The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1888-02-11
A Border Life Romance.
Southern Arizona Ten Years AgO-Over the
Mountains IN Pursuit of the Runaway
Leyers-Fnsht with His
Dying Bride.

From fhc VI 2Souri Republican.
Tombstone, a mining center in south
eastern Arizona, is the grave Of more
romance and adventure, hair breadth
escapes, and deeds of daring than any
other region in America, perhaps.
Tombstone is about sixteen miles from
the Mexican boundary line, and for
four or five years was the headquarters
of all the leading desperadoes of the
West. The four carp brothers, toughs
all, Doc Halliday, Frank and Jack Still
well. Ike Clanton and his brother
Billy, Jack McLowry and his brother
Bob, Jack Bingo, Bill Dodge, and
several gentlemen known as Curly, Slim,
Shorty, Texas, Buffalo, and similar cog
nomens were frequently seen on the
streets together. All had reputation
to sustain, and some were so eager to
do themselves justice that they would
not rely on the ordinary 44-caliber re-
volver, but had the barrels of shotguns
cut off TO about foot in length, and
thus abbreviated, that terrible engine
of destruction, when properly loaded,
became part of their personal adorn-
ment.
There were two factions in South
eastern 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 McLowrys and Frank
Stillwell rode into town and put up
their horses at a corral on Fremont
street. Just as they emerged from the
corral, the Earps and Halliday con-
fronted them, and in minute the two
McLowry's, Billy Clanton and Stllwel
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 Ringo, marched to town and took
up headquarters in a corral at the
extreme end OF the town. Here were
the honest people of Tombstone be-
tween the hostile camps of desperadoes,
but Tombstone went right along about
its business, and rather enjoyed the
sensation. The saloons and gambling
houses did a thriving business twenty
four hours daily. The banks were open,
and in the evenings four churches were
iammed with devotees. The mines
were operated by 5000 hardy work
men, and more than 1000 men and
900 mules were engaged hauling ore
from the mines to the reduction mills
at Contention, eight miles distant. The
stores were all open, the clerks were all
busy, and the only nervous people
seemingly in the city were the reporters
of the two morning papers, and they
were only afraid of scoop. 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 medium of communication
between the leaders. The rustlers circu-
lated through the town, and the carp,
or stage robber faction, confined them
selves to their camp, Ike Clanton, 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 Earps 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 reyolvers and shotgun, and
walked up town one evening about
eight O'Clock. He went into saloon,
took 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.