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Doc Holliday's father, Henry B. Holiday train pharmacist and served in the Cherokee Indian wars, the Mexican more, and in the confederate army as a major. After returning home from the Mexican war with Francisco Hidalgo and orphaned Mexican boy, Major Holiday Mary Alice Jane Mackay and soon after having had a daughter Martha Eleanora who died in infancy. John Henry Holliday (Doc) was born on August 14, 1851. Major holiday inherited land in Valdosta Georgia in 1857. John Henry studied Latin, French, and a Greek at the Valdosta Institute and Major Holliday soon became a leading citizen.

Doc's mother died on September 16 1866 of consumption when he was just 15. His mother's death was a blow to Doc as he and his mother had a close relationship.

Doc Holliday was a respected and educated man but he also was hot-tempered. This hot-temper made him quick to use a gun as well. When Doc's found their were "Negros" swimming in his favorite swimming hole. His hot-temper got the best of him and he started shooting over their heads. Shots were exchanged but no one was killed.

A short time after starting his dental practice Doc was given the news that he had contracted tuberculosis. Most likely from his mother or adopted brother who also died from the disease later.

Doc moved west to Dallas, Texas a short time after the diagnosis, in hopes of extending his life. Doc Holliday worked with John A. Seegar for a time until the coughing spells became too great for delicate dental procedures.

In the west Doc Holliday was probably looked apone as an unusual character due to the fact he was a educated and a refined man. A southern gentleman that played piano, and spoke fluent Latin must have been an oddity for the western people of that time!

Doc Holliday was a very intelligent man and this made gambling and natural. Doc was a participant in Poker and Faro as well as a dealer of the games. He was miserable due to the knowledge of his upcoming demise, which led to his heavy drinking and moody spells. The fact he was dying perhaps contributed to the lifestyle he ended up living. Doc understood the dangers of his chosen profession, and that he must develop the skills to protect himself. This knowledge drove him to hone his skills with a knife and practice his fast draw with a six-shooter.

His first gunfight occurred January 2 1875 when he and the local named Austin had an argument. This quickly led to violence. Soul shots were exchanged and neither Doc nor Austin were struck but they both were arrested the Dallas Weekly Herald reported. The incident was not taken seriously by locals until days later when Doc killed a well known citizen over an argument. The victim died from two shots of Doc's six-shooter.

Doc Holliday left Dallas followed by the posse. Doc headed to a lawless cowtown named Jacksboro in Texas located a short distance from an army post. He dealt Faro in Jacksboro and now armed himself with a knife, a pistol on his hip and a shoulder holster holding a second pistol as well. Doc Holliday became an expert shot and was involved in three more gunfights in Jacksboro. The lawless town took no action against Doc despite one man was dead.

Another disagreement in Fort Richardson in 1876 brought the U.S. Gov't into investigate Doc's killing of a soldier from the Fort. The Army, local Lawman, and U.S. Marshals were now in pursuit of Doc Holliday not to mention citizens anxious to collect the reward.

Doc Holliday was aware he might be hanged if he was caught and so left for Apache country in Colorado (then Kansas Territory). Three more were left dead on his journey to Denver where he took the name Tom Mackey. He started dealing Faro in a unknown establishment named Babbitt's House. This would change when Doc got in an argument with a well known gambling tough called Bud Ryan. During the fight Doc nearly took Ryan's head off with a knife.Though Ryan survived his face and neck were horribly disfigured. Doc was forced to run again, this time he headed for Wyoming, then New Mexico and then back to Texas and in Fort Griffin. In Fort Griffin Doc would meet"Big Nose Kate" and Wyatt Earp.

Doc was dealing cards in 1877 to a bully named Ed Bailey. Bailey was unimpressed by Doc's reputation and was used to having things his way. Ed Bailey kept picking up discarded cards and looking at them in an attempt to irritate Doc. Bailey knowing that looking at discarded cards was prohibited in the game of poker and could force the forefiet of the pot by doing so. Bailey despite Doc's repeated warnings and ignoring the rules prohibiting the action, proceeded to look at cards in the discard pile. Without saying a word or showing his cards holiday raked in the pot. Bailey's response was to draw his six-shooter but Doc's response was too quick for Bailey and Holliday's knife carved into his stomach. Doc did not go on the run this time feeling his actions were in self defense. He was arrested an incarcerated anyway. A vigilante group seeked revenge despite the fact that Bailey was a known bully. In a plan to set Doc free Kate set fire to an old shed. As the town was fighting the fire Kate pulled a pistol on Doc's Guard and set Doc free.

They took rooms in dodge city at Deacon Cox boarding house. In Dodge, Doc decided to change his ways in an attempt to please Kate and in return Kate promised to give up saloons and prostitution. Kates return to a less quiet life in dance halls and the gambling establishments led to Doc and Kate going their separate ways. With the split Doc went back to his gambling and card dealing, quite often in the Long Branch Saloon.

A large group of Texas cowboys arrived in town after a long trail ride and started cutting loose, blowing shop windows out, six-shooters blazing an harrasing customers in the Long Branch Saloon. The group was led by Ed Morrison whom had trouble with Wyatt in Wichita, Kansas and Tobe Driskill. As Wyatt came through the front door of the Long Branch he was confronted by several gun barrels. Morrison step forward and told Wyatt to "Pray and jerk your gun! Your time has come Earp!"

