and groups of people that already know what the deal is. they don't calm primarily from bel air california or you know the upper east side of new york. they come from where i come from so i understand that. >> michael moore was a tough to write this book? >> yeah. it is very hard. i've been wanting to write this book for probably a couple of decades and then i started, i really started writing it down a couple of years ago. i spend a lot of time on this book, and i would spend many nights -- i would be sitting in the chair of the computer and i would be laughing one minute at my -- and the next minute i would break down and start crying because you know, when you read this you will see some of the things i've been through.

but it was very cathartic in that way. i mean it was really powerful. i mean, personally i am the proudest of this of anything i've written. and i set out with that in mind. even though these are not fiction stories, i said you know, the nunn in my head said, this is literature. ..

>> a lot of times authors have to drag them out of the barn, but with me, they've got to try to cool my jets because i want to get out there, and i want to talk to people, and i want to share this with people of the country i live in. >> here comes trouble, out in fall 2011. >> thank you. >> up next on book tv, michael wallis recalls the life of frontiersman and politician, david crockett. he reports on his childhood in east tennessee. it's about an hour. >> thank you, so much. it's great to be with you, and it's wonderful to come into a

city with there's rain. [laughter] i live in and my wife, suzanne, who is with me here, have lived in tulsa, oklahoma where there's lots of water and woods and it's a green place, but like the rest of this nation, it's been stricken, and temperatures in triple digits for many, many days, and that's the way it's been for us most of the summer. we're now in the last leg of this national book tour, and we've been all over the country deep to the eastern united states on the other side of the mississippi where i sometimes go, and all over the southwest and the west where i prefer to be, being a missourian, innative of missouri, i have always

looked west down the santa fe trail, the immigrant trails, down any beloved route 66. this is a part of the country i do like the best, and when i declared my major, if you will, as a writer, it was about the american west, not just cowboys and indians, not just the west that many people think about or conjure up when they hear that word, but the contemporary west as well, the pop culture west of the contemporary west, so tonight i'm delighted to be here as always. i've always had a great experience at tattered cover, this location or the other, and i was just saying to someone before the events started, on

this particular tour, we had 40-some odd book signings and events, and only one of them has been in a chained bookstore, and i'm very happy about that, very happy. [applause] chains are important to me, but independent bookstores are more important to me. the independent bookstores are like my route 66. the chain bookstores are like those turnpikes and interstate highways that i have to take them, but i prefer to be on the old road, the genuine, the authentic, more personal. tonight, i'm in this up usual position of really presenting three books, two of them brand new books, not just crockett,

but the wild west, a new book, and then my rascal son, right in the center, pretty boy, charles author floyd. that book is not brand new, but published years ago, and it's been out of print until now. inuntil now meaning the original editor probably in my opinion the best non-fiction editor in the country moverred from st. martins, my old house, to nor ton, a great house, by the way, and he brought pretty boy back. it's important to me because it's the second of my three pulitzer prize nominations. it's book that needs to be back in print and has been optioned for major motion picture as has

my book on billy the kid, another norton title. i'd be remised if i wouldn't share with you at least a spoon full from this rascal son, from charlie floyd who hated to be called pretty boy. this is a social history. where this bookends, the grapes of wrath begin. you go from fixes to non-fiction. if you read the grapes of wrath which i'm assuming you have and plan to reread, you know that the joes talk about charlie floyd in the book because they came down in little dixie and oklahoma where floyd resided. they also, obvious, charlie, was

also the subject of a wonderful song of pretty boy floyd written by an oklahomaian that all of you will probably remember from some of his great songs, and i'm talking about woody guthrie, and he gave them to joan biaz and bob dylan. some men rob you with a six gun and some with a fountain pen. now, floyd liked to focus on those fountain pen thieves, on those bankers who were fore closing on the joes and others, and he truly was, i came to find to my surprise and actually to my glee, he was a sage brush robin hood. very interesting young map.

