Old West Gunmen

[jmort]

History do make it out that Lawrence Kansas was attack without provocation or justification at that the incident occurred in a vacuum. There is so much more to tell about William T. Anderson. The James Brothers his bravery and so on and on. He is one tough dude. He definitely looks exactly like a rebel should, he personified a rebel. His hand looks like a big mitt in his death photo making his six-gun look like a J Frame. Good stuff. 5/5 on the tough guy scale.

[Gibson]

Here's to the old-timers:



Favorite image is at ~2:26- 2:30. Who is that guy? It seems he's someone I should know. Now the guy with the double-barrel scattergun at 3:16 seems recognizable The very last image also fitting it encapsulates a lot of what my mind conjures of the cowboy of old.

Edit! It's actually the image you see now. Who is that?

Hell, I know I'm just seeing the old guys through a sort of rose colored glass. I know it's was the farthest thing from glory. It was often a lonely hard put life these men lead. But it's the ideal. Something lost to this culture in which we now live. Yeah, I lean toward the older ways. Yeah, I idealize the image of the old cattle drivers camped on the open prairie with the night noises to listen to, a hard ground and a bedroll to sleep on, a cup of jailhouse coffee, and a feeling of freedom and peace long dead. Yeah, I'm an anachronism.

I was sitting out in the woods yesterday morning about an hour before daybreak and looked around me in almost the total darkness and the thought that came to my mind is this is where one finds God. then again, I suppose one finds God each time one diligently looks.

[Mike.44]

Gibson,
I found this thread and have been reading it for several hours. I have enjoyed it immensely. I sure hope there is PLENTY more to come.

Mike

[Gibson]

You betcha, Mike.

More stories than I could ever get posted. Tomorrow it'll be King Fisher and Ben Thompson (as I promised earlier). Thompson was chain lightning with a sixgun and a crack shot with a rifle. Fact: He once held off an entire town with a Henry rifle until his brother, Billy, who had just killed the sheriff could get gone. Well documented, story. I think I have an image of the handgun W.F. Cody presented Thompson. Beautiful.

[Gibson]

Well folks, today, we'll look the at end for a couple of residents of the great Lone Star State.

Tom Sullivan, a deputy sheriff in Medina County during that era, probably
provided the best eulogy for the pair when a reporter asked his opinion about them
shortly after the slayings. Giving the question some thought he responded by saying,
"They called King Fisher and Ben Thompson bad men, but they wasn't bad men; they just
wouldn't stand for no foolishness, and they never killed any one unless they bothered
them."

[IMG]http://www.******oftheweek.com/thompson.jpg[/IMG]

"I always make it a rule to let the other fellow fire first. If a man wants to fight, I argue the question with him and try to show him how foolish it would be. If he can't be dissuaded, why then the fun begins but I always let him have first crack. Then when I fire, you see, I have the verdict of self-defence on my side. I know that he is pretty certain in his hurry, to miss. I never do."

-Ben Thompson, pistoleer



The Texas Rangers were sent in to capture or kill Fisher and his gang but once
there they found that Fisher had total control of the region. Ranger Captain Leander
McNelly reported to the governor that, "The country is under a perfect reign of terror. ...
the citizens are too much afraid of the desperados (King Fisher and his gang)to give any
assistance in even keeping them secure after they have been placed in jail, and they
would never think of helping to arrest any of them. No witnesses can be found who will dare testify against the desperadoes and I am told by the Circuit Judge that he is
convinced no jury in three counties Dimmitt, Maverick, and Live Oak can be found to
convict them..."

[Gibson]

"This is King Fisher's road.
Take the other."

Our next sketch concerns the ambush and murder of two REAL gunman.

It seems superfluous to give much background on John King Fisher. Here is a nice short summary (pay attention to Ranger Jennings' description, Jennings was a Ranger's Ranger) from "frontiertimes.com:

"He apparently rode with Mexican rustlers, even killing as many as ten before emerging as the leader of the bunch, which sometimes amounted to as many as one hundred. It was reported that he traded stolen Mexican cattle for stolen Texas cattle with the eventual president of Mexico, Porfirio Diaz.

He was an imposing figure, once described by Texas Ranger N. A. Jennings as wearing an ornamented Mexican sombrero, a black Mexican jacket embroidered with gold, a crimson sash, and boots, with two silver-plated, ivory-handled revolvers swinging from his belt [also Bengal tiger skin chaps]. In the section where he reigned, Fisher was feared and respected. A certain road branch bore the sign: "This is King Fisher's road. Take the other." Fisher reportedly placed the sign to distinguish between his private road and the public road, but many at the time viewed it as evidence of the extent of Fisher's power and control.

In addition to operating his ranch, Fisher was evidently engaged in cattle rustling in Texas and Mexico, and his escapades led more than once to violence. He was arrested at various times by the famous Texas Ranger captain Leander McNelly and his successor Lee Hall. Charged with murder and horse and cattle theft, he managed to avoid conviction, but his legal ordeals took their toll, and Fisher decided to live a quieter life. He married in April 1876 and later bought a ranch near Eagle Pass."

In 1876 and '77 King was involved in two more incidents, on Christmas Day 1876 he had words with a man in Zavala County, Texas. His name was Bill Donovan and he drew his last breath on that Christmas Day. Three bullets from Fisher's Colt's .45 sixgun and he was singin' "Nearer my God to Thee". . . In '77 he ran upon a group of Mexican rustlers, one made the fatal mistake of pulling a sixgun and firing at King. King leapt from his own mount and took the Mexican to the ground. He snatched the sixgun and killed three of the Mexicans with it instantly. Game over. . .

Suffice it to say, this is the kind of man King Fisher had been but his life changed, at least somewhat, after his marriage. He was even a lawman at the time of his murder.

John King Fisher ruled 5,000 square miles. One last incident: "Over time, with a new family he began a more settled life by working in the cattle business. He served briefly in 1883 as acting sheriff of Uvalde County, Texas, and during this service he trailed two stage coach robbery suspects. The two men were brothers, Tom and Jim Hannehan, and Fisher tracked them to their ranch near Leakey, Texas. The two brothers resisted, and Fisher shot and killed Tom Hannehan. Jim Hannehan then surrendered and was taken into custody along with the stolen loot from the robbery."

Ben Thompson was even more noted as a gunman.

