by J. Young

Mr. Patrick Floyd Garrett was born on the 5th of June in the year 1850 in Chambers County, Alabama, in the vicinity of the area known as Cusseta today. He was the second eldest of his parents’ eight children – Margaret, Elizabeth, Susan, Sarah, John, Hillary, and Alfred. At the tender age of three, Mr. Garrett’s father bought a plantation from Mr. John Greer, which was situated in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, approximately eight miles east of the present-day Homer and two miles west of Antioch. Despite Louisiana having the worst education system in the country at the time, Mr. Garrett managed to receive an elementary education.
The Garretts were previously prosperous until the onset of the Civil War. Regrettably, the war proved detrimental to their ranch, ultimately resulting in bankruptcy. As per accounts, a group of Republican/Union soldiers appropriated a substantial portion of their cotton production and emancipated their enslaved workforce, consequently plunging the Garretts into destitution.
It has been noted that John, father of Garrett, portrayed heavy alcohol consumption, which led to him shooting a Republican enthusiast on the local courthouse steps. The untimely demise of Pat’s father occurred on February 5th, 1868, just one year after losing his mother. Larkin Lay was appointed as the recipient of a debt-ridden plantation valued at $30,000. These occurrences illustrate the detrimental effects of alcohol abuse and financial instability on individuals and communities after the Civil war. Mr. Lay subsequently entered into marriage with the esteemed sister of Pat, Margaret. Upon the sale of his plantation, Pat made a threatening statement towards Mr. Lay. However, out of a deep reverence and admiration for his sister Margaret, Pat did not carry out this threat and instead departed from Louisiana. Mr. Garrett, who was then eighteen years of age, proceeded on an independent journey westward into Texas on January 25th, 1869.
The documented whereabouts of Pat Garrett during the subsequent years are insufficient. Nevertheless, in March 1875, a man by the name of “Pat Garrity” was taken into custody in Bowie County, Texas, and stood accused of murder. The individual managed to escape confinement and was never seen or heard from again. It remains uncertain if the aforementioned individual was indeed Pat Garrett, due to the unfortunate occurrence of the court records being destroyed by fire.
Garrett worked on a dirt farm in Dallas County, Texas after leaving Louisiana. He had a partnership with the owner and his responsibility was to grub the ground and clear the land. Although he missed home, he remained committed until the crop was harvested.
According to sources, it has been reported that Mr. Garrett, due to dissatisfaction with his farming occupation, chose to relocate to Eagle Lake, Texas in pursuit of alternative employment opportunities, specifically on a cattle drive. It has also been mentioned that Mr. Pat, along with his acquaintances, Mr. Skelton Glenn and Mr. Luther Duke, embarked on a hunting expedition with buffalo as their primary target. Regrettably, in November of 1876, Mr. Pat was compelled to use lethal force against his colleague, Mr. Joe Briscoe, after he initiated violent behavior as a result of being insulted by Mr. Pat. Allegedly, Mr. Briscoe was offended when he was called a “drunk Irish fool” due to his preference for washing his clothes in icy waters riddled with mud. Following the incident, Mr. Pat voluntarily presented himself to the authorities at Fort Griffin, Texas, where he was exonerated of any criminal liability.
In February 1877, Mr. Garrett and some of his Buffalo hunters were temporarily absent from their camp pursuing a hunting expedition when approximately 50 Comanche tribal men entered their camp and destroyed over 800 buffalo hides. Despite these setbacks, the determined group established a new camp and resumed their expeditions to hunt buffalo, only to suffer a similar ordeal once more when the camp was raided and the hides were set ablaze. Considering the unfortunate circumstances, Mr. Garrett arrived at a decision to divest his interest in the buffalo business in November 1877, and subsequently sold his stake to his business partner, Mr. Glenn.
It seems Garrett made his way into Dodge City while moving cattle and working for the Driskill-Morrison Cattle Company. Then, he headed to New Mexico and worked for John Chisum for a short period. In the year following, Pat commenced his employment at Pete Maxwell’s ranch situated in Fort Sumner, albeit briefly. However, he subsequently ventured into the hog business in collaboration with Thomas “Kip” McKinney. Furthermore, Pat entered into matrimonial bonds with Juanita Martinez, his first wife. Unfortunately, Juanita met her untimely demise owing to complications arising from a miscarriage. At this juncture, Pat also procured a humble estate situated between Fort Stanton and Dowlin’s Mill.
While working in the hog industry, Garrett encountered a dangerous incident involving a sow that resulted in him being trampled and severely injured. Thankfully, Apolinaria Gutierrez came to his aid and provided him with the necessary care to recover from his injuries. In gratitude, Garrett and Apolinaria were married in a double wedding ceremony on January 14th, 1880 in Anton Chico. The other couple to wed in the ceremony were friends of Garrett’s, Barney Mason and Juana Maria Madrid. This celebration marked a significant moment in their lives, showcasing the importance of friendship and the support of loved ones during times of need.