let me give you a spoonful, if i can, from pretty boy, the life and times of charles floyd, and it is the prologue of the book. it's short and a little bit of sweet, but the farm near clarksson, ohio, october 22nd, 1934, a longside every outlaw who survives beyond brief days hovers this nameless ledge who the law does not know or may not touch call them his protective angels if you like, and that's a quote from when the daltons road by emmet dalton. floyd ran for the trees and the freedom that lay beyond. if he could joust get across the field of corn stubble to the free line, he would be safe. the weeds and wild grapevines, the honey suckle and brambles

would grant him yet another reprieve. he would race into the woods, down the slopes, up steep hills into the masonry of abandoned canal locks filled with water from the recent autumn rain. he was known as some as the sage brush robin hood, to others, the phantom terror and most commonly called pretty boy floyd, public enemy number one, was invincible, and he always got away. the weather was warm on this afternoon, charlie's white shirt and silk underwear was soiled and sweaty and he needed a shave and bath. his suit was dirty and covered with needles that ran the length of his sleeves and trousers. he was a country boy dressed in city slicker's clothes. he was begin apples that morning, and he stuffed them in

his suit coat pockets. he grasped the .45 pistol in one hand and the other half tucked in top of his trousers. moments before he headed with stuart dyke and his wife, florence who agreed to give him a lift up the road aways in their automobile away from the farm i don't knowed by dyke's sister. charlie passed an hour with her, fed him a hot meal, and inside the farmhouse, held the dollar bill the stranger up cysted she -- insisted she take in exchange for the plate of ribs. she watchedded him wolf down the dinner, sat on a chair on her porch and ate in silence. after wards, he paced around waiting for stuart and his wife to finish.

charlie fingered the key in the car's ignition, deciding not to steal the machine. he waited for the farmer to come along. before the dykes walked out of the corn fields, charlie pulled out his pocket watch. it was almost four o'clock in the afternoon. sunset was about an hour and a half away. he stared at the 50 cent piece attached. he recalled that he smiled when he rubbed dirt off the cameo ring that he wore. no one knows, but perhaps he thought about ruby, or dempsey or the cotton fields of oklahoma and the times before going on the scout. an airplane, an unusual sight in those parts in 1934 droned overhead. charlie turned his face towards the cloudy sky. the rains had disappeared, and it was deep autumn, there were

smell of new life of the woods where maples showed their colors. soon, frost would give way to snow to enrich the land. ellen watched as the stranger climbed into the backseat. her sister-in-law got in front as they started the automobile. they waved good-bye, and she went back to the kitchen chores. she heard machines and the sonde of car doors slamming shut. when she looked out the window again, she saw a band of men in suits carrying guns. they began fanning out over her property. the stranger jumped from her brother's car, behind the corn crib, and began his run across the field towards the trees. the run only lasted a few seconds. it must have seem forever to charlie. maybe it was like one of those dreams filled with monsters that

seemed to last forever in slow motion. many years later, a federal agent remembered that charlie ran like an athlete, cut and dodged a broken field sprint, apples fell from his pockets and bounced on the ground. someone yelled for him to halt, then gunfire erupted and the bullets bounced up puffs of dust around his feet. he ran on towards the trees, gulped in mouthfuls of freedom as he ran. chester smith, a policeman and a sharp shooter who fought in france and belgium knew the man running away was charlie. that was no doubt in his mind. it was now 10 minutes past four. smith shouldered his 22 rifle and took aim at the man running in zigzags across the field. when he had charlie in his

sights, smith wrapped his finger around the trigger, took a breath and held it. he slowly squeezed. mr. floyd. [applause] this, my friends., is my latest son also a bit of a rascal, although he did not meet his end in an ohio corn field as you all know. this, i must say, i was talking to a friend the other night and this is off to a great start. we have incredibly good reviews from the "wall street journal" to "texas monthly" and the texas has endorsed this book, and i'm

hard on texas as i should be and am, but there's reviews my late mother could have written, and i'm pleased with that. now, my first exposure to mr. c mr. crockett came, and i, for one, and i bet some of you looking around this room, are in the same boat and can vividly recall perhaps the exact date. it was a frosty night for me, december 15th, 1954, in my hometown of st. louis. an abc television had just aired davy crockett: indian fighter, the first of three episodes produced by walt disney, a new

series produced several months earlier. it was much like disneyland that park that would soon appear in anaheim, california. there were a variety of other names, including the one you most remember commonly, the wonderful world of disney which would become one the longest showing prime time programs on american television history. that evening, me, myself, was 9 years old, but i could have predicted the show's success. i was hooked, myself, only moments after hearing the theme music, and if you want to hum along, you can. when you wish upon a star, sung by the cartoon insect jimmy cricket from the sound track movie pinnochio.

