Year Old Dead Body Found in Tombstone

Tombstone

There doesn't seem to be an endless amount of bizarre stories in Arizona even today.  In Tombstone, actor/writer Timothy Fattig was arrested after the skeletal remains of his mother was found in her house. This is the article I found:

"An actor who did reenactments of the shootout at the OK Corral and worked on locally produced independent horror films remained jailed Sunday after authorities found the skeletal remains of his mother in her house.



Tombstone town Marshal Billy Cloud says he arrested 34-year-old Timothy Fattig on a negligent homicide charge on Wednesday after finding the remains of 68-year-old Jill Fattig.


Cloud says a town deputy checking on Jill Fattig got no response. Timothy Fattig told the deputy his mom was in a Tucson hospital but later said she died more than a year before and he just closed and locked her door because he was distraught.


Cloud said if an autopsy confirmed the death was natural, he'll only face a misdemeanor charge of failing to report a dead body."

(from the Arizona Daily Star; http://azstarnet.com/)

The Ghosts of Tombstone's Boarding Houses

Tombstone

Tombstone is famous for many things, mainly the Bird Cage Theatre and O.K. Corral. It is the lesser known places around town that have their own ghostly tales and are just as interesting. So dust off your boots and hang up your hat and listen to the stories of the ghosts of Tombstone’s boarding houses.

The Aztec House:

During its heyday, Tombstone was riddled with notorious gunslingers, businessmen, and miners. This male driven town had many soiled doves to entertain them that were working in the brothels and saloons around town. One of the more upscale, high class boarding houses was the Aztec House where anyone with money would plunk down plenty of gold coins to spend the night there. Mostly men stayed in the rooms and would usually entertain whores there.

Stories about ghostly activities inside and in front of the Aztec House have been reported by many eyewitnesses. A strong male presence has let itself be known that he doesn’t like any females that stay at the house making them feel so uncomfortable that they will usually end up leaving. A woman watching the house for the owner had her dog with her when strange things started to occur. She heard noises and saw lots of movement, dark shadows, and the doors in the kitchen opening by unseen forces. Needless to say, they did not spend the entire night at the house.

The outside of this present day antique shop has been visited by a mysterious apparition of a woman in white. She has been seen numerous times in front of the shop, perhaps driven there by the authentic items of her era on sale inside. There are many theories on why she is there and one is that she was an 1880’s brothel madam who was hung at the courthouse. Maybe this occurred outside the Aztec House and she is on the hunt for her executioners. Another story about the lady in white is that her child died of Yellow Fever and she killed herself on the steps of the Aztec House. She has been seen wandering the streets of Tombstone and always making a stop at the Aztec House.

San Jose Boarding House:
This boarding house was a favorite of Doc Holliday’s. He would lay his hat there while in Tombstone and during visits with his lady love, Big Nose Kate. Many wonder if Doc’s spirit is still hanging around because of the paranormal experiences that some have claimed happened to them especially in the room Doc liked to stay in. Some of the activity is of doors opening and shutting by themselves and the toilet keeps flushing for no apparent reason. One guest had several pictures taken of him and his lady friend while in that room. In all the pictures, she had a strange haze over her face and his face was clear. They moved positions and the haze was still over her face. There was no explanation for the unusual occurrence. An owner tells of a frightening experience that she had while in the house. One night she had trouble breathing as if she was being choked. She yelled the Father’s name loudly and right afterwards felt much better.

Barrows Boarding House (now known as Tombstone Boarding House):

This adobe house was built in 1880 by Tombstone’s first bank manager and has a white picket fence outside. In the early 1930’s it was remodeled and enlarged giving more rooms to the boarding house. Its owners have many remarkable ghost stories to tell about their own personal experiences and what their guests lived through as well.

One story centers about Billy Clanton and the White Room. It is rumored that after the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, that the critically injured Billy was taken to the Barrows house and put in the White Room. Suffering in great pain and given medicine to calm him down, Billy eventually died when his heart stopped pumping. This is just one rumor because other stories have been told that Billy died right away from his wounds. Whatever the truth may be, many claimed to have seen Billy’s ghost in that room. Some people ask for the White Room and hope that Billy’s spirit will make an appearance to them. Other apparitions have been seen as well. A young blond-haired man and woman have been observed in the room with her begging the gentleman to not go near the window. The eyewitness felt several angry presences outside the room as if it was some sort of lynch mob.

The White Room isn’t the only place in the boarding house to have reported ghostly activity. The Green Room seems to be where people have experienced vivid dreams. Two women staying in that room weeks apart had the exact same intensive dream. Both reported seeing a young woman in Victorian clothing and a man in a hat walking through their room, out the door, and into a garden with climbing roses on a trellis.

In the Gold Room, producers of the movie, Ghosts of Tombstone, stayed in that room and reported hearing footsteps as if someone was walking around the room all night. They never saw anyone and couldn’t explain the strange phenomenon.

In the main house guests have reported seeing two ghosts, a mother and daughter, polishing the furniture. Apparently in afterlife they still care how the place looks.

