DOC HOLLIDAY DIED IN GLENWOOD SPRINGS SANITORIUM 11-8-1887

On this day Doc Holliday–gunslinger, gambler, and occasional dentist–died from tuberculosis.

Though he was perhaps most famous for his participation in the shootout at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, John Henry “Doc” Holliday earned his bad reputation well before that famous feud. Born in Georgia, Holliday was raised in the tradition of the southern gentleman.

He earned his nickname when he graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery in 1872. However, shortly after embarking on a respectable career as a dentist in Atlanta, he developed a bad cough.

Doctors diagnosed tuberculosis and advised a move to a more arid climate, so Holliday moved his practice to Dallas, Texas.

By all accounts, Holliday was a competent dentist with a successful practice. Unfortunately, cards interested him more than teeth, and he earned a reputation as a skilled poker and faro player.



In 1875, Dallas police arrested Holliday for participating in a shootout. Thereafter, the once upstanding doctor began drifting between the booming Wild West towns of Denver, Cheyenne, Deadwood, and Dodge City, making his living at card tables and aggravating his tuberculosis with heavy drinking and late nights.

Holliday was famously friendly with Wyatt Earp, who believed that Holliday saved his life during a fight with cowboys. For his part, Holliday was a loyal friend to Earp and stood by him during the 1881 shootout at the O.K. Corral and the bloody feud that followed.

In 1882, Holliday fled Arizona and returned to the life of a western drifter, gambler, and gunslinger. By 1887, his hard living had caught up to him, forcing him to seek treatment for his tuberculosis at a sanitarium in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. He died in his bed at only 36 years old.

THE DEATH OF JOHNNY RINGO JULY 14 1882!

July 14, 1882: John Ringo(Johann Reingold), the famous gun-fighting gentleman, is found dead in Turkey Creek Canyon, Arizona.

Romanticized in both life and death, John Ringo was supposedly a Shakespeare-quoting gentleman whose wit was as quick as his gun. Some believed he was college educated, and his sense of honor and courage was sometimes compared to that of a British lord. In truth, Ringo was not a formally educated man, and he came from a struggling working-class Indiana family that gave him few advantages. Yet, he does appear to have been better read than most of his associates, and he clearly cultivated an image as a refined gentleman.

“Why Johnny Ringo, you look like someone just walked over your grave.”

By the time he was 12, Ringo was already a crack shot with either a pistol or rifle. He left home when he was 19, eventually ending up in Texas, where in 1875 he became involved in a local feud known as the “Hoodoo War.”

Michael Biehn as Johnny Ringo wasn't he GREAT?

He killed at least two men, but seems to have either escaped prosecution, or when arrested, escaped his jail cell. By 1878, he was described as “one of the most desperate men in the frontier counties” of Texas, and he decided it was time to leave the state.

In 1879, Ringo resurfaced in southeastern Arizona, where he joined the motley ranks of outlaws and gunslingers hanging around the booming mining town of Tombstone. Nicknamed “Dutch,” Ringo had a reputation for being a reserved loner who was dangerous with a gun.

He haunted the saloons of Tombstone and was probably an alcoholic. Not long after he arrived, Ringo shot a man dead for refusing to join him in a drink. Somehow, he again managed to avoid imprisonment by temporarily leaving town.

He was not involved in the infamous gunfight at the O.K. Corral in 1881, but he did later challenge Doc Holliday (one of the survivors of the O.K. Corral fight) to a shootout. Holliday declined and citizens disarmed both men.

The manner of Ringo’s demise remains something of a mystery. He seems to have become despondent in 1882, perhaps because his family had treated him coldly when he had earlier visited them in San Jose. Witnesses reported that he began drinking even more heavily than usual.

Were Doc and Ringo similar?