with assistance from a flittering tinkle bell, uncle walt unleashed this legendary frontier character, davy crockett. i was sitting indian style right in the middle of my mother's gray carpet in the living room, my parents behind me, and all the sudden as if like a run away train, crockett came crashes out of that 12 inch screen tv of our 1950 tv model rca victor set. as they say, i was a goner. with only moments after this larger than life crockett appeared wearing buck buckskin and that coon skin hat, i had been won over, and my fickle 9-year-old heart pounded. i must tell you, that was an incredible year.

that past summer, just months before, on two separate occasions down at famous and barr, at the mother's store, now long defunked department retail store in st. louis, my mother brought me down to meet some people there on that big parking lot, and there i was, ten o'clock op a saturday morning, and i look up, and it's william boyd, it's hop-a-long cassidy standing there with topper, that fine horse of him. i thought it was top drawer, that hoppy. hi always kept that hat on, never lost it in a fight. i liked him very much. it's a one-two punch, and then i go next saturday and there's the cisco kid standing there with

diablo with that tack and great smile. i didn't wash my hands for two weeks. [laughter] now, on that december night, both of those men were instantly demoted to lower rungs on my list of heros. even -- i'm here to admit and i am st. louis all the way, i bleed st. louis cardinal red to this very moment -- [laughter] even stan, swinging stan the man, the legendary cardinal outfielder whose name was literally etched in granite at the top of the list, even the man was in threat of being toppled. by the time the first image aired, that marine from texas, that 29-year-old was firmly in

my mind. i didn't consider staying up for strike it rich or i got a secret. i forgot about the promise of fresh snow and the good sledding soon to follow. instead, i went to my room where i poured over the world book entry for crockett and dreamed of this man with a proclivity for dangerous behavior which, of course, as a red-blooded american kid, i found it to be a most commendable quality, and as i would later learn that next morning when i ran into my brothers and japny, i was not alone. they had all seen it too. all of you had, more than 40 million people turned into disney land that wednesday night, and by the time the second episode davy crockett

goes to congress followed by on february 23, davy crockett at the alamo, i with much of the nation, especially the growing ranks of the boomer generation was swept up in the frenzy, and we wanted more and more when it became big time in the farm of really an unprecedented merchandising whirl wind in which he was commercialized in way unthinkable to the man himself although he would have liked it very much. every kid, of course, had to have a coon skin cap like davy's, and almost overnight, the wholesale prices of rascal son coon pelting sored up to $6 a pound resulting in the sale of at least 10 million furry caps and closing ike eisenhower to

damn near put those beasts on the endangered species list. nearly $100 million dollars, 1955 dollars, was shelled out for more than 3,000 different crockett items. if some of you would step up, i'm sure you'd admit you have some items talk away because they include pajamas and lunchboxes, and i know someone back there has davy crockett underparticipants, comics, moccasins, toothbrushes, games, clothing, toy rifles, sleds, curtains, it goes on and on, and then there's the song, that catchy theme song. the ballot of davy crockett and it should more than 4 million copies remaining number one on the top ten list for 13 weeks,

and that warm spring night, there i was back on the floor sitting indian style with my cap on and out comes on the screen gezelle mckenzie singing, and i knew those words were all true, and, of course, they weren't. [laughter] but we sang crockett's ballot at the top of our lungs as we built forts from old trees and boxes and transformed the school ground into our own version of crockett country. crockett became our obsession. now, i realize it's hard for anyone to say born after 1958 to recall this crockett frenzy that swept america in the 50s. so profound was the cultural up none dation that no baby boomer

can fail to recall this charismatic man's name. this recognition to my way of thinking is a good thing, but the flood of misinformation without crockett's life that resulted, something i became very much aware of later in my life and certainly proved up while researching this book which, in part, mote valeted me to write this book created a crockett mythology that continues to this day. my good friends, this is not a straightforward chronological biography nor does it focus just on that one slice from the big crockett pie, the alamo. there is much more to crockett than the last few weeks of his life, and it's not a rejournallation of the many myths and total lies perpetuated by crockett over the years.

