
Raoul de Morency was a French gambler and duelist who became a renowned gunslinger of the Wild West. In 1884, he challenged the editor of the Tombstone Epitaph, Harris Claibourne, to a duel after Claibourne published an expose revealing De Morency's murderous past to the people of Tombstone, Arizona. While De Morency chose not to shoot Claibourne immediately, and instead opted to shoot him at any other time as provided for in the code duello, Sheriff Clay Hollister proceeded to challenge De Morency in a subsequent duel and withheld his shot as well. He then gave De Morency the option of foregoing vengeance and leaving town rather than staying in town and letting Hollister shoot his right wrist to end his dueling and gambling days, and De Morency agreed, leaving town with the mine owner Carole Thayer with plans to marry her.
Biography[]
Raoul de Morency claimed to have been born to a family of French nobility, and he became a renowned gambler and duellist in New Orleans and St. Louis. By 1884, he was known to have killed four men in pistol duels. On 24 March 1884, he accompanied the mine owner Carole Thayer into Tombstone, Arizona from St. Louis, attempting to seduce her into marrying him, and he beat a cowboy and threatened to stab Luke Miser after they made fun of his politeness towards Thayer. Sheriff Clay Hollister intervened, preventing De Morency from killing Miser with his cane-knife, and De Morency warned the cowboy that he would not be as tolerant the next time. That same day, after a man accused him of cheating at a card game, he said that he was not a gracious loser and proceeded slapped him across the face as Sheriff Hollister and Tombstone Epitaph editor Harris Claibourne watched. After finishing his card game, De Morency joined Thayer in visiting her Soledad silver mine, where she told him that the mine drew in $80,000 a month, and the grade improved the deeper they dug. De Morency attempted to romance her and convince her to marry him, but she instead said that she had to go home, and the two of them returned to Thayer's house, where De Morency stayed. That night, a young townsman, Evan Langston, snuck into the house after some fellow bar patrons paid him $10 to steal a pair of De Morency's silken underdrawers, and De Morency caught him in the act and shot and wounded him. The next day, Claibourne and Hollister discovered De Morency's past, and Claibourne intended to reveal it in his newspaper, while Hollister visited Thayer to warn her. Thayer angrily berated him, revealing that she knew about De Morency's past, and refusing to believe that he wanted her for anything but her looks.
Duel in Tombstone[]

De Morency confronting Claibourne at the dueling site
Claibourne went on to publish an expose in his paper, hoping that it would drive De Morency out of town, but De Morency instead visited the paper's office and challenged Claibourne to a duel, which he accepted. Sheriff Hollister, who was also there, protested, but De Morency said that duelling was not illegal in Arizona, and he berated Hollister and the townspeople, saying that he would serve as his own second in the duel due to a shortage of "gentlemen" in town, and contrasted the "refined" art of dueling with Western Americans' habits of shooting from the cover of wagon wheels. De Morency had Hollister suggest a time and place for the duel, so Hollister suggested San Pedro Wash at 6:00 AM the next morning; De Morency agreed. De Morency gave the poor-shooting Claibourne one last chance to print a retraction and apology in his newspaper in exchange for calling off the duel, but Claibourne - even after seeing that De Morency's aim was superior to his - insisted on dueling De Morency instead. When the time came to duel, Claibourne missed his shot, but De Morency chose not to shoot just yet, reminding Claibourne of the code duello and the provision that he now had the right to shoot Claibourne whenever he wanted. Claibourne somberly concurred, but Hollister callled out De Morency before he could leave with Thayer, accusing him of cheating by observing how Claibourne shot before duelling him, by standing sideways to reduce Claibourne's chances of shooting him (while Claibourne stood tall and straight, with plenty of space to shoot), and by duelling plenty of times before facing an inexperienced opponent. De Morency slapped Hollister for the insult, and Hollister then challenged De Morency to a duel. In the ensuing duel, De Morency's shot missed, as Hollister crouched, dodging in the Western way. He refused to shoot De Morency, but instead made him an offer: either forego his planned vengeance against Claibourne in exchange for Hollister foregoing his right to shoot De Morency, and leave town; or Hollister would shoot De Morency not to kill, but instead shoot him in the right wrist to prevent him from ever dueling or cheating at cards again, effectively ruining De Morency's life. Hollister told De Morency that America was a new country with new rules, and he advised De Morency to get used to the rules or get out, giving him ten seconds to make up his mind.

Thayer and De Morency leaving Tombstone
De Morency ultimately agreed to leave town, and he apologized to Thayer for selfishly agreeing to leave. However, Thayer said that she planned to leave with him. The next day, the two of them agreed to leave together and marry, and they packed their belongings. Before leaving, De Morency asked Sheriff Hollister and Claibourne's forgiveness, agreeing that he wanted to try living by the new country's new rules. Claibourne gave Hollister his blessing, and De Morency smiled and shook hands with the two men, mending their past rivalry. De Morency then left with Thayer, leaving Tombstone for good.