Tombstone is a magnet for many ghost sightings even in its lesser known places. Stay a night and see who will visit you when the sun sets in this vast desert town.

The Legend of Gold Dollar

Tombstone

Tombstone has many famous legends that once walked the dusty streets and left their mark in the Wild West history. One of the lesser known legends was that of a dancer named Gold Dollar. She was first known as Little Gertie but with her long golden blonde hair, fair complexion and earning a gold dollar as payment for services bestowed, she was given the moniker “Gold Dollar”. She danced at the Crystal Palace saloon which was located near the Bird Cage Theatre. This woman was tiny in stature but very feisty and not to be messed with. Most of the women of this era were very protective of their men and Gold Dollar was no different.
Gold Dollar had taken a shine to a local gambler, Billy Milgreen, who passed himself off as someone influential. They lived together and she considered him to be her man. She threatened harm to any woman that touched and flirted with him. The women of Tombstone were afraid the petite prostitute and stayed away from Billy.

Trouble came to town in the name of Margarita, an attractive Mexican woman. With her creamy bronze skin, this sensual, graceful, mysterious woman with long black hair immediately set her dark eyes on Billy. She took a job as a soiled dove at the Bird Cage Theatre where many of the men along with Billy, were mesmerized by her beauty.

Margarita was aware of Gold Dollar and Billy’s relationship, but it didn’t stop her from flirting with the handsome gambler. The wrath of Gold Dollar was soon bestowed upon Margarita when she got wind of the bitch’s intentions. Even though she threatened Margarita with “cutting out her heart” if she didn’t back off, and Margarita continued flirting with Billy. Knowing what Gold Dollar was capable of, he promised her that he would have nothing to do with Margarita and would ignore all her flirtations.

One evening, Billy got wind of a high stakes poker game at the Bird Cage and wanted in on the action. Gold Dollar knew that Billy made his living gambling and grudgingly allowed him to play. She was working at the Crystal Palace that night and made him promise to stay away from Margarita. Excited about playing the game, he agreed whole heartedly and ran off to the Bird Cage.

While Billy concentrated on his cards and the game, Margarita flounced gracefully across the floor towards him trying to get his attention. Billy wanted to honor his promise to Gold Dollar but had trouble keeping his mind on the game as Margarita strutted around the table. After trying to get the gambler’s attention, she decided to plunk herself in his lap and overwhelm him with kisses.

Some stories say that Gold Dollar didn’t trust Billy being able to fight off Margarita’s affections and went down to the Bird Cage to check things out for herself. Other stories are that someone told her the hussy was putting moves on her man and she ran to the Bird Cage in a fit of anger. She busted through the doors and rushed over to where they were sitting. She grabbed a fistful of Margarita’s hair and pulled her off Billy.

The mystery of these women’s past paled in comparison to how Margarita was really killed by Gold Dollar. Here is what tales have been spun about the murder. After she was pulled off Billy, Margarita fought back against the petite woman but was no match for her enraged temper. Gold Dollar pulled out a 4 inch stiletto and stabbed her in the side. Before the doctor could reach her, Margarita died from her wounds. Other stories are told that she did indeed stab her in the chest and almost cut out her heart just like she had threatened to do. Margarita fell down and died instantly. When they called for the Sheriff, Gold Dollar ran out of the Bird Cage and hid the stiletto outside the building.

No murder charges were brought upon Gold Dollar because the murder weapon was never found. She ended up quietly leaving town, followed by Billy months later. It is not known exactly how many years later the stiletto was found, but it was discovered behind the Bird Cage. That stiletto is on eminent display inside the Bird Cage Theatre.

Many that work at the Bird Cage Theatre feel Margarita’s ghost is still hanging around the building. The lingering smell of cheap lilac perfume can by detected by the employees and visitors from time to time.

The Infamous Ike Clanton

Tombstone

Joseph Isaac (Ike) Clanton was a pivotal player of one of the most famous events in Wild West history, the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. He along with his younger brother Billy has chiseled their place in American Old West history. He was born on June 1, 1847 and one of seven children. His father, Newman Haynes Clanton was known as Old Man Clanton by many and was a day laborer, a gold miner, a farmer, and by the late 1870’s, a cattleman in the Arizona Territory. His mother was Maria Sexton (Kelso) Clanton and died in 1866 in a mining center.

After his mother’s death, Ike stayed with his father and brothers, Phineas (Fin) and Billy after they moved to Tombstone. His father ran a small lunch counter and then a ranch which Ike worked on. The Clanton boys earned a bad reputation and were accused of cattle rustling, banditry and murder. Ike didn’t gain fan as a notorious bad boy until his many conflicts with the Earps and Doc Holliday. He was an ill tempered, heavy drinking loudmouth that was constantly bad talking about the Earps.