this is a book for people interested in learning the truth or at least as much as can be uncovered about both the historical and the fictional crockett and how the two often became one, and hopefully readers will gain historical insights into the actual map and how he captured the imagination of his generation and later ones as well. so now, a few spoon fulls of crockett, the lion of the west, and the first is just a graph or who from my pr -- preface. it was a person with somewhat exaggerated hopes and well-checked fears. a man who had as we all do have

good points and bad points. he was somewhat possessed of unusual views, prejudices, opinions that governed how he chose to live his life. crockett could be calculating but also as valiant and resourceful as anyone who roamed. as a man, he was authentic an contrived, wise in the ways of the wilderness and most comfortable when deep in the woods on a hunt, yet also could hold his own in the halls of congress. a fact that distinguished him from so many other frontiersman. remarkably he enjoyed fraternizing with men of power and prestige in the fancy parlors of philadelphia and new york. he was like none other, a 19th

sench inigma and became a bitter foe on the issue of removal of indian tribes from their homelands. the contradictions extended beyond politics with only a few months of formal education, but yet he read books, neither a great intellect, but always evolving on the stage of a nation in its adolescence, a pioneer who reflected a restless nation with a gaze pointed towards the west. perhaps more than anyone of his time, david crockett was ashbly the first celebrity hero inspiring people of his own time as well as a 20th century generation. the man, david crockett may have per --

parrished, but now more so than any other frontiersman lives powerfully on. in this way, his story then becomes far more nan a one note walt disney legends while his life continues to shed light on the meaning of america's national character. spoonful from a chapter called kilt in a bar. [laughter] david crockett believed in the wind and in the stars. this sun of tennessee could read the sun, the shadows, and the wild clouds full of thuppedder. he was comfortable among the thickets, the mountains and hunted the oak, hickory, maple, and sweet gum forests that have never felt an ax blade.

he was familiar with all the smells, the odor of the decaying animal flesh, the aroma of the air after rain and the smell of the forest. he knew the rivers lined with trees that breeched the mountains with steep-sided gorges and many names of indian influences, the south and the wataga, the wolf, the elk, and the obion. he sought the dimensions of the lakes and streams studded with ancient cyprus and dog days arrived in early july when the dog star rises and sets with the sun. he carried his comepass and maps in his head.

the cherokees described it as clouds frozeen on the frees. this was crockett's cathedral. now i'm going to jump way ahead sort of towards the end. , lived to be 49 years old. this is early in the last year of his life. he did become total logger heads with jackson, old hickory, who the creeks and cherokees knew as sharp knife. crockett fought under jackson in the rule yows creek wars, so he didn't like what he experienced, the atrocities, the killing, the mayhem, and he vowedded never to do that again, although, he didn't keep that pledge with the poor black bears, killing 105

bears in one season. he was a professional hunter of bears, but not of men, and when jackson, who had no use for any native american came up with the indian removal law to take the five tribes on various trails of tears from their homeland in the southeast united states to what is now oklahoma, indian territory, crockett stood up against it. the only member of the tennessee delegation to vote against it, and it cost him his job. jackson and the others found a candidate to run against him, and they took his seat. as crockett explained, he was beat by a one-legged man, but he also came up with his famous quote which he said many, many times. you all can go to hell, and i'm going to texas. [laughter] now, he didn't go down to texas out of a fit of some sort of

patriotic honor or something for those rascals down there. anglos had been coming into the republic of texas settling with permission from the government for years starting with moses austin, but then they kept coming and not always io biding by the laws, laws means speaking the language spanish, join the mother church, and eventually not bring slaves. slavery was abolished in mexico long before we got around to that, but these gentlemen and ladies, largely southerners a lot of land speculators and trader traders, kept bringing their slaves in, and this is what crockett faced when he went down there. crockett had owned a few slaves, but he was not a big land owner, and slavery was not a big part

