Pot of "Bloody Bill" Anderson's Gold Found at Yancey Inn - 1912

[Kace]

It seems the Yankees were determined to get rid of Bill Anderson, no matter how many times they had to report him dead, doesn't it? This is at least the 4th false report of Bill Anderson's death that our BBAM members have discovered over the past 12 years. This one was just found yesterday by one of them.
~Texas Jay

From: National Tribune newspaper, Washington, D.C., Sept. 1900

View attachment 1534805

The National Tribune was the predecessor to Stars and Stripes I believe....That monthly publication allowed veterans to recall their experiences as they remembered them.

I see the name Bill Anderson in the Headline and Opening Sentence...Not Bloody Bill Anderson or William T. Anderson. Is there more said about him in the far right column where Lawrence is mentioned? I can't tell where that account happened except a cabin.
Just show the whole article, that one Bill Anderson column is even cut off.

You do know there were other Bill Anderson's in the Civil War...right?

Who submitted it 35yrs after the war ended?

Where is that article printed prior to 1900?

The Union would of been fools to announce his death before confirmation by photographs, documents and people who knew him prior to 10-26-1864.

That account sounds pretty darn exciting for sure! Pouring Lead Into Them, Two Mountain Howitzers, Huge Pile of Arms and Legs...

Kace

 

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[Kace]

William Clarke Quantrill Society Quantrill's Men

Kansas City Public Library -

" This digital collection consists of 52 charcoal portraits created by A. L. Dillenbeck and Elmer Stewart. It appears that both artists used photographs as a basis for their drawings. Dillenbeck's drawings are not dated but are believed to have been created in the late 1800s. Stewart added "93" under his signature. "



https://www.kclibrary.org/blog/local-history/elmer-al-and-me-part-1

" These drawings were donated to the library around 1980, but we have no record of their provenance–that is to say, we don’t know where they came from. We don’t know who originally owned the drawings, who commissioned their creation or why, or the exact date they were made (some of the drawings have the number “93” in the lower right hand corner, and the educated guess that this means those particular drawings were executed in 1893 is probably correct).

If the information about who donated the drawings to the library was ever recorded, it has disappeared during the nearly three and a half decades since.

We can verify that several of the drawings were based on photographs from the post-Civil War era, since many of those photographs have been used in books and articles, and even more can be readily found on the internet. Most, but not all, of the drawings have the name of the subject handwritten somewhere on the paper, and the writing for those names is noticeably different from the handwriting of the signatures of the artists. Based on the signatures, we know there were at least two artists, and probably only those two, since the unsigned drawings have strong stylistic similarities with one or more of the signed works."

".... we now know who A.L. Dillenbeck was.*"

" Other than the drawings themselves, I have found nothing concrete about Elmer Stewart the artist."





Thanks, Kace.

Normally I would be saying.... It must be real, you can't make this stuff up right about now.
But apparently...some people can. Out of thin air.

Now, TJ, about those research methods you spoke of......

LOL! I guess I could of looked it up!! Duh! I was trying to think of the name of the collection and I couldn't for the life of me think anything but 'Something' Society!

It really is a great exhibit. I saw it 4-5 years ago I think in its entirety and it was so strange that they have No Idea now where it came from. I don't know how you lose that information or maybe someone just dropped it off?? I'm glad it got dropped off there instead of a thrift store!!

Thanks for posting the info Dit, much better than my recollections and you found the name!

Kace

 

[Ditlihi]

LOL! I guess I could of looked it up!! Duh! I was trying to think of the name of the collection and I couldn't for the life of me think anything but 'Something' Society!

It really is a great exhibit. I saw it 4-5 years ago I think in its entirety and it was so strange that they have No Idea now where it came from. I don't know how you lose that information or maybe someone just dropped it off?? I'm glad it got dropped off there instead of a thrift store!!

Thanks for posting the info Dit, much better than my recollections and you found the name!

Kace

I agree, it's an awesome collection. And a prime example of the confirmation bias I mentioned earlier....

Attached is a charcoal drawing of "Bloody Bill" Anderson by Elmer Stewart who had met Bill Anderson during the War. You'll notice that in this image, Anderson didn't wear his hair long as was the hair of the man who was killed in the ambush and who was misidentified as being Bill Anderson.

View attachment 1531998

Simply by adding the "untruth" that the artist knew BBA during the war....it infers the drawing somehow supports that person's Theory. But as we can all see....that statement is False. Confirmation Bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's pre-existing beliefs or hypotheses. Obviously that's what has happened in this instance.

 

[uglymailman]

TJ- Sorry to ask here. I joined your mystery group a couple of yr.s ago but was unable to access some posts as my kids had signed up for something that requires a password that I don't have. My question is what happened to the gal Bill Anderson married in Sherman? Thanks.

 

[Texas Jay]

TJ- Sorry to ask here. I joined your mystery group a couple of yr.s ago but was unable to access some posts as my kids had signed up for something that requires a password that I don't have. My question is what happened to the gal Bill Anderson married in Sherman? Thanks.

