The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1896-02-05
DOC HOLIDAYS Ways,
From the Chicago Tribune.
eoeeAeeee~

hce was as immObile as that of craven
mage. and his lips were those of a
nbinx There was no color in his cheeks
nd he was devoid of nerves. Tall, thin,
nd almost fragile in appearance, he was
deHsately wrought piece of fine steel
non which danger acted as a magnet.
nch was "Doc'' Holiday.
Less than twenty years ago this man
dropped to the burning sands of Arizona
rom nobody knew where and began a
areer that necessitated the use of yard
tick in notching the fatalities for which
he was responsible. Lives were cheap
that time in that place, and Holiday
lid nothing to put a premium on them.
At the outset there was friction between
i'm and the rest of the territory's popu
alton because doc" gently but firmly
Ieclned to doff his white shirt and don
wooden one, with other habiliments to
match. He was polite about il, but the
ude, sombreroed men of the west misun-
lerstood him, and it was only after the
sacrifice of great quantity of ammuni-
ion that he was permitted to maintain
n peace his status as correctly dressed
gentleman. There can still be found in
Arizona little mounds Of sand, each six
feet long, which serve as monuments to
he first triumph of linen civilization
Oyer leggined barbarism. What followed
this victory serves as well as anything
else TO illustrate Holidays tine charac~
ter. He did not grow arrogant or dicta-
tOrial; he did not insist, as was the con-
querors right, that everybody else should
wear white shirts as he did, and forever
eschew coarse wool, He let the populace
wear whatever it pleased-he attended
strictly to his own business.
1t is not strange that his fame travelled
& as fast as fleet bronchos could carry it.
4 A man who could turn social usage and
ethics topsy turvy, make an Institution
of the bath, and hurl deadly bullets with
hand like woman's-an all without
a word, smile or a scowl-was far
above the ordinary, and bound to become
noted and marked THUS it was that
few daring and congenial spirits were at
tracted to him, drawn by his reputation
for GOODNESS and bravery, and that there
was unconsciously organized as deter
mined and dangerous band of men as
ever adjusted the sights of Winchester.
Some of them are living today, the m >st
notable being "Bat'' Masterson, whose
entry into the ranks of pugilsm as a
manager marked the decadence of the
gentlemanly "bad man" OF the west.
Two others are Wyatt and Virgil carp,
who live in southern California, and
whose reputation for probity are such
that they can make sight drafts on saga,
clous bankers by simply presenting their
faces at the cashiers window. Christen
ings at which such names as Wyatt and
Virgil are bestowed are not attended by
people in the over walks of life, These
two men spraug from good stock. wy
att, in many respects, was Doc Hollis
days twin. Both were courteous, both
resented inquisitivepess by simply walks
ing away from their tormentors, both
could put volume in sentence, and in
the old days neither was ever known to
perpetrate more than one volume in one
day. When Wyatt carp decide to spend
the afternoon of his life in tranquility on
thep peaceful shores of sleeping San Die
go Bay, he took his chief characteristics
with him. He carried his bravery in his
breast, his nerve in his hand, and his
loquacity in his eye. Hiss eek and fast
horses were his confidants, mountainous
nature was his friend, and, pevched on
Point Lomar's rugged promontory, he
sought peace by studying the vast oceans
expansive page.
Yet he has not deserted man. He
loves sports, and today he can referee a
prize fight and come out of it Beau
pfammel, or umpire foot ball game
IKE Chesterfield, with never single
'apse. He has been known to be referee
loot races where thousands were at
STAKE and the fastest professional runners
were opposed to each other, Sometimes
ne gave the money to the winner and
sometimes he divided the stakes between
'ne packers. When he did the latter
invariably without word of comment
~ was the generally accepted theory that
'ne race had not been honestly run. II
was final decision. Nobody disputed