Tombstone, Jekyll Island and Venita's Humor

'Doc Holliday's Road to Tombatone'
Excerpt:
Tuesday, November 1, 1881

Judge Spicer took the bench at nine a.m. rapped his gavel and gestured for the prosecution to call their witness.
A young spare built man with gray eyes took the stand and in answer to the first question said, "My name is William Allen. I live in Tombstone."
The lanky district attorney said in a quiet voice, "Tell us if you know any of the men who were involved in the difficulty on the afternoon of October 26, 1881?"
"I knew all of them, at least on sight.”
District Attorney Price slowly paced in front of his witness, chewing on a yellow pencil. "When were you first made aware that any difficulty existed between any of these men?"
"Well, that morning, I heard there was some trouble between Isaac Clanton and Doc Holliday. I also heard from Henry Fry that Tom McLowry had been hit with a pistol, by Wyatt Earp."
Tom Fitch got to his feet and said, "I object, Your Honor, the witness is testifying to hearsay."
"Objection sustained." Spicer then admonished the witness, "Just tell them what you yourself saw or heard."
The lanky Price gave his witness a not to worry look before he continued. "When did you first see any of the participants on the day of the difficulty?"
"I first saw Frank McLowry, pretty near the Grand Hotel, as they were riding into town. Frank McLowry and Billy Clanton were with an old gentleman I'm not acquainted with."
"What was the time of day when you saw these men and what occurred at that time?"
"It was about two o'clock in the afternoon. Frank McLowry, Billy Clanton and the old man went inside the Grand Hotel."
“What did you do?”
"I followed them into the bar. They were about ready to have a drink, and they asked me to join them."
“Did you all take a drink?”
"No. I called Frank off to one side and asked him if he knew what was going on, that Wyatt Earp knocked Tom McLowry down with a gun, on --"
"I object to this line of hearsay and request to strike from the record," Tom Fitch said.
"Sustained. Court reporter, strike that last statement from your record," Spicer then glared at the prosecutor.
The district attorney shook off the rebuke and gently asked his witness, "Then what happened after your conversation with Frank McLowry?"
“Frank McLowry said, ‘We won’t drink.’ Those are the last words I ever heard him say. They went out the door, got on their horses and rode off. Just before that he said, ‘I will get the boy’s out-of-town.’"
Doc scribbled a note to bring up the point of Allen's recollection, two sets of Frank's last words?
More Excerpts: (To be continued)

Georgia's Heritage
Jekyll Island
For sixty years prior to World War II Jekyll Island was the most exclusive private club in the world. The clubhouse was a most imposing Victorian structure and within those rooms slept the Astors, the Vanderbilts, the Rockefellers, the Goulds and Pulitzers.
From mid winter to Easter the richest men in America made Jekyll Island their retreat and they brought along their wives, their children and sometimes their mistresses.
Most members lived in individual houses, which they referred to as cottages, but to the average person they looked more like small mansions. However there was no great effort on their part to buy lavish interior furnishings, and the inside decor of most cottages looked like that of a typical beach house.
The most important part of their social life was the large gathering for their evening meal. The meal generally consisted of several courses that lasted from three to four hours. A special chef was loaned to them and imported in from Del Monico's in New York.
In the club's heyday from about 1890 to 1920 it is said that their membership controlled about one sixth of the country's wealth.
William Rockefeller's stock dividends alone amounted to more than two million a year and that was at a time when the American worker was bringing home about seven dollars a week. Of course those figures ar peanuts when compared to current business executives and their multi million dollar golden parachute rewards.
The Jekyll Island Club activities ceased at the beginning of World War II, however, the island had a long history before and after the Jekyll Island Club. The island was named by General Ogelthorpe after his friend and benefactor Sir Joseph Jekyll.
The year of 1859 saw the darkest hour of Jekyll Island's history. It was when the last cargo of African Slaves were unloaded onto the island nearly a half century after congress had outlawed the importation of slaves.
They were brought to the island on a sleek vessel named the Wanderer that flew the flag of the New York Yacht Club. On deck was an old iron kettle that was used to cook the corn meal mush that was fed to the slaves on their journey to America. That kettle was off loaded from the Wanderer and remains in a prominent location on the island. Legend has it and some islanders say that on nights when a hot wind blows off the marsh you can hear sounds and moans of what can only be described as unhappy human beings swirling around that old iron pot.
An expansive lawn spreads from the club house to the Jekyll River where many of the club members anchored their yacht's. And it was the main playground of the millionaires where they played tennis, croquet and swam in the pool that is still in use. To give you and idea of the power yielded by this group you would have to go no further than this one story.
At four o:clock on the afternoon of January 25, 1915. one of the first telephones on the island rang and was answered by a member of the club, Mr. Theodore Vale. Vale was the president of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company. On the other end of the line in Washington was President Wilson, Alexander Graham Bell was in New York and Thomas Watson was in San Francisco. And that was the first transcontinental telephone call. The conversation was of no significance, but the technical accomplishment of that call was a giant step in the area of communications.
(To be Continued)

