The Insane Life of Billy Brooks

In 1872, the violent cattle town of Newton, Kansas, appointed a twenty-two-year-old buffalo hunter named Billy Brooks as its town marshal. It would prove to be one of the most eventful and short-lived law enforcement careers in the history of the Old West. Join me today as we trace the largely forgotten story of “Bully” Billy Brooks, from his short stint as marshal, to his arrival in Dodge City, and his eventual descent from respected lawman to wanted outlaw. Also discussed are the Red River War, the Newton Massacre, Bat Masterson, and Morgan Earp. UPDATE: I feel like a complete idiot, but I misattributed many of the quotes from this episode. My main source was historian Robert K. DeArment and his excellent book, Deadly Dozen Volume 3, NOT Leon Metz. I'm often researching several different topics at the same time, and I simply got their names mixed up. My apologies for any confusion. Both Mr. Metz and Mr. DeArment are excellent Old West historians.

 

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