Between 1881 and 1905, the Garrett family welcomed eight children: Ida, Dudley, Elizabeth, Annie, Patrick, Pauline, Oscar, and Jarvis. Patrick eventually settled in the village of Fort Sumner and secured a job at Beaver Smith’s saloon. Known to the Spanish community as Juan Largo for his tall and lean build, Garrett established a favorable reputation with the locals. It’s probable that he developed friendships with many of the men who rode for Tunstall during the Lincoln County War. They all had connections to Chisum and frequented Fort Sumner, with some even making it their home.
“As per Paulita’s recollection, Garrett formed close relationships with various individuals in Sumner, including Charlie Bowdre, Tom Folliard, Jim French, John Middleton, Henry Brown, Doc Scurlock and other associates. They shared meals, engaged in recreational activities such as card games, and bonded over their camaraderie. Amongst this group was Billy the Kid, who also played a role in Garrett’s interactions. These social connections were an important aspect of Garrett’s time in Sumner.”
During the events of the Lincoln County War, Garrett chose to remain neutral and avoided partaking in the conflict. This choice of non-action has been a subject of debate when considering the nature of his relationship with those involved, whether they were true friends or merely acquaintances. However, it is worth noting that one individual who held Garrett in high regard was Chisum, who saw potential in him as a loss prevention cowboy for his own stock.
John Chisum wrote a letter to Governor Wallace on April 15th 1879, explaining the importance of having proper protection for the citizens residing near the Pecos river. He suggested that placing 10 men at a large spring 12 miles east of the area would prevent robbers from entering and would give protection to both the place and the citizens. Furthermore, he proposed having 20 men stationed at the Pope’s crossing on the Pecos river to prevent any possible intruders from coming up the river. John Chisum acknowledged the governor’s willingness to give citizens protection and hence, made these suggestions based on his familiarity with the county. Additionally, he recommended Pat Garrett to take charge of the squad since he was a suitable person for the job. John Chisum showed no intention of dictation but simply made these suggestions to help protect his fellow citizens.
According to historical records, Sheriff Pat Garrett was known for his bravery and fearlessness throughout NM. There is an incident where Garrett and his team tracked down a group of Comanches who had stolen horses from a ranch near Roswell. They retrieved the stolen stock and eliminated the perpetrators in the process. News of his heroic act soon spread, catching the attention of Roswell’s Captain Joseph C. Lea and John Chisum. They successfully persuaded Garrett to run for Sheriff of Lincoln and defeat the incumbent George Kimbrell in the election.
Garrett was elected as the new Sheriff of Lincoln County on November 2, 1880, with a convincing victory of 320 to 179 votes over his opponent, Sheriff Kimbrell. Although he couldn’t take charge of the position until January, he immediately started working with the support of Kimbrell, who deputized Pat. Garrett was also appointed as the US Deputy Marshal, allowing him to travel across states to execute his duties, thanks to the efforts of Secret Service Agent Azariah Wild. Despite the challenges and danger involved in apprehending Billy the Kid and other counterfeiters like Billy Wilson, Garrett took over the task with sincerity. His commitment to duty and fearless approach resulted in captivating victories, which established him as a trusted law enforcement officer.
Pat, engaged Barney Mason as an informant. Barney had informed Pat that the group of men were at Dan Dietrick’s ranch situated about 80 miles west of Las Vegas in Bosque Grande. Consequently, the Posse made the necessary preparations and raided the ranch. Although the Kid and the counterfeiters were not present, JJ Webb was apprehended and charged with murder, and George Davis was also arrested for horse thievery.
Garrett relinquished custody of the prisoners to the San Miguel sheriff at Las Vegas, and proceeded toward the Yerby ranch located approximately 20 miles northeast of Fort Sumner, where it was believed the Kid and Wilson may have been present. The posse made a stop at Puerto de Luna, where Mariano Lieva provoked a confrontation with Pat, and in response, Pat discharged his firearm, causing Mariano to suffer a gunshot wound to the shoulder, thereby putting an end to the altercation.
En route to Yerby’s Ranch, the individuals encountered Tom O-Folliard, a member of the Kids’ gang, at a distance of less than 10 miles. They diligently followed him through the rugged terrain for several miles, all the while being met with intermittent shots fired by Tom. Eventually, Tom successfully evaded the pursuers.
In December of 1880, an incident occurred involving the infamous outlaw Billy and some of his gang who were reportedly sighted near Fort Sumner. On the 19th of that month, sheriff Patrick Garrett and his posse tactfully hid under a porch and as the gang approached, Garrett shot and killed the notorious Tom O’Folliard. While the rest of the gang made their escape, Garrett and his fellow deputies continued their pursuit of the outlaws. Days later, they were able to track the gang to a rest area known as Stinking Springs, where they engaged in a gunfight with the gang. During this encounter, Charlie Bowdre was unfortunately killed and four other members of the gang, Tom Pickett, Billy Wilson, Dave Rudabaugh and Billy the Kid were apprehended by the posse.

