Law and Lawlessness

Where it surfaces

• Tombstone

  The chapter highlights the tension between law enforcement and outlaw elements in Tombstone.

• II: Red Lights and Altar Candles

  The coexistence of churches and saloons, courts and stage robberies, and the murder of McIntyre over a shirt, all illustrating the tension between order and chaos.

• III: Glad Hand and Trigger Finger

  The tension between legal authority (Sheriff Behan) and extra-legal power (the Earps) is central, with Behan's political maneuvering versus Earp's direct action.

• IV: Wyatt Earp Plays a Lone Hand

  Wyatt Earp upholds the rule of law against a mob intent on lynching Johnny Behind-the-Deuce, highlighting the tension between order and frontier justice.

• Curly Bill

  The chapter contrasts the formal law represented by Marshal White and the Earps with the informal code of outlaws like Curly Bill, who operates with impunity outside town limits and is ultimately acquitted for the marshal's death.

• The Affair of Skeleton Canyon

  The massacre exemplifies the complete absence of legal authority in the borderlands, where outlaws like Curly Bill operated with impunity.

• Billy Breakenridge Makes Good

  Breakenridge uses an outlaw's help to enforce tax collection, blurring the line between law and crime.

• VIII: The Old Man with a Beard

  The Clantons operate outside the law, engaging in cattle theft and murder, while the Mexican boy seeks vigilante justice, illustrating the absence of legal order.

• On the Benson Road

  The attempted robbery and subsequent posse pursuit highlight the tension between frontier justice and criminal elements, as well as the suspicion that fell on lawmen themselves.

• Flashes of Storm

  The chapter explores the conflict between lawmen (the Earps) and outlaws (the Clantons and McLowerys), highlighting the breakdown of legal order and the use of personal justice.

• XIII: The Showdown

  The chapter depicts the Earps as lawmen attempting to maintain order against the lawless threats of the Clantons and McLowerys, culminating in a violent showdown and a legal acquittal.

• XIV: The Red Road of Vengeance

  Wyatt Earp's refusal to submit to arrest and the killing of Stilwell highlight the conflict between written law and frontier vengeance.

• The Out Trail

  Wyatt Earp becomes his own law in a lawless land, administering justice at gunpoint without remorse.

• XVIII: The Honeymoon Cattle Drive

  Slaughter's tenure as sheriff marks the dividing line between lawlessness and law in Tombstone, as he uses his pearl-handled six-shooter to enforce order.

• XIX: The Round Table’s Last Knight

  Slaughter embodies the law, using extreme force to impose order on a lawless town, often acting as judge, jury, and executioner.

• Hands Up!

  The chapter contrasts formal legal proceedings with vigilante justice, as seen in Heath's lynching and the coroner's creative verdict.