of his life or an issue. he wanted to rebuild his life. he was gypsy footed. he liked to hunt, and he thought he could get back into politics, went there, got land he like the. took his own sweet time, took a long time to get to texas, and he was not there very long. in fact, a lot of people thought he had been killed. there were newspaper stories, where is the great crockett? what happened to him? was he killed? well, he was chasing bison along the red river, hunting honey trees, talking with friends, telling stories. he loved to tell stories. he was having some whisk ky, but finally, he got down there, and this is from a chapter called "time of the comet." finally in early 1836, crockett and his original three companions rained up their three horses to the oldest town in texas. he was reluctant to leave the

good hunting grounds, you he heard stories about the successings of sam houston, his old tennessee friend, steven austin, another land agent who would establish land agencies and were on their way to becoming wealthy mep. crockett believed that at last he could gain his own fortune in a place where he could hunt almost every day of the year. as one author noted, crockett was in a state of euphoria. throughout crockett's long ride from tennessee to texas, haley's comet was clearly visible just as it is every 64 years -- 76 years or soment people were in awe when they spotted the object going through the sky. for centuries they apeered for chaos and disaster.

comets were to be feared. one pope exconsume kateed the comet declaring it an instrument of the devil. the appearance of the comet was blamed for catastrophes around the world including a horrific fire in new york city that raged for several days and nights. the massacre of 280 people in africa and wars in latin america. the seminal indians in florida saw the tail as a sign of the tragedy that soon desended on them as they lost their homes and were exiled to indian territory. among many americans, especially anglo-texas, this signaled the pending fall of the alamo, but for the people of mexican blood living in texas, the comet was a portent of the mexican's army

defeat. it was rediscovered in august 1895, about the time of crockett's defeat for another term in congress. it was visible for an extended period and could still be seen long enough for enterprising promoters to issue the comet almanac in 1836, but not as well of crockett's almanac that year showing him wading the river on a pair of stilts. they claimed that crockett and his nemesis, andrew jackson, forged a truce and that old hickory commissioned crockett to scale the mountains and ring the tail off the comet before it could char the earth. by the time the comet vanished in may 1836 not to be seen again

until 1910, the alamo, the last battle of crockett's life were long cold and scattered. finally from crockett, a piece from eel alamo. to nose who claim god may texas, some say crockett invented texas. his blood and the blood who died with him transformed the alamo into an american cultural icon affecting economic and political conditions in texas and beyond. the battle cry, remember the alamo, employed weeks later by sam houston to inspire his force when they defeated the army still reverberates throughout history and culture. for many anglos and others, that paints a picture of heros and sacrifice and love of liberty.

the alamo remains the most instantly recognized battle in american history with the possible exception of get gettysberg. it is said not until the battle of little big horn, 40 years after the alamo, would americans have a more vainglorious event to rally around. texas used the alamo in the revolt against mexico to establish a republican, later a state, that they believe unique and more special than any other. in 1845 when the republic of texas gave up its sovereignty to be the biggest state in the union did so with a caveat depending on whose interpretation of the texas constitution is followed that it could succeed at any time into five entities creating new four

states. the strong belief was their independence, lone star status was bought and paid for at the alamo. crockett's death singles up the most important aspect of the brief stay in texas. the contribution to the lone star state noted not from so much how he lived, but how he died. his impact on texas derives precisely from his death in that battered spanish mission and in death, he turned into a more marketable commode dixie an the alamo would be the state's biggest tourist attraction and one of the most popular historic sites in the nation. it helped fuel the flames of rebellion against mexico and made him a celebrated martyr for the cause. this contributed to the creation of the prideful, sometimes bellicose, image of swaggering

boastful texas bursting with pride in describing the land they love. he turned it into the cradle of texas liberty, and a monument to expansion that was known as manifest destiny. there was the david crockett of historical fact, and there is the davy crockett of our collective imagine make. the first was a man who led a most interesting and colorful life. the other is the american mite featuring crockett as a symbolic feature with superhuman powers and used to promote their own interests, both crockett and the alamo remain ensnared in clouds of myth. in the end, crockett was uniquely american character and a formidable hero in his own right and should not be gumminged by death, but rather

by his life including the good,ed bad, and the shades of gray. consider him a legend and a hero, but always bear in mind that he was a man willing to take a risk. that was what he symbolized, and that is how he should bekyriñ remembered. mr. crockett. [applause] last but not least, the other new book and this is filled with rascal sons and daughters. these were all gray hats as you'll come to find out. i co-authored this with my good wife, and we are very pleased to acquire the services of our good pal from down in the hills of santa fe who has my favorite

