Pat Garrett: The Story of a Western Lawman

by Leon Claire Metz

In the history of the Southwest, Pat Garrett stood tall, both physically and in legend. He was more than just a famous western sheriff, more than the slayer of the legendary Billy the Kid. While on occasion his gun was for hire, and while he was sometimes known to protect special interests-particularly those of the cattle barons-more often than not Pat Garrett combined in his six-foot five-inch frame the good, honest, and honorable qualities that went to make up the lawman of the Old West. Garrett is, of course, immortal for his successful efforts to end the career of the Kid, but, as the author amply demonstrates, Garrett's career by no means ended on that hot evening in July, 1881, in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Within days Garrett had established a reputation as an implacable foe of western criminals, a reputation that was to follow (and sometimes haunt) him for the rest of his life. He was an important figure in the frontier politics of Texas and New Mexico, and he rubbed shoulders with the great and the near great of the region. Through the story of Patrick Floyd Jarvis Garrett the panorama of the Southwest unfolds: its dreams, its courage, its explorations, its mistakes, its violence, its conquests, and ultimately its emergence as a settled society. No other character in southwestern history is more closely identified with the land and the people of America's last frontier.

Genres: Local History

336 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1983

Reviews

[Jeffrey Keeten · Rating 4 out of 5]

”Disregarded in times of peace, in times of violence he was the man on horseback. With the reputation of a loner, he never allowed politics or friendship to interfere with a job. When the bloodletting was over and the dangers past, voters discouraged any thoughts he had about re-election. Their memories were long and untroubled by gratitude. Regardless of how good his intentions, he had antagonized too many businessmen, politicians, and ordinary citizens in bringing about the tranquillity that everyone desired.”



As I read that paragraph, I thought about Gary Cooper in High Noon, who quickly discovered the lack of loyalty the citizens of his town had for his years of service when he needed them to stand by him. After the blood was shed to tame a town, people tended to want someone more palatable, more politically adaptable, more congenial...maybe even a church going man.

Pat Garrett was none of those things.

When he put on a badge, he was beholden to no man, not even the men who gave him the position. He was a man of honor when he wore a badge, but that wasn’t to say that he wasn’t a flawed man. He sometimes gambled too much. He sometimes drank too much. He sometimes impoverished his family and couldn’t pay his bills. There is no evidence, despite his constant need for money, that he ever compromised his integrity while wearing a badge. This was unusual in a territorial age of bipartisan politics, graft and corruption, and the scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours old boy’s club of the territories.

Garrett was made famous and cursed in equal measure when he hunted down and killed Billy the Kid. The governor of New Mexico territory at the time, interestingly enough, was Lew Wallace, the writer of Ben Hur. He refused to pay the $500 bounty on bringing The Kid to justice. When the people of the territory learned of this, they sent money to Garrett. In the end, through these generous donations he received more than double the amount of the reward money. I think this says a lot about how the people of New Mexico felt about Billy the Kid and the appreciation they felt for the man who was, as it turned out, the judge, jury, and executioner of this dangerous criminal. The legend of Billy the Kid that inspired so much sympathy in later generations was not the view of his contemporaries. The criminal, over time, became much more famous than the man who brought him to justice. The growing legend of Billy the Kid obscured the truth of both men.

Garrett was a large man, over six foot five inches tall, in a time when the average height of men was about a foot shorter. He would have been an imposing sight to any criminal he was coming to arrest. Even though he was frequently put away into mothballs, he was periodically brought back to handle situations that were proving to be beyond the capabilities of normal law enforcement.

In 1908, just outside of Las Cruces, New Mexico, he was shot while taking a leak. He was shot in the back of the head just like Wild Bill Hickok, who was murdered while playing poker, and Jesse James, who was assassinated while dusting a picture hanging over the mantle of his home. The man who shot Garrett, just like Jack McCall and Bob Ford, lacked the sand to brace him face to face. Still, even Old West etiquette would dictate that you let a man put his pecker away before you drop a load in his brain pan. There was a trial, there was an acquittal, and there has been endless speculation ever since. Leon C. Metz performed a fabulous bit of research sifting through the sixty-five year old evidence. He makes a great case for who must have shot Garrett.

So if you want to meet Garrett, the real Garrett, this is the book that puts him in his proper place in a pantheon of great Western figures.

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[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well researched and well written biography of the complex, iconic lawman, customs collector, gambler, and horse breeder of the American Southwest!

[Keith B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well researched story of Pat Garrett and a good factual cover of the Lincoln County war and Billy the Kid's Life. It was nice to revisit this book as we walked some of the same land the story takes place in when we lived in El Paso. Even got to visit the the temporary court house where Billy the Kid was sentenced to hang.