Much about being a lawyer seems fairly boring or standard. A law firm strikes many as a standard sort of office where people wear suits to work. They clock in at nine and go home at five. This is pretty true of most law firms. However, a law firm in Wichita, KS taps into a different kind of history. Most of them are just standard offices, but Wichita’s history as a frontier town means that it is rich with stories. One such story is about a lawman named Wyatt Earp. Earp is probably best known for his role in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and his friendship with the dentist and gambler, Doc Holliday. However, Earp was only involved in that gunfight because he was the marshal of Tombstone, Arizona. He became the marshal because of the fame that he’d earned while working in Kansas.
Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was born in 1848 in Illinois. He is best known for the shootout in Tombstone, although he was only the deputy town marshal at the time. He lived many different lives. He was a constable, county sheriff, policeman, U.S. marshal, buffalo hunter, teamster, and much more. After his wife died while pregnant, he led a restless life. He was arrested, sued, and jailed. He escaped from jail and headed to Wichita, Kansas.
Life in Wichita
In the 1870s, the town was known as a cattle boomtown. Boomtowns were cities that sprang up very quickly because of a particular industry. In this case, that industry was cattle. Most of the people in town were associated with the trade in some form or fashion. Usually, boomtowns turned bust and became ghost towns. Obviously, that was not the case here.
In the city, Wyatt Earp became a deputy city marshal and developed a reputation as an even-handed lawman. He was very slow to pull his firearm and did not shoot anyone. He was known to prefer buffaloing, hitting with the gun, to actually firing it. Because of his solid reputation earned in the town, he moved to Dodge City and became a city marshal. The rest of his life is fairly famous.
So, you can see how Wichita was instrumental in creating the myth of Wyatt Earp. The life he led after leaving the town has been anthologized in comic books, novels, cartoons, and movies. He is one of the most famous figures from the Wild West. He was known for upholding the laws that eventually became the same ones upheld by a local law firm. A firm such as Fleeson dedicates itself to the maintenance of fair and balanced laws. Everyone is entitled to legal representation and a day in court. The very best attorneys will ensure you get that.
