Just Who Is This Billie Sol Anyway?
That’s a good question. There more you start looking in to the story of Billie Sol Estes, the more bizarre it gets.
Several years ago, Bill (Dees not Billie Sol) and I were on the way to Texas to do some duo shows. Now, Dees has some different ways of doing things. For instance, he doesn’t like to listen to the radio. See, in his mind he’s always writing a song and the radio just disrupts the flow. Now, a lot of guys are like that, constantly going over a riff or a lyric in their minds. I do that a lot. The key thing is that most of us do this in our minds. Not Dees, he does his stream of consciousness, riff building, melody writing, lyric editing and arranging, out loud, in real time; for hours on end sometimes. It can get on your nerves on a long drive because songwriting…well, let me just put it this way; not every idea is a good one.
As we crossed the Texas border and entered the panhandle, Bill’s old stomping ground, he started slapping his leg in time and singing this…
There’s a man
Down in Texas who
Never ever had a care
His name is Billie Sol Estes
The multi millionaire
But, he got in trouble when
He crossed the state line
With mortgages
On fertilizer tanks they couldn’t find
…and I said, “Woah Woah Woah! What is that? That sounds like a damn song there.”
Bill said, “That’s something I started writing one day, while I was waiting in a barber shop back in 1962. I just kind of put it away ’cause a bunch of people were starting to drop dead”.
When we got back to the Ozarks, I did a little research on Estes and Bill and I got together and finished the song “Billie Sol”.
So, to answer the question, “Just Who Is This Billie Sol Anyway?”
Well, that’s a pretty complex issue. Here’s a good place to start. From Spartacus Educational.
Billie Sol Estes was born in Abilene, Texas, in 1924. After marrying in 1946 he moved to the small town of Pecos. As a result of high irrigation costs, local farmers found it difficult to make profits from their cotton crops. Estes started up a company providing irrigation pumps that used cheap natural gas. Farmers had previously used irrigation pumps powered by electricity. Estes also sold anhydrous ammonia as a fertilizer. This was a great success and Estes soon became a wealthy businessman.
Estes’s business encountered problems when the Department of Agriculture began to control the production of cotton. Allotments were issued telling the cotton farmers how much they could and could not plant. In 1958 Estes made contact with Lyndon B. Johnson. Over the next couple of years Estes ran a vast scam getting federal agricultural subsidies. According to Estes he obtained $21 million a year for “growing” and “storing” non-existent crops of cotton.
In 1960 Henry Marshall was asked to investigate the activities of Billie Sol Estes. Marshall discovered that over a two year period, Estes had purchased 3,200 acres of cotton allotments from 116 different farmers. Marshall wrote to his superiors in Washington on 31st August, 1960, that: “The regulations should be strengthened to support our disapproval of every case (of allotment transfers)”….
On 3rd June, 1961, Marshall was found dead on his farm by the side of his Chevy Fleetside pickup truck. His rifle lay beside him. He had been shot five times with his own rifle. County Sheriff Howard Stegall decreed that Marshall had committed suicide. No pictures were taken of the crime scene, no blood samples were taken of the stains on the truck (the truck was washed and waxed the following day), and no check for fingerprints were made on the rifle or pickup….
On 4th April, 1962, George Krutilek, Estes chief accountant, was found dead. Despite a severe bruise on Krutilek’s head, the coroner decided that he had also committed suicide. The next day, Estes, and three business associates, were indicted by a federal grand jury on 57 counts of fraud. Two of these men, Harold Orr and Coleman Wade, later died in suspicious circumstances. At the time it was said they committed suicide but later Estes was to claim that both men were murdered by Mac Wallace in order to protect the political career of Lyndon B. Johnson.
Time-May 25, 1962
Button distributed by Congressman Robert Dole during investigation of Billie Sol Estes, 1961.
And, believe me when I tell you, there’s more to the story. A lot more. There’s a lot the people know about and probably more that people don’t know about. But, old Billie Sol is still around and only he knows all the truth.
