On This Day in History ...

July 14, 1881



''¿Quien es? ¿Quien es?''
136 years ago on this day, those were (allegedly) the last words spoken by William H. Bonney aka Billy the Kid.

* Pat Garrett was elected Sheriff of Lincoln County in 1880 on a reform ticket with the expectation that he would reinstate justice in the area. One of his first acts was to capture Billy the Kid, sending him to trial for the murder of the Lincoln sheriff and his deputy. Garrett was away from Lincoln on county business when the Kid made his escape. Rather than chase after the fugitive, Garrett kept to his ranch mending fences and attending to his cattle. In July, the Sheriff received word that the Kid was hiding out at the abandoned Fort Sumner about 140 miles west of Lincoln. Rounding up two of his deputies, John Poe and Thomas McKinney, Garrett set off in pursuit of the Kid.

On the night of July 14, the Sheriff and his two deputies approached the dusty old Fort now converted to living quarters. The residents were sympathetic to the Kid and the lawmen could extract little information. Garrett decided to seek out an old friend, Peter Maxwell, who might tell him the Kid's whereabouts. As chance would have it, the Kid stumbled right into the Sheriff's hands. Garrett published his account of the incident a year after it happened:

Pat Garret

"I then concluded to go and have a talk with Peter Maxwell, Esq., in whom I felt sure I could rely. We had ridden to within a short distance of Maxwell's grounds when we found a man in camp and stopped. To Poe's great surprise, he recognized in the camper an old friend and former partner, in Texas, named Jacobs. We unsaddled here, got some coffee, and, on foot, entered an orchard which runs from this point down to a row of old buildings, some of them occupied by Mexicans, not more than sixty yards from Maxwell's house. We approached these houses cautiously, and when within earshot, heard the sound of voices conversing in Spanish. We concealed ourselves quickly and listened; but the distance was too great to hear words, or even distinguish voices. Soon a man arose from the ground, in full view, but too far away to recognize. He wore a broad-brimmed hat, a dark vest and pants, and was in his shirtsleeves. With a few words, which fell like a murmur on our ears, he went to the fence, jumped it, and walked down towards Maxwell's house.  Little as we then suspected it, this man was the Kid. We learned, subsequently, that, when he left his companions that night, he went to the house of a Mexican friend, pulled off his hat and boots, threw himself on a bed, and commenced reading a newspaper. He soon, however, hailed his friend, who was sleeping in the room, told him to get up and make some coffee, adding: 'Give me a butcher knife and I will go over to Pete's and get some beef; I'm hungry.' The Mexican arose, handed him the knife, and the Kid, hatless and in his stocking-feet, started to Maxwell's, which was but a few steps distant.

When the Kid, by me unrecognized, left the orchard, I motioned to my companions, and we cautiously retreated a short distance, and, to avoid the persons whom we had heard at the houses, took another route, approaching Maxwell's house from the opposite direction. When we reached the porch in front of the building, I left Poe and McKinney at the end of the porch, about twenty feet from the door of Pete's room, and went in. It was near midnight and Pete was in bed. I walked to the head of the bed and sat down on it, beside him, near the pillow. I asked him as to the whereabouts of the Kid. He said that the Kid had certainly been about, but he did not know whether he had left or not. At that moment a man sprang quickly into the door, looking back, and called twice in Spanish, 'Who comes there?' No one replied and he came on in. He was bareheaded. From his step I could perceive he was either barefooted or in his stocking-feet, and held a revolver in his right hand and a butcher knife in his left.

The death of Billy the Kid
From a contemporary illustration

He came directly towards me. Before he reached the bed, I whispered: 'Who is it, Pete?' but received no reply for a moment. It struck me that it might be Pete's brother-in-law, Manuel Abreu, who had seen Poe and McKinney, and wanted to know their business. The intruder came close to me, leaned both hands on the bed, his right hand almost touching my knee, and asked, in a low tone: -'Who are they Pete?' -at the same instant Maxwell whispered to me. 'That's him!' Simultaneously the Kid must have seen, or felt, the presence of a third person at the head of the bed. He raised quickly his pistol, a self-cocker, within a foot of my breast. Retreating rapidly across the room he cried: 'Quien es? Quien es?' 'Who's that? Who's that?') All this occurred in a moment. Quickly as possible I drew my revolver and fired, threw my body aside, and fired again. The second shot was useless; the Kid fell dead. He never spoke. A struggle or two, a little strangling sound as he gasped for breath, and the Kid was with his many victims."

References:
Garrett, Pat, The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid (1882, republished 1954); Utley, Robert, Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life (1989).
*"The Death Of Billy The Kid, 1881," EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2001).