On this day in 1882, he was found dead in Turkey Creek Canyon outside of Tombstone. It looked as if Ringo had shot himself in the head and the official ruling was that he had committed suicide. Some believed, however, that he had been murdered either by his drinking friend Frank “Buckskin” Leslie or a young gambler named “Johnny-Behind-the-Deuce.” To complicate matters further, Wyatt Earp later claimed that he had killed Ringo. The truth remains obscure to this day.

EARP BROTHER: BAXTER WARREN EARP KILLED IN ARIZONA

Warren Earp
Photo: PW Butler Collection 

Warren Earp: Full name Baxter Warren Earp, Wyatt's youngest brother. Warren was born on March 9, 1855 in Pella, Iowa. Due to his age, Warren didn't participate in most of his older brother's activities. He was still living at home with his parents when the shooting in Tombstone happened. He had been to Tombstone previously in 1880 and 1881 for visits, hence some of the stories about Wyatt in Tombstone include Warren.

Warren Earp, the youngest of the Earps, was murdered in an Arizona saloon.

Nicholas and Virginia Earp raised a family of five sons and four daughters on a series of farms in Illinois and Iowa. Three of the Earps’ sons grew up to win lasting infamy. On October 26, 1881, Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan Earp fought a brief shoot-out with the Clantons and McLaurys in Tombstone, Arizona. The Earp brothers, along with their friend Doc Holliday, managed to kill all three of their opponents.

The gun battle—which was named after a nearby livery stable called the O.K. Corral—later became a favorite topic of sensationalistic dime novel writers and moviemakers. Ever since, Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan have been icons of the Old West.

The Earps with Doc Holliday

The youngest Earp brother, however, did not share in the fame of his older brothers. Warren Earp was probably in Tombstone on the day of the famous gunfight, but for reasons that remain unclear, Warren did not join in the gunfight (the eldest Earp brother, James, did not participate either). Warren, however, was involved in the bloody series of revenge killings that followed the shoot-out.

Within six months of the first gunfight, Morgan Earp was assassinated and Virgil Earp was badly wounded. Wyatt presumed the Clantons and McLaurys were behind the attacks. Determined to strike back, Wyatt turned for help to his little brother, Warren.

Together with Doc Holliday, the two brothers took their vengeance, killing two men suspected of having been behind Morgan’s murderer. In danger now of being arrested for murder, the three men fled to Colorado.

TOMBSTONE VILLAIN POWERS BOOTHE DIED MAY 14 AT AGE 68

One of my favorite character actors, Powers Boothe has died at age 68. One of his most famous roles was Curly Bill in the famous western film Tombstone. Such a memorable characterization!



The first role I remember seeing Powers in was as Mass killer Jim Jones in Guyana Tragedy

Boothe first came to national attention in 1980, playing Jim Jones in the CBS-TV movie Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones. Boothe's portrayal of the crazed cult leader received critical acclaim. In Time's story on the production, Boothe was praised: "There is one extraordinary performance. A young actor named Powers Boothe captures all the charisma and evil of 'Dad', Jim Jones." Boothe won the Emmy Award for his role, beating out veterans Henry Fonda and Jason Robards. Full Bio on WIKI

Powers Boothe

American actor born 1948, in Snyder, Texas. Leading man of the American stage, TV, and films. He made a strong presence in some films in the 80s, but he was most successful on TV. He won an Emmy award as Best Actor for his performance in the TV movie Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980). He died on May 14, 2017 in his sleep. Services Pending and our thoughts are with his family, friends, and legions of fans. RIP IMDB

ACTOR BILL PAXTON DIED SUDDENLY FROM HEART SURGERY

Bill Paxton (May 17, 1955 - February 25, 2017) died yesterday of complications from heart surgery. R.I.P.

Sad news indeed! Bill played so many iconic parts in film and television. I loved him in Titanic and Tombstone. Some of my Facebook friends enjoyed him in Weird Science and The Terminator. Whatever role he played he was a scene stealer all the way... Read Bill's complete Filmography HERE

Bill was a terrific actor, I loved all his movies and roles. Such tragedy he left us much too young. Our thoughts and prayers to his family. RIP