Writers Notebook:

A friend of mine writes a humorous Internet blog and a while back she wrote: I Find it absolutely impossible to stay in a bad mood while singing Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, Zip-A-Dee-A, My Oh My What a Wonderful Day, Plenty of Sunshine Heading My Way Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Zip-A-Dee-A…Mr. Bluebird on my shoulder etc.
Her name is Venita Louise and she applies that kind of humor. In her novel 'Mixed Nuts.' Venita has written a comedy using all the elements of farce without the pratfalls.

Review written by Tom Barnes.
Jingle writer, and head of the household, Frank Beal has distractions flying around his piano workplace like boomerangs. Son Matt has a slew of knock knock jokes; daughter Melinda is the moppet version of Inspector Cleseau with a hardhat while wife Joan angles for a new car in order to keep up with the Jones’s. And that’s just inside the house.
The next door neighbor’s gardener Tito is sure Frank Beal controls the outdoor snail population and accuses Frank of sending his snails next door, “to Meester Robert’s yard.”
You’ve got to empathize with Frank though and wonder how he is able to turn off the madness and produce jingles.
But you soon find out he’s had prior experience with madness when his brother Gene shows up in a skirt. Well, it’s not really a skirt, the clannish Uncle Gene shows up wearing a Kilt.
Venita’s world also includes a special mix of goofballs, voodoo spells, hex’s and a wandering peacock.

Tom Barnes -- Actor, Writer and Hurricane Hunter.
Check out my website for books, blogs, western legends, a literary icon, reviews and interviews. Also my novels The Goring Collection and Doc Holliday’s Road to Tombstone along with a non fiction remembrance of The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.www.tombarnes39.com
www.RocktheTower.com
http://TheHurricaneHunter.blogspot.com

Tombstone Court and Duke Spots the Fillmore Fire

During the next several blog postings I plan to use excerpts from 'Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone' take you inside Judge Wells Spicer's courtroom and let you hear from the people that were actually there in 1881. You'll get it straight from the witnesses, attorney's and the judge as well as Doc and Wyatt's take on the proceedings.

