Pat Garrett Old West America bailiff, bartender and customs agent Date of Birth: 05.06.1850 Country: USA

Biography of Pat Garrett

Patrick "Pat" Floyd Garrett, known as the American frontier lawman, bartender, and customs agent, was born on June 5, 1850, in Cusseta, Alabama. He grew up on a prosperous plantation near Haynesville, Louisiana. In 1869, he left home and became a cowboy in Dallas County, Texas, before working as a buffalo hunter from 1875 onwards.

In 1878, Garrett shot and killed his hunting partner during a dispute, which led him to move to New Mexico. He worked as a cowboy again before opening his own saloon. He was known as "Juan Largo" or "Long John" due to his considerable height. In 1879, Garrett married Juanita Gutierrez, who unfortunately passed away shortly after their marriage. In 1880, he remarried Juanita's sister, Apolinaria, and together they had nine children.

On November 7, 1880, George Kimbell, the sheriff of Lincoln County, resigned, and Garrett, who was already a prominent figure as a Democrat and a man skilled with firearms, took his place as a member of the Republican Party. He promised to restore law and order in the county. As sheriff, Garrett tracked down and arrested his friend Henry McCarthy, also known as Henry Antrim or William Harrison Bonney, and most famously as Billy the Kid.

During a shootout on December 19, 1880, Garrett killed one of McCarthy's gang members, Tom O'Folliard, and on December 23, he killed Charlie Bowdre, capturing Billy the Kid and his gang. The prisoners were taken to Mesilla for trial, but Billy managed to escape on April 28, 1881, after killing two guards. Garrett visited Billy's friends in Fort Sumner on July 14, 1881, and discovered that he was staying with Pete Maxwell, a mutual friend.

Late at night, Garrett approached Maxwell's house, where Billy woke up hungry and walked into his friend's bedroom. In the darkness, he did not recognize Garrett and asked, "Who is it?" twice before Garrett answered with gunshots. The first bullet hit above Billy's heart, and the second missed. Henry McCarthy was killed. However, historians have debated the events that took place in the bedroom. Some suggest that if Garrett had killed McCarthy without warning, it would have tarnished his reputation as a lawman. Garrett claimed that Billy the Kid entered the room armed with a pistol, although no weapon was found at the scene. Some claim that Billy may have wielded a kitchen knife. Regardless, there is no direct evidence that the outlaw and the sheriff were ever friends.

Later, Garrett became a rancher and released a book about his adventures with McCarthy, which was written by his friend Ash Upson in 1882. However, he failed to be reelected as sheriff and lost the $500 reward for killing Billy the Kid instead of capturing him alive. In 1882, he lost the election for sheriff in Grant County, New Mexico, and in 1884, he failed to secure a seat in the New Mexico state senate.

In his later years, Pat Garrett retired to his ranch in New Mexico but faced financial troubles. He accumulated large debts, failed to pay taxes, and was legally responsible for an unpaid loan taken jointly with his friend. Garrett fell into another debt, which led him to drink excessively and gamble. His paths constantly crossed with Oliver M. Lee and corrupt lawyer Albert Fall, who always escaped punishment and engaged in illegal land deals, intimidating local farmers and citizens.

Garrett owed money to Oliver's relative, W. W. Cox, who worked on a deal where a quarter of Garrett's horse ranch on the San Andres mountains would become grazing land for Cox's partner, Jesse Wayne Brazel. Initially, Pat agreed to the terms, but when he learned that Brazel planned to graze goats, he feared it would devalue his land in the eyes of potential buyers and other tenants.

Garrett and a man named Carl Adamson, who was involved in the land purchase negotiations, were traveling in Adamson's carriage from Las Cruces when Brazel appeared on horseback. It is believed that a heated argument between Garrett and Brazel regarding goat grazing ensued, and Garrett leaned down to pick up a double-barreled shotgun from the carriage. At that moment, Brazel shot him once in the head and then again in the stomach, causing Garrett to fall off the carriage. Carl and Brazel left the body on the side of the road and hurried to report the incident. During the trial, Jesse Brazel claimed self-defense, stating that Pat was armed and threatened him with the shotgun. Adamson corroborated his statement. The jury returned with a verdict of not guilty in less than half an hour, and Cox celebrated with a barbecue.

For the mature Pat Garrett, there was no ready-made coffin, so he had to wait for a special burial crate from El Paso. The funeral service took place on March 5, 1908. Patrick was buried next to his daughter Ida, who passed away eight years earlier.