C. S. FLY, TOMBSTONE, A.T.

BY: James E. Serven

C.S. Fly Premier Photographer "FLY TOOK GERONIMO!"

This was the first eye-catching sentence of a news item appearing in the Tombstone Epitaph of March 30, 1886. Reading further, one learned that “Geronimo has a horrible countenance . . . Photographer Fly is the hero of the hour.” The Epitaph had run off this story on its Washington hand press a few days after photographer C. S. Fly and an assistant named Chase accompanied General George Crook to an abortive meeting with the Apache leader Geronimo. This meeting took place at Cañon de Los Embudos in the Sierra Madre Mountains, a short distance below the boundary line in Mexico.

After promising to surrender, Geronimo took about twenty of his warriors along with some of the younger women and headed back into the mountains. It became apparent that the only way Geronimo wanted to bury the hatchet was in some white man's skull.

A week before reporting photographer Fly's bold exploits in shooting Geronimo with his camera an item in the Epitaph had read: “Geronimo has been killed, by the press, three times, and surrendered to Crook at least five times. He has been declared a Mexican and a Navajo, and it is also asserted that he has never been in command. Meanwhile the wily renegade appears to keep his health pretty well under these trying circumstances.”

- Historian of the Old West.

Fly's pictures of Geronimo and his renegades were the first ever taken in a hostile Apache camp before surrender and earned the Tombstone photographer national fame of a sort. His Indian pictures were copyrighted and reproduced in Harper's Weekly. Later they were the subject of a booklet published by Mrs. Fly.

The prominence given this one group of pictures tends to obscure somewhat the vital role played by C. S. Fly in recording the everyday life in and about "too tough to die" Tombstone during its most exciting period.

Fly came to Tombstone in December of 1879 from California. He was one of six sons of Boon and Mary Ann (Percival) Fly who came west by covered wagon from Andrew County, Missouri, in 1849. The Flys first settled in Santa Rosa, but in 1855 purchased a tract of land consisting of about 1000 acres in the southwestern part of Napa County, California. Here, on September 29, 1879, at the age of thirty, Fly married Mary E. Goodrich.

When glowing reports of the Tombstone prospects reached California, Fly packed up his gear and with his young bride headed for the new camp, arriving there in the same year Tombstone's Nugget turned loose its first newsprint and five months before John P. Clum established the Epitaph. Tombstone was emerging from a tent camp into a town with a few frame, adobe or brick buildings when the Flys arrived in December, 1879. This was but a relatively short time after Ed Schieffelin had made his original strike in late 1877.

COUNCIL BETWEEN GENERAL CROOK AND GERONΙΜΟ

C. S. Fly's photographs of scenes of the Apache War gained international fame for the Tombstone photographer-historian. Those shown on these pages appeared in HARPER'S WEEKLY of April 24, 1886. The four below were claimed to be only pictures ever taken in hostile camp before surrender.

These and other Fly photographs were used to authenticate detail in the series of oil paintings by Francis H. Beaugureau on pages 8-9, 37, 40, 41 and 46.

Blessed with an industrious wife, C. S. Fly built a rooming house at 312 Fremont Street and a small photograph gallery connected to it by a passageway.

Through the years a number of interesting people roomed at Fly's. It is said that Big Nose Kate, the sometime subject of J. H. (Doc) Holliday's tempestuous affections, once roomed there. The Flys were very respectable people, however, and it is doubtful that any improper activities were knowingly permitted. With her husband often absent on field trips, Mrs. Fly felt more secure by having roomers in the house, and certainly needed the revenue.

Fly's Gallery, advertising "Colored work and Instantaneous Photographs . . . Copies may be had at any time," became the mecca for those among the better-class citizenry who wished their likenesses preserved for posterity. And some of the other kind came, too. The gallery was next to the OK Corral where the not-so-respectable "cowboys" left their horses while in town. Many in Tombstone considered cowboys another name for rustlers and stage-robbers in those days.

This location drew the Flys into one of the most famous one-minute street fights of all time - the fight at the OK Corral on October 26, 1881. The principal actors on one side were Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan Earp and Doc Holliday, while the opposing faction was apparently not too well represented by Ike Clanton, Bill Clanton, Tom McLowry, Frank McLowry and Billy Claiborne. Although the Earp group received some non-fatal wounds, only Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne of their opponents saw the light of another day. With thirty or more shots being fired right outside his window Fly was immediately alerted. Before the smoke of the first shots cleared Ike Clanton rushed into Fly's front door and to the passageway between Fly's house and the photograph gallery. Thence he made a fast exit down the street and into hiding with a friend. Billy Claiborne, nicked in the trouser leg by a flying bullet, was pulled into Fly's Gallery by Sheriff Behan, who early had taken refuge there. Behan later testified that he had requested Fly to permit Billy to remain in the gallery, but Claiborne had no desire to remain in the vicinity of the Earps and took himself elsewhere with coattails flying. He was destined to die a year later in a gun fight with Buckskin Frank Leslie.

