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Wyatt Earp: The Great American… Villain?



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The history books (and Hollywood) often describe the famous lawman, Wyatt Earp, as many things: brave, courageous, moral, law-abiding, and honorable. In the story of the “Gunfight at the OK Corral,” Earp is often portrayed as the hero, the good guy we all should be rooting for. In truth, Wyatt Earp was a much more complicated individual who, among other things, was arrested several times in his life for various offenses, involved in a few major scandals (sometimes on the “bad guy” side), and otherwise seemed to be an individual who balanced precariously on that line between a life as a criminal and a life as a lawman.

Want the text version?: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/12/wyatt-earp-great-american-villain/

Sources:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/07/21/the-wyatt-earp-myth-america-s-most-famous-vigilante-wasn-t.html
http://www.neatorama.com/2012/11/08/12-Things-You-Might-Not-Know-About-Wyatt-Earp
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2372863/Wyatt-Earp-prostitute-loving-man-hero-vigilante-portrayed-movies-new-book-claims.html
http://books.google.com/books?id=8VrcZQbPpcwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%27Wyatt+Earp:+A+Vigilante+Life.&hl=en&sa=X&ei=sOAbU_ejEonzoASLj4GYCA&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=’Wyatt%20Earp%3A%20A%20Vigilante%20Life.&f=false
http://www.skyways.org/orgs/fordco/myers.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/timeline/wyatt/
http://voices.yahoo.com/the-real-wyatt-earp-cowardly-villain-rather-than-910957.html?cat=37
http://www.biography.com/people/wyatt-earp-9283338
http://www.pjstar.com/x1037512430/Luciano-Wyatt-Earp-s-Peoria-days-anything-but-lawful
http://news.discovery.com/human/what-happened-at-the-ok-corral-121026.htm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/7622862/OK-Corral-inquest-transcript-found-in-jailhouse.html
http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/9879734/the-day-famous-wyatt-earp-infamously-refereed-heavyweight-title-fight
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitzsimmons_vs._Sharkey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mattie_Blaylock

Image Credit:

https://www.bigstockphoto.com/ru/image-87303302/stock-photo-a-wooden-frame-full-of-wanted-posters
https://www.bigstockphoto.com/ru/image-200147764/stock-photo-rear-view-of-confused-businessman-looking-at-arrow-signs-below-facts-and-myths-text
https://www.bigstockphoto.com/ru/image-126390788/stock-photo-close-up-of-businessman-hands-breaking-employment-contract
https://www.bigstockphoto.com/ru/image-129548621/stock-photo-success-law-concept%3A-arrows-hitting-the-center-of-target%2C-blue-in-trouble-with-the-law-on-wall-background%2C-3d-rendering
https://www.bigstockphoto.com/ru/image-225385597/stock-photo-debt-locked-with-chain-financial%2C-debt-concept-new-2018-symbol
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wyatt_earp_1870s.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Urilla_sutherland.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Virgil_Earp.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wyatt_Earp_1.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wyatt_Earp_1869.png
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buffalo_Hunting_in_the_Summer_1822.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_Earp.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Earp83.JPG
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WRIGHT(1913)_Dodge_City_in_1878_(14782835852).jpg

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45 responses to “Wyatt Earp: The Great American… Villain?”

  3. You left out a few things. The cowboys weren't some criminal gang as is often portrayed by Hollywood, these were hard-working men who had ranches and cattle and were often seen by locals as respectable stockmen most of the time, though when some of them came into town for much needed time off, the occasional problems occurred because they tended to drink and play hard. However, there's few accounts of problems with Ike Clanton, Tom McLaury., and the others involved in the gunfight.

    We also have no definitive idea to this day who shot killed Morgan Earp and wounded Virgil in the reprisals after the OK Corral incident. But Wyatt thought he did and with Doc Holliday and four other men even murdered Frank Stillwell in Tucson not long afterwords on pretext that in turn forced them to flee Arizona, but not before going on on the so-called 3 week "Revenge Ride".