Uglymailman, if you'll give me the screenname you used when originally joining our Bloody Bill Anderson Mystery group, I will remove it and you are free to rejoin again. Just remind me who you are when you fill out the membership application so I don't mistake you for one of our many trolls. Bill Anderson married Bush Smith in Sherman "during Christmas week" of 1863 according to Quantrill scout John McCorkle who also said that all of Quantrill's men, who were wintering in the area, were in attendance. No one knows what eventually happened to Bush Smith Anderson but one thing is very clear. She didn't marry Bill's brother Jim. That's one of the favorite lies our detractors promote. One of our members, a schoolteacher, proved several years ago that Bush Smith and Mary Ervin were not the same woman. Our member shared her proof with me by private email several years ago but she wasn't ready to go public with it then and she still hasn't.
~Texas Jay

 

[uglymailman]

OK TJ. I don't mean to offend or start a fight. Will have attachment below. Don't know if you or this other is correct. I take both w/a grain of salt. But if your Bloody Bill is correct, it appears he might be a bigamist. Good luck.
The True Story of Bush Smith, The Sweetheart of Bloody Bill Anderson.

 

[Texas Jay]

OK TJ. I don't mean to offend or start a fight. Will have attachment below. Don't know if you or this other is correct. I take both w/a grain of salt. But if your Bloody Bill is correct, it appears he might be a bigamist. Good luck.
The True Story of Bush Smith, The Sweetheart of Bloody Bill Anderson.

Take our research findings any way you want but there is one thing for certain. That is that our group has conducted the most thorough investigation into the life and death of Bill Anderson ever attempted. No, Bill Anderson was not a bigamist. It's quite possible that Bush Smith Anderson died or was killed before Bill married Missouria Elizabeth Anderson in Brown County, Texas in 1866. If she was still alive, either she or Bill could have had the marriage annulled to protect her and their child from harm from the Federals.
~Jay~

 

[Texas Jay]

Cole Younger's and Lew Nichols Carnival in Brady, Texas in 1907!

Former Southern Guerrillas and outlaws Cole Younger and Frank James started their own Great Cole Younger and Frank James Historical Wild West show in 1903. They toured many parts of the country. Sometime between Cole Younger's release from a Minnesota prison, for his part in the botched Northfield Bank Robbery, he visited Brown County, Texas and met with William C. "Bloody Bill" Anderson at his Salt Creek farm. Cole Younger came away from that meeting convinced that Brown County's Bill Anderson was the one and only Bill Anderson of Quantrill's Guerrillas that he'd served with during the Civil War. According to several historical accounts, Cole's visit to the Anderson Farm was during a time when he was traveling with a "carnival". My research has shown that he worked with at least two touring shows or carnivals. One was his and Frank's Historical Wild West and the other was the Lew Nichols Carnival Show. Just tonight, I found a photo that documents Cole Younger's and the Lew NIchols Carnival's appearance in Brady, Texas on August 1, 1907 so that was probably about the same time the carnival and Cole Younger came to nearby Brownwood.



~Texas Jay

 

[uglymailman]

In 1903 Frank James & Cole Younger were with "Buckskin Bill's Wild West Show". They left that show after leaving Butler,MO.. As I understand it they started their won show after that. Could very well hooked up with another show after that. I think their own show was only in 1904. Good luck.

 

[Ditlihi]

Cole Younger's and Lew Nichols Carnival in Brady, Texas in 1907!

Former Southern Guerrillas and outlaws Cole Younger and Frank James started their own Great Cole Younger and Frank James Historical Wild West show in 1903. They toured many parts of the country. Sometime between Cole Younger's release from a Minnesota prison, for his part in the botched Northfield Bank Robbery, he visited Brown County, Texas and met with William C. "Bloody Bill" Anderson at his Salt Creek farm. Cole Younger came away from that meeting convinced that Brown County's Bill Anderson was the one and only Bill Anderson of Quantrill's Guerrillas that he'd served with during the Civil War. According to several historical accounts, Cole's visit to the Anderson Farm was during a time when he was traveling with a "carnival". My research has shown that he worked with at least two touring shows or carnivals. One was his and Frank's Historical Wild West and the other was the Lew Nichols Carnival Show. Just tonight, I found a photo that documents Cole Younger's and the Lew NIchols Carnival's appearance in Brady, Texas on August 1, 1907 so that was probably about the same time the carnival and Cole Younger came to nearby Brownwood.


~Texas Jay


View attachment 1535726

Isn't that strange. Cole Younger visiting William C. Anderson in 1907 you say? And " came away convinced that Brown County's Bill Anderson was the one and only Bill Anderson of Quantrill's Guerrillas that he'd served with during the Civil War ". Hmm.

Especially strange in view of his well documented visit to Richmond, MO in 1908, where he arranged an elaborate belated funeral for William T. Anderson, under whom he had served as a soldier, and had " known and loved ".

It was reported by the Richmond Missourian, Thursday June 11, 1908.....