"It is doubtful if in his time there was another man living who equalled him
with a pistol in a life-and-death struggle" - Bat Masterson

Ben Thompson was born in Knottingley, West Yorkshire, England in 1843 but as a child in 1852 he landed in Austin Texas.

His first shooting scrape was as a 14 year old, he blasted another youth with birdshot. The youth survived and Thompson 60 days. In early 1860 he is reported to have killed a derelict who was rudely addressing a lady in New Orleans, in a knife fight.

Thompson enlisted in a Ranger brigade and got a taste of killing Indians in 1860-61. ". . . Ben Thompson enlisted in the Confederate Second Regiment Texas Mounted Rifles under the command of legendary Colonel John 'Rip' Ford. Ben would see action at the Battle of Galveston on January 1 1863, where he was wounded, and in Louisiana at La Fourche Crossings on June 20-21 1863. On November 26 1863, Thompson returned home to marry Catherine L. Moore, the eldest daughter of Martin Moore, a successful Austin merchant and substantial landowner. Ben remained in the Confederate military until its final surrender."

Shortly after the surrender a man made the mistake of threatening Ben with a scattergun. Federal troops soon arrived and placed Thompson under arrest. He languished in custody for sometime but resolved to take his leave. Ge escaped to Mexico and spent almost two years fighting with and killing for Emperor Maximilian. His side lost. Ben was VERY lucky to get out of Mexico alive. . .

Ben went back to Austin to find his brother-in-law pistol whipping his wife. Guess what? Thompson shot him on the spot but did not kill him. He drew a four year stretch at Huntsville for this. Ben managed to get clear of this on a technicality after only a short stint. He left Austin for Abilene and professional gambling. He even opened a saloon with Phil Coe. A man destined to take a dirt nap delivered from the business end of a Colt's Navy .36 caliber, wielded by one James Butler Hickock (they called him Wild Bill).

Ben spent the next years drifting to all of the famous gambling towns of the period. He eventually ended up back in Austin in 1878, possibly before. He was a popular guy there but quick to back his temper with his sixshooter when drunk.

In 1879 Buffalo Bill was in town and met with Thompson. Newspaper reports from the timer mention them shooting together and the amazing shooting Cody demonstrated with a rifle and Ben with a revolver. Evidently Cody was taken with Ben's skills (see picture).

In 1880-1881 Ben had been elected City Marshal of Austin. He was a hands on Marshal and even faced down and arrested John Ringo, the noted gunman. However there was one problem, Ben was a no BS kind of guy and lawmen have to be able to shake off some amount of BS. Thus we have the genesis for our sketch.

"In 1880 while visiting San Antonio, Thompson had become embroiled in a gamblers feud with Jack Harris and the other owners of the notorious Vaudeville Theatre. [ Billy Simms, who will later come up in the last battle of Thompson's life testified of an incident that occurred prior to Harris' death: "Look here Harris, I heard that you were looking for me with a shot-gun last night?"

"No sir, I was not looking for you with a shotgun."

"I heard you were."

"No, I was not looking for you, I was waiting for you."

"Do you mean to say I can’t come in your house?"

"Ben, if you had a house and forbid me to go into it I would not go around it."

"Do you say I can’t go in your house?"

"No, you can’t."

"Well, I’m coming to your house and if the doors are closed I’m going to kick them down. If you think I care a damn for you, you jump out there on the plaza with your shotgun."] The feud simmered for two years until Thompson, tired of hearing of Harris' continuous threats, shot and killed him on July 11, 1882. Armed with a shotgun, Harris proved too slow for Thompson's pistol and the sensational murder trial that followed was headline news throughout Texas. By the time that a San Antonio jury had returned a verdict of not guilty, Austin had already accepted Ben's resignation and elected a new City Marshall.

From knottingley.org, again: "Jack Harris was wounded in the chest, a "ball struck the breast bone, and glanced . . .up between the 4th & 5th ribs and passed out behind." The shot passed through the right lung and caused severe hemorrhaging. Carrying his cocked shotgun, Harris staggered up the stairs towards the theatre gallery. Johnny Dyer followed and found him laid out between the benches. He was surrounded by two or three women. One held his head. The two actresses, Kate and May Mauri told Dyer that Jack was shot; Dyer raced out of the Vaudeville and found Dr. Thomas Chew who examined Harris at the theatre. Friends placed Harris on a cot, ordered a hack and took him to is home three blocks away. Besides the attending Dr. Chew, other physicians were called but nothing could be done to save Harris’ life. For more than an hour he suffered and he was in such agony that once he implored, "Oh ! Someone kill me for God’s sake and let me die." Moments later he ceased tossing over the bed, took one last bloody gasp and died."

[Gibson]

The Vaudeville was now in the hands of Billy Simms, Joe Foster and Johnny Dyer.


Thompson returned to a hero's welcome in Austin but within a year’s time his drinking bouts had become more frequent and his late night pistol antics more annoying and dangerous and sentiment within the city gradually turned against him. While Ben was sober there was not a kinder or friendlier man around, but the prolonged and heavy bouts of drinking which characterised the last four years of his life, earned him the reputation of being a troublesome character. Unfortunately, many accounts of Ben still portray him with the reputation he earned himself during his later years with total disregard to his previous behaviour."

One noted writer recorded his post Harris killing behavior as follows:

"...he was irritable and easily offended. Instead of the courteous, affable man he had been, Thompson was now arrogant and overbearing. Suffering from insomnia he spent most nights roaming the town (Austin), shooting off his pistol with a perverted sense of humor. The feud with Harris was kept alive by statements from Joe Foster that Thompson had better not return to the Vaudeville. Billy Simms, executor of Harris' estate, was running the saloon in partnership with Foster. In both cities, the feeling persisted that the rising of tension would be broken only by more gunfire...The illness and death of his mother added to his depression..."


Buffalo Bill had this pistol made for Thompson, ain't it a beaut?



Jack Harris, killed by Thompson

[Gibson]

ASSASSINATION AT THE VAUDEVILLE THEATER

The best I can see this story through the dimming of almost 130 years is the King Fisher and Ben Thompson were assassinated. I suspect that this is as close to truth as we will get, from Geron and Yates in their "Fatal Corner" article: "Charges of assassination were made by all the friends of Thompson and Fisher but nothing was ever proved. Frank Bushick, in his book published in 1934, provides what is as near the final word as we are likely to get. Bushick was editor of the San Antonio Express from 1892 to 1906, and city tax commissioner for many years. He was told by "sporting men in the know" that the real slayers were "three hangers-on at the theater, a bartender named McLaughlin, Canada Bill, a gambler, and an English Jew variety performer named Harry Tremaine." These men were posted in a box overlooking the balcony and told to fire if there was trouble. They all left town immediately after the shooting.

