You write: That's an awfully large if, 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) Olds, Boyer was speculating on why Earp would recount such a crazy mis-stating of the chronology of Ringo's death and the vendetta ride and all I was saying was that I thought he was right on that point - that Wyatt knew that returning months after the vendetta ride to off Rngo would be viewed as premeditated murder, so he conveniently compressed the time difference. I think that supposition on Boyer's part was right- regardless of whether Wyatt was lying about the whole thing or telling the truth or partial truth. I made that post to people who, like me, were fully aware of Boyer's duplicity and harm to this field of study and since I was not defending any of part "Josie's" (actually Boyer's) totally fabricated account, I didn't feel the need to qualify the statement. Here's the text of a fairly recent post to someone new to the field:
Bob Cash
Glenn Boyer on Ringo
Sat Feb 19, 2022 10:15

One thing you need to be aware of when starting to research John Ringo is the role author Glenn Boyer played in spreading a fictional account of the death of Ringo. However, he presented it as historical fact based on a manuscript he attributed to Wyatt Earp's wife, Josephine, when in reality it was a total fabrication written by Glenn himself.

This article by Gary Roberts is one of the best you can read to begin to understand the "dark side" of research into the Cochise County Earp-Cowboy War. It is from the Tombstone History Archives at the top of the page, already referenced to you by Eddie Lanham.

You write: "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.)"

I'm not sure why you are posing this question to me. I agree completely. In the old thread I posted, that I think you are answering, I point out three of Wyatt's biggest whoppers, two of which concerned homicides he was involved in. What intrigues me about Wyatt’s description of Ringo’s death in both Flood and Hooker is that, without explicitly pointing it out, it provides reasonable explanations for several of the mysteries surrounding the event. Wyatt was not a skillful or nuanced liar, at least not by the time he told Bechdolt, Hooker, Flood, or Lockwood his Ringo narrative. All in all, the evidence and informed speculation leans heavily in the direction that makes it extremely doubtful that Wyatt returned to Arizona, but, in my opinion does not totally preclude that possibility. (to be continued)