Billy the Kid has featured in several books that we've published including as a ghost!

Gunsmith #8

THE GHOST OF BILLY THE KID

The local gold rush is over. The threat of bandits is next to nada. And by the time Clint Adams rides through it, the pint-sized town of White Oaks is ready to settle back to normal, except for a bitter dispute between two storekeepers. But then folks begin spotting Billy the Kid around town. Problem is, the Kid's been dead several years! Normally, Adams can smell a hoax from a mile away. But, one he's taken on as a hired gun by a storekeeper, the Gunsmith spots Billy the Kid and would swear on a stack of bibles that the menace has come back to haunt him. Little does he know, though, that this phantom has a message for him - that, without the right friends in this town, the Gunsmith ain't got a ghost of a chance!

Published July 01, 2015 Recommended Price: $2.99 / £2.05

BILLY THE KID

 

Jedediah Herne only wanted to play checkers but a fool-hardy youth wanted to draw him into a gunfight. The kid didn’t know he was facing Herne the Hunter. For Herne, it brought back memories of another time; another kid … New Mexico Territory 1878: The murder of local rancher John Tunstall lit the fuse for a bloody conflict that will be forever known as The Lincoln County War. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder is a legend and one in the making—Herne the Hunter and Billy the Kid. Luckily they are on the same side. Not so for the opposition. Herne hires out his Colt .45 to the Tunstall/McSween supporters against the Dolan/Murphy faction and thus The Regulators are born. The Kid’s gunning down of Lincoln County Sheriff Brady changed the playing field. Soon Herne and the Kid are pitched against lawmen and desperately fighting for their lives. A fast-paced adventure featuring notable figures of the Old West, including Sheriff Pat Garrett, John Chisum, Alexander McSween, Dick Brewer, Lawrence Murphy and the most famous of them all—Billy the Kid.

 

Published October 01, 2015- Recommended Price: $1.99/ £1.80

 

John Harvey's ten book series, HART THE REGULATOR has the main character of Wes Hart an ex-soldier, ex-Texas Ranger, ex-rider with Billy the Kid. He's tough, ruthless, and slick with a .45.

 



 

 

Or if you want to delve more in the "factual" side of the Kid's history, there is no better place to start than our very own Frederick Nolan's - or to you, Frederick H. Christian - terrific book, THE WEST OF BILLY THE KID.

 

Happy reading!



Announcing our JULY titles

Floating Outfit 5: From Hide to Horn (J.T. Edson)

Bodie 9: Ride the Savage Hills (Neil Hunter)

The Gunsmith 415: The Funeral of Doc Holliday(J.R. Roberts)

Herne the Hunter 16: Geronimo! (John J. McLaglen)

Davy Crockett 4: Mississippi Mayhem (David Thompson aka David Robbins)

Sundance 13: Blood on the Prairie (John Benteen)

Cheyenne 8: War Party (Judd Cole)

Renegade 13: The Mahogany Pirates (Lou Cameron)

Released 15th JULY

Wanted! Belle Starr! (J.T. Edson)

Giant Gunsmith 14: Lincoln's Revenge (J.R. Roberts)

Piccadilly Publishing Western 5: Lawmaster (Jack Martin)

Released 22nd JULY
BEAR HASKELL U.S. Marshal - New Series in the tradition of Longarm

1: GUN TROUBLE AT DIAMOND BACK (by Peter Brandvold)

2: THE JACKALS OF SUNDOWN (by Peter Brandvold)

OUR MAN CLINT The Gunsmith Continues

OUR MAN CLINT

The Gunsmith Continues

By Robert J. Randisi, aka J.R. Roberts

            It was a bloodbath, probably fitting, given how long adult westerns and mens adventure paperbacks have been spilling blood within their pages.  But in one fell swoop publishers, with seeming disregard for the readers—or the readers that were left, anyway—cancelled all the Adult Western series—notably the long running Longarm and Gunsmith series—and mens adventure series—most notably, the Mack Bolan series.  This move, as of April of 2015, will not only rob loyal readers of the adventures of Custis Longarm and Mack Bolan, but will also put entire stables of writers out of work. Both series, along with many others, were written by multiple writers, having supplied work for many working writers for a good 40 years.  In fact, the Adult Western genre not only invigorated the western genre and kept it alive, but provided income for dozens of writers over the years. And now it’s the end of an era for all of them . . .

            . . . except The Gunsmith.

            Why?

