Doc Hits Bottom (But Not Much Else)

August 19, 1884 Broke, sick and usually drunk, Doc Holliday hits rock bottom in Leadville, Colorado. Today, a fellow gambler, Billy Allen, is demanding Doc repay a $5 loan by noon, “or else.” Afraid for his life, Doc goes to his room at 405 Harrison and retrieves his pistol (variously described as a Colt .41 or .44 caliber). He hands off the gun to someone, possibly his gambling pal Pat Sweeney, who takes it to Hyman’s saloon at 316 Harrison. As it is against the law to carry the weapo