  6. I always thought it was funny my fellow freedom-loving gun owners cheered the scene in Tombstone when a family of thugs passed a law allowing only them to carry guns, and then deputized a consumptive to go disarm sovereign citizens. Maybe I'm odd, but I'm rooting for the guys with guns to tell the guys with badges to fuck off.

    In fact, whenever some virtue signalling leftist snidely dismisses private firearm ownership by saying, "Oh, so you want it to be the wild west", I say, "Yes, actually. The evidence is quite clear that the old west was one of the least violent societies in history".

  7. Two minutes of your dreadful vocal delivery was enough for me. Why should I listen to someone who seems so bored by his own subject matter, he can't wait to reach the end of it in as short a time as possible. Absurd!

  9. Between the story of Wyatt Earp and Bass Reeves, you can clearly see the racism in American history and popular culture. Thanks for bringing the real story to light!

  13. Has this shaved-Millennial even touched a gun, let alone a Peacemaker? I live in a town where Wyatt Earp actually lived. His first wife is buried in a small patch-cemetery just north of town. There is more known about Wyatt Earp in the "collective talk" than has ever been written down. Wyatt Earp was a questionable character here in Lamar (please refer to my other comments on this vid.) He was a powerful man in a very murky environment, but I personally would shy away from calling him a saint, at least in Lamar. YMMV

  14. You left out the part, as a tax collector, in Lamar, he tried to steal the tax proceeds. He left Lamar just before they could either tar-and-feather him and/or ride him out on a rail. Hero, maybe later on, but thief and philanderer always prior. Hmmpf.

  15. I'm surprised that more Americans aren't aware of the very complicated nuanced history, of most notorious historical icons.

    Earp wasn't exactly the greatest person in the world, but he was one of the greatest lawmen of the old west.

  17. there are no clean super heros ,every one has a past .its what they do to make a difference that counts. but you will always get some one trying to bring them down. if the good out ways the bad ,well done to them.

  22. In order to "tame the West" several wanted outlaws were deputized everywhere from Texas to California. It was done on purpose. Nice guys just didn't intimidate criminals into obeying the law. Trying to judge this time period while living in the safety bubble of the civilization they helped lay the foundation for is a bad idea. Until you live among demented barbarians you'll never understand why extreme violence is what's needed to be utilized to tame those barbarians. It's why people like Saddam Husein stay in power for so long in bad regions of the world.

  26. Please see about profiling that terrific American, General Custer. Monroe, Michigan has a large statue of this stellar fellow in the city. He was revolting in actuality but perhaps you might unearth some redeeming quality. Just a thought from Patty in Michigan

  27. Im not taking side , because I was not there.
    On Oct.25th Wyatt Earp pistol whipped one of the cowboys while he was in the jail.
    Early morning Oct. 26th another cowboys was buffaloed ( pistol whipped).
    Now ANYONE who has been hit with pipe can tell you it take hours or even days to even get coordination or clear thoughts to come back to you.
    So to me the OK corral battles was Doc Holiday ( a known killer) and the Earps against 2 cripples a 17 year old kid an unarmed man and 1 cowboy that had clear thoughts.
    That makes it 4 against 1. So I do not see the Earps as heroes but bulleys hiding behind a badge .
    As I said , not taking sides because I am quite sure the cowboys needed to be killed , but the Earps are way over rated as heroes.

  30. Maybe men who had lived the way outlaws did produced most of the toughest and wiliest men from their ranks.

    These men might have been, due to their background, experience, toughness & unhesitant willingness to use violence effectively, the most qualified to deal with the type of men they had already learned about as one of their daily routine.

    In addition, the Earps, in this case, were brothers in a violent time, when they learned from growing up fighting each other, as boys, especially brothers, tend to do. And they would have also learned a lot about human nature and working together, as well as being tough & strong from their testosterone feuled familial and local squabbles, the rough pioneer life, and the experience from the kind of life they chose: bouncers, bartenders, gamblers, miners & pimps.

