A TALE OF TWO LAWMEN
No towns or settlements in the Old West rivaled mining communities for action and drama. And among such communities, Tombstone, Arizona Territory, and Bodie, California, have received due attention and notoriety for their goings-on. Both towns were roaring in 1880–81, the population in Bodie reaching 6,000, in Tombstone upward of 5,000 and climbing. Young single men armed with guns and knives were ubiquitous, and for many of them saloons, gambling halls and bordellos were the institutions of choice. It was a dangerous mix.
In that era Tombstone hosted the infamous shootout near the O.K. Corral and other encounters involving the Earp brothers, Doc Holliday, Luke Short, Milt