Monday, October 31, 1881
Judge Wells Spicer walked into his courtroom at exactly three o'clock and one glance at the spectators in the room told him he had a problem. The judge had ruled that the hearing would be closed to the public. But from what he could see the order was being disregarded. The first two rows of the gallery were filled with backup lawyers, assistants and a few hangers on. He also recognized several members of the press that had apparently lied their way past the bailiff. It caused him some concern, but for the time being, he decided to ignore it.
Doc and Wyatt sat at the defense table wedged in between Tom Fitch and T.J. Drum. Beads of sweat appeared on Doc's forehead and he nervously toyed with a pencil and began to doodle on a note pad.
Ike Clanton was at the prosecution table, his personal lawyer, Ben Goodrich to his right, District Attorney Price and his chief assistant, Earl Smith, was at the left end of the table. Doc sensed a more than confidant; you might even call it a cocky air coming from the prosecutions side.
Judge Spicer rapped his gavel and called, "Order in the court. Court is now in session."
And with those words E. J. Risley, the court reporter began taking notes.
Judge Spicer said, “Papers have been filed with this court entitled: Arizona Territory Vs Earp’s and Holliday. Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan Earp and J.H. Holliday are charged with the wanton and willful killing of Frank McLowry, Tom Mc Lowry and Billy Clanton. This hearing has been called in order to examine those charges.”
Judge Spicer then nodded toward the district attorney and said, “I believe the first witness is to be Dr. H. M. Mathews. Dr. Matthews, would you please take the stand."
A bushy browed man in his early fifties wearing a rumpled gray suit and horn-rimmed glasses walked forward. The gentleman was sworn in by the clerk and took a seat in the witness box.
District Attorney Price got up from his chair and walked to a position in front of the witness. "Would you please tell the court your name and what position you hold in the community?
"My name is H. M. Matthews, I am a practicing physician, and Coroner of Cochise County.”
Price then asked, "Where were you on the 26th of October, 1881?”
"I was in the town of Tombstone on that day.”
"Did you see or were you made aware of a difficulty that occurred between the Earps and Holliday and the Clantons and McLowry’s on that day?"
"I was notified of the affray. I did not see it."
(Excerpts from Judge Spicer's court to be continued)

Excerpt 'The Goring Collection.'

The irony of it all was that during that period, of evaluation and soul searching, the KGB assigned a new contact code-name Isaac. Their first meeting was set for Fisherman’s Wharf. When Jacob got there, he broke into a wide smile as he hurried across the room. Then he stood for a moment before grabbing Alexei's hand and pulling him into a bear hug. "How did you arrange this?" Jacob asked. But even before Alexei spoke, he felt a chill in the air. Something was wrong.
"I had nothing to do with the arrangement." Then the heavyset Alexei said bluntly. "Someone higher up suggested that I have a talk with you, Jacob."
"About what?" Jacob asked incredulously.
Alexei sat for a long moment chewing on the stub of an unlit cigar. "Your dedication to the cause, Jacob."
"What? How can you say a thing like that?" Jacob said as his stomach churned and he thought they must have been reading my mind.
"Jacob, I'm only telling you what has been reported to the top. None of us live in a vacuum. We are always watched and monitored. There are reports that your lectures both in the classroom and on the circuit are becoming something less than effective.” Alexei chuckled, “Some believe that the ideology has become contaminated by your Western experience."
"That's an outrageous lie, Alexei," Jacob said without conviction.
"It's not for me to say, Jacob." Then Alexei moved closer. "Now this is not official, but I believe Moscow is very close to a decision."
"A decision? About what?" Jacob demanded.
"To have you recalled to Moscow, for reevaluation, and your pallid lectures are only one part of your problem."
"What do you mean?"
With riveting eyes and a harsh whisper Alexei explained. "There is a rumor floating about that suggests that you may have turned.”
"My God!"
"Well, I wouldn't know any thing about that," Alexei said with mock humor
(To be continued)

Writers Notebook:
Duke Howard Actor, Writer and Fire Spotter.
Fire spotters are the first to sound the warning of possible tragedy. The beginning of fire presently burning in the Fillmore and Moorepark area of Southern California as told by Duke Howard.
'The view from that fire tower is magnificent; the expansiveness must be close to 25 miles or maybe more. I have seen condors, golden eagles, falcons, etc. It is great for a bird watcher. The Crows and Falcons fly and float on the up drafts and gusts wind which swirls about 10 miles an hour. I have my table set up where I can write my book and also observe the South East and West for smoke. It was while I was called away to identify a Red Shouldered Hawk for my team leader when the fire started. While identifying the hawk I scoped out a pair of Prairie Falcons dueling with Crows when I followed the falcons south I saw the beginning of the smoke. It was rising from the mountains over Fillmore. The three of us viewed then the other two swung into action Cheryl got on the Osborne Fire Finder to find the Location. Once determined, our team leader called it into the dispatcher. By the time we finished, the fire was gaining, gobbling up the earth,and looking definitely out of control. Two scoopers arrived on the scene from scooping out water from Lake Piru. They laid down a barrier of water. For a moment, it stopped the fire in it raging, but it started up again. Then the DC 10 appeared and dropped its fire retardant, but for every time they thought they had it under control it started up. It was if we were watching a fight, for every punch the planes threw and hit the fire sending it to the canvass, it would take a count and rise to fight again. This was still going on when we finished our shift. The planes could not throw enough punches or a knock out punch that day. They could not subdue the fire. The fire refused to stay down. What a fight and what a moment...'

