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD
Outlaw Billy The Kid Collection (32) [182486]
SOLD
3,000.00USDto y******e+ buyer's premium (750.00)
This item SOLD at 2024 Nov 23 @ 16:10UTC-8 : PST/AKDT
FINAL AUCTION RECORD The Auctioneer’s podium notes serve as the final, legally binding record of the auction results, superseding any electronic bidding records. See Terms and Conditions
Billy the Kid Collection. All documents directly related to Kid. All from the Jim Earle Collection of the Lincoln County War. Billy the Kid is unquestionably one of the most significant outlaws of the nineteenth century. He was a bloodthirsty killer who may have killed more than two dozen people including lawmen, depending upon which biography you read. This collection contains 32 separate documents all related to Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett, the Sheriff who killed him. It includes at least one document signed by Pat Garrett, as well as the men who were with him during the hunts for and final day of Kid's life. While everybody has heard of Kid, they may not have heard about the Lincoln County War, in which Billy the Kid played a major part. The Lincoln County War in New Mexico could not have been more different than other famous family feuds, such as the Hatfields & McCoys, or even the Earp - Clanton shootouts, both household stories today. The Lincoln County War was all about money, lucrative contracts, and control of a regional economic monopoly involving cattle in a very remote part of the American interior. The establishment and growth of the cattle business and the related businesses it controlled had its start in the 1860s with the establishment of military forts built to protect settlers from Indian attacks. As more settlers moved in, the need for more and more food was apparent, and the government forts and related sutler businesses controlled the food distribution. Contracts were let, and the prize was the massive amounts of money related to cattle grazing, breeding, sales, and meat. James Dolan and Lawrence Murphy completely controlled the cattle market in Lincoln County in the late 1860s to mid 1870s, and also had the only store in Lincoln County. As their surnames might suggest, they were Irish Catholic. In 1876, another group decided to open a bank, store and start a cattle business. It was not welcome by the Dolan-Murphy group. This new enterprise was headed by John Tunstall, Alexander McSween (Lawyer) and John Chisum, unrelated to Jesse Chisolm of Chisolm Trail fame, though both were cattlemen. This group were English Protestant. One of Murphy's partners died, and McSween was hired to collect the insurance policy money for the estate. The money was never properly distributed, resulting in lawsuit (s) and in 1878 a judge ordered seizure of McSween's estate and included the estate of Tunstall, perhaps by mistake, perhaps not. It caused a war. Both sides hired gun slingers, lawmen and cowboys. Tunstall's gr4oup became known as the "Regulators", and Billy the Kid was one of them. The killing between the two groups was brutal and amounted to al all-out war. On this matter, dozens of books have been written. All of the documents below are from the Jim Earle Collection, sold recently, though since split up. Each has a direct tie to Billy the Kid. Most are extremely rare, and took a lifetime to accumulate.
Key: DS is document signed; ALS is autographed letter signed.
1) Bell. DS. JW Bell estate, 1881. Bell was murdered by KID.
2) Blazer. DS. A.N. Blazer. KID spent night here after conviction for killing Sheriff Brady
3) Brent. DS. Sheriff James R Brent.1887. followed Poe as Sheriff, Lincoln County. Brent was deputy Sheriff under Garrett, present for Kid searches.
4) Brent. ALS. Sheriff James R Brent. Followed Poe as sheriff of Lincoln county.
5) Bristol. ALS. Judge Bristol. Sentenced KID to hang.
6) Bristol. ALS. Warren Bristol, judge, 1879. Bristol was the judge that convicted the KID of killing Sherif Brady
7) Corbet. DS. Sheriff john Copeland. 1878. Holding Samuel Corbitt for resisting an officer. Corbet was a clerk in the store that possibly smuggled the Kid a pistol used in his escape. Copeland was predecessor of Pat Garrett.
8) Curry. ALS. George Curry. Later Gov of NM, friend of KID, 1889
9) Fountain. DS. AJ Fountain, stock signed by him three times. Tulerosa MC. Fountain was Billy the Kid’s lawyer when tried for the murder of Sheriff Brady. 1881. Fountain was mysteriously murdered in the White Sands desert. Pat Garrett investigated this murder in 1908 and may have been shot because of it.
10) Fountain. DS. AJ Fountain. 1872
11) Garrett. DS. PF Garrett Sheriff, Dona Ana county. 1898. Not signed by Garrett. Garrett killed Kidd, Poe was present.
12) Garrett. DS. Pat Garrett expenses Dona Ana county. 1898, not signed.
13) Garrett. DS. Pat Garrett’s office of San Miguel County.
14) Garrett. DS. Pat Garrett bought goods from Lohman at Las Cruces. 1899
15) Garrett. DS. Dona Ana county warrant signed by deputy for Garrett, 1899
16) Garrett. Garrett autograph.
17) Gauss. ALS. Geoffrey Gauss. 1886. Gauss was a blacksmith who cut the ankle shackles off Billy the Kid when he killed Olinger, 1881.
18) Otero. DS. Proclamation of Gov Otero 1899, friend of KIDD.
19) Peppin. DS. George Peppin signed doc. He was a crooked sheriff who went after the KID, 1894.
20) Poe. ALS. John Poe, Deputy Sheriff, Wheeler County, TX. Poe was a Texas Ranger with Garrett when he killed the KID. 1879.
21) Poe. DS. John Poe doc, 1883
22) Poe. DS. john Poe. Signs for Garrett, 1889.
23) Poe. DS. Sheriff John Poe on doc. 1883.
24) Poe. ALS. Sheriff John Poe. Poe with Garrett when KIDD killed,
25) Ryerson. DS. W. L. Ryerson, charge against Robert Weideman Weideman was a member of KID’s gang.
26) Ryerson. ALS. WL Ryerson letter, 1876. Dist atty of NM, relentless prosecution of Kid.
27) Rynerson. ALS. WL Rynerson. Lincoln co war.
28) Upson. DS. Ash Upson, notary sig. best friend of Garrett, lived with Garrett’s family. Ghost wrote Garretts book on Kid, member of possess, etc.
29) Wallace. CDV photo. Gen Lew Wallace.
30) Wallace. Doc. General Lew Wallace collection. Includes mention of letters from KID, 2pp of correspondence
31) Wallace. ALS. Lew Wallace, NM Gov. letter signed.
32) Whitehill. DS. Sheriff HH Whitehill. First lawman to put KID in jail. [