HELLDORADO ...
... AND GUNS
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Legislature makes it legal to
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Gun show comes to town.
Page 3
NO TOMBSTONE IS COMPLETE WITHOUT ITS EPITAPH
50 CENTS
LOCAL EDITION
Tragedy stirs cry for highway change
VOL. CXXVIII NO. 4
By Meaghan Bayley
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
A British couple’s death on Monday night
along Arizona Highway 80 near Fourth Street
has refueled city leader’s frustrations
regarding Tombstone’s safety.
Mayor Dusty Escapule said the area where
the accident occurred is known for being
dangerous – especially at night because it does
not have streetlights.
“When I took office for the first time in
2000, an individual had recently been killed at
the same location,” Escapule said.
Home
prices
tumble
By Natsuko Hori
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
Tombstone’s median home prices and home
sales are still falling, while the number of
homebuyers seeking small homes has gone up
over the last two months. The city’s housing
market is likely to face a gradual climb in
value next year.
The median price of homes sold in
Tombstone in 2008 was $131,000, down 1.5
percent from 2007. The price for the first eight
months of 2009 was $100,000, having
decreased 23.1 percent compared to the same
period of last year, said Robert Carreira,
director of the Center for Economic Research
in Sierra Vista.
Twenty-six homes were sold in Tombstone
in 2008, a drop from 36 in 2007, according to
a report from Southeast Arizona Multiple
Listing Service and the center.
The local real estate market, however,
began to see a growing number of home sales
this summer.
Barbara
Tombstone median
Highfield, owner
home prices
and broker of
Tombstone Real
Estate at 204 E.
2006: $157,000
Fremont St., said
2007: $132,956
they sold only 11
2008: $131,000
homes this year
but half of those
2009: $100,000
sales happened in
— BARBARA HIGHFIELD,
the past couple of
TOMBSTONE REAL ESTATE
months.
“They
(homebuyers) are bargain hunters right now,”
Highfield said. “They are out looking for the
best bargain, and they are finding it.” She said
she would expect nine more homes to be sold
by the end of this year.
The median home price continues to fall
from a high of $157,000 in 2006. It could be
around $80,000 in 2009, even lower than the
$94,000 value back in 2004, Highfield said.
“We are selling more houses at lower
prices,” she said. There are more bank-owned
properties, and those who lost homes because
of foreclosures come on the market, she said.
Foreclosures now occur more frequently
than before.
“We’ve seen about three a month,”
Highfield said. “It’s higher than it’s ever been.
Last year we didn’t even see one a month.”
The listing service lists 47 homes for sale in
Tombstone, and four of them are foreclosures,
Carreira said, adding that the four homes are
priced lower compared to non-foreclosed
homes.
Homes are being purchased quickly in
contrast to the slow sales market seen in
Tombstone and Cochise County last year.
In 2008, the average Tombstone home was
on the market for 165 days, up slightly from
162 days in 2007, he said. The average home
sold during the first eight months of 2009
stayed for only 111 days, a considerable
decrease from 170 days in the same period of
2008.
These data seem to suggest that the
homebuyers in Tombstone are selecting
smaller homes and that sellers have become
much more downwardly flexible on prices,
Carreira said.
He added that, as a result, homes sold from
January to August of 2009 had been sold off
more quickly than those sold in the same
period of last year.
“Cochise County is much more stable than
the rest of the state,” said Melissa Clayton,
HOUSING/ Page 2
129
YEARS IN
Any attempts to put a crosswalk,
streetlights or stoplight on state property along
the highway must be approved by the state.
“Highway 80 is a state highway,” he said.
As a result of he deaths of Arthur
Wilkinson, 81, and Winifred Wilkinson, 75, on
Monday — and in response to a 2000 accident
— Escapule said he came up with a resolution
and presented it to the state of Arizona.
In June of 2001 he asked the Arizona
Department of Transportation to put a
crosswalk at the intersection of Fourth Street
along Highway 80 for the welfare and safety of
the general public.
Linda
Ritter,
public
information
THEEPITAPH.COM
THE TOWN TOO TOUGH TO DIE
spokeswoman for ADOT, said representatives
went to Tombstone in August of 2001 and
conducted a traffic study of the area.
“We base whether or not a crosswalk is
warranted using a point system which is the
same criteria that we use across the state for all
crosswalks,” Ritter said.
The study measures the flow of traffic, the
gap in time allowing a person to cross the
street and how the flow of traffic affects
pedestrian crossing time.
“Based off of our state recognized point
system, the crosswalk in the area was not
warranted,” Ritter said.
ADOT told Tombstone city officials that if
traffic conditions — such as the flow in traffic
or number of pedestrians — changed, they
should put their objection to the state’s
decision in writing, she said.
Escapule said the second request for a
crosswalk in 2004 was denied by ADOT
because it concluded that the crosswalk was
still unwarranted.
“The city has not asked (for a reevaluation) since 2004,” Ritter said.
Escapule said he has done everything he
could to put a crosswalk in and to ensure
public safety.
“The city is working diligently to try and
have something done about this,” he said.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009
Tombstone residents were angered by the
state’s refusal to put a crosswalk in the area,
not once but twice.
“I don’t think we should have to ask for
something like this that prevents killing
people,” said Derick Talvy, the Marshal’s son
and dispatcher for the Marshals department.
