Two Too Tall Riders From Roswell: The Gangly-Angle Version

 April 30, 2025

   The more things change, the more they remain the same. I did a small scratchboard for my very first Billy the Kid book back in 1992 illustrating Pat Garrett's three man posse that successfully went after the Kid in July of 1881.

Daily Scratchboard Whip Out:

"The Midnight Men" 

   I had Robert Ray get me the original scan, but when I looked at it this morning, I thought I could improve on it, so I printed it out and then painted over it, like this:

Daily Revised Whip Out:

"The Midnight Men Revisited"

   One of the reasons I wanted another go at it is because in that trio was deputy John Poe, who was six foot tall and sheriff Pat Garrett who was six-four, and, according to the Kip McKinney family, deputy McKinney stood six foot six! So, that must have looked bizarre out on the trail with two giraffe-necked lawmen loping along towards Old Fort Sumner. So, I wanted to try and capture some of that gangly-angle. Not sure I succeeded but it sure was fun!

   And, of course, I did this earlier version of the Garrett posse staying off the main trails on their way to meet Manuel Brazil (who never showed):

The Roswell Posse at Taiban Arroyo

   Somewhere in all this is a narrative worth telling in the magazine and on the walls of the Scottsdale Museum of Art and at the Fort Sumner Graveyard Museum.

   Meanwhile Dan The Man created this new BozeCard and it is already one of my favorites.

"We the jury unanimously find that William Bonney came to his death from a bullet wound in the left breast near the region of the heart fired by a pistol in the hand of Pat F. Garrett and our judgement is that the action of said Garrett was justifiable homicide and we are united in opinion that the gratitude of all the community is due to said Garrett for his action and who is worthy of being compensated."

—the coroner's jury in Fort Sumner who were ordered to hold an inquest by Garrett himself and he obviously dictated the wording of their findings.

Deluvina In Her Prime

"You piss pot. You son of a bitch!"

—Deluvina Maxwell, to Pat Garrett after the killing, undermining the "gratitude of all the community" part of the inquest findings