Wyatt Earp

Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 - January 13, 1929), was an officer of the law, gambler and saloon keeper in the Wild West. He is most known for his participation in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral along with Doc Holliday, Virgil Earp, and Morgan Earp.

Reappearance

For years, researchers had no reliable account of Earp's activities or whereabouts between the remainder of 1871 and October 28, 1874 when Earp makes his reappearance in Wichita, Kansas. It has been suggested that he spent these years hunting American Bison and wandering from place to place. He is generally considered to have first met his close friend Bat Masterson around this period on the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River. Nevertheless, the discovery of contemporary accounts that place Earp in Peoria, Illinois, and the surrounding area during 1872, have caused researchers to question these claims. Earp is listed in the city directory for Peoria during 1872 as living in the house of Jane Haspel, who operated a bagnio (brothel) from that location. In February 1872, Peoria police raided the Haspel bagnio, arresting four women and three men. The three men were Wyatt Earp, Morgan Earp, and George Randall. Wyatt and the others were charged with "Keeping and being found in a house of ill-fame." They were later fined twenty dollars and cost for the criminal infraction. Two additional arrests for Wyatt Earp for the same crime during 1872 in Peoria have also been found. Some researchers have concluded that the Peoria information indicates that Earp was intimately involved in the prostitution trade in the Peoria area throughout 1872. This new information has caused some researchers to question Earp's accounts of Buffalo hunting in Kansas.

Related Topics:
1871 - October 28 - 1874 - Wichita - Kansas - Hunting - American Bison - Bat Masterson - Arkansas River - Peoria - Illinois - 1872 - Brothel

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In Frontier Marshal, Lake claimed that while in Kansas, Earp met such notable figures as Wild Bill Hickok. Lake also identified Earp as the man who arrested gunman Benjamin Thompson (November 2, 1843 - March 11, 1888) in 1873. However Lake failed to identify his sources for these allegations. Consequently later researchers have expressed their doubt about them. In particular, the activities of Benjamin Thompson during the year of his arrest were covered in detail by the local press without ever mentioning Earp. Thompson published his own accounts for the events in 1884, and he too failed to report Earp as the man responsible for his arrest.

Related Topics:
Wild Bill Hickok - Benjamin Thompson - November 2 - 1843 - March 11 - 1888 - 1873 - 1884

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Earp officially joined the Wichita deputies? office on April 21, 1875 after election of Mike Meagher as marshal. There are several newspaper reports referring to Earp as "Officer Erp" prior to his official hiring, making his exact role as an officer during 1874 unclear. Earp received several acclamations while in Wichita, but his stint as deputy came to a sudden end on April 2, 1876, when Earp took too active an interest in the marshal's election. Former marshal Bill Smith accused the Earp family of running a brothel. Wyatt decided to take matters into his own hands by beating up Smith. Meagher was forced to fire and arrest Earp for disturbing the peace. With the cattle trade diminishing in Wichita, Earp moved on to the next booming cow-town, Dodge City, Kansas.

Related Topics:
April 21 - 1875 - Mike Meagher - April 2 - 1876 - Dodge City

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Earp was appointed assistant marshal under Larry Deger by newly elected Dodge City mayor George Hoover. During the first cattle season, Earp appointed Joe Mason and Jim Masterson, brother of Sheriff Bat Masterson, to be deputies. In October 1876, Earp left Dodge City for a short while to chase train robbers Mike Roarke and Dave Rudabaugh. During his search, Earp stopped at Fort Griffin, where it was suggested that he ask a young, card-playing dentist about Rudabaugh. It was the first meeting between Earp and Doc Holliday. Earp eventually caught up to Roarke in Roarke's hometown of Joplin, Missouri. Earp returned to Dodge City in 1878 to become the assistant marshal under Charles Bassett. Holliday moved to Dodge City in June 1878, and saved Earp's life in August of the same year. While trying to break up a bar-room brawl, Tobe Driskill, drew a gun and pointed it at Earp's back. Holliday yelled, "Look out, Wyatt," then drew his gun and fired, scaring Driskill enough to make him back off. This would mark the beginning of Earp's and Holliday's friendship.

Related Topics:
Larry Deger - George Hoover - Joe Mason - Jim Masterson - Bat Masterson - Mike Roarke - Dave Rudabaugh - Fort Griffin - Doc Holliday - Joplin - 1878 - Charles Bassett - Tobe Driskill

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In summer 1878, Dodge City businessman Bob Wright, attempted to have Earp assassinated by sending George Hoy to fire into a theater that Earp was in. Hoy ended up getting killed in the ensuing gun fight. Earp said the feud between him and Wright started when Earp arrested Bob Rachals, a prominent trail leader who had shot a German fiddler. Wright tried to block the arrest because Rachals was one of the largest financial contributors to the Dodge City economy. Wright then hired Clay Allison to kill Earp, but Allison backed down when confronted by Earp and Bat Masterson. It was during his Dodge City stay that Earp met his future wife, Celia "Mattie" Blaylock, a former prostitute. Earp resigned from the Dodge City police force on September 9, 1878, and headed to Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Related Topics:
Bob Wright - George Hoy - Bob Rachals - German - Clay Allison - September 9 - Las Vegas - New Mexico

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