This historic Colt Model 1877 Thunderer Revolver was presented to legendary lawman Patrick F. Garrett c. 1902 "from his El Paso friends" after he was appointed United States Collector of Customs by President Theodore Roosevelt. By that period, Pat Garrett had made a name for himself as a lawman in the American West and had become a living legend for tracking down and killing the notorious outlaw Bill the Kid in the summer of 1881. See the description for the historic gold badge presented to Garrett by A.J. Fountain in 1881 in Lot 90 for more details on the death of Billy the Kid, and also see the lots featuring documents signed by or directly relating to Garrett, including a photograph in Lot 91 of Garrett in El Paso in 1902. Like many well-known gunfighters, his fame came with a heavy price as there were plenty of men who wanted him dead. Ultimately, Garrett both lived and died by the gun and was killed in the desert on February 29, 1908. This historic revolver is engraved in classic American scroll engraving with beaded backgrounds and wavy line and dot accents and features a gold plated/washed finish overall. The 4 ½ inch rounded barrel is stamped with the two-line address "COLTS PT F.A. MFG. Co/HARTFORD, CT. U.S.A." on top and "COLT. D.A. 41" on the left side in an oval panel. The matching serial number "138671" is marked on the frame, trigger guard and back strap. The three-line, three patent dates marking is on the left side of the frame. The back strap is inscribed: "PAT F. GARRETT" followed by "FROM HIS/EL PASO FRIENDS". The unusual solid German silver grips are inscribed "CUSTOMS/COLLECTOR" on the right and "Lincoln", "Dona Ana", and "El Paso" with scroll accents on the left. The fine balance of weight and proportion of the revolver is readily apparent as it must have been to Pat Garrett when he first held it over 120 years ago. He may have recalled that it was a Colt Model 1877 Lightning that had been used by his former foe, Billy the Kid two decades earlier. The factory letter indicates the revolver was one of three Model 1877 Thunderer's with 4 1/2 inch barrels, "soft" finish, and the stocks not listed when shipped to M. Hartley Company in New York City on October 29, 1902, and the remarks state: "The word 'soft' which appears with the finish indicates that subject revolver was shipped without finial finish for engraving outside our factory." The revolvers may have shipped with either standard grips or without grips given many of the “soft” revolvers sent to the major New York dealer were fitted with deluxe grips of varying types. One of the most important pieces of historical documentation regarding the revolver is a previously published affidavit made on April 23, 1933, by Ed Warren, an employee of the Coney Island Saloon in El Paso (not included). He stated: "Two separate times, Mr. Garrett came into the Coney Island and left guns for Mr. Powers [owner of the saloon] to display in his collection. The first time, about 1906, Mr. Garrett brought in two guns; these guns were a gold plated .41 Colt and a .44 Winchester rifle. I have examined the guns in the Powers estate and can attest, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they are the ones bearing the numbers 138671 on the Colt and 47629 on the Winchester….The golden Colt .41 was given to Mr. Garrett by some friends of the Customs House in 1902. This fact is attested to by the fact that Mr. Garrett said this on numerous visits. These facts are known by many people now living and can be substantiated." Warren made this affidavit during a lawsuit brought by Pauline Garrett against the estate of Tom Powers by which she reclaimed the Colt Model 1873 revolver used to kill Billy the Kid. The gun collection inventory in the probate records for Power’s estate also lists number 138671 as follows: "Colt D.A. 41 gilt pistol -I.D. No. 138671. This gun was given to Pat Garrett by Customs workers. Got from Garrett in 1906." The gun later became part of the Robert McNellis Collection and then the Dr. Richard C. Marohn Collection and has since changed hands a couple more times. This historic revolver has naturally attracted a lot of attention over the years and has been featured in several publications. It is illustrated and discussed in the chapter "Pat Garrett: The Man Who Shot Billy the Kid" by Robert E. NcNellis in the book "Guns and the Gunfighters" from the editors "Guns and Ammo." It is also featured in Leon C. Metz's book "Pat Garrett: The Story of a Western Lawman" on pages 262 and 263. The revolver is held by Pat Garrett’s son Jarvis on the latter of these pages. The revolver is also illustrated on page 315 of "Firearms of the American West, 1866-1894" by Garavaglia and Worman, and more recently, the revolver was featured in the January 2017 issue of the NRA's "America's 1st Freedom" in the article "Pat Garrett's Thunderer" and noted as loaned to the NRA by Arnold Duke and on display in the NRA’s galleries in Springfield, Missouri. The “LOAN/to/NRA” tag accompanies the revolver. After killing Billy the Kid, Garrett established a ranch near Roswell and then worked as a deputy sheriff and then sheriff in Dona Ana County in 1896-1902. As sheriff, he was famously tasked with solving the case of the disappearance of his old friend A.J. Fountain and Fountain's 