Tombstone · Chapter
XIV: The Red Road of Vengeance explained
Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, having killed Frank Stilwell in revenge for Morgan Earp's murder, prepare to leave Tombstone.
What happens
Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, having killed Frank Stilwell in revenge for Morgan Earp's murder, prepare to leave Tombstone. After four days of winding up affairs, Wyatt makes a defiant farewell at the Oriental bar, where Sheriff Behan attempts to arrest him for Stilwell's murder. Wyatt refuses arrest, and the Earp party rides out of town at a walk, watched by a hostile crowd. The chapter reflects on the gradual disintegration of the Earps' power, from the Benson stage affair to the O.K. Corral fight and Morgan's assassination, culminating in their flight.
Themes in this chapter
Law and Lawlessness
Wyatt Earp's refusal to submit to arrest and the killing of Stilwell highlight the conflict between written law and frontier vengeance.
Violence and Death
The chapter details Stilwell's murder and the violent end of the Earps' reign in Tombstone.
Character and Reputation
Wyatt Earp's farewell speech and the public's divided reaction illustrate the importance of reputation and memory in the Old West.
Community and Memory
The crowd watching the Earps leave and the old-timers' later accounts show how the community remembers and mythologizes the events.
Characters to notice
- Wyatt Earp
Leads his followers out of Tombstone after killing Stilwell; delivers a defiant farewell and refuses arrest by Sheriff Behan.
- Doc Holliday
Rides alongside Wyatt Earp as they leave Tombstone; implicated in Stilwell's murder and the Benson stage affair.
- John Behan
Attempts to arrest Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday for Stilwell's murder but is defied.
- Morgan Earp
His assassination is the catalyst for Wyatt's vengeance and the events of the chapter.
- Virgil Earp
Mentioned as disabled by wounds, contributing to the Earps' loss of police power.
- Frank Stilwell
Killed by Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday as revenge for Morgan's murder.
- Ike Clanton
His testimony in court strengthened suspicions against the Earps.
- Warren Earp
Decides to accompany Wyatt Earp out of Tombstone.
Key passages
““Tombstone,” said Wyatt Earp, pouring out his liquor, “is a good old town, after all. I’m leaving a lot of friends behind me, and as the fellow says, a host of enemies. I’ll keep my friends warm in my heart. As for my enemies, they can go to hell. The old town has been good to me and it’s been bad to me. But good and bad luck are all one now. My job is finished. I’ve played a man’s part. I regret nothing. I am ashamed of nothing. I’ll never forget Tombstone, and Tombstone will remember me to its last day.””
Wyatt Earp bids farewell to Tombstone, acknowledging both friends and enemies, and declares he has done his duty without regret.
Wyatt's farewell speech encapsulates his defiance and sense of closure.
““Johnny Behan,” he said, “you have been my enemy from the time you set foot in Tombstone. You have lied about me. You have played every underhanded trick you knew how to play against me. ... I despise you. You can’t arrest me.””
Wyatt Earp confronts Sheriff Behan, accusing him of treachery and refusing to be arrested.
Wyatt's refusal to submit to Behan's authority marks the final break between them.
“Old-timers, hostile, of course, will sometimes tell today in careless phrase how the Earps were “run out of Tombstone.” This is how they were run out. In such deliberate manner did they take their “flight.” They fled at a walk.”
Despite later claims that the Earps were chased out, they actually left Tombstone slowly and deliberately, at a walk.
The author contrasts the myth of flight with the reality of a dignified departure.