Jacobo Coy's testimony included the statement, "The parties who were shooting were behind us"--and the Justice let it go without question. Simms said, "After the first fire another pistol was drawn, and just as this pistol was drawn Fisher said: 'Don't you draw that, you S.O.B.'" But when a juror asked who drew this pistol, Simms declined to answer and the Justice sustained his objection."

My belief:

[Remember that Thompson had killed Jack Harris the former owner of the Vaudeville and a good friend to current leadership of the club. There were EXTREMELY bitter feelings in the place against Thompson and many threats had passed back and forth. King Fisher however was friends with BOTH sides.]

The two men met up in Austin with Fisher visiting the city on business and Ben living there. They hit some of the gaming/drinking establishments and Fisher deciding he wanted to get back to his home in Uvalde, announced he would take the train to San Antonio and thence to Uvalde. It seems for some reason Ben Thompson agreed to go as far as San Antonio. It makes sense if you think about it. Two men get to knocking back a few and then the bright ideas begin flowing that look odd to us but are perfectly reasonable to the drinkers. The train rolls down the tracks and our guys have a few more drinks, etc.

They arrived in San Antonio in the evening and strolled the town, hitting the Turner Hall Opera House and a couple more drinks. They left prior to the last act and made their way to the Vaudeville Variety Theater. Unfortunately for them word had been wired ahead from the train that the two men were on the way. This point is KEY! Something else that I think is overplayed is Ben's supposed drunkenness; I do NOT believe he was dead drunk at all. In my opinion he was a VERY well practiced drinker and could easily maintain.

Fisher and Thompson came into the theater on March 11, 1884 at right around 11 pm, they were immediately greeted by Billy Simms and given a great table on the second story balcony. The three were joined shortly by J. Coy, a special policeman (bouncer) employed by Simms. Appearances say that the men were jovial and happy. (Most agree that Fisher was friends with the owners of the theater and was maybe even brokering a peace in this situation, who knows?) Shortly, Ben calls for Joe Forster to join the table; Joe being the man most bitter at Thompson for having killed Harris. Foster comes to the table and Ben offers him his hand but he declines to shake it. All hell breaks loose! Thompson backhands Foster right in the mouth. But the odd thing is that the men stepped aside rather than go at it. And in a flash a fusillade of bullets kills Thompson and King Fisher. This barrage originated from above and to the left of the men. The men fell on their right sides and it seems to me that Coy then rushed up to Ben and put three rounds in his head and at least two into Fisher. Both were already dead. That's my take on it, there are others.

An autopsy performed in Austin on Thompson by Dr. Goodall Wooten, showed that every slug that hit Ben came from above & behind, hitting him in the shoulders & upper back & either ending up in his belly or groin or exiting there. They were all 200-gr flat-nose .44 Winchester slugs.

I have no idea why this is screwed up in its print but it is IMPORTANT and it is the ACTUAL words of two eyewitnesses who have absolutely nothing to gain or lose and who knew neither of the groups. Decode it as you read it. It is from the Austin Statesman Newspaper.

"Yesterday a Statesman representative
met two gentlemen who were present at
the Vaudeville theatre at the time Thomp-
son and Fisher were killed, and the ac-
count they give of the matter is so at
variance with the story told by tin-
crowd at the dive itself, that it will be
found to be most interesting reading.
Both gentlemen are from the North, and
are traveling men, one representing a
wholesale liquor house in Kentucky and
the other a wholesale tobacco house in
Chicago. They appear like very candid,
truthful men, and the story they give
corresponds so closely with the post
mortem, examination that there can be
no doubt but it is a correct statement of
the tragedy. They gave their names as
Alex T. Raymond and John K. Sublett.
These gentlemen say they happened to
be in San Antonio the night of the
tragedy. They stayed with an old ac-
quaintance, ao,id he insisted on showing
them some of the sights of the Alamo
city. They went to hear Ada Gray, and
then their friend proposed they take in
the variety theatre, and in this manner
they happened to be at the den of in-
famy. It was between eleven and twelve
o'clock when they reached this den of
sin. They were in the bar-room when
Thorn pson and Fisher came in, and their
friend informed thorn that the gentleman
who just entered was the notoriou^ Hen
Thompson. It we-; the first time they
had ever seen him, and of course their
curiosity was aroused. Their friend
then informed them that he had killed a
man in this very theatre. Jack Harris,
and that the prtsent manager had been
the partner of the man killed by Thomp-
son, and their friend remarked it was
strange Thompson should come to the
place. Neither Thompson nor Fisher
were drunk. They talked in an ordin-
ary conversational tone of voice, and
both appeared to be in the most .pleasant
humor. Soon a man came into the bar-
room, whom their friend told them was
Sims, and he walked up to Thompson and
Said. 'Hello, lien; idad to see you.' I Sen
thon introduced I. in to .Mr. Fisher, and
Fisher and Sims j-hook hands. Just then
the officer. Coy came into the hai'-roolii,
and shook hands with both the murder-
ed men. Sims then said to Thompson:
"Ben, I am awful glad to see you here.
Let us forget the past, and he friends,
in the future. Thompson replied: 'I de-
sire to hi' friends, ; nd 1 have come here
with my friend Fisher to talk the mat-
ter over, and have a perfect understand-
ing. I have a perfect right to do that,
have I not?' Sims said: 'Yes, Ben.
v . that is right, and I know \ve can all he
friends.' Hen iheu said: '1 have noth-
ing against you or Foster. I am not
afraid of you. I am here surrounded
by my friends, but I want to be friends
with you. and I have come here to talk
this over.' Sims replied: 'That is all
right; come up s.airs and see Foster;
and after taking a drink Thompson and
Fisher went up stairs to the theatre
neither the policeman nor Sims went up
with them. Ravmond and Sublett, with
their friend, told them and took a
seat a short distance from them. In a
short time they were .joined by Sims and
Coy, who sat by the side of Thompson
and Fisher, and some pleasant conversa
tion Soon a girl came along
and Thompson -ordered drinks. After
they had drank, he teased the girl about
paying for them, but finally pulled out a
very large roll of bills, saying, 'I have
lots' of money. I have $20,000 in that
roll.' and he paid the girl for the drinks.
After this he turned to Sims, saying, 'I
thought you brought me up here to see
Foster. Billy, don't you play any games
on me. I did not come here for another
fuss, and I don't w:int any. but you must
treat me fair.' Sims replied: "I am,
Ben; it's just as he told you, and I will
go and tell Foster you want to have a
friendly talk with him.' 'Yes, go and
get him,' Fisher said. '1 want to make
you fellows good friends before I leave.
I have invited Thompson here; he did
not want to come, but you are all friends
of mine, and I want you to be friends.
I told him to come and talk the matter
over like gentlemen together, and bury
the past; Thompson is willing to do it.
and I want Foster to meet him half way.'
Sims said, 'All right, I will go and tell
him.' He went into a box and came
out with Foster, and they came down
to where Thompson and Fisher were. As
they came up, Thompson, without rising,
extended his hand to Foster, and as he
did so Fisher said : 'I want you and
Thompson to be friends. You are both
friends to me, and I want you to shake
hands like gentlemen.' Foster said.'I
cannot shake hands with Ben Thompson,
nor can I be friends, and I want him to
keep out of my way.' As he said that
both Sims and Co;, stepped to one side,
at least two feet from where Thompson
and Fisher were sitting, and Foster was
about as far on the other side of them.
Thompson and Fisher sprang up. neither
had a revolver in his hand, and before
they got to their feet a volley that sound-
ed as though there were a dozen carbines
was fired from a box a little to the left
and considerably above the doomed men,
and both went down instantly. Neither
Thompson nor Fisher drew their pistols,
nor did they have time to do so. Any
statement to the contrary is without the
slightest foundation. Thompson fell on
his right side and just as soon as the
volley was fired from the box one of the
two either Sims or Coy rushed up find
drew Thompson's revolver and bent over
putting the muzzle close to his ear and
tired. He then fired two other shots in
his head and body and the other man
shot Fisher in a similar manner. Foster
tried to draw his revolver, but, it caught
and he gave it an angry jerk bringing it
out, but the jerk discharged it and the
ball struck him in the leg and he fell.
The crowd then gathered around the
dead men. 'It is monstrous,' said Mr.
Raymond, 'the evidence those fellows
gave at San Antonio, and the whole
town seems to be" in mortal fear of the
tough crowd who have their headquarters
at that den of infamy, the Vaudeville,
Thompson, no doubt, was a bad man,
but the crowd who murdered him ought
to lie hanged, for it was the coldest
blooded murder ever committed.' These
gentlemen were asked to give the name
of the friend at, San Antonio, who was
'with them, but this they refused to do,
because' they had promised him they
would not disclose his identity, as he was
afraid if these men knew he might be
used as a witness against them they
would kill him ; and he did not want to
be mixed up in it at all. He did not
want it known either that he had visit-
ed such a den, as he is one of the leading
men of the city.