Escapule also attempted to lower the speed
limit to 25 mph, but the state turned down the
proposition claiming 35 mph was low enough
for the area.
“The state wouldn’t do it because they have
their own procedures and rules,” he said.
More than a bump in the road
Safety/ Page 2
Could humps
hurt town’s
historic image?
By Andrea Papagianis
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
Expected sights in Tombstone:
dirt,
cowboys,
guns
and
stagecoaches. But speed bumps?
Mayor Dusty Escapule decided
to put in four speed bumps on
Fourth and Fifth streets in the
historic district shortly before
Helldorado Days. The installation
isn’t being greeted with cheers from
townsfolk, business owners or
visitors.
The first installation of speed
bumps did not fare well for the
stagecoaches — the horses refused
to cross over them — so city
workers flattened the bumps into
humps.
Some folks in town took a
sarcastic approach to the changes.
“I think the speed bumps are
very period,” said Tombstone
Trolley
Tours
owner
Lee
McKechnie. “They look just like the
ones from 1882.”
Jet-black and slim in height, the
humps stretch the width of the ashgray streets. To alert drivers of the
humps, workers posted warning
signs and painted bright yellow
lines down the center of each. There
are no speed-limit signs, and neither
the mayor nor marshal realized their
absence.
After discussing the speed bump
matter with Marshal Larry Talvy,
Escapule made the decision on his
own without consulting City
Council and said, “It was something
within my executive powers to do.”
“The reason for the speed bumps
is that we get complaints of
speeders down there,” Talvy said.
The marshal’s office ignored
repeated requests for the total
number of complaints and the
number of speeding tickets handed
PHOTO BY ANDREA PAPAGIANIS
A horse drawn carriage passes over newly constructed speed humps, which the mayor said were
necessary to ensure public safety.
out on the streets in the past year.
Talvy did say by the time his office
was able to investigate the
complaints the speeders were gone.
“It is hard with these short
streets,” Talvy said. “They can get
in and out with no problem if we are
out somewhere else.
“We’ve also had some parking
issues, and people not stopping for
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
Jerry
Brewer
dresses up
as Terco
Paco, the
Tombstone
Bandito.
said.
McKechnie said it was how the
bumps were installed — with no
Humps / Page 2
Minority presence receives
sparse showing at festival
ByEthan Williams
PHOTO BY
ETHAN
WILLIAMS
stop signs,” he added. “I think if we
slow them down … they are more
apt to notice what is going on
around them, ‘cause we’ve got a lot
of rubber-neckers down there,” he
The Wild West conjures images
of lawmen, cowboys, Indians and
Outlaws; Wyatt Earp, John Wayne,
Jesse James and Geronimo.
The fascination with the
untamed West draws many a tourist
to Tombstone, especially during
Helldorado Days. But during my
visit to the festivities in the Town
Too Tough Die, I noticed the
abundance of Stetsons, spurs and
maintained mustaches. But where
were the Indians? The Mexicans?
The Chinese?
“I think, in terms of historical
accuracy, Tombstone was a place
where the miners, lived, where they
slept, where they were fed, where
they recreated. The emphasis on
Wyatt Earp and his conflict with
some of the cowboys doesn’t tell
you much about the real
Tombstone, which was a mining
Thomas
said
community,”
Sheridan, research anthropologist
and professor of anthropology at
the University of Arizona.
The mines and crushers were
powered by fuel wood. So there
were lots of Mexican woodcutters
and mule skinners around. And
there was also a sizable Chinese
population, he said.
But through the Helldorado
crowds of cowboys, cavalry and
gunfighters, spotting one of a
handful of minority characters was
not impossible.
Posing for pictures and handing
out autographed headshots, Jerry
Brewer, aka Terco Paco the
Tombstone Bandito, sat clad in
bandoliers and a sombrero.
“You see 300 cowboys, 300
Docs, 300 Earps; I wanted to be
totally different,” he said.
Brewer, a Dragoon local, has
been playing Terco Paco for seven
years. But before Terco made his
debut, Brewer played Ike Clayton.
“Every time I grew a mustache,
my ex-wife and my kids used to tell
me, ‘You look like a mean
Mexican,” Brewer said.
Soon after, others said the same.
Brewer bought himself a serape,
sombrero and bandoliers. He even
referenced
Eli
Wallach’s
performance in “The Good, the Bad
Ethnic / Page 2
PAGE 2
SAFETY:
HOUSING:
continued from page 1
continued from page 1
Escapule plans meeting to talk change
During the eight years Escapule has been
in office, all attempts to increase the areas
safety have been denied.
After the recent tragic accident, he said
he plans to do something about it.
“Since my resolution in 2001, three
people have been killed in the area,”
Escapule said.
“After all the investigations, I plan on
having a special council meeting to allow
the public to show their concern about the
crosswalk.”
Escapule said he plans to invite Bill
Harmon, ADOT’s district engineer, to the
special council meeting.
“(Harmon) will explain to the public
why they can’t have a crosswalk there,” he
said.
Ritter said the state is aware of the
accident and they will take it upon
themselves to re-investigate the area along
Highway 80.
“We would be more than happy to sit
down with the City of Tombstone to talk
with them and discuss this,” she said.