“YOUNGER HERE. Cole Younger And Jim Cummins Meet Here – The Cole Younger Carnival In Full Blast! Shows to Run All Of The Week. Under Auspicies Of The Red Men. The Cole Younger Shows, under the personal charge of Col. Lew Nichols and Cole Younger, arrived here Sunday afternoon. The seven or eight cars were loaded with tents and paraphernalia and crowded with show mysteries. Three private sleeping cars housed the show folks.
“Early Monday the tents began to “go up” around the Square and in the Stone lot. Monday night the attractions were in full blast. On Monday afternoon however, the first event of the week occurred. When the cars of the Greater Nichols Amusement Company rolled into town, and Cole Younger knew that he had reached Richmond, he helped to put into execution a resolve that he had doubtless formulated long ago – to help decorate the grave of his friend and loyal companion in arms – Capt. Bill Anderson. A remarkable coincidence was the fact that Jim Cummins, another old comrade and soldier was here. Jim Cummins was better acquainted here and managed the details of the joint tribute of respect for other days.
“Monday afternoon, the band of the amusement company struck up a funeral march and with the solemn tread bowed heads, Cole Younger, Jim Cummins, representatives of the amusement company and others made their way to the old cemetery north of town. The grave had already been beautifully decorated with flowers.
“Arriving at the old cemetery, the crowd gathered around Cole Younger while he, in a reminiscent yet with a reverent way, addressed them in a few short sentences.
“He said that as a soldier, prior to 1863, he had known and served with Capt. Bill Anderson as a solider, that he was a fearless man, standing back for nothing in the performance of his duty as he conceived it. As such, Mr. Younger said he knew and loved him. He (Mr. Younger), knew personally nothing of his work in 1864 north of the river – but that up to that time he was a conscientious man and a brave soldier.
“Mr. Younger was followed by Honorable James L. Farris, son of the late Captain J.L. Farris of the Confederate Army. He spoke for some 20 minutes, paying high tribute to the power of endurance, courage and daring of the dead soldier. In a masterly way, he drew attention to the fact that the war had not been in vain; that the conditions and circumstances of the time of Capt. Bill Anderson demanded just such a man as he; that if he went to extremes, it was because it was the inevitable and necessary result of war – which Sherman properly and aptly called ‘Hell.’
“He saw it that it was time to cover the dust of the hero with the flowers of affection and honor. To conclude, Cole Younger cleared up a misunderstanding. He made it plain that at the time of his death Capt. Bill Anderson was acting under orders direct from General Sterling Price. That he had heard for some years before he knew it. In 1866 he said that he stayed all night at the home of Governor King here in Ray County. Governor King told Mr. Younger that he recognized the handwriting of General McClain in the order found in Captain Bill Anderson’s pockets. General McClain was an Adjutant of General Price.
“In the calm light of history, the deeds done by Anderson do not meet the same sort of condemnation that the hasty judgment of a strenuous and perilous time accorded him. At the conclusion of the exercises, ‘taps’ was sounded and the company withdrew.”
“Capt. Bill Anderson was killed in November 1864 and his body brought to Richmond for burial. He was killed at a crossroads fight near Albany, about a mile and a half north of Orrick, this county.”
The rest of the article tells about the acts that were part of the carnival show. It was called “the cleanest street fair” that was ever seen in Richmond. The balloon ascension was thrilling in the extreme as Lucy May Colton, the “aeronautess” had nerve to burn when she jumped from the clouds and came down head first in a way that thrilled and chilled the old timers.
The Great Colton did a 85-foot jump from the top of a ladder in the courthouse yard and landed in a net.
The final paragraph summed it up as follows: “The Red Man managed the shows well and deserves more money than they got out of it. The wet weather and the flooded river kept business away. But the Red Man made friends with their politeness and square dealing. The Missourian expects crowds here for the remainder of the shows, which close on Saturday night.”

https://www.richmond-dailynews.com/...ounger-saw-to-proper-funeral-for-bloody-bill/


Now... why would Cole Younger go to such lengths to make sure William T. Anderson, in Richmond, Missouri had such an elaborate, proper funeral...if he believed William C. Anderson of Brown County, Texas was really the Bloody Bill he had served with in the Civil War?

Makes no sense, TJ.

Me thinks you're getting a little windy now, Snooker.

Ya see, you're assuming a postcard photo of Cole's carnival appearance in Brady, TX must be proof that Cole actually visited William C., and claimed he was the real Bloody Bill. You do know what happens when you Assume...right?

Where is your documentation that Cole Younger did in fact visit William C. in Brown County, TX? Where is your documentation that Cole Younger did indeed identify William C. as the Bloody Bill he had served with in the Civil War? Where are these " historical accounts "? Let me guess....someone wrote it in a dime novel...or worse, on a pulp fiction site...or you heard someone say it on a forum.... and it fit your theory so you accepted it as gospel, without doing your due diligence.

Confirmation Bias is a difficult thing to discipline yourself against, but it can be done. Wishful thinking is not documentation, ambiguous evidence made to fit your theory is not documentation. How are you ever going to arrive at the TRUTH....if everything has to fit your preconceived notions?

Tell the REAL story....stop CREATING your own story out of bits and pieces of unrelated, unverifiable excerpts and assumptions. No One is ever going to take your theory seriously until you do.

