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Doc Holiday

Doc Holliday

Few gunmen in history have been as notorious as the late John "Doc" Holliday. Part of the reason Doc has enjoyed such a famed history is because of the overall descent man he was, that is when he wasn't gambling, drinking, and gun slinging. When Doc died he might have had a handkerchief, a pocket knife, a deck of poker cards, a flask half full of whiskey, and a small essay entitled "My Friend Doc Holliday" by Wyatt Earp.

The most important item Doc would have had on him when he died was a handkerchief. Doc most likely had a handkerchief because of the severe case of tuberculosis he had, which led to his untimely demise. Doc contracted this disease while traveling the west, staying up long hours, drinking, smoking, and gambling most of the time he was awake. This handkerchief would have helped Doc wipe up any blood, and or dead lung tissue he might have coughed up on his last day of life. Doc was not only a very sick man, he was also a very cultured man. Being cultured might have provoked Doc to wear a handkerchief as a fashion accessory, because rumor has it that although Doc was a
mans man, he still liked to look as good as possible no matter where he went. This handkerchief in his eyes may have shown people his intelligent, well educated side. This educated side is a side of Doc that few people know about today. Usually when someone hears the name Doc Holliday, they think about fighting, drinking, and gambling, all of these are true of Doc, but these people had barely scratched the surface. As a young man Doc attended Valdosta institute where he became knowledgeable of the Greek, Latin, and French languages. Amazingly Doc's favorite subject was rhetoric, his teachers claimed that Doc had a way with words unsurpassed by anyone in his class. All of these factors may have contributed to Doc having a handkerchief with him on his final day of life.

A second item which might have been found in Doc Hollidays pocket on the day he died is a small...