Shootout at the O.K. Corral | Thirty Seconds | 3

0:28Hello, American History Teller listeners. on tickets and upcoming dates, go to AmericanHistoryLive.com. That's AmericanHistoryLive.com. Come see my Days That Made America tour live on stage. Go to AmericanHistoryLive.com.

0:56Imagine it's mid-October 1881 in Tombstone, Arizona. You're a telegraph operator, and you're unwinding at a saloon after a long day of work. You finish your third glass of beer, and then decide to settle up and head home for bed. But before you can pay, two menacing figures plop down on the stools on either side of you. One is short and husky, the other tall and gangly. You instantly sober up, recognizing them as outlaws from a local cowboy gang. The short one leans in and hisses at you. You're on the telegraph line in town, right? I do. You remember a message a few months ago? A Wells Fargo agent in town sent it?

1:33Well, he sends a lot of messages. No, this one was special. It was about the Benson stagecoach robbery. You recall that? Well, sure, I recall the incident. Two people died. The driver and the passenger on the roof. Yeah, you've got a good memory. Wells Fargo put up a handsome reward for catching the perpetrators. $3 ,600 to be exact. And that's a lot of money. Yeah, I would agree. It sure is. And from what I hear, the Wells Fargo agent wanted to know whether the company would pay that reward if the bandits were killed during the apprehension. You remember a message like that? Ah, well, look, fellas.

2:06I send hundreds of messages a week. It would be, I mean, it's just impossible for me to remember any single one of them. The lanky cowboy leans in and jabs a pistol in your ribs. You freeze in horror. The short cowboy just smiles. Well, suddenly you're having memory problems. I think you need to think harder. Let me ask you again. You remember a telegram like that? Yeah, yeah, I probably do. All right. Now, was Wyatt Earp with the Wells Fargo man that day? Yes, yes, he was. So why do you think Earp had him send that message? That I don't know. Did I Clanton's name ever come up? No, I don't think so.

2:45The tall cowboy cocks the pistol and then rams you harder into your side. The barrel practically lifts you off your stool. Hey, look, I don't know. I don't remember anyone mentioning I Clanton. I really don't know what you're talking about. The short cowboy stares at you, his eyebrows furrowed, and he nods at the lanky one who pulls the gun back. You're left sweating as they rise from their stools. Well, thanks for the conversation, much obliged. But don't you dare read the word of this to anyone. Or my friend here might have to pay you another visit. You nod vigorously and watch the two of them amble away.

3:22And as they do, you can't help but wonder what Ike Clanton has to do with Wyatt Earp. And why these cowboys seem so concerned about it. But whatever it is, you feel like there's a showdown coming in Tombstone.

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4:55By the summer of 1881, the citizens of Tombstone, Arizona, had endured months of lawlessness as gangs of local cowboys terrorized the region with robberies and murders. Residents were fed up with the Cowboys' violence, and they blamed County Sheriff Johnny Behan, who'd done little to rein in the marauding gangs. So feeling desperate for a break in the violence, people in Tombstone increasingly looked to the Earp brothers to maintain order, since they refused to back down from the outlaws. As town marshal, Virgil Earp had evicted squatters after a fire in town, and along with his brothers Wyatt and Morgan, pursued several stagecoach murderers long after Johnny Behan had given up.

5:33But the Earp brothers had far less power than Behan to stop crime, and their hot tempers also led them to behave rashly, so that finally, in late October 1881, months of tension exploded in the most violent day in Tombstone's history. This is Episode 3 of our four-part series on Tombstone, 30 Seconds.

5:56By October 1881, Ike Clanton was growing increasingly erratic. The rancher had always been volatile and had long been pals with the criminal gangs of cowboys that roamed the desert around Tombstone. But after his father died, Clanton began to drink and carouse even more. He also grew paranoid. Six months earlier, he had agreed to help Wyatt Earp nab a group of fugitives wanted for a stagecoach killing. That plan fell through when all three fugitives were eventually killed before capture. But Clanton was terrified that people somehow knew about his involvement in the scheme. The dead men still had powerful friends, and Clanton feared they might take revenge on him if his deal with Earp ever came to light.

