[76] Wyatt followed the crowd looking for gold in the Murray-Eagle mining district and paid $2,250 for a 50 feet (15m) diameter white circus, in which they opened a dance hall and saloon called The White Elephant. [26]:52, In early 1883, Josephineor Sadie as Wyatt called herand Wyatt left San Francisco for Gunnison, Colorado, where Earp ran a Faro bank until he received a request in April for assistance from Luke Short in Dodge City. [23] Sadie Mansfield reappeared in Tombstone when she was noted in the July 1882 Tombstone census, but Josephine Marcus and Josephine Behan were not. Corral made him a legend. She asked Wyatt for a divorce, but Wyatt didn't believe in divorce and refused. The book I Married Wyatt Earp (1967), based on a manuscript allegedly written in part by her, describes events she witnessed in Arizona that occurred before 1879, the year she claimed at other times to have first arrived in Tombstone. Death of Josephine Sarah Marcus Earp, widow of Wyatt December 19, 1944 Josephine Sarah Marcus, born to German Jewish immigrant parents in Brooklyn, NY, in 1861, grew up in San Francisco. [2] Upon their arrival, her father found a highly stratified Jewish community. [55] The paper also reported on April 9, 1875, that a letter was waiting for her in the post office. [78] Earp speculated in San Diego's booming real estate market. Named Celia Ann Blaylock, she went to church & school, with typical parental discipline of the time. Did Bessie continue sporting once they arrived in Tombstone? [21], In about 1923, Charles Welsh, a friend who Earp had known since his time in Dodge City in 1876, and a retired railroad engineer, frequently invited the Earps to visit his family in San Bernardino, Needles, and later in Los Angeles. Born Celia Ann Blaylock in 1850 in Johnson County, Iowa, she was raised on a small farm near the town of Fairfax. [36]:154, "Josephine Marcus" redirects here. Celia may have sought work as a seamstress or something of the like as she was skilled in the trade. [18]:36, During the later years of her life, in addition to burnishing the life and legend of husband Wyatt Earp, "she scripted a history of make believe to hide a number of things of which she was not terribly proud. Matt Jancer. [79] Between 1887 and around 1896 he bought four saloons and gambling halls, one on Fourth Street and two near Sixth and E, all in the "respectable" part of town. [5][9] In early 1880, Henry was living with his son-in-law Aaron, who was employed as a bookkeeper. They planned to head for Alaska to join in the Alaska Gold Rush, but their departure was delayed for three weeks when Wyatt fell while getting off Market Street streetcar and bruised his hip. The Cochise County Cowboys were initially a mere nuisance, but killed marshal Fred White on Oct. 28, 1880 and would spark the gunfight at the O.K. Wyatt Earp along with his brothers and their wives move to Tombstone to start a new life putting his life as a lawman and gunslinger behind him. Byways & Historic Trails Great Drives in America, Soldiers and Officers in American History, Easy Travel Organization Tips You Will Love, Bidwell-Bartleson Party Blazing the California Trail. Because so much has been written about Doc Holliday, much of it conflicting, it often is difficult to get a clear picture of his personal appearance, demeanor, and behavior. In his memoirs, Wyatt Earp described Holliday this way: "He was a dentist whom necessity had made a gambler, a gentleman whom disease had made a frontier vagabond, a philosopher whom life had made a caustic wit . [4] In the 1880 United States Census of Tombstone, Blaylock is listed as Wyatt's wife though there is no record of a legal marriage. [27], Based on the story she told the Earp cousins, when correlated with other sources, Josephine may have left her parents home in San Francisco for Prescott, Arizona, as early as October 1874,[2] when she was 13 or 14 years old,[25] not 1879 as she told everyone later on. She wrote, "life was dull for me in San Francisco. [57] Nineteen-year-old Sadie Mansfield, the same person his former wife Victoria had named in their divorce five years earlier, was also living in Tip Top. In 1879, the couple relocated from Kansas to Tombstone, Arizona. Corral. "[2] She added, "The fear and the excitement, the weeks of exhausting travel, chagrin over my own foolishness, all together proved too much for my strength. Wyatt Earp, one of the most famous figures to emerge from the colorful 19th-century history of the American West, is best remembered known for his participation in a notorious 1881 gunfight at. Her father Henrys earnings as a baker fell. [3] Earp resigned from the Dodge City police force on September 9, 1879, and traveled to Las Vegas, New Mexico Territory with Blaylock, his brother Jim, and Jim's wife Bessie. September 8, 