 Wyatt Earp at about age 21, photo about 1869 | |
| Born: | March 19, 1848 Monmouth, Illinois, U.S.A. |
|---|---|
| Died: | January 13, 1929 (aged 80) Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. |
| Occupation: | Gambler, Lawman, Saloon Keeper, Gold/Copper Miner |
| Years active: | 1865 - 1897 |
| Notable opponents: | William Brocius, Frank McLaury |
| Spouse: | Urilla Sutherland(Wife) Celia Ann Blaylock(Companion) Josephine Sarah Marcus(Wife) |
| Children: | none |
Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848–January 13, 1929) was an American farmer, teamster, sometime buffalo hunter, officer of the law in various Western frontier towns, gambler, saloon-keeper, miner, and boxing referee. Events 1279 - A Mongolian victory in the Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China. Year 1848 ( MDCCCXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap Monmouth is the county seat of Warren County in the US state of Illinois. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 532 - Nika riots in Constantinople. 888 - Odo Count of Paris becomes King of the Franks Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The United States of America —commonly referred to as the William "Curly Bill" Brocius or Brocious (c 1845- March 24, 1882) was an American Old West Outlaw, gunman The Gunfight at the OK Corral was a gunfight that happened at about 3 p Events 1279 - A Mongolian victory in the Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China. Year 1848 ( MDCCCXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap Events 532 - Nika riots in Constantinople. 888 - Odo Count of Paris becomes King of the Franks Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The American bison ( Bison bison) is a Bovine Mammal, also commonly known as the American buffalo. A bar (also called a Pub or Tavern) is a business that serves drinks especially Alcoholic beverages such as beer liquor and mixed drinks for consumption He is best known for his participation in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, along with Doc Holliday, and two of his brothers, Virgil Earp and Morgan Earp. The Gunfight at the OK Corral was a gunfight that happened at about 3 p John Henry "Doc" Holliday ( August 14, 1852 &ndash November 8, 1887) was an American dentist Virgil Walter Earp ( July 18, 1843 &ndash October 19, 1905) was one of the men involved in the Gunfight at the O Morgan Seth Earp ( April 24, 1851 &ndash March 18, 1882) was the younger brother of Wyatt Earp, the famous gunfighter
Wyatt Earp has become an iconic figure in American folk history. He is the major subject of various movies, TV shows, biographies and works of fiction. Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp ( March 19, 1848 &ndash January 13, 1929) was an American farmer Teamster, sometime buffalo
Early life
On July 30, 1840, widower Nicholas Porter Earp wed Virginia Ann Cooksey in Hartford, Kentucky. Legendary Gambler, Gunfighter and lawman Wyatt Earp 's family was rather large and several of his siblings were also well known in their Events 1419 - First Defenestration of Prague. 1502 - Christopher Columbus lands at Guanaja in the Bay Islands off Year 1840 ( MDCCCXL) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Nicholas Porter Earp was born September 6 1813 in Lincoln County North Carolina to Walter and Martha Ann Earp Wyatt Earp was born in Monmouth, Illinois, on March 19, 1848. Monmouth is the county seat of Warren County in the US state of Illinois. Events 1279 - A Mongolian victory in the Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China. Year 1848 ( MDCCCXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap Wyatt Earp had an older half-brother, as well as a half-sister, who died at the age of ten months. Nicholas Earp named Wyatt after his commanding officer during the Mexican-American War, Captain Wyatt Berry Stapp of the Illinois Mounted Volunteers. In March 1850, the Earps left Monmouth for California but settled in Iowa. Their new farm consisted of one-hundred and sixty acres, seven miles northeast of Pella, Iowa. The acre is a unit of Area in a number of different systems including the imperial and U Pella is a city in Marion County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9832 at the 2000 census
On March 4, 1856, Nicholas sold his farm and returned to Monmouth, Illinois, but was unable to find work as a cooper or farmer. Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth Year 1856 ( MDCCCLVI) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Faced with the possibility of not being able to provide for his family, Nicholas chose to become a municipal constable, serving at this post for about three years. A township (or Municipality) is a settlement which has the status and powers of a unit of local government A constable is a person holding a particular office most commonly in law enforcement. Reportedly, he had a second source of income from the selling of alcoholic beverages, which made him the target of the local Temperance movement. See also Prohibition, Teetotalism The Temperance Movement attempted to reduce the amount of Alcohol consumed within a community or society in Subsequently, he was tried in 1859 for bootlegging, convicted and publicly humiliated. Rum-running is the business of Smuggling or transporting of Alcoholic beverages illegally usually to circumvent Taxation or Prohibition. Nicholas was unable to pay his court-imposed fines, and, on November 11, 1859, the Earp family's property was sold at auction. Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Year 1859 ( MDCCCLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Two days later, the Earps left again for Pella, Iowa. Following their move, Nicholas made frequent travels back to Monmouth throughout 1860 to confirm and conclude the sale of his properties and to face several lawsuits for debt and accusations of tax evasion. Tax avoidance is the legal utilization of the Tax regime to one's own advantage in order to reduce the amount of tax that is payable by means that are within the law
During the family's second stay in Pella, the Civil War broke out. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South Newton, James, and Virgil joined the Union Army on November 11, 1861. The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Only thirteen years old, Wyatt was too young but later tried on several occasions to run away and join the army, only to have his father find him and bring him home. While Nicholas was busy recruiting and drilling local companies, Wyatt—with the help of his two younger brothers, Morgan and Warren—was left in charge of tending an eighty-acre crop of corn. After being severely wounded in Fredericktown, Missouri, James returned home in the summer of 1863. Fredericktown is a city in and the County seat of Madison County, Missouri, United States, in the northeastern foothills of the Ozark Mountains Newton and Virgil fought several battles in the east and later returned.
On May 12, 1864, the Earp family joined a wagon train heading to California. Events 1191 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre. Year 1864 ( MDCCCLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Wagon Train is a Television Western Series on NBC from 1957 - 1962 and then on ABC from 1962- The 1931 book Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal by Stuart N. Lake, tells of the Earps' encounter with Indians near Fort Laramie and that Wyatt reportedly took the opportunity at their stop at Fort Bridger to hunt buffalo with Jim Bridger. Wyatt Earp Frontier Marshal (1931 (ISBN 9780671885373 is a book authored by Stuart N Stuart N Lake ( 1889-09-23, Rome New York &ndash 1964-01-27, San Diego California) was a Writer whose material dealt largely with Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States Fort Laramie National Historic Site, located in present-day Goshen County, Wyoming Fort Bridger was a 19th century fur trading outpost established in 1842 on Blacks Fork of the Green River The American bison ( Bison bison) is a Bovine Mammal, also commonly known as the American buffalo. James or Jim Bridger (March 1804 &ndash July 17 1881 was among the foremost mountain men, trappers scouts and guides who explored and trapped the Western Later researchers have suggested that Lake's account of Earp's early life is embellished, since there is little corroborating evidence for many of its stories.
California
By late summer 1865, Wyatt and Virgil found work as drivers for Phineas Banning's Banning Stage Line in California's Imperial Valley. Phineas Banning ( August 19, 1830 &ndash March 8, 1885) was an American businessman, Financier and Entrepreneur The Imperial Valley is a region of southeastern California ( USA) located in part between the Colorado River and the Salton Sea, which This is presumed to be the time Wyatt first drank whiskey; he reportedly felt sick enough to abstain from it for the next two decades. Whisky (uisge-beatha or whiskey (uisce beatha or fuisce) refers to a broad category of Alcoholic beverages that are distilled from fermented
In the spring of 1866, Earp became a teamster, transporting cargo for Chris Taylor. His assigned trail for 1866–1868 was from Wilmington, California, to Prescott, Arizona Territory. Wilmington California is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, with industry as its primary economic activity Prescott ( Yavapai: Wiikwasa Kasikita) is a City in Yavapai County, Arizona, USA. The Territory of Arizona was an Organized territory of the United States that existed between 1863 and 1912 He worked on the route from San Bernardino through Las Vegas, Nevada Territory, to Salt Lake City. Las Vegas ( Spanish: "The Meadows" is the most populous City in the state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally Salt Lake City is the Capital and the most populous city of the U In the spring of 1868, Earp was hired by Charles Chrisman to transport supplies for the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad. This is believed to be the time of his introduction to gambling and boxing; he refereed a fight between John Shanssey and Mike Donovan. Boxing (sometimes also known as English boxing or pugilism) is a Combat sport in which two participants generally of similar weight, John Shanssey ( March 23, 1848 - 1919? was an American boxer, Gambler, saloon owner and Mayor of Yuma Arizona, most known
Lawman
In the spring of 1868, the Earps settled in Lamar, Missouri, where Nicholas became the local constable. Lamar is a city in Barton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4425 at the 2000 census When Nicholas resigned to become justice of the peace on November 17, 1869, Wyatt was appointed constable in place of his father. A Justice of the Peace ( JP) is a Puisne Judicial officer appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace Events 284 - Diocletian is proclaimed emperor by his soldiers Year 1869 ( MDCCCLXIX) is a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year On November 26 and in return for his appointment, Earp filed a bond of $1,000. Events 43 BC - The Second Triumvirate alliance of Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus ("Octavian" later "Caesar Augustus" A surety bond is a Contract among at least three parties The principal - the primary party who will be performing a contractual obligation The obligee His sureties for this bond were his father Nicholas Porter Earp, his paternal uncle Jonathan Douglas Earp (April 28, 1824 - October 20, 1900) and James Maupin. Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title Year 1824 ( MDCCCXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Events 1740 - Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony Year 1900 ( MCM) was an exceptional Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar
On January 10, 1870, in Lamar, Missouri, Earp married his first wife, Urilla Sutherland (1849 - c. Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signaling the start of civil war. Year 1870 ( MDCCCLXX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Lamar is a city in Barton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4425 at the 2000 census 1870), the daughter of William and Permelia Sutherland, formerly of New York City. The City of New York The marriage was short-lived. Urilla is believed to have died either a few months or about a year later. There are two reported versions of her cause of death: one version claims she died of typhus,[1] the other that she died in childbirth. Typhus is any of several similar diseases caused by Louse -borne bacteria Childbirth (also called labour, birth, partus or parturition) is the culmination of a Human Pregnancy or
In August 1870, Wyatt bought a house and land for $50. In November, he resold the house for $75. The later event has been used to estimate the death of Urilla, based on presumption that a widower has less need of permanent residence than a married man expecting children. WIDOW is a full-length Album recorded by British rock band Ritual released in 1983 That November, Earp ran for and won his constable's post, beating his older half-brother, Newton, 137 votes to 108.
