Gettysburg and Haunted Tombstone

The bloodiest battle of the Civil War was fought
here. In just two days, over 50,000 Americans,
mostly Texan and Georgian Confederate soldiers died
here. The sheer number of dead in such a small
place is bad enough, but when you take into
account that these were likely 16 year old scared,
inexperienced little boys that were told to die with
their guns blazing, you have set the stage for a
fantastically haunted location.

The battle between the North and South left a deep
scar here on July 3, 1863. Confederate troops
suffered a massive loss under General Robert E. Lee.
If not for divine intervention, the battle may have
turned out differently. The Union soldiers under
General George Meade were in desperate need for
reinforcements. Soldiers from the 20th Maine
Division neared Gettysburg, but didn't know where to
go. Just then, a glowing apparition of George
Washington appeared and led them to a strategic
position on 'Little Roundup.' There they turned away
a flank of Confederate troops and turned the tide of
the battle. Later, an investigation was launched by
the Secretary of State to find out who the figure
that had led them to the perfect spot was. The
soldiers swore it was George Washington.

Several ghosts of unknown soldiers walk this area.
Some drag along bloody legs and stare with vacant
eyes. Others seem prepared for battle, dressed and
ready to go. Phantom troops have been seen
marching across the battlefield with their guns
ready, and scenes of vicious fighting replay from
time to time. Ghostly music has also been heard
several times.

Tombstone is the town that "is too tough to
die." Back in its heyday during the 1880's, it was
known as the wildest town in the West. It began
when a prospector discovered Silver there, and
many men came to make their fortunes. Like all
prospecting towns, saloons and gambling
installations were numerous, and they attracted
the roughest people in the West.

Criminals could come and do as they pleased. The
wildness of the town is what brough Wyatt Earp
and 2 of his brothers. Wyatt loved to gamble, and
he did so often, and eventually took a quarter of
the profits from The Orient. His friend Doc Holliday
soon followed, and after trouble from a faction of
criminals, Holliday and the Earp Brothers were in
the famous shootout at the O.K. corral.

Retribution came 3 days after Christmas when
members of the faction crippled Wyatt's brother
Virgil, and killed his other brother Morgan. Wyatt,
another Earp brother, Holliday and several others
rode out to end the faction once and for all. They
killed mercilessly, and instead of going to jail, they
left the state. Tombstone slowly but surely
succombed to ghost town status. By 1989, it was
all but abandoned.

Now Tombstone thrives on its tourism, and it is
said that it's ghosts outnumber its living citizens.

The Aztec House is said to be a haunted
establishment. It sells antiques, and the ghosts
may be attracted to the authentic goods it sells.
The ghost of a woman in white is said to walk
outside on the side walk. They say that her she
committed suicide after her child died of Yellow
Fever in 1880.

Big Nose Kate's is an old salon where the ghost of
cowboys still linger. Big Nose Kate's real name was
Mary Katherine Harmony. She was supposedly a
prostitute, and may have had a relantionship with
Doc Holliday, who lived there.

The Wells Fargo building is said to be haunted bu
a phantom stage coach complete with driver and a
team of horses. It also may contain assorted
cowboys, and a man in a black hat and frock coat.

The Bird Cage Theatre burlesque hall is haunted
by a boy who died of Yellow fever, and also of a
previous owner. Both spirits may be responscible
for the many poltergeists that occur here. Patrons
have also complained of cigar smoke, though no
one in the room was smoking. Outside, sounds of
music, laughter and the voices of the long gone
cowboys can be heard coming from the theatre.

Also, Virgil Earp may haunt the front of the Crystal
Palace where he was shot, and Billy Clanton may
haunt the O.K. Corral. Doc Holliday may stil
inhabit the San Jose Boarding House. Doors open
and shut and toilets are flushed by themselves.

I don't have any word on Wyatt Earp haunting his
former stomping grounds, but perhaps he found
peace in life after all.

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