January 21st, 2008

I’ve been spending the last few days with Wyatt Earp. He was part of the posse that went looking for Dora Hand’s murderer and iatrical to the story I’m working on about the manhunt. So much has been written about him it’s hard to find a fresh approach to the material. He was a fearless man and very good with his fists. I didn’t realize that until I started my research. He seldom if ever went for his gun first. He preferred to physically beat his opponent down. He spent a great deal of time at saloons and railroad worker camps watching boxing matches and picked up tips that aided him in his pugilistic endeavors. I suppose a man like Earp is just born a soldier of sorts. I don’t know how it was that at the age of 22 he was so unafraid to confront the worst sort of man. His yes meant yes and his no meant no. I admire his strength of character and the fact that he stood up for his brothers in times of trial. My yeses are cheap and I can’t go to the extent to stand up for my brothers like he did. I’d lose my very soul in the trying.