Who really shot Curly Bill in Galeyville?

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

This post is related to the Fill In The Blanks #12 thread.  Russ T. Chambers and I came up with differing answers as to who shot and wounded Curly Bill in Galeyville. 

Following are two versions of an encounter involving Billy Breakenridge, Curly Bill Brocious, and Jim Wallace. Which one is accurate?

Version 1.
http://www.thehighchaparral.com/historic4.htm . Note: This version tracks with the one in Bill O'Neal's Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters


Version 2.

"Up in Galeyville, Curly Bill Brocius took a bullet in the cheek from drifter Jim Wallace, a veteran of the Lincoln County Wars. Wallace had approached the visiting Billy Breakenridge and tried to pick a fight. Curly Bill stepped in and made Wallace apologize to the deputy. This, of course, did not sit well with Wallace, who continued to joust verbally with Curly Bill, then shot him as the cowboy was mounting his horse. Breakenridge reported, "The bullet hit him in the cheek and knocked out a tooth coming through his neck without cutting an artery." James Hancock, who also claimed to be present, later said that "every one thought that Bill was dead, and he could not talk anyway as the bullet had partly paralyzed the vocal cords in his throat".

A number of Curly Bill's friends disarmed and arrested Wallace. They were holding him in a corral when Breakenridge came to claim him. The Arizona Weekly Star reported that the cowboys were threatening to lynch Wallace, but Breakenridge recalled that they turned him over easily. He expalined to the group that armed men would not be welcome at the justice of the peace's when the case was considered and got a reply both nonchalant and chilling-- "that they did not care to go down, for if Curly died they would hunt Wallace up, and if Curly lived he could hunt him up himself." The Weekly Star, commenting on the shooting, editorialized, "A great many people in southeastern Arizona will regret that the termination was not fatal to one or both of the participants.""

Above excerpt is from And Die in the West, by Paula Mitchell Marks

[Standpat Steve]

< if Curly died they would hunt Wallace up, and if Curly lived he could hunt him up himself.>

Howdy Capt. Hamp Cox,

So what the above brings to my mind is: what happened to Jim Wallace?

I looked him up in Dan L. Thrapp's "Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography" where it credits him with shooting Brocius in the neck. This book refers to him as Jim or Jake Wallace. I looked him up in another couple books, but they only reference him in regards to the earlier Lincoln County War or the Brocious incident.

Several books think it is an open question whether Brocius died at Earp's hand, or simply left AZ and moved to TX. I prefer the more romantic view-where Earp kills him.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

I believe that after Earp claimed him, he just disappeared from history. accounts I've read say the other cowboys buried him on a ranch somewhere's in the area. with all the rucus he caused, I find it kinda hard to believe that he just went away quietly and went straight. Nobody knows what his real name was either. i'm reading Terfertiller's book now and am planning on acquireing Silva's in the near future. Just from what I've read, I'd say that Wyatt did indeed blow him into kingdom come.Wallace ,I think was killed in New Mexico, but not by the cowboys............buck

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

Agree with you, Buck, on who killed Curly at Iron Springs in March of 1882.  The incident in question, however, occured in May of 1881 in Galeyville. Have read his last name was Graham, Bresnihan(m), or Brocius.

[Will Ketchum]

I have some problems with the high chaparral version.  The description of Curly bill's guns being tied down and that Earp hit him with his special seem to be gleaned from modern ideas of what might have been.   Also I though Old Man Clanton lead the ambush in Skeleton canyon not Brosius.  Anyway I don't know what happened to Curly but I have a hard time believing that one day he just saw the error of his ways and moved to Texas.

Will Ketchum

[Standpat Steve]

<I have a hard time believing that one day he just saw the error of his ways and moved to Texas.>

Howdy Will,

Heck! Texas was filled with folks who, if they didn't see the error of their ways, at least saw the wisdom of leaving where they would be hunted down and brought to justice. Lots of them folks had new names by the time the passed the Rio Grande, too.

