Facts About Pat Garrett

In some ways, his life is more interesting than that of Billy the Kid.

Pat Garrett grave sitePhoto byCreative Commons: Samat K Jam

The general consensus is Pat Garrett is the man who shot and killed Billy the Kid. Years later, Garrett was shot and killed and the circumstances around his death are still under debate.

I like western history, but don’t know a whole lot about Pat Garrett. I know he was a tall guy, and according to the Young Guns franchise, he and Billy the Kid were allegedly friends. Plus, I understand he’s really tall. So, on to some facts about Pat Garrett.

1: At 6'5", Pat Garrett’s height created some problems after his death. He was too tall for the conventional coffins at that time.

A special coffin had to be shipped in from El Paso. The company that made the coffin gave a jar of salsa as a promotional tool. What’s that? Apparently, that salsa thing wasn’t accurate.

2: Some of Garrett’s life was unaccounted of, but in 1876 he was buffalo hunting in Texas.

He also shot and killed another buffalo hunter, Joe Briscoe, but wasn’t prosecuted. I wonder if he said Briscoe didn’t announce himself, which I believe what in legal terms is now called, “The Dick Cheney Defense.”

3: Juanita Martinez was Garrett’s first wife. She died 15 days after she and Garrett got married.

There is some mystery surrounded her death. Juanita and her family were Catholic, while Garrett was not. They were married by a JP and Jaunita didn’t feel it was legitimate since they weren’t married by a priest. Which means she probably didn’t believe in divorce, which limited her options of getting out of the marriage.

4: Along with Josh Upson, he wrote The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid.

For years it was the definitive source for information about Billy the Kid. However, the book did not prove to be a financial success. Wow, Pat Garrett, starving artist.

5: Garrett was a member for the Texas Rangers for less than a month.

After that, he went back to Roswell, New Mexico. Apparently, the allure of chasing UFOs was too much for him.

6: Garrett invested in various irrigation projects, but none proved profitable.

I guess, at least for Garrett, those investments dried up.

7: Norman Newman was the last man to be killed by Pat Garrett in the line of duty.

Actually, Garrett was one of a number of lawmen involved in the shootout which resulted in the death of Newman. Newman was wanted for murder in Greer County, Oklahoma but the shootout occurred on the San Augustin Ranch in New Mexico. So. it was “Good-bye, Newman.”

8: Teddy Roosevelt nominated Garrett to the position of collector of customs in El Paso. He was subsequently confirmed by the Senate.

During his tenure at that position, Garrett was played by charges of incompetence. Finally, in 1905 Garrett was invited to a reunion of the Rough Riders, even though Garrett wasn’t part of regiment. Garrett took a guest with him. The guest was Tom Powers, who Garrett presented as a prominent Texas cattleman. It was later revealed to Roosevelt that Powers was actually the owner of the Coney Island Saloon, a notorious dive bar. When Roosevelt was informed of that, he dumped Garrett. The moral of the story? Your and one matters.

9: Garrett was plagued by financial problems in his later years.

After being canned by Roosevelt, Garrett was in line for job of superintendent of the territorial prison at Santa Fe. However, that job dried up when it was discovered he was living with a woman reputed to be an El Paso prostitute. I wonder if he met her in the Coney Island Saloon?

10: The identity of Pat Garrett’s killer remains a mystery. It seems he was shot in the head while relieving himself.

It seems like he died with his boots on. And wet.

11: Part of Garrett’s financial problems probably came from the fact he was a gambler and a drinker.

I’m guessing that drinking doesn’t make you a better gambler.