Celia Ann Mattie Blaylock was born around 1850 into a religious family in Iowa. Josephine had to walk past the brothel every day on her way to school. [26], Josephine began using the name Sadie after she arrived in Arizona. There were few employment possibilities for young girls. [114] Actor Hugh O'Brian, who was playing Earp in the 195561 television series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, offered a reward for the stones return. [2], The events that Josephine "Sadie" Marcus claimed took place when she was 18 years old in 1879 don't correlate with known facts, but do closely correspond to the events in 14 year old Sadie Mansfield's journey to Prescott in 1874. Wyatt, Virgil, and James Earp with their wives arrived in Tombstone on December 1, 1879. [2] In November 1879, Johnny Behan opened his new saloon for business. Actor Kevin Costner, who played Earp in the 1994 movie Wyatt Earp, offered to buy a new, larger stone, but the Marcus family thought his offer was self-serving and declined. [5][9] In early 1880, Henry was living with his son-in-law Aaron, who was employed as a bookkeeper. "[26]:42, In the Cason manuscript, which was in part the basis for the book I Married Wyatt Earp, Josephine says she and her friend Dora joined the Pauline Markham Theater Company in 1879, when it visited San Francisco on its Western tour. Virgil married his third and last wife, Alvira "Allie" Packingham Sullivan, between 1871 and 1872. The Rufus Buck gangs exploits didnt last long, but they were brutal enough to quickly go down in, Wyatt Earp may be lionized for his role in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral made him a legend. She then made her way to Kansas where she first worked as a prostitute in Scott City before moving on to Dodge City. It was apparently not his first run-in with the law. Eventually, she ended up in Dodge City, Kansas. She is buried in the cemetery at Pinal City, now a ghost town, located just west of the former mining town of Superior, Arizona. Josephine gambled so recklessly that Wyatt cut her off and asked other gambling houses to do the same. Cason says she and her sister "finally abandoned work on the manuscript because she [Josie] would not clear up the Tombstone sequence where it pertained to her and Wyatt. "[19], As late as 1936, Josephine took legal action to suppress certain details of her and Wyatt's life in Tombstone. A few women of the era chose to remain single as a means to maintain their independence from men, and Josephine was among them. [9] The coroner's report of her death was brief. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported on May 20, 1900 that Wyatt Earp and his wife set sail on the S.S. Alliance to return to Alaska. [43] These facts may explain why Josephine later thought of this time in her life as "a bad dream. Back then, Nome-bound steamships mostly transited through . [11] When Frank Waters was writing Tombstone Travesty, originally published in 1934, he returned from a research trip to Tombstone to learn that Josephine Earp had visited his mother and sister and threatened court action to prevent him from publishing the book. The symptoms of St. Vitus Dance and meningitis are somewhat different, but both can be contracted from the same strain of bacteria through saliva. His first was Urilla Sutherland who died early in his marriage. [19] The Yuma Arizona Sentinel reported on October 25, 1879, "Tuesday arrived a Pinafore Company for Tucson, composed of Misses Pauline Markham, Mary Bell, Belle Howard, and Mrs. Pring, and Messrs. Borabeck and McMahon. [63] One version of the story is that she had taken Behan's son Albert, who was hearing impaired, to San Francisco for treatment. He reportedly worked on a floating brothel thereafter and married teenage prostitute Sally Heckell, who was busted alongside him on Sept. 10, 1872, and identified herself as his wife. Byways & Historic Trails Great Drives in America, Soldiers and Officers in American History, Easy Travel Organization Tips You Will Love, Bidwell-Bartleson Party Blazing the California Trail. Mattie Blaylock began a relationship with Earp after April 1876 in Dodge City, following his departure from Wichita, Kansas and the end of his relationship with Sally Heckell, who called herself Sally Earp. [19], Each may have engaged in extramarital affairs. [26] Sadie and John Behan lived at different