"This account corresponds with the
facts shown by f he autopsy, and is no
doubt as near the truth as the public will
ever get. It is given exactly as related
to the Statesman representative."

The Vaudeville Theater, closed by police after the shooting of Ben Thompson and King Fisher two days ago, was reopened. Few people attended, however.





King Fisher:




Blood spattered photo of Ben Thompson removed from the body of King Fisher, it was inscribed to him on the back

[Gibson]

There you go! Does the vulgarity, ******, come to mind? It seems applicable to both of these 'hombres'. No need to embellish the truth is amazing. . .

Thoughts?

jmortimer will have to find a spot on his tough guy rating scale BTW: I do agree as to the "Mad Trapper". His toughness is off the charts. NULLI SECUNDUS!

[9.3X62AL]

What a GREAT READ! Many thanks for sharing this information, and I look forward to further installments as time permits.

[starmac]

Gibson, it seems like you have done a lot of reaserch on the characters. I have a question about Billy the Kid that you may or may not have an opinion.
Do you think Garret killed him and he is was actually buried in Fort Sumner?

[Gibson]

Gibson, it seems like you have done a lot of reaserch on the characters. I have a question about Billy the Kid that you may or may not have an opinion.
Do you think Garret killed him and he is was actually buried in Fort Sumner?

starmac: I will post my death of "El Chivato" AKA Billy the Kid, later tonight. The short answer is, yes, I do believe Garrett killed the "Kid". I also believe our old acquaintance "Killin' Jim Miller killed Garrett. (Do you recall Jim Miller? In my mind, he was the inspiration for the no-name Clint Eastwood character with the pig iron plate. Miller pulled that trick TWICE. However being one of the deadliest killers of the old west he had no need for it a third time. He leveled a double barreled shotgun on the batwings of a saloon and blew Bud Frazer's head off, for all intents and purposes. Mean, mean, mean. Jim then told his Frazer's sister who rushed him with a sixgun, "I will shoot you right in the face". Whew. . .)

[Gibson]

What a GREAT READ! Many thanks for sharing this information, and I look forward to further installments as time permits.

You betcha!

I think it'll have to be the end of the trail for "Billy", next. I follow Utley, Wallis, and Coe. Mostly. . .

[Gibson]

Deacon Jim/Killin' Jim Miller/James B. Miller

Miller on left:





Miller married John Wesley Hardin's cousin. Hardin was later hired by Miller over a murder charge. . . Cannot make this stuff up

[starmac]

I never paid much attention to the squabble of the Kids death, or even realized that somebody had come close to being pardoned, but I have reasons of my own to wonder with no answers.
I spent my last two years of high school close to Fort Sumner, and the old timers there (several of them) claimed he had been back and they had personally seen and talked with him. Whether there is any truth to that or not, I don't really know, but I always liked to listen to the old timers, and they at least sounded sincere. That is one of the reasons that I kind of wonder about it, one other is that I married into a family that is some kind of round about way kin to him, and several of their old timers claimed he wasn't buried in Ft Sumner.
I do know one thing, I was basically raised in the houston area, and when I was probably 8 or so years old, my dad who normally had no much good to say about any of the old outlaws, other than an admiration of some of them that had proven to be pretty tough men, mentioned that Billy the Kid was a product of the lincoln war and that pretty much sealed his fate to be an outlaw, whether he wanted to be or not. He also told me that there were more than one grave for him. He even told me where one was located in texas, which I pretty much forgot about. In 76 I was pretty wild and single and was passing through Ft Sumner, The whole town was on the side walks partying, big washtubs full of beer everywhere free for the taking, (I guess) so I parked and started helping them with the beer. I finally ask what the celebration was for and was told that they Had brought Billy the Kids gravestone that day. It had been stolen in 58 and had been found where my dad had told me there was another grave for him, which was just a few miles from my great grands farm where my grandad grew up and lived his life and my dad was raised on. My dad just happened to have been working in FT Sumner as a powder monkey in 58, I regret not ever asking him about it while he was still with us.