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38 Responses to “Just Who Is This Billie Sol Anyway?”
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Pribek At Zazzle
The post to blame: Most Peculiar Mama (Don't Eat Your Cat)
I agree Billy Sol Estes definitely knows where all the bodies are buried. He put most of them there. I heard that he passed away about a year ago. We lived in ABilene, Texas when all of his troubles began. I knew one of his daughters, but I never saw the man. I know it wasn’t wise to criticize him. He was a hometown boy and was above it all. In my opinion he was a slick crook who got what he had coming. Not soon enough.
Good to hear from you Tony. I had not heard that Estes passed away. A few years ago, when we were working on the song, I found a few local Texas stories about him that portrayed him as kind of a wacky but likeable eccentric. I didn’t buy that angle.
There is a line in the “My God has justified me, and that’s all that matters”. Which, is an actual quote from Billie Sol whenhe was questioned about some of his dealings.
Ol’ Billie Sol isn’t dead. Actually, he is about to receive an honorary Ph.D. from TCU for his work related to integration. There’s no doubt that he was a crooked business man, but there’s also no doubt that he disagreed strongly with segregation. He did a lot for the integration movement during his heyday. He also was a big promoter and financier of the Democrat Party during those days. Though, he was guilty of probably much more than he was convicted, he certainly kept many crooked politicians from equal, if not worse, punishment. The top of that list would include Lyndon B. Johnson and Ralph Yarborough who were very, very close friends of, and received great sums of cash from Mr. Billie Sol.
I was born in Pecos and was a young boy when all of Billie Sol’s trouble started. He farmed down the road from us and when he first moved to Pecos he lived with my Uncle Alsel Hendricks. I read his daughters book and it mentions my uncle’s name. Last I heard Billie Sol was living in Brady, Tx. south of Abilene.
Billie Sol probably had some good points. Many people believe that he took the fall for LBJ and I think he did. I also believed him when he said Lyndon Johnson was behind the Kennedy Asassination. I’ve believed that for 45 years. Billie Sol skinned the goverment and while I don’t condone that, he had to be smarter than the average bear to do that. Uncle Sam never did recover that money. I guess it’s still in Switzerland. I remember him living in a huge house out by Lylte Lake in Abilene. I never saw the man, although I did know his daughters. Like it or not he is a part of Texas lore and will be for eternity.
Going from memory and not research here but, it seems like I remember reading a thing a few years back about how Billie Sol wanted to go on record with LBJ claims and other stuff in exchange for some kind of amnesty (IRS?). Anyway, for some reason, it was said that he backed out at the last minute and left the Feds hanging.
Jack, that may well be true. This whole deal is shrouded in mystery. I don’t think we will ever know the truth. I just know three things you didn’t badmouth in Abilene, Texas back in the early to mid sixties, the American flag, the Church of Christ and Billie Sol and not necessarily in that order.
I remember when he got busted in Pecos, they put all his equipment behind a chain link fence for everyone to see. When he came to Pecos the farm boom had just started. According to some he was good at making innovations such as adding anhydrous amonia to the irrigation systems. That is where he got into the anhydrous tank business. When he moved to Pecos he didn’t have a pot to piss in. One of his sons was in my brothers class and had polio.
Randy a lot of folks in Abilene really idolized Billie Sol. I knew his daughters and one of them had a TBird convertible. She loved to drive way too fast and got more than her share of tickets. I believe this daughter’s name was Dawn. She was good looking as I recall. Randy, there is no telling what all Billie Sol knows and will undoubtedly take to the grave with him. I heard he pulled some shady shit out in Pecos. He did in Abilene as well with some oil field cleaning equipment. No doubt he was a smart man, but a criminal none the less.
Tony I agree, he was a crook, but I think he took the fall for a lot of other folks. My uncle was one of the few he didn’t get too. Pam is also one of his daughters, she wrote some of the books about him. But of course she is a little bias. By the way I am from Roscoe, most all the farmers from this area went to Pecos when the boom was on. Hard to believe how much they used to grow there the way it looks now.