Credibility rests on a foundation of Real Documentation. Demonstrable Facts. Not straws grasped in desperation to prove a point.

 

[Texas Jay]

Here's one of my messages from several years back where Brown County Historian and History Professsor T. R. Havins is quoted as saying that Cole Younger came to Brownwood in the early 1900s with a "carnival".
~Jay~


---In
I was just retrieving some information from our extensive Messages Archives when I happened across the source of the information that Cole Younger did indeed come to Brownwood with a carnival after he was released from prison. I've been hounded for years by the Smokescreen Gang and other "Bloody Bill" naysayers to produce the source (other than Dr. L.E. Skinner) of that information but I could never locate it, until now. The source I've been seeking for these many years turns out to be probably the most respected of all Brown County historians, the late T. R. Havins! You can either scroll down this message to near the end where Havins is quoted or you can read the entire message which is what I recommend you do as it contains some important facts that are relevant to our work here. The part about Cole Younger visiting the area with the carnival is very important because the naysayers keep denying that Cole Younger was ever in Brownwood and that since he was never here, he couldn't have met with William C. Anderson at his Salt Creek farm/ranch and confirmed that our Bill Anderson was his Guerrilla comrade known as "Bloody Bill" Anderson. Well, here's more proof that they are wrong about both things.

***

From: "Old Brown Trivia" by Lex Johnston (Henry Ford's great
grandson), Brownwood Bulletin. Also in Book No. Eleven of "In The
Life And Lives of Brown County People" by the Brown County Historical
Society. Brownwood Public Library's Locked Case. I encourage our
members to take a close look at the "W.L. (Uncle Billy) Williams" who
is mentioned in this article. Particularly interesting is where
Williams told his party, when starting to engage Indians, that the
fight was "going to be hand to hand." New members need to be aware
that Henry Ford was probably Colonel Anderson's closest confidant
during Brown County's early days.

***

"Most students of Brown County history are aware of the fact that
Henry Ford was a well liked and highly respected leading citizen of
early day Brown county. Numerous articles have been written through
the years concerning his various activities.
He served as county clerk (1876-1884) and as mayor of Brownwood. He
was instrumental in the formation of the county public school system
and Daniel Baker College.
As part owner and operator of a small private bank in Brownwood from
1884 until his death at age 64 in 1910 he was always involved in
various community and church efforts. He was considered by all who
knew him as honest with integrity beyond question.
It was in late summer in 1869, when Ford appeared as a stranger in
the small log-cabin settlement of San Saba. He was hired by the
Forsythe brothers as a cowboy on their isolated ranch in southeast
Brown county.
An unwritten code of the frontier was that no man should ask another
about his background. Unless an individual volunteered such
information his past would never be discussed and, as in Ford's case,
perhaps would never be revealed. His original home was evidently in
Virginia. Unconfirmed sources placed him briefly in Nebraska, Kansas
and Missouri before his arrival in Texas. R.D. Forsythe claimed to
have met him in New Mexico earlier that year. The code, however,
provided a barrier behind which practically all the background of his
youth was permanently hidden.
For two years Ford remained as a cowboy on the Forsythe ranch.
During that time he participated in cattle drives to New Mexico.
While on one drive he demonstrated his ability to use a 'six-
shooter.' The incident, described by R.D. Forsythe, occured on a
ranch near Santa Fe. Bud Forsythe was playing poker. A Mexican in
the game, evidently a poor loser, without warning, jumped from his
chair, with knife in hand, intending to stab Forsythe. Ford, who was
observing from across the room, quickly drew his pistol and shot the
assailant three times.
In 1871 Ford left the Forsythe ranch and became employed by W.L.
(Uncle Billy) Williams who also conducted a large cattle operation in
the same area. In 1872 he began his own cattle herd with borrowed
funds and remained a stockman until 1876. During those years he
married, began a family and lived in the rowdy frontier town of
Williams Ranch. It was during that period of time that the infamous
John Wesley Hardin frequented that area.
Ford was involved in at least two skirmishes with Indian raiding
parties while living in the William Ranch area. Details are sketchy
but years later he recalled one episode in a letter to W.L. Williams
in which he wrote: 'I remember that we were riding side by side at
the time the charge commenced, my first thought was to go to shooting
but you said hold your fire boys it is going to be hand to hand.'
By 1876 it was evident that Henry Ford was well educated. He could
speak several languages, including Greek, French and Spanish, and was
a talented mathematician.
The first regular election in Brown County following reconstruction
was in February, 1876. Ford's friends encouraged him to seek
election to the county clerk position. 'He rejected the idea but
they entered his name on the ballot anyway.' He was elected and
moved to Brownwood that year. His life from that time on was 'open
as a book.'
Henry Ford's activity prior to his arrival at the Forsythe ranch is a
mystery yet unsolved. Very little is known about his antecedents.
Queries from members of his family and friends about his youth always
went unanswered. When pressed on the subject he would become quite
disturbed. His personal papers contain few real clues to his
origin. He wrote to himself only that he was 'a Virginian by
birth.' After his death his wife furnished local newspapers with
sparce information indicating that his place of birth was Wheeling,
Ohio county, Virginia. However a search of the 1850 and 1860 census
records of that county fails to locate him there at that time.
A rumor that Ford had assumed a new name when he came to Texas was
often repeated.
A family legend is that he, in about 1865, shot a federal army
officer in retaliation for an insult to his sister, after which he
promptly left home.
A few rumors during his life, and many after his death, connected
Ford with the noted frontier outlaw gangs led by Jesse James and Cole
Younger. Many ridiculously believed he actually was Jesse James.
For years after his death various members of his family were
contacted by several individuals with tales that associated him with
James, Younger and the infamous Quantrell's guerilla army during the
civil war. A close study of James, Younger and Quantrell produces
nothing factual which associated him with any of their outlaw
escapades.
An interesting event that created more speculation about Ford's past
occured in the mid-1880's. At that time two men rode into Brownwood
and proceeded to rob the Coggin, Ford, Martin Bank. While the
robbery was in progress Ford, unaware of the situation, arrived on
the scene. He and the robbers recognized each other. They greeted
each other by name and their dialogue suggested a friendship of
previous years. The robbery was promptly called off.
Many ex-members of Quantrell's army came to Texas after the Civil War
and it is interesting to note that in 1869, when Ford arrived in San
Saba, the James brothers were hiding in southwest Texas and the
Youngers were in Scyene (near Dallas), Texas.
In 1901 Cole Younger was released from prison. He and Frank James
organized a carnival and toured the United States. The show came to
Brownwood which prompted one author to write that 'James and Younger
visited their old friend Henry Ford.' The late Brown County
historian T.R. Havins referred to that meeting as follows: 'I
remember Cole Younger's carnival came to Brownwood, and I witnessed a
greeting of Younger by Ford and they called each other Henry and
Cole.'
After sifting through the many rumors and stories about Henry Ford's
background and with careful consideration of known facts, it is
reasonable to conclude that he did leave Virginia 'on the run' in
about 1864. He probably was a member of Quantrell's guerrilla army
during the later months of the Civil War, as were Jesse James and
Cole Younger. James, Younger and Ford were the same age and they
undoubtedly knew each other at that time. It is unlikely Ford used
an assumed name but he protected the mystery of his youth until his
death."