research library, 12,000 books in that old adobe, rare books, one-of-a-kind books, it's intoxicating to into that library, the biggest collection of western photography anywhere, and he supplied all the photos for my billy the kid book and 700 images grace these pages, many of them never seen before of all kinds of people. it's about the size of an adoe -- adobe brick, a little bit smaller, and if you don't like it, use it as a doorstop. [laughter] don't be intimidated by it, there's bloody buoy, because you can open it literally anywhere. what we do here, 365 days, every date of every day of the year is something that actually happened

on these dates. the main een try in the photos and illustrations just move chronologically in the century i chose, 1830-1930. it begins with crockett and ends with pretty boy through that 100 years. i think it would be good to give you spoonfuls from this book, but i would be remiss if i don't sum up to the podium my partner in life and literature, suzanne fitzgerald wallace to give you idea of two remarkable women who we're going to give you in this book. ms. wallace. [applause] >> lola montez. just after the california gold rush peaked, the exotic beauty

no doubt attracted by the abundance of newfound wealth captivated industry dandies, shocked prim ladies, and inquired routty minors. the irish native adopted the state anytime lola and became a dancer, and had a series of romantic thrifts with three men and also served as the confidant and misstress of a relationship that contributed to the abdication and also sent the banished lola packing. during the tour of the united states, lola arrived in california in 1853 and stayed for two years. she quickly became known for performing her famously

suggested dance, a provocative ballet in which she pretended to be stuck in a spider's web and discovered spiders in the folds of her flowing gown. as she leaped into the air and shook her clothing, the audience was spell bound. lola threw parties, gave dance lessons to a miner's daughter who was a later a celebrated star on the stage, and she was seen in the company of her pet. in 1855, she broke into tears departing san fransisco bound for australia. a local newspaper editorial praised her as a nobel hearted and generous lady whose many good agents so won the esteem of our citizens. whatever lola wants, lola gets.

[laughter] cynthia anne parker. on may 19th, 1836, a band of indians attacked parker's fort on the fringes of the commanche frontier in the newly reformed texas. in the squirmish that followed, five from texas were killed and five others were held captive including 5-year-old sippet ya and her younger brother john. the little girl would be one of the most renown captives in the west. both of the parker children adjusted to the commanche culture. john was a warrier and took part in raids and cynthia anne lived as a commanche for 25 # years eventually marrying the chief and bore him two sons and a daughter. their first born son was the

last great war chief of the commanche. in 1860, texas ranger led by captain saul swept down on a village killing many and taking others captive including the long lost sippet ya anne and her 2-year-old daughter. they were returned to parker family members, but her years living with the tribe changed her. she had nothing in common with her white relatives and begged to be returned to her indian family. her escape attempts failed and when her daughter died, cynthia anne lost all hope. broken in spirit and bitter at her captivity, she starved herself to deft. 46 years later, parker was able to bring the remains of his mother and baby sister to oklahoma, dedicated a great

feast to honor the memory of his mother who lived and died as a commanche. [applause] >> lola did inspire that line from damn yankees by the by the way. [laughter] i thought you might enjoy this entry since there's a little of cowboy and cowgirl in all of us. it's coulded cowboys, and there's two great portraits of these gents right off the trail, texas cowboys who have been well scrubbed, a bit of bay rub on them, maybe some pommade, got their favorite dish they long for while on the trail, and they

probably had a tumble or two in the hay, and some good hard whisky. some historians claim the word "cowboy" was first used in medieval ireland to describe boys tending to cattle. others say it's from arterial america when youngsters herded cows. even so, only after the civil war did the term "cowboy" come into common use. the hay day of the cowboys was brief. it began in 1865 when texas returned home after serving the confederacy poor in cash, but rich in rangelands filled with long horns. prior to the war, they were known as grovers, and in the early 1860s, texas ranchers used the term cowboy as they gathered

