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The Man & The Legend
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The Early Years: John “Doc” Henry Holliday born August 14, 1851 died November 8, 1887. He was an American dentist, gambler, and gunfighter of the American Old West frontier. He is mostly remembered for his associations with Wyatt Earp and the gunfight at the OK Corral. Holliday's mother died of tuberculosis on September 16, 1866, when he was 15 years old. Three months later his father married Rachel Martin. Shortly after the marriage, the family moved to Valdosta, Georgia, where Holliday attended the Valdosta Institute. There he received a strong classical secondary education in rhetoric, grammar, mathematics, history, and languages — principally Latin, but also French and some ancient Greek. In 1870, 19 year old Holliday left home to begin dental school in Philadelphia. On March 1, 1872, he received the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery. Later that year he opened a dental office with Arthur C. Ford in Atlanta. He was a good dentist, but shortly after starting his practice, he discovered that he had contracted tuberculosis. Although he consulted a number of doctors, the consensus of all was that he had only months to live. However, they all concurred that he might add a few months to his life if he moved to a dry climate. Following this advice, Doc packed up and headed west. His Days In Texas: ”Doc” first traveled to Dallas, Texas in October 1873. At that time the railroad only went as far as Texas. He would soon find a position as an associate of Dr. John A. Seegar. “Doc” suffered with bouts of coughing spells that often occurred at the most embarrassing times. Eventually John Holliday’s dental business gradually declined. He would soon have to find another way to support himself. It became apparent that he possessed a natural ability for gambling and this quickly became his sole means of support. In those days, a gambler in the west had to be able to protect himself at all times and at all costs. “Doc” was well aware of this and faithfully practiced with six gun and knife. On January 2, 1875, Doc and a local saloon keeper, named Austin, had a disagreement that flared into violence. Each man went for his pistol. Several shots were fired, but not one struck its intended target. According to the Dallas Weekly Herald, both shooters were arrested. Most of the local citizens thought such a gunfight highly amusing, but changed their views a few days later when “Doc” put two large holes through a prominent citizen, leaving him very dead. Feelings ran high over this killing and “Doc” was forced to flee Dallas a short distance in front of a posse. His next stop was Jacksboro over in Jack's County, where he found a job dealing Faro. Jackson was a tough cow-town situated near an army post. Faro would become “Doc’s” favorite card game. Not to be outdone, “Doc” now carried a gun in a shoulder holster, one on his hip, and a long, wicked knife as well. Reports confirm the fact that he was becoming an expert with these weapons as he was involved in three gunfights in a very short span of time. One of these left another dead man to “Doc's” credit. Since this was a pretty wild section of the West at that time, no law action was taken against him. During the summer of 1876, Holliday again became a participant in a gunfight. On this occasion, he was careless enough to kill a soldier from Fort Richardson. The killing brought the United States Government into the investigation. Colorado, Wyoming & New Mexico: “Doc” hit the trail again, but this time his back trail was cluttered with the Army, U.S. Marshals, Texas Rangers, and local lawmen and citizens, who were anxious to collect the reward offered for him. Holliday knew that if he was captured, his neck would be stretched with very few preliminaries, so he headed straight into Apache country for Colorado, eight hundred miles away. Stopping for short periods at Pueblo, Leadville, Georgetown and Central City, three more men went down before his guns before he reached Denver. There he went by the name of Tom Mackey and was practically unknown until he was involved in an argument with Bud Ryan, while dealing Faro at Babbitt's House. In the ensuing fight, “Doc” came very near to cutting Ryan's head off. Ryan, who was a well-known gambling tough, survived the vicious slashing, but his face and neck were horribly mutilated. Although his victim did not die, public resentment forced Doc to flee again. |
He drifted on to Wyoming, then to New Mexico, and from there to Fort
Griffin, Texas. It was there that “Doc” met the only woman who was ever to
come into his life. She was known as "Big Nose" Kate, a frontier dance
hall woman and prostitute. It was quite true that Kate's nose was prominent, but her other features were quite attractive. Her ample curves were generous and all in the right places. Tough, stubborn, fearless, and high tempered, she worked at the business of being a Madam and a prostitute because she liked it! She belonged to no man or no Madam's House, but plied her trade as an individual in the manner she chose. “Doc” met her while he was dealing cards in John Shanssey's saloon. Meeting Wyatt Earp: It was also at Shanssey's that he met Wyatt Earp, another person who was to have a great deal of influence on his life. Earp rode in from Dodge City on the trail of Dave Rudabaugh, who was wanted for train robbery. While “Doc” was helping Wyatt gain the information he needed, they became fast friends. Holliday had already gained the reputation of being a cold-blooded killer. Many believed that he liked to kill, but that was not true. He was simply a hot tempered Southern gentleman who stood aside for no man. Bat Masterson said of him: "Doc Holliday was afraid of nothing on earth". “Doc” could be described as a fatalist. He knew that he was already condemned to a slow, painful death. If his death was quick and painless, who was he to object! Actually, he expected a quick demise because of the violent life he lived.
The Bully Of Fort Griffin: As he felt that he was obviously only protecting himself and in the right, “Doc” stuck around town and allowed the Marshal to arrest him. That was certainly a mistake, for once he had been disarmed and locked up, Bailey's friends and the town vigilantes began a clamor for his blood. "Big Nose" Kate knew that “Doc” was finished unless someone did something and quickly. Likely as not, the local lawmen would turn the slim gunman over to the mob. Kate went into action by setting fire to an old shed. It burned so rapidly that the flames threatened to engulf the town. Everyone went to fight the fire with the exception of three people: Kate, “Doc”, and the Officer who guarded him. As soon as the lawman and his prisoner were left alone, she stepped in and confronted them. A pistol in each hand, she disarmed the startled guard, then passed a pistol to “Doc” and the two of them vanished into the night. All that night they hid
in the brush, carefully avoiding parties of searchers. The next morning
they headed for Dodge City, four hundred miles away, on "borrowed" horses.
The couple registered at Deacon Cox's Boarding House in Dodge City as Dr.
and Mrs. J. H. Holliday. “Doc” felt he owed Kate a great deal for rescuing
him from a hang tree in Fort Griffin and was determined to do anything in
his power to make her happy.
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Adventures In Dodge City: September 1876 found “Doc” back dealing Faro in the Long Branch Saloon. A number of Texas cowboys had just arrived in Dodge City with a herd of cattle. After many weeks on the trail, they were a wild, salty bunch, ready to "tree" Dodge. Word was brought into the Long Branch that several of the trail drivers had Wyatt Earp cornered and were boasting that they intended to shoot him down. “Doc” leaped through the door, gun in hand. When he arrived, two cowboys, Morrison and Driscoll, were holding cocked revolvers on Wyatt, goading him to draw before they shot him down “Doc” leaped through the door, gun in hand. When he arrived, two cowboys, Morrison and Driscoll, were holding cocked revolvers on Wyatt, goading him to draw before they shot him down. About twenty of their friends also stood nearby, taunting and insulting the enraged, but helpless, Wyatt. Holliday loosed a volume of profanity and, as the self-styled bad men turned to face “Doc”, Wyatt rapped Morrison over the head with his long barrel Colt. Then he set about relieving the other cowboys of their guns. Wyatt never forgot the fact that “Doc” Holliday saved his life that night in Dodge City.
“Kid Colton”: His Final Days: He had always expected to go out in a blaze
of glory with his boots on in some hotly contested gun battle, not on a
comfortable bed in a spiffy health resort in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
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