On March 14, 1871, Barton County, Missouri, filed a lawsuit against Earp and his sureties. Events 1489 - The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice. Year 1871 ( MDCCCLXXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Barton County is a County located in the US state of Missouri. In law a lawsuit is a civil action brought before a Court in which the party commencing the action the Plaintiff, seeks a legal or equitable remedy He was in charge of collecting license fees for Lamar, with the collected monies intended as funding for local schools; Earp was accused of failing to deliver the collected money. On March 31, James Cromwell filed a lawsuit against Wyatt, alleging he falsified court documents referring to the amount of money Earp had collected from Cromwell to satisfy a judgment. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor To make up the difference between what Earp turned in and Cromwell owed (and claimed he had paid), the court seized Cromwell's mowing machine and sold it for $38. Cromwell's suit claimed Earp owed him $75, the estimated value of the machine. On April 1, Earp was one of three men (along with Edward Kennedy and John Shown) facing accusations for horse theft. Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne On March 28, the accused reportedly stolen two horses, "each of the value of one hundred dollars", from William Keys while in the Indian Country. Events 37 - Roman Emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, entitled to him by the Senate. The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae. The Indian Territory, also known as The Indian Country, The Indian territory or the Indian territories, was land set aside within the United States On April 6, Earp was arrested by Deputy United States Marshal J. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato in the Battle of Thapsus G. Owens for the charges. The arraignment of the charges against him was read to him by Commissioner James Churchill on April 14. Arraignment is a Common law term for the formal reading of a criminal Complaint, in the presence of the Defendant, to inform him/her of the charges Commissioner is a designation that may be used for a variety of official positions especially referring to a high-ranked public (administrative or Police) official or an analogous Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in Bail was set at $500. Traditionally bail is some form of Property deposited or pledged to a Court in order to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding On May 15, the indictment against Earp, Kennedy and Shown was issued. Events 1252 - Pope Innocent IV issues the Papal bull Ad exstirpanda, which authorizes but also limits the In the Common law legal system an indictment (ɪnˈdaɪtmənt (in-DITE-mint is a formal accusation of having committed a criminal offense Anna Shown, wife of John Shown, claimed that Earp and Kennedy got her husband drunk and then threatened his life in order to earn his assistance. However on June 5, Edward Kennedy was acquitted while the case against Earp and John Shown remained. Events 70 - Titus and his Roman Legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem in the Siege of Jerusalem Faced with two lawsuits and a criminal trial, Earp apparently chose to flee the state of Missouri. An arrest warrant was issued. Most often the term warrant refers to a specific type of Authorization; a Writ issued by a competent officer usually a Judge or Magistrate
Both lawsuits and the horse theft case were eventually dropped, in part because of the disappearance of Earp. Researchers do not have enough evidence to conclude whether he was guilty of the criminal charges; however, the acquittal of one of his co-defendants may have been enough to cause the authorities to lose interest.
Reappearance
For years, researchers had no reliable account of Earp's activities or whereabouts between the remainder of 1871 and October 28, 1874, when Earp made his reappearance in Wichita, Kansas. Events 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman Emperor. 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine Year 1874 ( MDCCCLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Wichita (ˈwɪtʃɪtaː is the most populous City in the US state of Kansas, and the county seat of Sedgwick County. It has been suggested that he spent these years hunting buffalo in Kansas (as is reported in the Stuart Lake biography) and wandering throughout the Great Plains. The American bison ( Bison bison) is a Bovine Mammal, also commonly known as the American buffalo. The Great Plains are the broad expanse of Prairie and Steppe which lie east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada
He is generally considered to have first met his close friend Bat Masterson around this period, on the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River. William Barclay "Bat" Masterson ( November 26, 1853 &ndash October 25, 1921) was a figure of the American Old West The Arkansas River is a major Tributary of the Mississippi River. Nevertheless, the discovery of contemporary accounts that place Earp in Peoria, Illinois, and the surrounding area during 1872 have caused researchers to question these claims. Peoria Illinois (named after the Peoria tribe is the largest city on the Illinois River and the County seat of Peoria County, Illinois Earp is listed in the city directory for Peoria during 1872 as living in the house of Jane Haspel, who operated a bagnio (brothel) from that location. For the 2008 film of this name see The Brothel. For the television series of this name see Cathouse The Series. In February 1872, Peoria police raided the Haspel bagnio, arresting four women and three men. The three men were Wyatt Earp, Morgan Earp, and George Randall. Wyatt and the others were charged with "Keeping and being found in a house of ill-fame. " They were later fined twenty dollars plus costs for the criminal infraction. Two additional arrests for Wyatt Earp for the same crime during 1872 in Peoria have also been found. Some researchers have concluded that the Peoria information indicates that Earp was intimately involved in the prostitution trade in the Peoria area throughout 1872. This new information has caused some researchers to question Lake's accounts of Earp hunting buffalo in Kansas in 1871-74.
In Frontier Marshal, Lake also claimed that while in Kansas, Earp met such notable figures as Wild Bill Hickok. James Butler Hickok ( May 27, 1837 &ndash August 2, 1876) better known as Wild Bill Hickok, was a figure in the American Old Lake also identified Earp as the man who arrested gunman Ben Thompson in Ellsworth, Kansas, on August 15, 1873. Ben Thompson, born in Knottingley, Yorkshire, England on November 2, 1843. Ellsworth is a city in Ellsworth County, Kansas, United States. Events 778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed Year 1873 ( MDCCCLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common However, Lake failed to identify his sources for these allegations. Consequently, later researchers have expressed their doubt about Lake's account. Diligent search of the available records has uncovered no evidence that Wyatt Earp was in Ellsworth at the time of Thompson's trouble there. Proponents of Earp's arrest of Thompson, or even Earp's presence in Ellsworth in August of that year, point to unsubstantiated recollections that Earp registered at the Grand Central Hotel there. Research has shown Earp did not check into the hotel that summer.
In particular, the activities of Benjamin Thompson during the year of his arrest were covered in detail by the local press without ever mentioning Earp. Thompson published his own accounts for the events in 1884, and he did not report Earp as the man responsible for his arrest. Deputy Ed Hogue of Ellsworth actually made the arrest, following Billy Thompson accidentally shooting and killing Sheriff Chauncey Whitney, a friend to the Thompson brothers. Billy Thompson, sometimes known as Texas Billy Thompson ( 1845 - September 6, 1897) was an Old West gunman and Gambler Billy Thompson was later acquitted in the case, which resulted in increased violence in Ellsworth against visiting Texas cowboys. In Criminal law, an acquittal is a verdict of not guilty, or some similar end of the proceeding that terminates it with prejudice without a verdict John "Happy Jack" Morco, a corrupt Ellsworth police officer, was a central character in those events. John Morco, usually known as "Happy Jack" Morco (1848? - October 16, 1873) was an alleged gunman by his own accounts as well as a Due to the violence erupting in Ellsworth during that time, had Earp been there, it would have been documented, which it was not.
Wichita
Like Ellsworth, Wichita was a train terminal which was a destination for cattle drives originating in Texas. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Such cattle boomtowns on the frontier were raucous places filled with drunken, armed cowboys celebrating at the end of long drives. Earp officially joined the Wichita marshal's office on April 21, 1875, after the election of Mike Meagher as city marshal (the term causes confusion, since "city marshal" was then a synonym for police chief, a term also in use). Events 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome ( traditional date) Year 1875 ( MDCCCLXXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common One newspaper report exists referring to Earp as "Officer Erp" (sic) prior to his official hiring, making his exact role as an officer during 1874 unclear. He likely served in an unofficial paid role.
Earp received several public acclamations while in Wichita. He recognized and arrested a wanted horse thief (having to fire his weapon in warning but not hurting the man) and later a group of wagon thieves. He had a bit of public embarrassment in early 1876 when a loaded single action revolver dropped out of his holster while he was leaning back on a chair and discharged when the hammer hit the floor. The bullet went through his coat and out through the ceiling. It may be presumed from Earp's discussion of the problem in Lake's biography Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal (published after Wyatt's death) that Wyatt never carried a single-action with six rounds again. In Lake's version, Earp did not admit he had first-hand knowledge of this error.
Earp also had his nerves tested in Wichita in a situation which was not reported by the newspapers but which occurs in the Lake biography and is substantiated in the memoirs of his deputy Jimmy Cairns. Wyatt angered drovers by acting to repossess an unpaid-for piano in a brothel and forcing the drovers to collect the money to keep the instrument in place. Later, a group of nearly fifty armed drovers gathered in Delano, preparing to "hoorah" Wichita across the river. ("Hoorah" was the Old West term for out-of-control drunken partying). Police and citizens in Wichita assembled to oppose the cowboys. Earp stood in the center of the line of defenders on the bridge from Delano to Wichita and held off the mob of armed men, speaking for the town. Eventually, the cowboys turned and withdrew, peace having been kept without a shot fired or a man killed.
Years later Cairns wrote of Earp: "Wyatt Earp was a wonderful officer. He was game to the last ditch and apparently afraid of nothing. The cowmen all respected him and seemed to recognize his superiority and authority at such times as he had to use it. "
In late 1875, the local paper (Wichita Beacon) carried this item:
- "On last Wednesday (December 8), policeman Earp found a stranger lying near the bridge in a drunken stupor. He took him to the 'cooler' and on searching him found in the neighborhood of $500 on his person. He was taken next morning, before his honor, the police judge, paid his fine for his fun like a little man and went on his way rejoicing. He may congratulate himself that his lines, while he was drunk, were cast in such a pleasant place as Wichita as there are but a few other places where that $500 bank roll would have been heard from. The integrity of our police force has never been seriously questioned. "
Wyatt's stint as Wichita deputy came to a sudden end on April 2, 1876, when Earp took too active an interest in the city marshal's election. Events 68 - Galba, Governor of Hispania, names himself legatus senatus populique Romani, breaking the line of Year 1876 ( MDCCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year According to news accounts, former marshal Bill Smith accused Wyatt of wanting to use his office to help hire his brothers as lawmen. Wyatt responded by getting into a fistfight with Smith and beating him. Meagher was forced to fire and arrest Earp for disturbing the peace, the end of a tour of duty which the papers called otherwise "unexceptionable. " When Meagher won the election, the city council was split evenly on re-hiring Earp. With the cattle trade diminishing in Wichita, however, Earp moved on to the next booming cow-town, Dodge City, Kansas. For the 1939 Western movie, see Dodge City (1939 film. Dodge City is a City and County seat of Ford
Dodge City
Dodge City, Kansas became a major terminal for cattle driven from Texas along the Chisholm Trail from Texas after 1875. For the 1939 Western movie, see Dodge City (1939 film. Dodge City is a City and County seat of Ford The Chisholm Trail was a dirt Trail used in the later 19th century to drive cattle overland from ranches in Texas to Kansas Railheads The trail stretched Earp was appointed assistant marshal in Dodge City, under Marshal Larry Deger, in 1876. There is some indication that Earp traveled to Deadwood in the Dakota Territory, during the winter of 1876-77. Deadwood, named for the dead trees found in its Gulch, is a city in and the County seat of Lawrence County, South Dakota, Dakota Territory was the name of an organized territory of the United States that existed from 1861 to 1889 He was not on the police force in Dodge City in the later part of 1877, although he is listed as being on the force in the spring. His presence in Dodge as a private citizen is substantiated by a July notice in the newspaper that he was fined $1. 00 for slapping a muscular prostitute named Frankie Bell, who (according to the papers) ". . . heaped epithets upon the unoffending head of Mr. Earp to such an extent as to provide a slap from the ex-officer. . . " Bell spent the night in jail and was fined $20. 00, while Earp's fine was the legal minimum.
