Question About How Garrett Killed BTK

Quetzecoatl · Newbie

Question About How Garrett Killed BTK

Webmaster · Senior Member

We discussed a similar topic on the Billy vs. Brushy forum, click on the link to view that thread.

Although I can't back it up with "real" evidence and it's just my own speculation, I believe Billy the Kid was ambushed by Pat Garrett and that it wasn’t just “coincidence.” I believe Pete Maxwell tipped Garrett off and that Garrett knew the moment he left for Fort Sumner that he was going to ambush and kill Billy the Kid. Billy made Garrett look bad for escaping and killed two of his deputies, so it was now personal. Why else would Garrett take only two men with him and not a posse? The least amount of men that knew what he was going to do, the better.

There's no doubt in my mind, the events that happened that night aren't as Garrett said. I believe Billy was ambushed in the dark and most likely unarmed. In my opinion Pat Garrett had a guilty conscience that haunted him till his dying day about killing Billy the Kid, it just showed in his attitude and the way he spoke of Billy. Not exactly the kind of attitude by someone that shot in “self-defense” and “had no choice.” There’s definitely more to the story.

Can Chaser Kate · Veteran Member

Bily Was Ambushed; Shot in the Dark by Pat Garrett, and Killed by a Shot to the Heart.

robert1953 · Veteran Member

Folks, as I write this, I’m hiding behind a big rock, so sticks and stones won't hurt me. I just strikes me that Pat Garrett gets some very bad press on this and other "Billy" sites. Now please excuse my ignorance, but from what I have read over the years, it would seem that there were not too many "fair fights" when two protagonists lined up at opposite ends of the street and faced each other down till one of them "slapped leather", in fact from what I understand, most duels took place at short range, given the accuracy, or lack of, the weapons at the time. I would think that to survive to a ripe old age in those days, a certain amount of skullduggery would be de rigueur. I would suspect that Billy was indeed ambushed, but I do not think that this was an unusual occurrence. Were Bell & Ollinger not also ambushed? Surely this was the norm rather than the exception, witness the OK Corral as an example.

Can Chaser Kate · Veteran Member

Here is what I know, Marcell is Correct at the Happenings of Billy's Passing.

Billy was Ambushed, NOT shot in the Back of the Head, Nor anything else, he was Unarmed, shot face to face.

A Bullet to the Heart Killed Billy.

Pat was not a Bad Man, just Guilty of being Paid by a Large Government that ran Everything in NM at the time.

See, Billy knew "Too Much" of what was going on, and was ready to Name Names, so that put Local Officials in a Bad Light, and they felt it was their Duty to get rid of Billy as they saw things.

Billy was Not going to see a "Girlfriend" that night, but was going to see his Wife, Abrana Garcia, and his Son, Patrocinio, to say Goodbye to them and walk out of thier Lives Forever (Even though Abrana would have followed him with thier Son), as she knew All of the Places he Frequented. When Billy asked "Quien Es? Quien Es?" he was Expecting an Answer from Abrana, Not from Pat or anyone else.

Abrana had left her Room (Where Billy was Killed), and had gone elsewhere Momentarily, and I think to look for Billy at the Kitchen to help Prepare him a Meal, as she knew his Schedule and his Every Like and Dislike.

They would have moved from NM and started over elsewhere by Different Names, disappearing into History.

See, Gunfights and Face to Face Duels were Not Common in that day, and were in fact, Rare.

Bell and Olinger Were Ambushed, but Billy did what he had to to attempt to get himself Pardoned, and to do what he had to, to survive.

I believe that Bell and Olinger got what they Deserved.

Especially Olinger. He was a Bad Apple from the Git go!

