The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1888-02-11

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 Earns retreated and skipped the
town. When they had left and there
was no hope of catching them, the
sheriff OF Cochise county became ener
getic. He organized posses to give
pursuit that subsequently cost the tax
payers of the county $1,000. The
Earps being absent, sympathy, of
course, was against them, and they
went to Colorado, where they remained
for some time, and then went to Cali
fornia. The rustlers then had supreme
command 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 element had to take sides, but
the respectable portion of the COM
munity was never bothered. The rust
lers were cattle thieves. They stole
cattle 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 in Tombstone.
They were royal set of thieves. When
they were flush they scorned to drink
anything but Roederer or Pommery
sec, and the markets were gutted 10
provide them with luxuries. The leader
of the gang, Ike Clanton, was hand
some fellow, six feet high, with yellow,
curling locks, and complexion, in
spite of the Arizona sun and regular
exposure, that belle would envy. He
was a ready and straight shooter. He
faced death a hundred times, and met
it at last. He hated the carp brothers
with all the intensity of an unbridled
passion, and loved their sister with
equal force. Jessie carp was a beau
tiful girl of nineteen at the time. She
had the courage and grace of her
brothers, and was, OF course, partisan
of theirs in the factional fight, without
being In sympathy with their habits of
life and career of rapine and murder.
Ike Clanton and Jessie carp met at
dance at Tombstone. Ike and the
carp boys were then at war, and car
ried guns cooked and primed for each
other. Between Ike and Jessie it was
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 play
ing into the h~nds of the arch enemy,
Clanton. He would Immediately marry
her, and both would be happy. This
would not suit the Earps, and they re-
solved to keep the girl away from Clan
ton, and prevent meeting or communi-
cation between them, if possible. TIE
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 immediately after
reaching Tombstone to revenge the
death OF the McLowry boys and Billy
Clanton. The reason was that Jessie
was confined in her brothers headquar-
tiers, and Clanton would not run the
risk OF killing her. When the EarpS
retreated from Tombstone they took
their sister with them. This was the
reason, perhaps, why Clanton refused
to become a member of the Sheriff's
posse and join in the pursuit of his
enemy.
Three months later, however, when
the Earps were living at Gunnison, Col,
and, of course, were running the town,
their sister mysterlously disappeared one
night. the result of inquiry convinced
them that she had fed in company with
Ike Clanton. This was pouring salt
and vinegar into their fostering wounds.
The whole band, comprising Virgil,
Wyatt and Julian carp, Doc Halliday,
Curley Bill, Sam Saunders, Texas Ike
and Monroe Tucker, armed, mounted
and pursued. The lovers had about
four hours the start, but they were
easily trailed. They headed for Ari-
zona. They expected pursuit, and lost
no time. They reached Lake City,
eighty miles from Gunnison, in twelve
hours. Both were on horseback. From
Lake City they started to Ouray, one
hundred miles by regular road, but
getting afraid of pursuit, they left the
road and crossed over the trackless
mountain, going thirteen thousand feet
above sea level, and finally reached
San Miguel-thirty hours without food.
Here they rested for two days, being
convinced that the pursuit they expected
was off their trail. They were, to a
certain extent, right, and to certain
extent mistaken. The carp party went
to Ouray, nd, finding no trace of the
fugitives, became convinced that they
had made short cut to San Miguel.
Eron, nur,y RI Con M;uusl &c lace than