Page 112 - 4092-BOOK1-FLIPBOOK

LOT 95
Framed Letter from Pat Garrett to His Wife - The letter is on Maple & Co. Real Estate letterhead and is dated August 2nd, 1907, less than a year before Garrett was killed. By this period, Garrett
has been fired
from his position
as customs
collector in El Paso
(see Lot 89) and
was struggling
financially but had
found work at H.M.
Maple & Co. in El
Paso. In the letter,
Garrett writes, “My
dear sweet wife, I
wrote to you from
Las Cruces this
morning almost
bout a load of
grain, hay, and
some few groceries
such as I thought
you would need.
Also you will find in
the load one sack
of wheat for the
chickens. I wanted
to go from Cruces
this morning to the
ranch to see you,
but was compelled
to return to El Paso
as Mr. Maple will
go to Mexico this
evening. He will be
back in about a week then I will go and
see my little wife and babies or may be
I will write you to come to Las Cruces.
You, Pauline, Oscar and Jarvis and I will
meet you there and we will come to El
Paso for a few days. I expect to have
some money by that time and you can
come here and get some things you
need. I am on the right track to make
some money and we will be all right in
a short time. I never wanted to see you
and tell you all about how I am doing
and getting along so much in my life, believe me to be your true and Devoted Husband. [signed] P.F. Garrett” A transcription of the letter with a few errors is at the bottom portion of the 12 by 22 inch frame.
CONDITION: Very good with minor age related wear on the letter and mild wear on the frame, including three mounting holes.
Provenance: The Ruidoso River Museum Collection.
Estimate: 1,500 - 2,500
110
LOT 96
Framed Letter Signed by Peter Maxwell of Fort Sumner, New Mexico, Friend of Billy the Kid and Witness to His Death - This is a very rare letter signed by Peter Maxwell on June 1, 1884. The letter itself deals with the selling of wool. Maxwell was the son
of western land baron Lucien Maxwell. At his home in Fort Sumner, he managed his family’s ranch and was associated with Billy the Kid who hid out there after being sentenced to hang for his part in the Lincoln County War and killing to lawmen during his escape. The Kid may have been in a relationship with Maxwell’s sister Paulita. Lincoln County Sheriff Pat Garrett came to his home searching for the outlaw and was in the Peter Maxwell’s room when Billy the Kid entered after midnight on July 14, 1881. Aside from Garrett himself, Maxwell was the only witness. The young outlaw had
a knife and a revolver, and asked who was there in
Spanish before Garrett shot twice from close range,
one shot fatally hitting the outlaw near his heart. He
was soon dead. Given the bounty, his past killings of lawmen, and the fact that he was armed, Garrett’s shooting of Billy the Kid
was quickly deemed justifiable homicide. The news spread like wildfire across the region and then the nation. Thus, Maxwell’s name appeared in the papers around the country in late July 1881 in the reports of the end of the “career” of Billy the Kid. The document is secured in 21 1/2 by 15 3/4 inch frame and measures 5 by 7 3/4 inches.
CONDITION: Very good with distinct signature and writing, minor wear at the edges, round spots from mounting adhesive, and some scrapes and a pair of screw holes in the frame.
Provenance: The Thomas Minckler Collection of Western Americana; The Ruidoso River Museum Collection.
Estimate: 1,500 - 2,500
LOT 97
Framed 1881 Dated Lincoln County Sheriff, New Mexico Territory, Warrant and U.S. District Court Subpoena Documents Relating to Sheriff Pat Garrett’s Career the Same Year He Killed the Notorious Outlaw Billy the Kid - The two documents are set within 16 1/2 by 20 3/4 inch frames. The first
is a warrant from
the Lincoln County
Sheriff’s office for the arrest of Joshua Hubert dated August 30, 1881. Hubert was indicted for “Buying, Receiving and Driving Away Stolen Property.”The note within the frame indicates the back of the document reads:“not found, Pat F. Garrett, Sheriff”and notes fees for mileage and return of $6.75. The second document is a U.S. District Court subpoena for Juan Jose Duran and Isadorio Baca commanding them to appear before the court for the case of Cleto Encina. The subpoena is dated August 29, 1881. The note within the frame indicates the back of the document reads: “I hereby certify that the within named witness was not found, Pat F. Garrett, Sheriff, by J.S. Lea, Deputy.”These documents are from the month following Garrett’s killing of Billy the Kid. See the other document lots as well as Lot 89 and Lot 90 for more information.
CONDITION: Both documents are very good with minor age and storage related wear, circular spots from the mounting adhesive, and mild wear on the frames, including screw mounting holes.
Provenance: The Thomas Minckler Collection of Western Americana; The Ruidoso River Museum Collection.
Estimate: 1,500 - 2,500