Jesse Wayne Brazel
Encyclopedia
Jesse Wayne Brazel, or Wayne Brazel (1876-1915?) was a ranch
hand in the closing years of the Old West, best known for killing former lawman Pat Garrett
in 1908, who had killed Billy The Kid
many years before.
Brazel had met Garrett and Carl Adamson on a road near Las Cruces, New Mexico
on February 29, 1908. The two had been involved in disputes prior, due to a disagreement over Brazel's use of land he leased from Garrett. An argument between Brazel and Garrett resulted in Brazel producing a handgun and shooting Garrett as Garrett was alleged to have reached for a shotgun
under his seat on a wagon. This version of what happened was supported by Adamson. The dispute had started over Brazel having leased land from Garrett, then grazed goat
s on it against Garrett's wishes. Adamson and Brazel went to the authorities, where Brazel confessed to the crime. However, since that day it has came under constant scrutiny.
Born December 31, 1876 in Greenwood City, Kansas
and killer for hire Jim Miller
, which led to conspiracy theories. An alleged meeting attended by several businessmen and outlaws who disliked Garrett was held some time in 1907 at the St. Regis Hotel in El Paso, Texas
. In attendance were Oliver M. Lee
, Bill McNew, Carl Adamson, W.W. Cox, Brazel, and Jim Miller. It has been alleged that at that meeting, a plan to kill Garrett was set. However, the exact details of that meeting are not known beyond a doubt.
Garrett had been involved in numerous verbal disputes and business disputes with other landowners over watering rights, and in his later years his disposition made him a very disliked man. He had been involved in a gunbattle with Lee and another man while working the Albert Jennings Fountain
disappearance case, resulting in one of Garrett's deputies being killed, and the eventual arrest but no conviction of Lee. He was deeply indebt, had a gambling
problem, and was temperamental. In the years following his killing of Billy The Kid, the events surrounding how he committed that killing came into question, and many believed that instead of being praised for the killing, he had committed cold blooded murder by ambush
ing the Kid. Therefore, he was no longer viewed as a dangerous man, but rather an opportunist who sought glory
and benefits from that exploit.
W.W. Cox was said to have offered to fund the killing. Miller was to be the man who carried it out. Oliver Lee is alleged to have came up with the plan to have Brazel lease land from Garrett, then graze goats on it, knowing that Garrett would react violently to this. This, given Garrett's history, would ultimately lead to a confrontation where self defense could be claimed. Miller was to receive $1,500 for the killing, a rate that was usual for him, as he was known at that time with confirmation to have killed at least seven men in hired killings.
Miller was alleged to have laid in wait for the wagon carrying Adamson and Garrett, with Adamson stopping in a predecided location, at which time Miller simply walked out and shot him, then returned to Fort Worth, Texas
. Brazel, with no prior history whatsoever, could easily claim self defense against Garrett, who had killed at least four men in his lifetime, and Garrett was known to have always carried the sawed-off shotgun under his seat.
However, it was later pointed out by Historian
Leon Metz that simply because Brazel's story as to how he killed Garrett coincides with the above account, it does not mean he was lying about killing Garrett, or how it happened. Garrett was a very hot-tempered man, plain and simple. He was angry with Brazel over the grazing of the goats, and he was prone to violent outbursts and reactions. Miller was not even known to have been in New Mexico
at that time, and is believed to have been in Oklahoma
.
Another theory was that Adamson was involved in the conspiracy so that he might be able to obtain Garrett's land as a staging area for his illegal smuggling operations, in which he brought Chinese
men in to work in the garment and mining
industries, and Chinese women in to work as prostitutes. He was arrested shortly after the killing of Garrett for human smuggling, but there is no proof that he was connected in any way with a preconceived murder plot, short of his presence at the above mentioned meeting.
a couple of years after the killing. When his wife died in 1913, he sold his property and disappeared from public record. It is unknown where he moved to following selling his property, and his exact date of death is unknown, but believed, through mainly word of mouth, to have been around 1915.
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
hand in the closing years of the Old West, best known for killing former lawman Pat Garrett
Pat Garrett
Patrick Floyd "Pat" Garrett was an American Old West lawman, bartender, and customs agent who was best known for killing Billy the Kid...
in 1908, who had killed Billy The Kid
Billy the Kid
William H. Bonney William H. Bonney William H. Bonney (born William Henry McCarty, Jr. est. November 23, 1859 – c. July 14, 1881, better known as Billy the Kid but also known as Henry Antrim, was a 19th-century American gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War and became a frontier...
many years before.
Brazel had met Garrett and Carl Adamson on a road near Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
on February 29, 1908. The two had been involved in disputes prior, due to a disagreement over Brazel's use of land he leased from Garrett. An argument between Brazel and Garrett resulted in Brazel producing a handgun and shooting Garrett as Garrett was alleged to have reached for a shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
under his seat on a wagon. This version of what happened was supported by Adamson. The dispute had started over Brazel having leased land from Garrett, then grazed goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s on it against Garrett's wishes. Adamson and Brazel went to the authorities, where Brazel confessed to the crime. However, since that day it has came under constant scrutiny.
