EMNofSeattle
Regular Member
By EMNofSeattle
Prelude
The gunfight at the OK corral in Tombstone, Arizona has been one of the most famous and yet obscure events in U.S. History. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s various cowboy action movies and television movies referenced or portrayed the famous gunfight. Modern day gun control advocates often use "The OK corral" to describe the percieved deadly consequences of unrestricted open carry or shall issue concealed carry permitting. I have noted in many conversations with individuals on both sides of the gun control debate that many people are unaware of the context, history, or events of October 26, 1881.
Tombstone, Arizona was founded by prospectors in 1877 and grew rapidly, the town was officially "incorporated" in 1879 (1). Shortly after Virgil Earp was appointed as a Deputy U.S. Marshal for the region. He soon was appointed as "Town Marshal". Earp however wanted to become the elected Sheriff of Cochise County following a dispute in which the county sheriff Johnny Behan refused to pay Earp and his posse for deputy work done for the county (2). Earp was not universally liked by the townspeople, but tended to lookout for the interests of residents and business owners. Virgil and his brothers Morgan and Wyatt constituted the law enforcement of the town of tombstone. The famed western gunfighter Doc Holliday was a friend of the Earps and was a person often deputized for law enforcement work in Tombstone. Hollidays reputation had been injured by allegations that he had participated in the robbery of a Wells Fargo stagecoach, although no solid evidence existed to implicate Holliday in the robbery. Kate Elder, Holliday's common-law wife in a fight with Holliday had gotten drunk and accused Holliday of the stagecoach robbery, even signing an indictment written by Sheriff Behan, Holliday was promptly arrested, but his indictment was dissolved by Judge Spicer citing lack of evidence after Kate recanted. (2) It was with this in mind that Wyatt first approached Ike Clanton.
Wyatt proposed a deal with Clanton (a notorious "cowboy" and cattle rustler) Clanton would snitch on and lure some of his fellow criminals into a trap, these criminals were suspected of the stagecoach robbery, Wyatt hoped they could apprehend or kill the three suspects, exonerate Holliday, embaress Behan, and give Ike the reward. The plan was never carried out as the three boys died that summer before Wyatt could confirm the reward was for "dead or alive" (3)
In the following months Ike Clanton began to make threats against the Earps, and had gotten into an altercation with Holliday. Numerous incidents marked the time leading up to the gunfight of hostility between Clanton and the Earps, on October 26th Clanton came into tombstone visibly armed, and gathered with fellow cowboys Frank and Tom McLaury and Billy Claiborne had entered town. Witnesses had reported hearing Clanton lodging threats against the Earps. Virgil and Morgan arrested Clanton and dragged him to court, where he was fined and allowed to leave without his firearms. Clanton returned to OK corral and rejoined the other cowboys. At this time Virgil had enough of Clanton. Virgil armed himself and Doc Holliday and brought him along with Wyatt and Morgan to the Corral, Sheriff Behan attempted to stop them, and was brushed aside. (4)
The Gunfight
The Earps approached the Corral with their revolvers held in hand, while Holliday carried a double barreled shotgun under his coat. As Virgil approached Clanton and his gang he said "throw up your arms we want your guns" To this day no one is sure who exactly fired first, but two shots rang out followed by a pause, then a more lively exchange of fire. less then thirty seconds later Frank McLaury lay dead, and Tom McLaury, having received a blast of buckshot from Holliday, and Billy Clanton were fatally injured. Morgan and Virgil suffered flesh wounds. Roughly thirty shots were fired. As quickly as it began, the greatest gun battle of the wild west was over. (5)
Aftermath
Ike Clanton was the only survivor of the "cowboys" having been disarmed by Virgil, Clanton had tried to grab a hold of Wyatt, but seeing he was disarmed, Wyatt brushed him aside and knocked him to the ground. Wyatt remained uninjured, and likely never even fired. As soon as the smoke had cleared Sheriff Behan strolled up to Wyatt and told him "I'll have to arrest you now" Wyatt is reported saying "Not today Johnny, you told us they were disarmed" "not today" None of the Earps or Holliday were arrested that day. (6)
Ike Clanton proceeded to file charges for murder against the three Earps and Holliday. Roughly a month after shooting a grand jury was convened to hear the indictments against the four. The main witnesses for the prosecution were Ike and Sheriff Behan, they testified that the cowboys had put their hands up to surrender and were gunned down with Holliday firing the first shots. Numerous witnesses gave conflicting views, and in the end Judge Spicer decided not enough evidence existed to indict any of them and the grand jury agreed, rendering a "not-true" bill on in early december of 1881. (7).