“Public safety is our number one concern.”
The Wilkinson couple was killed
Monday night by a truck while crossing
Fourth Street on Highway 80 in
Tombstone’s business district.
The driver of the vehicle stopped to help
the couple but fled the scene before police
arrived.
The marshal’s office said they could not
PHOTO BY ANDREA PAPAGIANIS
release the name of the driver until they
People in Tombstone took time to mourn the deaths of Arthur
have completed an investigation of the
Wilkinson, 81, and Winifred Wilkinson, 75.
accident.
Derick Talvy said he knew the couple
“They were awesome to my dad and they tragic.”
very well and their death was extremely were absolutely great people,” he said.
— Jeff Hidalgo contributed to this
disheartening for his family.
“I couldn’t speak better of them. It’s article.
ETHNIC:
Minority representation small
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009
Market remains active
Even during the current sleepy sales season,
Highfield said more buyers are attempting to
invest.
“We’ve already seen more buyers and
usually we don’t see buyers until January,
February and March. That gives me a great hope
for 2010,” she said.
associate broker of Re/Max HomeStores in
Sierra Vista. “We are having very active sales.
Many homes are not staying on the market even
for one hour. It’s definitely a buyer’s market.”
Typical buyers in Tombstone have visited the
city many times and are ready for retirement,
said Highfield.
Such individuals normally come from other
states such as Washington and California, she
added.
“We are having very active
sales. Many homes are not
staying on the market even
for an hour. It’s definitely a
buyer’s market.”
— Barbara Highfield, owner
of Tombstone Real Estate
Mary Royster and her husband, Mike,
originally from Toronto, Canada, visited
Tombstone three times and bought a vacation
home after retirement two years ago. Royster
said they just purchased another home as an
investment this week.
Although more sales have taken place, it
might take more than two years for the housing
market to see much revival, Carreira said.
“I think home sales in 2010 will be on par
with what we saw in 2009, perhaps up slightly,”
he said.
“I think we’re generally at the bottom of the
current down cycle though I don’t expect strong
growth to occur for several years.”
PHOTO BY NATSUKO HORI
The house at, 579 N. Rustlers
Ridge Road is one of many homes
in Tombstone that’s listing price
has dropped in recent months.
THS cheerleaders gearing
for Thanksgiving parade
continued from page 1
and the Ugly” as Tuco as
inspiration.
“I found a character that
people love,” said Brewer.
“(Banditos) came out of the
revolutions. These people were
fighters, they were warriors.”
They turned desert marauders
and they were a tough cruel
gang to run into.
Banditos were not the only
minority present during 1880s
Tombstone.
Mixed among the cowboy
twang one might have heard a
heavy Chinese accent.
Through the crowd one
might have made out the Fu
Manchu mustache and the
oriental fan of Thomas Olah
and Rebecca Witherington as
they posed as Mr. Wrong and
Mrs. Wrong.
“During Helldorado there’s
so many cowboys in town and
there are people also playing the
Mexican part, but nobody ever
plays the Chinese part. So I was
trying to bring more of a variety
HUMPS:
see more Native Americans.”
Brewer said he would like to
portray Cochise but his tattoos
make it difficult.
Indians may be scarce but
the portrayal of women is not.
Olah said he wished more
people would play the female
minority. Not all the women
were ladies, saloon girls or
madams. There were actresses,
performers, miners and women
of ethnicities.
Madame
Mustache
specializes in female clothing of
the period.
“We have people of all
different backgrounds that
come in and that’s what they’re
interested in,” being ladies,
saloon girls and madams, said
Phyllis Deloia, an employee of
Madame Mustache.
She said, they do carry a few
Native American costumes, but
99 percent of the demand is for
the ladies, saloon girls and
madam costumes.
The demand for ethnic
in Helldorado,” Olah said.
In years past he played a
Mexican and doctor.
“I always try to play
someone different, someone
who is not represented as
much,” Olah said. “I try to do
things different, things that
stand out more to show more
variety instead of the typical
cowboy or the typical Doc
Holiday.”
With a Chinese and Mexican
representation, the Native
American was still elusive.
“Tombstone was out in the
middle of nowhere. And it
would have been near or in
Chiricahua Apache territory,”
Sheridan said, mentioning
Geronimo and Cochise.
But Brewer said there was at
least one Native American at
the festivities, although I wasn’t
able to spot them.
“It’s always cowboys and
Indians, but you rarely ever see
anyone playing an Indian,”
Brewer said. “I would like to
costumes might be dampened
by availability and cost.
“There are very few
companies that make (outfits or
cowboys), let alone companies
that specialize in (ethnic
clothing of the period),” said
Pixie Burleson of Bronco
Trading.
She said that dressing as a
Native American or a Vaquero
is expensive and might call for
custom tailoring.
But despite the set backs for
ethnic
costumes,
some
performers agree that there
should be more minority
representation.
Minority representation has
always been small but it has
gotten better, Olah said.
“We are trying to bring more
of a variety and more of the
minorities in to show the
diversity of the era.”
There were people here from
all over the world, Brewer said.
“There was this giant melting
pot here in the 17 and 1800s.”
