Stuff

[Stepmac]

Originally Posted by Destry L. Hoffard

I swear I read somewhere in this thread where somebody mentioned they collected old west photos. I've skimmed the responses and can't find it but there are so many that's not surprising. I just picked up a dandy one, would rather make it available to somebody on the forum rather than put it on eBay.

Destry

Destry: That be me. I'm heavy into pictures of people who were involved in the Lincoln County War, this includes photos of Billy the Kid, the Regulators, the House Ring and the Chisum family. I only deal in originals.

While I know this will sound like I'm blowing my own horn "toot, toot", I have the largest collection of authentic photos (tintypes) of Billy the Kid and his bunch. I discovered, in a corner of a little antique store, Sallie Lucy Chisum's personal collection of tintypes related to her family, herself and Billy the Kid and his buddies as well as a few of the men who were on the winning side in the LCW. Billy's side lost. The collection is large and very complete, many unknown photos of the people who knew Sallie Chisum. I've researched the collection for years now and have met many of the Chisum relatives, some recall when the collection that I found was sold. The identities of the people depicted had been stored in an attic for a few generations and forgotten.

The kid, aka Billy Bonney, aka William Henry McCarty was a nice looking young man and disarmingly youthful looking. The pictures that I have of him are astoundly clear and close up. If anyone wants to see one of these just ask and I'll respond accordingly.

I do not have everyone who was involved in the LCW. I'm missing Pat Garrett, L.G. Murphy, John Reilly, Emil Fritz, J.W. Bell and Fred Waite. I am missing Pitzer Miller Chisum. I have photos of everyone else. None are known and I own most of the originals. Here is a picture of Sallie Lucy Chisum Robert. She knew Billy the Kid.

[Dean Romig]

A very close family friend who is in her mid-nineties and whose maiden name is Bonney reluctantly claims to have been told when she was younger to be ashamed of her relationship with William Bonney.

[Stepmac]

Originally Posted by Dean Romig

A very close family friend who is in her mid-nineties and whose maiden name is Bonney reluctantly claims to have been told when she was younger to be ashamed of her relationship with William Bonney.

No one knows why Billy called himself "Bonney" and many folks, including myself would like to know why he did so. Was your family friend from Missouri or Indiana? Billy was probably born in Indiana, Missouri or Kentucky. I doubt he was ever in New York as many folks believe.

[Mills]

A true collector never worries about where he is going to put it.

[Bill Murphy]

Steve, what was the price of the William Bonney tintype that sold recently at auction? As I recall, it was very expensive.

[Stepmac]

Originally Posted by Bill Murphy

Steve, what was the price of the William Bonney tintype that sold recently at auction? As I recall, it was very expensive.

Yup; the price was $2 million and with the fees Mr. Koch paid 2.3 million. As for my picture of the kid, which is a tintype....cost me $6.50. Actually I have two, the second cost me four bucks.

When I purchased these tintypes the seller didn't know who they were of, and I wasn't sure. It took me several years of research and the finding of Sallie Chisum's family who live not far from me in Oregon to nail down the connection. Their family had moved to Oregon, Troutdale, when Walter Pitzer Chisum died in 1919. Walter was Sallie Chisum's brother and is buried near her in Roswell, New Mexico. Walter's daughter, Ara was close to Sallie, who was Ara's aunt. Eventually Sallie gave her photo collection to Ara because she wanted to keep the images in her family. Her papers she gave to Lily Casey Klasner which became Eve Ball's book, My Girlhood Among the Outlaws. Ara showed some of the photos her two boys, Fred and Walter, but she kept the "bad men" secret, being embarrassed about her family's relationship to Billy the Kid.

[Stepmac]

Originally Posted by Mills Morrison

A true collector never worries about where he is going to put it.

I found my tintypes in a little antique store in Oregon. They were strewn willy nilly throughout the little store. Luckily I had read many books on the Kid and had traveled to Lincoln NM to study him and the images of his pals. Strangely I ran across these tintypes.

My fear is that after I die they will be lost again, and that would be a shame. I own original tintypes of almost all of the Regulators, two of the Kid and all of Sallie Chisum's family vise her uncle Pitzer Miller Chisum. I have pictures of John S. Chisum and his cousins the Towry's. I also have original and never before seen images of the Kid (2 of them), John Middleton, Frank McNab, Charlie Bowdre, Tom O. Folliard, Richard Brewer, Doc Scurlock, Alex McSween, Frank and George Coe and their wives, Godfrey Gauss, Alex McSween, Sheriff Brady, Bob Olinger, J.J. Dolan (copy of unknown original), Ira Leonard (the kid's attorney) Lily Casey Klasner, Matilda Davis (Brewer's girlfriend) and many, many more.

Some of my pictures are the only ones of that person extand including John Middleton, Frank McNab, Dirty Dave Rudabaugh, Billy Wilson and Yginio Salazar.

Sally Chisum collected all of these and saved them until before her death when she gave them to her brother's daughter who stored them in her attic. When she died in 1974, the photos were forgotten and sold in a yard sale. they ended up in a local antique shop. I came along and recognized them.

Pretty amazing, especially when one realizes that I dated Sallie Chisum's great granddaughter 40 years ago and that Billy McCarty may be a relative of mine, which has been a family legend all of my life.

Here is Tom O. Folliard, Billy's best friend who was killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett.

[John Farrell, Charter Member #33]

Attached photos of my deer buggy that is looking for a new home. It is in MN and can be driven to its new home or hauled away behind a pickup using the removable yoke frame. Includes a 2,500 lb. winch to get you out of tough spots. JF

[Bill Murphy]

So, Steve, what is the difference between your tintype and the 2.3 million dollar tintype? Inquiring minds......

[Stepmac]

Originally Posted by Bill Murphy

So, Steve, what is the difference between your tintype and the 2.3 million dollar tintype? Inquiring minds......

My tintype of the kid was taken at about the same time as the well known one. The Regulators visited the South Spring Ranch soon after the killings of Morton and Baker. I say this because I also have several pictures of Sallie that look similar. The photographer's name was George W. Morgan and the photo of Billy is so inscribed. I'll post it.

I also have a like picture of Richard Brewer who was killed on 4 April by Buckshot Roberts in the Blazer's Mill fight, which dates the picture.

I have two pictures of the Kid taken three years apart. In the first picture his visage is extremely clear and it is easy to match to the "Upham" photo that we all know. The later picture shows the kid in jail.

Here is my photo of Billy Bonney, aka Billy the Kid taken probably in March of 1878 at the South Spring Ranch by George W. Morgan.