In October 1877, Earp left Dodge City for a short while to gamble throughout Texas. He stopped at Fort Griffin, Texas, where, according to Wyatt's recollection in the Stuart Lake biography, he met a young, card-playing dentist known as Doc Holliday. Fort Griffin was a Cavalry Fort established in the late 1860s in the northern part of West Texas, specifically northwestern Shackelford County John Henry "Doc" Holliday ( August 14, 1852 &ndash November 8, 1887) was an American dentist
Earp returned to Dodge City in 1878 to become the assistant city marshal under Charlie Bassett. Charles Bassett (c1847&ndash1896 was a Lawman and saloon keeper associated with the early days of Dodge City in the American Old West. Holliday moved to Dodge City in June 1878 and saved Earp's life in August. While Earp was trying to break up a bar-room brawl, a cowboy drew a gun and pointed it at Earp's back. Holliday yelled, "Look out, Wyatt", then drew his gun, scaring the cowboy enough to make him back off.
George Hoy shooting
In the summer of 1878, Texas cowboy George Hoy, after an altercation with Wyatt, returned with friends and fired into the Comique variety hall, outside of which stood police officers Wyatt Earp and Jim Masterson. Inside the theater, a great number of . 45 bullets penetrated the plank building easily, sending Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, comedian Eddie Foy and many others instantly to the floor. Eddie Foy Sr (born Edwin Fitzgerald Foy March 9, 1856 in Greenwich Village, New York City died February 16, 1928 Kansas City Missouri Masterson, Foy, and the National Police Gazette later all gave accounts of the damage to the building and danger to those inside, but no one was hurt. This article is about the American magazine The National Police Gazette (Foy noted that a new suit, which remained hanging up, had three bullet holes in it. ) The lawmen, both inside and outside the building, returned fire, and Hoy was shot from his horse as he rode away, with a severe wound to the arm. A month later, he died of the wound. Whose bullet struck Hoy is unknown, but Earp claimed the shot. James Masterson, a gunman in his own right and the lesser known brother to Bat Masterson, was standing with Earp during the shootout, and many believed it was actually his shot that downed Hoy. James Masterson, also known as Jim Masterson, (September 18 1855&ndashMarch 31 1895 was a Lawman of the old west and the brother of Gunfighter
Alleged confrontation with Clay Allison
Earp claimed that Wright then hired gunman Clay Allison to kill Earp, but Allison backed down when confronted by Earp and Bat Masterson. For the 1980s band see Opal. Clay Allison ( September 2, 1840 - July 3, 1887) was a Gunfighter Allison was also a moderately famous character of the Old West, but current research cannot confirm the tale of Earp and Masterson confronting him. Bat Masterson was out of town when Allison tried to "tree" (scare) Dodge City. Stories from the day, both by accounts given through Earp's biographer and by Earp, state that Wyatt Earp and his friend Bat Masterson confronted Allison and his men in a saloon, and that Allison backed down. However, Masterson was not known to be in town at the time, the event taking place on September 19, 1878. Events 335 - Dalmatius is raised to the rank of Caesar by his uncle Constantine I. Year 1878 ( MDCCCLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common There is no independent evidence that an altercation took place between Allison and Earp. Like Earp's unverified claim (as reported in the Lake biography) that he arrested gunman Ben Thompson, the claim that Earp outfaced Allison did not surface until after Allison's death. Ben Thompson, born in Knottingley, Yorkshire, England on November 2, 1843.
Reports from the day reflect a cattleman named Dick McNulty and the owner of the Long Branch Saloon, Chalk Beeson, intervened on behalf of the town and convinced the cowboys to surrender their guns. The Long Branch Saloon is a famous saloon that existed during the Old West days of Dodge City Kansas. Chalkley McArtor "Chalk" Beeson ( April 24, 1848 - August 8, 1912) was a well known businessman lawman cattleman Saloon In addition, Charlie Siringo, who was a cowboy at the time but who later became a well known Pinkerton Detective, gave a written account of the incident, as he had witnessed it. Charles Angelo Siringo (February 7 1855 — October 18 1928 was an American Author, lawman and famous detective and agent for the Pinkerton National Detective "We Never Sleep" the famous motto of the Pinkerton Agency redirects here He also claimed it was actually McNulty and Beeson who ended the incident, and that Earp did not come into contact with Allison. [2]
Beeson also left a written recollection of the incident. Beeson said it was actually Texas cattleman Richard McNulty who faced down Allison, although others give Beeson more credit than he gave himself. According to Beeson, Earp was "working behind the lines". A distant cousin of Earp has speculated it may be that the incident both Siringo and Beeson remembered happened at another time, but no account of another incident has yet come to light.
Celia Anne "Mattie" Blaylock, a former prostitute, had arrived in Dodge City with Earp. Celia Ann (Mattie Blaylock (1850 to July 3 1888 was the romantic companion of Old West Lawman and Gambler Wyatt Earp. She became Earp's companion until 1882. Earp resigned from the Dodge City police force on September 9, 1878 and headed to Las Vegas, New Mexico, with Blaylock. Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian Year 1878 ( MDCCCLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Las Vegas is a city in San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. New Mexico ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America.
"Buntline Special"
As a deputy, Earp was known for using a long-barreled revolver to pistol-whip and disarm cowboys who resisted town ordinances against carrying of firearms. Although there is no conclusive proof as to the kind of pistol Wyatt carried, his reported use of a long-barreled pistol, for many years doubted, may have been a reality. The story of the gun, known as the "Buntline Special," begins with the murder of actress Dora Hand (who was also known as Fannie Keenan) in 1878. Hand was shot by a man attempting to kill Dodge City Mayor James H. "Dog" Kelly. Dora was a guest in Kelly’s house and was sleeping in his bed at the time while Kelly and his wife were out of town. Dora was a celebrity, and her murder became a national story. Earp was in the posse which brought down the murderer. Posse comitatus refers to the Common law authority wielded by the County Sheriff to conscript any able-bodied male eighteen or older to assist The story of the capture was reported in newspapers as far away as New York and California. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous
According to the newspaper stories, five men were dispatched as a posse to capture the assassin: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, a very young Bill Tilghman, Charlie Bassett and William Duffy. William Matthew "Bill" Tilghman (July 4 1854&ndashNovember 1 1924 was a lawman and Gunslinger in the American Old West. Earp shot the man’s horse, and Masterson wounded the assassin, who was James "Spike" Kenedy, son of Texas cattleman Miflin Kenedy. The Dodge City Times called them "as intrepid a posse as ever pulled a trigger. "
It is very likely that Dora’s murder and the tracking down of her assassin were the events which caused Ned Buntline to bestow the gift of the "Buntline Specials. " Earp’s biography claimed the Specials were given to "famous lawmen" Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Bill Tilghman, Charlie Bassett and Neal Brown by author Ned Buntline in return for “local color” for his western yarns. This is technically inaccurate since neither Tilghman nor Brown was a lawman then. Further, Buntline wrote only four western yarns, all about Buffalo Bill. So, if Buntline got any “local color", he never used it.
Lake spent much effort trying to track down the Buntline Special through the Colt company and Masterson and contacts in Alaska. It was a Colt Single Action Army model with a 12-inch (30 cm) barrel, standard sights, and wooden grips into which the name “Ned” was ornately carved. Of those guns awarded, Earp was the only one who kept his the original length that it had when it was awarded to him. Masterson and the others cut the barrel down for easier concealment.
Tombstone
Wyatt and his older brothers James (Jim) and Virgil moved to silver-mining boomtown Tombstone, in the Arizona Territory, in December 1879. A boomtown is a Community that experiences sudden and rapid population and Economic growth. Tombstone is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, founded in 1879 by Ed Schieffelin in what was then the Arizona Territory The Territory of Arizona was an Organized territory of the United States that existed between 1863 and 1912 Wyatt brought a wagon that he planned to convert into a stagecoach, but on arrival he found two established stage lines already running. For other meanings see Stagecoach (disambiguation. A stagecoach (also called diligence) is a type of four-wheeled enclosed Jim worked as a barkeep. Virgil was appointed deputy U. S. marshal, just prior to arriving in Tombstone. The U. S. marshal for the Arizona Territory, C. P. Dake, was based in Prescott 280 miles [about 450 km] away, so the deputy U. S. marshal job in Tombstone represented federal authority in the southwest area of the territory. In Tombstone, the Earps staked mining claims. Wyatt also went to work for Wells Fargo, riding shotgun for their stagecoaches when they held strongboxes. Wells Fargo & Co ( is a diversified Financial services company headquartered in San Francisco California, United States with operations around the In the late 19th and early 20th centuries a shotgun messenger was a private "express messenger" and guard especially on a Stagecoach but also on a Train
Eventually, in the summer of 1880, younger brothers Morgan and Warren Earp moved to Tombstone as well, and in September, Doc Holliday arrived.
On July 25, 1880, U. Events 285 - Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler Year 1880 ( MDCCCLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year S. Deputy Marshal Virgil Earp accused Frank McLaury, a "Cowboy", (often capitalized in papers as a local term for a cattle-dealer that often was synonymous with rustler) of taking part in the stealing of six Army mules from Camp Rucker. The Gunfight at the OK Corral was a gunfight that happened at about 3 p Camp Rucker is a former United States Army post in Cochise County Arizona. This was a federal matter because the animals were federal property. The McLaurys were caught changing the "U. S. " brand to "D. Livestock branding is any technique for marking Livestock so as to identify the owner 8. " by the Army representative and Earp. However, to avoid a fight, the posse withdrew on the understanding that the mules would be returned. They were not. In response, the Army's representative published an account in the papers, damaging Frank McLaury's reputation. This incident marked the beginning of animosity between the McLaurys and the Earps.
About the same time, Wyatt was appointed deputy sheriff for the southern part of Pima County, which was at that time the surrounding county containing Tombstone. Pima County is a county in the south central region of the US Wyatt served in the office only three months.