unbranded long horning in roundups. by 1870, ranchers hired youngsters referred to them as cowboys to herd cattle up the trails to markets. some were only 12-16 years old and barely big enough to climb into a saddle. no everyone approved of such work. parents do not allow your boys to load themselves down with mexican spurs, six shooters, and pipes warned a reporter from texas. keep them off the prairies as professional cow hunters. there, in that occupation, who knows, but they my forget the distinction between mine and thine. send them to school, teach them a trade, or keep them at home. that was written a long time before willie nelson. [laughter]

i think just one more spoonful from very near the end of that century that we chronical, and it's called simply adios, wyatt. wyatt earp and a jewish prominent girl from san fransisco lived as husband and life for nearly 50 years. they were a classic case of opposite temperments complements each other. they remained devoted to each other until the end. for earp that end came in los angeles a few minutes past eight in the morning on january 13th, 1929. the old lawman died quietly. as josey later wrote, my darling had breathed his last dying peacefully without a struggle like a baby going to sleep.

i don't know how long i continued to hold him in my arms. i wouldn't let him go. finally they had to drag me away. i had gone with him on every trail he had ever taken since those days at tombstone so long ago. including among earp's pallbearers was william s. hart and tom mix. his ashes were buried south of san fransisco and when josey died in 1944, she was laid to rest with her husband. cowboys pay their respects and stand on the man cured grass surrounded by tombstones and stars of david. a world away from the blood and smoke of the ok corral. thank you.

[applause] thank you very much. and now, we will entertain questions, comments, and/or concerns. [laughter] and all we ask for is if you have a question to let that boom mic be in place. i'm anticipating good questions from this bright denver audience. >> i just wanted to thank you for the wonderful reading, and i hope that the publishers will do an audio book to select you to read your own work. it was terrific and enjoyed hearing you on the radio this morning and looking forward to it tomorrow. >> well, he convinced me to stay, you know? i really like this chap. he's, i think, a popular talk show fellow here in denver, and i really -- i mean, it be

behooved me to stay in the studio. we were friends. i appreciate that. >> [inaudible] >> yes, they are. waiting for the mic. >> hi, i just opened to june 15th to the packer club, and can you make comments? would you want to read what the quote is of hinsdale county and all that. do you want me to bring it to you? >> sure. >> are you familiar with the story? >> no, not at all, but i thought you could help us all. [laughter] >> this is an entry of the pass about al fred packer who earned a very sinister place in the

folk lore of the american west as a result of his acquired taste for human flesh. do we have any cannibals in the audience? [laughter] yeah, good, there's usually one or two. i will cut to the chase. the illustration for this is a wonderful kind of down home piece, and it was called the packer club, and there's an image of al packer and it's written in sort of this down home language, and they was seven democrats in the county, but you, you veer rashes son, you ate five of them. i elect to deal five new democrats that makes me a member of the packer club of colorado. charter member, ralph card, gene, and fred mezulla. there you go.

the packer club. [laughter] [applause] >> hi, coming over here tonight, there was an announcement on the radio about the birth certificate about davy crockett that the court had said that the woman who had it had to give it back to the county where he lived. >> oh, well, i hadn't heard that, but i don't -- there was no birth certificate. i'm sure it's the wedding license, and that's true. he received a wedding license in dandridge at the old courthouse, and some many years ago, they pitched it out with a bunch of papers, and this woman who lives in florida got a hold of it so all they had for all those years

is a faximily of it. i talk about the marriage license business in the book, but this doesn't surprise me because i know they have been trying to get it back. i'm not sure what kind of level maneuvering went on to get that because, you know, it's their own fault they threw the thing out; right? but i would imagine they played upon her sense of history and whatever and perhaps there was some money involved i would think; right? which always helps. speaking of money, did any of you put a bid on the billy the kid picture here in denver? [laughter] i think it was $2.4 million, william coat, who won america's cup bought it. a lot of big bidding going on. yes -- oh -- >> one more question. >> let's let this lady come over

here. >> sir, you said something about a thoughtful question. i hope i can ask one. you and i come nearly from the same place. i was born in east st. louis five years before you were and i very much appreciate your presentation. the question-comment combination, i have been a listener of peter boyle for sometime and heard him this morning and heard you as his guest. you seem to apply your talents to some pretty real people. you disparage somewhat, i think rightly the hollywood fixalizing of some of these people. i'm a person who's very depressed with the way our country is going. i just wonder if you could throw your ease constitute