***
~Texas Jay

 

[Ditlihi]

Here's one of my messages from several years back where Brown County Historian and History Professsor T. R. Havins is quoted as saying that Cole Younger came to Brownwood in the early 1900s with a "carnival".
~Jay~


-, <[email protected]> wrote :

I was just retrieving some information from our extensive Messages Archives when I happened across the source of the information that Cole Younger did indeed come to Brownwood with a carnival after he was released from prison. I've been hounded for years by the Smokescreen Gang and other "Bloody Bill" naysayers to produce the source (other than Dr. L.E. Skinner) of that information but I could never locate it, until now. The source I've been seeking for these many years turns out to be probably the most respected of all Brown County historians, the late T. R. Havins! You can either scroll down this message to near the end where Havins is quoted or you can read the entire message which is what I recommend you do as it contains some important facts that are relevant to our work here. The part about Cole Younger visiting the area with the carnival is very important because the naysayers keep denying that Cole Younger was ever in Brownwood and that since he was never here, he couldn't have met with William C. Anderson at his Salt Creek farm/ranch and confirmed that our Bill Anderson was his Guerrilla comrade known as "Bloody Bill" Anderson. Well, here's more proof that they are wrong about both things.

***

From: "Old Brown Trivia" by Lex Johnston (Henry Ford's great
grandson), Brownwood Bulletin. Also in Book No. Eleven of "In The
Life And Lives of Brown County People" by the Brown County Historical
Society. Brownwood Public Library's Locked Case. I encourage our
members to take a close look at the "W.L. (Uncle Billy) Williams" who
is mentioned in this article. Particularly interesting is where
Williams told his party, when starting to engage Indians, that the
fight was "going to be hand to hand." New members need to be aware
that Henry Ford was probably Colonel Anderson's closest confidant
during Brown County's early days.

