Special Agent Wild

Azariah Faxon Wilde was born in 1835 in West Fairlee, Vermont, as the third of six children to Azariah Wilde Sr. and Lucy Eudoxia Badger. At his birth, his mother was 23 years old, and his father was 40. Azariah Faxon Wilde entered into marriage with Eliza Fredericka “Freda” Gottschalck, with whom he fathered eight children. By 1870, the family had omitted the “e” from their surname and resided in Police Jury Ward 1, St. Bernard, Louisiana, eventually settling in New Orleans by 1910.
Wilde registered for military service in 1861, enlisting in the Union’s 8th Vermont Army Infantry in November of that year and mustering out on March 15, 1862. He additionally served as Regimental Quartermaster in the Louisiana Native Guards from March 1864 to January 1866.
Mr. Wilde held significant responsibilities in government, particularly with the United States Secret Service, where he made notable contributions to counterfeiting investigations in New Mexico, interacting with historical figures such as Billy the Kid, Billy Wilson, Dave Rudabaugh, Pat Garrett and Jesse James.
Furthermore, he served in the United States Coast Guard. In 1882, Azariah Wilde faced charges of murder and was acquitted after he fired his rifle at a group of boys taking fruit from his tree, resulting in the death of 12-year-old Albert Weeks.
Agent Wilde passed away on June 10, 1920, in New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, at the age of 85, and was interred at Masonic Cemetery number 1 located at 4900 Bienville Ave, New Orleans, 70119.