The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-01-18

of the avengers Fighters from all over
the southwest came to the assistance of
the Earps For days each party waited
for the other to begin the work Of exter-
mination.
1t came Unexpectedly. Virgil carp, while
crossing street from one gambling house
to another. late in September. at night,
was fired upon by men secreted in a build
ing which was being remodeled. His left
arm and shoulder were riddled with bull
lets, and for weeks his life hung in the
balance.
Morgan was the next victim of the as
sassins' bullets. He was making a diff
icult shot on a billiard table in saloon
and stood with bis back toward rear
door with glazed window panes. AS his
cue shot forward, there was q deafening
crash of shattered glass and an explosion
of powder. Morgan sank to the floor with
a mortal wound, bullet having entered
his back and passing through his body
near the navel
Virgil was assisted from his bed and car
ried to where his brothed lay dying. There
was only time for short whispered con-
sultation, a farewell pressure of the hand,
of all flesh.
Early the next morning Doc" Halliday
and Wyatt carp and several friends rode
quietly out of the mining camp, and into
Sulphur Springs valley. They returned
the same evening, and shortly after a
freighter reported the finding of the body
of Mexican cowboy, known as Herman
dez, which q riddled with bullets, and
upon which the blood was still wet.
II was decided to take the body of Nor
gan TO his old home in San Bernardino
county for interment. Virgil and the Wo-
men folks were to accompany it. The
tourney to Benson, the nearest railroad
station. was made in a covered wagon,
drawn by four horses DOC" Halliday,
wyatt carp, Warren carp, jim carp,
Henry Masterson, a brother Of the famous
Bat" and others. acted as bodyguard
Arriving at Benson, the train was boarded
by the mourners, and their dead placed
in the baggage car. The bodygusrd babe
the refugees a sad farewell and stood on
the platform as the train pulled out.
As the last car passed Halliday, Wyatt
carp and two others swung themselves on
to the platform and remained there until
the train reached the railroad yards at
Tucson. in the dusk of the evening. Before
the train was stopped they jumped to the
ground and ran to the car where Virgil
and the women were seated. They arrived
just in time.
Standing on the platform, with his Win
chester trained on Virgil, stood Frank
stillwell, known throughout the southwest
as "the King of the Cowboys" But his
eager finger never pulled the trigger. Four
weapons belched their death-dealing pei
lets at him. and he fell from the car with
twenty-six bullets in his body. doc"
Halliday's cutoff shotgun had again per-
formed its mission.
A hasty return was made to Tombstone.
the carp crowd slept on their arms, and
were arsenais when they walked the
streets. The death of Stillwell caused the
cowboys TO increase their forces, and Sher-
iff Benhan and his deputies to prepare for
the expected trouble. Dave Neagle, who
afterward became famous as the slayer of
Judge Terry of California, while acting as
bodyguard for the late Stephen ]. Field,
associate justice of the United States SUI
preme court, sought to avert the threat
ened trouble by arresting them for carry
ing deadly weapons. In court they pro-
duced their certificates of appointment as
deputy United States marshals, and were
discharged.
The same day a warrant issued In Tue
son for the arrest of the men engaged in
the killing of Stillwell was sent to Sheriff
Behan for service He personally attempt
ed to arrest the men the warrant called for
and was laughed at.
The Earps and their friends then mount
ed their horses and started out to meet
the cowboys under Finn Clanton and Curly
Bill. The fight of Burleigh Springs fol-
lowed, and in it Curly Bill was killed by
either Wyatt carp or Doc Halliday. BY
this time Sheriff Behan and posse, Sher-
if Paul of Prina county and a posse and
two bands of cowboys were in the field
against the Earps. but they never met
After a chase of over 300 miles pursuit was
abandoned and the band of invincible fight
ers dispersed. Wyatt returned to Califor-
MIA and lived in comparative obscurity I'M
til he acted as referee of the Fitzsimmons-
Sharkey fight in San Francisco. Warren
carp wooed fortune in the mining camps
of Washington and was killed in a street
fight. Henry Masterson returned to Col
orado, and Doc Halliday, after paying
Wichita, Dodge City and the Black hills
short visits, wendell his way to Colorado.
and there received the gift he had strived
so hard for on the mesas of the southwest
death.