American West, Term Paper
Doc Holliday: A man in search of normality.
John Henry Holliday, perhaps one of the most legendary gunfighters of the west, lived in reality a life built on necessity and simply followed it and made due with the blows that were dealt to him. Born August 14, 1851 to Alice and Henry Holliday, John Henry Holliday entered the world already at a disadvantage with a serious birth defect. The defect known as a cleft palate and a partially cleft lip, basically made suckling his mothers breast impossible. Dr. John S. Holliday, Johns uncle and an accomplished surgeon, delivered John, cleared his air passages, and taught his mother the proper way to feed the him due to the defect. With out the aid and instructions of Dr. Holliday, John could have easily choked to death as was common with children that had this genetic defect. Ironically one of the tools to feed the young child effectively was a shot glass, which in many ways never left his side. At only eight weeks old John was under the careful care of his uncle once again. Dr John Holliday, along with family friend Dr. Crawford Long, operated on Johns mouth and lip with success. This was only the beginning of a turbulent childhood that was anything but typical.
Instead of playing around without a care in the world like most toddlers, John spent almost all of his time in speech therapy in an effort to correct what otherwise would have been a terrible impediment. His mother, Alice Holliday, was the chief therapist and attacked the problem with gusto. Her determination at alleviating the impediment rubbed off on the young child, and John therefore worked hard at improving his speech. By the age of four the impediment was barely noticeable. Yet Johns childhood was not only speech therapy, playing with his cousin Robert was his favorite activity and would persist to be for most of his young life.
John Hollidays adolescence was influenced by two main factors, his mother and southern society. Like most children John had a special bond with his mother, but coupled with his need of constant attention due to his speech therapy and the routine absence of his father due to business and political affairs, that bond became much stronger than typical. Alice home schooled John until his therapy ended, doing such a good job that when he started school he was way ahead of his classmates. Conversely after years of practical solitude, except for the occasional recess with Robert, John was behind socially and was therefore quite shy and reserved with the other students at the academy. The shy and quiet boy was about to get a crash course on social behavior, when the passing of Johns grandfather brought four of his young aunts and uncle into his household. Although spoiled by them, the quiet times of being at home with just him and his mother were over.
The Hollidays were true Southerners in both philosophical attitudes and genetic lineage. From birth John was surrounded by the virtues and attitude that exemplified a true southern gentleman, in the form of his father Henry Holliday. In true form to this code of southern males of the time, Henry Holliday accepted a presidential appointment into the Confederate Army from Jefferson Davis to serve in the Georgia Volunteer Infantry. Henry prior to the Civil War had taught his son to handle revolvers, rifles, and shotguns. Although only ten years old John became the man of the house and with weapons ready at all times was well prepared to defend it. This was not necessary for long however, as Henry Holliday resigned his commission after a little more than a year due to chronic diarrhea. In that year Henry Holliday spent with the Confederate army, he realized that in fact the Yankees were coming, and therefore sold what he had in Griffin, Georgia and moved south to just outside Valdosta, a small town named Bemiss. The move most likely saved both his assets and his life, since General Sherman and the bluecoats went right through Griffin in their march to the sea. All together, some fourteen members of John Hollidays family fought in the Civil War, surprisingly all returned home safely. Although Reconstruction would prove almost as difficult as the War.
While the rest of the south was trying to cope with the entry of the Northerners, John Hollidays main dilemma was more personal. Since the move to Bemiss, Alice Holliday, his mother, had taken ill and would steadily decline in health until her death in September of 1866 of tuberculosis. This drove John into a serious depression, which was only mildly retarded by the consoling of his Uncle John. This show of sympathy and concern for John by his uncle helped to create what would form into a long lasting almost parental relationship. His father, Henry Holliday, did not help matters much by remarrying only three months after his mothers death to a neighbor simply eight years Johns senior. This formed a wedge between John and his father, causing John to hide in his studies, thus becoming even more reclusive and shy, with little time for extracurricular activities.
In the late 1860s, John Holliday shot a weapon in anger for the first time at a number of blacks that had gathered at a white swimming hole. He fired over their heads in an attempt to scare them off. His father felt this was sufficient enough reason to warrant a trip out of town to visit his uncle, John Holliday. John welcomed the change of scenery, as well as, the opportunity to visit his uncle and cousins.