The problems between the Earps began right after Wyatt arrived in Tombstone in November 1879. Wyatt’s horse was stolen and a year later he found out that it was in Charleston on the Clanton’s ranch. After getting ownership papers proving the horse to be his, Wyatt and Doc headed out to their ranch. They were met by 18 year old smart mouth Billy, who was somewhat threatening to steal more of his horses. He finally retrieved his horse, which seemed to anger Wyatt and Ike as well. After that, the Clantons and the Earps both exchanged accusations that each was committing the many crimes happening in and around Tombstone.

On October 25, 1881, Doc Holliday confronted Ike about a stagecoach robbery which angered him. Ike got very drunk and belligerent and shortly afterwards, an argument with Holliday ensued. Morgan and Virgil threatened to arrest the both of them if they didn’t stop, so they did. They left the scene, Doc to get some sleep, but Ike stayed up through the wee hours playing cards with Tom McLaury and Virgil Earp. When the game was over and the other boys went to bed, but Ike kept drinking and was seen carrying his rifle in the middle of town, yelling like a fool, threatening Doc and the Earps. Virgil and Morgan were able to get the jump on Ike, knocking him out and throwing his filthy butt in jail. He was fined for carrying a weapon in the city, paid the fine and had a heated exchange of words with the Earps as he left.

Ike, along with Tom McLaury, later met up with his younger brother Billy and Tom’s brother, Frank, in back of the O.K. Corral. They were angered by what the Earps did to Ike and made strong threats against them. The Earps got wind of the threats, headed down the street towards the O.K. Corral, and was joined by Doc Holliday. They went there to retrieve the McLaury’s and Clanton’s weapons, and a few minutes later history was made. At 3:00 pm on October 26, 1881 in a vacant lot behind the O.K. Corral, a gunbattle ensused and at the end, three men were dead. There were reports by witnesses that Ike was unarmed and was able to skinned out unharmed along with Billy Claiborne, but his little brother Billy and the McLaurys were not as lucky. Afterwards there was a hearing against the Earps who were accused as being murderers.

In his usual fashion, Ike tried to spin the story making it look like the Earps and Holliday went to the corral with the intent to purposely murder all of them. He painted them as cool blooded killers and lied about other incidences from the past further making them look like liars and thieves. However, the Earps had a better defense and with all that Ike tried to do to get them convicted of murder, the charges were eventually dropped.

In December of 1881, Ike along with his brother Fin and Pony Diehl, attacked Virgil Earp in an attempt to assassinate him. Virgil didn’t die but was disabled for life. Ike was arrested but his friends provided him with an alibi, so the judge had no choice but to dismiss the case. There attempt to kill Virgil failed but in March of 1882, Ike along with Frank Stilwell and others, attacked Wyatt and Morgan leaving Morgan mortally wounded. He eventually died from his wounds causing Wyatt to remove Virgil from Tombstone for his safety. After Wyatt killed Stilwell, the Earp Vendetta Ride went after Ike and the other cowboys involved in the slaying of Morgan and the second attempt on Virgil’s life. Ike escaped again but his hell raising days were not over yet.

After getting caught cattle-rustling with his brother Fin, they were trapped at the Jim Wilson’s Ranch on Eagle Creek, near Springerville, Arizona by Detective Jonas V. Brighton on June 1, 1887. Fin surrendered quietly but not Ike. He was shot twice with the fatal blow going through his heart. He fell off his horse and hit the ground dead. There were many reports of where his body was buried, but it wasn’t until 1996 that a remaining relative, Terry Clanton, along with grave expert, James A. Browning, found where it was officially located. Under a large tree near the creek in Greenlee County, Arizona, is a shallow grave they believe to be his. Even though Terry has tried to get Ike’s remains buried in the Boothill Graveyard near Tombstone, the town’s officials feel that his remains shouldn’t be bothered.

The Ghosts of the Birdcage Theatre

Tombstone

The Birdcage Theatre opened in 1881 and was not only a theater, but also served as a saloon, gambling hall and brothel. The New York Times called it, “The wildest, roughest, wickedest honky tonk between Bash Street and the Barbary Coast”. It had all the best beer and champagne and a miner could spend a month’s pay there. It was opened 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and even on holidays. There were 26 deaths during the 80 years of business and has over 120 bullet holes in the walls and ceiling.

On December 25, 1881, William “Billy” Hutchinson and his wife Lottie opened the Bird Cage Theatre. It got its name from the 14 boxes that were referred to as “cages”. These cages are located on the second story balconies on both sides of the main hall. Each box had drapes that could be drawn while the prostitutes amused their cliental. Also found in the main hall is a stage where live performances were held and below was an orchestra pit.

Many famous and notorious legends frequented the Bird Cage. Performers such as Lillian Russell, Lotta Crabtree, and Eddie Foy Sr. have performed on the stage along with Fatima, the belly dancer. Others like the Clantons, Earps, Bat Masterson, Doc Holliday and even Pete Spence, laid down many silver coins for a shot of whiskey. The basement was set up as a poker room and where the story is told that the longest-running poker game in history was played there. This game was played 24 hours, and apparently lasted eight years, five months, three days, with over 10 million dollars exchanging hands. Some of the participants were Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, Diamond Jim Brady, and George Hearst, with the house getting 10 percent of the profits. The game ended when the ground water seeped into the mines, flooding many of the buildings. In 1889 the town went bust, along with the Bird Cage Theatre and the building had to be closed.