Randy he probably did. I heard he was broke, but I never have bought it. From what I remember Pecos was the most God forsaken part of Texas, next to the Panhandle. I heard Billie Sol was country as turnip greens, but a financial genius. Randy, there is no telling what he could have accomplished had he not been so crooked. A friend of mine swears up and down his father set Billie Sol up the last time he went to prison. I don’t know, but then again we will never know. I do know that Billie Sol was the source for gossip and scandal for years. Randy, you know how we Texans love that sort of thing. Example, T. Cullen Davis’s murder trial. Hell he did it ! We all know that. But people love this stuff. Especially Texans.
I just wonder how many more people like Billie Sol are going to emerge as a result of the financial meltdown ? There will be many more and they will make Billie Sol look small and insignificant.
Good point there Tony. You know they’re out there. But, BS did all of it with a real flair.
Jack, He really did have a flair and was quite flashy as I recall. Had he been somewhat more subued, he might not have ever gotten caught. I know that Texas rich people are supposed to show it off, but Billie Sol went too far. I don’t say
that it’s wrong to do that, we are Texans after all, but it’s been my experience that the truly rich don’t show it off. I hear Billie Sol used to go to Neiman Marcus in Dallas and buy a bunch of stuff and give them to his friends and prospective customers. He was a wheeler dealer and I believe he could have achieved the same results ethicall and honestly. He chose a different way.
One quote from Billie Sol really stuck in my mind Tony.
In a way, that sums it up. I don’t know whether he really believes that in his heart or, he’s just drawing a line in the sand,or both. Only he knows.
When Bill Dees and I were writing the song “Billie Sol” those words wouldn’t leave my mind. At some point they worked their way in to the lyric and I think tied it all together.
BTW, if you haven’t heard the tune, here’s a link to a free download from Bill’s site…
http://billdees.com/houseofdees/?page_id=30
Jack,
Billie Sol and God and only those two know.
ahhh, yes…I stand corrected.
Billie Sol was very slick for his day. How he would stack up today, who knows ? I’ve heard that some of his expoits are taught in law schools today as well as law enforcement schools. I think the astonishing thing about Billie Sol is how nervy he was. He might be able to pull the same stuff today, but it would be much more difficult with the internet, media, etc. Imagine Billie Sol being interviewied by Bill O’Reilly or Geraldo Rivera. That would be worth the price of admission. Would it be worth a shot at a 10 pt buck on the King Ranch ? No, but damn close.
I am one of Billie Sols grandaughters. I just wanted to say that song Bill Dees sings about him just made my day! Thanks for the laugh!
Billie Sol was as slick as Bernie Madoff back in the day !
I met a LOT of smart people in some bad places but NONE can rival Mr Estes.He made Phillip Willson (bank of Sark) seem slow. He never gave anyone or anything up and never did a friend dirty.A true Texan of another time.They will never make another Billie Sol Estes.I am glad to have met him and his advice to a younger convict saved a lot of problems. Two things I remember: “If you ain’t home, you ain’t home” (concerning which institution a man was sent to and “If they ain’t one of us, they ain’t one of us”
My Father in law was a bag man for Billy and Harold. Shortly before Harold’s death my father in lasw a 2 others along with Orr took all of the files for Superior Manfacturing and hid them on a farm about 10 miles away from their office. Part of the scam was they would keep changing the serial numbers of the same 10 storage tanks and receiving financing on the same 10 tanks over and over again, but with with new serial numbers each time.
Wow, thanks James. I was fascinated by the whole Billie Sol story when I first started working with BD on the song. One great thing that has come about is; the whole story was under-reported and after releasing this tune I keep hearing more and more incredible stuff.