During this hiatus Dr. Holliday, Johns uncle, stressed and emphasized the importance and the value of a formal profession and education. Johns first instinct was to become a doctor, following in the footsteps of his uncle. Dr. Holliday, however, dissuaded this in view of improper licensing that had made the medical profession disreputable. He then planted the seed of possibly attending dental school in Johns mind. John returned to Bemiss to discuss this prospect with his father, even though in actuality he had already made up his mind to become a dentist.
Soon there after, John and a few of his buddies decided that blowing up the Freedmens Bureau, a section of the Reconstruction Policy, was a good idea. Valdostas citizens were able to dissuade John and his crew, but none the less Henry Holliday used this as a catalyst to send his son off to dental school. In 1870, John Henry Holliday, after paying $105 in tuition and fees, was officially enrolled in the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery. This began Johns profession period of his life.
Following his graduation in March of 1872, Doctor John Henry Holliday left Philadelphia and headed south, back to Atlanta, Georgia. There, he moved in with his Uncle John and his cousin Robert. Robert and John were together again except, this time, young men carousing the bells of Aristocratic Atlanta instead of toddlers playing games in Griffin. Johns uncle took him in as his own son and gave him every opportunity that was available to his own children. Included in these opportunities was the introduction of Dr. Arthur Ford. Dr. Ford would later be Johns partner in dental practice.
During this time, Robert also decided to pursue a dental career. His father had promised Robert and his nephew, John, to financial support their very own dental practice upon Roberts graduation. In early 1873, this became a shattered dream when John was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis, the cause of his mothers death. The prescription, at the time, for such diseases, was a combination of dry climate, prolonged rest, and moderate alcohol consumption. John Doc Holliday thus moved west to Texas expecting to return to Atlanta fully recovered to live out the dream of his family dental practice.
John was met in Dallas by his new dental partner, Dr. John Seegar. John quickly impressed Dr. Seegar and his new patients with a combination of Southern manners, good looks, and superior dental work. Initially, an influx of people into Dallas provided plenty of work. Nevertheless, a recession hit in December of 1873 and his health declined, creating a constant cough. Needless to say, this was not good for business. With his newly acquired extra time, John Doc Holliday took to the saloons.
Dallass faro bankers welcomed the newcomer with open arms. John quickly discovered the similarities between faro and an old slave game named Skinning. Due to his mathematical mind and his card playing education received from Sophie Walton, a former slave of his uncle, Doc quickly became a skilled gambler. What began as a subsidization of the income he received from dentistry, evolved into professional gambling. Although he would often attempt to return to dentistry, his dental tools were often further from him than a deck of cards.
In May of 1874, John Henry Holliday was arrested for the first time, of an eventual seventeen times, for gambling. This led to the destruction of his partnership with Dr. Seegar. Because he was aware of his tarnished reputation as a gambler, Doc started to dress in a very gentlemanly and formal manner. This was the beginning of his transformation into his western personality.
Although he looked the part of a well-mannered gentleman, John was able to defend himself from physical and mental harm. Thanks to his father and Uncle John, his effectiveness with firearms was impeccable. His impressive gambling style was mostly attributed to his earlier sessions with Sophie, but western skill of alcohol tolerance was self-taught.
With this newfound persona, Doc left Dallas and relocated to Denison, Texas. Denison, with a population of 5000, was known as the lowest of the low places of Texas thanks, in part, to its large number of dance and whorehouses. He often traveled by train back to Dallas to visit friends and to, of course, gamble. On one such occasion, celebrating the New Year of 1875 in Dallas, Doc Holliday exchanged gunshots with Charles Austin, the operator of the St. Charles Saloon. Neither man was hurt, both men were arrested, yet only Doc Holliday was charged with a crime, specifically, assault to murder. Charles Austin was believed to have had political clout that allowed him to allude the charge. None the less, Holliday appeared in court to have the jury find him not guilty. He then moved back to Denison.
Soon after, he became bored of Denison and boarded a stagecoach for Denver, Colorado. Along the way, he stopped at Fort Griffin which, at the time, was the center of a flourishing cattle industry. Approximately two thousand hunters and cowboys annually visited Ft. Griffin. Their money and existence attracted gamblers and prostitutes alike, quickly giving Ft. Griffin the reputation as the craziest town in Texas. Docs stay was cut short when he was again arrested for gambling which was more than likely, a sign of showing a newcomer unwelcomeness rather than upholding the law. Holliday got the point and swiftly left Fort Griffin.