Perhaps one of the most notorious prostitutes at the Bird Cage was named “Gold Dollar” because of her long gold hair. It was said that a woman named Margarita came to town and took a shine to Gold Dollar’s boyfriend Billy. She loved sitting on his lap and flirting with him. One time Gold Dollar got wind of Margarita sitting on Billy’s lap and she headed to the Bird Cage Theatre. She threatened Margarita and told her that she was going to cut out her heart. They got into a brawl and Gold Dollar stabbed Margarita in the chest, and cut her heart out. The angry ghost of Margarita has been seen walking around the Bird Cage Theatre.

In 1934, the Bird Cage Theatre’s new owners opened the place back up for show. They found everything in the building the exact way it was left, even the poker table. Today the Bird Cage stands as a tourist attraction and a visual look into its colorful past. With its violent history, there is no short supply of ghostly activity reported there. Several ghost hunting teams such as Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures and Ghost Lab have investigated the place with incredible results.

Some of the ghostly claims that have been reported are crowd noises, music, card shuffling and the smell of cigar smoke. A stage manager was said to be killed there when a sandbag dropped on him. His ghost can be seen walking across the stage. A gift store owner saw the spirits of three cowboys in the gift store just standing in the back, and then disappeared. In the poker room in the basement, a lady in a white dress has been seen in the security cameras when no one was in that room at that time. They even have a photo of a white ghostly figure on the stairs leading down to the basement. The apparition appears to be a woman in a bonnet holding her dress as she walks down the stairs. A female employee was helping an older gentleman find his wife only to have him disappear on her. A tourist found a rare gold coin ($25 birdcage chip with only 3 in existence) on the table in the poker room. No one can explain where it came from because it wasn’t there before. In some pictures, a ghostly figure of a cowboy can be seen in the stagecoach in the back area of the theater. During a séance, an owner was choked by a spirit’s unseen hands. Also, the smell of cheap lilac perfume can be smelt in various areas of the building.

Ghost Hunters: The personal experiences of the TAPS team were cards shuffling, smelling smoke, shadows walking across the window, a shadow walking across the stage (perhaps the stage manager), a ball dropping and rolling, and cowboy boots walking. Jason and Grant saw a woman about 5’ tall, in a white dress, wearing a bonnet, going downstairs to the poker room. They could not find anyone down there. (Perhaps the same woman caught on the security camera and in the photo). They also smelt a lilac smell (perhaps the presence of Margarita). Steve and Brian heard a loud noise and found their heavy electrical cord unwrapped and lying on the ground. They could not figure out how that happened.

On audio they captured the sound of a piano (music) playing. If Brian and Steve heard it they would have said something but did not. On video they caught the cord lift up and unwrap itself by some unseen force. That was pretty cool.

Ghost Adventures: Zak immediately sees a light and Aaron hears voice. They said it felt like 50 people were watching them and then proceeded to hear a man's voice. As Zak continues to shoot a gun, Aaron felt something tugged on his flashlight perhaps mistaking it for a gun. They heard a sound in the hearse area and headed to towards that room. Nick is now asking for some action and he got it, a noise where the prostitutes’ pictures are hung. Zak points his camera at each picture asking if they made the noise; while Nick hears a growl. Zak's camera went out of focus after asking one of the pictures if they are trying to get their attention and then the sees a bluish face to the side of him. Now near the hearse, Zak produces a silver dollar to see is Caleb will come forward and right afterwards, they heard a knock. Zak then gets in the coffin leaning on the wall but nothing happened. Zak and Nick head back to the poker room with whiskey and cigars while Aaron watches on the screens. On the way down, Zak sees a shadow and gets goose bumps. They both heard a man talking but the cameras didn't pick it up. They did capture a faint female scream. They offer the whiskey and cigar to the spirits while their camera near the stagecoach caught unexplained footsteps. On the digital recorder they caught male voices saying "come here” and "no, keep talking", and then another voice saying "no". They checked to see if Aaron said the “no” because it was so clear, but it wasn't him. They continued hearing multiple disembodied voices and noises. Now it’s Aaron turn in the poker room alone. Standing near the stagecoach in the hearse room, he had the feeling like someone was following him up the stairs to the room. He puts the recorder on the death mobile, as he describes it and slides underneath the hearse. He freaks out and quickly gets out from under. He said that he felt something grab his shirt and decides it was time to leave. Aaron to the guys, “Dude not cool, not going to do this no more.” On their static cameras in hearse room, they caught a voice. In the poker room, they caught a strange light and caught what sounded like cards shuffling and a grunt or breath. Dwight, the paranormal investigator, thinks the light might be a spirit trying to manifest itself, because it looked like an upper torso. He listened to the female voice and heard it saying "someone is here" and a male voice "sighing" loudly as if they interrupted them having sex. He also confirmed hearing the cards shuffling, and then a noise like the cards were hit on the table afterwards.

