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Mark Lee Gardner, a notable expert of the Wild West, has released a latest volume titled Brothers of the Gun, which explores the careers of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Gardner notes frustration with the oft-quoted phrase from a classic western: “When the tale becomes truth, print the tale.”

“All researcher uses it, they just beat it to death,” the author remarks happily. “And it’s truly not true. I crafted a narrative. I aim people to be engaged in the time, but I just get so exhausted of that saying. The myth is folklore. It won't become reality. People can retell the legend but it won't make it reality.”

That Infamous Gunfight at the Corral

In Arizona's Tombstone, on the 26th of October, 1881, Earp and Holliday were participated in a gunfight that came to be known as the Gunfight at the OK Corral. Joined by his siblings, the pair met the rustlers, individuals wanted for theft and cattle theft. In less than a minute, three Cowboys were slain and Doc was wounded, as were Virgil and Morgan Earp.

Although being one of countless western scraps between authorities and bandits, it joined myth, not least thanks to iconic pictures including My Darling Clementine and the Sturges movie.

Uncertainty and Contradiction in Historical Testimonies

“A large part of what we learn about it is provable,” he noted of the actual fight and its consequences. “But I repeatedly go back to one of the best statements, and it’s a very plain statement. A dressmaker, who saw the fight, stated: ‘I don’t know. All was confusion.’”

Even the individuals present had varying stories. Statements from the investigation is also confusing. Witnesses who were allies of the Cowboys were lying, and every story is slightly unique. It’s rare when somebody concurs on any point.

“Everything was chaotic.” – an eyewitness

“Even the participants involved were confused,” he states. “So it’s truly hard to get at it, and it took place in half a minute.”

Myth-Making and Cinema Representations

The lawman lived into the Hollywood period, passing away in the late 1920s at the years of eight decades. First shown on a early cinema screen in the 1920s, he subsequently became the subject of significant classic movies. In relatively recent times, he has been acted by Kurt Russell in the 1993 film and a leading man in the 1994 movie.

The historian delves through such myth-making to reveal the men underneath. His books span the breadth of the old west, from the famous outlaw and his pursuer to the notorious bandit.

Complex Characters of Wyatt Earp and Holliday

Born in Illinois in 1848, Wyatt was not old enough to fight in the the war, though he sought to do so. When he was twenty, he was appointed a constable in Lamar, Missouri. Missteps were made. Earp faced a calamity with the passing of his partner, Urilla Sutherland, from illness in the 1870s. Later, as constable, he kept public funds he obtained.

“We do not know why he kept it,” the author says. “He flees, and arrives in the frontier. He’s detained for stealing a horse, and then he’s in Illinois, and he’s running a brothel. In time he travels back out West, and he ends up in a booming town.”

Despite his complex past, Wyatt excelled as a lawman. Local papers praised him repeatedly. In one case, he arrested a inebriated man who had money on him. He secured the cash for the drunk and returned it when he let go him from confinement.

Different Characters of the Pair

He emphasizes the stark difference between the two. Earp was aspiring, seeking to advance himself and attain roles like sheriff. Holliday, hailing in Georgia in the mid-19th century, was a tooth doctor turned gambler. Unlike Earp, Holliday didn't show evidence of establishing roots.

“Holliday just moves from one saloon to the next one,” the author observes. “He doesn't really change. And a portion of that’s his dependence to wagering. Some of that is tuberculosis, coping with that and self-medicating, whether it’s with drink or subsequently laudanum.”

Impact and Historical Relevance

Brothers of the Gun shows a fascinating element of the old west: the conflict between authority and crime, and the attempts of officials to exert rule over developing communities. The degree of procedure that followed a violent incident – hearings, affidavits, orders for payment – might surprise those familiar with Hollywood versions of the era.

Additionally, Wyatt and Doc were entangled in partisan political struggles. He was a member of the GOP, while local lawman Johnny Behan was a Democrat, creating a rivalry for power and office.

In the end, he declines to idealize these figures. Earp and Holliday passed periods on both end