Thanks to True West Magazine, editor Bob Boze Bell (2015 Arizona Historymaker) for this photo and story.
TIn 1895, newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst reportedly paid $20 to Billy King, the owner of a saloon in Tombstone, Arizona, to close the establishment for ten minutes. His goal was to capture a rare photograph of the Old West saloon without its usual crowd of customers.
Hearst is identified as the gentleman standing on the left, casually resting his foot on the bar rail. Billy King, a former cowboy and deputy sheriff who served under John Slaughter, stands behind the bar pouring drinks. Martin Mullins, Hearst’s personal valet, appears sharply dressed at the far end of the counter.
Hearst’s bodyguard, known as “Swede Pete,” is said to have remained outside on Allen Street, watching the horses while the photograph was taken.