[chasweav]

Gibson, Thank you so much, this is fantastic reading..Thanks again, Charlie

[Gibson]

Gibson, Thank you so much, this is fantastic reading..Thanks again, Charlie

Charlie, I'm glad to oblige.

I fear that the old-timers will be forgotten. Both the lawmen and the badmen. . . Sad. As I posted before, I tend to idealize the old time cow puncher. And even admire the sand of the badmen and the 'goodmen'.

[jmort]

I'm giving Ben Thompson 5/5 for two good reasons. First his quote:

"I always make it a rule to let the other fellow fire first. If a man wants to fight, I argue the question with him and try to show him how foolish it would be. If he can't be dissuaded, why then the fun begins but I always let him have first crack. Then when I fire, you see, I have the verdict of self-defence on my side. I know that he is pretty certain in his hurry, to miss. I never do."
-Ben Thompson, pistoleer

As I said before, it may not always work but it pays to be deliberate and make your first shot count. Easier said than done and second, quote from Bat Masterson

"It is doubtful if in his time there was another man living who equalled him
with a pistol in a life-and-death struggle" - Bat Masterson

Now King Fisher I'll have to give him 5/5 as well (I know seems like grade inflation) based on this incident alone:

"In '77 he ran upon a group of Mexican rustlers, one made the fatal mistake of pulling a sixgun and firing at King. King leapt from his own mount and took the Mexican to the ground. He snatched the sixgun and killed three of the Mexicans with it instantly."

It takes tough guy nerves of steel to decisively act and defeat multiple foes.

[Gibson]

PROLOGUE:

Wyatt Earp was a scoundrel, of this there can be no honest doubt. But he was indeed tough when he had to be and tough where his brothers were concerned. The following is a valuable prologue for folks. If it were simply an attempt to take the "piss" out of Earp then I would ignore it but it involves another figure, THE SHOOTIST.

Recall these these three facts before you read this:

1) Clay Allison absolutely a man killer, double tough, and fearless.

2) Earp came up with this account in 1896, years after Clay was dead.

3) Chalk Beeson and Dick McNulty were BUSINESS MEN and their actions were a request as men trying to protect their own interests. They were NOT law officers, they were asking and reasoning with Allison.

Lastly, this just proves that the word of one the coolest cats ever to sit a horse and absolutely a guy who had seen it all and was no shrinking violet, Charlie Siringo had the story right. He was there. Any man who wrote a book entitled:

"A Texas Cowboy: or, Fifteen Years on the Hurricane Deck of a Spanish Pony"

has got to be cool!

Dodge City, Kansas 1878.

" At the same time, the police were "buffaloing" herders with near impunity. An item in the August 6, 1878, issue of the Globe berates an unnamed officer for beating a Mexican prisoner unmercifully. "The policeman who pounded the Mexican over the head with a six-shooter last Thursday [August 1] night, did not display either much manhood or bravery. When we consider the fact that the poor 'greaser' was sitting on a bench almost helpless from the effects of a previous beating, we don't think that even a Dodge City policeman who is nearly the greatest man in the world, has any right to walk deliberately up to him without any provocations, and knock out one or two of his eyes." According to the Dodge City Police Court Docket, the arrested man was Guadelupe Flores for drunk and disorderly. Flores plead guilty to this charge. However, the police court docket contains this note: "But upon examination of the circumstances connected with the case the court finds that he is not guilty as charged and that he be discharged...." There can be little doubt that the court felt Mr. Flores had suffered enough at the hands of the Dodge City Police.

A meeting of the populace was called to discuss the inaction of the officers concerning the criminal element infesting Dodge. Even the allied Dodge City Times was wondering about the advisability of forming a grand jury to contend with the problem. Such was the dissatisfaction of the people during that summer of '78.

Concurrently, the cattlemen of Texas indignant about the perceived mistreatment of their men and were not about to stand for it. In a letter dated at Lewistown, Montana, September 30, 1934, cowboy Pink Simms wrote: "A drunken cowboy had been shot to death while shooting a pistol in the air in the streets of Dodge. He worked for, or at least, was a friend of, Clay Allison. Others had been robbed, shot, and beaten over the head with revolvers and the cowmen were indignant about it. It was stated that the marshals were all pimps, gamblers and saloonkeepers. They had the cowboys disarmed, and with their teeth pulled they were harmless. If they got too bad or went and got a gun, they were cut down with shotguns. Allison...[was] going to protest over the treatment of [his] men and of course the salty old Clay was willing to back his arguments with gunsmoke." The charged atmosphere around Dodge made an explosion a very real possibility.

Robert Andrew Clay Allison was already a western legend when he came to Dodge in 1878, while Wyatt Earp would not become famous for several years. The Dodge City newspapers noted Allison's comings and goings and the Kinsley Graphic of December 14, 1878, had this to say when Clay stopped there. "Clay Allison, well known on the frontier and western Kansas, but better known in western Texas, for daring deeds and the number of affrays with knife and navy he engaged in, has been to town for several days this week. His appearance is striking. Tall, straight as an arrow, dark complexioned, carries himself with ease and grace, gentlemanly and courteous in manner, never betraying by word or action the history of his eventful life."

Allison "notches" included Chunk Colbert, regionally infamous man-killer; Francisco Griego, another locally noted gunfighter; and Las Animas officer Charles Fabre. Numerous are the stories of his exploits, some fact, some fiction. All stories, factual or otherwise, led to Clay Allison being one of the most feared men of the west when he arrived in Dodge City, in September of 1878.

