By western author Nick Brumby

“I die bravely, my God! I’ll pray till I die.” – The dying words of ‘Brazen Bill’ Brazelton

William ‘Brazen Bill’ Brazelton was a stagecoach robber who operated in Arizona and New Mexico during the Wild West era. According to newspaper the Prescott Enterprise, Bill Brazelton was “the most successful ‘single-handed’ highway robber of modern times.”

It is said that he killed a man when he was just 15 years old, however little else is known about his early life. He was described as a large man who stood over six feet tall, weighed more than 200 pounds, and was a dexterous, deadly shot. One newspaper described Brazelton as a “great, big, good natured fellow; and except when on business, as harmless as any man could be.”

On April 28, 1877, a stagecoach between Socorro and Las Lunas, New Mexico, was robbed of three gold bars and a box of silver. This is thought to have been Brazen Bill’s first stage robbery. His modus operandi was to wear a mask over his face and carry a pistol and rifle in one hand while ordering the driver and passengers to hand over any valuables.

On September 27, 1877, the California and Arizona Stage was held up 12 miles north of Wickenburg, Arizona. Wearing a mask of black gauze and old laborer’s clothes, Brazen Bill took $600 from a registered package, a package of cold coins and gold dust valued at $1,300, another $470 in cash, and other items totaling $250.

Authorities estimated that he robbed nine stagecoaches in Arizona and New Mexico in total.

The newspapers reported that Brazelton had robbed nine coaches in Arizona and New Mexico—all of them single-handedly. A journalist of the time wrote that Brazen Bill was “dextrous with firearms and had not [a] streak of yellow in him.”

On August 19, 1878, Pima County Sheriff Charles A. Shibell led a citizen posse in pursuit of Brazen Bill. The outlaw’s horsel threw a shoe, leaving a distinct print that allowed pursuers to track it. The posse tracked Brazen Bill to a mesquite bosque along the Santa Cruz River about three miles south of Tucson on August 22, 1878.

Brazen Bill spotted one of the lawmen from the posse. Before he could react, a shotgun roared and flashed in the darkness. Brazelton tumbled from his horse and muttered, “I die bravely, my God! I’ll pray till I die.”

The outlaw had two cartridge belts, two pistols, a Remington Rolling Block rifle, his mask, distinctive earrings from the Point Mountain Robbery, and a gold watch.

His body was taken to Tucson, which was photographed twice, first wearing the mask and then unmasked. Sitting upright in a chair in front of the courthouse, the corpse was displayed until he was buried the next day.

For many years after Brazen Bill’s death, the residents of Tucson avoided the spot where he had met his end, especially at night. Old-timers often told tales of seeing a phantom highwayman, El Tejano, standing in the road

About Nick Brumby

I like a good story. And of all stories, I love westerns the most.

As a kid, I spent far too many afternoons re-watching Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns, picking up ‘Shane’ for just one more read, or saddling up beside Ben Cartwright when ‘Bonanza’ was on TV each afternoon.

I’m a former journalist and I love horses, dogs, and the occasional bourbon whiskey. I live with my wife, daughter and our ever-slumbering hound in a 1800’s-era gold mining town – our house is right on top of the last working gold mine in the area. There may not be much gold left, but there’s history wherever you look.

I hope you enjoy my westerns as much as I enjoyed writing them!

Happy trails,

Nick