October 29, 1881, Coroner's Inquest, Testimony of Sheriff Behan, published in the Tombstone Epitaph

"Investigation into the Cause of the Recent Killing

Following is a verbatim copy of the testimony given before the Coroner's Jury in relation to the killing of the McLaury brothers and Clanton, up to the time of adjournment, last evening. At the rate of progress made yesterday, the investigation is liable to last for a week.

The Coroner's Jury was composed of the following: T.P. Hudson, D. Calisher, M. Garrett, S.B. Comstock, J.C. Davis, Thomas Moses, C.D. Reppy, F. Hafford, George H. Haskell, M. S. Goodrich.

'John H. Behan, being sworn says; I am Sheriff, and reside in Tombstone, Cochise County, Arizona; I know the defendants Wyatt Earp, and John H. Holliday; I know Virg and Morg Earp; I knew Thomas McLaury, Frank McLaury, and William Clanton; I was in Tombstone October 26, when a difficulty, or shooting affray took place between the parties named.

'Don't shoot me, I don't want to fight,' Tom McLaury at the same time threw open his coat and said, 'I have nothing,' or 'I am not armed;' he made the same remark and the same gesture that he made to me when he first told me he was not armed; I can't tell the position of Billy Clanton's hands at the time he said, ' I don't want to fight,' my attention was directed just at that moment to the nickel-plated pistol; the nickel-plated pistol was the first to fire, and another followed instantly; these two shots were not from the same pistol, they were too nearly instantaneous to be fired from the same pistol; the nickel-plated pistol was fired by the second man from the right; the second shot came from the third man from the right. The fight became general.

Two of the three fired shots were very rapid after the first shop; by whom I Do not Know; the first two shots fired by the Earp party; I could not say by whom; the next three shots I thought at the time came from the Earp party; this was my impression at the time from being on the ground and seeing them; after the party said, 'Throw up your hands;' the nickel-plated pistol went off immediately; I think V.W. Earp said, 'Throw up your hands;' there was a good deal of fighting and shouting going on. I saw Frank McLaury staggering on the street with one hand on his belly and his pistol in his right; I saw him shoot at Morgan Earp, and from the direction of his pistol should judge that the shot went in the ground; he shot twice there in towards Fly's Building at Morgan Earp, and he started across the street; heard a couple of shots from that direction; did not see him after he got about half way across the street; then heard a couple of shots from his direction; looked and saw McLaury running and a shot was fired and he fell on his head; heard Morg say, 'I got him;' there might have been a couple of shots afterwards; but that was about the end of the fight; I can't say I knew the effect of the first two shots; the only parties I saw fall were Morg Earp and Frank McLaury. My impression was that the nickel-plated pistol was pointed at Billy Clanton; the first man that I was certain that was hit was Frank McLaury, as I saw him staggering and bewildered and knew he was hit; this shortly after the first five shots; I never saw any arms in the hands of any of the McLaury party except Frank McLaury and Billy Clanton; saw Frank McLaury on the sidewalk, within a very few feet of the inside line of the street; did not see a pistol in the hands of any of the McLaury party until 8 or 10 shots had been fired; Frank was the first of the party in whose hands I saw a pistol; Ike Clanton broke and ran after the first few shots were fired; Ike, I think, went through Fly's Building; the last I saw of him he was running through the back of Fly's Building towards Allen Street.'
 

At the conclusion of the above testimony the court adjourned until 9 o'clock this morning.

October 28, 1881 - Tombstone Nugget

"An Imposing Funeral: While it was not entirely expected, the funeral of Billy Clanton and Thomas and Frank McLaury, yesterday, was the largest ever witnessed in Tombstone. It was advertised to take place at 3 o'clock, but it was about 4 o'clock before the cortege moved, yet a large number had gathered at the undertaker's long before the first time mentioned. The bodies of the three men, neatly and tastefully dressed, were placed in handsome caskets with heavy silver trimmings. Upon each was a silver plate bearing the name, age, birthplace and date of the death of each. A short time before the funeral, photographs were taken of the dead. The procession was headed by the Tombstone brass band playing the solemn and touching march of the dead. The first wagon contained the body of Billy Clanton, followed by those of the McLaury Boys. A few carriages came next in which were friends and relatives of the deceased, among whom were Ike and Finn Clanton. After these were about three hundred persons on foot, twenty-two carriages and buggies and one four horse stage, and the horsemen, making a line nearly two blocks in length. The two brothers were buried in one grave, and the young Clanton close by those who were his friends in life and companions in death. The inscription upon the plates of the casket-s stated that Thomas McLaury was 25 years of age, Frank McLaury 29 years of age, both natives of Mississippi, and that William H. Clanton was 19 years of age and a native of Texas. "Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep."

October 30, 1881, Tombstone Nugget

"We, the undersigned, a jury of inquest, after viewing the body and hearing such testimony as has been submitted to us, find that the person was Frank McLaury, 29 years of age came to his death in the town of Tombstone on the 26th day of October 1881, from gunshot wounds inflicted by Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, Wyatt Earp and one Holliday commonly known as Doc Holliday. The verdict rendered in the case of Wm. Clanton Thomas McLaury was the same as the above." 

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