The posse first took Bowdre’s body back to Fort Sumner and then off to Las Vegas where he had to fight off a mob wanting to Lynch Dave Rudabaugh. The Posse loaded the prisoners onto the train and headed to Santa Fe. Billy was transferred to Mesilla for trial where he was sentenced to hang on April 15th 1881.

Billy was transferred back to Garrett’s custody and he took Billy to the Lincoln county courthouse jail. Within 2 weeks Billy had escaped killing both of Garrett’s deputies while Garrett was out of town on April 28th 1881.

Almost 3 months later Pat Garrett and deputies John Poe and Kip Mckinney found Billy at Fort Sumner where Garrett shot him in the darkness of Pete Maxwell’s bedroom. Rumors speculate that Billy was in town to be with Garrett’s sister-in-law Celsa Gutierrez. Other rumors suggest that he was with Paulita Maxwell who may have been secretly pregnant with Bill’s child. Over the years many have questioned Pat’s handling of the death, it’s versions and records.

Regardless that he was buried with affidavits, questions still exist. One thing was for sure is that the criminal activities of Billy the Kid were over.

After the killing many papers and others begin to write about Garrett’s cowardly act of shooting Billy in the dark while he was unarmed. Garrett and his friend Ash upson wrote a book called The Authentic life of the noted desperado, Billy the kid, in order to fend off reports that Garrett was an assassin or cowardly. The book was a failure and later 20th century 2nd, 3rd and fourth reprints of Garrett’s book began circulating with altercations shortening the original title appearing in 1927, 1946 and 1964.

Ash became a lifelong friend to the Garretts and lived with them for the rest of his life. He was buried in an unmarked grave at a private cemetery owned by Garrett.

Pat Garrett briefly owned the Wortley in Lincoln, but in 1882 he chose not to rerun for sheriff of Lincoln county , sold the Wortley and moved to Texas.

While there Garrett ran for state senate and lost, but landed a job as a Texas Ranger only lasting for about a month before moving back to New Mexico at Roswell.

Garrett found a large reservoir of artisan water in the Roswell area and partnered with two men to start the Pecos valley irrigation and investment company on July 18th 1885.

On January 15th 1887 Garrett purchased 1/3 interest in the Texas irrigation and ditch company but soon after his partners mustered Garrett out. Garrett’s own business, the Pecos valley irrigation company, slowly declined and became a failure.

In 1892 Pat moved his family to Uvalde, Uexas. While there, Garrett became pals with John Gardner also known as Cactus Jack, the future vice president to Franklin Roosevelt.

On January 31st 1896, Colonel Albert Jennings Fountain and his 8-year-old son Henry disappeared. Fountain’s political partners made finding him a priority and sent Apache scouts as well as Pinkerton Agents but could not locate their bodies. Governor William T. Thornton offered a 2,000 dollar reward as well as the Masonic Lodge of New Mexico, putting up a 10,000 dollar reward.

Pat Garrett was appointed sheriff of Dona Ana county, and tasked with the case. Over the next two years Pat had gathered sufficient evidence to make arrests.

Garrett obtained warrants from a judge in Las Cruces for Oliver Lee, William McNew, Bill Carr and James Gilliland. That same day Garrett had arrested McNew and Bill Carr.

On the early morning of July 12th 1898 Garrett and a posse snuck up on Oliver Lee and James Gililland. Garrett and Posse approached the Wildy Well which was on Oliver Lee’s ranch. The well furnished water to the Lee’s stock as well as the El Paso and Northeastern railroad.