***

"Most students of Brown County history are aware of the fact that
Henry Ford was a well liked and highly respected leading citizen of
early day Brown county. Numerous articles have been written through
the years concerning his various activities.
He served as county clerk (1876-1884) and as mayor of Brownwood. He
was instrumental in the formation of the county public school system
and Daniel Baker College.
As part owner and operator of a small private bank in Brownwood from
1884 until his death at age 64 in 1910 he was always involved in
various community and church efforts. He was considered by all who
knew him as honest with integrity beyond question.
It was in late summer in 1869, when Ford appeared as a stranger in
the small log-cabin settlement of San Saba. He was hired by the
Forsythe brothers as a cowboy on their isolated ranch in southeast
Brown county.
An unwritten code of the frontier was that no man should ask another
about his background. Unless an individual volunteered such
information his past would never be discussed and, as in Ford's case,
perhaps would never be revealed. His original home was evidently in
Virginia. Unconfirmed sources placed him briefly in Nebraska, Kansas
and Missouri before his arrival in Texas. R.D. Forsythe claimed to
have met him in New Mexico earlier that year. The code, however,
provided a barrier behind which practically all the background of his
youth was permanently hidden.
For two years Ford remained as a cowboy on the Forsythe ranch.
During that time he participated in cattle drives to New Mexico.
While on one drive he demonstrated his ability to use a 'six-
shooter.' The incident, described by R.D. Forsythe, occured on a
ranch near Santa Fe. Bud Forsythe was playing poker. A Mexican in
the game, evidently a poor loser, without warning, jumped from his
chair, with knife in hand, intending to stab Forsythe. Ford, who was
observing from across the room, quickly drew his pistol and shot the
assailant three times.
In 1871 Ford left the Forsythe ranch and became employed by W.L.
(Uncle Billy) Williams who also conducted a large cattle operation in
the same area. In 1872 he began his own cattle herd with borrowed
funds and remained a stockman until 1876. During those years he
married, began a family and lived in the rowdy frontier town of
Williams Ranch. It was during that period of time that the infamous
John Wesley Hardin frequented that area.
Ford was involved in at least two skirmishes with Indian raiding
parties while living in the William Ranch area. Details are sketchy
but years later he recalled one episode in a letter to W.L. Williams
in which he wrote: 'I remember that we were riding side by side at
the time the charge commenced, my first thought was to go to shooting
but you said hold your fire boys it is going to be hand to hand.'
By 1876 it was evident that Henry Ford was well educated. He could
speak several languages, including Greek, French and Spanish, and was
a talented mathematician.
The first regular election in Brown County following reconstruction
was in February, 1876. Ford's friends encouraged him to seek
election to the county clerk position. 'He rejected the idea but
they entered his name on the ballot anyway.' He was elected and
moved to Brownwood that year. His life from that time on was 'open
as a book.'
Henry Ford's activity prior to his arrival at the Forsythe ranch is a
mystery yet unsolved. Very little is known about his antecedents.
Queries from members of his family and friends about his youth always
went unanswered. When pressed on the subject he would become quite
disturbed. His personal papers contain few real clues to his
origin. He wrote to himself only that he was 'a Virginian by
birth.' After his death his wife furnished local newspapers with
sparce information indicating that his place of birth was Wheeling,
Ohio county, Virginia. However a search of the 1850 and 1860 census
records of that county fails to locate him there at that time.
A rumor that Ford had assumed a new name when he came to Texas was
often repeated.
A family legend is that he, in about 1865, shot a federal army
officer in retaliation for an insult to his sister, after which he
promptly left home.
A few rumors during his life, and many after his death, connected
Ford with the noted frontier outlaw gangs led by Jesse James and Cole
Younger. Many ridiculously believed he actually was Jesse James.
For years after his death various members of his family were
contacted by several individuals with tales that associated him with
James, Younger and the infamous Quantrell's guerilla army during the
civil war. A close study of James, Younger and Quantrell produces
nothing factual which associated him with any of their outlaw
escapades.
An interesting event that created more speculation about Ford's past
occured in the mid-1880's. At that time two men rode into Brownwood
and proceeded to rob the Coggin, Ford, Martin Bank. While the
robbery was in progress Ford, unaware of the situation, arrived on
the scene. He and the robbers recognized each other. They greeted
each other by name and their dialogue suggested a friendship of
previous years. The robbery was promptly called off.
Many ex-members of Quantrell's army came to Texas after the Civil War
and it is interesting to note that in 1869, when Ford arrived in San
Saba, the James brothers were hiding in southwest Texas and the
Youngers were in Scyene (near Dallas), Texas.
In 1901 Cole Younger was released from prison. He and Frank James
organized a carnival and toured the United States. The show came to
Brownwood which prompted one author to write that 'James and Younger
visited their old friend Henry Ford.' The late Brown County
historian T.R. Havins referred to that meeting as follows: 'I
remember Cole Younger's carnival came to Brownwood, and I witnessed a
greeting of Younger by Ford and they called each other Henry and
Cole.'
After sifting through the many rumors and stories about Henry Ford's
background and with careful consideration of known facts, it is
reasonable to conclude that he did leave Virginia 'on the run' in
about 1864. He probably was a member of Quantrell's guerrilla army
during the later months of the Civil War, as were Jesse James and
Cole Younger. James, Younger and Ford were the same age and they
undoubtedly knew each other at that time. It is unlikely Ford used
an assumed name but he protected the mystery of his youth until his
death."

***
~Texas Jay


View attachment 1536008

That's great, TJ. But no one here was disputing that Cole Younger's carnival ever came to Texas??

I asked for your documentation that he ever actually met WCA as you claim....and the same in regards to the claim you make that he " came away convinced that Brown County's Bill Anderson was the one and only Bill Anderson of Quantrill's Guerrillas that he'd served with during the Civil War ".




The fact that he came to Texas with his carnival does nothing toward backing up your claims. What is your point here?

 

[tinhorn]

Great stuff TJ! We know the truth and those who lived by the code protected each other long after the war.

