Our Guest Author Today is C.R. King

Tombstone 

Tombstone is a very popular place for those of us who enjoy history, especially facts about Wyatt Earp and his brothers Virgil and Morgan; Add Doc Holiday for he was very close to the Earps.

We dwell on the most famous gunfight in the old West, the Gun Fight at the OK Corral. The above names fought part of the Cowboy faction and won. The word ‘Cowboy’ was used as an insult. History is covered up by those who want to hide things for many reasons, and it goes down as factual; that is, whatever was used to hide.  As a Historian, I want and work hard to uncover the truth as all 6 of my books do just that. The gunfight was not at the OK Corral but behind it.  From the Epitaph Newspaper published on April 27, 1881: 

“A reporter obtained some startling facts about the opium dens of Tombstone from a police officer about opium dens of Tombstone and their habitues. One den was on Allen above Sixth Street. The balance was [of dens] were on Third near Allen. All told, there were five or six of them, all kept by Chinamen and well patronized by American men and women. The women patrons are courtesans [ sic courtesans], who no doubt indulge in this dissipation to benumb their faculties and obliterate the memories of innocent, happy days that are past beyond recall. Statistics show an alarming increase in the opium habit throughout the country. The city authorities should look into this matter immediately.”

The Tucson Star of August 4, 1881, said at the end of an article: “There is no dodging the question. These opium dens are being carried on in open defiance to the law.” The article asked for the mayor to see that the city marshal take steps to have them wiped out.”

Butte, Montana had five dens when Morgan Earp was wearing the policeman’s badge. They had 3 dens. When Morgan resigned to join his brother in Tombstone but just before he handed in his badge, he discovered two hidden dens. Wherever there was a Chinese population, there were opium dens, over 50% were white men and female prostitutes.

Of my books, all 6 of them are well researched, and I have at least one item in each book that no one knew of until I published. I have three volumes of A Fraternity of Gunslingers: True Stories of Wild West Gunmen. Volume 3 has 22 stories. I will be ordering 20 paperbacks on this volume. I have more stories in my other books.  

C.R. King

C. R. 'Randy' Has worked in the Broadcast industry most of his adult life. A father of two beautiful daughters, now grown and a avid student of American History. He spent most of his life working, raising a family, involved in community affairs putting his one passion aside until a few years back. King has had in several articles published in historical journals and magazines but has had a desire to share his knowledge with the general public in a format that is a pleasing and easy to read without all of the end notes that his articles normally have but to include as much factual data without the mundane.