Historic status likely not endangered
continued from page 1
PHOTO BY ANDREA PAPAGIANIS
The town trolley makes its way over a speed
hump on Fourth Street.
input from council, residents
and business owners — that
was strange. He said customers
have complained that they seem
out of place in the town.
“It takes away from the
historic feel of downtown,”
McKechnie said.
The change does not seem
likely to affect the historic
status of the town.
Thomas Keohan, historical
architect for the National Park
Service in the region, said
although the historic status
could be taken away, it would
take a larger change in the
contributing features of the
landmark.
“Generally, things like street
pavement and driving surface
improvements don’t normally
have too much of an impact on
the integrity of the historic
district,” Keohan said, adding
that he hasn’t seen the speed
humps yet. “… There was a
certain
level
of
visual
continuity that contributed to its
significance and we try to
preserve that if we can.”
The mayor did not seek
council approval nor did he
need to, said Brenda Ikirt — the
town’s interim city clerk —
because it was deemed a safety
issue because of Helldorado
Days. She said the speed humps
cost $1,800, which also
includes pothole fixing.
“If you’ve been here on the
weekend or during busy times
people don’t look they just
walk,” Escapule said. “They are
in awe that they are in an old
historic town with people
dressed up, and they aren’t
looking for cars.
“And when someone is not
paying attention and is driving
20 to 30 miles-per-hour down a
street, it’s just a matter of time
before someone gets run-over
or killed.”
PHOTO BY
JULIE STUPP
Alexis Ray
17, Brett
Thrasher
16,
Breanna
Sims 15,
Caitlin
Englert 15,
Tiffany
Canniff 18,
Dakota
Barney 18
and Tamys
Dedecker
16 are all
thrilled to
participate
in this
years
Macy's Day
Parade.
By Elysse Altamirano
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
Two, four ,six, eight, who do we appreciate?!
For the Tombstone High School cheerleading
squad that is an easy question — the Tombstone
community. The squad is preparing to
participate in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day
Parade in New York City on Nov. 26 for the first
time.
The squad received a formal invitation from
Mike Miller & Associates, the planning
company that selects squads and individual
cheerleaders from across the nation who show
extraordinary skill and strength in cheerleading.
Sandy Thrasher, coach of THS cheerleading
squad, believes that their invitation came from
winning the title of Top Game Day Team from
the National Cheerleading Association during a
four day NCA camp held every summer at
Northern Arizona University.
“(The squad) has received a bid to Nationals
and we have seven (people) nominated for the
All American Cheer Team,” Thrasher said.
Thrasher, coach of eight years, said that the
community really stepped up when it came time
to fundraise for the packages and airfare for the
team. Thrasher said, for nine cheerleaders and
one coach the total expense of this once in a
lifetime opportunity came to about $25,000.
Some examples of fundraisers was the golf
tournament in Benson held by Six Gun City
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The local edition of The Tombstone Epitaph is
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which raised $2,500 and a dinner under the Rose
Garden which raised about $3,000.
“The community has been fantastic. Just
incredible,” Thrasher said.
The squad, consisting of 12 girls and two
boys, will send nine of Tombstone’s squad to
New York. Although the team will not be
wearing the distinguished Yellow Jackets colors,
they will be joining about 600 other teams and
individuals parading down New York City’s 7th
Avenue as a part of Mike Miller’s Dancers in the
performance group category. Historically the
parade took place down Broadway, but this year
moved for better views for spectators.
“None of us have ever been to New York
which makes it even more exciting,” said senior
Anzie Devere.
In addition to the parade the team will attend
one Broadway show, shop in Times Square and
tour Radio City Music Hall.
This opportunity opened the squad’s eyes not
only to life in the big apple but also to the
enormous amount of support from their small
community and what doors it opens for the
squad in the years to come.
“This (opportunity) really shows our
progression as a squad. It shows how proud
Tombstone is of us,” said junior Felicia Nuñez.
“This is a huge deal. No one has ever gotten
this type of experience before. Even though
we’re a little town and a little school we’re still
there,” Devere said.
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New casino could be the winning gamble
PAGE 3
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009
By John Kostis
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
There may be no such thing as a
sure bet, but Russ Jennings hopes his
new business in town will be one.
Jennings, owner of Tombstone RV
Park, thinks his new Tombstone Poker
Palace will become a popular way to
spend a night out in Tombstone.
“After 5 o’clock, unless you go to a
saloon, there’s not much to do here,”
said Jennings. “We’re trying to
provide another option for people in
town and Texas Hold ’Em is the
largest growing sport in the nation.”
The Poker Palace opened Oct. 17
with a ribbon cutting ceremony at
noon endorsed by the Chamber of
Commerce. The first tournament was
held at 6:30 p.m.
Parts of the building will be leased
by local business owners to help
Jennings recuperate his costs of
opening the business. Tombstone
Sandwich Shop, a massage therapist, a
land developer and retail outlets for
poker memorabilia will all have a
stake in the business.
But no matter the business plan,
state gambling laws are still
something Jennings has to wrangle.
“The state doesn’t outlaw poker,”
said Jennings. “Anyone can play.
There’s just restrictions on how
money is gambled. We can’t take a
rake out of the pot. All of the money
gambled must go to the winner.”
According to Jennings, the Palace
is a social club, which means in order
to play you must buy a membership. It
costs $5 to play for a month and $25
for the year.