Webmaster · Senior Member

That's a valid point Robert. Those days weren't like the movies where someone get's "called out" and they meet in the middle of the street for a "draw." There was a lot more ambushing over fair fights. Garrett may have done what he felt had to be done, and it was probably the only way to take Billy out, but to ambush him in the dark and probably unarmed is pretty shady, even for those days, which is why Garrett met with so much criticism. I know you're not justifying what Garrett did and I see what you're saying, but Garrett's actions still don't sit well with me.

robert1953 · Veteran Member

Thank's for that, our views are not too far apart I think, this is the first time I have heard of a wife and child in Fort Sumner that night, most sites I have visited on the net say that he was visiting a girlfriend, possibly Pete Maxwell's sister. This is what makes sites like this, the ability to surprise, now I will have to track another tangent over stoney ground, who knows where I may end up !!

robert1953 · Veteran Member

Marcelle, again, not too much difference in our opinions regarding the Kids demise and the perpetrator thereof, it just strikes me that Garret had his own life to protect, he had a wife, did he have kids at the time? You know what I mean, I suppose jobs with reasonable pay were few and far between, it's not as if he made a carrear of law enforcement after the Billy saga, or was the suspition of foul play enough to disbar him from that type of employment, I would seem that the "Western Lawman" of the time, in a lot of cases, kept one foot on each side of the very law he was supposed to be upholding. Earp, Behan, the Doc too, to an extent, the pages of the west are littered with examples. Anyway, I not that it is 3.55 in LA & 4.55 in El Paso, it is the witching hour here, i'm off up the wooden hill to bedfordshire, sleep with one eye open and your backs to the fire.

robert1953 · Veteran Member

quote:

Originally posted by: Can Chaser Kate
Billy was Not going to see a "Girlfriend" that night, but was going to see his Wife, Abrana Garcia, and his Son, Patrocinio, to say Goodbye to them and walk out of thier Lives Forever (Even though Abrana would have followed him with thier Son), as she knew All of the Places he Frequented. When Billy asked "Quien Es? Quien Es?" he was Expecting an Answer from Abrana, Not from Pat or anyone else. Abrana had left her Room (Where Billy was Killed), and had gone elsewhere Momentarily, and I think to look for Billy at the Kitchen to help Prepare him a Meal, as she knew his Schedule and his Every Like and Dislike. They would have moved from NM and started over elsewhere by Different Names, disappearing into History.

Well folks, I followed the trail till it went cold, case not proven either way i'm afraid. I was very interested in the decendants of Abrana's webpage, very interesting, the photographs alone were worth the search. If it's not out of place to say so, I think Billy had a keen eye for beauty, Abrana herself is easy on the eye, to say the least! No journey of discovery should be considered wasted, no beach without the grains of sand, no?

I just remembered something today that I have not thought of in many years, at school we were taught that "Billy the Kid" had killed a man for each of his 21 years and that "no blade of grass would grow on his grave" this was passed off as fact!!!Nowaday's I have to wonder how many blades of grass actualy grow around Fort Sumner.

Cyberworld, for all it's faults, at least gives us a relativley cheap investigative tool, and increasingly it would seem that for every piece of misinformation on the net, there is at least the occasional nugget of truth to be gleaned

Can Chaser Kate · Veteran Member

It seems Robert, just as Billy, that you also have a Fine Eye for Beauty, and Abrana was indeed Beautiful. Billy Loved her with ALL of his Heart. I get the Feeling, just from my Visit to NM, that he still does. I doubt that would Ever Change.

I just returned from NM and Ft. Sumner. It seems that the Graves of Billy, Tom, and Charlie are Covered by Concrete, so as to keep the Bodies from being Stolen. Also, there is a Cage around the Grave and a Cage around Billy's Stone to keep these from being Stolen by Trophy Hunters; and rightly so.

There is Much Grass around Ft. Sumner, but just not too much in the Graveyard Area. I took Many Photos of this to Prove such a thing that I say is true.

THE KID · Newbie

Post removed -Marcelle, Webmistress

-- Edited by Webmaster at 17:12, 2004-07-23

texas_outlaw · Veteran Member

I agree that Pat Garrett has gotten some bad press. *hides*

His whole life he was ostracized and pretty much got the raw end of the deal. He was killed while urinating, and shot in the back on Feb. 28, 1908.

But I agree the way he ambushed Billy was totally wrong.