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Mark Lee Gardner, a respected expert of the old west, has authored a new volume titled Brothers of the Gun, which delves into the careers of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. The historian states annoyance with the famous saying from a classic movie: “When the myth becomes fact, print the myth.”

“All historian uses it, they just beat it to death,” he remarks lightheartedly. “And it’s truly not accurate. I wrote a story. I aim people to be absorbed in the time, but I just get so weary of that quote. The legend is folklore. It never become reality. People can repeat the myth but it doesn't make it fact.”

The Infamous Showdown at the OK Corral

In Tombstone, Arizona, on October 26, 1881, Earp and Doc Holliday were involved in a shootout that became famous as the Tombstone gunfight. With Earp’s brothers, the duo confronted the outlaw gang, individuals sought for theft and stealing. In a brief moment, three outlaws were killed and Holliday was injured, as were the Earp brothers.

Despite being one of many Wild West clashes between authorities and criminals, it joined legend, partly thanks to famous films including the John Ford film and another renowned film.

Mystery and Variation in Firsthand Accounts

“A great deal of what we know about it is provable,” Gardner noted of the true shootout and its sequels. “But I repeatedly go back to one of the most insightful remarks, and it’s a very simple comment. An observer, who witnessed the shootout, remarked: ‘I don’t know. It was all a blur.’”

Even the people on the scene had different accounts. Evidence from the Spicer hearing is also murky. Witnesses who were associates of the gang were untruthful, and every version is a bit distinct. It’s infrequent when a person aligns on any detail.

“All was confusion.” – Addie Borland

“Among the individuals there were bewildered,” he adds. “So it’s genuinely hard to determine it, and it occurred in half a minute.”

Legend-Building and Film Depictions

The lawman lived into the movie era, passing away in 1929 at the age of eighty. Initially depicted on a silent film film in 1923, he subsequently became the focus of significant 20th-century movies. In relatively recent years, he has been played by an actor in a modern western and Kevin Costner in the 1994 movie.

Gardner drills through such legend-building to uncover the people below. His works explore the range of the old west, from Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett to a civil war guerrilla.

Complex Lives of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday

Hailing in Monmouth, Illinois in the mid-19th century, Earp was not old enough to fight in the civil war, though he tried to do so. When he was two decades old, he was appointed a law officer in Missouri. Errors were done. Earp suffered a loss with the death of his spouse, Urilla Sutherland, from typhoid in 1870. Afterward, as constable, he held onto public funds he gathered.

“We can't know why he kept it,” Gardner states. “He escapes, and arrives in Indian Territory. He’s apprehended for taking a animal, and then he’s in Illinois, and he’s operating a bawdy house. Finally he heads back out West, and he ends up in Wichita, Kansas.”

Despite his troubled history, Earp excelled as a police officer. The press commended him frequently. In one example, he detained a drunk man who had $500 on him. He secured the cash for the drunk and gave it back when he freed him from confinement.

Contrasting Characters of the Pair

The historian emphasizes the stark contrast between the duo. Earp was driven, seeking to improve himself and attain positions like high office. Doc, originating in Griffin, Georgia in 1851, was a dentist turned gambler. Unlike Wyatt, Holliday never exhibit evidence of establishing roots.

“Holliday just moves from one gambling place to the next,” Gardner notes. “He doesn't truly evolve. And part of that’s his addiction to wagering. A portion of that is consumption, managing that and using substances, whether it’s with whiskey or subsequently opium.”

Influence and Academic Importance

This volume demonstrates a compelling aspect of the frontier: the tension between law and chaos, and the endeavors of authorities to exert rule over developing communities. The amount of bureaucracy that followed a gunfight – inquiries, statements, orders for payment – might surprise those familiar with Hollywood versions of the period.

Furthermore, Wyatt and Doc were embroiled in divisive factional conflicts. He was a Republican, while Tombstone lawman his rival was a Democrat, creating a competition for power and office.

In the end, Gardner declines to idealize these men. Wyatt and Holliday spent periods on both side