The stakes that are won depend on
how much it cost to buy into the game.
In the opening tournament, 75 players
bought in for $75 each and the winner
took home $2,000.
Because The Poker Palace is not
allowed to take a share out of the pot,
the only other way Jennings can
recover some of his costs is through
small fees for playing in the
tournaments.
“Any non-profit organization is
entitled to recoup their costs of putting
on an event,” said Jennings. “As
members you pay a rent on the button
when it is in front of you. If that
weren’t the case no church could put
on bingo nights.”
But according to Jennings, the
business has faced slightly stronger
scrutiny than the bingo nights at the
local church.
Gambling has been criticized
because of its association with
activities like excessive drinking, but
everything from college football to
golf is bet on and that doesn’t make
those activities inherently bad,
Jennings said.
The Poker Palace has banned
smoking, drinking and cursing in an
attempt to create a social club for
ladies and gentlemen that Jennings
hopes will become an asset to
Tombstone.
The Chamber of Commerce
couldn’t agree more with Jennings’
thought.
“Poker was a integral part of our
Western history,” said Patrick Greene,
the executive director of the
Tombstone Chamber of Commerce. “I
personally think it’s going to be an
economic benefit for people to be able
to play poker in a historical setting.”
According to Greene, the addition
of a business that provides something
else to do at night will only be a
magnet for more people to come to
Tombstone.
Competing business owners are
said they are excited for the Poker
Palace to add to the allure of
Tombstone.
“Any business that does well is
good for us,” said Mile Carrafa, the
owner of Six Gun City. “The more
people who come to Tombstone the
PHOTO BY
JOHN
KOSTIS
better. We should use the resources to
make the pie bigger for everyone.”
Six Gun City offers poker
tournaments on Tuesday and Thursday
nights and is open into the early hours
of the morning, Carrafa added. There
is also karaoke where kids can come
and sing on Monday, Friday and
Saturday nights.
According to Carrafa the addition
of another successful business will
only help the town gain more
recognition.
While Russ Jennings’ Poker Palace
is designed to help add to the appeal of
Tombstone, it wasn’t expected to
garner national attention.
National Geographic Channel is
slated to film a piece about poker in
Tombstone on Oct. 24, Jennings said.
Regular players like “Captain”
Jack, “Stare Me Down” Ray and even
the owner “Box of Chocolate” Russ,
should all take part in the filming.
The Poker Palace has been open
only a few days and has already
garnered an interest that is likely to
help Tombstone after the completion
of Helldorado Days.
What’s to come is anyone’s guess,
but Jennings has lofty goals.
Ultimately, he hopes to invite the
World Poker Tour to Tombstone for a
tournament.
Russ
Jennings
stands on
the front
porch of
the newly
opened
Poker
Palace.
Gun shows provide ammo No drinking allowed for
for 2nd Amendment debate gun-totting bar patrons
By Mack Kearns
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
Amid collections of pistols,
tactical assault rifles, vintage
shotguns and rifles at this year’s
Tombstone Gun Show, John
Berend sold T-shirts supporting
the right to bear arms.
“If you change the Second
Amendment, what’s to stop
them from changing the First?”
a printed statement on one of
Berend’s shirts read. On
another: “I carry a gun because a
cop is too heavy.”
While the slogans on
Berend’s shirts highlight
many of the key issues in the
debate over gun control like
last year ’s Supreme Court
decision that amended the
right of individuals to bear
arms for personal use, they
did not address the growing
criticism that gun shows put
firearms in the hands of
criminals.
Recently, New York Mayor
Michael Bloomberg put gun
shows in the national spotlight
when
he
launched
an
investigation into a supposed
“gun show loophole” to find out
if it was possible for those with
criminal records to purchase
firearms at gun shows without
undergoing a background check.
In a 36-page report released
earlier this month, Bloomberg’s
office documented alleged
illegal gun sales by private and
licensed dealers at seven gun
shows in three states.
Hidden
cameras
show
unlicensed dealers selling guns
to undercover investigators after
they told the seller they would
probably not pass a background
check. The tapes also show
authorized dealers selling guns
to investigators who said they
PHOTO BY MACK KEARNS
Dalen Zemont of Vail admires a Colt AR-15 at
the Tombstone Gun Show on Oct. 17. Zemont
visited the show to buy tactical parts for his
AK-47.
were buying the weapon for
someone else. Only 25 percent
of the purchases were denied,
according to the mayor’s office.
Charles Heller of the Arizona
Citizens Defense League said
the idea behind a gun show
loophole is false and does not
take into account the letter of the
law.
“A transaction that takes
place between two people
outside of a gun show is no
different than what takes
place inside of a gun show,”
Heller said. “If it’s legal out
there, it’s legal in here.
There
is
no
loophole
whatsoever.”
By law, gun sales are
permissible between two private
persons as long as the seller has
a “reasonable belief” the
purchaser is eligible to own a
firearm.
Eligibility
is
determined by roughly ten
stipulations
that
include:
meeting
minimum
age
requirements; a record clear of
any felony convictions or
domestic violence charges; a
person must also be legal
resident and not dishonorably
discharged from the military.
“If you ask a person (if
they are eligible) and he
even hesitates when they say
it, nobody in their right mind
is going to sell them a gun,”
Heller said.