addresses. The Jewish Women's Archive describes Josephine Sarah Marcus Earp as "impulsive, adventurous, and outspoken." The daughter of German-Jewish immigrants, she was born in New York in 1861 and moved to San Francisco with her folks at age seven. There is no legal record of a marriage between the two. [49] Behan was on the surface an upstanding citizen, married with a child, but he also frequented brothels. It tells the story of Wyatt Earp's darkest secret. Mattie allegedly suffered from severe headaches and became addicted to laudanum, which was commonly used as a pain killer at the time. In 1998, a series of articles by Tony Ortega in the Phoenix New Times, including interviews with Glenn Boyer, argued that Boyer invented large portions of the book. [78] Earp speculated in San Diego's booming real estate market. Josephine wrote in I Married Wyatt Earp that she and Wyatt were married in 1892 offshore by the captain of Lucky Baldwin's yacht. Wyatt Earp Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Achievements If Sieber helped her, the only time period that fits Josephine's story is when Sieber was in the Prescott area at Camp Verde from 1873 to 1875. She enjoyed some brief success as a juvenile actress on the San Francisco stage during the 1870s. Many wives of the prosperous mining engineers, merchants, and business owners lived in better class cities where they didn't have to contend with being confused for a prostitute. Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was born on March 19, 1848, the fourth child of Nicholas Porter Earp and his second wife, Virginia Ann Cooksey. [18]:36, During the later years of her life, in addition to burnishing the life and legend of husband Wyatt Earp, "she scripted a history of make believe to hide a number of things of which she was not terribly proud. Corral gunfight, which took out three of the Cochise County Cowboys. [76] Wyatt followed the crowd looking for gold in the Murray-Eagle mining district and paid $2,250 for a 50 feet (15m) diameter white circus, in which they opened a dance hall and saloon called The White Elephant. The Tragic Story of Mattie Blaylock, the Forgotten, Discarded Wife of While they survived without a scratch after 30 seconds of gunfire, Blaylock had already been wounded as Earp had already met Josephine Sadie Marcus months ago. Earp developed a reputation as a sportsman as well as a gambler. Of those three, there's a "maybe" around Marcus, but it should come as no surprise that Mattie Blaylock, the woman usually described as the "second Mrs. Wyatt Earp," had a history of prostitution. Wyatt Earp was one of the many children born to Nicholas Porter Earp and Virginia Ann Cooksey. Also coming to Tombstone is Wyatt's good friend, Doc Holliday. After a week in Tombstone, the Markham troupe finished their engagement and headed north to Prescott. And he definitely wasn't the infallible hero later accounts made him out to be. [43] (In the 1920 census, Sadie reported to the census taker that her family was from Hamburg, Germany, bordering Prussia. But, in April 1881, less than eight months after Behan and Sadie built the house, she rented it to Dr. George Emory Goodfellow. What did Wyatt Earps wife drink? They moved to San Francisco, where Josephine attended dance school as a girl. [3][68] The Earp party split up in Albuquerque, and Holliday and Dan Tipton rode on to Pueblo, while the rest of the group headed for Gunnison.[69]. What Famous People Attended Wyatt Earps Funeral? Marshal Virgil Earp and his brothers, Wyatt and Morgan. Earp moved to Wichita, Kansas, and worked as a shotgun guard for Wells Fargo. Tombstone Ending Explained: Legend Passes Into Cinema He opened the Northern Saloon in Tonopah and served as a Deputy U.S. [6] Henry Marcus initially made enough money to send Josephine and her sister Hattie to music and dance classes at McCarty's Dancing Academy, a family-owned business on Eddy St. that taught both children and adults. Then, take a look at 48 snapshots of life in the real Wild West. From Wichita to Dodge City, to the O.K. Kaloma - The alleged Photograph of Josie Earp - Elzey [2] Sophie and Carl had three children together: Nathan (born 1857), Josephine, and Henrietta (born 1864). On July 3, 1888, she took a lethal dose of laudanum in Pinal City, Arizona. In the meantime, Wyatt was getting more and more involved with Josephine, who he would later