Tombstone · Chapter
On the Benson Road explained
The chapter recounts the attempted robbery of the Benson stage on March 15, 1881, which carried $80,000 in treasure.
What happens
The chapter recounts the attempted robbery of the Benson stage on March 15, 1881, which carried $80,000 in treasure. Driver Bud Philpot and shotgun messenger Bob Paul switched seats at Contention, a change that likely saved Paul's life. Three masked highwaymen ambushed the stage, killing Philpot and passenger Peter Roerig, but Paul managed to drive the horses to safety with the treasure intact. Sheriff Behan led a posse including Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan Earp in a prolonged pursuit. Suspicion later fell on Doc Holliday as a possible fourth participant, fueling gossip and deepening the rift that would lead to the Earp-Clanton feud.
Themes in this chapter
Law and Lawlessness
The attempted robbery and subsequent posse pursuit highlight the tension between frontier justice and criminal elements, as well as the suspicion that fell on lawmen themselves.
Violence and Death
The ambush resulted in the deaths of Bud Philpot and Peter Roerig, with graphic details of the shooting and the aftermath.
Boom and Bust
The $80,000 treasure shipment underscores the wealth flowing through Tombstone during the silver boom, while the robbery attempt reflects the lawlessness that accompanied rapid growth.
Character and Reputation
Doc Holliday's reputation as a gambler and desperado made him a natural suspect, and the gossip surrounding the Earps' involvement shows how reputation could fuel suspicion.
Characters to notice
- Bud Philpot
Stage driver who was killed in the ambush after switching seats with Bob Paul.
- Bob Paul
Shotgun messenger who survived the attack and drove the stage to safety with the $80,000 intact.
- John Behan
Sheriff who led the posse in pursuit of the highwaymen.
- Wyatt Earp
Member of the posse that tracked the robbers; later became a target of suspicion in the gossip surrounding the crime.
- Virgil Earp
Member of the posse, praised for tireless work in the pursuit.
- Morgan Earp
Member of the posse, praised for tireless work in the pursuit.
- Doc Holliday
Suspected as the fourth highwayman; he dismissed the accusation with cynical humor.
- Marshall Williams
Wells-Fargo agent in Tombstone and member of the posse; gossip suggested he tipped off the Earps about the treasure.
Key passages
“Bud Philpot gathered up his lines. 'Come on, boys,' he said to his four horses. The leaders pranced and curvetted, the wheelers leaned soberly in their collars. The Benson stage went at an easy trot out Allen Street.”
Bud Philpot took the reins and urged his team forward as the stage left Tombstone at a relaxed pace.
Sets the scene for the routine departure that would lead to tragedy.
“Halt! Three masked highwaymen stepped out of the mesquite with levelled rifles.”
Three masked men emerged from the brush and ordered the stage to stop.
The moment of ambush that changed the course of events.
“So I'm a stage robber. Well, I don't believe it. They'll have to prove this to me. If I had been there, you can bet a stack of blue chips that eighty thousand never would have got away.”
Doc Holliday dismissed the accusation with bravado, implying he would have succeeded if he had been involved.
Shows Holliday's characteristic wit and defiance in the face of suspicion.
