by Shelly Barclay

Created on: October 13, 2009

Pat Garrett is the legendary sheriff of the Wild West that was presumably responsible for the death of the infamous outlaw, Billy the Kid. There is a lot of controversy regarding whether or not Garrett truly was responsible and if he was, if his killing the outlaw was an act of cowardice. Nonetheless, this is what Pat Garrett is best known for and it is highly likely that he did indeed kill Billy the Kid. Much of the derision regarding the death of Billy the Kid may have stemmed from the fact that the lanky lawman was known to have a surly demeanor and a sarcastic sense of humor. He was also known as a drunk, a gambler and a man who often embellished, if not outright lied.

Patrick Floyd Jarvis Garrett was born in Chambers County, Alabama, on June 5, 1850. His parents were John Lumpkin Garrett and Elizabeth Ann Jarvis. He had seven siblings. In 1853 the Garrett family acquired a plantation in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana. The family moved there when Pat was three years old and he spent the rest of his childhood there.

In 1867 Pat Garrett's mother died, followed by his father the next year. The estate of Pat's deceased father was handled by his brother-in-law. The house and land were sold and there was nothing left to keep Pat and his siblings. So, Pat Garrett left Louisiana for Texas on January 25, 1869. He was eighteen years old.

He found a job in Texas as a cowpuncher and a buffalo herder, among other things. By 1877 he was working as a buffalo hunter with a young man named John Briscoe. One day, when the men were in camp, John got angry at Pat and chased him with an ax. Pat attempted to avoid the man, but was forced to shoot him when he realized that John meant to kill him. By all accounts, Pat was remorseful. He turned himself over to authorities and was not charged with murder as the act was seen as self-defence.

The next year, Pat Garrett moved to Fort Sumner. There he began working for a man named Pete Maxwell. He also met William H. Bonney there. William H. Bonney is one of the several aliases used by Billy the Kid. It is known that the two men were acquaintances, but there is debate over whether they were friends or not and if they were, how close they were. Not long after they met, Billy and his gang became some of the most notorious men in the Wild West.

In 1880 Pat Garrett moved to Roswell, New Mexico and ran for sheriff there. He was twenty-nine years old. That same year he married his wife, Apolinaria, with whom he would have nine children. He became

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>