Apparently, there is lots of spirits still haunting the Bird Cage Theatre; those that died there and those that did not get to finish their game.

Buford House: Tombstone's Haunted B&B

Tombstone

Located on Stafford Street in Tombstone, Arizona, is the Buford House Bed & Breakfast. This adobe home was built in 1880 by George Buford, a prominent mine owner. At least two sheriffs, a mayor and state senator have called the Buford House their home. The owners Ruth and Richard Allen have played host to many famous visitors such as the Duke himself, John Wayne. Along with the living guests that have laid their hats in the B&B, many claim that there are others guests that have long since gone who seems to want to hang around.

One of those past guests is that of George Dahl who lived there with his father in the late 1800’s. At the age of 21 years, George asked his beloved Cleopatra Evans to marry him. Petra, which was what she was called for short, was only 17 years of age at the time. George had been in love with her since childhood. Knowing that he didn’t have enough money to support the both of them, he went to work for the mines. After returning nine months later, George appeared to be wealthier and ready to marry his lovely fiancé. Unfortunately, he was too late and Petra had fallen in love with another man. He was completely devastated and spent the entire night crying. His father was deeply concerned for his son and kept checking in on him regularly to see if he was alright. By morning, his tears have turned to anger and he left his home with gun in hand. Petra came to check on him and before she knew it, he had shot her about four times. George then put the gun to his head and shot himself, dying instantly. Petra crawled her way to the doctor but he refused to help her. He did not approve of her loving another man when she was promised to George. A surgeon, who mended wounded gunslingers, just happened to be in town and took care of Petra, who was close to death. He stitched up her wounds and she did recover. Even though Petra stayed in Tombstone, got married and had children, she was never accepted by the residence because of betraying George.

The Allens and many the guests that passed through the Buford House doors claimed to have seen George’s ghost hanging around the house. Many think he is still looking for his long lost love, Petra. Pictures taken by visitors have revealed a ghostly figure of a man in a cowboy hat who appears to be looking out the window. Owners have reported a mischievous ghost that will turn lights off and on or ring the doorbell at 3:00 in the morning. No one is ever there when they answer the door. Some female guests have reported their hair being touched or some unseen hand stroking the back of their necks. The lingering odor of lavender has been smelt by some in the rooms. Perhaps Petra is still hanging around as well.

There have been other reports of unusual activity at the Buford House. Strange looking orbs appear in many visitors photos. Some guests staying in the upstairs room have reported seeing a strange light in the room. There are no street lights outside the house, so they have no explanation for the light. Items left in the rooms while the guests were out, were moved and hidden by some playful ghost. One lady reported her wallet missing after searching the entire room once, they didn’t find it. They decided to give the room another once over and found the wallet under the bed. The wallet wasn’t there when they looked the first time. The money and credit cards were still inside.

Another interesting ghost that only a few have seen is that of a feisty old woman. One woman claimed that she saw the old lady ghost rocking on a chair in her room. She goes on to say that they had an argument about whose room it was. The ghost screamed at her, “this is my room, GET OUT!”, but she wouldn’t budge. According to the owners, this went on all night. All I have to say is that it doesn’t matter if you are dead or alive, stubborn is stubborn, lol.

This bed and breakfast is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Buford House B&B is just another noteworthy haunted place to visit while in Tombstone.

Original O.K. Corral Papers

Tombstone

"BISBEE, Ariz. (AP) — The original court transcripts from the 1881 Coroner's Inquest into the Gunfight at the OK Corral will be handed over to the Arizona State Archives on Wednesday.


The 36-page handwritten account of witness testimony given after the shootout that left three men dead in Tombstone had been missing for years. Two Cochise County court clerks cleaning out a storage space at the Bisbee courthouse found the old documents in a box in March.


Cochise County Clerk of Superior Court Denise Lundin realized they were the original OK Corral documents that had disappeared prior to her becoming clerk in 1994.


Although the documents belong to Cochise County, Lundin says her office can't maintain them and they are an important part of state history that belongs in the archives."
(Associated Press, http://www.azfamily.com/)

Ghost Adventures: Bird Cage Theatre Recap

Tombstone

Ghost Adventures Birdcage Theatre (07/03/09)
Tombstone, Arizona

I don’t usually recap this show but since they were at the Bird Cage Theatre, a place where I have been several times and Ghost Hunters had an active investigation, I thought, why not. This is what TAPS found on their investigation: The personal experiences: cards shuffling, smelling smoke, shadows walking across the window, shadow walking across the stage, a ball dropping and rolling, cowboy boots walking; Jason and Grant saw a woman about 5’ tall, in a white dress, wearing a bonnet, going downstairs in the poker room. They could not find anyone down there. They also smelt a lilac perfume smell. Steve and Brian heard a loud noise and found their heavy electrical cord unwrapped and lying on the ground. They could not figure out how that happened.
Audio: heard piano (music) playing
Video: saw the cord lift up and unwrap itself and no one was there.

