In Wyatt Earps Shadow, the Story of Morgan Earp: By G.C. Stevens

 

The name of the Wyatt Earp stirs up thoughts of gunfights and the violence of the American west and of Tombstone Arizona. But Wyatt was not alone in Tombstone. His family and their wives were there along with him. Two of his brothers joined him at the gunfight at the OK Corral on the day of fate. They were Morgan and Virgil Earp. After the gunfight, a trial was held and Wyatt and the other men who stood alongside of him there were exonerated by the law. But bad blood still existed between the Cow-boy factions in Tombstone and the Earp clan. Both Virgil Earp and Morgan would be ambushed. Virgil would be wounded and survived. Morgan would die from his gunshot wounds. 

In an article that first appeared in "Old West Magazine (1983) a story appeared which primarily introduced Morgan's common law wife, Louisa, who up until then had only been a mysterious name known through Frank Waters fictional memoir of Mrs. Virgil Earp. That story also introduced the first authentic photo of Morgan Earp. Two photos of Louisa also accompanied that story.

The 1983 Winter Issue of "Old West Magazine" #47304 From the Authors collection

Article by Glenn Boyer: Brother in the Shadow from the 1983 Winter Issue of "Old West Magazine" #47304 From the Authors collection

Temescal, San Bernadino Co. California July the 19th, 1880

My husband starts for Arizona in the morning. I'm going to stay here for the present with his parents. They do not want me to go, so I think I will have to stay here this summer. We 

have had ripe peaches and watermelons and green corn since the first of the month and we have not had any rain for four months, but we have very pleasant weather.

-From your sister Louisa Houston

Letter from Lousia Houston to her sister Kate

MORGAN SETH EARP

Morgan Earp was born on April 24th, 1851 in Lake Prairie Township, Marion County Iowa, of which Knoxville is the County seat. His parents were Nicholas Porter Earp and Virginia Ann Cooksey Earp.  When he was born they were living in the country on a farm. Morgans childhood was the same as his brothers, and farming was a difficult endeavor for the entire family. Though Morgan hunted, Fished and wandered the countryside.  The Earp family was very close-knit group of people, and Nicholas Earp was a very strong father figure who had severed honorably in the war with Mexico. At around the time of the civil war. The Earp family, under their farther Nicholas, decided to follow the new trails west to migrate to California, a grand expedition. Morgan was thirteen years old at the time and was accompanied by his brother Wyatt and James. After extensive preparations, in the Spring of 1864, the Earps departed Pella Iowa and headed west in a wagon train along the Oregon Trail, reaching Fort Bridger, Wyoming Territory, then heading south to Salt Lake City and across the Mormon Cut off, and Mojave Desert, arriving at their new home in San Bernadino California in December of 1864. One can only imagine what it must have been like for the young Earp boys. This trip must have shaped them into fine frontiersman. Lessons learned here most certainly helped them in the coming years. Nicholas Earp settled on a farm in the area of San Bernadino and lived there until 1868, when Nicholas, a man who had a wandering in his blood, pulled up stakes and returned to the east. By this time Morgans older brothers had moved on, and He and his brother Warren, were left to handle the drudgery of farm life.  After the Civil War, brother Virgil wandered the West.  He drove stages in California, worked the Union Pacific Railroad beds with Wyatt in Wyoming and ran a grocery in Lamar, Missouri, where Wyatt was constable and father Nicholas was justice of the peace. Virgil drove stages during the 1870s in Iowa, it was that there he met his third wife Allie Sullivan (first wife Ellen Rysdam remarried after being told by Ellen’s father that Virgil had died in combat in 1863, while his second wife, 17-year-old Rosella Drago, simply vanished from the records). Allie would stick by Virgil for the rest of his life. Virgil may have served briefly as a policeman with Wyatt in Wichita in 1875 and in Dodge City in 1876 and 1877. Brother James left the family and headed west to boom towns in Nevada. Nichoals Earp, Morgan and Warren made their way back east by wagon train and made it to the Union Pacific railhead in Wyoming. There they found Virgil and Wyatt working with railroad on construction crews. The reunited family then went east together to visit relatives in in Iowa and Illinois. The family eventually moved to Lamar Missouri where Nick Earp had owned farmland for many years. The Earps also left Lamar Missouri and Morgan parted ways with the family, and not much information is available about his whereabouts until 1875 when he shows up in Dodge City Kansas, where he served as a part time deputy sheriff the year before his brother Wyatt joined the Dodge City police force. Apparently, Wyatt tried to secure jobs for both Morgan and Virgil on the Wichita police force but wasn't successful. According to recollections of the family of Louisa (Houston) Earp, both her and her sister Kate (Kate Houston Robinson) went to Dodge city as Harvey (1) Girls. But she and Morgan probably did not meet there because Morgan had left Dodge city before her arrival (Brother in the Shadow: Glenn G. Boyer) but likely met her in another railroad town. (2) Record show that Morgan showed up in Butte Montana as a member of the police force on December 16th, 1879, and stayed there until early 1880. 

