Relevant History welcomes Mike Orenduff, who grew up so close to the Rio Grande that he could Frisbee a tortilla into Mexico from his backyard. While at the University of New Mexico, he worked as a volunteer teacher at a nearby pueblo. He eventually served as president of New Mexico State University. His books were described by the Baltimore Sun as “deliciously delightful.” Among Mike’s many accolades are the Lefty Award for best humorous mystery. His latest book, The Pot Thief Who Studied Edward Abbey, received a starred review in Publishers Weekly and, he hopes, will bring him a second Lefty Award. To learn more about him and his books, visit his page on his publisher’s site.

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Although my Pot Thief books are not historical fiction, they each include an historical thread based on the person who is in the title. For example, the working title for the sixth book in my series, The Pot Thief Who Studied Billy the Kid, was originally The Pot Thief Who Studied Lew Wallace. I had selected Lew Wallace because the centennial of New Mexico (where my books are set) was coming up, and he was New Mexico’s Territorial Governor from 1878 to 1881, during which time he published Ben-Hur. I was fascinated that someone in New Mexico during its Wild West days was at the same time writing the book that eventually became the blockbuster movie starring Charlton Heston.

According to the publisher’s introduction, Wallace said in his memoir that he wrote the final scenes by lantern light after returning from a clandestine meeting with Henry McCarty, also known as Henry Antrim and as William H. Bonney.

But best known as Billy the Kid.

Governor and gunslinger meet secretly
I wondered why Wallace met with Billy the Kid. So I did some research. On our next book signing tour in New Mexico, my wife and I detoured to the quaint village of Lincoln, New Mexico and had breakfast at The Wortley Hotel, actual motto: “No Guests Gunned Down in Over 100 Years.” Lincoln was the county seat of the county by the same name. It was the largest county in the Country until other counties were carved out of it. Carrizozo became the county seat, and Lincoln faded into obscurity. The historical buildings were taken over by the state as a museum. Because Lincoln had the courthouse, jail, sheriff’s office and saloons in its heyday, it was also the place where many episodes of the Lincoln County War played out, including Billy the Kid’s most famous jail break.

I asked our waiter about it. Because Lincoln is now more a museum than a town, everyone there is a tourist guide either formally or informally. He pointed across the street.

“Billy was over there wearing shackles and waiting to be hanged. He had been double crossed by Lew Wallace. Billy had met with Wallace and pledged to give himself up and help clear up some unsolved murders if Wallace would grant him immunity. Wallace agreed. But when Billy turned himself in, he was locked up, and they started planning his hanging.”

I walked across to the courthouse museum and a letter Billy sent to Wallace on March 4, 1881:

To Gov. Lew Wallace
Dear Sir
I wrote you a little note the day before yesterday but have received no answer. I expect you have forgotten what you promised me, but I have not and I think you had ought to have come and seen me as I requested you to. I have done everything that I promised you I would and you have done nothing that you promised me.
I think when you think the matter over, you will come down and see me, and I can then explain everything to you.
Judge Leonard passed through here on his way east in January and promised to come and see me on his way back, but he did not fulfill his promise. It looks to me like I am getting left in the cold. I am not treated right by Sherman. He lets Every Stranger that comes to see me through Curiosity in to see me, but will not let a Single one of my friends in, not even an Attorney.
I guess they mean to send me up without giving me any Show but they will have a nice time doing it. I am not entirely without friends.
I shall expect to see you some time today.
Patiently Waiting, I am truly Yours Respectfully.
Wm. H. Bonney

I was struck by the simple prose of this young man who had only two years of formal schooling. In my opinion, both his writing and his behavior were more forthright than Lew Wallace.

An outlaw keeps his word
Further research revealed why Billy the Kid was in Jail. Something I had wondered about because he was the most feared gunman in the West. He was fast on the draw, a deadly accurate shot, and had nerves of steel. Plus he had a lot of friends who would protect him. I don’t think there was a lawman alive who could’ve captured him. Turns out no one did. He turned himself in because of Wallace’s promise of immunity.

After learning that, I couldn’t put Lew Wallace in the title. I discovered that most of the residents of Lincoln County back then considered Billy the Kid a hero. That was especially true of the Hispanics. A gang led by Lawrence Murphy, a racketeer who ran the only store in the county and protected his monopoly with hired guns, ran Lincoln county like a fiefdom. All business transaction went though Murphy. He controlled the sheriff and the court. One resident was quoted as saying, “They intimidated, oppressed, and crushed people who were obliged to deal with them.”

Then powerful Texas cattleman John Chisum brought a large herd up from Texas, creating competition for Murphy. Murphy’s lawyer, a man of principle named McSween, was fed up with Murphy’s crooked ways and went to work for Chisum. Billy the Kid also quit the Murphy gang and went over to Chisum. The Chisum camp was strengthened when an eccentric Englishman named John Tunstall bought a ranch in the area and allied himself with Chisum. In addition to ranching, Tunstall set up a mercantile store in competition with Murphy. The locals abandoned Murphy’s store because Tunstall offered decent prices and fair dealings. The Murphy gang killed Tunstall. When Billy found Tunstall’s mutilated body, he vowed to kill every man involved with the murder.

So I put Billy the Kid in the title. And my publisher likes the new title because they said Billy the Kid in the title would attract attention.

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A big thanks to Mike Orenduff. He’ll give away a paperback copy of The Pot Thief Who Studied Billy the Kid or The Pot Thief Who Studied Edward Abbey (winner’s choice) to up to ten people who contribute a comment on my blog this week. I’ll choose the winners from among those who comment by Friday at 6 p.m. ET. Delivery is available worldwide.

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