[CanChaserKate]

Being a Documented Earp Cousin, I Do Not think, in Any way, Shape, or Form, No matter how Bad the Earps were Reputed to have been, I do Not think that Wyatt or his Brothers were Bad enough to have done this shooting.  I would be far more apt to believe that maybe; (as I am not completely convinced of this either), the Clantons (also cousins, but am still working on this Lineage), had something to do with it.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Cap, I put at the end of my post that I believe Wallace went to New Mexico and was killed there at a later date. After reading the link there, I still think it was Wallace. That picture with it is intrigueing as the facial disfigurement kinda coincides with the description of what happened to him. Finally a face to go with a name? I think the first story there has a few inaccuracies and I haven't read an account by Billy to go with that first one......Buck

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

Steve and Buck, 

Been having a hard time getting a handle on Jim Wallace.  Not finding anything (other than that one blurb) on him being involved in the Lincoln
County War.  Any idea when he died?  Could this be the same guy?

"Bill Dalton was not present at the Southwest City robbery, he had left the Wild Bunch and formed his own gang that spring. On May 23, 1894 Jim Wallace, Big Asa Knight, Jim Knight, and George Bennett joined up with Bill Dalton to rob the First National Bank in Longview, TX. Bennett is killed and 1 citizen was killed and 3 were wounded in the attempted getaway. The law trailed Bill Dalton to his hideout near Ardmore, I.T. and surprise and kill him on the morning of June 8, 1894."  http://hem.passagen.se/topic/wildbunch.html

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Cap, according to a side bar article in the Oct.2001 Wild West by Ken Hayden, Breakenridge gave Wallace $10 and he lit out of there a little after the shooting. He was reportedly killed in an unrelated gunfight in New Mexico, no date listed. Name given is Jim Wallace. Hayden had a good article on Curley in this issue and there's a good one on the Corral by Tefertiller and Jeff Morey in there as well. I'm just about to the gunfight period in Tefertiller's book now. Both are a good read. I'm definately going to get Silva's book too.........Buck

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

Thanks for sharing, Buck.  Would appreciate anything else you run across that looks interesting.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Thanks, Cap. I'm afraid you guys are heads above me on some of this. I'm a history buff, but some of this is a little more than I have experience with..............Buck

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

Will said:  "Anyway I don't know what happened to Curly but I have a hard time believing that one day he just saw the error of his ways and moved to Texas."

I bet old Curly was wishin' he was in Texas 'bout the time Wyatt cut him in half with his shotgun.  Ben Traywick's article Showdown:  Wyatt Earp vs. Curly Bill  says it went down like this:

"Wyatt, Doc Holliday, "Turkey Creek" Jack Johnson, "Texas Jack" Vermillion, and Sherman McMasters, were riding along the edge of a deep wash near Iron Springs.  Wyatt was slightly in the lead.  Suddenly, nine men rose up from the wash, guns spitting lead.  Curly Bill was the front man, brandishing a shotgun.  With the exception of Vermillion, whose horse was down, Wyatt's posse fell back under fire.  Wyatt slid from his horse unlimbering his double-barreled shotgun.  Scarcely had his feet touched the ground when he let loose point blank at Curly Bill.  Both charges struck the rustler square in the chest, literally blowing him apart and hurling him against the opposing bank of the wash.  Throwing aside his empty shotgun, Wyatt drew his rifle from his saddle, and using his plunging horse as a shield, continued to fight with the now leaderless outlaws.  They had retreated, taking cover in the brush above the wash.  Wyatt sprayed the brush with rifle fire.  Since all the gunfire was directed at him, Wyatt began a careful withdrawl before the murderous onslaught.  Wyatt retreated out of gun range and rejoined his companions.  Vermillion exposed himself needlessly, trying to retrieve the saddle from his dead horse.  None of the Earp party had been hit, but Vermillion's horse had been killed in the first volley.  Doc Holliday had gone back to pick him up.  Wyatt had several bullet holes through his hat, coat, trouser legs, saddlehorn, and his boot-heel, but suffered not a scratch himself."

Reckon we'll ever know what really happened?

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

There is a good article in the July 2005 issue of True West magazine on the shooting of Curly Bill (by Wallace) and its aftermath.