How do you? Howdy and welcome to a bonus episode of Wise About Texas, the Texas History

Podcast. In our last episode we discussed the big heavyweight championship fight between Bob Fitzsimmons and Peter Mahder that occurred in 1896.

This was the biggest sporting event of its time and it was held on a sandbar in the Rio Grande River

to avoid the anti-boxing laws of Texas and the surrounding states. In that episode I told the story of

a legendary Old West gunfighter and lawman, Bat Masterson, having turned into a sports writer.

He made the mistake of facing off with legendary Texas Ranger Captain Bill McDonald, who convinced him to improve his behavior and attitude.

While I was researching that episode, I came across another story of a legendary Old West

gunfighter getting mixed up in a boxing match.

The connection to the Texas story of episode 8 is that the story I'm going to tell you today

occurred in connection with Bob Fitzsimmons next fight, which was held in San Francisco,

California on December 2, 1896.

Now first, let's go back to October 26th 1881 on that day which was a cold one in

tombstone Arizona

Wyatt Erp and his brothers Virgil and Morgan along with their friend Doc Holiday, faced off against the Clanton brothers,

the Maclory brothers, and Billy Claiborne at the OK Corral.

At the end of that famous gunfight, Wyatt Earp was a legend.

Now fast forward to 1896 and we find Wyatt Earp settled in San Francisco, California.

Earlier that year, the San Francisco examiner published a three-part story about his life.

Now that series was said to be a very significant exaggeration of Earp's life.

It turns out that the Hearst Corporation who owned the San Francisco Examiner

had just hired Erb as its head of security.

So they were sending a message not to mess with this famous lawman who,

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