Born December 31, 1876 in Greenwood City, Kansas
Alleged conspiracy
Many have speculated that it was difficult to believe that Brazel, who was good natured and who had no prior criminal history, could commit murder. Adamson was a cousin to outlawOutlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
and killer for hire Jim Miller
Jim Miller (outlaw)
James Brown Miller , also known as "Killin' Jim", "Killer Miller" and "Deacon Jim", was an American outlaw and assassin of the American Old West credited with 12 kills during gunfights - perhaps the most of his era.. Miller was referred to by the alias Deacon Jim by some because he regularly...
, which led to conspiracy theories. An alleged meeting attended by several businessmen and outlaws who disliked Garrett was held some time in 1907 at the St. Regis Hotel in El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
. In attendance were Oliver M. Lee
Oliver M. Lee
Oliver Milton Lee, commonly known as Oliver Lee was a part time deputy U.S. marshal, rancher, and gunman. Lee was born in Texas and died in Alamogordo, New Mexico, where a state park has been named in his memory....
, Bill McNew, Carl Adamson, W.W. Cox, Brazel, and Jim Miller. It has been alleged that at that meeting, a plan to kill Garrett was set. However, the exact details of that meeting are not known beyond a doubt.
Garrett had been involved in numerous verbal disputes and business disputes with other landowners over watering rights, and in his later years his disposition made him a very disliked man. He had been involved in a gunbattle with Lee and another man while working the Albert Jennings Fountain
Albert Jennings Fountain
Albert Jennings Fountain was a lawyer, Indian fighter, and Republican politician in Texas and New Mexico.-Biography:...
disappearance case, resulting in one of Garrett's deputies being killed, and the eventual arrest but no conviction of Lee. He was deeply indebt, had a gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
problem, and was temperamental. In the years following his killing of Billy The Kid, the events surrounding how he committed that killing came into question, and many believed that instead of being praised for the killing, he had committed cold blooded murder by ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
ing the Kid. Therefore, he was no longer viewed as a dangerous man, but rather an opportunist who sought glory
Recognition (sociology)
Recognition in sociology is public acknowledgement of person's status or merits .When some person is recognized, he or she is accorded some special status, such as a name, title, or classification...
and benefits from that exploit.
W.W. Cox was said to have offered to fund the killing. Miller was to be the man who carried it out. Oliver Lee is alleged to have came up with the plan to have Brazel lease land from Garrett, then graze goats on it, knowing that Garrett would react violently to this. This, given Garrett's history, would ultimately lead to a confrontation where self defense could be claimed. Miller was to receive $1,500 for the killing, a rate that was usual for him, as he was known at that time with confirmation to have killed at least seven men in hired killings.
Miller was alleged to have laid in wait for the wagon carrying Adamson and Garrett, with Adamson stopping in a predecided location, at which time Miller simply walked out and shot him, then returned to Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
. Brazel, with no prior history whatsoever, could easily claim self defense against Garrett, who had killed at least four men in his lifetime, and Garrett was known to have always carried the sawed-off shotgun under his seat.
However, it was later pointed out by Historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
Leon Metz that simply because Brazel's story as to how he killed Garrett coincides with the above account, it does not mean he was lying about killing Garrett, or how it happened. Garrett was a very hot-tempered man, plain and simple. He was angry with Brazel over the grazing of the goats, and he was prone to violent outbursts and reactions. Miller was not even known to have been in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
at that time, and is believed to have been in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
Another theory was that Adamson was involved in the conspiracy so that he might be able to obtain Garrett's land as a staging area for his illegal smuggling operations, in which he brought Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
men in to work in the garment and mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
industries, and Chinese women in to work as prostitutes. He was arrested shortly after the killing of Garrett for human smuggling, but there is no proof that he was connected in any way with a preconceived murder plot, short of his presence at the above mentioned meeting.
Later life
Brazel married and acquired a small ranch just west of Lordsburg, New MexicoLordsburg, New Mexico
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 3,379 people, 1,220 households, and 854 families residing in the city. The population density was 403.1 people per square mile . There were 1,414 housing units at an average density of 168.7 per square mile...
a couple of years after the killing. When his wife died in 1913, he sold his property and disappeared from public record. It is unknown where he moved to following selling his property, and his exact date of death is unknown, but believed, through mainly word of mouth, to have been around 1915.
Known Relatives
Jesse Wayne Brazel was the Uncle of William "Mac" Brazel of the Roswell UFO incident fame. William "Mac" Brazel allegedly found strange debris on his ranch some 70 mile North/West of Roswell NM. in early July, 1947 sparking the so-called "Roswell Incident" in which believers claim a flying saucer crashed on the ranch Brazel was foreman of and that the government subsequently covered it up.Further reading
- Roswell Web Magazine - the Web Magazine that Showcases Roswell & New Mexico at www.roswellwebmagazine.com