Now let us see what the Ghost Adventures dudes found:
You see Zak interview LeRoy Colomy, the manager of the Bird Cage Theatre, first. He tells him that he believes in the paranormal because of his experiences. They start out in the main area which was a dance hall, theatre, gambling hall, saloon and a house of ill fame, all rolled into one. Above the main floor is where the 14 cribs were where the soiled doves and tainted angels (lady of the night) hung out. They entertained with champaign, kisses and other favors in each of the cribs. LeRoy’s paranormal experiences in that room were being tapped on his shoulder, the smell of cigar smoke, had his legs knocked out from under him by unseen forces. The many reports of physical contact is why Zak and the boys wanted to investigate the Bird Cage. As you look around you will notice that the walls and floors are riddled with over 140 bullet holes giving the Bird Cage a notorious name in history. It had 26 men died in the building, with 16 gunfights caused by thoughts of someone cheating at cards. He told Zak that the spirits got killed so quickly and that they had no where to go, which may be why the Bird Cage has so many ghosts hanging around. Zak next interviews Nova Fleury, a Bird Cage employee, who tells him that women working in the Bird Cage did very extreme things under very extreme circumstances and wouldn't be surprised that many of their spirits are still at the place. She thinks that business is still going on there. She saw an apparition of a woman in one of the cribs, in her 1880's undergarments, opening the curtains, and then moving back inside. The curtains were still moving afterwards. Right after she told him the story, Zak felt like he just got touched by unseen hands. Nova said that she felt a kiss on the cheek at one time while in the building. The next interview is with Dean Dougherty, employee at the gift shop. He tells Zak that many times he was whispered to, spoken to and saw a lady in a white gown and has been in the gift shop, during the daytime. He was a skeptic when he first started, but after his first experience, he is no longer. He tells them that his first experience was while he was walking up to the building, looked in the window, and saw the lady in white standing in the store. He quickly went in to tell her that she was not supposed to be there, but she just disappeared. He then shows Zak a picture of the lady in white going down the back stairs that someone captured. Cool picture. Downstairs, now in the poker room, Zak interviews Ruth Larriso, another gift shop employee. She has heard women's voices when no one was in the room and saw the lady in white exiting through a door in the basement. She got a good look at the lady and could see that she had a bonnet on. (Perhaps Jason and Grant’s apparition they saw?) In that room, the longest poker game in history took place. The game lasted 8 years 5 months and 3 days, and was non stop 24/7, the entire time. It had a 1,000 dollar buy in which is equal to 30,000 dollars today. They have heard poker games, glasses clinking, cards shuffling, poker chips being thrown, seen apparitions of cowboys and a naked woman in the wine cellar. Zak really wanted to capture her. Then we see the guys reenacting the fight at the OK Corral, where boys will be boys. Back in the Bird Cage we see Zak was standing near the hearse with Dwight Hall, a paranormal investigator. He captured many demonic type voices right next to the hearse during several of his investigations of the Bird Cage for the past 10 years. He thinks the hearse is the connection for all the spirits seen many died there. He captured voices saying, “Get the f*** out” and “Go to hell”, to name a couple. He tells them that Caleb is the bad spirit near the hearse and has been caught in some people’s photos. Dwight has felt a hand on the back of his neck and heard a female voice whisper to him while investigating. Lastly, they head off, on horseback no less, to find Brunckow’s cabin. Frederick Brunckow was the first to find silver in the Tombstone Hills and not Ed Schieffelin like history is told. In 1860 Brunckow was working the mine with three other men and about a dozen Mexican helpers. He and two of his men were robbed and murdered at the cabin. The Mexican workers were blamed for the killings. Brunckow's body was found in the minds with a big hole in his chest. Many say they can still hear his screams deep down in the mine.

