John Henry Holliday, dentist, gambler, gunfighter. An educated killer with a gambler’s heart and a terminal illness, “Doc” Holliday is one of the best known gunfighters of the wild west.

Doc Holliday was born to a wealthy southern family in 1851 and graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Dentistry in 1872. Holliday worked as a dentist in Atlanta but contracted tuberculosis and moved west for his health. After unsuccessful attempts at dentistry in Dallas, Holliday discovered a proficiency for gambling and gun play.

From 1875 to 1880, he bounced from town to town, usually just ahead of an angry posse, drinking, gambling and building a reputation with his six gun. Las Vegas, New Mexico Territory was one such town. Doc had won part interest in a local saloon in a card game. During his stay there, a popular soiled dove named Sally Jensen had become the object of desire for a former Army scout who wanted to take her away from her life in the saloon. After creating a disturbance and shooting up the saloon, the cowboy makes the fatal mistake of challenging John Holliday in the street outside of Doc’s saloon.

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