“Do they have to ask?
Technically, no,” Heller added.
“Must they ask in order to have
a reasonable belief? Unless they
know the person, yes.”
Peter Tapia, a salesman
for Pima Guns, said he is
required to perform a
background check before he
sells someone a gun at a
show because his employer
holds a Federal Firearms
License.
The background check
process takes about 10 minutes
and can be done over the phone
while the customer waits.
But Tapia said unlicensed
dealers, who by law do not need
to perform a background check,
are not likely to sell the highpowered semi-automatic rifles
and pistols Pima Guns and other
licensed dealers offer.
Unlicensed sellers, he said,
are typically collectors of
vintage guns who use gun shows
as a way to enhance their
collections or to sell to other
discriminating
enthusiasts.
Tapia added that such vintage
guns aren’t the type that are
favored by criminals or are used
by gangs and in street crime.
By Ian Friedman
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
While a new Arizona law appears to be trying
to recreate the saloons of the old west,
Tombstone restaurant and bar owners are taking
the law into their own hands.
As part of a new law that went into effect on
Sept. 30, anyone with a concealed weapons
permit can now bring their weapon into alcoholserving establishments unless the owner
specifically states otherwise.
Business owners can place a sign on their
door prohibiting weapons, but Bob Jones — a
bartender at Four Deuces Saloon and Grill, 101
S. Third St. — said even with the sign it is nearly
impossible to enforce.
“What they are asking us to do is let people
come into a bar with a weapon as long as they
have a concealed weapons permit,” Jones said.
“While you’re in the bar you can’t drink so at the
door I have to check your concealed weapons
permit and a picture ID, then you can come in.”
By passing this new law, Jones said the
government is basically distancing itself from
Second Amendment activists.
“Now we are the bad guy to the gun
proponents because we won’t let them in here
and the state has taken it off of themselves,”
Jones said. “I am a weapon proponent but it is a
waste of our time.”
Rick Greenig said as a concealed weapons permit
holder and retired federal police officer, he does not see
a need to bring a gun in to have a drink.
“Liquor and alcohol don’t mix,” said
Greenig, who has lived in Tombstone for five
years. “There is always some guy —and you run
into him every so often — wants to shoot his
mouth off, think he is a tough guy, bully
someone and this kind of crap. Someone that is
not really knowledgeable of the law think
because some guy pushes them or punches them
or whatever, they can use deadly force.”
Of the restaurants and bars contacted for this
story, none said they permitted concealed
weapons in their establishment. The Crystal
Palace, 436 E. Allen St, was the one exception.
“You can check them in at the smoke shop,”
said a restaurant representative, who added that
you couldn’t bring them into the restaurant.
No matter what your opinion is about the
Second Amendment, a bar is no place for a gun,
PHOTO BY IAN FRIEDMAN
Big Nose Kate’s is one of many
Tombstone bars not to allow
guns despite a new law.
Jones said.
“The bottom line for me being a gun owner
and a concealed weapon holder is that it is the
most ridiculous misuse or use of law making
legislation that I have ever seen in my life,” he
said.
While people may feel they are protecting
themselves by bringing their gun with them, they
are in fact leaving themselves more vulnerable
to the brunt of the law if something goes wrong,
Greenig said.
“I have got no qualms, if someone wants to
carry a weapon into a bar it is on them,” he said.
“If they do the wrong thing they are screwed.
They are going to get hung out to dry by the
court system.”
No matter what, guns and cowboys go
together and in Tombstone those two are never
far from booze, he said.
“It is a drinking town with a cowboy problem,”
Jones said. “It is just a bad combination.”
10th Bordertown brings action shooting to town’s streets
PHOTO BY
TIFFANY ACTON
Bordertown
board
member
Dave
Stutenroth
participates
in an early
shooting
warm-up.
More than 300 participants expected
By Tiffany Acton
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
Dressed from head to toe in the
western garb of the late 19th century,
carrying single action revolvers,
pistol caliber level action rifles, and
shotguns, the cowboy action shooting
group Los Vaqueros is in the midst of
gearing up for next weekend’s 10th
annual Bordertown.
For Los Vaqueros, a non-profit
corporation and the oldest cowboy
action shooting group in Arizona, the
Arizona cowboy action shooting state
championship — or Bordertown — is
the key event of the season with over
300 participants, and roughly 25
categories.
The club, whose mission is to
celebrate the history of the Old West,
is associated with the Single Action
Shooting Society (SASS), an
international organization created to
preserve and promote the sport of
cowboy action shooting.
According the group’s Web site, it
requires members to operate under a
shooting alias “appropriate to a
character or profession of the late
19th century, a Hollywood western
star, or an appropriate character from
fiction” to stay true to its mission. A
member’s alias more than a name, it
dictates how they dress and what they
shoot with.
Secretary of Los Vaqueros Jacque
Newbrey and her husband Rory
Newbrey, who have been members of
the group for 10 years, choose their
alias names together.
Having spent a significant amount
of time in the Canelo Hills as a child,
Rory Newbrey chose the alias name
of “Canelo Kid” and Jacque decided
upon “Canelo Kate”.
Last weekend Los Vaqueros
hosted a two-day match, which
included 10 stages (five per day) and
about 40 to 50 participants. The
match is designed as a “tune-up” for
next weekend’s Bordertown.