Garrett and his deputies Espalin, Llewellyn, Ben Williams and Kent Kearney approached about a mile from the Well where they dismounted and walked the rest of the way on foot.

After searching several buildings on the property with no luck they discovered the fugitives were on the rooftop. Kearney climbed the ladder. Garrett ordered the men to surrender as Kearney shot at them, causing confusion. The men fired back on the Posse, killing Kearney and grazing Garrett. Oliver Lee, an ex United States deputy Marshal called out to Garrett “You are a hell of a lot of bastards to order a man to throw his hands up and then shoot at the same time.”

Garrett replied “Kearney fired without orders, are you ready to surrender?”

“I don’t think I will. I’ve heard that you intend to kill me.”

“You need to have no fear. You will be perfectly safe in my hands. any story that you might have heard that I want to kill you with false. Now, will you surrender?”

“Who do you think has the best of it?” Lee chuckled. “You have got yourself into a hell of a close place.”

Garrett replied “I know it. How are we going to get out of here?”

Lee responded “if you pull out we won’t shoot at you.”

Garrett agreed and loaded Kearney’s dead body into a wagon and left on a truce.

The indictments for Fountain murders and the killing of Garrett’s deputy Mr. Kearney were dropped.

During the month of May 1899 Garrett bought the deed to Stinking Springs from David Wood. Garrett had a ranch 7 miles southwest of that location. In fact Garrett had several ranches and homes throughout southern NM as well as in Texas. One of them was in The Bear Mountains near Las Cruces. Pat built a little home which was in the center of Bear canyon. Garrett planned on raising horses there as well as use the water flow to his advantage.

On July 3rd, Pat Garrett was hired as U.S. Deputy Marshal and was put on an assignment to stop the illegal flow of illegal Chinese laborers.

On October 7th 1899 U.S Marshal George Blalock of was in New Mexico trailing a criminal from Oklahoma and asked then U.S. Deputy Marshal Pat Garrett for help getting a fugitive by the name of Norman Newman (aka Billy Reed) who was wanted for murder and was hiding at the San Augustine ranch, near Mesilla. Garrett accompanied him and Deputy Espalin to the ranch.

Pat walked up to the house when the door was open. Reed was inside doing dishes and Pat stepped in to the door he raised his gun and asked “are you Reed?” “Yes, I am.” Garrett holstered his gun and explained he had a warrant for his arrest.
The man dried his hands on his apron and then suddenly punched Garrett in the face. Garrett struck back, hitting Reed across the head with a pair of handcuffs. Reed went down and Garrett and Deputy Espalin began to secure the man when a bulldog leaped through the window and began biting Garrett. The man broke free and began running when Espalin shot twice, once through the man’s back killing him. The dog then let Garrett go and ran out. They put the dead man’s body on the back of the wagon, his feet were dangling over the tailgate. When they reached Las Cruces the heels and feet of the deceased were badly mauled and mangled from being dragged on the ground. When the body was transported back to Oklahoma where the crimes had been committed, the citizens declared that the deputies had shot the wrong man, and it was not Newman.

On December 16th 1901 Theodore Roosevelt nominated Pat Garrett to be collector of customs in El Paso as well as the high honor of being nominated to be one of the three appointed White House gunfighters. The others being Bat Masterson and Ben McDaniels. Pat was also appointed to the United States Senate on January 2nd 1902 but due to democratic conniving, he was dismissed from the Senate.

While working customs on May 8th 1903 Pat was in a fist fight with an employee named George Gaither the next day they both owed a $5 fine for disturbing the peace.

Complaints were continually being sent to Washington DC about Garretts incompetence. Roosevelt ignored the complaints about his pal Pat and invited Garrett to a rough riders reunion in San Antonio, Texas in April 1905. Garrett brought his pal Tom Powers along and introduced him to the president as a prominent Texas cattleman and they posed for 2 pictures with the president.

When Pat’s haters obtained copies of the photos of Garrett, Tom and the President they sent the President proof that Powers was merely just an owner of a sleazy saloon called the Coney island saloon in El Paso, and not the successful man that Pat made him out to be. Roosevelt finally had no choice and replaced Garrett with the new collector of customs on January 2nd 1906.

Garrett became in financial trouble and soon after had to mortgage his ranch. He was unable to make the payments and the county auctioned off all Garrett’s personal assets and home for the total sum of $650. The Garrett’s moved back to New Mexico.

