The news-herald., 1903-04-04
HISTORIC TOMBSTONE.
Its Future Bright With Promise-The
Past Already Secure.

SOAA
between the town of the past and of
the present:
The completion of the railroad to
Tombstone, which is to be fttingly
celebrated this month, will usher
in q new era in the history OF that
once famous camp. 1t will again
become-in all probability-as it
once was, the largest mining town
in the Territory. 1t will now have
schools, churches, libraries, colleges
and all the other refnements of a
modern civilization.
To those who lived there from
70 to '84 there will always be q
romance associated with the camp
that time cannot efface; glamour
that can never fade; glory that
will never die. The great majority
of it's population in those bygone
days were western men-from Cal
ifornia, Nevada, Idaho, Colorado
and Montana they came-young,
brave, virile, impetuous. The min
imum wage was 81 day of eight
hours, work was plentiful, money
abundant, the saloons and gam
bling houses were thronged night
and day, while variety theaters and
other questionable places of amuse-
ment fourished like the proverbial
green bay tree.
Fugitives from almost every state
and territory in the union con-
gregated; gun fighters and prize
fighters f1ocked thither, and they
were as picturesque an aggregation
of desperadoes as ever shot up
town or robbed q stage. Ned Nc
Gowan, Bat Masterson, the carp
boys, Doc Holiday, Luke Short,
Charley Storms, Frank Leslie,
Dave Neagh, the Clanton brothers,
Frank and Tom McLowry, and
hundreds of others whose names
are not unknown IN the annals Of
criminal fame, foregathered there,
and in the feuds that ragged between
the various factions many of them
died with their boots on.
The newspapers of those days
were worthy representatives Of the
life of the camp, and some of the
mon who were editing them are
still in journalistic harness. Among
those whose names are now recalled
was the genial and scholarly Pat
Hamilton, Sam Purdy, John Dun
bar, Harry Woods, G. D, Reppy,
and O'Brien Moore also played a
short engagement there. The his
torian of the future will find ma
terial for an interesting chapter
in the "duel" between Hamilton
and Purdy. Hamilton, the editor
of the Independent, goaded to
desperation by attacks made on
him through the columns of the
Epitaph and Republican, edited by
Purdy and Dunbar, respectively,
challenged the latter to mortal
combat. Dunbar expressed him
self as being perfectly willing to
settle the matter according to Mar
quis of Queensberry or London
prize ring rules, but positively de-
clined to be made a target of for
anyone's bullets. Hamilton then
sent a challenge to Purdy, who
accepted, went to the field of honor
across the line, but at the crucial
moment showed the white feather
and retired ingloriously from the
field. Hamilton returned to Tomb
stone and was received like a
conquering hero.
But times have changed. The
crack of the revolver has given way
to the chime of the church bell; in
the streets where once the cowboy
held undisputed sway bright-faced
children wend their way to Sab
bath school. Yes, things have
changed for the better, but the
scenes and incidents OF days gone
by will always remain green in
the memories of the pioneers OF
Tombstone.