John finally reached Denver in the summer of 1875. He assumed the alias of Tom Mackey in order to start a new life and, perhaps, calm the lifestyle that had kept his sickness active. He got a job dealing faro and largely stayed to himself. Yet, in early 1876, after hearing stories of the booming city of Cheyenne, Doc quickly left Denver for the Wyoming city. Doc didnt let the paint dry in Cheyenne before he was off to Dead Wood where he spent the winter of 1876.
Doc then headed to Breckenridge where, while playing cards with a local gambler by the name of Henry Kahn, a fight broke out between the two men. Doc caned Kahn repeatedly with his walking stick. Both men were arrested and fined. The conflict would not end there. Later that day, Kahn grew more violent and shot Doc, seriously impairing him. Nineteen days later, George Holliday, Roberts older brother, reached Breckenridge to nurse the frail and injured Doc Holliday back to health. After attempting to convince him to return Georgia and seeing to his full recovery, George and John parted ways once again.
Doc, unfazed, returned to Fort Griffin settling back into a lifestyle of poker and faro. This is where and when he first met Kate Elder. He found Kate to be intellectually and compassionately stimulating. From this point in his life on, Big Nose Kate came in and out of his life repeatedly. Also during this stop in Fort Griffin, Doc Holliday met Wyatt Earp. All seemed to be going well when, yet, another event turmoiled Docs life.
While playing poker with a local by the name of Ed Bailey, Doc cut him with a knife after he had discovered that Mr. Bailey had been examining the discarded cards. Before Doc cut him, Bailey had drawn his pistol after ignoring several warnings from Holliday regarding the cards. Doc was arrested but was allowed to go under house arrest because of the uncertain claim of self-defense. When Kate saw men outside of his hotel, calling for Docs head, she knew that she had to get Doc out of Ft. Griffin. She did this by setting a nearby shed on fire as a diversion; thus she and Doc were able to slip out of town. They headed north to Dodge City, following the advice of Wyatt Earp regarding the up and coming town.
Doc put up his dentistry sign yet again, but did not give up the cards, which dictated his nightlife. Doc settled into Dodge City, where he became friends with many of the lawmen therein; Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson in particular. This was also the time where his friendship with Wyatt Earp reached a new level. According to Wyatt, Doc saved his life when a man attempted to attack him from behind. Although financially successful in Dodge City, Docs health deteriorated and became a big concern. He, thereafter, left for Las Vegas. There, Doc tried, wholeheartedly, to recover and rehabilitate himself. He opened his dental practice and attempted to lay low in order to assist his recovery. As the railroad reached Las Vegas, Holliday tried his hand at owning the Holliday Saloon. What seemed like the beginning of a permanent lifestyle, was quickly changed when Wyatt told Doc of yet, another booming town that he and the other Earps were heading towards, Tombstone.
While picking up Virgil Earp in Prescott, Doc found a faro game and continued to do well in it. Thus, when the Earps headed to Tombstone, Holliday decided not to go with them, preferring instead to keep winning. Instead of going directly to Tombstone, he went back to Las Vegas to finalize some business affairs. While there, he ran into Charlie White, who he had previously had a run-in with. As soon as Charlie spotted Doc, he started shooting at him. Doc then returned fire and dropped White to the floor. Convinced he had killed White, Holliday, headed out of town. In actuality, White had only been grazed and was momentarily stunned, but after realizing what had transpired, Charlie got on a train and headed to Boston in an attempt to never cross paths with Doc again.
Doc arrived in Tombstone in September 1880. Once there, he found that Wyatt, Morgan, Virgil, and James Earp were all entrenched in the economy and thus, he too, started investing in local businesses. Typical of the pattern of his life, trouble forms in the form of Milt Joyce. While in a skirmish with Doc, Joyce was shot in the left hand and his partner was shot in the foot. Doc was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon but plead to a misdemeanor charge where he paid a fine $20 and $11.25 in court fees. Once again, Doc entered a gun battle in which no one really got hurt and no one paid the price for risky behavior. That slowly started to change due to Docs growing reputation as a gunfighter.