 

[Ditlihi]

I met a man in 1991, in Little Rock, AR, who said he was Elvis Presley. He was so similar in appearance and demeanor, and knew so many private anecdotes about him that I came away convinced it must really be Elvis. I told a friend about it and she included the episode in a radio interview she did.

Now, I can prove I was in Little Rock on that date, and my friends radio interview on that same date proves I related the story to her.

Does that mean he was really Elvis?


You know, the really hard part of documenting actual events in cases such as yours, is that the people involved are no longer alive to dispute any erroneous claims made about them. That's how so many rumors and misleading fabrications propagate. Without real, hard documentation, it's all hearsay and supposition. Yours is so full of holes and misleading excerpts from questionable sources, relying on supposition to make any connections. I find it almost impossible to take any of it seriously.

Long Live The "Code". The Umbrella protecting all undemonstrable facts from the bright light of public scrutiny. Hear hear! Yada, yada, yada.



I'm gonna go shave my legs now. Adios, Snooker.

 

[Texas Jay]

From: Show World Circus Excerpts 1907
***
"Lew Nichols, Showman
Veteran Amusement Manager Has Not Missed a Season in Thirty Years.
Lew Nichols
Lew Nichols, manager of the Cole Younger and Nichols Theater-Amusement Co., was born in Kankakee, Ill., in 1857, and entered the circus business as a candy "butcher" with the old John Robinson show, which was then a wagon show. Since that date until the present year Mr. Nichols has never missed a season.
In 1878 he made his first appearance as a side show talker with the Hillard & Demott show under Colonel Goshen, the side show and privileges being controlled by Tom Haley. In 1879-80 he was with W. E. Coop [sic W. C. Coup?] as a candy man, and in 1881 made the side show, opening and concert announcements with the Cooper & Jackson show. In 1882 Mr. Nichols controlled the side show with the Beckett organization, and in 1883 had the side show with the Clark, Rose & Carroll European show. In 1884-85-86 Mr. Nichols maanged the side show with the Harris Nickel Plate Shows, and in 1887 was with J. H. Barrett.
During the next four years he was with John McMahon, and in 1892 joined the Ringling Bros. circus. The following year he was idenfified with the Sells Bros., and then became affiliated with the great Wallace shows, where he remained for four years. At the end of that period Mr. Nichols re-joined the Ringling Bros. and remained with them for three years. In 1901 he spent the season with the Campbell Bros., and in 1902 became identified with the Cole Younger & Frank Farner Wild West; in 1903 he traveled with the big Sautell shows, and in 1904 with the Welsh Bros.
During the winter of 1904 he was with the Orton show and afterwards bought a plantation show at Griffin, Ga. After that Mr. Nichols became associated in the carnival business with E. W. Weaver, then with Dick Peeler, and at present is the sole owner and manager of the Cole Younger & Nichols shows. Mr. Nichols is well and favorably known in the amusement world as a man of initiative and force, and invariably "makes good." "

***






Show World Circus Excerpts 1907
Circus Historical Society website provides information on an organization dedicated to recording the history of the American circus.
circushistory.org "


~Texas Jay


Lew Nichols

 

[L.C. BAKER]

You guys post some good links, BUT! I am like a dog when you throw a ball when you do that! LMAO! I wanted to add that Buffalo Bill Cody staged the first Old Glory Blowout in 1882. The “Blowout” has since been heralded as the beginning of rodeo in the U.S. It could also be considered a trial run for his Wild West Show, which was to bring him fame around the world. The next year, he organized his Wild West Combination, which was unveiled in Omaha Nebraska on May 17. All Circus acts aside, I would like to bring the cattle/ thoroughbred horse business into the picture Jay. Bill had some friends in the business, and business was good. He had a 4,000 acre ranch in North Platte Nebraska that had rails coming through it to pick up the beef. The period of time you are talking about on this thread coincides with the business links I have established, so I have to wonder what was Bloody Bill Anderson's link to the O.A.K. money flow that came during the reconstruction if he was still alive? Bill Cody has direct ties to Nebraska City in the early days as well, he drove a wagon for Russell Majors and Waddell. He was also in direct contact with Julius Sterling Morton during his time in the Black Hills looking for gold....i mean Indians.

Great Stuff! L.C. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Bill_Ranch

 

[Texas Jay]

You guys post some good links, BUT! I am like a dog when you throw a ball when you do that! LMAO! I wanted to add that Buffalo Bill Cody staged the first Old Glory Blowout in 1882. The “Blowout” has since been heralded as the beginning of rodeo in the U.S. It could also be considered a trial run for his Wild West Show, which was to bring him fame around the world. The next year, he organized his Wild West Combination, which was unveiled in Omaha Nebraska on May 17. All Circus acts aside, I would like to bring the cattle/ thoroughbred horse business into the picture Jay. Bill had some friends in the business, and business was good. He had a 4,000 acre ranch in North Platte Nebraska that had rails coming through it to pick up the beef. The period of time you are talking about on this thread coincides with the business links I have established, so I have to wonder what was Bloody Bill Anderson's link to the O.A.K. money flow that came during the reconstruction if he was still alive? Bill Cody has direct ties to Nebraska City in the early days as well, he drove a wagon for Russell Majors and Waddell. He was also in direct contact with Julius Sterling Morton during his time in the Black Hills looking for gold....i mean Indians.

