I was interested in the "favorite quotes" thread, and found that epitaphs are some of my favorites. Perhaps some of the most famous are found in Boothill Cemetery in Tombstone, Arizona. For those of you who have never visited there, the cemetery is an historical depository. As a sidebar, my maternal grandfather at one time rode shotgun on the stage from Bisbee to Tombstone. In some of his writings, he describes lifting the stage out of deep ruts on many occasions.
Here we go. This first shot is of a portion of the graveyard with the scenery in the distance. It's really a great spot for a cemetery with a view.
This next shot is the final resting place of Fred White, Tombstone's first elected City Marshal. He was elected Jan. 6, 1880 and was well liked by all.
On October 28 of that same year, Curly Bill Brocius and some of his cowboy buddies were shooting things up on an empty lot where the Bird Cage Theatre was later built. Marshal White and Wyatt Earp went out and endeavored to relieve them of their guns. All complied willingly, including Curly Bill. He handed his six-shooter to White, barrel first. As White pulled the gun from Brocius' hand, the gun went off, shooting White in the groin. The gun was apparently on half-cock over a loaded chamber. Wyatt Earp, outraged at what had happened to his friend, arrested and pistol-whipped Brocius. Later, Wyatt and his brothers took Brocius to Tucson in protective custody, where he was jailed.
Fred White died of his wound on October 30. Brocius was tried and found not guilty (partly because of Wyatt Earp's honest testimony of the event) of willful murder - the killing was ruled as "Homicide by misadventure." Although Wyatt's testimony was helpful for Brocius, Brocius never forgave Earp for the pistol-whipping he received.
After the shootout with the Earps and some of the cowboys at the OK Corral, Brocius became the leader of the "cowboys" and apparently assassinated Wyatt's brother Morgan as he was playing pool one night. Wyatt then hunted down Brocius in revenge, and killed him March 24, 1884.
Margarita was a prostitute of that era, and was stabbed to death in a jealous fight by another of her breed known as "Gold Dollar."
It is said that there are no second place winners in a gunfight. Here are the guys who did not win at the OK Corral fight.
Some of the residents at Boothill were legally hanged:
...and some weren't:
John Heath is buried here. Interesting story. A gang which he headed robbed the Goldwater store in Bisbee, killing several innocent people in the process. Heath was not present, but he helped to plan the robbery. The participants were hanged, but Heath did not get the death sentence. The outraged residents of Bisbee disagreed with that verdict, freed him from the jail and lynched him from a telegraph pole.
Sometimes hangings were by mistake...oops!
Sometimes deaths were actually by natural causes:
Lester Moore had a poetic epitaph:
"Buckskin Frank" Leslie had a real reputation as a deadly gunslinger. Here's the result of one of his encounters:
I'll leave you with this poignant epitaph on the grave of one Frank Bowles:
John
Here we go. This first shot is of a portion of the graveyard with the scenery in the distance. It's really a great spot for a cemetery with a view.
This next shot is the final resting place of Fred White, Tombstone's first elected City Marshal. He was elected Jan. 6, 1880 and was well liked by all.
On October 28 of that same year, Curly Bill Brocius and some of his cowboy buddies were shooting things up on an empty lot where the Bird Cage Theatre was later built. Marshal White and Wyatt Earp went out and endeavored to relieve them of their guns. All complied willingly, including Curly Bill. He handed his six-shooter to White, barrel first. As White pulled the gun from Brocius' hand, the gun went off, shooting White in the groin. The gun was apparently on half-cock over a loaded chamber. Wyatt Earp, outraged at what had happened to his friend, arrested and pistol-whipped Brocius. Later, Wyatt and his brothers took Brocius to Tucson in protective custody, where he was jailed.
Fred White died of his wound on October 30. Brocius was tried and found not guilty (partly because of Wyatt Earp's honest testimony of the event) of willful murder - the killing was ruled as "Homicide by misadventure." Although Wyatt's testimony was helpful for Brocius, Brocius never forgave Earp for the pistol-whipping he received.
After the shootout with the Earps and some of the cowboys at the OK Corral, Brocius became the leader of the "cowboys" and apparently assassinated Wyatt's brother Morgan as he was playing pool one night. Wyatt then hunted down Brocius in revenge, and killed him March 24, 1884.
Margarita was a prostitute of that era, and was stabbed to death in a jealous fight by another of her breed known as "Gold Dollar."
It is said that there are no second place winners in a gunfight. Here are the guys who did not win at the OK Corral fight.
Some of the residents at Boothill were legally hanged:
...and some weren't:
John Heath is buried here. Interesting story. A gang which he headed robbed the Goldwater store in Bisbee, killing several innocent people in the process. Heath was not present, but he helped to plan the robbery. The participants were hanged, but Heath did not get the death sentence. The outraged residents of Bisbee disagreed with that verdict, freed him from the jail and lynched him from a telegraph pole.
Sometimes hangings were by mistake...oops!
Sometimes deaths were actually by natural causes:
Lester Moore had a poetic epitaph:
"Buckskin Frank" Leslie had a real reputation as a deadly gunslinger. Here's the result of one of his encounters:
I'll leave you with this poignant epitaph on the grave of one Frank Bowles:
John
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