2013 Terri J Huck. [39] Josephine said she left the acting troupe in February 1880, just after the Markham troupe ended its initial run of performances in Prescott. Earp goes home to a wife addicted to a laudanum, a common drug of the time mixing morphine and opium. [37] One block away on the 1000 block of Clay Street in a neighborhood known for prostitution was a brothel, owned by Hattie Wells. He didn't include them in the book, but he did write about them in letters during 1929. Josephine first met John "Johnny" Harris Behan at the ranch house, who she described as, "young and darkly handsome, with merry black eyes and an engaging smile. In between, they had crossed paths, but it's not as if they went everywhere together. He continued to race horses, but by 1896 he could no longer afford to own horses, but raced them on behalf of the owner of a horse stable in Santa Rosa that he managed for her.[82]. Josephine was apparently too full of grief to assist or to attend the funeral itself. Her occupation was "Courtesan". Later that year, Josephine's half-sister Rebecca Levy married Aaron Wiener,[7] an insurance salesman born in Prussia, as her parents were. His second wife was Mattie Blaylock, who became addicted to pain killer medicine. [26], Professor Pat Ryan stated that Josephine or Sadie may have used the stage name May Bell as a member of the Markham stage group. She was the third of six children born to parents Henry and Elizabeth Blaylock. Wyatt would often go on long walks to get away from her. In 1884, Wyatt and his wife Josie, his brothers Warren and James, and James' wife Bessie arrived in Eagle City, Idaho, another new boomtown that was created as a result of the discovery of gold, silver, and lead in the Coeur d'Alene area. It was cited by scholars and relied upon as factual by filmmakers. Wyatt took a job managing a horse stable in Santa Rosa. While the gunsmoke of the Civil War had settled, life in the American frontier was no picnic. [4] The six friends traveled to Prescott, Arizona. Bat Masterson, a friend of Wyatt Earp's who was in Tombstone from February to April 1881,[29]:41[30] described her to Stuart Lake as "an incredible beauty"[31] and as the "belle of the honkytonks, the prettiest dame in three hundred or so of her kind. [2], Prescott had 668 residents in 1870. Let's save Wyatt's women for last and begin with Virgil, who is the second best-known Earp brother. The only way Otero could write about these things was if he had a personal relationship with some of the individuals involved. This was the same date that Wyatt Earp and his brothers arrived. Kate was a prostitute and Holliday a gambler. Josephine eventually sold virtually all of her jewelry to Baldwin. But was apparently restless there. )[43], In September 1880, Behan and Sadie left Tip Top for Tombstone. [19] A town like Tombstone, full of single men, attracted women who sought adventure with little concern for what others might think. Actor Hugh O'Brianbecame a household name and earned Emmy nominations for his portrayal of the O.K. "United States Census, San Francisco, California", "San Francisco Morning Call Newspaper Vital Statistics", "I Married Wyatt Earp: The Recollections of Josephine Sarah Marcus Earp", "Voting Ward Maps, 1852, 1860, 1870, 1880", "The Jewish First Lady at Legendary Lawmaker Wyatt Earp's O.K. [26]:56. David B. Eventually, she ended up in Dodge City, Kansas. In 1879, five prostitutes lived there. His first was Urilla Sutherland who died early in his marriage. In 1939 Josephine sued 20th Century Fox for $50,000 in an attempt to keep them from making the film titled Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal. [49] Behan was on the surface an upstanding citizen, married with a child, but he also frequented brothels. In 1998, a series of articles by Tony Ortega in the Phoenix New Times, including interviews with Glenn Boyer, argued that Boyer invented large portions of the book. In my confusion, I could see no way out of the tragic mess. Both made a stagecoach journey from San Francisco to Prescott, Arizona Territory; both traveled with a black woman named Julia; both were sexual partners with Behan; both were 19 years old, born in New York City, and had parents from Germany. I couldn't verify its origins, but I wonder if it was the one that surfaced in the 1950s when her nephew read an article about the opening of a new museum in Dodge City, Kansas . Wyatt Earp After the legendary gunfight in Tombstone that lasted only 30 seconds, but would up defining Earp for the rest of his life, Earp and his new common law wife Sadie (a.k.a Josie) traveled around the west, scoring money in the gold rush and by investing in properties. [27]:117[61] In Josephine's version of her life story, she left San Francisco to join Behan to Tombstone in October 1880,[62] and