J T Ringo

Law and Disorder J T Ringo Second edition

Dodge City Kansas in the mid 1870?s was the ?wickedest town in the west,? the ?Sodom and Gomorrah of the plains?. Cattlemen at the end of long hard cattle drives and outlaw ruffians alike mingled and commingled in Dodge City, much of the time not peaceably. Gambling, saloon girls, whiskey, and loud piano music added to the raucousness of nights in Dodge. Lawmen such as the Earp Brothers, aided by the likes of Doc Holliday, the Mastersons (Bat and Ed), and others, were called upon to keep the citizens of Dodge out of harm?s way. Tombstone grew rapidly after the discovery of Silver in the area. Law enforcement there was lenient at best. The Texas Rangers were adamantly cleaning west Texas of its undesirable elements. The combination of the two made Tombstone a prime locale for the West Texas renegades eager to get rich by hook or crook. Quality law enforcement was at a premium for anyone willing to take the job. The Clanton brothers, the McLaury brothers, Johnny Ringo, were in their heydays during this time in Arizona history. Law and Disorder takes the reader through the violent and lawless days of both cities and the attempts of the Earp Brothers and Doc Holiday, a gambler extraordinaire, to bring civility to southeast Arizona in the 1870?s and 1880?s, in spite of the crooked lawmen and politicians of the time. The families affected sought revenge, many times by cowardly ambushes, other times, openly, and brazenly in the face of the law. Sheriff Johnny Behan had his own means of dealing with the situations that arose, many times with questionable practices.