In December of 1879, the three elder Earp brothers, Jim, Virgil and Wyatt came to Tombstone, expecting to open a stagecoach line. They found the field full and turned to saloon keeping and gambling. They were unaware their talents with six-shooters would soon draw them into a political confrontation between the old Arizona Democrats and Republican investors who controlled Tombstone. Morgan arrived in Tombstone in late 1880, just around the time when the friction between the cow-boy factions and law enforcement, the situation which would eventually lead to his death. His brother Wyatt Earp was about to be appointed deputy-sheriff of Pima County for the Tombstone District, and brother Virgil was U.S. Deputy Marshal and had been since his arrival in Tombstone in December of 1879. These facts confirm why there was confrontations with numerous members of the outlaw gangs around Tombstone. 

"In the period from December 1879-1880 , when Morgan reached Tombstone, there was no open hostility between the Earp's and what was to become known as the Cow-Boy gang, a confederation of lawless freebooters, men who had been run out of Texas and New Mexico."

-Glenn Boyer: Brother in the Shadow, Old West Magazine Winter 1983

There is a fairly deep history here in this part of the story, and has been well researched, and written about in other publications. But it necessary to note that Morgan never received adequate credit for his role in Tombstone. But it's worth mentioning that Morgan was both a fair and active Lawman in his own right. But the simple truth is that Morgan had become embroiled innocently in the Tombstone situation, and was merely trying to support his family, just like his brother Wyatt, he guarded bullion shipments of Wells Fargo, he gambled as did all of his brothers, he moonlighted as a Lawman and sometimes worked full time as a peace officer.                                                                                              

  On the night of March 18, 1882, after returning from a play at Schieffelin Hall, Morgan decided to play a game of pool with Bob Hatch in the back of Latters saloon on Allen street. He was fatally shot in the back, and the bullet entered his spine, the shot came through a window on the back door of the saloon. A second shot followed obviously directed at Wyatt who was seated in a chair near the game. The following morning, a Coroner's inquest convened based principally upon the testimony of the wife of Pete Spence. It was decided that the killers were Frank Stillwell and Spence, abetted by two others, one of whom was known as Indian Charlie and the other a John Doe.  He was just 30 years old. Morgan’s body was then transported to California, where he is buried at Hermosa Cemetery in Colton, California

  References; 

Virgil Earp: In a Brother’s Shadow

Although he was a first-rate lawman and stood tall during that deadly gunfight near the O.K. Corral, Virgil Earp will forever be known as Wyatt’s older brother.

by Lee A. Silva3/23/2018

Morgan Earp "Brother in the Shadow" Vol III by Glenn G. Boyer

Legends of America

Morgan Earp – Killed in Tombstone, Arizona

Note 1 

Fred Harvey was a businessman, and entrepreneur recognized the need for better restaurants and accommodations along rail lines throughout the Southwest. He formed a partnership with the Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Railway to open establishments along their routes. As part of the hotel and restaurant service staff, the Fred Harvey Company created the iconic Harvey Girls, who are often described as one of the first workforces made up of all women in the Southwest. Women made up much of the service staff that worked at the Fred Harvey Company’s establishments. Women came from all over the country to work as a Harvey Girl

Ref 

The Harvey Girls – Increasing Opportunity (U.S. National Park Service)

Note 2 

Morgan Earp "Brother in the Shadow" Vol III by Glenn G. Boyer

Brother in the Shadow Old West Magazine Winter 1983 Article by Glenn Boyer

The Picklock of Biographers of Tombstone Arizona By G.C. Stevens and Scott Dyke

 

Tombstone Arizona today, Photo taken by the Author

I'd like to apologize to Scott Dyke, from Arizona. This article is long overdue.  People's lives sometimes meander aimlessly down an unknown, but surprising path.  Over the last thirty-five years the author, Gene Stevens has been emersed in American history, through historical reenacting, researching and writing. He has written a few books and well over two hundred online articles on historic and political topics and also published online western fiction.  But the authors research would take a real turn, after he visited Tombstone Arizona in 2015. That first trip to Tombstone, inspired so much interest with Gene, that he would return four more times. But along the way, he began to research the Tombstone story. Then one day he happened upon an Ambrotype photo which caught his imagination and while researching that photo it opened other doors, and he became involved with other photo investigations. Those stories can be found on this blog. It seemed to be pre-ordained that that Gene should write about the American West and to do these photo investigations. A chaotic hobby that Author Glenn Boyer called "Photo-wishitis" which is the reason for this article, because this pursuit led Gene directly to Glenn Boyer's doorstep, or should we say grave side, because he had already passed on by the time that the author discovered him.

