Virgil later met Alvira "Allie" Sullivan from Florence, Nebraska in 1874. She was a waitress at the Planter's House Hotel in Council Bluffs, Iowa. They never married but remained together the rest of his life. During the remainder of his life, Virgil worked at a variety of jobs, including peace officer, farmer, rail construction in Wyoming, stagecoach driver, sawmill sawyer in Prescott, Arizona Territory, mailman, and later in life, prospector. The Earp brothers were close and often moved together, seeking a better life. Virgil spent time in Dodge City, Kansas in 1877 with his younger brother Wyatt, and though there is no record of Virgil ever holding any law enforcement position there, Allie claimed he briefly worked as a deputy town marshal with Wyatt. From Dodge City, Virgil and Allie moved to Prescott in July 1877, the capital of the Arizona Territory. Virgil first delivered mail in Miller Valley, then later owned a saw mill at the base of Thumb Butte, just west of Prescott. In October 1877, U.S. Marshal Wiley Standifer, Yavapai County Sheriff Edward Franklin Bowers, Prescott Constable Frank Murray, Virgil Earp, and a man named McCall attempted to arrest John Tallos and an accused murderer named Wilson. While the others rode on horseback or carriages, Virgil ran on foot after the posse that pursued the two men to the edge of town, where a gun fight broke out. Virgil spotted one of the two men under a tree, reloading his pistol. Using a Henry rifle from a distance, Virgil shot him through the head, killing him. Virgil was shortly afterward offered a job as a driver for Patterson, Caldwell & Levally, a local freight company, during which he met John J. Gosper, Secretary of the Arizona Territory, and usually acting in the place of Governor John C. Frémont, who was usually absent. When Crawley Dake was appointed U.S. Marshal, he and Virgil became friends. In 1878, Virgil was appointed as Prescott's night watchman, which paid $75 a month. In November 1878, he was elected as constable for Prescott, for which he received fees for issuing licenses, collecting fees, and serving summonses. While constable, Virgil wrote his brother Wyatt about the opportunities in the silver-mining boomtown of Tombstone. In September 1879, Wyatt resigned as assistant marshal in Dodge City.