            Very simple answer. For the most part, the Gunsmith was created and written by one man. When Charter Books contacted me in 1981 and asked me if I could create an Adult Western series for them, I jumped at the chance.  I created a bible and, when it was approved, signed a two book contract.  Then a contract for a third.  And then they called me and said they wanted to go into the genre whole-heartedly, and could I write a book a month.  I was 30 years old, had no idea if I could write a book a month, but I said “Yes!”

            I started writing under the pseudonym J.R. Roberts.  When I attended my first Western convention I discovered what anomaly the Gunsmith and I were. There were several other monthly adult westerns running at the time, and they were being written by three or four writers under a single house name. A “house name” is a name used by many authors on one series.  My “J.R. Roberts” nom de-plume was a pseudonym used by one person, not a house name. (It was only after Berkley Books purchased Charter Books and wanted to keep the Gunsmith going that they asked if they could hire two more writers, just to build up an inventory. The writers were to be approved by me, and I was to own even those books which I did not write, and receive a royalty. It made me even more of an anomaly in the genre. Once we had built up a one year inventory, I went back to writing all the books.).

            And I have done so since then, for over 32 years.  Gunsmith #1: Macklin’s Women came out in January of 1982, and there has been a Gunsmith every month since then.  Berkley Books decided to end of the run in April of 2015 with #399, and I was given enough warning so that I was able to place the series elsewhere and assure that Gunsmith #400 would appear in May of 2015, with no break in the action.  They will appear with a new cover design in ebook for from Piccadilly Publishing, and in paperback from Western Trailblazers.   And Our Man Clint will go on appearing in a book a month for as long as my flying fingers can flex.

            So to those loyal Gunsmith readers who pick up up each and every month, you may continue to do so, with heartfelt thanks from me, and from Our Man Clint Adams.

            I should also thank Charter Books, where it all started, and then Berkley Books, which has kept the series going all these years, as we all move on to the next bend in the road.

Pre-Order from Amazon.com

Pre-Order from Smashwords/Barnes & Noble/ Kobo etc.

Check out the page on Piccadilly Publishing website for more.

THE GUNSMITH LIVES ON

THE LEGEND OF CLINT ADAMS, THE GUNSMITH, LIVES ON IN ALL-NEW MONTHLY ADVENTURES FROM PICCADILLY PUBLISHING!!

The Gunsmith 400: THE LINCOLN RANSOM is now ready to pre-order from all eBook platforms. Publication date April 01, 2015.

The story: When Abraham Lincoln's body is stolen from his Tomb and held for ransom by men who can't admit that the South lost the Civil War, who else would the Government ask to pay the ransom and recover the body but The Gunsmith? Facing a small army led by a former Confederate Colonel and his sexy wife, Clint Adams turns to the only person he can to watch his back, his friend, private detective Talbot Roper. Together they fight to recover Lincoln's body and prove that the South is truly dead.

The Gunsmith - new titles revealed...

As you know, we are publishing J.R. Roberts' THE GUNSMITH series from number 400 onwards as of April 2015. Today, I received an email from the author with the first two titles - THE LINCOLN RANSOM and NEW MEXICO POWDER KEG.

The series covers will be illustrated by Tony Masero who has provided the covers to our CLINT ADAMS: THE GUNSMITH (aka Gunsmith Giants) series.

And a reminder if you ever needed one....

Can't wait .

Randisi brings his GUNSMITH to PP!

Well, have we got an announcement for YOU! Just today, we agreed a deal with Robert Randisi to take over the legendary GUNSMITH series when it ends its present run with long-term publisher Berkley Books! Berkley will issue # 399 in March 2015 and as of April we'll pick right up with # 400 and continue publishing a completely new adventure each month!

 

This is the kind of coup we could only dream about when we started PP two years ago. We'd really like to thank Robert for his faith in us.

 

What with the recent addition of CHEYENNE, WILD BILL, SAM SPUR, MIKE FARADAY and RENEGADE to our line-up, these really ARE exciting times!

 

Mike

More from J.R. Roberts / R.J. Randisi ...

Remember the other day remember I said that hardly a month goes by without us adding to our stable? Well, the good news is that R.J. Randisi aka J.R.Roberts has given us the green light to publish the Giant Gunsmith books 13. The Marshal from Paris and 14. Lincoln's Revenge as part of our Clint Adams The Gunsmith series.

Don't forget that Trouble in Tombstone will be out on 1 May 2014 with a raunchy cover painted by Tony Masero, all for the bargain price of $2.99 and available across the electronic platforms from Kindle to Nook and back again.

Don't tell us that we don't look after you guys.

Clint Adams, The Gunsmith - the artwork

Tony Masero has come up with the goods, yet again. Here are the first three covers in the CLINT ADAMS, THE GUNSMITH series. I'm sure that you agree with me that they are quite stunning.