I heard that Billie Sol is living with one of his daughters in an upscale retirement community near Granbury. He was slicer than deer guts on a door knob. I would really love to know the rest of the story. Maybe, Billie Sol will write a kiss and tell about all of his expoits. Who knows ? I do think he is one Texan that nobody under the age of 50 hasn,t heard of. Hes daughters were drop dead gorgeous and Pam as I recall was very shy, Dawn on the other hand did enjoy life.
I was told a story about a skyscraper the Mr. Estes had built. The story goes that he had it photographed in such a way as to look like a true skyscraper when in reality it was only about two stories tall. Then he sold office space in this building. From what was told to me the building was just a hull. This is supposed to have happened in Wichita Falls, Texas. This is the first time I have heard of Bill Sol Estes and was wondering if you had heard of this?
David,
I have never heard of this story. I will ask my mom though and next time I see Sol I will ask him. Pretty funny story though
David,
I don’t doubt what you are saying one bit. If anyone could perpetrate a fraud of
that magnitude and pull it off, Billie Sol could. A skyscraper in Witchita Falls would be unusual. I eard that at the age of five or six Billie Sol had a herd of about five goats. By the age of eight he had close to 100 ! I hope he does write a kiss and tell about all the crooked shit that he pulled and got away with. It would keep us gosisp mongering Texans happy for decades !
Billie Sol is still very much alive in 2012. He is my neighbor here in Granbury, Tx. He uses a walker to get around, but he IS still around.
Tom,
I never met Billie Sol, but I did know his daughter Pam. He was a wheeler dealer, but he is Church of Chrst and when it comes to his personal life, he was a straight arrow. He didn’t drink, smoke, dance or swim in mixed pools. Which I always thought was hypocritical compared to what he did. What I have a hard time wrapping my mind around is the fact that Uncle Sam NEVER got the wheat subsidies back. I’m told it’s still in Switzerland. He was slick and we were all warned not to get mixed up with him.
Lilly,
Is your mom per chance named Joy? If so, tell her I said “Howdy”. If not, my older brother knew Joys sisters. And whoever mentioned the house at Lytle Lake, they were indeed correct.
One weeek end when Billie Sol & wife were out of town I remember attending a small get together at the house. Many years ago during my short stint at Abilene High.
Lilly, I also went to Joy’s house at Lake Lytle. She had a big party in the 70s when we were in high school. I remember them having a boat full of ice and drinks. Tell Joy I said hi too, I have often wondered about her.
My father was stationed at Dyess AFB near Abilene from 1965-1967. I was 15 when we moved to Abilene and attended Cooper High School. I had heard the Billie Sol story from my parents and new of but never met his daughter, Jan. Different pecking order, ya know. If I remember correctly she was extremely pretty. Anyone who happens to read my posting, please let me know what became of her.
Larry,
I knew Dawn and Pam. I didn’t know Jan. I heard that Billie Sol is kliving
in an upscale retirement community near Granbury. His daughter Pam posted
a picture of him on Facebook. He looked more dean then alive.
Billie Sol Estes passed away yesterday 05/14/2013. I would love to know what he took to the grave. I bet he could spin one heck of a yarn.
Thanks for the info Tony. I just read an obit piece at the Washington Post and it seems like they were generally downplaying Estes’ power and connections…sort of the boasting of an eccentric old man. But, I’m with you: there is NO telling what that guy knew. And, the strange connections go back well before LBJ…
Jack,
I always wondered why he didn’t we a tell all book. I think it would have been a best seller. Who knows ? What I do know is that he never gave anyone up. Perhaps he was afraid to or he may have had a sense of honor. We will never know. All these things happened over 50 years ago and we’re still talking about it. Like I’ve often said, we Texans love, worship and adore good gossip. One thing I’ve always wondered. When it hit the fan, why didn’t Billie Sol hire Percy Foreman as he lawyer ? Percy Foreman was the best criminal defense attorney EVER !
I hear you Tony. But, with a guy like this there’s no telling what kind of deals did get cut that we will never hear about. He could have gone up for one thing instead of another thing in return for not talking about a whole ‘nother thing.
True.