May 2, 2013

Cowboys and Lawmen Blog Tour - Pat Garrett

Welcome to the Cowboys and Lawmen Blog Hop.  Nearly 50 authors are talking about bad-boy cowboys and sexy sheriffs. There is a $100 gift card (winner's choice of Barnes and Noble or Amazon) up for grabs, as well as individual prizes from each author.  Leave a comment on my post, with your email address and you'll be eligible for a copy of SALVATION BRIDE, my own 'cowboy and lawmen' story, as well as the $100 gift card.

Cowboys are known as bad-boys, but what happens when the bad-boy is also the law in town? What is it about these contradictions that make small town sheriffs, Texas Rangers and ex-outlaws-turned-lawmen so irresistible? Whether you write or love to read about the Wild West or modern day Montana, what do you love most about lawmen who are also cowboys? And what makes them so gosh-darn sexy?


Cowboy Charm Blog Hops now has a companion FaceBook Group. If you'd like to join to receive blog hop and prize announcements here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/453991144693516/

But that’s not all, as you enjoy some awesome blogs and find fantastic books, for every post you comment on with your email address, you will be entered for some amazing prizes.

***PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO QUALIFY***
Grand Prize: At least a $100 Gift Card for Amazon or Barnes and Noble, your choice. The winner will be chosen at random from comments containing email addresses, and will be announced on May 7. This is open to both US and international readers.


Click HERE for a list of all the authors.


Pat Garrett: Folk Hero and Murder Victim

On July 14, 1881 Pat Garrett shot and killed famed outlaw Billy-the-Kid. He became an instant celebrity, but his reputation as a drunk, gambler and debtor eventually overshadowed his claim to fame, climaxing with Garrett’s own death by murder.

Pat Garrett

Following the killing of William Bonney, Garrett wrote a book that helped to spread the folk-hero story many know today. However, over the three decades after the killing, Garrett’s life was a series of failed business ventures, gambling debts and numerous embarrassing moments.

In 1898, he somehow managed to acquire a 160 acre ranch in Doña Ana County, New Mexico. In 1902, he mortgaged the land to Las Cruces, NM businessman Martin Lohman. Eventually, Lohman tired of carrying the unpaid mortgaged and he sold it to W.W. Cox, who owned a ranch adjacent to Garrett’s. Cox neither wanted nor needed the land, so he never called in the mortgage and did actually help Garrett several times to avoid foreclosure on the land and seizure of his cattle. Garrett lived on the homestead, even though he had technically given up the right by not paying the mortgage.

The events leading to Garrett’s death started innocently enough in 1907, when Garrett’s son Dudley leased part of the property to Jesse Wayne Brazel. In reality, Dudley didn’t have the right to lease any property, because it was owned by Cox who held the lien. Cox, however, didn’t protest the lease, and, in fact, helped financed Brazel’s goat herd. The lease and goat herd, however, infuriated Garrett, who still thought of the land as his own.

Pat Garrett and wife, Apolinaria Gutierrez Garrett

In January 1908, Garrett was presented with a proposition that would pay off his mortgage and get him back on his feet financially. James B. Miller, a former Texas Ranger, now a cattleman an hired assassin (who by the way, didn’t smoke, drink or cheat on his wife), offered Garrett $3,000 to 1) sell part of his land to Miller, who would then fatten his newly bought cattle before driving them to Oklahoma and 2) have Garrett drive the cattle to Oklahoma.

There was, however, one small problem to this financial windfall: Brazel and his goats.

A February 1908 meeting between Garrett, Miller and Brazel settled the problem when Miller agreed to buy the 1,200 goats for $3.50 a head. A few weeks later, however, Brazel informed the duo that he had miss-counted. He had 1,800 goats and Miller would need to buy them all or the deal was off.

Miller didn’t want any goats, let alone an extra 600, but he agreed to a second meeting to see if things could be worked out to seal the deal.