On October 28, 1880, as Tombstone town-marshal (police chief) Fred White was trying to break up a group of late revelers shooting at the moon on Allen Street in Tombstone, he was shot in the groin as he attempted to confiscate the pistol of "Curly Bill" William Brocius, who was apparently with the group. Events 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman Emperor. 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine Year 1880 ( MDCCCLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Fred White (1849 – October 30 1880) was a young Lawman and the first town Marshal of the then Boomtown, Tombstone Arizona William "Curly Bill" Brocius or Brocious (c 1845- March 24, 1882) was an American Old West Outlaw, gunman The pistol was later found to be loaded except for one expended cartridge. Morgan and Wyatt Earp, along with Wells Fargo agent Fred Dodge, came to White's aid. Wyatt hit Brocius over the head with a pistol borrowed from Dodge and disarmed Brocius, arresting him on a deadly weapon assault charge. (Virgil Earp was not present at White's shooting or Brocius' arrest. ) Wyatt and a deputy took Brocius in a wagon the next day to Tucson to stand trial, possibly saving him from being lynched. Tucson (ˈtuːsɒn is the seat of Pima County Arizona, United States, located 118 miles (188 km) southeast Lynching in the United States is the practice in the 19th and 20th centuries of the humiliation and killing of people by mobs acting outside the law Brocius waived the preliminary hearing to get out of town faster, probably believing the same. White, age 31, died of his wound two days after his shooting, changing the charge to murder.
On December 27, 1880, Wyatt testified in Tucson court regarding the Brocius-White shooting. Events 537 - The Hagia Sophia is completed 1512 - The Spanish Crown issues the Laws of Burgos, governing the Year 1880 ( MDCCCLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Partly because of Earp’s testimony (and also a statement given by White before he died) that the shooting had not been intentional, the judge ruled the shooting accidental and set Brocius free. Brocius, however, remained a friend of the McLaurys and an enemy of the Earps.
Wyatt Earp resigned as deputy sheriff of Pima County on November 9, 1880, just twelve days after the White shooting, because of an election vote-counting dispute. Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all Year 1880 ( MDCCCLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Wyatt favored the Republican challenger Bob Paul, rather than his current boss, Pima Sheriff Charlie Shibell. Democrat Shibell was initially determined to be the winner. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. He appointed Democrat Johnny Behan as the new undersheriff for the south Pima area to replace Earp. John Harris Behan ( October 23, 1844 &ndash June 7, 1912) was for 21 months of a two-year term (February 1881 to November 1882 the Sheriff Subsequently, after Shibell's victory was found to be due to ballot-box stuffing by area cowboys, Paul was declared the winner of the Pima County sheriff election. By that time, however, it was too late for Paul to replace Behan with Earp as undersheriff, because the southern portion of Pima County had been split off into Cochise County and was no longer under the jurisdiction of the Pima County sheriff. Cochise County is a county located in the southeastern corner of the U
Both Earp and Behan were applicants to be appointed to fill the new position of Cochise County sheriff. Wyatt, as former undersheriff and a Republican in the same party as Territorial Governor Fremont, assumed he had a good chance at appointment, but Behan had political influence in Prescott. Earp later testified that he made a deal with Behan that if he (Earp) withdrew his application, Behan would name Earp as undersheriff if he was appointed sheriff. Behan testified there was no such deal, but acknowledged that he had indeed promised Wyatt the undersheriff job. When Behan did get the appointment in February 1881, however, he did not appoint Earp undersheriff, choosing Harry Woods, a prominent Democrat, instead. Harry Woods may refer to Harry M Woods, musician and songwriter (1896-1970 According to Behan, he broke his promise to appoint Earp because of an incident that occurred shortly before his appointment.
The incident arose after Wyatt heard that one of his branded horses, which had been stolen more than a year earlier, was in the possession of Ike Clanton and Billy Clanton. Joseph Isaac (Ike Clanton ( 1847 - June 1, 1887) was born in Callaway County Missouri, and grew up to be one of the pivotal players in the Earp and Holliday rode to the Clanton ranch near Charleston to recover the horse. On the way, they overtook Behan, riding in a wagon. Behan was also heading for the ranch to serve an election-hearing subpoena on Ike Clanton. Accounts differ as to what happened next. Wyatt later testified that when he arrived at the Clanton ranch, Billy Clanton gave up the horse even before being presented with ownership papers. According to Behan's testimony, however, Earp and Holliday put a scare into the Clantons by telling them that Behan was on his way with an armed posse to arrest them for horse theft. Whatever the effect of the incident on Wyatt's relationship with Behan, it certainly damaged the Clantons' reputations and convinced the Earps that the Clantons were horse thieves.
Losing the undersheriff position left Wyatt Earp without a job in Tombstone; however, Wyatt and his brothers were beginning to make some money on their mining claims in the Tombstone area. In January 1881, Wyatt Earp became part owner, with Lou Rickabaugh and others, in the gambling concession at the Oriental Saloon. Shortly thereafter, in Earp's story, John Tyler was hired by a rival gambling operator to cause trouble at the Oriental to keep patrons away. After losing a bet, Tyler became belligerent, and Earp took him by the ear and threw him out of the saloon. It was some time around this period that Earp is alleged to have saved gambler Mike O'Rourke, aka "Johnny behind the deuce", from being lynched after the latter was arrested for murdering a miner. Mike O'Rourke (1862-1882 aka "Johnny O'Rourke" or "Johnny-Behind-the-Deuce" was a professional Gambler of the Old West, whose notoriety is mainly This incident would later add to Earp's legend as a lawman.
Tensions between the Earps and both the Clantons and McLaurys increased through 1881. In March 1881, three cowboys attempted an unsuccessful stagecoach holdup near Benson, during which the driver and passenger were murdered in the gunfire. There were rumors that Doc Holliday, who was a known friend of one of the suspects, had been involved, though the formal accusation of Doc's involvement was started by Doc's companion Big Nose Kate after a drunken quarrel, and she later recanted after she sobered. Mary Katherine Horony ( November 7 1850 – November 2 1940) better known as " Big Nose Kate " and also known by aliases Wyatt later testified that in order to help clear Doc's name and to help himself win the next sheriff's election, he went to Ike Clanton and Frank McLaury and offered to give them all the reward money for information leading to capture of the robbers. According to Earp, both Frank McLaury and Ike Clanton agreed to provide information for the capture. Subsequently, all three cowboy suspects in the stage robbery were killed in unrelated violent incidents. Clanton then accused Earp of leaking their deal to either his brother Morgan, or to Holliday.
Meanwhile, tensions between the Earps and the McLaurys increased with the holdup of another stage in the Tombstone area (September 8), this one a passenger stage in the Sandy Bob line, bound for nearby Bisbee. Events 70 - Roman forces under Titus sack Jerusalem. 1264 - The Statute of Kalisz The masked robbers shook down the passengers (the stage had no strongbox) and in the process were recognized from their voices and language as Pete Spence (an alias) and Frank Stilwell, a business partner of Spence who was also at the time a deputy of Sheriff Behan's. Pete Spence (1852-1914 (born Elliot Larkin Ferguson) was a stage robbery and murder suspect known for his associations with the McLaurys and Clantons of Tombstone Frank C Stilwell, sometimes misspelled as Stillwell (1856 -March 20th 1882 was a noted Outlaw Spence and Stilwell were friends of the McLaurys. Wyatt and Virgil Earp rode with the sheriff's posse attempting to track the Bisbee stage robbers, and during the tracking, Wyatt discovered the unusual print of a custom repaired boot heel. Checking a shoe repair shop in Bisbee known to provide widened bootheels led to identification of Stilwell as a recent customer, and a check of a Bisbee corral turned up both Spence and Stilwell. Stilwell was found with a new set of wide custom boot heels matching the prints of the robber. Stilwell and Spence were arrested by sheriff's deputies Breakenridge and Nagel for the stage robbery, and later by Deputy U. S. Marshal Virgil Earp on the federal offense of mail robbery.
Released on bail, Spence and Stilwell were re-arrested by Virgil for the Bisbee robbery a month later, October 13, on the new federal charge of interfering with a mail carrier. Events 54 - Nero ascends to the Roman throne 409 - Vandals and Alans crossed the Pyrenees The newspapers, however, reported that they had been arrested for a different stage robbery that occurred (October 8) near Contention city. Events 314 - Roman Emperor Licinius is defeated by his colleague Constantine I at the Battle of Cibalae, and loses Occurring less than two weeks before the O. K. Corral shootout, this final incident may have been misunderstood by the McLaurys. While Wyatt and Virgil were still out of town for the Spence and Stilwell hearing, Frank McLaury confronted Morgan Earp, telling him that the McLaurys would kill the Earps if they tried to arrest Spence, Stilwell, or the McLaurys again.
Gunfight at the O. K. Corral
Virgil Earp requested that Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday support him and Morgan Earp in preparation for the gunfight. The Gunfight at the OK Corral was a gunfight that happened at about 3 p They were both deputized for the occasion. Wyatt spoke of his brothers Virgil and Morgan as the "marshals" while he acted as "deputy. "
Ike Clanton, Billy Claiborne, and other Cowboys had been spoiling for a fight, and the Earps and Holliday were determined to give it. [3] Martha J. King, who was in Bauer's Butcher Shop on Fremont Street when the Earp party passed, testified to hearing one of the Earps [Morgan] on the outside of that party look around and say to Doc Holliday, "Let them have it!" to which Holliday grimly replied, "All right!"[4] When the Earp party reached the alley between the Harwood House and Fly's Boarding House, the Cowboys came out to meet them, so that both parties were drawn up in rough lines facing one another at extremely close range. According to one witness, Doc Holliday drew his pistol and shoved it into Frank McLaury's belly then took a couple of steps back.
Virgil Earp, who was not counting on a fight and indicated this fact by carrying Doc Holliday's cane in his right hand, immediately commanded the Cowboys to "throw up your hands!" But as guns were drawn, he had to yell to his own men, "Hold! I don't mean that!" [5] Almost immediately, however, general firing commenced. According to Tombstone old-timers, Doc Holliday fired first, hitting Frank McLaury in the belly, and Morgan Earp fired almost immediately after, hitting Billy Clanton, probably in the right wrist, who nonetheless kept his feet and shifted his pistol to his left, returning fire left-handed. Frank McLaury ( March 3, 1848 - October 26, 1881) was a Cowboy of the Old West. Billy Clanton ( 1862 - October 26, 1881) was a Cowboy and rancher of the Old West. The two shots were so close together that they were almost indistinguishable. [6] Almost immediately a shot was fired from behind the Earp party in ambush by Ike Clanton, Johnny Behan, or Behan's friend, Will Allen[7], drawing the entire Earp party's attention to the unidentified assailant behind them. At this opportunity, Tom McLaury sneaked a shot over the horse he was hiding behind, hitting Morgan Earp in the back, but Doc Holliday stepped clear of McLaury's horse, and having holstered the pistol with which he had shot Frank McLaury, emptied both barrels of Virgil Earp's sawed-off shotgun into Tom at close range. Tom McLaury ( June 30, 1853 - October 26, 1881) was a Cowboy of the Old West, best known for being a member of the "Cow-boy" [8] Mortally wounded, Tom McLaury then half-ran and half-staggered into Fremont Street, where he died.
