[Partially Printed Document Signed]: Pat F. Garrett, August 17th, 1881

• Title: [Partially Printed Document Signed]
  
• Author: Pat F. Garrett
• Date: August 17th, 1881
• Condition: Excellent 
• Inches: 7 x 8 7/8 [Image]
• Centimeters: 17.78 x 22.54 [Image]
• Product ID: 308466

This partially printed document is an official legal paper from the Territory of New Mexico, dated August 17, 1881, related to the arrest of an individual named H. H. Harvey (Christian name unknown) in Lincoln County. The primary document is an arrest warrant, commanding the sheriff to apprehend Harvey and bring him before the District Court to answer charges for "permitting gaming," a violation of territorial law at the time.

The warrant is signed by George R. Bowman, Clerk, and references Judge Warren Bristol, a prominent judicial figure in New Mexico during this era. The handwritten notations on the reverse side are by Sheriff Pat F. Garrett, the well-known lawman famous for killing Billy the Kid. Garrett certifies that he has arrested H. H. Harvey and currently holds him in custody. The note also records a $1.00 fee for serving the warrant and lists the writ and bail amount as $100.

This is a extremely rare example of legal and law enforcement procedures in the American Southwest during the late 19th century and is particularly notable for bearing the signature of Pat Garrett, a legendary figure of the Old West.

Recto (Printed Arrest Warrant)

-THE TERRITORY OF NEW MEXICO-

To the Sheriff of Lincoln County Greeting: You are hereby commanded to arrest and take the body of H. H. Harvey (Christian name unknown) and him safely keep, so that you have his body before the District Court within and for the County of Lincoln at the next Term thereof to be begun and held at the Court House in said County, on the Fourth Monday of _______ A.D. 188__, then and there to answer unto an Information for Permitting Gaming, and this do you under the penalty of the law.

WITNESS the Hon. WARREN BRISTOL, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Territory of New Mexico, and Judge of the Third Judicial District Court thereof, and the seal of said Court this 17th day of August A.D. 1881. Signed by George R. Bowman (Clerk).

Verso (Signed Pat F. Garrett)

I certify that I have arrested the within named H. H. Harvey and have him now in custody. Pat F. Garrett (Sheriff).

Fees

Serving warrant $1.00

Right side:

374

Writ

Bail $100

Background on Pat F. Garrett

Pat Garrett (June 5, 1850 – February 29, 1908) was a prominent American lawman best known for killing the notorious outlaw Billy the Kid. Born in Chambers County, Alabama, and raised in Louisiana, Garrett left home as a teenager and headed to Texas, where he worked as a cowboy and buffalo hunter. He eventually settled in Lincoln County, New Mexico, marrying and starting a family. In 1880, Garrett was elected sheriff of Lincoln County and quickly set out to capture Billy the Kid, ultimately shooting and killing him in July 1881 after the outlaw had escaped from jail.

Following his famous encounter with Billy the Kid, Garrett continued his career in law enforcement and ranching, serving as sheriff in various New Mexico counties and later as a customs collector in El Paso, Texas, a position to which he was appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt. Garrett's later years were marked by financial difficulties and controversy, and he was ultimately shot and killed near Las Cruces, New Mexico, in 1908 under circumstances that remain debated—his killer, Wayne Brazel, claimed self-defense, but suspicions of conspiracy lingered. Garrett’s life and actions have become legendary in the lore of the American West, and he is remembered as one of its most iconic lawmen.