marry. [39] Josephine said she left the acting troupe in February 1880, just after the Markham troupe ended its initial run of performances in Prescott. Death of Josephine Sarah Marcus Earp, widow of Wyatt December 19, 1944 Josephine Sarah Marcus, born to German Jewish immigrant parents in Brooklyn, NY, in 1861, grew up in San Francisco. According to many who knew them, their relationship was often stormy. [71] Josephine got pregnant at the same time, and she thought she could persuade Earp from heading to Alaska. Wyatt meets Josephine "Josie" Marcus, who is a traveling actress, and the two begin an affair. [19] Josephine could be controlling. Marshal under Marshal J.F. [71] Eager to escape the controversy over the boxing match dogging him, Earp gave up managing race horses in San Francisco and on December 20, 1896 he and Josie left for Yuma, Arizona. To feed her gambling habit, Josephine would pawn the jewelry to millionaire Lucky Baldwin, but Wyatt would later buy the jewelry back. [112] Josephine died at age 83 on December 19, 1944, in the same bungalow she and Wyatt shared at 4004 W. 17th Street in the West Adams district of Los Angeles. Wyatt began a relationship with Josephine "Sadie" Marcus, who had during 1880-81 been in a relationship with Johnny Behan in Tombstone. . [106] During an investigation of the boxing match by a panel appointed by San Francisco Mayor Washington Bartlett, they learned Josephine Earp was a "degenerate horseplayer" and that she frequently took loans out against her jewelry. They rented a cabin from Rex Beach for $100 a month and spent the winter of 18981899 there. But, no other corroborating evidence has been found supporting the thesis that Josephine used May Bell as a stage name, and she never claimed so. When he delayed, she was ready to leave him. Earp did mezuzah when entering the house." Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday Weren't That Close It's true that Holliday and Earp were friends. Both of Behan's children, Henrietta and Albert, were ill with meningitis around 1877, and in July of that year, Henrietta died from the disease. Josephine wanted to keep what she viewed as their tarnished history in Tombstone private. [19] Wyatt had a mischievous sense of humor. Later in life Josephine described her first years in Arizona as "a bad dream". Celia Ann "Mattie" Blaylock (January 1850 July 3, 1888) was a prostitute who became the romantic companion and common-law wife of Old West lawman and gambler Wyatt Earp for about six years. All in a day's work! It is undisputed, however, that he was arrested in a brothel raid in 1872. The two fought side by side in Tombstone, Arizona, in 1881's famous gunfight at the O.K. She wasn't that upset. AK: Did Wyatt Earp really lose his pistol in Juneau? [2] The Weekly Arizona Miner of Prescott reported on February 5, 1875, that Sadie Mansfield won a prize in the "Grand New Year Gift Enterprise". In 1906 he discovered several deposits of gold and copper near the Sonoran Desert town of Vidal, California on the Colorado River and filed more than 100 mining claims[63] near the Whipple Mountains. I don't think she was that devastated when he died. [2], Prescott had 668 residents in 1870. [8] She had been using laudanum and alcohol to excess for some time. Raymond Nez wrote that his grandparents witnessed their marriage off the California coast. Allegedly a runaway, she's said to have left . Wyatt Earp's Grave - Colma, California - Atlas Obscura [21], Josephine loved to play poker[104] and developed a serious gambling habit,[11] losing heavily at times. The Wives of Wyatt Earp, from Aurilla Sutherland to Sadie Marcus [75] At Santa Rosa, Earp personally competed in and won a harness race. In June 1881, Sadie sent a postal money order to her mother using the name Josephine Behan,[43] and Wyatt Earp was still living with his common-law wife Mattie Blaylock. His elder brothers joined the Union Army when the American Civil War began, while Wyatt, 13 years old, and his younger brothers took care of the farm. She hoped to return to the days of bustling mining town prostitution, but the boom had passed, and Blaylock withered. This family lived only a few blocks from where Josephine lived with her family. [66], A letter written by former New Mexico Territory Governor Miguel Otero appears to indicate that Earp had strong feelings for Josephine shortly after leaving Tombstone