6:38His fears only grew worse when one night the local Wells Fargo agent got drunk and sidled up to Clanton at a bar. The agent brought up the telegram he'd sent to company headquarters about the reward money and tried to assure Clanton that Wyatt Earp would never betray him. Wyatt had been discreet, so the agent didn't know any details of the plot, but it was still clear that he knew Clanton was working with Wyatt. And if this exchange was meant to soothe Clanton's nerves, it had the opposite effect. Immediately, Clanton began to wonder who else Wyatt had told of their scheme. Clanton was especially worried that Wyatt had run his mouth to his close friend Doc Holliday.

7:15Holliday wasn't living in Tombstone at the time. He was gambling up in Tucson, but he still made occasional trips down to Tombstone. Moreover, Holliday had a reckless streak and liked to shoot his mouth off. So if Holliday knew, then it wouldn't be long before the rest of the town did as well. This fear gnawed at Clanton. On the morning of October 25, 1881, Clanton rode into Tombstone with a companion, 28-year-old rancher Tom McClory. McClory stood out in Tombstone as one of the few men who was clean-shaven. He was the brother of Frank McClory, who had tangled with Virgil Earp in the past over stolen army mules.

7:51Tom was much quieter than the volatile Frank, though. He had business in town and was visiting to talk to some butchers about his cattle and to grab supplies for an upcoming trip to his sister's wedding in Iowa. Clanton tagged along for a different reason. He needed to blow off steam to manage his anxiety, and he was eager to visit the town's saloons and get drunk. So McClory and Clanton checked their guns at a local hotel in accordance with the law, then grabbed their first drink around noon. Many more bars followed until the two ranchers eventually got separated. Hungry and drunk, Clanton decided to find a place to get a meal.

8:25Around midnight, he ended up at the Alhambra, a cafeteria with sandwiches and quick bites. People sat around tables smoking, playing cards, and eating. Among them were Wyatt Earp and his brother Morgan. But Clanton ignored them. He got his food and settled in to eat alone. And it might have been an uneventful night if Doc Holliday hadn't strolled in fresh from Tucson after a full day of drinking himself. A drunken argument immediately ensued, with Clanton asking Holliday whether he knew any details about his dealings with Wyatt Earp and Wells Fargo. Unfortunately, in his drunkenness, Clanton let slip enough details that Holliday pieced together what had happened.

9:02So Holliday then called Clanton out for backstabbing his own friends, a betrayal that violated the gentlemanly code of honor that Holliday was so devoted to. Things only got more heated after that. At one point, Holliday demanded that Clanton go fetch his gun so they could have it out. It's at this point that Morgan Earp intervened, eventually dragging Holiday outside to end the argument. But Clanton followed and kept screaming. It was at this point that Town Marshal Virgil Earp jumped in. He'd been next door at the Occidental Saloon when he heard Clanton and Holiday shouting. After some threats, Virgil convinced Holiday to go to his hotel and sleep things off.

9:40But Clanton refused to do the same, so Virgil distracted him by roping him into a poker game at the Occidental. There, Clanton reunited with his friend Tom McClory, who'd been playing cards with Virgil and Sheriff Johnny Behan. Assembled around a table together, they formed a motley crew, glaring at each other over their cards. But the game lasted all night, in part because Behan was a terrible poker player. But as county sheriff, and therefore county tax collector, he was pretty wealthy by tombstone standards. He showed up for the night's game with a canvas sack full of gold and silver bits that he kept tossing into the pot.

10:15And as long as he was willing to lose money, the other players were happy to let him. Finally, around 6 a.m. the following day, the game broke up. Despite having been drinking for 18 hours straight, Clanton was still upright and still angry. When Virgil rose from the poker table, Clanton finally noticed the pistol that had been discreetly lying in his lap. Clanton's already paranoid mind, fueled by liquor, jumped to the conclusion that Virgil was looking for an excuse to shoot him. So as Virgil walked away, Clanton followed him outside, screaming. Virgil finally convinced Clanton that as a marshal he had a good reason to carry a gun with him, and that calmed Clanton down a little.

10:53But then Clanton demanded that Virgil relay a message to Doc Holliday to watch his back. Virgil stalked off and left Clanton in the street. He considered Clanton a coward and figured he would eventually pass out somewhere. But he was wrong. After leaving his all-night card game, Clanton returned to the hotel where he'd checked his pistol and retrieved it. But instead of leaving town after rearming himself as the law required, he staggered back into the street and started harassing anyone who got within shouting distance of him. A passing bartender tried to steer him to a hotel, but Clanton refused to consider the idea.