Tom Barnes Actor, Writer and Hurricane Hunter: Check out my website for books, blogs, western legends, a literary icon, reviews and interviews. Also my novels The Goring Collection and Doc Holliday’s Road to Tombstone along with a non fiction remembrance of The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
www.tombarnes39.com
www.RocktheTower.com
http://TheHurricaneHunter.blogspot.com

Jacob's Turn and the Tombstone Lawyers

'We hold these truths to be self evident...'

Excerpt from 'The Goring Collection'
Jacob Meyers, a short balding man in his early seventies sat, before his living room fireplace, waiting for the others to arrive. The apartment overlooked the East River and the living room was comfortably furnished with wall paintings; a soft leather couch, chairs, and a large coffee table made from the hatch cover of a World II Liberty ship. Jacob glanced out the window and saw a small sailboat flying a large American flag and tacking to the wind. That flag somehow reminded him of his turn and how it all came together. It must have been during that prescribed course in citizenship, which turned out to be nothing more than an appetizer. For when he finished those studies, he began reading biographies on the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Federalist papers. Jacob believed that the most profound difference in his thinking was provided by a short phrase written by Thomas Jefferson into the Declaration of Independence. ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’
And while those words from the Declaration of Independence rang loud and clear, it seemed to Jacob that the words of Karl Marx were now sounding hollow and thin.' (To be continued)

Cochise County political ring Fight's Back.
The ring and their cowboy's lost a round at the OK Corral, but they were by no means ready to concede defeat.

Coroner H.M. Matthews called for an inquest to begin Friday, Oct. 28th.
At the same hour the coroner's jury was being impaneled, ring lawyers filed papers with the Cochise County Court demanding the arrest of Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan Earp and Doc Holliday. Charging them with the wanton and willful killing of Frank McLowry, Tom McLowry and Billy Clanton.
Word leaked out regarding the ring's intentions and the would-be defendants began making plans of their own. Bogus charges or not, they had to be legally countered. Wyatt's personal attorney, Tom Fitch, hired their defense team. He selected Judge T. J. Drum to work with him in the courtroom and the law firm of Howard and Street agreed to do the legal research. That firm would also coordinate the day-to-day legwork of rounding up and interviewing potential witnesses.
Col. William Herring, a staunch supporter of law and order volunteered to work with the defense team on their overall strategy.
Doc and Wyatt attended a Saturday breakfast meeting with their lawyers at the Melrose Restaurant on Fremont Street. The group had just assembled in a small banquet room when Tom Fitch gestured for everyone to take a seat. He removed a letter sized paper from his pocket, cleared his throat, smiled and began to read, "Goodrich and Goodrich, Campbell and Robinson, Smith and Colby, J.M. Murphy, District Attorney Lyttleton Price, his chief assistant Earl Smith and that's just the ones on record."
“What's that suppose to mean, Tom?" Wyatt drawled.
"That's the group of attorneys the ring hired to prosecute a case called -- Arizona Territory Vs Earps and Holliday."
"Good God Almighty ... they do mean business,” Doc declared." Then he frowned and sipped his coffee. But he was heartened when he looked around the table and realized that there was not the slightest sign of intimidation on the faces of their lawyers.
Col. Herring leaned in and talked in a manner that would exclude the walls from hearing. "There is no way in hell that Ike Clanton could finance that gaggle of legal talent. It appears to me that the Cochise County political ring is still backing their cowboys.”
A good part of the meeting was taken up with Doc and Wyatt giving their accounts of the shoot-out. Doc did not volunteer that his shot to Billy Clanton's wrist might have been the opening round.
Col. Herring made it clear to the defendants that the prosecution would likely try and have them arrested.
T.J. Drum gave a report he had gotten from the coroner's inquest. And how the bias was running against the Earps and Holliday. However, the coroner was not swayed by politics and refused to add inflammatory language to his report. Dr. Matthews simply stated that Tom and Frank McLowry and Billy Clanton died from gunshot wounds. (To be continued)

