don't you think, Bob? Moreover, Boyer's "distortion" theory sounds (to me) less like a plausible interpretation of the facts than an after-the-fact rationalization to "cover" for Wyatt's implausible after-the-fact claim.

A couple things. One, are we not permitted to question Wyatt's veracity, not only with respect to this Ringo affair, but in general? Would we not be remiss not to do so? I'm not interested in portraying Wyatt as a bald-faced liar, but neither can we responsibly ignore the on-the-record pattern of his, to be kind, playing fast and loose with the facts. (God forbid that I should poke the whole Curly Bill hornet's nest.)

And two, if as Wyatt claims, he was a member of a posse that stumbled upon and subsequently murdered Ringo, where are the statements of all the other posse members, or anyone else for that matter, attesting to and corroborating the accuracy of Wyatt's claim? Perhaps they exist, but I am unaware of them if they do, but if they do, we would then need to go even further and evaluate the plausibility of what researchers call the "truth claims" of those individuals.

I have always had a difficult time with this particular aspect of the so-called Wyatt Earp Story which is why I am chiming in at all. It strikes me as a head-scratcher. It goes without saying that since we were not there, anything is possible, but it likewise is the case that some things are more possible, even likely, than are others. And when we place this episode in Big Picture historical context, including what we believe we know about the character and psychology of both men, the overwhelming weight of the evidence in my opinion points conclusively--or as close as we can come to conclusively--to suicide. Which in turn raises my original question of why Wyatt Earp would in his dotage choose to fabricate such a story.