On February 29th, Garrett and Miller’s brother-in-law headed out from the ranch to Las Cruces and the meeting. Somewhere along the road, Brazil met up with them and rode along side their wagon on horseback. Words were exchanged and later testimony would declare that Garrett was very enraged by the current situation and cussed at Brazil, as well as threatening to get him and his goats off the land.

Shortly, Garrett pulled the wagon to the side of the road, got out, walked to the back of the wagon and proceeded to urinate. With his back to Brazel, a glove in his shooting hand and his fly open, Garrett was shot in the back of the head, dead before he hit the ground. For good measure, he was then shot in the shoulder.

Brazil rushed into town and confessed the shooting to the sheriff, claiming he shot in ‘self-defense.’ Miller’s brother-in-law backed up Brazil’s claim.

On April 19, 1909, Brazil was tried for murdering Garrett. After fifteen minutes of deliberations, the jury found him not guilty. As author Dale M. Walker puts it in THE CALAMITY PAPERS, the jury “divined that shooting a man in the head and back, a man who was urinating with his back turned to his assailant, was ‘self-defense.’”

There have been many speculations as to why Garrett was killed, including one claiming Cox had him murdered for the mortgaged land. This makes no sense, however, as Cox already owned the land due to the lien and could have foreclosed on the property at any time during the previous decade. The most likely scenario, however, is what actually happened. “The two men argued bitterly, and when Garrett turned his back, Brazel took the safe way out and shot him. It was simply a case of hate and fear erupting into murder along a lonely New Mexico back road,” Leon Metz relayed in an interview in with Dale Walker.

Pat Garrett was buried in the Odd Fellow Cemetery in Las Cruces on March 5, 1908.

I found this story on Pat Garrett’s death interesting, because I lived in Las Cruces, NM and most likely travelled the road on which he was murdered. However, I don’t recall my family visiting Garrett’s grave or me being aware of the story during my time living there. ~AKL

Resource: THE CALAMITY PAPERS: Western Myths and Cold Cases by Dale L. Walker

Further reading: 




This post first appeared on Sweethearts of the West blog on 10/8/10.



Blurb:

The hot dusty town of Salvation, Texas has more than its share of secrets in 1873 when Laura Ashton's stage rolls into town. Sheriff David Slade has no idea what baggage his mail-order bride is bringing into his life. Throw in the nightmares from his Civil War days and he's got more than courting to contend with. Laura's a woman ahead of her time, a woman trained in medicine. And she's got a will that could move mountains. Unfortunately, the only mountains in Salvation are in Sheriff Slade's memory. Can the determined doctor heal his pain, or will the dark secret in her past turn up to steal his Salvation Bride?

Learn more at:



***PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO QUALIFY***
Grand Prize: At least a $100 Gift Card for Amazon or Barnes and Noble, your choice. The winner will be chosen at random from comments containing email addresses, and will be announced on May 7. This is open to both US and international readers.

My prize: eBook copy of SALVATION BRIDE.

Whether you write or love to read about the Wild West or modern day Montana, what do you love most about lawmen who are also cowboys? And what makes them so gosh-darn sexy?


27 comments:

J.D. Faver said...

Sending a big Yee-Haw from south east Texas. Yes, those Stetson topped cowboys roam Texas, from the miles and miles of miles to the big cities like Dallas and Houston. Cowboys? We got 'em. Thanks for sharing the great excerpt and very interesting information on Pat Garrett. All your books are fabulous :-)
*hugs*
JD

Anonymous said...

Great historical anecdote.

Cowboys = attitude + Wranglers. The best combination ;)

oncerfan@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Loved the story about Garrett.
charraddon(at)pobox.com

Lyn Horner said...

I never before knew how Garrett died. Very interesting article!

Anna Kathryn Lanier said...

Hi, J.D., oncefran, Charlene and Lyn. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to visit the other Cowboys and Lawmen bloggers.

I didn't much about Garrett either, until I read that chapter on him...sort of sad that he died the way he did, pretty much murdered.