The firing continued then, with Billy Clanton and Frank McLaury wounded. Either Billy or Frank hit Virgil Earp in the calf, and Virgil, though hit put his next shot into Billy Clanton. [9] Frank and Doc squared off and Frank hit Doc in the left hip, but the shot was deflected by Holliday's leather holster, and he suffered only a bruise. [10] Morgan Earp was back up and still firing, and he, Doc and Wyatt all attested to firing at Frank, with Morgan and Doc each thinking he had fired the killing shot. [11]General firing continued and did not end until Billy Clanton finally went down (probably from the bullet to his left breast). He thus lived up to his reputation as "one of the finest [gunfighters] in the land". [12]
According to Josie Marcus, the Earp brothers said what was necessary at the hearing to counter the lies of Sheriff Johnny Behan and the Cowboys. John Harris Behan ( October 23, 1844 &ndash June 7, 1912) was for 21 months of a two-year term (February 1881 to November 1882 the Sheriff Wyatt's lover and later-to-be common-law wife minced no words in this regard, just as she confirmed the truth of Martha J. King's testimony about the exchange between Morgan and Doc on the way to the fight. [13] Wyatt's testimony at the Spicer indictment hearing was in writing (as was permitted by law, which allowed statements without cross-examination at pre-trial hearings) and Wyatt, therefore, was not cross-examined. Wyatt testified that he and Billy Clanton began the fight after Clanton and Frank McLaury drew their pistols, and Wyatt shot Frank in the stomach while Billy shot at Wyatt and missed. No witnesses confuted the testimony of Wyatt Earp that Ike Clanton had run up to him and protested that he was unarmed. To this protest Wyatt had responded, "Go to fighting or get away!"[14] This incident proved that there was no intent on the part of the Earps to kill unarmed men. Thus, the unarmed Ike Clanton escaped the shooting unwounded, as did the unarmed Billy Claiborne. Wyatt was not hit in the fight, while Doc Holliday, Virgil Earp, and Morgan Earp were hit. Billy Clanton, Tom McLaury, and Frank McLaury were killed.
Billy Clanton and Frank McLaury were openly armed with pistols in gunbelts and holsters, and used them to wound Virgil, Morgan and Doc Holliday. No gun was found on Tom McLaury after the gunfight. The Cowboys claimed he was unarmed, but some of the Earps believed he was armed and credited him with at least one shot over the back of the horse. Circumstantial evidence suggests that Sheriff Johnny Behan may have removed his gun from the scene. Josie Marcus said flatly that someone spirited Tom's pistol away after he dropped it, probably Johnny Behan. [15] Interestingly enough, Behan stated in his own testimony that his own search of Tom McLaury for a weapon prior to the gunfight was not thorough, and that McLaury might have had a pistol hidden in his waistband and covered by his long blouse and vest worn over his trousers, and not tucked in. [16] In his testimony, Wyatt stated that he believed Tom McLaury was armed with a pistol, but his language contains equivocation. The same is true of Virgil Earp's testimony. Both Earp brothers left themselves room for contradiction on this point, but neither one was equivocal about the fact that Tom had been killed by Holliday with a shotgun.
From heroes to defendants
On October 30, Ike Clanton filed murder charges against the Earps and Holliday. Events 637 - Antioch surrenders to the Muslim forces under Rashidun Caliphate after the Battle of Iron bridge. Wyatt and Holliday were arrested and brought before Justice of the Peace Wells Spicer, while Morgan and Virgil were still recovering. A Justice of the Peace ( JP) is a Puisne Judicial officer appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace Bail was set at $10,000 a piece. The hearing to determine if there was enough evidence to go to trial started November 1. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi The first witnesses were Billy Allen and Behan. Allen testified that Holliday fired the first shot and that the second one also came from the Earp party, while Billy Clanton had his hands in the air. Then Behan testified that he heard Billy Clanton say, "Don't shoot me. I don't want to fight. " He also testified that Tom McLaury threw open his coat to show that he was not armed and that the first two shots were fired by the Earp party. Behan also said that he thought the next three shots also came from the Earp party. Behan's views turned public opinion against the Earps. His testimony portrayed a far different gunfight than had been first reported in the local papers.
Because of Allen's and Behan's testimony and the testimony of several other prosecution witnesses, Wyatt and Holliday's lawyers were presented with a writ of habeas corpus from the probate court and appeared before Judge John Henry Lucas. Habeas corpus (ˈheɪbiəs ˈkɔɹpəs ( Latin: command that you have the body is the name of a legal action or Writ, through which a person can seek relief After arguments were given, the judge ordered them to be put in jail. By the time Ike Clanton took the stand on November 9, the prosecution had built an impressive case. Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all Several prosecution witnesses had testified that Tom McLaury was unarmed, that Billy Clanton had his hands in the air and that neither of the McLaurys were troublemakers. They portrayed Ike Clanton and Tom McLaury as being unjustly bullied and beaten by the vengeful Earps on the day of the gunfight. The Earps and Holliday looked certain to be convicted until Ike Clanton inadvertently came to their rescue.
Clanton's testimony repeated the story of abuse that he had suffered at the hands of the Earps and Holliday the night before the gunfight. He reiterated that Holliday and Morgan Earp had fired the first two shots and that the next several shots also came from the Earp party. Then under cross-examination, Clanton told a story of the lead-up to the gunfight which did not make sense. See Structure of policy debate for cross-examination in Policy debate. It told of the Benson stage robbery conducted to cover up stolen money that was actually not missing. Ike also claimed that Doc Holliday and Morgan, Wyatt, and Virgil Earp had all separately confessed to him their role in either the pre-robbery of Benson stage money, the Benson stage holdup, or else the cover-up of the robbery by allowing the robbers' escape. By the time Ike finished his testimony, the entire prosecution case had become suspect.
The first witness for the defense was Wyatt Earp. He read a prepared statement detailing the Earps' previous troubles with the Clantons and McLaurys, and explaining why they were going to disarm the cowboys, and claiming that they fired on them in self defense. Self-defense (or self-defence &mdash see spelling differences) is the act of defending oneself one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm Because Arizona's territorial laws allowed a defendant in a preliminary hearing to make a statement in his behalf without facing cross-examination, the prosecution was not allowed to question Earp. Within some criminal justice systems a preliminary hearing ( evidentiary hearing) often abbreviated verbally as a "prelim" is a proceeding after a After the defense had established doubts about the prosecution's case, the judge allowed Holliday and Earp to return to their homes in time for Thanksgiving. In the United States, Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day is an annual one-day legal holiday to express Gratitude for the things one has
Two witnesses, with ties to neither party, gave critical evidence that swayed Justice Spicer to acquit the Earps and Doc Holliday. One of these was the dressmaker, Addie Bourland, who observed the fight from her residence across Fremont Street from Fly's Boarding House. [17] She testified that from the start both sides were facing each other, that the firing was general, that no one had held his hands up, and that she saw no one fall. This testimony from a disinterested party confuted most of the testimony of Sheriff Johnny Behan, Ike Clanton and the other Cowboy witnesses. The other witness was Judge J. H. Lucas of the Probate Court of Cochise County, Arizona Territory, whose office was in the Mining Exchange Building, about 200 feet from the shootout. [18] Lucas' testimony confirmed that of Addie Bourland, in that Billy Clanton was standing throughout the fight and firing. Only when he went down at the end did the general firing cease. [19]
Justice Spicer eventually ruled that the evidence indicated that the Earps and Holliday acted within the law (with Holliday and Wyatt effectively having been deputized temporarily by Virgil), and he invited the Cochise County grand jury to reevaluate his decision. In the Common law, a grand jury is a type of Jury which determines whether there is enough evidence for a trial. Spicer did not condone all of the Earps' actions and he criticized Virgil Earp's choice of deputies Wyatt and Holliday, but he concluded that no laws were broken. He made special point of the fact that Ike Clanton, known to be unarmed, had been allowed to pass through the center of the fight without being shot.
Even though the Earps and Holliday were free, their reputation was tarnished. Supporters of the cowboys (a very small minority) in Tombstone looked upon the Earps as robbers and murderers. However, on December 16, the grand jury decided not to reverse Spicer's decision. Events 755 - An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Fanyang, initiating the An Shi Rebellion
Cowboy revenge
In December, Clanton went before the Justice of the Peace J. B. Smith in Contention and again filed charges against the Earps and Holliday for the murder of Billy Clanton and the McLaurys. Contention City is a Ghost town in Cochise County in the southeastern part of the U A large posse escorted the Earps to Contention, fearing that the cowboys would try to ambush the Earps on the unprotected roadway. The charges were dismissed by Judge Lucas because of Smith's judicial ineptness. The prosecution immediately filed a new warrant for murder charges, issued by Justice Smith, but Judge Lucas quickly dismissed it, writing that new evidence would have to be submitted before a second hearing would be called. Because the November hearing before Spicer was not a trial, Clanton had the right to continue pushing for prosecution, but the prosecution would have to come up with new evidence of murder before the case could be considered.
On December 28, while walking between saloons on Allen Street in Tombstone, Virgil was attacked by shotgun fire. Events 1065 - Westminster Abbey is Consecrated. 1308 - The reign of Emperor Hanazono, Emperor of His left arm and shoulder took the brunt of the damage. Ike Clanton's hat was found in the back of the building across Allen street, from where the shots were fired. Wyatt wired U. S. Marshal Crawley Dake asking to be appointed deputy U. S. Marshal with authority to select his own deputies. Dake responded by granting the request. In mid-January, Wyatt sold his gambling concessions at the Oriental when Rickabaugh sold the saloon to Milt Joyce, an Earp adversary. On February 2, 1882, Wyatt and Virgil, tired of the criticism leveled against them, submitted their resignations to Dake, who refused to accept them. Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor Year 1882 ( MDCCCLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common On the same day, Wyatt sent a message to Ike Clanton that said he wanted to reconcile their differences. Clanton refused. Also on the same day, Clanton was acquitted of the charges against him in the shooting of Virgil Earp, when the defense brought in seven witnesses that testified that Clanton was in Charleston at the time of the shooting.
After attending a theater show on March 18, Morgan Earp was assassinated by gunmen firing from a dark alley, through the door window into the lighted pool hall. Events 37 - The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius ' will and proclaims Caligula emperor Morgan was hit in the lower back while a second shot hit the wall just over Wyatt's head. The fatal shot fired at Morgan passed clean through and bedded in the thigh of a pool hall patron. The Doctor was summoned to the hall and Morgan was moved from the floor to a nearby couch. The assassins escaped in the dark, and Morgan died forty (40) minutes later.
Vendetta
Based on the testimony of Pete Spence's wife, Marietta, at the coroner’s inquest on the killing of Morgan, the coroners jury concluded that Spence, Stilwell, Frederick Bode, and Florentino "Indian Charlie" Cruz were the prime suspects in the assassination of Morgan Earp. The Earp Vendetta Ride was a three-week clash between personal enemies and law enforcement parties from different jurisdictions in the Arizona Territory, from March 20 Pete Spence (1852-1914 (born Elliot Larkin Ferguson) was a stage robbery and murder suspect known for his associations with the McLaurys and Clantons of Tombstone A coroner is an official responsible for investigating deaths particularly some of those happening under unusual circumstances and determining the cause of death Spence turned himself in so that he would be protected in Behan's jail.
