Customer Reviews

Tombstone

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I have been an avid fan of the old west for over 30 years and have read extensively of "Tombstone" in particular. I have also spent time in Tombstone. If one fact is clear, since the late 1870's there has been two factions. The Earp supporters and the Clanton supporters. The business owners tolerated the Clanton's and their "Cowboy faction" because they spent money in the town which was good for business. When the Earps supported "Law & Order" the Cowboys tried to ruin their reputation. An practice still ongoing 130 years later. Anyone who knows this story well knows the Earps didn't commit or support those stagecoach robberies. In fact, they were very good friends with the stage driver who was shot and killed during the robbery which the cowboy's tried to pin on Doc Holliday. All in an effort to assasinate the Earp reputation since Doc was Wyatt's friend.

When the Earps were about to close in on the actual perpetrators of that fatal robbery, they were thwarted by Sheriff Johnny Behan and the Cowboy's as Behan was a Cowboy supporter. The Cowboy's committed those robberies and Behan was taking kickbacks for looking the other way.

Yes it's true that Wyatt went on a vengence mission against those who harmed and killed his family, but that was a two week period in a lifetime of being great and honest. I like to think I would have defended my family in the same manner in those days when a man had only himself to count on. The law in Tombstone was a joke.

This book is a disgrace but I understand it for what it is. The author wants to assault Wyatt's character to create an outrage. This brings attention to his book and the net result is more sales, and with a little luck, turn popular opinion of the weak minded against a great lawman. Shameful.

Let's not forget that Judge Spicer found the Earps actions at the OK Corral "justified" and the Territorial Governor appointed Wyatt Earp a Deputy Marshall after that gunfight to clean up the Cowboy Faction. I'd say he did a fine job of it !!!

Matt Braun writes a good western. Luke Starbuck is hired to find out who is behind the Wells Fargo robbies in Arizona. He is lead to believe it is Wyatt Earp and his brothers along with Doc Holladay. He becomes aware this is true and sets out to find some waya to stop him. His plan is to get Wyatt and his brothers fighting against the ones who actually do the robberies. He is determined to stop or kill Wyatt Earp. The book is fast moving. I question anyone being able to do what Starbuck does in the book. If this is a half way true story,it changes my mind on the character of Wyatt Earp and his brothers. I had always thought them to be law enforcement people who were on the up and up, but maybe not. A statment in the front of the book says while the actions may have been changed a little, all else is closer to the truth and the myth. Who am I to say. You will have to read and decide for yourself.