4655 RARE JOSEPHINE “JOSIE” EARP AUTOGRAPH LETTER.

Category Firearms & Military
Auction Currency USD
Start Price 500.00 USD
Estimated at 1,000.00 - 2,000.00 USD
This wonderful 11 page detailed ALS signed “Josephine E” written in 1924 is quite revealing concerning unflattering articles written about Wyatt “filled with lies” in Randolph Hearst newspapers. Letter is written to John Flood, their business manager, Josephine puts on the return address, “W. Earp, Telegraph me please”: she tells Mr. Flood that Wyatt is sick and for him to write a personal letter to William Randolph Hearst telling him how “grieved Wyatt is about the article”, “ask him to retract”. “The article lied every word of it and must have been in with the Cow Boys and must have given a wrong name”, “and please say that in the early days up tombstone his father George Hurst came to W[yatt] and his brother Virgil asking for protection from some of the toughs in tombstone as he was going out to look at a mine and W[yatt] took him out on horseback and stayed with him ten days. For which after he returned to San Francisco sent Wyatt a nice watch for being so nice to him. The very few letters known of Josephine Earp mostly come from the estate of John Flood that have occasionally sold in auction over the past 20 years. Josephine Earp (1861-1944) Best known as Wyatt Earp's third wife. In her most recent biography, there is little doubt she worked as a prostitute and was responsible for Johnny Behan’s divorce, Behan a long time rival of the Earps was turned down by Josephine with his proposition for marriage. By 1881 Josie was living with Wyatt as man and wife. Wyatt’s second wife Mattie was also a prostitute who continued in her trade after Wyatt left her, dying from opium overdose in 1888. Why it always called his wife “Sadie” which was her nickname throughout her wildlife in Tombstone. After Wyatt’s death, she made everybody call her Josie or Josephine. Josephine was Wyatt’s constant companion for 48 years till his death in 1929, after her death 15 years later, she was buried beside him. UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: well researched current biographical data of Josephine Earp. CONDITION: very good including envelope PROVENANCE: Martin Lane Historic & Western Americana Lifetime Collection. (02-22019/JS). $1,000-2,000.