The "Real" Old West

Growing up in the early 60's I developed a love for the Old West from watching T.V. shows like the Lone Ranger and Roy Rogers. As an adult I fancied myself as the " Good Guy" on a white horse wearing a white hat so when I went looking for a career, Law Enforcement, seemed a natural fit.

Getting to see first hand from my law dog position what life was all about from both the "good guy" and the "bad guy" side of things gave me a real appreciation for what the Lawman and the Outlaws of the Old West were all about. Twenty years in Law Enforcement also taught me to question everything and never except anything at face value. I took this approach when I began to really study the Old West and boy did I have my eyes opened up.

For example, many of you have watched the movie "Tombstone" starring Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer which was released in 1993. Well, in the movie just moments before the big shootout the action switches from the showdown to inside Fly's Photo Studio and a young gal dressed in a very revealing outfit. That young gal was Josie Marcus, the future wife of Wyatt Earp or so we were lead to believe. Yes, Wyatt and Josie lived as husband and wife but she never posed for such a photo. That means you can forget about making millions on the copy you have of the "real" photo that has circulated for years purported to be Josie. The truth is that a much disgraced writer by the name of Glen Boyer made the whole story up. You can google Boyer's name to read the details I not going to waste space here.

Here's another example. Most everyone has heard of the "Dead Man's Hand" of Aces and Eights. We have all been lead to believe that Wild Bill Hickok was holding a pair of Ace's and Eight's when Jack McCall murdered him in the Number 10 saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory on August 2, 1876. The truth is that Bill was playing poker on that fateful afternoon with men he knew. Captain William Massie, a former Missouri riverboat pilot was seated at the table along with co-owner of the Number 10 Carl Mann and Charlie Rich, a 20 year old gambler and house dealer from Ohio. Play had just concluded with Wild Bill and Capt. Massie showing their respective hands. Bill had four 7's and a King kicker but Massie bested that hand and busted Bill. In disgust Hickok said," You old duffer, you beat me on that one". Hickok called to the bar for more chips and Harry Young responded by bringing chips and a credit voucher to the table. As Young turned and walked away McCall moved in and without warning fired a single bullet that struck Hickok in the back of the head and exited his right cheek. The bullet then struck Massie in the left wrist. Hickok who was setting on a stool and not in a chair slumped sideways off his stool and onto the floor. After McCall fired he yelled, " Damn you, take that". He then stated, " Come on ya sons-a-bitches!" as he turned on the other men in the saloon that day. Most men headed for the front door but George Shingle, a bartender, moved from behind the bar and to Hickok's side. McCall turned his gun on Shingle and pulled the trigger. The gun snapped but did not fire. Shingle got up and ran for the door. McCall fired a third time but again a misfire. Carl Mann moved to attend Hickok and McCall threatened to shoot Mann. Mann quickly moved behind the bar to retrieve a gun. McCall then bolted for the back door. Now with all that taking place you tell me who was left to see what Hickok's cards were? Who is to say that cards had even been dealt? So where did the story of Ace's and Eight's come from? Well as best as can be determined by famed writer Joseph Rosa in his( Man & Myth book) the story of the Dead Man's Hand may have come from correspondence between Ellis Peirce & Frank Wilstach in the 1920's. Which amounts to just another writer(s) taking liberty with facts and distorting history.

My last point will be about famous guns and their owners. I can't tell how many museums I have walked into over the years all claiming to have the guns of Will Bill or Jesse and Frank James. Hell, you fill in the name and I'll bet more than one museum claims to hold his gun. Sure, I'll give you that many, if not all, these men has more than one gun but in the cases I've mentioned the museums are claiming to have the same gun. Now some of the those guns are well documented. An example would be Bat Masterson's gun and the gun belonging to Johnny Ringo with serial number 222 which was taken from his corpse. But in many cases there isn't a shred of evidence who a particular gun belonged to.

To see some actual items from the Old West period stop by Old West Antiques and step back in time.