# Law and Lawlessness in Tombstone

> Theme guide for Tombstone by Walter Noble Burns.

The book explores the constant tension between order and chaos in Tombstone, depicting the struggle of lawmen like Wyatt Earp and John Slaughter against outlaws, cattle rustlers, and stage robbers, while also showing how justice was often rough, extralegal, and shaped by personal vendettas.

## Where it surfaces

- [Tombstone](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/tombstone): The chapter highlights the tension between law enforcement and outlaw elements in Tombstone.
- [II: Red Lights and Altar Candles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/v-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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/vi-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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/vii-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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/xi-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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/xii-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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/xv-the-out-trail): Wyatt Earp becomes his own law in a lawless land, administering justice at gunpoint without remorse.
- [XVIII: The Honeymoon Cattle Drive](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/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!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/chapters/xxi-hands-up): The chapter contrasts formal legal proceedings with vigilante justice, as seen in Heath's lynching and the coroner's creative verdict.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/themes/law_and_lawlessness
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tombstone_se/themes