LOCKDOWN: Zak first points out a skull in a case that was found in the ground at the Bird Cage Theatre. He and Aaron map out where the static night vision cameras are going to be set up. Number one is pointing at the stagecoach where apparitions are seen; number two will be in the poker room where apparitions have been seen and chairs moving; number three towards the wine cellar where the naked lady apparition was seen; number four point at the prostitutes room; and number five will point at the craps tables and stage room. Now that they have that all figured out, they head into the stage/lounge area and shut the door behind them. Zak immediately sees a light and Aaron hears voice. They said it felt like 50 people were watching them and then proceeded to hear a man's voice. As Zaks continues to shoot a gun, Aaron felt something tugged on his flashlight perhaps mistaking it for a gun. They heard a sound in the hearse area and headed to towards that room. Nick is now asking for some action and he got it, a noise where the prostitutes’ pictures are hung. Zak points his camera at each picture asking if they made the noise; while Nick hears a growl. Zak's camera went out of focus after asking one of the pictures if they are trying to get their attention then the sees a bluish face to the side of him, and freaks out. Now near the hearse, Zak produces a silver dollar to see is Caleb will come forward, then right afterwards, they heard a knock. Zak then gets in the coffin leaning on the wall but nothing happened. Zak and Nick head back to the poker room with whiskey and cigars while Aaron watches on the screens. On the way down, Zak sees a shadow and gets goose bumps. They both heard a man talking but the cameras didn't pick it up, but did pick up a faint female scream. They offer the whiskey and cigar to the spirits while their camera near the stagecoach caught unexplained footsteps. On the digital recorder they caught male voices saying "come here” and "no, keep talking", and then another voice saying "no". They checked to see if Aaron said the “no” because it was so clear, but it wasn't him. They continued hearing multiple disembodied voices and noises. Now it’s Aaron turn in the poker room alone. Standing near the stagecoach in the hearse room, he had the feeling like someone was following him up the stairs to the room. He puts the recorder on the death mobile, as he describes it and slides underneath the hearse. He freaks out and quickly gets out from under. He said that he felt something grab his shirt and decides it was time to leave. Aaron to the guys, “Dude not cool, not going to do this no more.” On their static cameras in hearse room, they caught a voice. In the poker room, they caught a strange light and caught what sounded like cards shuffling and a grunt or breath. Dwight, the paranormal investigator, thinks the light might be a spirit trying to manifest itself, because it looked like an upper torso. He listened to the female voice and heard it saying "someone is here" and a male voice "sighing" loudly as if they interrupted them having sex. He also confirmed hearing the cards shuffling, and then a noise like the cards were hit on the table afterwards. Apparently, there is lots of spirits still haunting the Bird Cage Theatre.

For more on the history and haunts of Tombstone AZ and the Bird Cage Theatre, check out my blog, "The Town Too Tough To Die".

--Julie--

The Town Too Tough to Die

Tombstone

Haunted History of Tombstone, Arizona
Brief History:For nine years in the late 1880’s, Tombstone was the mecca of many notorious happenings.
In the summer of 1877 a prospector named Edward Lawrence Schieffelin arrived in the San Pedro Valley of Arizona searching for silver. He had been searching for ten years and he had yet to be successful. Ed worked all day in the area known as the Tombstone Hills in the Mule Mountains. Often asked why he always goes up in those hills, he would say, “to collect rocks”. One soldier told him, “If you keep fooling around amongst the Apaches, the only rock you will find will be your tombstone.” Finally, he saw a wash with scattered pieces of silver in it. As he moved up the hill, he found a large vain of silver. He decided to call his claim “Tombstone”. In early 1879 the City of Tombstone was built. On Allen Street the lots sold for $5 each and the town had 40 cabins and a population of 100. A year later, in 1880, four towns were thriving in the mining district and Tombstone was the largest. The population exploded to 3,000 and in a year later it more than doubled to 7,000. Before the decade was over, the population was over 10,000. Tombstone had more brothels, gambling houses, saloons than any other town in the southwest. With all the gun play, the undertaker had a booming business. With the flooding of the mines and the two fires that almost destroyed all of Tombstone, it soon became a ghost town. But with the popular interest in the history and the ghostly sightings, Tombstone is thriving again. It has earned the name, “The Town too Tough to Die”.

Ghost Sightings and Haunts:The streets of Tombstone are said to have hundreds of sightings of spirits hanging around various places. One of them is said to be Marshal Fred White, who was accidentally shot by Curly Bill Brocius on October 28, 1880. He was hit in the groin trying to disarm the gunman who was joking about shooting up the town. Marshal died two day later. He has been known to haunt the street in front of the Bird Cage Theatre, where the shooting took place.

Another sighting of a man with a long black coat has been seen on many occasions. He has been seen, around the corner from Tuff Nut Street, near the site where Virgil Earp was ambushed by three men and shot in the arm. It was told that he had over 19 buckshot in him and it crippled him for life. The spirit never makes it across the street so many believe it may be the ghost of Virgil Earp, himself.

A mysterious woman in white has been seen walking the streets of Tombstone. There are many stories about the woman and how she died. One story is that she killed herself after her child died from the Yellow Fever. Another story is that she was a brothel madam who was hung at the courthouse. They say she may be on the look out for her executioners.

They also say the because of the fires, smoke and burning materials are often smelt where there is no reason or explanation for it. More than 40 men lost their lives in the fires. They will occasionally make themselves know by appearing complete with their bad burns.

On Stafford Street you will find The Buford Bed & Breakfast, which was built in 1880 by George Buford. People staying there in the upstairs room have noticed a strange light in the room. There are no street lights outside the B&B, so there is no explanation for the light. Another guest has reported arguing with a ghostly woman in a rocking chair over whose room it was. The ghost would tell her “This is my room, GET OUT!” Another ghostly figure of a man has been seen around the B&B also. It is suspected that it could be the ghost of George Dahls. The story goes that George was in love with a 17 year old named Petra Evans. He was 21 and had been in love with her since childhood. He went to work at the mines so he could have enough money to marry Petra. He stayed 9 months in the mines and returned much wealthier. It was too late; Petra had fallen in love with another man. George was so devastated, cried all night and woke up in the morning angry. He got a gun, walked across the street and shot Petra four times, and then shot himself in the head. Petra survived. The owners of the B&B have often seen George, perhaps looking for his long lost love. He would make his presence known by turning on and off the lights and ringing the doorbell at 3:00 in the morning. No one was usually at the door. A lavender smell is often detected. Perhaps Petra is around too.

