JOSEPHINE "JOSIE" EARP - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED - HFSID 287778
Price: $3,000.00
JOSIE EARP
ALS to husband Wyatt's personal secretary, John Flood, who was trying
unsuccessfully to write an authorized biography of the famous lawman. Frequent
mention of actor William S. Hart ("Bill"), a close friend of Wyatt Earp.
Autograph Letter signed: "E", 3 pages (front and verso), 6½x10½.
Vidal (California), 1927 March 15. To "Dear Mr. [John]
Flood". In full: "Very glad to get your nice letter and
clippings. I was just thinking what had happened to you. Well Mr. E. is at camp
doing some assessment work, so I am here with my two nieces. Weather windy not
very nice for the last two weeks. Lots of surveyors here for the L.A. water.
Fill a barn just now. I have never seen so many people here at one time before.
Brunnels are very busy. Well, now about our little affair. Will you please call
up or write to Bill. Yes I think it is better to write to him. Tell him what I
think - what I mean by I, all of us think it just the right thing to do to hold
it back until we can get together and talk it over. I am enclosing all letters
from the first on Bill wrote us. I wrote and told you I had put them away for
safe keeping, but luckily I have found them and am sending them to you.
[Items not included.] And please keep them until we come to L. A. Seal
them in an envelope, stamp them and you will know then that they are safe. I
don't care to have anyone see them. I am so sorry - can't understand what the
truth is. We have had a long letter from Burns. He wrote to our Oakland address.
Wants to know several things. Writing Doc's life and is going to give Mr. E. a
great write-up. I will save the letter for you. Don't care to leave it out of my
hands in case it will get lost. Now please do as I ask of you. Write Bill a
letter. Tell him just what we thought would be good, the same as he said. Makes
me crazy to write his life and yet can't do anything with it. Tell him so many
people have been after him to write the [phrase illegible]. Please just
find Matt and write address to W. Earp. Express it. Best wishes to Mrs. Fl and
same for your self." Josephine Marcus (1861-1944), who became JOSIE (OR
JOSEY) EARP was a dancer and actress who moved to Tombstone, Arizona in
1879. At first she was mistress of Sheriff Johnny Behan, an enemy of Wyatt
Earp, and was also a prostitute. (Her license for that trade survives.) In 1881,
she became enamored with Wyatt Earp, and the following year began calling
herself Josephine Earp. (Wyatt and Josey were together until his death, in
what was probably a common law marriage. Wyatt abandoned his law enforcement
career, traveling around the West with Josie, often gambling and sometimes
operating a saloon.) In their senior years, the Earps became quite concerned
about their image/reputation, as this letter shows. Wyatt was uncomfortable
with some of the exaggerated claims made for him, but angry at some of the
negative reporting. He resolved to write an autobiography setting the
record straight, encouraged in this by his close friend, Western actor William
S. Hart, the "Bill" mentioned repeatedly in this letter. Unwisely, he chose
his personal secretary, JOHN H. FLOOD, JR., to write the manuscript. The
Earp's hopes were dashed when Flood's text, accurate but sadly lacking in
literary style, was rejected by publisher after publisher. WalterBurns, mentioned in the letter, would anger Wyatt's with the publication of
Tombstone: Iliad of the Southwest - Earp was unimpressed with Burns'
fact-checking and ended any further collaboration with the author. Though never
published, Flood's text survives, and might have enriched public understanding
of Wyatt Earp if a good editor had been found to revise the manuscript. Her
repeated cautions about letter security were prompted by wll justified concerns
that competing biographies were being written. Wyatt Earp died in 1929. Josey
survived 15 more years, devoting much time to trying to refute or prevent
publication of biographies and films unflattering to her husband and to herself.
Vidal, California, is a small town on the Arizona border where Wyatt Earp
spent his final years, working nearby claims of copper and gold. Multiple
mailing folds. Lightly toned around edges. Otherwise, fine
condition.
Following offer submission users will be contacted at their account email address within 48 hours. Our response will be to accept your offer, decline your offer or send you a final counteroffer. All offers can be viewed from within the "Offer Review" area of your HistoryForSale account. Please review the Make Offer Terms prior to making an offer.
If you have not received an offer acceptance or counter-offer email within 24-hours please check your spam/junk email folder.