Participating under the alias of
Wily Yankee, President of the
Tombstone Ghost Rider Outlaws
shooting club Jerry DePuma said the
match was very similar in its layout,
setup and stages, and served as good
preparation physically and mentally
for next weekend’s festivities.
“Bordertown is known for its
close and big targets, but you can
miss them as fast as you can hit
them,” DePuma said. “It’s about self
control and keeping a clean head.”
DePuma has been involved with
SASS for five years, along with his
wife Debbie DePuma, a.k.a. Lola
Jane, who has been apart of the
organization for three years.
“My husband got me into it,”
Debbie DePuma said. “You meet
such nice people. This is like our
family, and the shooting is such a
release.”
While cowboy action shooting
appeals to many Arizona locals like
the DePumas, the sport also has an
international appeal with members
from all over the world.
In fact, two couples from the
United Kingdom and a couple from
Germany who are members of Los
Vaqueros flew to Tombstone for the
week to participate in the two-day
tune-up as well as next weekend’s
Bordertown.
“You come four and a half
thousand miles for this,” said Richard
“English Luke” Smith from Boston,
England. “You want to have a good
time.”
Smith said he and his wife fly
such a long distance because they
enjoy the competition, but they like
seeing the people and the fun of the
sport a little bit more.
“People are out here to have fun
rather then compete,” Smith said. “I
count myself lucky if I don’t come in
last.”
Suzanne Locke, a stewardess from
Bacup, Lancashire, England and a
mother of four, said she and her
husband also enjoy shooting,
especially the quick pace they find in
Tombstone that they can’t get at
home.
“This is my first time, and its been
good,” Locke said. “They are very
similar, but here it’s very fast.”
Even Dave “Gil T. Azell”
Stutenroth, a member of the board of
directors for Bordertown, was
surprised at the distance people travel
for the competition.
“It’s very international in scope,”
said Stutenroth. “We get people from
all over: Canada, Australia, Italy,
even Japan.”
Stutenroth, who has been involved
for almost five years, found cowboy
action shooting by accident one day
while researching guns he purchased.
He’s been hooked ever since.
Stutenroth placed fourth out of
300 shooters at last year’s
Bordertown and hopes to do at least
as well this time around.
“I’ve always been competitive,
and I found an outlet for that here,”
a
said
Stutenroth.
“There’s
commodity in getting together with
your closest friends, there is a vast
majority of us that would do this
without a score.”
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009
Helldorado Days 2009
PAGE 4
Foul language
during festival
still irks some
By Leah Majalca
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
After the last Helldorado Day gunfight, and last shout down
on Allen Street, Councilman Steve Troncale’s mind has not
changed.
The language faux cowboys used in their shows remains, in his mind,
tasteless and obscene. For now, he’s going to live with it.
“I realize I’m the odd man out,” Troncale said, “but I have
received a little support on this. I observed the show on Saturday
and still feel the same way. I don’t particularly like it and think
it’s offensive.”
A month ago, Troncale requested that a city ordinance be
enforced to tame the language in street performances. He was
especially upset with the words used by the California group
Blood Creek Cowboys, since their performance includes foul
language like “damn,” “son of bitch” and “hell.”
Marshal Larry Talvy said then he saw no violation of law. The
Blood Creek Cowboys offered up a disclaimer about the
language before they did their skit on the street. Talvy said he
received no complaints about language either during or after the
Helldorado festival.
By the time Helldorado weekend went full-force, every
performing group that made an appearance had at least one of
those words in its skit – although not all at once and some sparse
in comparison.
The only difference between those various performing groups
and the Blood Creek Cowboys was a disclaimer, announced
minutes before the acrobatic stunts and shoot-off ruckus between
outlaw and cowboy.
According to Talvy, their use of language was by far the least
of his concerns.
Several different spectators and actors commented that the
language used in skits performed in Tombstone should not be
regulated because the skits are representative of the time period.
“There’s nothing wrong with their language,” said Joe Talvy,
the marshal’s father and a performing actor in the Vigilantes for
20 years. “This person (Troncale) is trying to censor period
perfect language for families with children. But has he heard the
kind of language kids out on the street are using? It’s far worse.”
Some performing groups said Troncale’s concerns do not
affect them because their language is mostly PG-rated.
“The only time we use any kind of language like that is when
we perform the classic gunfight at O.K. Corral,” Ken Bie said,
chief of The Vigilantes. “Even then, we only perform that skit at
big events like this one.”
Troncale did not comment on whether or not a new ordinance
on profanity would take effect for next year’s Helldorado. He did
mention that if there is no one else who has an issue about it, it’s
unlikely that a change, if any, will follow through.
Some visitors had no issue with words hurled in street-playing acting.
“This is cowboy town,” said Daniel Herrera, 25, a visitor from
Tucson. “I pretty much expect to hear this kind of stuff if I want
to experience the real deal.”
PHOTOS BY SARAH MCDANIEL
From fist fights to gun fights, from
stagecoach rides to hands-on
attractions, the town’s Helldorado
Days offered something for all
visitors to enjoy.