Santa Anita and the Breeders Cup
Not since the days of Seabuscuit has more attention been focused on the Santa Anita race track and it's not really so much about horses as the track surface the horses will run over.
My idea to do a pro and con post on Santa Anita's Pro-Ride racing surface didn't pan out. Why? Because the only real opposition to the synthetic surface to go on record is Jess Jackson, a co owner of Rachel Alexandra. He has indicated that the only reason the super filly won't be running during the Breeders Cup series is because of the track surface.
Most racing fans, including myself, would like to see the filly run in the Breeders Cup, but apparently that is not to be.
However, at the present time we have two of the top 3 year olds Mine that Bird and Summer Bird (half brothers) that are expected to square off against each other in the 5 million dollar classic.And don't forget the added competition coming in from Europe. They'll give you handicappers a few anxious moments, but like they say, that's horse racing.
In the meantime I'll pass along what ever tid bits of information I come across regarding the run up to the Breeders Cup.

Writers Notebook:
You have committed to a project, finished the basic research and character prep work and you’re all set to begin writing. Suddenly you’re overcome with anxiety – you’ve got a knot the size of a baseball in your stomach. Stop!
You are not alone. It might give you some comfort to know that John Steinbeck experienced some of those same anxious moments. In one of his letters written in February 1936, which was included in his ‘A Life in Letters’ Steinbeck said, ‘I have to start [writing] and am scared to death as usual – miserable sick feeling of inadequacy.’ Then in the very next sentence he said, ‘I’ll love it once I get down to work.’
Tom Barnes -- Actor, Writer and Hurricane Hunter. Check out my website for books, blogs, western legends, a literary icon, reviews and interviews. Also my novels The Goring Collection and Doc Holliday’s Road to Tombstone along with a non fiction remembrance of The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.www.tombarnes39.com
www.RocktheTower.com
http://TheHurricaneHunter.blogspot.com

And Now The Rest of The Story

Researching a Legend Part 13
A phrase Paul Harvey made famous, 'the rest of the story' fits into the research and writing of 'Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone' and made it possible to tell all of the Doc Holliday story.'
It was a storytelling technique I hadn't considered until a New York editor suggested that I might write a story about the story. It made perfect sense once I thought about it. Now this part of the story would be pure fiction, which would be in another time and another place. However, the content of that part of the story would deal with the facts as they had actually happened years before.
Over a period of time I decided what kind of information the reader needed to make a connection between Doc Holliday's world in the 1800's and the current story about the story.

Doc's romantic interest Mattie Holliday, became a nun Sister Mary Melanie and lived until 1937. I had already determined that Sister Melanie and Margaret Mitchell were cousins as well as close friends. And during my research into the book 'Gone With the Wind' I became aware that Ms. Mitchell had used Sister Melanie's stories about hers and John Henry's life as background in establishing some of her characters in the book.
It would be great if I could sit down and talk to Margaret Mitchell, but that was impossible since she was killed in a tragic automobile accident in 1949.
Why not go to the source, Sister Mary Melanie? An interview or a series of interviews with Sister Melanie and a young reporter. The characters in my story about the story would now be an elderly journalist and a writer/producer researching the Doc Holliday story.
(To be continued)

2009 Horse Racing update:
There was no Triple Crown winner this year but there was still plenty of excitement about racing.
Birdstone, 2004 winner of the Belmont and Travers Stakes sired two of the 2009 racing stars Mine That Bird winner of the Kentucky Derby and Summer Bird winner of the same races his sire won in 2004, the Belmont and Travers.
Then we have the super filly Rachel Alexandra winner of the Kentucky Oaks, Preakness, Haskell and Woodward.

