1881 Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Thirty bloody seconds in an alley in Tombstone, Arizona created an enduring legend of the Old West.
In 1881, Tombstone was a prosperous town of 7,000 near the Mexican border, rich from a silver boom and full of legitimate merchants and their families, rubbing shoulders with smugglers, rustlers and murderers. The nature of social life may be be deduced by the presence of 110 saloons, 14 gambling halls, numerous brothels and four churches. Such law as existed was provided by the Earp clan, brothers Wyatt (a deputy US Marshal), James, Vergil, Morgan, and Warren, and dissolute dentist “Doc” Holliday.
Providing a touch of colour and menace to the neighbourhood were “the Cowboys”, a gang of rustlers and smugglers led by Johnny Ringo, including Billy and Ike Clanton, “Curly” Bill Brocius, and the McLaury brothers. Animosity between them and the Earps was overt with the Cowboys making death threats against the lawmen. To some extent, the trouble stemmed from ranchers’ resentment of the dominance by townsfolk of local politics and the economy.
On the night of October 25, the animosities were fuelled by heavy drinking and threats against the Earps and Holliday by Ike Clanton who told listeners that on the morrow he would gun down his enemies. On the 26th Virgil and Morgan encountered Clanton, who was armed in violation of town ordinances; they pistol-whipped and arrested him. Later that day Wyatt also assaulted Tom McClaury. As more Cowboys drifted into town they heard the news and became incensed, loading themselves up with ammunition.The Earps decided to disarm them.
In a side-street, Doc Holliday with Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan Earp confronted five Cowboys who ignored a call to hand over their weapons. Firing broke out at a distance of about 6′ and when the smoke cleared Ike Clanton and Billy Clairborne had fled, Billy Clanton, Tom McLaury and his brother Frank were dead; Virgil and Morgan were wounded slightly.
Public opinion at the time was divided, with some feeling the Earps had been justified and others claiming that the Cowboys had been ambushed. A trial cleared the Earps but the armed hostility continued. More Earps and Cowboys were to die.