Quoting the testimony of an eye-witness to the shooting, the Epitaph reported: "Tom McLowry fell first, but raised and fired again before he died. Bill Clanton fell next, and raised to fire again when Mr. Fly took his revolver from him."

It appeared from this action that photographer Fly did not duck for cover when the lead began to whiz into his Gallery but became very much involved. This, perhaps, provides some insight into that part of Fly's nature which later led him to seek the office of sheriff of Cochise County.

No two accounts of this fight at the OK Corral seem to jibe. The Epitaph supported the Earps and Doc Holliday while the Nugget favored Behan and the "cowboys." It was all over so fast that who shot who now seems academic. Unfortunately, there were no "instamatic" cameras in those days or photographer Fly might have had some pictures more spectacular than his Geronimo series and which might have robbed historians of much animated debate.

While Fly experienced such contacts as this with the violent side of Tombstone, his work was primarily devoted to the everyday life of the area its people its community events its buildings and industry. Spectacular landscape pictures were close at hand, with the Tombstone hills and Hua-

GERONIMO AND HIS BAND

chuca Mountains forming a backdrop to the south, the Mule Mountains on the east, the Whetstones to the west, and the Dragoons looming up in the north. Somewhat more distant, to the northeast, were the Chiricahua Mountains, an area to know the frequent click of Fly's camera and where a lofty landmark was later named in his honor.

All the Tombstone scenes were not pretty. An unwelcome subject for Fly's camera was the holocaust which visited Tombstone on June 22, 1881 when sixty-six buildings in the heart of the business section were destroyed. The fire was started by the ignition and explosion of a keg of bad whiskey. The tragedy of the situation must have been the only thing that restrained the editors of Tombstone's newspapers from any reference to "fire-water," for their reportorial style often tended strongly toward levity; doubtless they were sorely tempted.

The year 1881 was significant in Tombstone for other reasons, too. In that year a large hunk of Pima County was chopped off to create Cochise County and Tombstone was selected as the county seat. Plans began promptly for the construction of the brick court house building, completed the next year, which with a later addition today stands proud as a State Historical Monument. Here was another of the important landmarks to be recorded by C. S. Fly's busy camera. Tragedy struck Tombstone again in 1882. The Epitaph of May 27 stated: "The Fire King Reaps a Harvest... Heart of City Destroyed." This fiery scourge was even worse than the fire in 1881. The building of the Nugget was destroyed, but the Epitaph building was saved and the paper stoutly declared: "The Epitaph still holds forth to disseminate the daily news of the world, defend the right and condemn the wrong."

GERONIMO'S CAMP WITH SENTINEL

Fly's Gallery and rooming house were again among those buildings which were barely outside the fire's destructive path. As busy as Fly must have been in photographing these melancholy scenes and the reconstruction that promptly followed, he had time for other things. Photography did not make millionaires in the 1800s and Fly was ambitious. While prowling the countryside in search of good photographic material he carried along a miner's pick. This rose-tinted report appearing in the January 16, 1882 Epitaph sheds some light on his efforts at becoming a second Ed Schieffelin: "One of Tombstone's most persistent miners is Mr. C. S. Fly, the Fremont street photographer. He has for the last two years put a large share of his earnings, which have been by no means inconsiderable, into the various prospects around the country, and we are pleased to say he has at last 'struck it.' Two years ago he was the locator of some mines in the Dragoons to the southeast of South Pass, and under the direction of a San Francisco rock sharp (?) sunk a shaft to a depth of 80 feet with no good results. Of late, acting upon his own judgment, he commenced to sink upon the outcropping of iron and copper which were so prominent upon his claims, and at a depth of 5 feet has been rewarded with a vein of red oxide and green carbonate, 3 feet wide, that assays 45 percent copper and $25 in silver. Three large samples of this ore were laid upon our table last evening, which for richness are comparable only to the best of Copper Queen. This outcropping can be traced through two of his locations, and from the extent of it, bids fair to make one of the richest mines in the country. We wish Mr. Fly the realization of his most ardent expectations in the outcome of his mines."

C. S. Fly's expectation of fame and riches through the benefactions of mother earth proved disappointing, and he had (Continued on Page 34)