Angela Drake said...

Cowboys and lawmen new how to treat a lady and how to protect them. A woman could bring out their soft side as well as the fightin' side. Blessings!

AngelaDrake(at)webname(dot)com

Karen Michelle Nutt said...

Anna,

I enjoyed the tidbit of history. Interesting. I knew Garrett had killed Billy the Kid, but I didn't know what had happened to Garrett after that.

Your book sounds good. :)

kmnbooks at yahoo dot come

Anna Kathryn Lanier said...

Hi, Angela and Karen. So glad you stopped by. I agree, Angela, cowboys (at least ours) know how to treat a lady! Karen, I too didn't know about Pat Garrett's life until I read about him in The Calamity Papers...good resource book for the Western historical writer.

bn100 said...

Interesting info

bn100candg at hotmail dot com

JeanMP said...

That as so interesting, I never knew how Pat Garrett died. Thanks for that great info.

skpetal at hotmail dot com

Jan Hougland said...

This is a little Deja vu for me, Anna. I lived in Las Cruces, NM until 2nd grade...and went back as a young adult to attend NMSU. I love the land and its history. My favorite eating place was La Posta in the Old Mesilla part of Las Cruces, which had photos on its walls about Billy the Kid. Sonora style enchiladas (yum)! I read western romances and watch western movies all the time. I can't wait to read one of your books! jdh2690@gmail.com

Anna Kathryn Lanier said...

Janice, I actually graduated from Las Cruces High School. My mother was the original manager of the Village Inn Pancake House. So, I am familiar with Old Mesilla, too. I lived in LC from 1976-1980.

Mary Preston said...

It does seem like a contraction, but I think that who better to know how to handle unruly cowboys and other miscreants, but a man who knows the life?

marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Sarah J. McNeal said...

I didn't know that Garrett was murdered until I read your post. His life seems so wasted. What happened to Cox who actually owned the land? Great article.

Sarah J. McNeal said...

Forgot my email addy: starcriter@yahoo.com

Tamara Hoffa said...

Their sense of honor
sugerlady@aol.com

Sherry said...

Very interesting post about Garrett. I would hate to thing about anyone getting shot in the back while using the urinating.
sstrode at scrtc dot com

Anonymous said...

I found the info about Garrett's life fascinating. I wonder what possessed the jury to say self defense. What did the killer have on one of the jurors?

My email louise567@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

Very interesting post. Did not know the story behind his death. Yep, doesn't make sense for Cox to have been involved

Thanks for sharing,

~~Emmly Jane
ej (at) emmly jane (dot) com

CBarton said...

I also liked the story about Garrett and would like to know what happened to Cox. I wonder if any of his family still owns the land now a days.

cmucha319(at)yahoo(dot)com

CBarton said...

I also liked the story about Garrett and would like to know what happened to Cox. I wonder if any of his family still owns the land now a days.

cmucha319(at)yahoo(dot)com

Anna Kathryn Lanier said...

Hi, everybody. Sorry I haven't stopped back in to thank everyone for stopping by. It's been a busy weekend.

I really don't know what happened to Cox. I'd have to look it up.

Good luck in the drawing.

Shadow said...

Nice post! Very interesting! I love the old photos! Your book sounds fantastic! Thank for sharing and being apart of this awesome hop!
shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

JOYE said...

I love the fact that they always are on the side of justice and get their man.
JWIsley at aol dot com

JackieW said...

Cowboy lawmen are always sexy guys with a tough job to do but never seem to fail to get the bad guys. Love em.
JFWisherd(at)aol(dot)com

Anna Kathryn Lanier said...

Congratulations Marie Lisk!!! Your comment on Tara Manderino's blog was chosen as the winner for the $100 Amazon/Barnes and Noble Gift Card!

Anonymous said...

Does anyone out there have any photos of Pat Garrett as a young man before he became famous for shooting Billy the kid?