Another place known for ghostly haunts is the San Jose Boarding House. This place was frequented by Doc Holliday. In the room where Doc stayed, the doors keeping opening and shutting and the toilet keeps flushing. One guest had pictures taken of him and his secretary in that room. In all of the pictures, she had a haze over her face but his face was clear. There is no explanation for it. The owner even had an experience. One night she had trouble breathing, like she was being choked. She said the Fathers name loudly and started to feel better.

Tombstone was a male driven town. Most of the women were whores and worked in brothels and saloons. One of the places where that were most apparent was the Aztec House. This was an upscale, high class boarding house for people with money. Mostly men stayed there and would entertain whores there. Woman staying there get very uncomfortable to the point that they feel like they need to get out! One woman was watching the house for the owner and had her dog with her. She heard lots of noises and there was lots of movement with no wind to make the movements. She saw shadows, doors opening into the kitchen and nobody was there. Her and her dog did not stay the night. She also owns a house in Tombstone, which she rents out. Children have told stories of seeing and talking to a male ghost there.

The Birdcage Theatre:Opened on Christmas 1881 and was not only a theatre, but also served as a saloon, gambling hall and brothel. The New York Times called it, “The wildest, roughest, wickedest honky tonk between Bash Street and the Barbary Coast”. It had all the best beer and champagne. A miner could spend a months pay there. It was opened 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even on holidays. There were 26 deaths during the 80 years of business and has over 100 bullet holes in the walls and ceiling.

Some of the ghostly events that have been reported are crowd noises, music, card shuffling and cigar smoke.
A stage manager was said to be killed there when a sandbag dropped on him. His ghost can be seen walking across the stage.
A gift store owner saw the spirits of three cowboys in the gift store.
In the poker room in the basement, a lady in a white dress has been seen in the security cameras when no one was in that room at that time.
Another employee was helping an older gentleman find his wife only to have him disappear on her.
A tourist found a rare gold coin ($25 birdcage chip with only 3 in existence) on the table in the poker room. No one can explain where it came from.
In some pictures, a ghostly figure of a cowboy can be seen in the stagecoach.
During a séance, an owner was choked by a spirit.
The smell of cheap lilac perfume can be smelt.

Perhaps one of the most notorious prostitutes at the Bird Cage was named “Gold Dollar” for her long gold hair. It was said that a woman named Margarita came to town and took a shine to Gold Dollar’s boyfriend Billy. She loved sitting on his lap. One time Gold Dollar got wind of Margarita sitting on Billy’s lap and she headed to the Bird Cage Theatre. She threatened Margarita and told her that she was going to cut out her heart. They got into a brawl and Gold Dollar stabbed Margarita in the chest, cutting her heart out. The angry ghost of Margarita has been seen walking around the Bird Cage Theatre.

Ghost Hunters Experience and Reveal at the Bird Cage Theatre:The personal experiences: cards shuffling, smelling smoke, shadows walking across the window, shadow walking across the stage (perhaps the stage manager), a ball dropping and rolling, cowboy boots walking; Jay and Grant saw a woman about 5’ tall, in a white dress, wearing a bonnet, going downstairs in the poker room. They could not find anyone down there. (Perhaps the same woman caught on the security camera). They also smelt a lilac smell (perhaps the presence of Margarita). Steve and Brian heard a loud noise and found their heavy electrical cord unwrapped and lying on the ground. They could not figure out how that happened.
Audio: heard piano (music) playing
Video: saw the cord lift up and unwrap itself and no one was there (spooky)

O.K. Corral:After being threatened to be killed if they didn’t leave town, the Earps and Doc Holliday said that they would never run. So on October 26, 1881, Virgil received word that the Cowboys were at the O.K. Corral, and they were armed, which was against city law. The five killers waited for them to show up. After 30 seconds, three men were dead and three were wounded. Wyatt was the only one untouched. His brothers and Doc were wounded. Today, the O.K. Corral is allegedly haunted by the ghosts of the Billy Clanton and/or the McLaury brothers. Some have seen a faded cowboy apparition walking through the corral or cowboys appearing to have their guns drawn. There have been numerous cold spots felt in the corral in various areas.

Boot Hill:With more than 250 graves of Tombstone’s most notorious buried there, several ghost sightings have been seen there. Many noises can be heard there with shadow figures and apparitions showing up in people’s photos. Ghostly figures have been seen walking around the graves.

I will be throwing in articles between Mike's story. Tombstone is a fascinating place to visit with many ghosts walking it's streets and living in the buildings.