Earned his medical degree by the age 21 back east and set up a small practice. Tired of taking care of the sick, for poor pay : He decided to travel westward unsure of his future . Headed westward he followed the stage routes, trains, gambling towns and army posts along the way.

His intelligence made him a "natural" at gambling and dealing and playing poker became his lively hood. ... Sometimes a little hotheaded: the poker game would end quickly in a death ... normally because someone accused him of cheating or he caught someone cheating.

He developed a reputation for his skill with a gun, as well as with the cards and the "ladies". Additionally, he was rumored, when money was tight, of robbing stage coaches or banks to get gambling money.

Currently, plying his "trade" in the Oklahoma Territory.