11:29And rather than pass out, Clanton somehow found the energy to stumble into a wine bar and keep drinking. While there, he started threatening to murder the Earps. By this time, Virgil had arrived home and crawled into bed with his wife, Allie. She asked him what he'd been doing all night, and Virgil answered that he'd been trying to prevent Doc Holliday and Ike Clanton from killing each other. Allie asked why he didn't just let them. Virgil grunted, then quickly fell asleep, until an urgent knock on the door woke him up.

12:01Imagine it's 9 a.m. on October 26, 1881, on the outskirts of Tombstone. You're a deputy marshal in town, and you hurry up to the home of your boss, Virgil Earp. You pound on the door. Virg! Virg! You in there? There's big trouble brewing. There's no answer, and no sign of Virgil's wife, Allie. She must be out and about already. You feel awkward, but you push the door open and hurry inside. Hey, Virg! Where are you? Who is it? You enter the bedroom, and your shoulders slumped to see Virgil still in bed. He blinks at you, as if clearing his vision. Oh, God, what the hell do you want? I'm sorry to bother you, but Ike Clanton's on the warpath.

12:41He's running from bar to bar, swearing he'll shoot anyone who tries to arrest him. What do you mean? I told him to go pass out somewhere. Well, maybe you did, but he just kept drinking. He's raising hell. Oh, good Lord. All right, well, hand me a nip of that whiskey. I need some hair of the dog. You hand him the bottle and watch him take a slug and grimace. Then he turns to you. All right, now explain to me what's happened. Well, it's like I said, Clanton kept drinking after you went home, just causing a hell of a lot of trouble. And now he's threatening people. Has he got his guns on him? Yeah, saying he'll shoot any Earp on sight.

13:15Hearing this, Virgil does the last thing you've ever expected. He starts laughing. That's the emptiest threat I've ever heard in my life. I, Clanton, is a big talker, but deep down he's a coward. Virg, I'm telling you, he's out of his mind. I think he's legitimately crazy. Well, be that as it may, I'm going back to bed. I'll check in this afternoon. Virg, no, you gotta get up. No, I gotta sleep. Now get the hell out of here. You consider protesting, but you decide to keep your mouth shut. Virgil's a great boss, but he can be stubborn sometimes, and you know there's nothing you can do to change his mind.

13:50So you step outside again, and a blast of wind slaps you. You start shivering, but it's not just the cold. You're convinced Ike Clanton is going to do something crazy, and the town's top law enforcement officer isn't taking the threat seriously. You just hope his indifference won't cost someone their life.

14:10After dismissing the warning from his deputy marshal, Virgil Earp finally roused himself from bed around noon, at which point another citizen warned him again about Ike Clanton. Angry and annoyed, Virgil finally realized that he'd have to defuse the situation himself, so he hurried off into the cold and windy day. Within a few blocks, Virgil ran into Morgan and Wyatt, who'd also heard that Clanton was stirring up trouble. Virgil made sure they were armed, then the brothers split up to look for Clanton. Wyatt went one way, Virgil and Morgan another. And it was these two who soon found Clanton in a ridiculous state.

14:44He'd fetched his rifle from his hotel as well, and was slumped against a wall, cradling it like a baby. He was also carrying on a slurred conversation with the mayor, who was trying to keep him occupied. Given that Clanton was armed and had made explicit threats against his life, Virgil could have shot him then and there. The mayor and the town council almost certainly would have supported him. But Virgil wanted to defuse the violence, not contribute to it. So he decided to disarm Clanton instead. An opportunity soon presented itself. His brother Wyatt appeared at the far opposite end of the street, catching Clanton's attention.

15:19Clanton straightened, turned to face Wyatt, and stared him down. He was so focused that Virgil was able to sneak up behind him and yank the rifle away before Clanton saw him. A startled Clanton reached instead for the pistol in his belt, but before he managed to get it free, Virgil unholstered his own and pistol-whipped Clanton, who crumpled to the ground in a heap, his head bleeding. The Earps then dragged Clanton into a special town courtroom where cases of drunkenness and other petty crimes were processed quickly. Virgil fetched a local judge who fined Clanton$27.50. Clanton then staggered off, free but woozy, his head still bleeding.

15:56The Earps figured that he wasn't a threat anymore. And the day's events might have ended there, if not for Wyatt's temper. Wyatt did not get angry quickly. His fuse burned slowly, but once aroused, his temper was volcanic. And something about Clanton's threats that morning set him off. Wyatt was still steaming while walking home. On the way, he bumped into Clanton's companion, Tom McClory. McClory had a wicked hangover and was chastising himself for not getting any errands done the day before, and he had no idea where Clanton was, so he was planning to track his friend down, finish his errands, have another drink or two, and then get home.