"More Gun Control or More Gun Fights at the OK Corral?"
The events of October 26, 1881 have been largely forgotten in their details, and the term "OK Corral" has taken a new meaning with gun control advocates often using OK corral as a synonym for "loose gun laws" An article by Richard Farrell specifically uses this comparison in the wake of the Theatre shooting in Aurora Colorado (8). These comparisons are false, Tombstone had much stricter gun laws (albiet that were inconsistantly enforced) The fight at OK corral involved not murdering unarmed civilians wholesale, but a questionable fight between two armed outlaws (Tom McLaury was later found to be unarmed) and a Law enforcement officer and his deputies. Neither the police nor the crooks are giving up their guns anytime soon. The next time someone compares lenient gun laws to "OK Corral" you now have the information to solidly refute this prevelant false comparison.
Works Cited
1)http://www.tombstoneweb.com/history.html
2)Murder in Tombstone: The Forgotten Trial of Wyatt Earp, Lubet, Steve p.38
3)Murder in Tombstone: The Forgotten Trial of Wyatt Earp Lubet, Steve p.39-41
4)Murder in Tombstone: The Forgotten Trial of Wyatt Earp, Lubet, Steve p. 41-50
5)Murder in Tombstone: The Forgotten Trial of Wyatt Earp Lubet, Steve p.52-55
6) 7)O.K. Corral: A Gunfight Shrouded in Mystery, Wild West Magazine, Terfiller, Casey. Morey, Jerry. October 2001
8) More Gun Control or More Gun Fights at the OK Corral? Farrell, Richard. American Titanic
July 21, 2012 <http://americantitanic.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/more-gun-control-or-more-gun-fights-at-the-ok-corral/>
Prelude
The gunfight at the OK corral in Tombstone, Arizona has been one of the most famous and yet obscure events in U.S. History. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s various cowboy action movies and television movies referenced or portrayed the famous gunfight. Modern day gun control advocates often use "The OK corral" to describe the percieved deadly consequences of unrestricted open carry or shall issue concealed carry permitting. I have noted in many conversations with individuals on both sides of the gun control debate that many people are unaware of the context, history, or events of October 26, 1881.
Tombstone, Arizona was founded by prospectors in 1877 and grew rapidly, the town was officially "incorporated" in 1879 (1). Shortly after Virgil Earp was appointed as a Deputy U.S. Marshal for the region. He soon was appointed as "Town Marshal". Earp however wanted to become the elected Sheriff of Cochise County following a dispute in which the county sheriff Johnny Behan refused to pay Earp and his posse for deputy work done for the county (2). Earp was not universally liked by the townspeople, but tended to lookout for the interests of residents and business owners. Virgil and his brothers Morgan and Wyatt constituted the law enforcement of the town of tombstone. The famed western gunfighter Doc Holliday was a friend of the Earps and was a person often deputized for law enforcement work in Tombstone. Hollidays reputation had been injured by allegations that he had participated in the robbery of a Wells Fargo stagecoach, although no solid evidence existed to implicate Holliday in the robbery. Kate Elder, Holliday's common-law wife in a fight with Holliday had gotten drunk and accused Holliday of the stagecoach robbery, even signing an indictment written by Sheriff Behan, Holliday was promptly arrested, but his indictment was dissolved by Judge Spicer citing lack of evidence after Kate recanted. (2) It was with this in mind that Wyatt first approached Ike Clanton.
