Pat Garrett
Patrick Floyd Garrett was born in Alabama on June 5, 1850 and grew up in Louisiana. At the age of 17 he left home to move west to Texas becoming a cowboy and buffalo hunter. He moved to Lincoln County, New Mexico and got married in 1879.
He is the Western Lawman who killed the escaped murderer Billy The Kid in July 1881.
Thereafter he became a rancher near Roswell, N.M. (1882-96), deputy sheriff and then sheriff of Dona Ana County, N.M. (1896-1902), and collector of customs at El Paso, Texas (1902-06). Pat Garrett then bought a horse ranch, leased it to Wayne Brazel, and later became involved in a heated dispute over the lease.
Pat Garrett was fatally shot on the road from his ranch to Las Cruces. The man who had leased the ranch, Wayne Brazel, alleged that Garrett had drawn a gun on him and that the killing was self-defense. A witness agreed, so Brazel went free.
However a suspicion lingered that Brazel or someone else conspired to execute Pat Garrett, a lawman who had made many enemies during his 58 years of life. Pat Garrett died on February 29, 1908.
He was originally buried in the Odd Fellow Cemetery in Las Cruces. Since this cemetery is no longer maintained, in 1951 his sister had his remains disinterred and moved across the street (along with several other family members) to the Masonic Cemetery. He had been a member of Montezuma Lodge No. 1 in Santa Fe, New
Mexico (as was his son Patrick Jr.).
At the burial site (N 32.30107 W -106.78548) there is a fairly large Garrett family plot. Buried along side Pat Garrett are his wife, four sons, three of his daughters, the wife of one of his sons, and his mother-in-law.
He is the Western Lawman who killed the escaped murderer Billy The Kid in July 1881.
Thereafter he became a rancher near Roswell, N.M. (1882-96), deputy sheriff and then sheriff of Dona Ana County, N.M. (1896-1902), and collector of customs at El Paso, Texas (1902-06). Pat Garrett then bought a horse ranch, leased it to Wayne Brazel, and later became involved in a heated dispute over the lease.
Pat Garrett was fatally shot on the road from his ranch to Las Cruces. The man who had leased the ranch, Wayne Brazel, alleged that Garrett had drawn a gun on him and that the killing was self-defense. A witness agreed, so Brazel went free.
However a suspicion lingered that Brazel or someone else conspired to execute Pat Garrett, a lawman who had made many enemies during his 58 years of life. Pat Garrett died on February 29, 1908.
He was originally buried in the Odd Fellow Cemetery in Las Cruces. Since this cemetery is no longer maintained, in 1951 his sister had his remains disinterred and moved across the street (along with several other family members) to the Masonic Cemetery. He had been a member of Montezuma Lodge No. 1 in Santa Fe, New
Mexico (as was his son Patrick Jr.).At the burial site (N 32.30107 W -106.78548) there is a fairly large Garrett family plot. Buried along side Pat Garrett are his wife, four sons, three of his daughters, the wife of one of his sons, and his mother-in-law.
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I received a very nice email today correcting some errors above:
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Nice web page. Your Garrett section has some small errors. I have a Pat Garrett Newsletter, mainly to do with history of that era, and current history events in Dona Ana County. I can add you to the email list.
"Pat Garrett then bought a horse ranch, leased it to Wayne Brazel, and later became involved in a heated dispute over the lease."
Actually, Pat had two ranches. Pat was a horse breeder, he did not buy horses with either ranch. He had Deeded one ranch to his crippled son Poe. (Polio?) Poe was the one that did the leasing of his ranch to Brazel which caused the trouble. Pat was trying to unravel the problem. He had known Brazel for how many years? He had no reason to fear turning his back on Brazel while pissing. .... But, Brazel was in the Cox camp all those years .... Mrs. Garrett begged and begged Pat not go that day.
Jarvis Garrett guided me to the murder site, see: FRIENDSOFPATGARRETT.COM
Cal Traylor
Las Cruces,