CONNECTIONS 

There were connections made during the work on the photo,  it was discovered that a large amount of Glenn's personal Earp collection had been sold off. It was suspected that the photo might have been part of that collection, but alas, we will never know and that investigation is a closed case of no provenance.  But... Gene was not dissuaded from the pursuit of more knowledge. Because the bigger benefit was yet to come. In fact, many doors would open for future endeavors because of this research. It would also lead to Scott Dyke, who wasn't only a Wyatt Earp historian, Western researcher and lecturer, he was also Glenn Boyer's closest confidant before Glenn had passed away. And Scott had become deeply involved with the process of disseminating Glenn's collection for auction. He had been privileged to view Glenn's entire collection, and he was kind enough to speak to me about Glenn Boyer and Tombstone. I'm deeply grateful for Scott. 

"So, Scott Dyke and Ben Traywick can verify your primary sources?"

"Yes. Scott Dyke has been collating my files for the last three or four years. I am grateful for Scott’s help. It has been a tedious piece of labor. I am also in the process of scanning and digitizing my collection. The folks of Legendary Publishing are handling this. They are updating the process on their blog at www.legendarypublishing.com. Before Scott, Ben Traywick had access years ago. [Traywick, who has known Boyer since 1969, calls him “the No. 1 Earp historian” and adds, “Glenn has always opened his files to me when I visited his home.”] They are the only ones that have had complete access to my collection; so much has “disappeared” over the years when I was in a sharing mode."

-Glen Boyer

Ref Interview: Glenn Boyer / Not Married to Wyatt Earp

Ref *See HISTORYNET article Scott Dyke on Glenn Boyer   

Scott is a prolific writer, Wyatt Earp historian and Western researcher and lecturer, he has written much about the Earps and Tombstone in his column "Meandering the Mesquite." The column is syndicated and has been published for 15 years. In 2019 it was voted best column" by AZ Newspapers Assoc.

We spoke a lot about Earpania, which is the historic pursuit of the minutia of the Wyatt Earp days in Arizona. He noted that many of these history hounds in this area were a rapacious and narrow minded bunch. I think the same is true for many who engage in the pursuit history.  Scott Noted that Boyer was not his only source for research. Naming other authors, Silva, Traywick, Palmquist, Morey et al had contributed to his base knowledge and further explained that he had been across country six times for Earp research, and had found some stuff in Lamar, Dodge, Ft Griffin etc. that nobody knew.  

I did an interview piece on Boyer for "Wild West" magazine about 10 or so years ago (among other mags I have written for are "American Cowboy and National Epitaph.) Wrote it all (Wild West) because Glenn could not have been bothered. Pretty revealing. Spent nearly 20 yrs out here (Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Nevada Calif, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming etc) putting boots on the ground.

Great stuff!

Mission accomplished, sorta

-Scott Dyke

I recently reconnected with Scott to complete this article which I started some time ago. When I found that Ben Traywick had passed. It made realize that the time to capture some of the true story of Tombstone's dedicated writers and biographers was quickly running out. And I wanted to tell the story. I sent Scott a list of questions. But we swept those aside to let Scott speak freely:

The Interview:

First, and most importantly, it is essential to define true research. A variety of sources are required.  Many who involve themselves read a few books and seek out handfuls of folks that show interest in a subject matter. Walking tours of Tombstone (or Lincoln etc.) are entertaining, as are those who conduct them. Most know only what they read. Traywick used to identify these as "wannabes" Reenactment of a gunfight does not mean the actors or producers know diddly squat. 

Traywick used to pose tests for me; to find historic sites and ponder events. (In my column/ obit for Ben I outlined a couple tests he gave me.) Six times I have gone cross country on Earp related research. I interviewed local historians and significant relatives, sought out cemetery records from funeral homes, poured over newspaper morgues, sought little old ladies who run the small-town libraries, and walked the earth where those who were being investigated trod.