Say what you might about the individual races this years crop of three year olds is about as good as they get. Triple Crown winner notwithstanding. If you go back and screen the classic races you'll see that even in his losses Mine that Bird, a come from behind kind of runner, could have won the Preakness and the Belmont but for racing luck and the possibility that his throat problem already existed, but didn't show up until later. It was a throat and breathing problem that led to an operation to correct an entrapped epiglottis and forced him to withdraw from the Travers Stakes at Saratoga.
The excitement in this years racing is a combination of things, Rachel Alexandra being a big part of it, but between Mine that Bird and Summer Bird a lot happened in the area of breeding. It isn't every year that a Birdstone comes along, that sire has now matched Count Fleet the 1943 Triple Crown winner in American Classic Victories.

Of course the 2009 season is not over yet, presently though there's some R & R due for Trainer Chip Woolley to let that broken leg mend and get off his crutches. And Mine that Bird's rehab from surgery.
Following that rest period Chip Wolley and Mine that Bird will be heading to Santa Anita for a start in the Goodwood over the synthetic surface on October 10th and later the five million Breeders Cup classic over that same course in November.

Rachel Alexandra has opted out of races over the synthetic track called Pro-Ride Surface for that reason only. And that makes me wonder how Mine that Bird and Summer Bird will handle that synthetic track. For the answer we'll just have to wait and see.

Writers Notebook:
'Nobody ever mastered any skill except through intensive, persistent and intelligent practice.' Norman Vincent Peale. The quote is from his famous book 'The Power of Positive Thinking.'
John Steinbeck mentions practice a number of times in 'Steinbeck: A Life in Letters.'
Here's one of his quotes. '...I want to start on my long novel -- the one I've been practicing for all my life. It is the Salinas Valley one. I think that if I'm not ready to write it, I never will be.'
Steinbeck was referring to 'East of Eden.'
Those are common sense reminders that some writers seem to ignor. Look at it this way, assuming you have some writing talent, how much better your work could be if you actually practiced and worked on your craft?

Tom Barnes -- Actor, Writer and Hurricane Hunter.
Check out my website for books, blogs, western legends, a literary icon, reviews and interviews. Also my novels The Goring Collection and Doc Holliday’s Road to Tombstone along with a non fiction remembrance of The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
www.tombarnes39.com
www.RocktheTower.com
http://TheHurricaneHunter.blogspot.com

Gunsmoke Hangs Above the OK Corral

Researching a Legend Part 12

I still needed the second half of the Tombstone Nugget's daily reports on the Spicer Hearing and fortunately the Arizona Historical Society came through again. They had provided me with microfiche copies of the newspaper's coverage for the first half of the hearing and when I asked for their assistance they pointed me to the Bancroft Library located on the Berkeley Campus of the University of California.
The Bancroft people were very helpful and with a couple of phone calls we struck a deal and they sent me the missing parts of the Spicer Hearings.
It took me months to piece the hearing together and also run down evidence to support my research.

At this point, to give you a better sense of place, we'll pick up the narrative of 'Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone' using a set of excerpts that begin moments after the shootout at the OK Corral.

'A chilly wind swirled, but the gun smoke hovered and clung head high above the place. In less than thirty seconds it was over. The only action left was a blood soaked Billy Clanton, sitting on the ground, glassy eyed, waving his forty-five and searching for a target.
Buck Fly came out of his boarding house and mercifully took the gun out of Billy's hands.
Frank and Tom McLowry appeared to be dead and Billy Clanton was bleeding to death from his several wounds.
Virgil and Morgan Earp, wounded, gritted their teeth and suffered the pain.
Doc determined his own hit was no hit at all, but a ricochet off his gun belt that had caused a painful bruise.
Numerous bullets pierced the skirt of Wyatt's coat, but he didn't have a scratch.
The acrid and pungent smell of gunpowder had not had time to dissipate when Johnny Behan came out of hiding, counted the dead and realized the street fight had been a disaster for the ring-cowboy faction.
Behan's alternative was to put the ring's backup plan on the table. Blame the Earps and Holliday. Show them to be the culpable party and the cowboy’s as innocent victims.
The sheriff got the attention of the lawmen with a sneering smile, and a tone designed to infect the gathering crowd, announced, "I'll have to arrest you."