16:34Accounts differ on what McClory said to Wyatt as they passed each other, but whatever it was, Wyatt erupted, and McClory didn't back down either. He answered that he'd fight Wyatt right there in the street. Wyatt demanded to know twice if McClory was armed. McClory denied it, but Wyatt didn't believe him. So Wyatt pulled his gun out and smashed McClory in the temple. The blow left him prostrate in the street, and witnesses recall being shocked at the outburst of violence from Wyatt, but he didn't care. Wyatt trudged home, satisfied that the day's troubles were over. But what he didn't realize was that Tom McClory and Ike Clanton would soon have reinforcements.

17:11In fact, McClory and Clanton's brothers were already in town, and they would soon be coming after the Earps looking for revenge.

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19:19Around 1 p.m. on October 26, 1881, Frank McClory and Billy Clanton ambled into Tombstone on horseback, shivering against the chilly wind. They trotted down the dusty street, passing rowdy saloons and hotels on either side. They were each visiting on routine business and had no idea that their brothers Tom McClory and Ike Clanton had gotten into so much trouble. After they tied up their horses, Frank McClory, age 33, and Billy Clanton, age 19, entered a hotel and bellied up to the bar. They wanted a warming slug of whiskey after a cold and windy ride. But before they could even raise a toast, a bystander hurried up and filled them in about their brothers, who were still nursing wounds.

19:59Frank was stunned to hear about Wyatt Earp pistol-whipping Tom, and Billy was equally surprised to hear about Virgil clobbering his drunken brother Ike. They soon grew furious, especially Frank. He'd always viewed the Earps as bullies who used their badges to push around hard-working folks like him. So they left their drinks untouched and hurried outside. It's not clear whether Frank and Billy intended to turn their guns in at the hotel bar upon arriving in town, but there was no way they were leaving themselves unarmed now, because Frank's thoughts were hot with revenge. Still, his most pressing concern was to round up his brother and Ike Clanton and get out of town before anything worse happened.

20:37He and Billy grabbed their horses and began searching for Tom and Ike. Tom McClory proved elusive, but they did find Ike Clanton inside a gun shop. Ike's head was now bandaged, but blood was already seeping through the wrapping. The Earps had confiscated Ike's rifle and pistol earlier that morning, so Ike had made his way to the gun shop, where he demanded that the owner sell him a pistol. The owner, though, had heard about his fight with the Earps and refused, but when Frank McClory and Billy Clanton arrived at the shop, the owner agreed to sell them boxes of ammunition, which they all started loading into their guns.

21:11It's not clear why they wanted the ammunition. They could simply have been restocking their usual supply. Unfortunately, Wyatt Earp happened to be standing across the street from the gun shop, watching everything unfold through the store's plate glass window. And the sight of the cowboys buying ammunition and loading their guns did not look innocent to him. A minute later, Virgil hurried up. Although he had downplayed the warnings about Clanton before, he was now taking the threat quite seriously. He was carrying a shotgun he'd just borrowed from Wells Fargo, a far deadlier weapon than Virgil's regular pistols.

21:45So Wyatt and Virgil watched carefully as the cowboys exited the shop, at which point Tom McClory happened by. He joined his brother and friends as the two parties eyed each other hard. Then the cowboys turned and walked a few blocks north. At that point, an armed Doc Holliday arrived on the scene with Morgan. He had also been alerted that morning that Ike Clanton was on the warpath, but like Virgil Erb, Holliday had waved the warning off and kept sleeping until early afternoon. After rising, he wandered over to the Alhambra cafeteria for a late breakfast. There, Holliday ran into Morganer, who updated him on the situation.

22:21Holliday realized a fight might be brewing, and he was eager to get in on the action. Holliday and Morgan had rushed outside, and then found Virgil and Wyatt near the gunshot. As the four men discussed what to do, the last major player in the day's events approached, Sheriff Johnny Behan. Behan had slept even later than Virgil and Doc Holliday. Around 1.30 p.m., he'd been getting a leisurely shave downtown, when some men gossiping in the barbershop informed him of the day's events. An alarmed Behan jumped up, half-shaved, and raced out to find the three Earp brothers and Doc Holliday, all armed and glaring at the Clantons and McClory's in the gun shop across the street.