Vendetta riders hell-bent for leather
ABOVE
PHOTO BY
JULIE STUPP
By Patrick Lorenz
THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH
In a town where the people
who dress in 1880s style are
usually paid actors or business
employees, a group of 30 people
dressed up on a quest to ride like
Wyatt Earp in the Wild West.
All the horseback riders were
told was that they were about to
embark on a vacation by riding
horses for five days in the 95degree heat of Tombstone. They
were going to follow the
roughest, toughest mountain
trails and vast open ranges,
given only the destination they
would end up but not the way
they would go.
They would be on a horse
that they had never ridden
before, next to a person they had
only known for a few hours and
it was going to cost them $1,850
each.
Sounds like a real adventure
right?
Well that was more than
enough to convince a group of
30 horseback riders to drive
down to town and spend five
days getting to know folks who
share the same passion for the
Old West as they do.
Steve and Marcie Shaw dress
as if they were born 130 years
too late. The couple owns Great
American Adventures out of
Tijeras, N.M., and both worked
on the idea to do the Wyatt Earp
Vendetta Ride from Oct. 12-16.
The ride was the Shaws’ idea
to encompass the historical
values of Tombstone and to try
and shadow on horseback the
trail of Wyatt Earp’s posse when
it stormed against the cowboy
faction.
PHOTO BY PATRICK LORENZ
Participants in last weekend’s Vendetta ride gather in an arena to share a moment before hitting the trail. Thirty riders took part in the event.
“I’ve been wanting to put
together a ride since I saw that
movie (Tombstone),” Steve
Shaw said.
In June, Shaw took a trip to
Tombstone to see where and if
the Vendetta ride could happen.
He hooked up with a Jeep tour
guide and used historical
documents and knowledge that
came from other historians to
see the places that Wyatt Earp’s
posse had traveled.
He later brought in his horse
“These horses we were riding are
movie stars trained for gunfire and
not to shy away.”
— Steve Shaw, co-owner of
Great American Adventures
in Tijeras, N.M.
wrangler who was responsible
for providing insight on how
they were going to get a large
group of horses to the
destinations they wanted to go.
“The way a Jeep goes on a
trail is not necessarily the way
you would ride a horse,” Shaw
said.
The historical destinations
they rode to were Pete Spence’s
wood-cutting camp where
Florentino Cruz was killed in
the Dragoon Mountains. They
rode
to
the
Whetstone
Mountains where Earp’s posse
killed Curly Bill Brocius.
They saw Johnny Ringo’s
believed-to-be haunted gravesite
and they rode along the San
Pedro River and locations that
were frequently visited by Earp
such as Charleston, Fairbanks
and Contention.
Once they determined that a
large group of riders could make
it past some of the rough parts
then Shaw started advertising to
see if anyone else was
interested.
Shaw said he hooked up with
Bob Boze Bell, executive editor
for True West magazine. Shaw
said this was a godsend. Bell
came out for the event where he
led a two-hour private tour of
Tombstone for the Vendetta
riders.
“This is a hobby of passion,”
Shaw said. “I love the Old
West.”
He doesn’t turn much of a
profit on his adventures. He
doesn’t do his rides to make a
living he does them for the joy.
“I do about one or two rides a
year so if I was trying to make a
living off this then two rides a year
would barely be enough to put food
on the table,” Shaw said.
Both Shaw and his wife are
retired from corporate positions.
Shaw said when he plans an
adventure ride he also likes to
add in adventures that other
outfitters would typically look
past.
During the first night in
Tombstone, he organized a skit
at the Crystal Palace where
actors ran in screaming during
dinner proclaiming that Wyatt
Earp was riding hell-bent-forleather and was looking for
deputies to join in killing
cowboys.
The Vendetta riders were
given
certificates
and
customized deputy badges that
had the dates of the ride
engraved on them. It made the
five-day adventure have a sense
of purpose, said Shaw.
Shaw has been working with
Kevin McNiven for the past 10
years.
McNiven
mainly
wrangles horses for movie sets.
McNiven is based in Wyoming
and trucks his horses all over the
nation.
“These horses we were
riding are movie stars trained for
gunfire and not to shy away,”
Shaw said.
Shaw said all of the people
who rode the event had some
sort of experience at horseback
riding, but it varied. Most,
including himself, had never
ridden open desert and its hard
rocky terrain so it was a new
challenge.
“They don’t have a
Tombstone in Florida,” said
Larry Auerbach, when asked
why he made the trip out.
Auerbach came from Port St.
Lucie, Fla., to participate. He
said he has done a lot of pack
type trips and cattle drives but
he wanted to ride where Earp
actually rode and to stand where
he actually stood.
Bill Simpson came from
Monroe, Ga., to take the ride.
“I loved things western all
my life,” said Simpson. “I love
the western history and the
mystic.”
Simpson said he has ridden
all over the west and runs a
cutting horse business. Cutting
horses are trained for cattle
herding events where the rider
and horse are judged on how
efficiently they can separate a
cow from a herd.
Rob Arntzen traveled from
Winnebago, Ill., for the ride.
“Shaw has a reputation, so I
know his rides are going to be
good,” Arntzen said. His
favorite part? The ride down
Allen Street.
Colleen Rich and her
husband read about the ride and
came down from Scottsdale.
“I’d go again next week if they
did it,” Rich said. “It’s an event
you’ll never forget.”