Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-06-26
THE BLOODY BORDER.
The Cory "reminiscences Of . Resident
Of Arizona.

OF ARIZONA
A few days ago a San Francisco reporter
met q gentleman just from Arizona, and in
the casual chat that followed the exchange
of greetings, the former asked what ctviliz-
ing influence had fallen on the Territory
to stop the constant slaughter OF man by
his fellow, that was so common a very
( v years back. This led out a strong hood
interest to great many Butteites VINO
knew "Doc." Halliday, the gambler who
fed the city last Spring while under indict-
ment by the Grand Jury. The Arizona
man rehearsed the story OF the wal be-
twefu the carp brothers and the Clanton
and McLowry brothers. This was proba-
bly, the bloodiest and most desperate i'm
promptu duel that ev.r tool place in any
border country; and half a dozen men died
violent deaths afterwards in consequence
of it. The eight men engaged in the Tray
and Billy Clanton on n side, and Wyatt,
Morgan and Virgil carp land doe
Ha. liday on the other. The four former
were cattlemen on adjoining ranches. and
up to q short time before the feud com.
menced they were on the best OF terms with
the Earps, who held various positions in
Tombstone, Virgil at the time this story
opens, in 1882, being City Marshal. Halli-
day was y gambler, and supposed to be
something of stage robber also, but be
was on terms of intimacy with both parties,
and only inclined the more to the Earps
because of their inclination to overlook his
little infractions Of the law.
THE PRIME OF TIE TROUBLE,
it ia generally believed, wa q certain stage
robbery, in which considerable blood was
- = --h1o-o A han M vnWo n W n
offered for the robbers dead or alive, and it
lay in the power of the Clantons to inform
the Earps who the robbers were. virgil
carp had his brothers as q posse, and he de-
sired that the Clantons should lead the
hiehwaymen into an ambush where he
and his party could kill them, and OBJ
tain the reward without having to make
a fight in effecting' their arrest:
Ike Clanton sat on the proposition at
once, and hard feeling was engendered: NO
immediate trouble grew out Of the refusal,
the cheerful City Marshal sat in a poker
game with two of the quartette. While
coming his cards, however, his hand never
wandered far away from his lap, on which
reposed his six-shooter, and those who saw
it predicted trouble at any minute. A day
or two later carp commenced war by ar
resting Ike Canton for O. violation of some
trivial ordinance, and then open threats
were made on both sides. The duel was
fought in front OF the 0 K corral on Ere
mont street. and followed closely on the
heels of k eClanton's arrest. Billy Clanton
and Frank McLowry had their horoBs in
the corral, and went after them prepare
tory to starting off on some cattle bust
ness, their brothers accompanying
them to see them off. Billy and Frank
were leading their horses and walking by
the side of Ike and Tom, when the three
Earps and Halliday came upon them
from Fourth street, which crosses Fremont
not far from the corral. Virgil Earp's first
wold wal an order for the brothers to
THROW UP THEIR lands.
It is only certain that Ike obeyed. and
he did so because he was uDarmed. What
move was made by the others no person
outside of the Earps and Halliday knows,
but the firing commenced Immediately. For
five minutes the bullets flew in u perfect
hailstorm in the vicinity, and scarcely shot
was thrown away. 1t iva give and take, and
seven CT the party stood and pumped lead
from their weapons as long as they had q
shot left. The other member, Ike Clanton,
was unarmed, and consequently was forced
do nothing, and fled through the corral and
a photograph gallery back of it, and es-
capped uEhurt, although pursued by a
shower OF balls and buckshot. An i'm
mense crowd collected on either side OF the
street before the shooting was over, but it
would have been suicide to attempt to in
t~erfere, and the battle went on to the
deadly end. When the smoke cleared away
Billy Clanton and Frank and Tom Nc
Lowry were shot to death, while the carp
party had escaped lightly, Virgil having a
trivial flesh wound in the leg, and Morgan
an equally light one in the shoulder. OF
course they had their side of the story t.
tell, and on preliminary examination we're
acquitted.
MORGAN EARP's DEATH.
Some weeks later Morgan carp received
his quietus at the hands of q friend of the
dead brothers, but as to just who that
friend was there is considerable dispute.
His surviving brothers claimed to have
certain knowledge OF his identity, and they
afterwards killed Frank Stillwell for the
deed, but the latter's innocence is claimed
by many to this day. carp was playing
billiards in Hatch's saloon, one evening,
and was shot from a rear window or door.
The glass OF the window or door was
frosted, with the exception of one pane,
which had recently been put in, and this
clean pane afforded the avenger his sale
opportunity. The murderer poked forty
five calibre revolver through this bit of
glass and dropped his man at the first
shot. Wyatt carp arrived before bis
brother died, and in time to ask the simple
question: "Who did it," The dying man
almost Immediately. Nothing was to be
found Of the murderer in the city, but the
beat OF a horses hoofs Immediately follow
ing the shot showed that he had laid his plans
carefully. The next morning Frank Still
we'll. the man suspected by the Earps, ate
his breakfast in Tucson, ninety miles away,
but such
A FEAT OF WORKMANSHIP
would have been little to an average plains
man if he could secure a change of horses,
and the Earps pointed this out when they
accused him OF the murder. Their ven
geance on Stillwell was prompt and terri
BILE. just two days after the occurrence
they rode into Tucson in pursuit, and
their man wal found at the depot just at
train time. With Wyatt carp were McMas.
tiers, Johnson, Texas Jack and Halliday,
and when Stillwell:s body was found it was
SO riddled with bullets that it would have
made a very good sieve. A fortnight prior
warning in the shape OF. q bullet, which
rendered his right arm useless for all time
to come. He received the compliment be-
tween l and 2 O'Clock in the morning, as
he was leaving a saloon on Fifth street,
and never discovered where it came from.
THEIR PRESENT WHEREABOUTS.
''These warnings were too much for the
Earps, and after spending about all the
money they had in getting clear OF the law
they left the country. Virgil ran a faro
game here in San Francisco for a little
while, and then retired to his fathers ranch
in San Bernardino county. Wyatt is over
in Colorado ~rustling as usual, and doc"
Halliday is pursuing an all-round life in the
State. He left Tombstone between
two days, and in considerable of hurry. /
Ike Clanton and another brother straight
ened up after the big fight and are now run. |
ming a cattle ranch in Graham county,
Arizona Territory"
Il guess that's about enough for to-day"
the, narrator as he located the
in the ira pedY. .tNext time { will