Despite earning a degree in dentistry at the age of 20 from Pennsylvania College, John Henry Holliday is best known in history as gambler and a killer. Surprisingly, while in Colorado, he never killed anyone.
"Doc" Holliday, having been diagnosed with tuberculosis, came west for his health in 1873. He spent time in New Mexico and Texas where he made gambling his sole source of income.
It was in Texas, in January 1875, that Holliday became involved in the first of many gunfights. One shoot-out was with Charles Austin, owner of a popular Dallas saloon. While Austin was not killed, Holliday was nonetheless run out of town.
Life as A Gambler
Holliday traveled the well-known gambling circuits, often staying at army outposts along the way, In the summer of 1875 he was living in Denver under the alias "Tom Mackey."
He found work as a faro dealer for Charles Foster at the infamous Babbitt House, located at 357 Blake Street. It was there that Holliday got into a heated argument with Bud Ryan, a well-known gambling tough. The argument turned violent when both men drew knives. (Denver had a strict gun ordinance at the time.)
Eyewitnesses said Ryan drew first, whereupon Holliday then pulled his knife from his breast pocket. In the vicious knife fight, Holliday quickly gained the upper hand and managed to slash Ryan a few times. While his wounds were serious, Ryan did recover. However, the ensuing police investigation resulted in uncovering Holliday's true identity.
The Denver Republican reported the finding in a bit of yellow journalism: “The 'Doc' had taken the name of 'Tom Mackey.' He is a quiet, modest man, with a smile that is childlike and bland; he is generally regarded as very inoffensive, but one night he electrified the town by nearly cutting off the head of Budd [sic] Ryan, a well known Denver gambler. 'Doc' Holliday, alias 'Tom Mackey, is a little better known in Denver [now].”
Doc & Wyatt
With his identity revealed, Holliday left Denver, following the gambling circuit to Pueblo. There, he found employment dealing faro at the local saloons. By February 1876, he had moved on to the rich gold diggings at Deadwood, South Dakota.
Evidently things did not work out for Holliday in Deadwood, as he soon returned to the gambling circuit. After short stints in Colorado and Wyoming, Holliday was back in Texas by 1887, where he met famed lawman, Wyatt Earp at Fort Griffin.
In Fort Griffin he also met Mary Katharine Harony, better known in history as "Big Nose Kate." She would become Holliday's longtime paramour.
Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp had formed a unique friendship, that of lawman and alleged gunman. In any case, Holliday and "Big Nose Kate" left with Earp for Dodge City, Kansas, where the lawman had accepted the position of assistant city marshal, serving under famed lawman, Charlie Bassett.
In the summer of 1878, Earp was lured into a trap by Ed Morrison. Backed by two dozen angry armed men, Morrison taunted Earp to pull his gun. Holliday rushed to the scene and with his help the two calmed the situation. Earp would always credit Holliday with saving his life.
Holliday intended to do the same, if need be, on that infamous day of October 29, 1881. The previous year, Holliday had followed his friend to the new mining camp of Tombstone, Arizona.
As Earp and his brothers faced off against the Clantons in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Holliday stood with them and his help was instrumental in the Earps “winning” the fight that day. Wyatt Earp was the only one uninjured, while Holliday and Wyatt's brothers were only slightly injured.
Following the gunfight, Doc left his friend and journeyed to Colorado. He was involved in the infamous Royal Gorge Railroad War, where he served as an enforcer of sorts. He left the Canon City area for Gunnison, where he gambled a bit before climbing higher in the state – this time to Leadville.
Beginning of the End
Holliday spent the rest of his life in Colorado. He spent time in Leadville, where he suffered from the high altitude. He became increasingly dependent on alcohol to ease the symptoms of tuberculosis, and his health and his skills as a gambler and gunfighter began to deteriorate.
One of Holliday's last gunfights occurred in a saloon in Leadville. An arrogant gunfighter, Billy Allen, confronted Holiday. When Holliday replied that he carried no weapon, Allen continued to insult him. Holiday left the saloon bitter.
Later, Allen again spoke to Doc, who was then armed with a pistol in his pocket. When Doc saw Allen trying to draw his own pistol, Doc fired two shots, one hitting Allen in the arm and disarming him. But at that time, Holliday's disease had already taken a toll on the gunfighter.
This was the second time Holliday shot a man in the hand or the arm to disarm him and force him to drop this weapons, which avoided the risk of capital punishment for killing.
In 1887, prematurely gray and incredibly weak, Holliday went to Glenwood Springs, Colorado. He hoped to take advantage of the reputed healing cure that the mineral waters offered.
It is believed that he was simply too ill to partake in the healing waters, but lay dying in a bed in a local hotel room. Holliday died at 10 a.m. on November 8, 1887. He was 36 years old.
The Reverend Randolph presided over the burial at 4 p.m. on the same day Holliday died. The services were said to be in the presence of "many friends." He was buried in Linwood Cemetery overlooking Glenwood Springs.
Linda Wommack can be reached at lwomm3258@aol.com
