Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-03-23
TALE OF. THE BORDER.

lALE UF' LIE DURDER.
Tombstone, a mining center in southeast
ern Arizona, is the grave of more romance
and adventure, hair breadth escapes and
deeds of daring than any other region il
America, perhaps Tombstone is about six
teen miles from the Mexican boundary line,
and for four OF five years was the headquar-
tiers of all the leading desperadoes of the
west. The four carp brothers, toughs all;
Doc Halliday, Frank and Jack Stillwell, Ike
Clanton and his brother Billy, Jack McLowry
and his brother Bob, Jack Ringo, Bill Dodge
and several gentlemen known as Curly, Slim,
Shorty, Texas Buffalo and similar cogno-
mems were frequently seen on the streets to-
gether. All had reputation to sustain, and
some were SO eager to do themselves Justice
that they would not rely on the ordinary A
caliber revolver but had the barrels of shot
guns cut off to about a foot in length, and,
thus abbreviated, that terrible engine of de-
struction, when properly loaded, became a
part of their personal adornment. There
were two factions in southeastern Arizona in
1879, one being known as the stage robbers
and the other as the rustlers. The Earps and
Doc Halliday were the recognized chiefs of
the stage robber faction, and Ike Clanton
and Jack Ringo were the acknowledged
bosses of the rustlers. The factions came
into frequent conflict. One day the Nc
Lowrys and Frank Stillwell rode into town
and put up their horses at corral on Ere
mont street. Just as they emerged from the
corral the Earps and Halliday confronted
them, and in minute the two McLowrys,
Billy Clanton and Stillwell were dead. Word
was sent to their friends, who were camped
in the Huachuca mountains, and they pre-
pared to march to Tombstone in force to
clean out the Earps. The Earps recruited
and fortified in an adobe building in the west
end of the town. The rustlers, thirty strong,
under command of Ike Clanton and Jack
Rlngo, marched to town and took up head
quarters in corral at the extreme end of the
town.
The writer of this was the city editor of
Tombstone paper at the time, and he visited
both the camps daily, and was made the me-
dunn of communication between the leaders.
The rustlers circulated through the town,
and the carp, or stage robber faction, con-
fined themselves to their camp. Ike Clan
ton, the rustler leader, sent several messages
to Wyatt carp, the leader of that faction,
daring him to come out and show his nose.
carp sent back invitations to Clanton to
come and visit him. This thing continued
for three days, and at last the Ea1ps began
to get tired-in fact, their liquor was ex-
hausted and they were on the verge of a
thirst famine Warren carp, one of the
brothers, heeled himself properly with two
revolvers and a shotgun, and walked uptown
one evening about o'clock He went into
saloon, took a drink at the bar and walked
back to the faro department in the rear. He
hadn't bucked the tiger in five days and his
appetite was whetted. He sat down in front
of the dealer, pulled out handful of $40 gold
pieces and coppered the queen. Just as he
did SO report was heard, and Warren carp
fell off his stool dead. A bullet had pene-
trated his brain. When the report of his
death reached his friends they rallied out in
force They were met by the Clanton party
on Allen street, and an exchange of shots
took place. The casualties were meager,
only three killed and two wounded. The
Earps retreated and skipped the town. When
they had left, and there was no hope of catch
ing them, the sheriff of Cochise county be-
came energetic. He organized posses to give
pursuit that subsequently cost the tax payers
of the county $1,000. The Earps being alb
sent, sympathy, of course, was against them,
and they went to Colorado, where they re-
manned for some time and then went to Cali
fornia. The rustlers then had supreme COM
mand of the tough element of Tombstone,
and they held it until the leaders quarreled
and gradually killed each other.
The hates of the factions in those days were
something appalling. All the tough clement
had to take sides, but the respectable portion
of the community was never bothered The
rlstlers were cattle thieves They stole cat
tie in New Mexico and sold them in Texas;
they stole In Texas and sold in Arizona; they
stole in Arizona and sold in Mexico. and
stole in Mexico and sold in California They
spent the proceeds Of their forays i'll Tomb
stone. They were n royal set of thieves
When they were flush they scorned to drink
anything but Roeder or Pommcry sec, and
tho markets were Quilted to provide them
with luxuries. The leader of the gang, Ike
Clanton, was IL handsome fellow, six feet
high, with yellow curling locks, and a COM
plexion, in spite OF the Arizona sun and regu-
lar exposure, that N belle would envy. He
was ready and straight shooter. He faced
death hundred times and met it at last. He
hated the carp brothers with all tho intensity
of an unbridled passion, and loved their Sis
ter with equal force. Jessie carp was q
beautiful girl of 10 at the time. She had the
courage and grace of her brothers, and was,
of course, partisan of theirs in the fractional
fight, without being in sympathy with their
habits Of life and career of rapine and muir
der Ike Clanton and Jessie carp met at
dance at Tombstone Ike and the carp boys
were then at war and carried guns cooked
and primed for each other. Between Ike and
Jessie it was a case of love at first sight. Her
brothers became furious when they heard it,
and Virgil, the Oldest of the family and the
keeper of the family headquarters, wanted to
turn her out of the house and disown her.
But Wyatt, the brains of the family, said
this would be playing into the hands of the
arch enemy. Clanton. He would Immediately
marry her and both would be happy, This
would not suit the Earps, and they resolved
to keep the girl away from Clanton and pre-
vent meeting or communication between
them if possible.
Tins girl was real heroine. She was edu-
Gated in California convent; and while as
full of romance as an egg is of meat, she had
a sense of honor that made her sustain her
family in the quarrel with the faction Of
which her lover was chief. 1t was a marvel
to many people why the Clanton gang did
not attack the carp headquarters Immediate
ly after reaching Tombstone to revenge the
death of the McLowry boys and Billy CLAN
ton. The reason was that Jessie was con-
fined in her brothers headquarters, and
Clanton would not run the risk of killing
1Yl... H. II r,,, ,atpoa tnd from ToY,lN.