Description:

Virgil Earp DS as Tax Collector 1 Month Before Shootout at O.K. Coral

An annotated document signed by Virgil Earp while acting as Tax Collector of Tombstone, Arizona. 1p, measuring 5" x 7", Tombstone, dated September19, 1881. Signed " V W Earp as City Tax Collector. Reading in full: "Received of City Auditor, for collection, City Licenses numbered from 581 to 590, both numbers inclusive." Flattened vertical fold with some mat burn and edge toning. Minor soiling but with a bold signature. Very good.

Virgil Walter Earp (1843-1905) signed this document in September 1881, just one month before he and his brothers, Wyatt and Morgan, fought in the infamous shootout at the O.K. Corral. He served as both deputy U.S. Marshal and City Marshal in Tombstone. All three Earp brothers had been the target of repeated death threats made by the Cowboy gang, who were upset by the Earps' interference in their illegal activities. At 2 p.m. on October 26, 1881, the feud between the Earps and Cowboys, led by Ike Clanton, erupted into a bloody gunfight. Virgil deputized his two brothers and their friend John "Doc" Holliday and met Ike, Billy Clanton, Frank, and Tom McLaury on Freemont Street. After one minute of vicious gunfire, Billy Clanton and the McLaurys were dead, Virgil had been shot in the leg, Morgan in the shoulder, and Holiday in the hip. Only Wyatt remained unscathed. The townspeople of Tombstone were furious over the killings, and all four lawmen were charged with murder by Ike Clanton, who had run from the gunfight. During a month-long preliminary hearing, Judge Wells Spicer exonerated the men, concluding they had been performing their duty. In December 1881, Ike and his friends sought revenge and shot Virgil in an ambush; one bullet shattered his left arm, and another went through his body. Remarkably, Virgil escaped death and continued his career as a lawman, moving to California and serving as Marshal in Colton. He later became a Deputy Sheriff in Goldfield, Nevada.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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