In March of 1881, false rumors circulated that Doc Holliday was implicated in the robbery of a stagecoach in which two men were killed. Although false, Doc would spend the next six months avoiding both lawmen and vigilantes who took the rumors to be true. In an attempt to prove Docs innocence, Wyatt Earp sought to find those that actually committed the crime to testify to Doc not being present at the scene of the crime. Unfortunately, none could be taken alive and the killing of those that Wyatt Earp found, only created further hostilities towards the Earps and Doc Holliday. One individual in particular, Ike Clanton, was persistent in his hate of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. In October of 1881, he was found announcing to all that would listen that he planned on killing Doc Holliday and the Earps. This led up to the infamous incident at the OK Corral.
There were numerous claims by townsfolk that Ike and members of his gang were armed and looking for Doc Holliday and the Earps. Doc quickly met up with Morgan, Virgil, and Wyatt and began the slow walk to the OK Corral. There they found Ike and Billy Clanton, Frank and Tom McLaury, and Billy Claiborne armed and looking for trouble. Marshall Virgil Earp called out to Ike and his men to throw up their hands. The response was immediate as two shots were heard. Who fired first is uncertain yet unimportant as the gunfight was inevitably going to occur. During the next thirty seconds, shots were heard one after the other. Doc killed Tom McLaurey with his shotgun. He then tossed his shotgun and withdrew his pistol, where upon he fired at Frank McLaurey.
During those thirty seconds, the McLaurey Brothers and Billy Clanton were killed and Morgan Earp was injured. Doc Holliday, the often portrayed ruthless killer, went back to his room and, according to Kate Elder, sat on the side of the bed and cried. Three days later, the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday were charged with the killing of the McLaurey brothers. Justice Spicer, who was in charge of the case, indicated that Virgil Earp, acting as Chief of Police, along with Doc and his brothers who were all deputized, were discharging their official duty, and therefore committed no crime. The verdict enraged Ike, Clanton, and his crew known as the Cowboys.
Threats circulated Tombstone regarding the Cowboys revenge upon Doc and the Earps. In March of 1882, Morgan Earp was fatally shot while playing billiards. Wyatt Earp, a spectator at the billiard game, held his wounded brother and promised to get revenge. When Doc got news about Morgans death, he went mad, kicking in doors of private homes looking for the possible killers. Wyatt blamed the entire Cowboy gang for his brothers murder and, along with Doc, became obsessed with erradicating his enemies. Wyatt, Doc, Warren Earp, Sherman McMasters, Turkey Creek Johnson, and Texas Jack Vermillion became a posse with the sole purpose of seeing Morgans killer come to justice. This posse eventually led to the death of Frank Stilwell, Florentino Cruz, Curly Bill Brocius, Johnny Barned, and John Ringo. Although chased by authorities and Cowboy sympathizers, Wyatt and Doc were never actually found guilty of any of these crimes due to lack of evidence. After these events, Doc moved on to Leadville.
In Leadville, a silver enriched boomtown, Doc went back to his typical life of gambling. Also during this time, Docs Tuberculosis worsened. This, coupled with pneumonia, which he caught several times, led to a fast decline in Docs health. Even with the deterioration of his health Doc found time for one more gunfight. This time with Billy Allen, who was looking to settle some old debts. Again John Holliday was found not guilty, this time due to the motive of self-defense. This gunfight took more out of him than the others though, due to seven months spent in jail awaiting trail, devastating his health beyond repair.
Doc found time for only one more trip as he headed to Glenwood Springs with Kate in October of 1887. This last and desperate attempt to secure his health was fruitless. Docs health was beyond repair and he died there in the care of Kate Elder. The constant battle against tuberculosis that he had fought so long had finally claimed him.
John Doc Holliday lived a life full of travel and adventure, yet plagued with the misfortune of disease. Wyatt Earp said it best when he described Doc as, A dentist who necessity made a gambler. A gentleman who disease made a frontier vagabond. A long, lean ash-blond fellow nearly dead with consumption and, at the same time, the most skillful gambler and the nerviest, speediest, deadliest man with a six-gun I ever knew.
Bibliography
Works Consulted.
1. Linder, Shirley. When the dealings done, John H. (Doc) Holliday and the evolution of the Western Myth. Journal of the West, Vol. 37, No. 3, page 53-60.
2. Marks, Paula. And Die in the West. New York: William, Morrow and Company, Inc., 1989.
3. Tanner, Karen Holliday. Doc Holliday:A Family Portrait. Norman: Oklahoma Press Co., 1998.
4. Walters, Lorenzo D. Tombstones Yesterday. Glorietta: Rio Grande Press, 1968.
Word Count: 3483
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