On Sunday, March 19, the day after Morgan's murder, Wyatt, his brother James, and a group of friends took Morgan's body to the railhead in Benson. Events 1279 - A Mongolian victory in the Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China. They put Morgan's body on the train with James, to accompany it to the family home in Colton, California. Colton is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. There, Morgan's wife waited to bury him.
The next day, it was Virgil and his wife Allie's turn to be escorted safely out of Tombstone. Wyatt had gotten word that trains leaving from Benson were being watched in Tucson, and getting the still invalid Virgil through Tucson to safety would be more difficult. Wyatt, Warren Earp, Holliday, Turkey Creek Jack Johnson, and Sherman McMasters took Virgil and Allie in a wagon to the train in Benson, leaving their own horses in Contention City and boarding the train with Virgil. "Turkey Creek" Jack Johnson (c1852-c1887 was one of Wyatt Earp's possemen during his infamous "vendetta ride". Sherman McMasters (1853 - 1892? was an outlaw turned lawman who would become one of the six men involved in the Earp vendetta ride. As the train pulled away from the Tucson station in the dark, gunfire was heard. Frank Stilwell's body was found on the tracks the next morning.
What Stilwell was doing on the tracks near the Earps' train has never been explained. Ike Clanton made his case worse by giving a newspaper interview claiming that he and Stilwell had been in Tucson for Stilwell's legal problems and heard that the Earps were coming in on a train to kill Stilwell. According to Clanton, Stilwell then disappeared from the hotel and was found later, blocks away, on the tracks. Wyatt, many years later, in the Flood biography, said that he and his party had seen Clanton and Stilwell on the tracks with weapons, and he had shot Stilwell.
After killing Stilwell in Tucson and sending their train on its way to California with Virgil, the Earp party was afoot. They hopped a freight train back to Benson and hired a wagon back to Contention, riding back into Tombstone by the middle of the next day (March 21). Events 630 - Byzantine emperor Heraclius restores the True Cross to Jerusalem. They were now wanted men, because once Stilwell's killing had been connected to the Earp party on the train, warrants had been issued for five of the Earp party. Ignoring Johnny Behan and now joined by Texas Jack Vermillion, the Earp posse rode out of town the same evening. John Wilson Vermillion (1842-1911 alias "Texas Jack" and later as "Shoot-Your-Eye-Out" Vermillion was a gunfighter of the Old West known for his participation
On March 22, the Earps rode to the woodcamp of Pete Spence at South Pass in the Dragoon Mountains, looking for Spence. Events 238 - Gordian I and his son Gordian II are proclaimed Roman emperor. Pete Spence (1852-1914 (born Elliot Larkin Ferguson) was a stage robbery and murder suspect known for his associations with the McLaurys and Clantons of Tombstone Dragoon Mountains are a range of mountains located in Cochise County Arizona. They knew of the Morgan Earp inquest testimony. Spence was in jail, but at the woodcamp, the Earp posse found Florentino "Indian Charlie" Cruz. Earp said to his biographer Lake that he got Cruz to confess to being the lookout, while Stilwell, Hank Swilling, Curly Bill and Johnny Ringo killed Morgan. John Peters Ringo ( May 3, 1850 – July 13, 1882) better known as Johnny Ringo, was a cowboy who became a Legend After the "confession", Wyatt and the others shot and killed Cruz.
Two days later, in Iron Springs, Arizona, the Earp party, seeking a rendezvous with a messenger for them, stumbled upon a group of cowboys led by "Curley Bill" William Brocious. In Wyatt's account, he had jumped from his horse to fight, when he noticed the rest of his posse retreating, leaving him alone. Curley Bill was surprised in the act of cooking dinner at the edge of a spring, and he and Wyatt traded shotgun blasts. Curley Bill was hit in the chest by Wyatt's shotgun fire and died. Wyatt survived several near misses from Curley Bill's companions before he could remount his horse and was not hit. During the fight, another cowboy named Johnny Barnes received fatal wounds.
The Earp party survived unharmed and spent the next two weeks riding though the rough country near Tombstone. Ultimately, when it became clear to the Earps that Behan's posse would not fight them, nor could they return to town, they decided to ride out of the territory for good. In the middle of April 1882, Wyatt Earp left the Arizona Territory.
Life after Tombstone
After the killing of Curley Bill, the Earps left Arizona and headed to Colorado. The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. Sherman McMasters made it to Colorado with the Earps, contrary to the movie "Tombstone" that showed him being murdered on orders from Johnny Ringo. In a stop over in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Wyatt and Holliday had a falling out but remained on fairly good terms. The group split up after that, with Holliday heading to Pueblo and then Denver. The City of Pueblo (ˈpwɛbloʊ is a Home Rule Municipality that is the County seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County The City and County of Denver (pronounced /ˈdɛnvɚ/ is the Capital and the most populous city of Colorado, in the United States The Earps and Texas Jack set up camp on the outskirts of Gunnison, Colorado, where they remained quiet at first, rarely going into town for supplies. The historic City of Gunnison is a Home Rule Municipality that is the County seat and the most populous city of Gunnison County, Colorado Eventually, Wyatt took over a faro game at a local saloon. Faro is a card game, a descendant of Basset. It enjoyed great popularity during the 18th century particularly in England and France, and in
Slowly all of the Earp assets in Tombstone were sold to pay for taxes, and the stake the family had amassed eroded. Wyatt and Warren joined Virgil in San Francisco in late 1882. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city While there, Wyatt rekindled a romance with Josie Marcus, Behan's one-time mistress and probably commonlaw wife [20]. Josephine (Josie Sarah (Sadie Marcus (born about 1861 - died December 19, 1944 - aged 82 or 83 was a professional Dancer and Actress who became In the meantime, Wyatt's commonlaw wife, Mattie, a former prostitute and laudanum addict (although her addiction has never been proven, her death is attributed to an overdose of laudanum from the coroners death report), waited for him in Colton but eventually realized Wyatt was not coming back. (Wyatt had left Mattie the house when he left Tombstone. ) Earp left San Francisco with Josie in 1883, and she became his companion for the next forty-six years. Although no marriage certificate has been found, they represented themselves as man and wife, which in the Old West was all that was necessary for a commonlaw marriage (and still is today in "Western" law states such as Colorado). [21] Earp and Marcus returned to Gunnison where they settled down, and Earp continued to run a faro bank.
Earp, many years later, claimed Hoy was attempting to assassinate him at the behest of Robert Wright, with whom he claimed an ongoing feud. Earp said the feud between himself and Wright started when Earp arrested Bob Rachals, a prominent trail leader who had shot a German fiddler. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. According to Earp, Wright tried to block the arrest because Rachals was one of the largest financial contributors to the Dodge City economy. In 1883, Earp returned, along with Bat Masterson, to Dodge City to help a friend deal with a corrupt mayor. What became known as the Dodge City War was started when the Mayor of Dodge City tried to run Luke Short first out of business and then out of town. The Dodge City War was a bloodless conflict that took place in 1883 in Dodge City Kansas. see also Luke Short (writer Western frontiersman Luke L Short ( 1854 - September 8, 1893) was a noted Gunfighter Short appealed to Masterson who contacted Earp. While Short was discussing the matter with Governor George Washington Glick in Kansas City, Earp showed up with Johnny Millsap, Shotgun John Collins, Texas Jack Vermillion, and Johnny Green. A governor is a governing official usually the executive (at least nominally to different degrees also politically and administratively of a non-sovereign level of government George Washington Glick ( July 4, 1827 April 13, 1911) was the ninth Governor of Kansas. Kansas City Missouri only Items for the metro area Kansas City Kansas or North Kansas City MO should go on their respective pages Shotgun John Collins ( November 22, 1851 - December 3, 1922) was a little known though well associated Gunfighter of the Old John Wilson Vermillion (1842-1911 alias "Texas Jack" and later as "Shoot-Your-Eye-Out" Vermillion was a gunfighter of the Old West known for his participation Johnny Green ( 10 October 1908 in New York City New York – 15 May 1989 in Los Angeles) was an American They marched up Front Street into Short's saloon where they were sworn in as deputies by constable "Prairie Dog" Dave Marrow. The town council offered a compromise to allow Short to return for ten days to get his affairs in order, but Earp refused compromise. When Short returned, there was no force ready to turn him away. Short's Saloon reopened, and the Dodge City War ended without a shot being fired.
Earp spent the next decade running saloons and gambling concessions and investing in mines in Colorado and Idaho, with stops in various boom towns. The State of Idaho ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. In 1884, Earp and two younger brothers entered the Murray-Eagle mining district in Idaho. Within six months their substantial stake had run dry, and they departed the Murray-Eagle district for greener pastures. In approximately April of 1885, Wyatt Earp joined a band of claim jumpers in Embry Camp, Washington, modernly known as Chewelah. It is said that Earp also jumped the Old Dominion claim further North in Colville, Washington.
In 1886, Earp and Josie moved to San Diego and stayed there about four years. Earp ran several gambling houses in town and speculated in San Diego's real estate boom. He also judged prize fights and raced horses.
On July 3, 1888, Mattie, who always considered herself to be Wyatt's wife, committed suicide in Pinal, Arizona Territory, by taking an overdose of laudanum. Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. Year 1888 ( MDCCCLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Laudanum (ˈlȯd-nəm or ˈlȯ-də-nəm also known as Opium Tincture or Tincture of Opium, is an Alcoholic herbal preparation
The Earps moved back to San Francisco during the 1890s so Josie could be closer to her family and Wyatt closer to his new job, managing a horse stable in Santa Rosa. Santa Rosa is the County seat of Sonoma County California, United States During the summer of 1896, Earp wrote his memoirs with the help of a ghost writer (Flood). A ghostwriter is a professional Writer who is paid to write books articles stories reports or other content which are officially credited to another person On December 3, 1896, Earp was the referee for a high-profile boxing match. Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French Year 1896 ( MDCCCXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year During the fight Bob Fitzsimmons, clearly in control, allegedly landed a low blow against Tom Sharkey. Robert James "Bob" Fitzsimmons ( May 26, 1863 - October 22, 1917) a British -born New Zealand boxer made "Sailor" Tom Sharkey ( November 26, 1873 - April 17, 1953) was a boxer who fought two fights with Heavyweight champion Earp awarded the victory to Sharkey and was accused of committing fraud. Fitzsimmons had an injunction put on the prize money until the courts could determine who the rightful winner was. An injunction is an Equitable remedy in the form of a Court order, whereby a party is required to do or interact with in certain ways all right or to refrain from The judge in the case decided that because fighting, and therefore prize fighting, was illegal in San Francisco, that the courts would not determine who the real winner was. The decision provided no vindication for Earp.