Wyatt proposed a deal with Clanton (a notorious "cowboy" and cattle rustler) Clanton would snitch on and lure some of his fellow criminals into a trap, these criminals were suspected of the stagecoach robbery, Wyatt hoped they could apprehend or kill the three suspects, exonerate Holliday, embaress Behan, and give Ike the reward. The plan was never carried out as the three boys died that summer before Wyatt could confirm the reward was for "dead or alive" (3)
In the following months Ike Clanton began to make threats against the Earps, and had gotten into an altercation with Holliday. Numerous incidents marked the time leading up to the gunfight of hostility between Clanton and the Earps, on October 26th Clanton came into tombstone visibly armed, and gathered with fellow cowboys Frank and Tom McLaury and Billy Claiborne had entered town. Witnesses had reported hearing Clanton lodging threats against the Earps. Virgil and Morgan arrested Clanton and dragged him to court, where he was fined and allowed to leave without his firearms. Clanton returned to OK corral and rejoined the other cowboys. At this time Virgil had enough of Clanton. Virgil armed himself and Doc Holliday and brought him along with Wyatt and Morgan to the Corral, Sheriff Behan attempted to stop them, and was brushed aside. (4)
The Gunfight
The Earps approached the Corral with their revolvers held in hand, while Holliday carried a double barreled shotgun under his coat. As Virgil approached Clanton and his gang he said "throw up your arms we want your guns" To this day no one is sure who exactly fired first, but two shots rang out followed by a pause, then a more lively exchange of fire. less then thirty seconds later Frank McLaury lay dead, and Tom McLaury, having received a blast of buckshot from Holliday, and Billy Clanton were fatally injured. Morgan and Virgil suffered flesh wounds. Roughly thirty shots were fired. As quickly as it began, the greatest gun battle of the wild west was over. (5)
Aftermath
Ike Clanton was the only survivor of the "cowboys" having been disarmed by Virgil, Clanton had tried to grab a hold of Wyatt, but seeing he was disarmed, Wyatt brushed him aside and knocked him to the ground. Wyatt remained uninjured, and likely never even fired. As soon as the smoke had cleared Sheriff Behan strolled up to Wyatt and told him "I'll have to arrest you now" Wyatt is reported saying "Not today Johnny, you told us they were disarmed" "not today" None of the Earps or Holliday were arrested that day. (6)
Ike Clanton proceeded to file charges for murder against the three Earps and Holliday. Roughly a month after shooting a grand jury was convened to hear the indictments against the four. The main witnesses for the prosecution were Ike and Sheriff Behan, they testified that the cowboys had put their hands up to surrender and were gunned down with Holliday firing the first shots. Numerous witnesses gave conflicting views, and in the end Judge Spicer decided not enough evidence existed to indict any of them and the grand jury agreed, rendering a "not-true" bill on in early december of 1881. (7).
"More Gun Control or More Gun Fights at the OK Corral?"
The events of October 26, 1881 have been largely forgotten in their details, and the term "OK Corral" has taken a new meaning with gun control advocates often using OK corral as a synonym for "loose gun laws" An article by Richard Farrell specifically uses this comparison in the wake of the Theatre shooting in Aurora Colorado (8). These comparisons are false, Tombstone had much stricter gun laws (albiet that were inconsistantly enforced) The fight at OK corral involved not murdering unarmed civilians wholesale, but a questionable fight between two armed outlaws (Tom McLaury was later found to be unarmed) and a Law enforcement officer and his deputies. Neither the police nor the crooks are giving up their guns anytime soon. The next time someone compares lenient gun laws to "OK Corral" you now have the information to solidly refute this prevelant false comparison.
Works Cited
1)http://www.tombstoneweb.com/history.html
2)Murder in Tombstone: The Forgotten Trial of Wyatt Earp, Lubet, Steve p.38
3)Murder in Tombstone: The Forgotten Trial of Wyatt Earp Lubet, Steve p.39-41
4)Murder in Tombstone: The Forgotten Trial of Wyatt Earp, Lubet, Steve p. 41-50
5)Murder in Tombstone: The Forgotten Trial of Wyatt Earp Lubet, Steve p.52-55
6) 7)O.K. Corral: A Gunfight Shrouded in Mystery, Wild West Magazine, Terfiller, Casey. Morey, Jerry. October 2001
8) More Gun Control or More Gun Fights at the OK Corral? Farrell, Richard. American Titanic
July 21, 2012 <http://americantitanic.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/more-gun-control-or-more-gun-fights-at-the-ok-corral/>
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