Great Stuff! L.C. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Bill_Ranch

Interesting post and very good questions, L.c. We've lately discovered some newspaper accounts that say the Bill Anderson was involved with Jesse and Frank James in some railroad and bank robberies. Charles Siringo also stated that "Bloody Bill" Anderson was selling whiskey in the Indian Territory during the late 1870s and that he had several warrants out for his arrest at that time. Lorene Bishop, a Brown County historian, says that Bill Anderson's Salt Creek farm was one of the most productive farms in the area. Reconstruction ended in Texas in about 1874. It's impossible to say for certain which, if any, of these money-making ventures was for the purpose of raising money for the KGC (OAK) but if they were, it would have been on a percentage basis. Roy Roush said that KGC-funded businessmen gave up to 50% of their profits back to the KGC treasury. That sounds reasonable to me.
~Texas Jay

 

[Ditlihi]

So true, Kace.

In regards to the Planting of Disinformation within such common research tools as Wiki, Find A Grave, Handbook of Texas, etc. etc.....which anyone can contribute to, and are loosely monitored for factual information.... A Serious Researcher must always do their due diligence before accepting any content from such sites as factual.

A prime example would be the following photo on the Wiki page for William T. ( Bloody Bill ) Anderson. Wiki identifies the photo as ..." Anderson, possibly pre-Civil War, c. 1850s–1860s ". Unfortunately, it isn't. It is obviously a photograph of a 20 something Warren Welch, who survived the war to become the captain of the Quantrill Men Survivor’s Association, who held yearly reunions up until 1929/30ish. Just another example of shenanigans in the world of research.






One might want to read an excellent dissertation by Matthew C. Hulbert, ( Historian and Author, and Professor, teaching American and African history in the Department of History, Political Science & Philosophy at Texas A&M University – Kingsville ), called...
" GUERRILLA MEMORY: IRREGULAR RECOLLECTIONS FROM THE CIVIL WAR BORDERLANDS.
I'm including a link to the PDF version for convenience....

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjABegQIEhAB&usg=AOvVaw3fOuS_8PA44cKYwQUdHW1J

It was the basis for his award winning Guerrilla Memory series of historical reference books, all very interesting for any Civil War researcher. Below you will find a description and link to one of them. In these books you will learn how so much of their true history has been misappropriated, intentionally and unintentionally. Very good material, I highly recommend them all....

" The Civil War tends to be remembered as a vast sequence of battles, with a turning point at Gettysburg and a culmination at Appomattox. But in the guerrilla theater, the conflict was a vast sequence of home invasions, local traumas, and social degeneration that did not necessarily end in 1865. This book chronicles the history of “guerrilla memory,” the collision of the Civil War memory “industry” with the somber realities of irregular warfare in the borderlands of Missouri and Kansas.

In the first accounting of its kind, Matthew Christopher Hulbert’s book analyzes the cultural politics behind how Americans have remembered, misremembered, and re-remembered guerrilla warfare in political rhetoric, historical scholarship, literature, and film and at reunions and on the stage. By probing how memories of the guerrilla war were intentionally designed, created, silenced, updated, and even destroyed, Hulbert ultimately reveals a continent-wide story in which Confederate bushwhackers—pariahs of the eastern struggle over slavery—were transformed into the vanguards of American imperialism in the West. "

UGA Press View Book

 

[Kace]

Cole Younger's and Lew Nichols Carnival in Brady, Texas in 1907!

Former Southern Guerrillas and outlaws Cole Younger and Frank James started their own Great Cole Younger and Frank James Historical Wild West show in 1903. They toured many parts of the country. Sometime between Cole Younger's release from a Minnesota prison, for his part in the botched Northfield Bank Robbery, he visited Brown County, Texas and met with William C. "Bloody Bill" Anderson at his Salt Creek farm. Cole Younger came away from that meeting convinced that Brown County's Bill Anderson was the one and only Bill Anderson of Quantrill's Guerrillas that he'd served with during the Civil War. According to several historical accounts, Cole's visit to the Anderson Farm was during a time when he was traveling with a "carnival". My research has shown that he worked with at least two touring shows or carnivals. One was his and Frank's Historical Wild West and the other was the Lew Nichols Carnival Show. Just tonight, I found a photo that documents Cole Younger's and the Lew NIchols Carnival's appearance in Brady, Texas on August 1, 1907 so that was probably about the same time the carnival and Cole Younger came to nearby Brownwood.


~Texas Jay


View attachment 1535726

Cole Younger Was in Brady, Bonham, Honey Grove and Ladonia Texas. He attended a funeral for Major Hays in Bonham, Tx.

No proof he Ever Visited William C. 'Uncle Billy' Anderson at Salt Creek.

He also stayed at the Richards Hotel in Ladonia, Tx.



Kace

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Kace, end the insults now, post by our rules.