The border vidette. (Nogales, Ariz.) 1894-1934, 1903-04-11
HISTORIC TOMBSTONE.
Its Future Bright With Promise-The
Past Already Secure.

| 10 utni Di tSul Will RI TtOtItSc- Inc
Past Already Secure.
The following article, written for
the News-Herald by one of the early
residents of Tombstone, is interesting
as showing the contrast between the
town of the past and of the present:
The completion of the railroad to
Tombstone, which is to be fittinsIy
celebrated this month, will usher in a
new era in the history of that once
famous camp. 1t will again become
in all probability it once was, the
largest mining town in the Territory.
! It will now have schools, churches,
libraries, colleges and all the other
refnements of a modern civilization.
To those who lived there from '79
to 'S4 there will always be a romance
associated with the camp that time
cannot efface; glamour that can never
fade; glory that will never die. The
great majority of its population in
those bygone days were western men
from California, Nevada, Idaho,
Colorado and Montana they came
young, brave, virile, impetuous The
minimum wage was 81 day of eight
hours, work was plentiful, money
abundant, the saloons and gambling
houses were thronged night and day,
while variety fy-theaters und other
questionable places of amusement flour
ishsd like the proverbial ~greon bay
tree
Fugitives from almost every state
and territory in the union congregat-
ed; gun fighters and prize fighters
focked thither, and they were as
picturesque an aggregation of despera-
does as ever.shot up a town or rob-
bed a stage. Ned MCGOWAN, Bat
Masterson, the carp boys, Doc Holli-
day, Luke Short, Charley Storms,
Frank Leslie, Dave Neagle, the Clan
ton brothers Frank and Tom Nc
Lowry, 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
SAOu hASiI OOO1o OiIs
The newspapers of those days we're
worthy representatives of the life of
the camp, and some of the men who
were editing them are still in ourna-
listic harness. Among those whose
names are now recalled was the genial
and scholarly Pat Hamilton, Sam
Purdy, John Dunbar. Harry Woods.
c d Reppy, and O'Brien Moore also
played a short engagement there. The
historian of the future will find mate
rial for an interesting chapter in the
"duei" between Hamilton and Purdy.
Hamilton, the editor of the Indepeu-
dent, goaded to desperation by attaks
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 himself rs being
perfectly willing to settle the matter
according to Marquis of Queensbery
vi hOHuOH pIlZe JlIlS runs, buC pOSl-
lively declined to be made target of
for anyone's bullets. Hamilton then
sent a challenge to Purdy, who accep-
ted, 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 Tombstone and was re
ceived 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 undis-
puted sway Fright, faced children wend
their way to Sabbath 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 Tomb
stone.