in April 1882. What Happened To Wyatt Earp's Wife? - FAQS Clear This is the story of that life together after Wyatt's famous. In the book I Married Wyatt Earp (1967), based on a manuscript which she purportedly wrote, author Glenn Boyer quotes her as saying, "I liked the traveling sort of man better than the kind that sat back in one town all his life and wrote down little rows of figures all day or hustled dry goods or groceries and that sort of thing My blood demanded excitement, variety and change. He promised Blaylock a telegram with instructions on where to reunite when it was safe, but never did. The Short, Tragic Life of Mattie Blaylock, Wyatt Earp's Second Wife )[43] On October 20, 1875, the Arizona Weekly Miner of Prescott, Arizona noted that among the passengers en route from San Francisco were "Miss Saddie [sic] Mansfield and Mrs. Julia Barton, a servant. [43], During the next few months, until April 1882, Sadie Mansfield is recorded in various newspapers as traveling back and forth between Tombstone and San Francisco several times. "[2] She apparently resented treatment by her teachers in the San Francisco schools, describing them as "inconsistent of a tolerant and gay populous acting as merciless and self-righteous as a New England village in bringing up its children." Josephine was born in New York to a Prussian Jewish family. Josephine Earp's story was shrouded in mystery throughout her life, but modern historians posit that she lied about her early years in an effort to conceal her unsavory past. It's not known where she and Sarah spent the intervening time. [43] Rather than leave Tombstone, Josephine later wrote that Behan convinced her to use the money to build a house for them[32] and continued their relationship. In the summer of 1878, Doc Holliday and Big Nose Kate, said to be his wife, arrived in Dodge City intent on relieving the cowboys who had recently arrived at the end of a cattle drive of their hard-earned wages. Josephine and Wyatt moved throughout their life, from one boomtown to another, until they finally bought a cottage in the Sonoran Desert town of Vidal, California on the Colorado River, where they spent the cooler seasons. Josephine first met John "Johnny" Harris Behan at the ranch house, who she described as, "young and darkly handsome, with merry black eyes and an engaging smile. Josephine Earp: The Truth About Wyatt Earp's Wife - Grunge Celia Ann Mattie Blaylock (Earp) - tombstonetraveltips.com In 2009, the Tonto National Forest, in conjunction with local citizens and preservation organizations, began preserving the historic cemetery, interpreting the history, and updating grave markers. [26]:47 Like cerebral meningitis, St. Vitus Dance is a form of a streptococcus infection. They stayed for about four years, living most of the time in the Brooklyn Hotel. Her death was ruled a suicide. But the collision of Jewish and cowboy cultures that epitomized their union goes on. [1] Henry moved the family to San Francisco in 1868 when Josephine was 7. She lived on the family farm, had local friends & activities. John Wilson Vermillion (1842-1911), also known as " Texas Jack " or later as " Shoot-Your-Eye-Out Vermillion ", was a gunfighter of the Old West known for his participation in the Earp Vendetta Ride and his later association with Soapy Smith . What happened to Wyatt Earps Mattie? - TimesMojo Today, you can travel to the ghost town of Pinal, near the town of Superior, Arizona and visit Matties marked grave in the historic cemetery. She continued to work as a prostitute during their early years together. [26]:52 In March 1882, Sadie sent a postal money order to her mother, Mrs. H. Marcus, in San Francisco. The Sacramento Daily Record reported on October 20, 1882, that Virgil had arrived in town from Tombstone to greet his brother Wyatt arriving from the east, although Virgil was living in Colton at the time. Josephine Sarah Marcus was born in 1861 in New York City, the second of three children of immigrants Carl-Hyman Marcuse (later Henry Marcus) and Sophie Lewis. There they reunited with Holliday and Big Nose Kate. Mattie waited for Wyatts telegraph that she should return to Tombstone, but it never arrived. [38][58][59], Josephine wrote much later that her family wanted to keep her "escapades from the public." Earp, Josephine Sarah Marcus (1861-1944) [6][26] Ray says that Josephine didn't have a