I was born in Hartford, Kentucky on 18th July, 1843. My father later moved our family to Monmouth, Illinois. I married Ellen Rysdam in February 1860, before joining the Union Army during the American Civil War. I was reported as being killed during the war and my wife and daughter moved away to Oregon and remarried.After the war I joined my younger brother, Wyatt, as a freighter-teamster between Wilmington to Prescott, Arizona (1866-68). Wyatt and I also worked on railroad construction in Wyoming. In 1870 I married Alice Sullivan.Alice Sullivan
She was the daughter of John B. and Mary Newman Sullivan, and for a time ran a sawmill in Prescott. I was a deputy Marshall at Tucson before moving to Tombstone with my three brothers, James, Wyatt and Morgan.In October 1880, I became City Marshal of Tombstone. Soon afterwards I recruited my brothers Wyatt and Morgan as "special deputy policemen". In 1880 our family came into conflict with two other families, the Clantons and the McLaurys. Newton "Old Man" Clanton head of the Clanton family
Ike Clanton, Phineas Clanton, Billy Clanton, Tom McLaury and Frank McLaury sold livestock in Tombstone.
Billy Clanton
My brothers believed that some of these animals had been stolen from farmers in Mexico. My brother Wyatt was also convinced that the Clanton brothers had stolen one of his horses.Wyatt also came into conflict with John Behan, the sheriff of Cochise County. John Behan
At first this started as a quarrel over a woman, Josephine Sarah Marcus. She had lived with Behan before becoming Wyatt's third wife. Wyatt also wanted Behan's job and planned to run against him in the next election. The two men also clashed over the decision by Behan to arrest Doc Holliday on suspicion of killing a stage driver during an attempted hold-up outside of town. Holliday protested his innocence and he was eventually released. In September 1881, I arrested one of Behan's deputies, Frank Stilwell, for holding up a stagecoach. Ike Clanton Tom Mc Laury
On 25th October 1881, Ike Clanton arrived in Tombstone. Later that day "Doc" Holliday got into a fight with Ike Clanton in the Alhambra Saloon. Holliday wanted a gunfight with Clanton, but he declined the offer and walked off.The following day I arrested Ike Clanton and charged him with carrying firearms within the city limits. After he was disarmed and released, he joined Billy Claiborne, Billy Clanton, Tom McLaury and Frank McLaurywho had just arrived in town.The men gathered in a vacant lot next to a place called the OK Corral on Fremont Street.I made the decision to disarm the Clanton's and McLaury's and recruited Wyatt, Morgan and Doc Holliday to help with the task. Sheriff John Behan was in town and when he heard what was happening approached us as we walked down Fremont Street, claiming to have already disarmed the group. We did not believe him and we kept on walking towards the OK Corral.When we reached the group of men, I said: "Throw up your hands; I have come to disarm you!" Billy Clanton and Frank McLaury laid their hands on their pistols. I quickly said, "Hold,I don't mean that!" I have come to disarm you!" Then Billy Clanton and Frank McLaury commenced to draw their pistols. At the same time, Tom McLaury throwed his hand to his right hip, throwing his coat open and jumped behind Billy Clanton's horse.Billy Clanton fired at Wyatt. He missed and Morgan successfully fired two bullets at Billy Clanton and he fell back against a wall. Meanwhile Wyatt fired at Frank McLaury. The bullet hit him in the stomach and he fell to the ground.Billy Claiborne was unarmed and ran away. Ike Clanton also claimed to be unarmed and ran up to Wyatt, grabbing his arm. Wyatt shook Ike off and yelled "The fight has commenced, go to fighting or get away". Ike ran off. Billy Clanton and Frank McLaury, although seriously wounded, continued to fire their guns and in the next couple of seconds Morgan, Doc Holliday and I were all wounded. I was shot in the leg during the gunfight. Wyatt was unscathed and he managed to finish off Billy Clanton and Frank McLaury.
Sheriff John Behan later arrested Wyatt, Morgan, Doc Holliday and myself for the murders of Billy Clanton, Tom McLaury and Frank McLaury. However, after a 30 day trial Judge Wells Spicer decided that as lawmen in performance of our sworn duty, we had been justified in our actions to defend ourselves.On the evening of 28th December 1881, I was ambushed by someone with a shotgun and was shot in my left arm, leaving it permanently crippled.On March 18th 1882, Morgan was shot in the back and killed while playing billiards with Wyatt. Eyewitnesses claimed that Frank Stilwell was seen running from the scene of the crime. Three days later Stilwell was found dead. A Mexican who was also implicated in the crime was also found murdered in a lumber camp. It is believed that Wyatt was responsible for killing both men.My brother James and I took Morgan's body to the home of our parents in Colton, California, for burial. After trying to make a living at gambling, I became the first Marshal of Colton. Later I established a gambling hall at Vanderbilt, California.I died of pneumonia at Goldfield, Nevada on 19th October, 1905 while working as a Deputy Sheriff in Esmaralda County, Nevada. I was buried at the Riverview Cemetery, in Portland, Oregon.
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