In the fall of 1897, Earp and Josie joined in the gold rush to Alaska, where for the following few years Earp ran several saloons and gambling concessions in Nome. Nome is a city located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers into the area of a dramatic discovery of commercial quantities of Gold. Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent Nome is a city located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea While living in Alaska, Earp may have met and become friends with Jack London. Jack London (January 12 1876 &ndash November 22 1916 was an American author who wrote The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and The However, this connection is questionable, because London took part in the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897, whereas the Nome Gold Rush occurred several years later when London was known to have been elsewhere. The Klondike Gold Rush, infrequently referred to as the Yukon Gold Rush or Alaska Gold Rush, was a frenzy of Gold rush Immigration to and for Controversy continued to follow Earp, and he was arrested several times for different minor offenses.
By 1906, Earp and Josie had settled in the Sonoran Desert town of Vidal, California where he staked claims in both copper and gold mines near the Whipple Mountains. Year 1906 ( MCMVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting The Sonoran Desert (sometimes called the Gila Desert after the Gila River or the Low Desert in opposition to the higher Mojave Desert) is Vidal California a small Unincorporated community located in southeastern California, in San Bernardino County on U The Whipple Mountains (' Avii Kur'utat in Mojave) are located in southeastern California south of Lake Havasu City Arizona, and north of the Although it never actually boasted a town, the townsite of Earp, California is located at the site of those mining claims. Earp California is an unincorporated townsite in San Bernardino County in the Sonoran Desert close to the California / Arizona state line at the
Earp eventually moved to Hollywood, where he met several famous and soon to be famous actors on the sets of various movies. On the set of one movie, he met a young extra and prop man who would eventually become John Wayne. John Wayne ( May 26, 1907 &ndash June 11, 1979) was an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award -winning American Wayne later told Hugh O'Brian that he based his image of the Western lawman on his conversations with Earp. Hugh O'Brian (born April 19, 1925) is an American actor best known for his starring role as Wyatt Earp in the ABC Television The Western is a fiction Genre seen in Film, Television, Radio, Literature, Painting and other Visual arts. And one of Earp's friends in Hollywood was William S. Hart, a well-known cowboy star of his time. William Surrey Hart ( December 6, 1864 &ndash June 23, 1946) was an American Silent film Actor, Screenwriter In the early 1920s, Earp served as deputy sheriff in a mostly ceremonial position in San Bernardino County, California. San Bernardino County is a county in the US state of California.
Wyatt Earp died at home in the Earps' small apartment at 4004 W 17th Street, in Los Angeles, of chronic cystitis (some sources cite prostate cancer) on January 13, 1929 at the age of 80[22]. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Cystitis is Inflammation of the Urinary bladder. The condition more often affects women but can affect either sex and all age groups Events 532 - Nika riots in Constantinople. 888 - Odo Count of Paris becomes King of the Franks Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Western actors William S. Hart and Tom Mix were pallbearers at his funeral. William Surrey Hart ( December 6, 1864 &ndash June 23, 1946) was an American Silent film Actor, Screenwriter Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 &ndash October 12, 1940) was an American film Actor His wife Josie was too grief-sticken to attend. Josie had Wyatt's body cremated and buried Wyatt's ashes in the Marcus family plot at the Hills of Eternity, a Jewish cemetery (Josie was Jewish) in Colma, California. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Colma is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County California, at the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula When she died in 1944, Josie's ashes were buried next to Wyatt's. The original gravemarker was stolen in 1957 but has since been replaced by a new standing stone.
Films and television
Films and television series portraying the Earp legend include:
- Frontier Marshal' (1934) – The first film adaptation of Stuart N. Frontier Marshal is a 1934 western film directed by Lewis Seiler. Lake's novel about Earp. Earp's character, portrayed by George O'Brien, is renamed "Michael Earp. George O'Brien may refer to George O'Brien (actor (1899–1985 American silent movie actor George O'Brien (cricketer (born 1984 "
- Frontier Marshal (1939) – Stars Randolph Scott. Frontier Marshal is a 1939 western film starring Randolph Scott as legendary lawman Wyatt Earp. Randolph Scott ( January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American motion picture actor whose career spanned from 1928
- Tombstone, the Town Too Tough to Die (1942) – Stars Richard Dix. Tombstone The Town Too Tough to Die is a Western Film released in 1942, starring Richard Dix and Kent Taylor, and Richard Dix ( July 18, 1893 – September 20, 1949) was an American Motion picture Actor who achieved popularity
- My Darling Clementine (1946) – Stars Henry Fonda and directed by John Ford. This article is about the John Ford Western For the song see Oh My Darling Clementine. Henry Jaynes Fonda ( May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American Academy Award -winning Film and
- Wichita (1955) – Stars Joel McCrea. Wichita is a 1955 Western movie directed by Jacques Tourneur. Joel Albert McCrea, (November 5 &ndashOctober 20) was an American actor and Film star whose career spanned 50 years and appearances in over 90 films
- The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1955–1961) – television series starring Hugh O'Brian as Wyatt Earp. The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp is a western Television series loosely based on the adventures of frontier marshal Wyatt Earp. Hugh O'Brian (born April 19, 1925) is an American actor best known for his starring role as Wyatt Earp in the ABC Television
- Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) – Stars Burt Lancaster. Gunfight at the OK Corral is a 1957 movie starring Burt Lancaster as Wyatt Earp and Kirk Douglas as Doc Holliday about the Burton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster ( 2 November &ndash 20 October) was an American film Actor and star noted for his athletic physique
- Hour of the Gun (1967) – Stars James Garner in the first of two movies with Garner as Earp. Hour of the Gun is 1967 Western Film about Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, their 1881 battles against Ike Clanton James Garner (born April 7 1928 is an American Film and Emmy -award winning Television Actor.
- Doc (movie) (1971) – Tells the story of the Gunfight at the O. K. Corral from Doc Holliday's point of view. Stacy Keach plays Doc and Harris Yulin plays Wyatt. Stacy Keach (born Walter Stacy Keach Jr on June 2, 1941 in Savannah Georgia) is an American Actor and Narrator Harris Yulin (born November 5, 1937) is an American Actor who has appeared in dozens of Hollywood and television films
- Tombstone (1993) – Stars Kurt Russell. Tombstone is a 1993 Western movie written by Kevin Jarre and directed by its star Kurt Russell, with credited director George P Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17 1951 is an Emmy Award - and Golden Globe -nominated American Actor.
- Wyatt Earp: Return to Tombstone (1994) – Film combines colorized footage of The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp with new scenes filmed in Tombstone. The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp is a western Television series loosely based on the adventures of frontier marshal Wyatt Earp.
- Wyatt Earp (1994) – Stars Kevin Costner. Wyatt Earp is a 1994 semi-biographical Western Film, written by Dan Gordon and Lawrence Kasdan and directed Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American Actor, producer and Academy Award -winning director
Several other films and television episodes depict Earp as a character or use the legend as inspiration:
- Law and Order (1932) – Film starring Walter Huston as Frame Johnson, a character inspired by Wyatt Earp. Law And Order is a 1932 film The film starred Walter Brennan, Andy Devine, Russell Hopton, Walter Huston, and Russell Walter Huston ( April 6 1884 &ndash April 7 1950) was an Academy Award -winning Canadian -born American actor
- Dodge City (1939) – Film starring Errol Flynn as Wade Hatton, inspired by Wyatt Earp. For the 1939 Western movie, see Dodge City (1939 film. Dodge City is a City and County seat of Ford Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn ( June 20, 1909 &ndash October 14, 1959) was an Australian Film Actor, most
- Winchester '73 (1950) – Film in which James Stewart wins a Winchester rifle that is stolen. Winchester '73 is an American Western movie released by Universal Pictures in 1950. James Maitland Stewart (20 May 1908 – 2 July 1997 popularly known as Jimmy Stewart, was an American Film and stage Actor Will Geer portrays Wyatt Earp. Will Geer ( 9 March 1902 &ndash 22 April 1978) was an American Actor.
- Gun Belt (1953) – Film where outlaw Billy Ringo tries to go straight.
- Masterson of Kansas (1954) – Film about Bat Masterson.
- Badman's Country (1958) – Pat Garrett catches up to Butch Cassidy's gang and calls in Wyatt Earp. Patrick "Pat" Floyd Garrett ( June 5, 1850 &ndash February 29, 1908) was an American Old West lawman Bartender Butch Cassidy ( 13 April 1866 – circa November 1908 born Robert LeRoy Parker, was a notorious train robber Bank robber
- Alias Jesse James (1959) – Comedy film starring Bob Hope, with an appearance by Hugh O'Brian as Earp. Alias Jesse James ( 1959) is a Bob Hope western comedy movie that featured a number of movie and television frontiersmen ( James Garner as Bob Hope, KBE KCSG ( May 29, 1903 &ndash July 27, 2003) was an American comedian and actor who appeared in Hugh O'Brian (born April 19, 1925) is an American actor best known for his starring role as Wyatt Earp in the ABC Television
- Warlock (1959) – Western film starring Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda and Anthony Quinn. Warlock is a 1959 film released by Twentieth Century Fox and shot in colour and CinemaScope. The Western is a fiction Genre seen in Film, Television, Radio, Literature, Painting and other Visual arts. Richard Widmark ( December 26, 1914 &ndash March 24, 2008) was an American Actor of Films stage, Henry Jaynes Fonda ( May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American Academy Award -winning Film and For other people named Anthony Quinn see Anthony Quinn (disambiguation Anthony Quinn ( April 21, 1915 &ndash Fonda and Quinn's characters are heavily based on Earp and Doc Holliday. John Henry "Doc" Holliday ( August 14, 1852 &ndash November 8, 1887) was an American dentist
- The Secret World of Eddie Hodges (1960) – Musical television movie.
- Cheyenne Autumn (1964) – a John Ford western film with Earp in a sequence more or less unconnected with the rest of the movie, portrayed by James Stewart. Cheyenne Autumn is a 1964 western starring Richard Widmark, Carroll Baker, James Stewart, and Edward G James Maitland Stewart (20 May 1908 – 2 July 1997 popularly known as Jimmy Stewart, was an American Film and stage Actor
- The Outlaws Is Coming (1965) – The final Three Stooges feature film. The Outlaws IS Coming! was the sixth and last theatrical feature film to star the Three Stooges after their 1959 resurgence in popularity The Three Stooges were an American Vaudeville and Comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous Short subject films
- Sfida a Rio Bravo (1965) – Film starring Guy Madison as Wyatt Earp. Guy Madison ( January 19, 1922 – February 6, 1996) was an American Film and Television Actor.