The first known written record of the Allison/Earp clash is an interview with Wyatt Earp published in the San Francisco Examiner of August 16, 1896. The pertinent parts of the article are these:

"And so Clay Allison came to town, and for a whole day behaved like a veritable chesterfield [perfect gentleman]. But the next morning one of my policemen woke me up to tell me that the bad man from Colorado was loaded up with a pair of six-shooters and a mouth full of threats. Straightway I put my guns on and went down the street with Bat Masterson. Now, Bat had a shotgun in the District Attorney's office, which was behind a drugstore just opposite Wright's store. He thought the weapon might come in handy in case of trouble, so he skipped across the street to get it. But not caring to be seen with such a weapon before there was any occasion for it, he stayed over there, talking to some people outside the drugstore, while I went into Webster's Saloon looking for Allison. I saw at a glance that my man wasn't there, and had just reached the sidewalk to turn into the Long Branch, next door, when I met him face to face. We greeted each other with caution .... and as we spoke backed carelessly up against the wall, I on the right. There we stood, measuring each other with sideways glances. An onlooker across the street might have thought we were old friends.

'So,' said Allison truculently, 'you're the man that killed my friend Hoyt.'

'Yes, I guess I'm the man you're looking for,' said I.

His right hand was stealing round to his pistol pocket, but I made no move. Only I watched him narrowly. With my own right hand I had a firm grip on my six-shooter, and with my left I was ready to grab Allison's gun the moment he jerked it out. He studied the situation in all its bearings for the space of a second or two. I saw the change in his face.

'I guess I'll go round the corner,' he said abruptly.

'I guess you'd better,' I replied.

And he went.

In the meantime ten or a dozen of the worst Texans in town were laying low in Bob Wright's Store, with their Winchesters, ready to cover Allison's retreat out of town, or help him in the killing, if necessary. From where he had stationed himself Bat Masterson could see them, but I did not know they were there. After the encounter with Allison I moved up the street and would have passed Bob Wright's door had not Bat, from across the street signaled to me to keep out of range. A moment later Allison, who had mounted his horse, rode out in front of Webster's and called to me.

'Come over here, Wyatt,' he said, 'I want to talk to you.'

'I can hear you all right here,' I replied. 'I think you came here to fight with me, and if you did you can have it right now.'

Several friends of mine wanted me to take a shotgun, but I thought I could kill him all right with a six-shooter. At that moment Bob Wright came running down the street to urge Allison to go out of town. He had experienced a sudden change of heart because Bat had crossed over to him with these portentous words: 'If this fight comes up, Wright, you're the first man I'm going to kill.' Allison listened to the legislator's entreaties with a scowl.

'Well I don't like you any too well,' he said, 'there were a lot of your friends to be here this morning to help me out, but I don't see them round now.'

'Earp,' he continued, turning to me and raising his voice. 'I believe you're a pretty good man from what I've seen of you. Do you know that these coyotes sent for me to make a fight with you and kill you? Well, I'm going to ride out of town, and I wish you good luck.'

Charles A. Siringo's very different account in his 1927 book Riada and Spurs, is often dismissed by historians due to lack of corroborating evidence (perhaps too, because his version makes Wyatt Earp look bad). As we will see, there actually is contemporary evidence backing Siringo's presence in Dodge at the proper time.

Siringo wrote:

"About the first of October eight hundred fat steers were cut out of my four herds and started for Dodge City, Kansas.... I secured permission [from owner David T. Beals] to ... accompany them to Chicago....

"A 25-mile ride brought us to the toughest town on earth, Dodge City. It was now daylight, and the first man on the main street was Cape Willingham, who at this writing is a prosperous cattle broker in El Paso, Texas. Cape gave us our first news of the great Indian outbreak. [Dull Knife's raid through Kansas.] He told of the many murders committed by the reds south of Dodge City the day previous - one man was killed at Mead City, and two others near the Crooked Creek store. "Riding up the main street Ferris and I saw twenty-five mounted cowboys, holding rifles in their hands, and facing one of the half-dozen saloons, adjoining each other, on that side of the street [Front Street]. In passing this armed crowd one of them recognized me. Calling me by name he said: 'Fall in line quick, h--l is going to pop in a few minutes.'

"We jerked our Winchester rifles from the scabbards and fell in line, like most any other fool cowboys would have done. In a moment Clay Allison, the man-killer, came out of one of the saloons holding a pistol in his hand. With him was Mr. McNulty, owner of the large Panhandle "Turkey-track" cattle outfit. Clay was hunting for some of the town policemen, or the city marshal, so as to wipe them off the face of the earth. His twenty-five cowboy friends had promised to help him clean up Dodge City.

"After all the saloons had been searched, Mr. McNulty succeeded in getting Clay to bed at the Bob Wright Hotel. Then we all dispersed. Soon after, the city law officers began to crawl out of their hiding places, and appear on the street."

Robert K. DeArment, from this account, deduced in his biography Bat Masterson: The Man and the Legend, that the incident must have happened on September 17 or 18, 1878. Used as evidence is Siringo's placing the affair at the time of the Dull Knife raid through Kansas, specifically Meade. The papers of the day make it plain that the killings at Meade occurred on September 16, 1878. Dodge City heard of the raid on Meade on September 17, 1878.

With more than 40 years separating the incident and the retelling, Siringo's estimation of the first part of October is only a close approximation. An item in the October 8, 1878, issue of the Globe reinforces the year and indicates that in all probability the event happened in mid September. It says D. T. Beals shipped 25 carloads of cattle to Chicago between October 1 and October 7, 1878. The same issue of the Globe shows Dick McNulty, the hero of Siringo's story, to have shipped 18 carloads of cattle from Dodge City to Kansas City the same week, putting him in Dodge at about the same time.

Now consider the following news item from the Dodge City Times of September 21, 1878. "There was a scrimmage Thursday night, [September 19] between some of the officers and the party that were going on the Indian hunt. Several shots were fired. One man carries a bandaged head and a soldier was severely wounded in the leg. A disgraceful row occurred in the afternoon, in which it is said the officers failed to appear [emphasis added]. These occurrences are the subjects of much comment on the conduct of the officers."

Is this reference to a "disgraceful row" on September 19, the extent of the reporting of Clay Allison's "hunt for trouble?" That "the officers failed to appear" is consistent the account of not only Siringo but another participant, Chalk Beeson.

I recently re-discovered an interview with Beeson, datelined Topeka, January 17, [1903] (Special). It seems to confirm the Siringo account. The interview is found in a Beeson family scrapbook on file at the Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City, Kansas. The originating publication is not identified.

Chalkley McArtor Beeson was co-owner of the Long Branch saloon in Dodge, city councilman, two-time sheriff of Ford County, and four-time state legislator representing Ford County in Topeka. He was described by one newspaper as "a quiet, almost noiseless man of medium size." His hometown newspaper once described Beeson as the "man of the hour." Indeed, the city of Dodge named a street after him many years ago. Here are the pertinent portions of that interview.