"We won't be arrested today," was Wyatt’s terse reply. “We're right here and we're not going away. You have deceived us, Johnny. You lied to us, you son-of-a-bitch.”
Johnny Behan backed down and quickly made a hasty retreat.
Virgil limped over to the front doorstep of the boarding house, squeezed his right leg and grimaced with pain. Morgan stood nearby, bent over, breathing heavily and hurting.
Doc ignored his own pain as he observed the predicament of his friends. "Somebody grab a bandanna and tie a tourniquet around Virg's leg."
Mr. Comstock took a kerchief out of his pocket and tied it into place. "I don't understand the sheriff saying what he did. Couldn't he see you fellows were just doing your job?"
Morgan stood upright, put his arm around Doc and leaned on him for support.
Wyatt called out, "Somebody go for Dr. Goodfellow. Tell him to meet us at Keatney's Pharmacy.”

Dr. Goodfellow arrived at the pharmacy shortly after his patients. The doctor patched Virgil and Morgan up and sent them home to recover.
Doc and Wyatt walked the short distance to the New Orleans Restaurant, and Doc finally savored his first sip of that long overdue coffee. Millie hung around, inviting conversation, but neither Doc nor Wyatt said anything. She cleared her throat and talked below the din. "Would one of you gentlemen give me the actual version of what happened? I've already heard the cowboy's side."
Doc arched his eyebrows. "And what was that?"
"I'm sure it's straight from the ring," Millie frowned, "they say that you fellows gunned down three unarmed cowboys and it would have been four, but Ike Clanton was quick on his feet and he escaped."
Doc grinned. "Well, they got part of it right. Ike was quick on his feet."
"The rest was a flat out lie," Wyatt said. "They were armed to the teeth. Six-shooters and rifles."
Doc and Wyatt ordered their regular breakfast, the ones they had missed earlier.
The afternoon shoot-out had settled nothing and they both knew it. Millie brought their orders. Doc picked at his eggs and grits trying to sort things out. Johnny Behan’s attempt to arrest them. For what? And that unarmed cowboy's story. That was a lie, but it gives that crowd time to start a few rumors and place a story or two in the Nugget where the lie just might take legs.
(To be Continued)


Writers Notebook:

In my novel 'The Goring Collection' the Nazi's looting, during World War II, is laid bare.

Review by Lenora Smalley poet, writer.

Some readers may have forgotten or never knew that Hermann Goring, Hitler's ruthless second in command, was in charge of looting and hiding thousands of museum paintings created by some of Europe's most famous artists and some whose work would become more valuable during proceeding decades. They have become known as The Goring Collection. Hundreds of these paintings are still missing today.
Tom Barnes has written a well researched, exciting story initiated by a stolen painting. Jacob Meyers saw his father's Pissarro among the paintings at The Old World Auction House in Manhattan. When he starts asking questions, the painting disappears. Since Meyers owns an intelligence agency, he immediately alerts Interpol . Two paintings, a Manet and a Cezanne sold as copies by an international cartel in Berlin show up at the Berghoff Gallery in Chicago. Meyers's agency investigates this con game of the cartel from a mansion in the state of Georgia across the country to a notorious odds maker in Las Vegas. The action and excitement of the story are propelled by the characters in the agency who are tracking the stolen paintings. Their intriguing personalities and working relationships make you hope the author writes a sequel to allow them to solve more international mysteries.


Tom Barnes -- Actor, Writer and Hurricane Hunter.
Check out my website for books, blogs, western legends, a literary icon, reviews and interviews. Also my novels The Goring Collection and Doc Holliday’s Road to Tombstone along with a non fiction remembrance of The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.www.tombarnes39.com
www.RocktheTower.com
http://TheHurricaneHunter.blogspot.com