Doc approached Morrison from behind and placed a pistol to Morrison's temple and exclaimed " No, freind you draw or throw your hands up!" "Any of you bastards pulls a gun and your leader here loses what's left of his brains!" Wyatt always remembered the fact that dock had saved his life that night. The later quote by Wyatt may explain."The only way anyone could appreciate the feeling I had for Doc after the Driskell-Morrison business would have been to have stood in my boots at the time Doc came through the Long Branch doorway.

Doc ended up in Trinidad Colorado shortly after having had an argument with Kate. A young gambler named Kid Colton goaded Doc into a fight. It is not known if the "Kid" wished to make a reputation or was not aware of Doc's prowice with a handgun. Whatever the reason he ended up dead in the streets of Trinidad.

Doc did not wait around and headed for Las Vegas New Mexico. In late summer of 1879 he hung out his shingle again but shortly after turned to being a saloon owner instead. Also in 1879 he got into another gunfight with local gunmen named Mike Gordon. The two gunfighters took their fast draw and their argument to the street where Gordon's draw prove not so fast. He died with three shots to the belly.

Doc fled once again due to a lynch mob. Doc's set his sights on Dodge City once more. Apone his arrival he found out Wyatt had left for tombstone a new silver strike boomtown in Arizona. Finding nothing to keep him in Dodge, Holliday took out for Tombstone.

Doc Holliday had another dispute in October of 1880 with Johnny Tyler in the Orient Saloon. Tyler left before the arrgument turned violent but Doc and the saloon owner Milt Joyce continued on. Once again an argument with Doc turn to violence and Joyce ended up being shot in the hand. Doc was arrested, convicted and fined for assault and battery.

Four masked man attempted to hold up a stage on March 15, 1881 near Contention. During the holdup the driver of the stagecoach was killed along with one of the passengers. Doc Holliday was accused of being one of the robbers by the Cowboy faction who had seen this as an opportunity to get Doc out of the way. The investigating sheriff found Kate drunk and still upset at Doc over their breakup, seizing the opportunity to convince her to sign an affidavit saying Doc had been one of the stagecoach robbers. Along with the fact that Kate repudiated her statement and witnesses that the Earp's had collected to verify Doc's whereabouts during the holdup, the charges were dropped. Doc was fed up with Kate by this time and sent her out of town along with some cash.

By 1881 October 25 Doc had had enough of the threats the cowboy's had been making, especially Ike Clanton. When Doc found Ike in the Occidental Saloon Doc confronted Ike. The incident was handled by the Earp brothers now law officers. But not before more threats were made by Clanton toward Doc's life the next day.

There is much that happened in Tombstone that has been left out of this story, but the subject of this article is Doc Holliday. The Tombstone affair is best left for a story of its own.

Wyatt and Doc left Tombstone in May of 1882. They still had their sites on Clanton, Ringo, Swilling and Spence but they vowed they would not return to Tombstone. For now their destination was Colorado. Doc was arrested shortly after arriving in Denver by Perry Mallam. There is little evidence that Perry was actually the brother of Johnny Tyler that I have been able to find. Johnny was a gunman that Doc ran out of town back in Tombstone. The following statement was printed in the Denver Republican on May 22, 1882 " Holliday has a big reputation as a fighter, and has probably put more rustlers and Cowboys under the sood than any other one man in the west. He has been the terror of the lawless element in Arizona, and with the Earps was the only man brave enough to face the bloodthirsty crowd which has made the name of Arizona a stench in the nostrils of the decent man". Mallan reported to the paper that he was alongside Curly Bill when he was killed. Doc had this to say, " If Mallan was along side Curly Bill when he was killed, he was with one of the worst games of murders and robbers in the country. Doc's extradition trouble was ended on May 30,1882 when Doc's case was disposed of by Governor Pitkin when he declined the requisition from Arizona.

On July 14, 1882 John Yoast found a body near the Dragoon Mountains, the body was that of Johnny Ringo. Newspaper friends, along with Wyatt and Bat Masterson tried to create an alibi for Doc planning Doc Holliday had not left Colorado. Doc and Wyatt, had returned to Arizona and met up with some of their friends.

After moving to Leadville dock lived a quiet life up until August 19 1884 when Doc learned Billy Allen and Johnny Tyler had come to town making threats. That afternoon Doc entered the Hyman's Saloon and stood at the end of the bar. Shortly after Billy Allen entered the bar, Doc fired a bullet over Allen's head. Allen turn to flee and tripped, Doc fired again striking Allen in the arm. Before Doc could fire again the bartender grabbed his gun hand. After facing a long legal battle Doc was found not guilty of attempted murder and of the shooting.

As Doc Holliday's health increasingly got worse, Doc went to Glenwood Springs, Colorado and May 1887 with hopes that the sulfur vapors of Yampah Springs might help. However he spent most of his last 15 days in bed at the Hotel Glenwood. He awoke on November 8, 1887 drink a glass of whiskey look down at his bare feet and said "this is funny" and died. I guess he thought he would die with his boots on.