    They seemed to have been good at violence, as they tended to thrive at work that was more violent than the kind of work most men did.

    Most people would like Andy Griffith as Sheriff when personally dealing with the law, but also like one who can become John Rambo when protecting them from criminals.

    The first kind of lawman is only possible in a somewhat settled and civilized environment.

    The second is essential for dealing with wild west type environments, while the first is not.

    Most of us want to hire people who appear willing & capable of doing the job offered.

    That seems to be the Earps' most prominent talent: being willing and able to deal with dishonest, wiley & violent men.

  31. I'm sorry. His family is on here and I was moved to speak of them and all old lawmen as what they were. Tough guys in tough times. More than one had a few bad incidents in their past, but usually, when it was time to be the lawman, they came thru. Just you imagine bucking him if he wanted you in jail. He wasn't a notorious robber, was he? Nope. A lawman, in several towns. His enemies fired at his brothers from ambush, had openly threatened to kill him and the ones he dealt with with were not missing from choir practice, were they? Hey-Doc Holliday believed he was a good man in a fight, and if nothing else, he had experience, right? He was a human being, doing a tough job, in tough times.

  35. Not pictures of Virgil Earp…Correct James Earp was a bar owner and Pimp for most of his life…..Wyatt did have a habit of using his gun often, but it was to "Buffalo" miscreants. Meaning he would use it as a club to bash them into submission, not shoot them.
    No mention at all of the murder of Wyatt's brother Morgan, nor the ambush of Virgil that left him permanently without the use of one arm after the OK Corral shootout & the subsequent "Vendetta Ride". Wyatt was accompanied by Doc Holliday, Turkey Creek Jack Johnson, Sherman McMasters, Texas Jack Vermillion & younger brother, Warren Earp on The Vendetta Ride. The Ride ended in the death of Frank Stilwell, Curly Bill Brocius, Florentino"Indian Charlie" Cruz, Johnny Barnes & possibly other members of "The Cowboy Gang". That's when Wyatt & Doc left Arizona. From historical accounts neither Doc or Wyatt ever returned to Toombstone, but stories remain that Wyatt slipped back into the area at different times to kill others he suspected of being involved in his brother Morgan's murder. Johnny Ringo being one of the supposed later victims, but most historical evidence indicates that Ringo, likely a psychopath & suffering from alcoholism, severe depression & paranoia, took his own life. Ringo was likely the most deadly individual on either side in the Toombstone conflict.
    Lots of conjecture, but little in the way of actual facts, that are quite easy to find, in this video….But, Hey…they got the names right, for the most part, so it's a YouTube achievement

  36. Was Wyatt Earp a good guy or a bad guy? Probably a bad guy by today's standards, but a good guy by the standards of 19th Century frontier America. The reason we remember this guy today is because he actually did the things in real life that we see in the movies and have never done ourselves. He actually did take part in a close quarters gun battle ( O.K. Corral). He did single handedly take on an entire gang of outlaws in a firefight ( Iron Springs battle, March 1882). As a referee, he had to make a decision that would have left him extremely unpopular either way in one of the most highly publicized fights of the century ( Sharkey-Fitzsimmons '96). He had to make tough calls throughout a life full of violence and personal tragedy. He's famous because he could make those tough calls every time. Was he always a nice guy? Definitely not. A nice guy wouldn't have lasted one day in the life Wyatt Earp had to live.

