b'Shoot out at Cottonwood Springs?Curly Bill and- Lessons Not Learnedseveral locals areHomicide by MisadventureMARCH 24, 1882January 9, 1881drinking it up at the Alhambra SaloonOctober 28,1880: Fresh off the trail fromsays, I am an officer of the law, give me your (also known asSanSimon,wheresomebelieveheandhispistol.AsCurlyBillreachestopullouthis Corrigans)CURLY BILLS TABLE MANNERSpards treed the town and attempted to hijack apistol, Wyatt gets behind Curly Bill and wraps in Tombstone. The worst trick I ever knew him to do wasIRON SPRINGSlocomotive, Curly Bill Brocius bringshis arms around him to see if he is to go into a restaurant once, while the people his mayhem to Tombstone.carrying anymore weapons.were at dinner. He was drunk and pulled out After a tall bucking at BrownsGrabbing the barrel of Curly Bills his two revolvers and laid them beside his plate,MESCAL SPRINGScorral, the boisterous cow-boys retirepistol,MarshalWhitebarks,Now, After multipleand ordered everyone at the table to wait until drinks, the rowdyto Allen Street and land in Corrigans he was through, as it was ungentlemanly andyou God damned son of a bitch, give crew spills out ontosaloon. The cow-boys are joined by aCOTTONWOOD SPRINGSimpolitetorisebeforeallhadfinishedtheirupthatpistol!Ashetriestojerk meal. Of course, everybody in the restaurant satthe pistol out of the cow-boys hand, local,AndrewMcCauley,cow-boy Allen Street andand waited until Bill got done eating, but he was Dick Lloyd (the tall bucker), rancherit goes off. several pull theirso full he laid down his head upon his arms and Frank Patterson, Ed Collins, AndrewDUELING SPRINGSI am shot! says White, as he falls. pistols and shootfell asleep, and the folks were so afraid of him that they supposed he Ames and a Charleston miner namedThe muzzle blast sets his pants afire, For over a century, writers have identified the site at the moon. was just shamming sleep as to get a chance to shoot the first one who James Johnson. After several drinks, the partyand someone snuffs the flames.of Wyatts shoot-out with the cow-boys as having taken rose from the table. They all waited until he awoke, when he paid the spills out onto Allen Street, with one or moreatWyattbrandishesaborrowedpistoland placeArizonas Iron Springs. Later writers added bill for the crowd and left.of the men pulling their pistols and firing sev- modernmapschangedthemonikertoMescalto thatclubs Curly Bill onthehead, knocking him Fresh out of jail in Tucson, Curly Bill Tom Thorton, hotel keeper in GaleyvilleBrocius leads a group of cow-boys backSprings. For researchers, the Mescal and Iron Springs eral shots at the moon and stars. theground.WhathaveIdone?CurlyBill to the San Pedro River, where they takesites did not make sense. In the summer of 2002 a Wyatt Earp andCurlyBilltriestostoptheshooting,say- demands.Ihavenotdoneanythingtobe helicopter pilot named Bill Evans, who along with his his brother Morganingaccordingtoaneyewitnessthiswontarrested for.Running to their fallen comrade, the cowboys unlimber their hardware and send aCurly Bill (far left ) was arrested the next day for his church itupstreamandstopatachurchfour15-year-old son David, spent most of the 2002 summer blistering return fire at the two horsemen (Wyatt Earp and Texas Jack) on the ridge. Ofshenanigans and charged $25 for disturbing the peace. Curly hear the illegaldo, boys, but the men continue their promis- Wyattgrabsthecow-boybythecollarand miles from Charleston. riding their dirt bikes all around Rain Valley, a few the rest of the Earp party, only Sherm is hit. As you can see from this perspective, thepaid, Deputy Sheriff William Breakenridge reported, but said shooting and runandgoinginside,Curlycuous fuselage. As locals gather on the streetmarcheshimovertothesmallwoodenjail, DismountingCURLY BILL miles east of Sonoita Az, in search of any location that others are straggling behind on the trail, so the cowboys cannot see them. no more church for him, it was too expensive.Bill, followed by his gang, demands theto see what all the shooting is about, three inmere feet away from the fracas. Wyatt and his to the scene. looked even remotely like Wyatts description of the parsontostophistalkorCurlyBillthecow-boycrowd,includingCurlyBill,runbrothers Virgil and Morgan round up the rest WyattEarpandhismentakebreakfastnorthofSherm ride behind Wyatt, with Doc and Turkey Creekso-called Iron Springs Fight. On the last day out, they will shoot an eye out. discovered Cottonwood Springs. And, so, the mystery behind a building on the south side of the road. ofthepartyandarrestEdCollins,Andrew Contention, Arizona, on the San Pedro, then ride