8-year-old son Henry, but their bodies were never found and no one ultimately was convicted of a crime. In 1899, Garrett killed Norman Newman in a gunfight at the San Augustin Ranch during an attempted arrest of Norman for another murder, and Newman is often remembered as the last man killed by Garrett. That shootout was certainly not Garrett’s final fight. The year this revolver was shipped, 1902, Pat Garrett was serving as the collector of customs at El Paso, Texas. In 1901, he had been appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt. A telegram from Garrett to his wife in Lot 92 is dated December 15, 1901, and states, "Dont worry just left the president am collector of Elpaso. P F Garrett." The president had an affinity with the West and its tough lawmen and had himself briefly been a deputy sheriff in the the Dakota Territory in the 1880s as well as police commissioner in New York City. In addition to Garrett, Bat Masterson and Ben Daniels were also given controversial presidential appointments, and the three men became known as the White House Gunfighters. Daniels had previously served with Roosevelt in the Rough Riders and was given an appointment as a U.S. Marshal but soon resigned after his past conduct came under scrutiny. Garrett too was a troublesome appointee. He was known for his temper, and, less than a year and a half into his term, Garrett got into a fist fight with employee George Gaither. Other complaints were also sent back to Washington in attempts to get Garrett removed from office. Instead, Roosevelt stood by Garrett and invited him to attend the Rough Riders reunion in 1905 in San Antonio. Along with Garrett came his friend Tom Powers who for a time had this revolver in his collection. When Roosevelt was informed that Powers was not a cattleman as Garrett had told him but instead the owner of the notorious Coney Island Saloon, Roosevelt fired Garrett at the beginning of 1906. Garrett returned to ranching in New Mexico but struggled with debts and went into default. Further problems awaited. Dudley Poe Garrett, one of Garrett’s sons, had signed a five-year lease with Jesse Wayne Brazel for the Bear Canyon Ranch, but Brazel brought in goats to their horror. Cattlemen and goat and sheep herders had been at war in the West frequently. Garrett worked to help his son break the lease, but Brazel continued to make the situation complicated, including offering to agree to cancel the lease if the goats could be sold but then increasing the number of goats needing to be sold after a Carl Adamson had already agreed to purchase the original 1,200. Garrett and Adamson headed together from Las Cruces to meet with Brazel to figure out a solution. Garrett never made it to the ranch. The two men were reportedly met by Brazel on horseback during their journey by wagon together, and Garrett was shot and killed. "The Carlsbad Current and New Mexico Sun" on March 6, 1908, ran the headline "Pat Garrett Killed Dies with His Boots On" with sub-headlines: "Slayer of Bill the Kid Himself Slain as Result of Quarrel With Ranchman Near Las Cruces." and "Terror of Outlaws in Old Days in Lincoln County Killed in a Dispute Over Goats." The paper and others reported that Garret was shot and killed by Brazel in self-defense after Garrett picked up a shotgun and threatened him and then pointed his revolver at Adamson demanding to be taken to Las Cruces to make a statement. Brazel surrendered himself to Deputy Sheriff Felipe Lucero who later indicated Brazel confessed to shooting Garrett in self-defense and Adamson corroborated his account. Garrett was laid to rest alongside his daughter Ida in Las Cruces, but exactly how, why, and by whom he was killed remains a matter of debate even with Brazel's statements and the official coroner’s report stating that Brazel shot and killed Garrett. Brazel was acquitted at trial after being represented by Albert Fall. Both the judge and prosecuting attorney in the case were Fall's allies. Many believe Brazel and Adamson had lied about what really happened. Adamson was a shady character involved in trafficking Chinese prostitutes and was the brother-in-law of outlaw "Killer Miller" leading to claims that Miller had actually been hired to kill Garrett by old adversaries. Fall's old friends Oliver Lee and Bill McNew were also suspected, perhaps in revenge for Garrett's attempt to get McNew convicted for the disappearance and presumed murders of A.J. Fountain and his son Henry back in 1896. Provenance: Pat Garrett; The Pauline Garrett Collection; The Jarvis Garrett Collection; The Robert McNellis Collection; The Dr. Richard C. Marohn Collection; The John Fielder Collection; The Ruidoso River Museum Collection

Fine. The engraving remains crisp. Approximately 40% gold of the period gold wash remains with smooth gray patina on the balance. The grips are very fine with some traces of gold, mild wear, including some scratches and a few small casting flaws. Mechanically fine. This is an incredibly well-known and highly desirable western gunfighter's revolver: the gilt Colt Model 1877 Thunderer presented to Pat Garrett while Customs Collector in El Paso, Texas, in the early 20th century. As a truly special artifact of the American West, it is among the most desirable of all Colt double action revolvers.