Reviews for Pat Garrett: The Story of a Western Lawman

The average rating for Pat Garrett: The Story of a Western Lawman based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-12-20 00:00:00 Heather Hall "Disregarded in times of peace, in times of violence he was the man on horseback. With the reputation of a loner, he never allowed politics or friendship to interfere with a job. When the bloodletting was over and the dangers past, voters discouraged any thoughts he had about re-election. Their memories were long and untroubled by gratitude. Regardless of how good his intentions, he had antagonized too many businessmen, politicians, and ordinary citizens in bringing about the tranquillity that everyone desired." As I read that paragraph, I thought about Gary Cooper in High Noon, who quickly discovered the lack of loyalty the citizens of his town had for his years of service when he needed them to stand by him. After the blood was shed to tame a town, people tended to want someone more palatable, more politically adaptable, more congenial...maybe even a church going man. Pat Garrett was none of those things. When he put on a badge, he was beholden to no man, not even the men who gave him the position. He was a man of honor when he wore a badge, but that wasn't to say that he wasn't a flawed man. He sometimes gambled too much. He sometimes drank too much. He sometimes impoverished his family and couldn't pay his bills. There is no evidence, despite his constant need for money, that he ever compromised his integrity while wearing a badge. This was unusual in a territorial age of bipartisan politics, graft and corruption, and the scratch my back and I'll scratch yours old boy's club of the territories. Garrett was made famous and cursed in equal measure when he hunted down and killed Billy the Kid. The governor of New Mexico territory at the time, interestingly enough, was Lew Wallace, the writer of Ben Hur. He refused to pay the $500 bounty on bringing The Kid to justice. When the people of the territory learned of this, they sent money to Garrett. In the end, through these generous donations he received more than double the amount of the reward money. I think this says a lot about how the people of New Mexico felt about Billy the Kid and the appreciation they felt for the man who was, as it turned out, the judge, jury, and executioner of this dangerous criminal. The legend of Billy the Kid that inspired so much sympathy in later generations was not the view of his contemporaries. The criminal, over time, became much more famous than the man who brought him to justice. The growing legend of Billy the Kid obscured the truth of both men. Garrett was a large man, over six foot five inches tall, in a time when the average height of men was about a foot shorter. He would have been an imposing sight to any criminal he was coming to arrest. Even though he was frequently put away into mothballs, he was periodically brought back to handle situations that were proving to be beyond the capabilities of normal law enforcement. In 1908, just outside of Las Cruces, New Mexico, he was shot while taking a leak. He was shot in the back of the head just like Wild Bill Hickok, who was murdered while playing poker, and Jesse James, who was assassinated while dusting a picture hanging over the mantle of his home. The man who shot Garrett, just like Jack McCall and Bob Ford, lacked the sand to brace him face to face. Still, even Old West etiquette would dictate that you let a man put his pecker away before you drop a load in his brain pan. There was a trial, there was an acquittal, and there has been endless speculation ever since. Leon C. Metz performed a fabulous bit of research sifting through the sixty-five year old evidence. He makes a great case for who must have shot Garrett. So if you want to meet Garrett, the real Garrett, this is the book that puts him in his proper place in a pantheon of great Western figures. If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit I also have a Facebook blogger page at:

Review # 2 was written on 2013-08-21 00:00:00 Jillian Page A well researched story of Pat Garrett and a good factual cover of the Lincoln County war and Billy the Kid's Life. It was nice to revisit this book as we walked some of the same land the story takes place in when we lived in El Paso. Even got to visit the the temporary court house where Billy the Kid was sentenced to hang.