"Topeka, Jan. 17. (Special.) ... Chalk Beeson is dean of the outfit. He migrated to the Western plains with the buffalo.... 'The noted Clay Allison with his gang of untamed cowboys came to Dodge one day to start some trouble,' continued Beeson. 'They soon found it. Erp [sic] was marshal [assistant marshal] at the time. He notified the boys to be on guard. I saw that a clash was coming.'

'Dick McNulty and myself held a brief conference. Something had to be done, and done quickly to prevent a wholesale killing. We took our lives in our hands and went to Allison and his gang and told them, as friends, that they had better not start anything. We argued with them while the lines were forming for a general battle. They finally yielded and handed us their guns, which we kept until they got ready to leave town. After giving up their guns they were in no danger. No one there would be so mean as to jump on to them when they were unarmed. That was against the rules of civilized warfare as construed in Dodge.'"

The only mention by Beeson of Wyatt Earp is that he "notified the boys to be on guard." Notice also, that Dick McNulty is responsible for disarming Allison - Siringo said the same thing.

Much weight must be given to the account of Chalk Beeson. Mr. Beeson's integrity has, to my knowledge, never been seriously questioned. He was in Dodge on September 19, 1878.

These three participants--Earp, Siringo, and Beeson--all tell of Clay Allison coming to Dodge City hunting trouble. The reason for Allison's trip could very well be the one put forth by Texan Pink Simms; the mistreatment of the cowboys in general and the shooting of George Hoy.

From these three accounts, perhaps a likely scenario can be put together. While the Texan Siringo wrote of the cowardice of the officers, Dodge City partisan Beeson takes a different stance. A case can be made for the following reconstruction of events.

It would seem that Charles Siringo hit Dodge on September 19, 1878, where he heard the reports of Indian depredations south of Dodge from Cape Willingham. There he met an indignant Clay Allison, backed by his "untamed cowboys". Allison was intent upon getting to the bottom of the George Hoy killing while forcing the Dodge City police to ease up on his friends. Likely the mob went from saloon to saloon, maintaining their courage with whisky at each stop. As the anger increased, so did the fury of the protestations with all its accompanying shooting and shouting until it became a "disgraceful row" by early afternoon.

Knowing that 25 rowdy cowboys backed Allison, Wyatt Earp and policeman Jim Masterson (Bat's brother) began to assemble their forces. In the meantime, Dick McNulty and Chalk Beeson intervened on behalf of the town, convincing Allison and his "gang of untamed cowboys" to give up their guns. The gang then dispersed. Two participants verify this action on the part of McNulty.

While the gang was being talked out of their guns, the officers still had not confronted Allison and his friends. This inaction would have seemed like cowardice to Clay Allison and his gang, dereliction of duty to the townspeople. Therefore, we have the Globe of the 21st adding, "it is said the officers failed to appear. These occurrences are the subjects of much comment on the conduct of the officers."

There seems to be no evidence that any kind of showdown occurred between Wyatt Earp and Clay Allison per the Examiner interview. Neither Beeson nor Siringo mention anything about it. In addition, there is evidence that Robert Wright and Bat Masterson could not be involved. They were both out of town during the Dull Knife raid.

Evidence for a "conversation" between Allison and Earp is sparse. A likely scenario for this meeting is the one put forth by Pink Simms. "I also heard that later Allison alone found Wyatt Earp seated in the lookout's chair at a faro game and he told him in no uncertain terms what he thought of the way some of the cowboys were being treated." We have in this a highly believable proposition. Allison had no fear of being gunned down. As Beeson so eloquently put it, "[n]o one there would be so mean as to jump on to them when they were unarmed. That was against the rules of civilized warfare as construed in Dodge.

Mr. Beeson's story seems to enforce the one told by Charles Siringo. It is clear that for whatever reason, Wyatt Earp backed by Bat Masterson did not quell the disturbance. That honor must go to Dick McNulty and Chalk Beeson."

I know it's odd but it's my introduction to the "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" (Yeah, we know it wasn't at the Corral)

The Shootist:



Wyatt Earp, seated second from left, and his Dodge City cohorts:




Charlie Siringo, the real deal, 1890s:

[Gibson]

My sketch does not go into the legions of disputable accounts of the background that lead to this fight.

Summary: Earps and their antagonists were both dirty to more or less degrees. The Earps pushed for the fight and their antagonists came into town that day mouthing off but clearly not expecting the push back that came from the Earp faction. Recall the Eastwood movie, "He shoulda armed himself"? Well through the years, it has become clear to me that the so-called "cowboys" were not so well armed, at all. The Earps/Holliday were bullies, no doubt, but they meant business and the cowboys should well have known NOT to come into to town talking that street smack about killing Virgil on sight. We have already seen above, how one of the Earps (Wyatt) behaves when a man who means business comes into town to handle the situation. These cowboys were big talkers on that day but really not prepared for the hard response that the Earps and Holliday dealt out. Not to say, that the cowboys were unfamiliar with 'gunplay'. They weren't. But it just seems that they came to town to do some smack talking and put a bit of fear into the natives. The Earps and Holliday were not afraid, AT ALL.

Both groups had their OWN best interests at heart. This was not a battle of law and disorder.

Let us first take a couple of disinterested women's testimony. These two are simple and in my mind honest recitations of what they observed.

Martha King:


On this fourth day of November, 1881, on the hearing of the above entitled cause of the examination of Wyatt Earp and J. H. Holliday; Mrs. Martha J. King, a witness of lawful age, being produced and sworn, deposes and says as follows:

Mrs. Martha J. King, a housewife of Tombstone, says she was in Bauer's butcher shop on Fremont Street at the time the shooting com*menced, and heard it. She saw some armed parties pass the door. She could not say they were all armed. "I saw one man, Mr. Holliday, with arms. He had a gun. I mean a gun, not a pistol. I cannot tell the difference between a shotgun and a rifle. Do not know whether he had a shotgun or a rifle."

She identifies Holliday. She says he had an overcoat and his gun on the left side, with his arm thrown over it, and the gun under his coat. "I saw the gun under the coat as he was walking and his coat would fly open." She saw the Earp party first between the butcher shop and the Post Office, going down Fremont Street toward Third Street. She only knew the Earp brothers by sight. She says Holliday was on the side next to the building. She heard them say something. The one on the outside looked around to Holliday and said, "Let them have it!" He [Holliday] replied, "All right." She heard nothing else. She did not see any of the fight. She ran back in the shop. She does not know the Sheriff by sight. She did not see anyone talking to the Earps. She says the one who said, "Let them have it!" has been pointed out to her as one of the Earp brothers.

