Lincoln County in New Mexico was the scene in 1877-1881 of a violent conflict between cattle ranchers and merchants in which the outlaw and gunman Billy the Kid was a prominent participant. Pat Garrett (left) was elected sheriff of Lincoln County in 1880 and charged with tracking down and arresting the Kid, which he succeeded in doing after a shootout. Billy escaped from custody and in 1882 was shot and killed by Garrett in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Poe (right), who had been Garrett’s deputy, succeeded him as sheriff in 1882 and Brent in turn was elected to the post in 1885.