friend named Dora Hirsch. [87] When they got to Wrangell, the season was already late, and they chose to winter in Rampart. Josephine is quoted in I Married Wyatt Earp as saying that on October 26, 1881, the day of the shootout at the O.K. There is some evidence that she lived from 1874 to 1876 in Prescott and Tip Top, Arizona Territory under the assumed name of Sadie Mansfield, who was a prostitute, before becoming ill and returning to San Francisco. "[32], Men in Tombstone outnumbered women nine to one, and the miners were eager to pay substantial fees to women who would cook their meals, provide rooms, wash their clothes, and provide sexual services. However, she was well aware that she would soon be married off to likely live out her life as a housewife. The Dedicated Women Behind the Earp Men | True West Magazine While some creative liberties have been taken in the film, its depiction of the events surrounding Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, along with the rest of the motley crew, is fairly . Corral, which may have contributed to their animosity. The Sad Story Of Mattie Blaylock, Wyatt Earp's Common-Law Wife E.C. [2] Earp was appointed assistant marshal in Dodge City under Marshal Lawrence Deger around May 1876. [47]:19 Soon after they arrived, Behan's ex-wife sent their eight-year-old son Albert to live with him. Actors Kurt Russell, as Wyatt Earp, and Val Kilmer, as Doc Holliday were both very good. [16] After Wyatt died in 1929, Josephine traveled to Boston, Massachusetts to try to persuade the publisher to stop the release of the book. There is no legal record of a marriage between the two. On December 19, 1944, Josephine Marcus Earp died, 15 years after the passing of her legendary husband, the gunfighter, gambler and lawman Wyatt Earp. At this point, Mattie's profession was listed as keeping house. In 1868 she ran away from home at age 16, taking her 13 year old sister Sarah, with her. Mattie Blaylocks grave at the Pinal City Cemetery in Superior, Arizona. Of the countless prospectors who rushed west to mine silver, only a few became rich. However, court records indicate that she continued to call herself by her childhood nickname of "Celie", which was often phonetically spelled by court clerks as "Sally"; no court records have been found throughout her life using the name "Mattie". Wyatt Earp | Biography, Brothers, Death, & Facts | Britannica What drug did wyatt earps wife take? - Answers He called a foul on Fitzsimmons that no one saw, and Wyatt was widely accused of taking a bribe. [2], Sadie Mansfield left Gillete, near Tip Top, and arrived in Phoenix on February 13, 1880. Bat Masterson, a friend of Wyatt Earp's who was in Tombstone from February to April 1881,[29]:41[30] described her to Stuart Lake as "an incredible beauty"[31] and as the "belle of the honkytonks, the prettiest dame in three hundred or so of her kind. Wyatt Earp is a unique breedfor more reasons than oneamong the famed gunslingers and infamous outlaws who shot their way across the Wild West horizon. #wyattearp #oldwest #history #sanbernardino . [28] When Stuart Lake was researching his book Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal he heard stories about Sadie's personal history. The Messed Up History Of Tombstone, Arizona - Grunge Earp had grown into a grizzled widower after his first wife, Urilla Sutherland, died of typhoid fever in 1870. Cinergi Pictures EntertainmentMattie Blaylock (left) and Wyatt Earp (center) as portrayed by Dana Wheeler Nicholson and Kurt Russell in Tombstone (1993). Written by Kevin Jarre, it is loosely based on the records of the O.K. Grace, her sisters, Alma, and her mother brought in meals. Wyatt Earp was born in Monmouth, Illinois in 1848. When Wyatt died in 1929, Josephine Earp had his body cremated and secretly buried him in the Marcus family plot in the Jewish Hills of Eternity Memorial Park in Colma, California. [26]:49 In a set of extraordinary coincidences, Sadie Mansfield and Sadie Marcus had very similar names and initials and were known by their friends as "Sadie." 5. Corral is quiet, and it's had an unremarkable existence for the two years it's been standingalthough . Much of her life from about 1874 to 1882 (when she lived in the Arizona Territory) is uncertain; she worked hard to keep this period of her life private, even threatening legal action against writers and movie producers.