photos of Billy the Kid

[dave spooner]

Do you believe that photos of Billy the Kid exist other than the Dedrick tintype which is the only authenticated image of BTK we know of??

[Steve McCarty]

The kid did have buck teeth and if he allowed himself to relax and his jaw fell open they were pretty prominent, but I've seen buck teeth that were much more "bucked" than his were.  If one looks closely at a detail of the Upham picture one can see that the kids teeth kind of twisted more than they stuck out. But he did have buck teeth nevertheless.

[Steve McCarty]

[Steve McCarty]

Above is my picture of a younger Billy again.  I've posted this so many times before.  I believe this was taken soon before that fight at Blazer's Mill because I have a nearly identical picture of Richard Brewer that looks just like this one, probably taken on the same day. 

This has been reversed from the original so it is oriented "as in life".  You can see how the kid's nose bent off to one side and how he had to make an effort to cover his teeth.  I'd also say he is quite skinny.  As he aged his face grew leaner and his hairline receded a little. If he had lived he'd be pretty bald...or at least balding.

[dave spooner]

steve.....does this picture have any provenance?

[Steve McCarty]

I just posted this a few minutes ago, but in short the picture was within a group of about 70 tintypes that were collected by Sallie Lucy Chisum.  About half of the pictures are of her family, even her German inlaws.  She collected tintyps of her sister, parents, brothers, husband, herself, and her children.  There is a wonderful photographer of the Long house and a fantastic one of her brother Willi with his bride Lina Tucker taken at the South Spring Ranch on their honeymoon.

She collected one of her famous uncle and his cousins the Towry family.  There are quite a few tintypes of them.  Also Lily Casey, Sheriff Brady and Bob Olinger.

Sallie's family, now named the Phillips' are still living on their large ranch in Oregon.  They recall Sallie, but never met Walter Pitzer who died in 1919 in Roswell.  Sallie died in 1934 also in Roswell.  Walter's heirs have a very nice collection of Chisum photographs. I was allowed to copy some. 

Here's the Long House at the South Spring Ranch. It is unpublished:  

[Steve McCarty]

I copied this from the original which is an 8x10 photograph.  On the reverse is written the names of the people in the pic.  The little boy is Fred Robert, Sallie's younger son.  The couple on the left by the fence are Walter and Inez Chisum.  Sallie is way off to the right.  This picture was taken right after the famous and well known pic of Chisum cowboys was taken and you can see their tracks as they crossed from the left to right in the foreground.

This was taken in 1887 the year Walter and Inez were married.  Old John S. never saw this house. He died in 1884. This house was built in 1885. 

[Polly Gulley]

Beautiful photo Steve. Thanks for sharing. Wish I could just step inside this photo and go back in time.

[Steve McCarty]

Yes, don't we all.

[Steve McCarty]

Here is a detail of the well know picture of Jinglebob cowboys at the South Spring Ranch taken in 1887.  Note that it was taken on the same day as my picture posted above.  The picture above has never been published and I found it with the archive of the living Chisum relatives. 

[Steve McCarty]

Within the collection of Sallie living relatives I discovered these pictures of Frank Coe and Helena.  The little boy looks like Wilber Coe to me.  Ara who was a close friend of Wilber and his wife Louise all her life, might be the ten year old girl.  Ara was born in 1892 (June 9th) she had a twin named Oscar who was named after her mother "Inez Simpson Chisum's" brother Dr. Oscar H. Simpson, who was a prominent dentist in Dodge City, KS moving there in 1885. He was a close friend of my grandfather who was also a Dentist near Dodge. 

[Polly Gulley]

I remember ( I think) that Helena refused to allow Billy's name spoken in her house. I think she is the one. Did she dislike him that much??? Have you ever heard that?

[Steve McCarty]

That story comes from Frank Coe's great granddaughter who I interviewed in the spring of 2010 in her living room.  That story comes from me. No one else knew it. 

Billy the Kid was a trouble maker in Helena's eyes.  Frank adored the kid, or better stated; really liked being around him.  He said he'd never had so much fun in his life than when he and the kid were camping, hunting, fishing, etc... He also said (this from Carl Coe's websight) that the kid "was admired for his prowess". Frank is also quoted on that site saying, "He (the kid) could be the meanest SOB you ever saw."

I think that Helena (Hel Lena) thought that the Kid was a bad influence on her husband, Frank.  The women who told me about Helena's feelings toward the kid was Ruth Jones.  Her husband, Paul Jones, was Lily Casey's grandson.  He was 94 when I spoke with him. Nice people, but with the bark on still.