Tag Archives: Outlaw

This Day in History – John Henry “Doc” Holliday Died

On November 8, 1887 the infamous gambler, gunfighter, “deputy,” and dentist (yes, dentist) John Henry “Doc” Holliday died from complications with Tuberculosis at a sanitarium in Colorado. Reportedly, his final words were “Damn… this is funny.”

Holiday was educated as a dentist in Georgia. He moved out west in hopes of alleviating his Tuberculosis. He even spent a brief time in Dallas, with a dental practice near Dealey Plaza.

He is most remembered for his relationship with Wyatt Earp and his role in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. A skilled gambler and gunfighter, he made a name for himself (good and bad) throughout the West. Today, he is most remembered by the portrayal of Val Kilmer  in the 1993 film Tombstone.

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“For a Moment There I Thought we were in Trouble” – Did Butch Survive Bolivia?

Did Butch Cassidy, the famous outlaw that died in a shoot-out in Bolivia actually survive the gunfight and live a long life in the state of Washington? A rare book collector is reporting that he has uncovered new evidence that suggests that Butch Cassidy not only survived the fight, but even penned an autobiography under a pseudonym entitled “Bandit Invincible: The Story of Butch Cassidy.”

The author claims that the novel is replete with information that only Butch himself could know and supports the claims that the infamous outlaw survived and lived anonymously the remainder of his days in Washington State.

However, other historians declare that the book collector’s claims are dubious at best:

“It doesn’t bear a great deal of relationship to Butch Cassidy’s real life, or Butch Cassidy’s life as we know it.” – Dan Buck, Cassidy Historian.

To read more about this story, see the article at MSNBC. I also highly recommend this clip from the 1969 film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid which contains one of the greatest film quotes of all time:

“For a moment there, I thought we were in trouble.”