southJackmuchfarthertotherear.Anotherstepgives Curly Bill proceeds to taunt and humiliate theCurly Bill and pards shoot up FifthofexactlywhereWyattEarpsfightwithCurlyBill towardtheBabocomariRivertoscoutoutpossibleWyatt a fullTown Marshal Fred White suddenly appearsAmes, Dick Lloyd, Frank Patterson and James pastor, making him dance like a fool in front ofview of the hollow. Two cowboys jumphas been solved. It actually happened at Cottonwood and Allen in Tombstone more than once.hiding places of various criminals.to theirfrom around the corner. Several men run up,Johnson.his horrified congregation. feet, one yanking a sawed-off shotgun to hisSprings and it matches Wyatt Earps narration to the Leaving his brother Warren on the trail to meet ashoulder, while the other breaks for the cottonwoods. marshal includingWyattEarp,justastheletter. Well, maybe not the multiple holes in his pants, Nine days later, the terror from San Simon courier, Wyatt, Doc Holliday, Sherm McMasters, TexasCurlyBill!Shermyellsinastonishment,beforebut the geography matches and well take it!In an arroyo (behind and his pards invade Contention City, where Jack Vermillion and Turkey Creek Jack Johnson ride upwheeling his horse and retreating. the current location the cow-boy devils begin to tree the south endWyatt later remembers shooting at nine cowboys who a rocky canyon into the Whetstones. Seeing no sign of of the Birdcage) of the town. Wyatt Earp (center, with pistol) recent riders, Earp loosens the gunbelt around his waist.each had a rifle at his shoulder, and every rifle blazed. Wyatt, Morganeveryonetheycanfind,theAiming at the outlaw chieftain Curly Bill Brocius, Wyatt Afterabusingand his brother Virgil (at left, Horses and men are weary and hot. and Marshal Whiteare on is about 100 yards from thefires both barrels of his shotgun, fatally striking Curly gang gravitates to the north end where they go The trail they waterhole,anditcutsacrossadeep,sandyshelf.Bill in the chest, almost cutting him in half. with shotgun) establish a attempt to disarm in a store, rob the till of $50 and commit other They can only see the tops of the cottonwood trees,In spite of his rapid retreat, Sherm is hit in the sidedeadline around the jail and outrages like shooting at a peaceable citizen.Curly Bill with as the 15-foot-high bank hides the springs from theirand his binoculars are shot from his neck. Texas Jacks Several brave citizens arm themselves andwarn everyone not to cross it.tragic results.view.Acrossthissandystretch,Wyattrides,coatTREEING A TOWNcome out on the street to confront the out- horse is killed in the volley of cowboy fire. The Earps and others guard the unbuttoned, six-guns sagging low, Winchester in theWyatt tries to remount, but his loosened gunbelt has laws, but Curly Bill and his men pay them noHunters consider it a victory when theirTo learn more about thesaddle boot, Wells Fargo shotgun and ammunition beltslipped down around his thighs. Bullets tear into hisjail all night against lynching. At attention. Eventually, gunfire erupts on bothdogs chase game and run it up a tree and23 gunfights behind the O.K. the time of the White shooting, looped to the saddle horn.hat, coat and bootheel, and his saddle horn is shot off.To learn more about the 23 gunfights behind thesides with neither side taking any casualties.surround it. Websters definition of treeingCorral pick up Bob Boze BellsAt the scent of water, Wyatts horse quickens andHe finally succeeds in forking his horse and rides backTombstone has a makeshift After a full day of bedevilment, the cow-boysis: To bring to bay. To putinto a positionO.K. Corral, pick up Bob Boze BellsTo learn more about the 23to a rocky outcropping to rejoin his men. The brief,Classic Gunfights Vol. IIWyatt lets him make his gait. Fifty feet from the spring,wooden jail. Fred Dodge later finally decide to decamp and head up into theofextremedisadvantage:corner.ThisClassic Gunfights Vol. IIgunfights behind the O.K. Corraldescribes it: This Lockup was intuition brings Wyatt up short. He swings out of thedramatic fight is over.hills toward Tombstone where they intend tobecomes a favorite pastime of the cow-boys saddle, loops the reins in his left hand with his shotgun pick up Bob Boze Bells about 10 by 12 and made of tree that worthy town as well. as they tree towns and settlements all over in his right hand and walks forward. Texas Jack andTrueWestMagazine.comClassic Gunfights Vol. II TrueWestMagazine.comthe Tombstone Mining District. 2x4one on top of the other and Each one spiked down to the otherit was quite Strong and 38 September 2022TrueWestMagazine.com Secure for the ordinary purpose.'