A Doc Holliday shootout was just a lot of smoke.

Most Old West gunfights were casual, almost comical affairs. Case in point: a saloon in Dallas on January 1, 1875. Doc Holliday and barkeep Charles Austin get in some kind of dispute; over what is not clear, then or now. Both grab guns and open up. Several shots are fired—and all miss at close range. When the gunsmoke clears, the two put down their weapons and settle things with spiritous liquor.

Related Articles

  • The New York Tribune published, on March 26th, 1893 a story describing a gunfight in…

  • When the Legend Becomes the Truth Print the Legend There is a persistent myth that…

  • New True West merchandise is here! Now in the Mercantile you can find True West…