(Q) Did you know what was meant by the words? "Let them have it!"?

(A) I suppose I did. saw a man just previous to that holding a horse and he said to another man, "If you wish to find us, you will find us just below here.”

(Q) How long before the men passed the door was it that you heard the man holding the horse say, "You will find us just below here."?

(A) I don't think it was more than four or five minutes. Witness gives more detail of the various positions of the men and where she was [just inside the folding doors of the market]. She did not hear any other words other than those already quoted.

(Q) Was the hearing of those words the only reason you had for knowing who was meant by the word, "them?"

(A) When I first went in the shop, the parties who keep the shop seemed to be excited and did not want to wait on me. I inquired what was the matter, and they said there was about to be a fight between the Earp boys and the cowboys, and they said the party who had the horse was one of the cowboys.

[Objected to. Overruled, exception noted.]

Further questioning as to whether she was frightened. Then to query says she did not see anyone speak to the Earp party to try to stop them. She believes she would have seen any person that had come close to them.

Addie Bourland:


On this twenty-eighth day of November, 1881, on the hearing of the above entitled cause, on the examination of Wyatt Earp and J. H. Hol*liday; Addie Bourland, a witness of lawful age, being produced and sworn, deposes and says as follows;

Addie Bourland, a dressmaker, of Tombstone, Arizona.

(Q) [No written question.]

(A) I live on the opposite side of Fremont Street from the entrance to Fly's lodging house.

(Q) Questioned on the difficulty.

(A) I saw first five men opposite my house, leaning against a small house [the Harwood house] west of Fly's Gallery and one man was holding a horse [Frank McLaury], standing a little out from the house. I supposed them to be cowboys, and saw four men [the Earps and Doc Holliday] coming down the street towards them, and a man with a long coat on [Doc Holliday] walked up to the man holding the horse and put a pistol to his stomach and then he, the man with the long coat on, stepped back two or three feet, and then the firing seemed to be general. That is all I saw.

(Q) Where were you at the time you saw this?

(A) I was in my house at the window.

(Q) How long after the two parties met, did the firing commence?

(A) It was very shortly, only a few seconds.

(Q) Which party fired first?

(A) I don't know.

(Q) Were you looking at both parties when the firing commenced?

(A) I was looking at them, but not at anyone in particular. I did not know there was going to be a difficulty.

(Q) Did you know, or do you know now, the man with the long coat on?

(A) I did not know him then. I recognize Doctor Holliday, the man sitting there writing, as the man to the best of my judgment.

(Q) Did you notice the character of weapon Doc Holliday had in his hand?

(A) It was a very large pistol.

(Q) Did you notice the color of the pistol?

(A) It was dark bronze.

(Q) Was it or was it not, a nickel-plated pistol?

(A) It was not a nickel-plated pistol.

(Q) Did you see at the time of the approach of the party descending Fremont Street, any of the party you thought were cowboys, throw up their hands?

(A) I did not.

(Q) Did you hear any conversation or exclamation between the two parties after they met, and before the firing commenced?

(A) I did not, for my door was closed.

(Q) How long did you continue to look at the parties after they met?

(A) Until they commenced to fire and I got up then and went into my back room.

(Q) What did these men that you speak of as cowboys’ first do when the other party approached them?

(A) They came out to meet them from the side of the house, and this man with the long coat on stepped up and put his pistol to the stomach of the man who was holding the horse, and stepped back two or three feet and the firing seemed to be general.

(Q) About how many shots were fired before you left the window?

(A) I could not tell; all was confusion, and I could not tell.

(Q) Were all the parties shooting at each other at the time you were looking at them?

(A) It looked to me like it.

(Q) Had any of the parties fallen at the time you left the window?

(A) I saw no parties fall.



[Signed] Addie Bourland



ADDIE BOURLAND IS RECALLED BY THE COURT


[Inserted loose part of page reads: "The prosecution objects to the further examination of the witness Addie Bourland after she has been examined by the defense, and cross-examined by the prosecution, her testimony read to her and signed by her and not brought before the court at the solicitation of counsel on either side. The court voluntarily states that after recess, and the witness had retired, he went to see the witness at her house and talked with her about what she might further know about the case, and that he, of his own motion, says that he believed she knew more than she had testified to on her examination, now introduces her upon the stand for the purpose or" further examination without the solicitation of either the prosecution or defense.]

[Objection overruled, and questions asked of witness by the court as follows:]

(Q) You say in your examination in chief, that you were looking at parties engaged in [the] fatal affray in Tombstone on the 26th of October last, at the time the firing commenced. Please state the position in which the party called the cowboys held their hands at the time the firing commenced; that is, were they holding up their hands, or were they firing back at the other party. State the facts as particularly as may be.

[Counsel for the prosecution objects to court questioning witness after he admits he has talked with the witness, etc., crossed out.]

(A) I didn't see anyone holding up their hands; they all seemed to be firing in general, on both sides. They were firing on both sides, at each other; I mean by this at the time the firing commenced.

RE-CROSS EXAMINATION


(Q) Did you say this morning, that you did not see who fired the first shot?

(A) I did say so.

(Q) Did you say this morning, there were two shots fired close together?

(A) I did not.

(Q) Did you say there were any shots fired at all?

(A) I did.

(Q) Did you say this morning, that when the first two or four shots were fired, you were excited and confused, and got up from the window and went into the back room?

(A) I didn't say how many shots were fired, for I didn't know when I went into the other room.

(Q) What conversation did you have with Judge Spicer, if any, with reference to your testimony to be given here since you signed your testimony this morning?

(A) He asked me one or two questions in regard to seeing the difficulty, and if I saw any men throw up their hands, whether I would have seen it, and I told him I thought I would have seen it.

(Q) Did you not testify this morning that those men did not throw up their hands that you saw?

(A) Yes sir, I did.

signed Addie Bourland

Read these closely and bear this in mind as to character of the "judge": He defended John D. Lee, rather outrageously. Google it.

Tomorrow, the fight.

[I'll add this, the more I have read of late the more I back "The Nugget" version of the story. Contrary to what is now in vogue, this was, indeed, a FIGHT. I think something on the order of 37 rounds were fired.]