I have files on every author that graced (or smudged) the Earp field. There is not a spot  that is Earp related that I have not seen, except Alaska. Even the obscure Example: Mattie's gravesite in Pinal, the exact location of the Clanton ranch, the Curly Bill death site in the Whetstones (and his probable grave site), Wyatt's first wife's grave in Lamar, Missouri, the arrest record of Holliday in Albany Texas, both McLaury ranch sites, Leadville Colorado Deadwood SD , Harqua Hala, San Diego, Las Vegas, New Mexico, exclusive permission to see  Earp letters in Dodge City (Ford Co, Hist Soc), Wyatt's grave in Colma, Big Nose Kate's bordello in Globe, Wyatt's oil well in Calif, the site of Contention and Drew Station robbery,  etc.  There are lots of people that have seen these places, but no one exists, to my knowledge, has been to them all. And, those who have were mostly misled, as I was a time or three. And, of course, files on all of Boyers sources and their bona fides. including actual pages of Cason notes that were the initial genesis for "I Married Wyatt Earp, as well as the Flood MS, his failed book Wyatt Earp, and actual letters from these same sources that Glenn gave to me to disprove future doubters.

Ben Traywick and Glenn Boyer:

Traywick led me to Boyer who was a recluse, shunned by a small group that hated his butt. Mostly because Glenn had a Trumpian demeanor. He wrote what he wanted, some  of it was clearly all Boyer, not Wyatt. However, his files, which I spent 10 years with, were magnificent and extremely accurate. They even revealed what he "exaggerated" I saw it all. I was fortunately able to communicate with some of his sources; many that were Earp related. I copied everything, with his permission. I organized his files and when he died his estate sold my "blue boxes" as part of an auction that totaled nearly $500,000. Years before he sold another $500,000 to a museum in Harrisburg Pa. I talked to the mayor who bought them. Other items of Wyatt and Josie were sold to private collectors. I know some of them. I have some Earp memorabilia that I got from Boyer, Traywick, and Lee Silva. 

A few years after Traywick sent me to Boyer (ask me sometime to tell you that story!), he asked, "Are you still seeing Glenn? "Yes." Ben, who knew Boyer for 40 years, responded "Amazing. He cost me many friends through the years. How do you do it?" (The answer will come in the future)

I have written for Wild West, American Cowboy, Nat'l Epitaph, etc, My column Meandering the Mesquite is syndicated (since 2009) and reaches 13 papers. It was voted "Best Column)" in 2019 by AZ Newspapers Assoc. Dozens of lectures, including one for AZ Centennial that drew over 400.  Dozens have reached out through the years, as you have. I try to help, but have learned to be guarded.

S.D.

G.C. Stevens

Copyright 2025(c)

A Conversation about Jesse JamesBy G.C. Stevens

I've had many conversations about Jesse James with historian Patrick Meguiar. He has always had items and tidbits of historic interest. This excerpt was one of many conversations that we had about Jesse James.  

G.C. Stevens: Patrick tell me more about the probable deceptions that Jesse James used?

Patrick Meguiar: I want to assure everyone that I am not the only one who knows that Jesse Woodson James didn't like his real photograph being photographed and that most accepted pictures can't be a genuine photograph of him.
Ann McQuinn is the great granddaughter of Fannie Quantrill Samuels. Fannie Samuels was the half sister of Jesse Woodson James. It has passed down in Ann McQuinn's direct line that Jesse James did not like his picture made, "because it was security for him from the law."
A similar story passed down in my family that Jesse James not only used alias names, but also circulated pictures of other men to conceal his true identity. He wanted to live openly without being recognized and in constant fear of being arrested.
LET THE TRUTH BE TOLD!

GC Stevens: I find this highly plausible.  Jesse was a  operative, and It could also be that Jesse may have had a manic personality.  This isn't uncommon for combat veterans.  He had habits that are indicative of post traumatic stress disorder. If you read Harold Dellingers book. He brings up some personal things about Jesse, including his anxieties. His risk taking is legendary.

Patrick Meguiar: Barbie Kirby Yankee Bligh who was a detective with the Pinkerton National Detective Service didn't recognize Jesse James when he saw him in Louisville, Kentucky. Jesse sent him a post card telling Bligh that the man claiming to be a tombstone salesman was Jesse James when they were talking to each other at the depot in Louisville.

Historic Town; Winterset Iowa

 

Winterset Iowa: I was on some business in the Winterset Iowa today. So I took the opportunity of grabbing some photos of the outside of the John Wayne Birthplace Museum and the local veteran's monument.

                                       

The John Wayne Birthplace Museum is surrounded by plaques honoring all of John Wayne's Movies.

 All Photos are by the author

Presentation at Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad & Museum

 

PLEASE JOIN ME ON FEBRUARY 14TH, 2026 AT

THE 

James H. Andrew Museum

in

Boone Iowa 

For a presentation on 

The Train Robbery That Shook the Nation!

Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad

Purchase My Book On Amazon 

The Central States Lawman and Outlaws Historic Association

 

SEE YOU ON THE DUSTY TRAIL!

Frontier and Wild West as Seen Through RPPC Post Cards. By G.C. Stevens

 

Over the last few years I have accumulated a huge amount of copies of famous western figures and RPPC Post Cards. The RPPC Post Cards are my favorite because the subject matter ranges from boots on the ground photos to possible unverified photos of western personalities such as Billy The Kid, Jesse James and Doc Holliday.  The above video features just a few cards from my vast collection.

Jesse James Road Trip, Winston Train Robbery Site and Gallatin Missouri. By G.C. Stevens

 

                                               

          Photo by the author (Jesse James on the inside of the Winston 

Jesse James 

Road Trip

            

Video

                                                   

The train robbery in Winston, Missouri, occurred on July 15, 1881. The crime stands out as one of the most violent and infamous crimes attributed to Jesse and Frank James. It was one of the gang's final robberies before Jesse's assassination less than a year later. The murders committed that day intensified public outrage and law enforcement efforts against the outlaws. This event occurred during a period when the gang, composed of former Confederate guerrillas, was increasingly fractured after the disastrous 1876 Northfield bank robbery that decimated the Younger brothers' involvement.

By 1881, Jesse James (1847–1882) and his older brother Frank (1843–1915) had been operating as outlaws for over a decade, robbing banks, stagecoaches, and trains across the Midwest. The gang at this time included relatives and associates like Wood Hite (Jesse's cousin), Clarence Hite (Wood's brother), and Dick Liddil (a newer recruit). These new recruits in no way had the same experience or loyalty as the youngers had. The Winston robbery targeted the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, a line the gang had hit before with similar consequences, probably a product of disorganization.

A key motive appears to have been personal vengeance. In 1875, Pinkerton National Detective Agency agents raided the James family farm in Clay County, Missouri, using a bomb that killed Jesse's half-brother Archie Samuel (age 8) and severely injured their mother, Zerelda. Jesse mistakenly believed train conductor William Westfall (1843–1881) had been involved in transporting those agents, as Westfall had worked on similar routes. This grudge fueled the brutality of the attack.

The robbery unfolded at the small railroad depot in Winston (then a tiny Daviess County community about 50 miles north of Kansas City) around 7 p.m. As the eastbound passenger train—carrying about 30 passengers, crew, and an express car—pulled out of the station, five masked outlaws (Jesse, Frank, Wood Hite, Clarence Hite, and Dick Liddil) boarded the rear passenger car.

Jesse, being unmasked and bold as ever, immediately shot Westfall in the back without warning as the conductor collected tickets. Westfall, who had his back turned, died almost instantly and fell from the train near a section house just east of the depot. Eyewitness accounts describe Jesse declaring his identity to stunned passengers, heightening the terror.

Escalation and Second Murder: Chaos ensued as the robbers demanded valuables. Frank James shot and killed passenger John McCullough, a 35-year-old farmer from nearby Cobb, who was traveling with his family. McCullough's death was likely accidental or in the crossfire, but the killings turned public opinion against the outlaws.

The outlaws then forced their way into the express car, pistol-whipping messenger J.L. Penn unconscious when he resisted. They cracked the safe but found only about $900 in cash—far less than the $10,000 they expected—along with some gold dust. Frustrated, they rifled through passenger luggage for watches, jewelry, and small sums, netting perhaps another $200 total.  Frank ordered the engineer to brake hard. The gang leaped from the slowing train into a nearby wooded area where they had stashed horses, vanishing into the night. They split up and evaded capture, with no immediate arrests. The entire holdup lasted less than 10 minutes, but the murders left a lasting scar on the rural community.

Aftermath and Legacy

Today, the site is a quiet historical landmark. The original Winston depot still stands at the intersection of Route Y and U.S. Highway 69, marked by plaques from the Daviess County Historical Society. A stone culvert a mile east, along the abandoned Rock Island railbed, commemorates the escape route. The event inspired depictions in art, like Thomas Hart Benton's 1936 mural in the Missouri State Capitol, blending myth with history. It's remembered as a grim chapter in the Old West, highlighting the gang's shift from daring exploits to desperate violence.

GALLATIN MISSOURI

Has an Amazing History

Frank James was Tried here for the Winston Train

 Robbery but was acquitted

public domain photo

Repro tintypes from the authors collection

Historical Marker Gallatin Mo

Photos by the author (c)