- The Gunfighters (1966 Doctor Who episode) - The TARDIS materializes in Tombstone, where the Doctor, Dodo, and Steven quickly become embroiled in the events leading up to the famous gunfight. The Gunfighters is a serial in the British Science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The TARDIS ( T ime A nd R elative D imension(s I n S pace is a time machine and Spacecraft in the The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and also features in Dorothea "Dodo" Chaplet is a fictional character played by Jackie Lane in the long-running British science fiction television series Steven Taylor is a fictional character played by Peter Purves in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who
- Spectre of the Gun (1968 Star Trek episode) – The Enterprise officers are forced to play out the role of the Clanton gang in a re-enactment of the Tombstone incident. " Spectre of the Gun " (originally 'The Last Gunfight' is an episode from the third season of Star Trek The Original Series, that was first broadcast Star Trek is a Science fiction Television series created by Gene Roddenberry that aired from September 8, 1966 through In this version, Earp (Ron Soble) and his men were portrayed as criminals. Star Trek series cast member DeForest Kelly had earlier portrayed Morgan Earp in the 1957 film, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Star Trek is a Science fiction Television series created by Gene Roddenberry that aired from September 8, 1966 through Jackson DeForest Kelley ( January 20, 1920 – June 11, 1999) was an American actor known for his starring role as Dr Gunfight at the OK Corral is a 1957 movie starring Burt Lancaster as Wyatt Earp and Kirk Douglas as Doc Holliday about the
- I Married Wyatt Earp (1983) – Television docudrama based on the (supposed) memoirs of Josephine Marcus Earp, played by Marie Osmond. Olive Marie Osmond (born October 13, 1959, in Ogden, Utah) is an American Actress, Singer, Doll
- Sunset (1988) – Tom Mix (Bruce Willis) and Wyatt Earp (James Garner in his second movie as Earp) team up to solve a murder at the Academy Awards in 1929 Hollywood. Sunset is a 1988 western film released by TriStar Pictures. Written and directed by Blake Edwards, the movie stars Bruce Willis Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 &ndash October 12, 1940) was an American film Actor Walter Bruce Willis (March 19 1955 is an American actor and Singer-songwriter. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film.
- An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991) - Animated film has a washed-up law-dog character named Wylie Burp, voiced by James Stewart. For the video game based on the film with the same name see An American Tail Fievel Goes West (video game An American Tail Fievel Goes James Maitland Stewart (20 May 1908 – 2 July 1997 popularly known as Jimmy Stewart, was an American Film and stage Actor
- The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw (1991) – Television movie starring Kenny Rogers as The Gambler. The Gambler Returns The Luck of the Draw (1991 features Kenny Rogers and Reba McEntire in a TV-movie that depicts Rogers' "Gambler" Kenneth Ray "Kenny" Rogers (born August 21, 1938, in Houston Texas) is an American Country music Singer-songwriter Hugh O'Brian cameos as Wyatt Earp.
- Young Indiana Jones and the Hollywood Follies (1994) - Television movie starring Sean Patrick Flanery. Sean Patrick Flanery (born October 11, 1965) is an American Actor known for such roles as Connor MacManus in The Boondock Saints Leo Gordon in his final role cameos as aged Wyatt Earp, doing consultant work on western films. Leo Vincent Gordon ( December 2, 1922 - December 26, 2000) was an American Movie and Television Character
- Shanghai Noon (2000) - A movie not about Wyatt Earp, but at the end Owen Wilson's character admits that his real name is Wyatt Earp, once he becomes a marshal. Shanghai Noon is a 2000 action - adventure - comedy - Western film starring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson
- Deadwood (2006) – Wyatt and his brother Morgan appear in two episodes during season three. Deadwood is an American western &ndash Drama Television series created produced and almost entirely written by David Milch Wyatt is played by Gale Harold. Gale Morgan Harold III (born July 10, 1969) is an American Actor best known for his roles on Queer as Folk and
Poetry
In the long narrative poem Wyatt Earp in Dallas, 1963 (ISBN 0-9699639-0-4) by Steve McCabe, Earp received a prophecy from a prisoner who foretold the invention of television and the death of President Kennedy. Steve McCabe is a Canadian author poet and artist Earp, motivated by this prophecy, time-traveled to Dallas to prevent JFK's assassination. This article details time travel itself For other uses see Time Traveler. The assassination of John F Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, took place on Friday November 22 1963 in Dallas Texas
Quotes about Earp
"No man can have a more loyal friend than Wyatt Earp, nor a more dangerous enemy. " -Bat Masterson (a variant of a line dating back to Sulla)
References
- ^ Rootsweb
- ^ page one
- ^ Josie Marcus, who had left her commonlaw husband, Sheriff Johnny Behan for Wyatt Earp, not long before the gunfight erupted, gives a clear and lucid account of the political and personal circumstances leading up to the fight. Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix ( Latin: L•CORNELIVS•L•F•P•N•SVLLA•FELIX (c Josephine Sarah Marcus Earp, I Married Wyatt Earp, Collected and Edited by Glenn G. Boyer, Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1976; pp. 61-96; afterwards references as "Josie Marcus".
- ^ Alford E. , Editor (1981) The OK Corral Inquestpp. 66-68, and note 4; also supported by the account of Josie Marcus, p. 89, above.
- ^ Turner, 1981, pp. 172-173, and note 9; also attested by Josie Marcus, p. 89, above.
- ^ Turner, 1981, p. 154, note 3. Josie Marcus confirms that Doc and Morgan fired first, but says that Morgan's shot hit Billy Clanton in the chest (the actual killing shot), p. 90, a claim contradicted by the testimony in Judge Spicer's hearing, below.
- ^ Josie Marcus, above, p. 90.
- ^ Josie Marcus, p. 90
- ^ Josie Marcus, p. 92.
- ^ Josie Marcus, p. 92.
- ^ Josie Marcus, p. 92.
- ^ testimony of E. F. Boyle, bartender, in Turner, 1981, p. 174
- ^ Above, and p. 92.
- ^ Turner, 1981, p. 164, and note 10.
- ^ p. 97.
- ^ Turner, 1981, p. 164, note 7.
- ^ Turner, 1981) pp. 207-211.
- ^ Turner, 1981, pp. 214-216
- ^ Turner, 1981, pp. 222-223; Judgment in the Inquest by Judge Wells Spicer.
- ^ Glenn G. Boyer, (1976; 1998) I married Wyatt Earp. The Recollections of Josephine Sarah Marcus Earp. Tucson: University of Arizona Press; p. 41, n. 15. This supposition is confirmed by Tombstone postal receipt #2298 for 11 June 1881, in the anme of Josephine Behan for $25 sent to Mrs. H. Marcus of San Francisco (Josie's mother).
- ^ Glenn G. Boyer, (1976; 1998) I married Wyatt Earp. The Recollections of Josephine Sarah Marcus Earp. Tucson: University of Arizona Press; p. 59, n. 18.
- ^ Image of register of deaths
Further reading
- Fattig, Timothy W. (2005). Wyatt Earp: The Biography. Talei Publishers. ISBN 0963177281. This book is 956 pages long and is one of the most complete works on the life of Wyatt Earp.
- Barra, Allen (1998). Inventing Wyatt Earp: His Life and Many Legends. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers. ISBN 0-7867-0685-6. Barra takes a look at the Earp legend and its place in American mythology, fiction, and film.
- Earp, Josephine Sarah Marcus (1976). I Married Wyatt Earp: The Recollections of Josephine Sarah Marcus Earp. University of Arizona Pr. ISBN 0-8165-0583-7. This book has come under criticism for supposedly having mostly come out of the imagination of the editor, nevertheless, it remains an invaluable Earp resource.
- Gatto, Steve (2000). The Real Wyatt Earp: A Documentary Biography. Silver City: High-Lonesome Books. ISBN 0-944383-50-5.
- Lake, Stuart N. (1994). Stuart N Lake ( 1889-09-23, Rome New York &ndash 1964-01-27, San Diego California) was a Writer whose material dealt largely with Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal. Wyatt Earp Frontier Marshal (1931 (ISBN 9780671885373 is a book authored by Stuart N Pocket. ISBN 0-671-88537-5. This book was originally published in 1931, and is responsible for starting quite a lot of Wyatt's mythical reputation. Despite problems with perfect history accuracy, Lake had access to Wyatt himself in life, and also the earlier Flood manuscript (a Wyatt biographical collaborative attempt that was never published, due to poor writing). Lake also did his homework, talking to Tombstone old-timers and being the first to find and carefully examine the Tombstone court transcripts regarding the O. K. Corral fight. And Lake knew how to tell a story. This all makes an invaluable combination, despite the book's defects.
- Marks, Paula Mitchell (1989). And Die in the West: the story of the O. K. Corral gunfight. New York: Morrow. ISBN 0-671-70614-4. Extensive examination not only of the gunfight and vendettas, but also of the myth-making that took place surrounding the OK Corral incident. Marks writes from a socioeconomic perspective.
- Reidhead, SJ (2005). Travesty: Frank Waters Earp Agenda Exposed. Roswell, NM: Jinglebob Press & Wyatt Earp Books. ISBN 1-892508-13-3. Travesty is based on the original manuscript for Frank Waters' "The Earp Brothers of Tombstone", completely debunking the Waters' book. It is 527 pages with 2223 footnotes. Travesty also includes an Annotated Bibliography of Earp & Tombstone related books.
- Tefertiller, Casey (1997). Wyatt Earp: The Life Behind the Legend. New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-18967-7. A careful biography with unusual attention to Wyatt's post-Tombstone life.
- The events of Earp's and Holliday's stay in Tombstone, including the OK Corral fight are depicted in many novels, including Who Rides With Wyatt by Will Henry, Bloody Season by Loren D. Estleman, Wyatt Earp by Matt Braun, Trouble in Tombstone by Richard Wheeler, and Gunman's Rhapsody by Robert B. Parker. Henry Wilson Allen ( September 12, 1912 – October 26, 1991) was an American Author and Screenwriter. Loren D Estleman (born September 15, 1952) is an American writer of detective and Western fiction. Matt Braun (born 1932 in Oklahoma) is an author specializing in fictional stories of the American West. Robert B Parker (born September 17 1932 Biography Parker was born in Springfield Massachusetts.
- Turner, Alford E. (1981). The OK Corral Inquest. College Station, Texas: Creative Publishing company. ISBN 0-932702-16-3. The authoritative trial documents from Judge Wells Spicer's famous hearing, with extensive notes by the editor, Alford E. Turner, considered by many to be the leading authority on the Earps.
External links
- Wyatt Earp History Page
- Wyatt Earp: Tombstonian by Tim Fattig
- A web page on Earp and Tombstone, with a large number of web historical links.
- An article on his father and his land ownership
- A genealogical profile of him
- Wyatt Earp Family History
- A timeline of his life
- A description of his life in Lamar
- A profile of Benjamin Thompson, allegedly arrested by Wyatt
- Chapter from Wyatt Earp 1926 autobiographical attempt by John H. Flood, Jr.
- Near Mattie Blaylock Earp's lost grave near Pinal, AZ.
- Old West Kansas Gunfighters
- Wyatt Earp: Desert Lawman & Adventurer (DesertUSA.com)
- Wyatt Earp's Vendetta Posse: Article by Peter Brand
- Wyatt Earp at the Internet Movie Database
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