was hoping he would fulfill his promises to marry her. Celia Ann Mattie Blaylock was involved with Wyatt Earp after the death of his first wife, and is often termed as Wyatts common law wife. "Mattie: Wyatt Earp's Secret Second Wife", narrates the tragic life of Mattie Blaylock (1850-1888) who, from 1871 was Earp's second wife and then, from 1882 until Earp's death in 1928, was his darkest, most closely guarded secret. [43], In early 1881, Josephine returned to Tombstone after a trip to San Francisco. Nov 13, 2021 57:50. He was known as a lawman, gambler, and boxing referee, exemplifying the pinnacle of American grit, inspiring practically every Hollywood western in some way. Josie had two miscarriages during her life and was apparently unable to have children. Her real name was Leah Hirschberg, whose mother was a music teacher. Sid Grauman of Grauman's Theater and cowboy actor and long-time friend of Wyatt Earp William S. Hart paid for her funeral and burial. Blaylock planned to return to sex work in Pinal City, but with most of the prospective clientele gone with the silver, making a living there proved difficult. [44][52][53] The area in which Behan campaigned was also near Cave Creek, where Al Sieber was looking for Indians. Wyatt Earp was born in Monmouth, Illinois in 1848. She met Wyatt in 1881 in the frontier boom town of Tombstone, Arizona Territory, when she was living with Johnny Behan, sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona. "[21] After Wyatt's death, Josephine told her friends and family to stop calling her Sadie, Wyatt's name for her, and insisted they call her Josie. He was in agreement, but Josephine, who was 37, miscarried soon after. In 2009, the Tonto National Forest, in conjunction with local citizens and preservation organizations, began preserving the historic cemetery, interpreting the history, and updating grave markers. Finally, Mattie left California and moved to Globe, Arizona, where she returned to prostitution. Wyatt Earp is a unique breedfor more reasons than oneamong the famed gunslingers and infamous outlaws who shot their way across the Wild West horizon. Wyatt Earp enthusiasts have made the gravesite the most visited in that Jewish cemetery and once even stole the tombstone. [19] The most she would say is that she returned to the Arizona Territory in 1881 and joined Johnny Behan in Tombstone. "[19], As late as 1936, Josephine took legal action to suppress certain details of her and Wyatt's life in Tombstone. She apparently expected to receive a telegram from Earp telling her where to meet him, but it never arrived. [26] Sadie and John Behan lived at different addresses. The Rufus Buck gangs exploits didnt last long, but they were brutal enough to quickly go down in, Wyatt Earp may be lionized for his role in the gunfight at the O.K. Grace was upset that Josephine didn't attend. "[32], Men in Tombstone outnumbered women nine to one, and the miners were eager to pay substantial fees to women who would cook their meals, provide rooms, wash their clothes, and provide sexual services. But Josephine said that her parents hid her activities, and they may have been covering for her when the census taker appeared on their doorstep. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Tombstone (DVD, 2002, 2-Disc Set, Vista Series Directors Cut) COMPLETE with Map at the best online prices at eBay! Wikimedia CommonsMattie Blaylock ran away from home when she was 18. On July 3, 1888, Blaylock took a lethal dose of laudanum and alcohol. Corral, she was at her home when she heard the sound of gunfire. Garner and I discuss Wyatt Earp's life as a sporting man and his involvement in horse racing and boxing. [42]:275298 In December 1883, they visited Galveston, Texas, and in March 1884 they were in Salt Lake City. Her father was a baker. Cinergi Pictures EntertainmentMattie Blaylock (left) and Wyatt Earp (center) as portrayed by Dana Wheeler Nicholson and Kurt Russell in Tombstone (1993). Josephine Sarah Marcus Earp, died in 1944, and her remains now rest with his. [43], Josephine told the Earp cousins that she returned to San Francisco before the grand opening of Lucky Baldwin's luxury Baldwin Hotel and Theater on the northeast corner of Powell and Market St., which opened on March 6, 1876. May 9, 2014. [2], Sadie Mansfield left Gillete, near Tip Top, and arrived in Phoenix on February 13, 1880. He knew his wife preferred the name "Josephine" and detested "Sadie", but early in their relationship he began calling her 'Sadie'. [5]:65 It is not known exactly when Earp and Blaylock ended their relationship. She hoped to return to the days of bustling mining town prostitution, but the boom had passed, and Blaylock withered. Charlie Welsh, Grace Spolidora's father, was a good friend of Earp's. When she was seven years old, the