  37. You purposely painted Wyatt Earp as a villain. Shame on you. He was far from perfect  but your various embellishments are misleading and are outright lies. You mention "Brothels" and Wyatt working, or owning one as if it were bad. In those days prostitution was a legal means of making money. And women had very few ways to earn a living back then. Earp did nothing wrong or villainous as you put it. As for the gun fight at the okay corral it was actually Freemont street. You had an opportunity to actually say something truthful and walked right by it. Anyway, according to eye witnesses who were across the street at the photography studio one of the Cowboys fired first and Doc Holiday was the first to return fire. The Cowboys at no time had their hands up. So many problems with your rendition. Moving along,.at one point you mentioned a young Wyatt Earp and posted a picture. The only problem is the photo is of his brother Morgan Earp not Wyatt. Next, you mention the controversial outcome of the Fitzsimmons/Sharkey boxing match where Wyatt was referee. And that is true it was very controversial. But you failed to mention that people were upset because there was a great deal of money placed on Fitzsimons and little on Sharkey. When Wyatt gave the fight to Sharkey because Fitzsimmons hit him with a low blow it was the correct call as doctors examined Sharkey later on and determined that he had suffered damage to his groin area. The many who lost money were upset and calling foul nut they were wrong! So in the end Wyatt was correct. And you give him no credit for taking a beating in the press. But then again you are out to do a hatchet job on Wyatt because you think he's a "villain". Next, you accuse the Earp's in general of using "the gun" far too many times when in fact it was Wyatt Earp who never liked using "the gun" and always tried to "Buffalo" the bad guy so he didn't have to shoot him. As western historians (obviously not you) are aware "Buffaloing" is when you take the barrel of your gun and strike a person on the head. That might seem brutal to today's standards but it was far better than shooting the person. By the way you accuse Earp of using "the gun" too much but you failed to list who he killed if that was the case. And for good reason as the only shootings he has to his credit are perhaps one person at the famous OK corral fight and then perhaps 3 more shot by him during what is now called "The Earp Vendetta" as he hunted down the real villains who assassinated his brother, who was a law enforcement official as well, as the law would do nothing. Let's move to the next misrepresentation. His common law wife "Mattie Blalock". You allege that he mistreated her. But in reality she was a drug addict hooked on the 19th century pain killer widely prescribed called "laudanum". You are correct she did kill herself but that cannot be blamed on Earp. Unless you are saying that every spouse, or parent for that matter is responsible for the poor decisions of their spouse or child.  Mattie was a drug addict whom Wyatt tried to help for several years. But you give him no credit for that because you want to paint him as a villain. As for Josephine Marcus she was NOT the common law wife of Johnny Behan as you claim. By the way you should know it is pronounced "Be Han", she was merely his girlfriend and it was for a very short time. I know you want to make it look like Wyatt stole Behan's wife, but that is just one more mischaracterization, or let's just say outright lie! I will stop at this point but I could continue. There are so many misrepresentations of Wyatt Earp in your little video that it would take another two or three paragraphs to address them all. I have seen other videos that you have done on topics that I am not an expert on and have assumed that they were correct. I wonder how many others have fallen into this trap?  Why you have chosen to attack Wyatt Earp in this way might speak to your desperation to attract more Youtube subscribers. I have no idea. But please do a correction video. If not I intend to look more closely at your many other videos and if they are like the Earp production I will expose the truth. You can do better please do!

  38. Regarding the Fitzsimmons-Sharkey fight, if a referee is going to throw a fight, he doesn't wait until the 8th round to do it. If Wyatt intended that Sharkey win the fight, waiting until the 8th round would have enabled Fitzsimmons to win during any of the first 7.

    It was a fair fight, and the right outcome.

  39. so josephine cleaned up his Legend , Whats New , After The Death of George Armstrong Custer It Was His Wife Libby That Shaped His Legend Turning Him in To A Heroic Figure and Hiding All The Errors He Made Leading up To The Little Big Horn……

  44. I'm no expert on Wyatt but I've read a lot about him over the years and seen a lot of the documentaries and shows. Plainly put, I like him, so I'm probably biased as hell but fuck it. I have a little trouble believing he was mostly unpleasant and disagreeable as I have read and seen on TV. Instead I like to think of him as a rather uncompromising no bullshit human being shootin from the hip when he had to. And as far as him having a whorehouse address, hell maybe he needed a legal address for something or the other or maybe he was indeed a pimp for a spell. On that pimpin thing I give him the benefit of doubt, but even if he did run some hoes… so friggin what, someone had to and with him and his reputation they'd probably be fairly safe.

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