What do San Francisco, Tombstone AZ and Chicago have in common?
Back in the 1870s there were two competitive San Francisco billiard players - Anthony “Tony” Kraker and Lanson “Lance” W. Perkins - both of whom ran in the same gambling clique during the time of their competing for the Pacific Coast Straight Rail Billiard Championships. And both of whom ended up smack dab in the middle of the Tombstone Saga featuring the infamous Earp brothers against the county sheriff and the cowboy rustler ring.
Fast forward a few years to Tombstone, A.Z. and now you'll find Perkins and Kraker actually on opposing sides in local politics (circa 1881)
Lance Perkins had arrived in Arizona a few years prior and was running the billiard room at the Grand Hotel in Tombstone. (the local hang-out and headquarters of the "cowboy" faction)
In 1880, soon-to-be-Sheriff John H. Behan arrived in Tombstone and went to work as a bartender at the Grand Hotel as well, where he met and befriended Perkins
Gunman 'Tony' Kraker becomes a member and supporter of the Earp gambler faction.
Side note: At the same time, Kraker is a sales agent for San Francisco-based billiard table manufacturer Jacob Strahle . Ironically, Wyatt Earp's brother - Morgan Earp (who was a cue aficionado) was shot and killed while playing on a brand new Jacob Strahle table.
Besides serving as deputy sheriff under Behan in late 1881, L. W. Perkins in early 1882 also rode as deputy sheriff in Behan’s 23-man posse which was chasing the seven-man Earp posse out of the Arizona Territory...
...and the rest, as they say, is history....
But, you might ask, what does any of this have to do with Chicago?
It turns out that Perkins eventually gave up his western adventures and moved to Chicago to become a billiards instructor at the infamous Mussey's room downtown. "Professor Perkins" as he was known, taught great players like Calvin Demarest and Welker Cochran.
A far cry from riding horses across the desert after Wyatt Earp.
This portrait of Mr Perkins appeared in Billards Magazine in July of 1916
Special Thanks to Mr. K. Vail for the tip.
Back in the 1870s there were two competitive San Francisco billiard players - Anthony “Tony” Kraker and Lanson “Lance” W. Perkins - both of whom ran in the same gambling clique during the time of their competing for the Pacific Coast Straight Rail Billiard Championships. And both of whom ended up smack dab in the middle of the Tombstone Saga featuring the infamous Earp brothers against the county sheriff and the cowboy rustler ring.
Fast forward a few years to Tombstone, A.Z. and now you'll find Perkins and Kraker actually on opposing sides in local politics (circa 1881)
Lance Perkins had arrived in Arizona a few years prior and was running the billiard room at the Grand Hotel in Tombstone. (the local hang-out and headquarters of the "cowboy" faction)
In 1880, soon-to-be-Sheriff John H. Behan arrived in Tombstone and went to work as a bartender at the Grand Hotel as well, where he met and befriended Perkins
Gunman 'Tony' Kraker becomes a member and supporter of the Earp gambler faction.
Side note: At the same time, Kraker is a sales agent for San Francisco-based billiard table manufacturer Jacob Strahle . Ironically, Wyatt Earp's brother - Morgan Earp (who was a cue aficionado) was shot and killed while playing on a brand new Jacob Strahle table.
Besides serving as deputy sheriff under Behan in late 1881, L. W. Perkins in early 1882 also rode as deputy sheriff in Behan’s 23-man posse which was chasing the seven-man Earp posse out of the Arizona Territory...
...and the rest, as they say, is history....
But, you might ask, what does any of this have to do with Chicago?
It turns out that Perkins eventually gave up his western adventures and moved to Chicago to become a billiards instructor at the infamous Mussey's room downtown. "Professor Perkins" as he was known, taught great players like Calvin Demarest and Welker Cochran.
A far cry from riding horses across the desert after Wyatt Earp.
This portrait of Mr Perkins appeared in Billards Magazine in July of 1916
Special Thanks to Mr. K. Vail for the tip.
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