family moved to San Francisco. [25] She would not even talk about the key events of 188182, their key years in Tombstone. However, the union wouldnt last. [18] Behan claimed their daughter Henrietta wasn't his, and a request for support for Henrietta was stricken from the divorce petition. "[13], In the course of writing Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal (1931), Stuart Lake learned that Josephine had lived with Johnny Behan in Tombstone and other aspects of Josephine's life that she wanted to keep private. On the inside were the German Jews and on the outside were the Polish Jews. [54] In 1874, 14-year-old Sadie Mansfield worked under the watchful eye of Madam Josie Roland as a prostitute in a brothel on Granite Street, between Gurley and Alarcon streets, and near the Yavapai County Courthouse where Sheriff Behan worked. [71] They moved frequently, even when living in the same town. Wyatt Earp took up with the beautiful, young Sadie, even as his drug-addicted wife, Mattie, lay in bed with crippling headaches. [35] Married women of the era were expected to avoid working outside the home, or risk being considered "public women," a euphemism for prostitute. Born in Wisconsin in 1850, Mattie was raised in Fairfax, Iowa until she ran away from home at the age of 16. She and her sister-in-law Alma were concerned about the care Josie gave Wyatt. William Vermillion, Nancy Owens. [112], Cemetery officials re-set the stone flush in concrete, but it was stolen again. While they survived without a scratch after 30 seconds of gunfire, Blaylock had already been wounded as Earp had already met Josephine Sadie Marcus months ago. Knowledge of her place in Wyatt's life was concealed by Josephine Earp, his later common-law wife, who worked ceaselessly to protect her and Wyatt's reputation in their later years. He had a "relationship with" Sadie Mansfield, likely the same girl who had traveled with Hattie Wells' prostitutes from San Francisco. [50][51] On September 28, 1874, Behan was nominated at the Democratic convention to stand for re-election. [1] Henry moved the family to San Francisco in 1868 when Josephine was 7. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday Weren't That Close It's true that Holliday and Earp were friends. By David Cranmer. Of those three, there's a "maybe" around Marcus, but it should come as no surprise that Mattie Blaylock, the woman usually described as the "second Mrs. Wyatt Earp," had a history of prostitution. [87] When they got to Wrangell, the season was already late, and they chose to winter in Rampart. [19] Josephine sought to get her own life story published and gained the assistance of Wyatt's cousins Mabel Earp Cason and Cason's sister Vinolia Earp Ackerman. Earp's anger at Holliday's ethnic slur may indicate that his feelings for Josephine was more serious at the time than is commonly known. Earp moved to Wichita, Kansas, and worked as a shotgun guard for Wells Fargo. This is the story of that life together after Wyatt's famous. Known as "Sadie" to the public in 1881, she met Wyatt in the frontier boom town Tombstone, Arizona Territory when she was living with Cochise County Sheriff Johnny Behan. [43], Josephine's life after Tombstone and with Wyatt Earp is not well known, although it isn't as obscured by stories of her life in Tombstone that she told to hide facts. Related read: Tombstone vs. Wyatt Earp: 7 Differences in the Dueling Movies. Corral, Ike Clanton filed murder charges against the Earps and Doc Holliday. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported on May 20, 1900 that Wyatt Earp and his wife set sail on the S.S. Alliance to return to Alaska. In fact Earp spent his final years working mining claims in the Mojave Desert in order to finance a comfortable life for himself and his wife in Los Angeles. Considine tried to keep Earp from succeeding, and arranged for his establishment to be raided. [26]:45, After Wyatt's death, Josephine collaborated with two of her husband's cousins, Mabel Earp Cason and her sister Vinolia Earp Ackerman, to document her life. J. Levine Auction & Appraisal in Scottsdale, Ariz., is auctioning the guns, which owner Josh Levine believes belonged to Wyatt Earp. Wyatt Earp wasn't always on the right side of the law. The opening date of the Baldwin Hotel is much earlier than the date Josephine said she left for Arizona with the Pauline Markham Troupe in 1879. The family was settled at a farm near Iowa. The family was forced to move in with Josephine's older sister Rebecca and her husband Aaron "south of the slot" (south of Market Street) at 138 Perry Street between 3rd and 2nd at Harrison in a tenement on the flatlands. The symptoms of St. Vitus Dance and meningitis are somewhat different, but both can be contracted from the same strain of bacteria through saliva.