When Roosevelt appointed sheriff George Curry as governor of New Mexico territory, Curry promised to help Garrett get a job and appointed him as the superintendent for the Territorial Prison at Santa fe. But because Curry’s inauguration was months away yet Garrett left his family in New Mexico and returned to El Paso for work. He was employed by a real estate company known as H. M. Maple and company. It has been reported that Garrett moved in with an El Paso prostitute known as Ms Brown. When Governor Curry found out about Garretts involvement with Ms. Brown, he broke his promise to give Garrett the job.

Later Garrett’s oldest son Dudley Poe Garrett had signed a five-year lease for the Bear Canyon ranch with one Jesse Wayne Brazel. When Brazel began running in large herds of goats on the ranch property, Dudley told his father and Pat objected. When a payment was missed, Garrett used the opportunity to break the lease. Especially when he learned that the money supposedly spent on Brazel’s operation had actually been paid for by his neighbor W.W. Cox. The Garretts also had a problem with Archie Rhode who was Brazel’s partner in the huge goat flock.

Supposedly Jim Miller met with Garrett to try to solve the problem. Miller also met with Brazel who agreed to cancel the lease with Garrett provided he could find a buyer for his herd of goats which he calculated at 1200 heads. Carl Adamson who was related to Miller by marriage agreed to buy the 1200 goats. Everything seemed like it would have been resolved until Brazel claimed to have had miscounted his goat herd claiming that there were actually close to 2,000. Adamson refused to buy that many goats but agreed to meet with Garrett and Brazil to see if they could reach an agreement. A report says Garrett and Adamson Rode together heading from Las Cruces on Adamson’s wagon on February 29th 1908.

Brazel appeared along the way on horseback. Reportedly the wagon stopped and Garrett hopped down to urinate. That is when he was shot in the back of the head and assassinated. Brazel and Adamson left the body and fled to Las Cruces were Brazel surrendered to deputy sheriff of Philippe Lucero, where he claimed Brazil bursted in and said
“Lock me up I have just killed Pat Garrett!”
While pointing at Adamson Brazel said he saw the whole thing and knows I shot him in self-defense!”
Brazil’s murder trial concluded on May 4th 1909 where he was acquitted quickly. The only eyewitness to Garrett’s murder Carl adamson, never appeared at the trial and was never questioned. Investigations have concluded that there was foul play and this was no self-defense killing. Four other suspects have been proposed: Adamson, Cox, Rhode and Miller.

At the site of Garrett’s death is a historical marker south of US highway 70, between Las Cruces and the San Augustine pass. The marker is located about one point two miles from where Garrett was murdered in 1940 his son Jarvis Garrett marked the spot with a monument consisting of a concrete laid around a stone with a cross carved in the concrete is P. Garrett and the date of his killing. At one point the city of Las Cruces planned a development that would destroy the site and an organization called “Friends of Pat Garrett” stepped up and formed to ensure that the City preserves the site and the marker.

Pat Garrett’s body was too tall for any finished coffins available. An extra long oblong box was constructed and delivered from El Paso. His funeral service was held on March 5th 1908 and Pat Garrett was laid to rest next to his daughter Ida who had died in 1896 at the age of 15. Garrett’s grave and the grave of his descendants are at the Masonic cemetery in Las Cruces.

P. DONAN, Correspondents of the Globe Democrat shares his thoughts and an interview with and about Garrett from Lamy NM on July 29, 1881
“Patsey Garrett, the slayer of the Kid. His name is in everybody’s mouth. The papers are full of his exploits and his praises. The very children in the streets stop and look with a curious and admiring stare. I met him yesterday in Santa Fe , and not a more mild looking, gentler-spoken fellow I never saw. He is about 6 feet 5 inches tall, and of almost willowy slenderness, with the slight tendency to a sloop in his position that is natural to one of his build. His complexion is naturally fair and suntanned to a ruddy brown. His eyes are grayish brown and keen as an eagles, and his hair and slight mustache are of a light brown tint scarcely deeper than golden. His voice is as SOFT As A WOMAN’S, and he rarely uses it to talk of himself. He spoke very kindly of the Kid, and having occasion, in reply to a question, to allude to the exploit which that has made him famous, simply remarked  “He was taken the night of the 14th of this month.”
“I asked him if the Kid had really killed as many men as the papers report, from nineteen to twenty-six.
“NO” he answered, in a musical, feminine voice, “he only killed eleven that I know of.”
“I thought one for every two years of his life was nearly enough.”