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. Leon C. Metz, Archivist
in the University of Texas Library at EI Paso, has exhaustively
researched this definitive biography of Garrett and has traveled
far and wide to interview Garrett's family and friends-the people
who knew him well. He has laid to rest many of the rumors and
speculations surrounding Garrett's life and death, as well as those
of his most famous victim. He has discovered many rare and
previously unpublished photographs of Garrett and his associates,
all included in this book. Undoubtedly the definitive biography of
the man who killed Billy the Kid, this thorough and well-written
analysis deals effectively with almost every question that has been
raised about the controversial life and death of Pat Garrett....The
author presents much of the fascinating political, economic, and
social history of southeastern New Mexico and western Texas that is
necessary to a proper understanding of the man....An exciting
biography and highly recommended to the 'gunfighter crowd' and
general readers everywhere." - Library Journal. "Metz has been
diligent in seeking and judging source material, and he describes
and evaluates varying interpretations of controversial events such
as the killing of Billy the Kid, the search for the killers of
Albert Fountain, and the killing of Garrett himself in 1908....Well
written, excellent illustrations...Recommended for all libraries
and for general reading."- Choice. "Metz...reveals a talent for
characterization worthy of a novelist. This well-documented
biography is a valuable addition to the record of southwestern
history. It catches the flesh-and-blood Garrett just in time;
before he and the Kid recede forever into the mists of western
legend." -The American West.
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