DEAR LEW, LOVE BILLY

Last month, Lew Wallace was inducted into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame as governor, general and as an author. He wrote "Ben-Hur", served as a judge at "The Andersonville Trial", and was the governor of New Mexico during which time he met Billy the Kid.

And today we're featuring Billy the Kid in the "As Seen On TV" showcase.

The governor brokered a deal with the 21 year old outlaw; after which there was a carefully arranged, staged arrest and the Kid testified for the state in a trial. But no pardon ever materialized afterwards.

That's why Billy the Kid wanted to talk to Lew Wallace as seen in this letter from March 1881.

At that time, Billy was in the Santa Fe jail, awaiting trial for killing a sheriff during the Lincoln County War. He was desperate for a pardon and with good reason - he was convicted and sentenced to hang. However, he broke out of jail, only to be gunned down about four months later.......

The letter is on display at Fray Angelico Chavez History Library in Sante Fe.

BCnU!