October 30, 1881, Tombstone Nugget, Additional Statements at the Corner's Inquest

"Further Testimony Regarding The Late Tragedy.

The coroner's jury, summoned for the purpose of inquiring into the causes of the death of William Clanton and Thomas and Frank McLaury, met at 10 o'clock yesterday and continued the examination by taking the testimony of the following witnesses:

B.H. Fellehy, sworn and testifies.

'I heard some stranger ask Ike Clanton what is the trouble; he said there would be no trouble; then Ike Clanton went over to Dolan's saloon; I then looked over and saw the Marshal standing at Hafford's doorway.

I stayed to meet Doc Holliday. The next thing they, Virg and Morg Earp, slipped up and disarmed me; shortly after I met my brother; he asked me to go out of town; just then I met the man that had our team; I told him to harness up; then I went to get something left by my brother. We then went to where our team was; met the sheriff there; he told us that he would have to arrest us and take our arms off. I told him that we were just going to leave town; that I had no arms on me; he then told Billy, my brother, to take his arms up to his office, Billy told him he was just leaving the town; the sheriff then told Frank and Tom McLaury to take their arms off. Tom McLaury then opened his coat and said, 'Johnny, I have nothing.' Frank said that he was leaving town, and that he would disarm if the Earps would; that he had business that he would like to do before he left town. Just at that time Doc Holliday and the Earps appeared on the sidewalk; the sheriff stepped out to meet them; he told them that he had this party in charge; they walked right by him. I stepped out and met Wyatt Earp; he stuck his - six shooter at me and said, 'Throw up your hands!' The marshal also told the other boys to throw up their hands; Frank McLaury and Billy Clanton threw up; Tom McLaury threw open his coat and said he had nothing; they said you's s--- of b---s came here to make a fight; at the same instant Doc Holliday and Morgan Earp shot; Morgan shot Billy Clanton, and I don't know which of the boys he shot; I saw Virg shooting at the same time; I grabbed Wyatt Earp and pushed him around the corner and then ran through the photograph gallery; at the same time I saw Billy Clanton fall; when I got away.

All of us threw up our hands except Tom McLaury, who threw open his coat saying that he had nothing. There was some trouble between myself and the Earps prior to this; there was nothing between the other boys and the Earps; Doc Holliday said I had used his name; I said I hadn't; I never had trouble with the Earps; they don't like me; we once had a transaction, myself and the Earps; I know of no threats made by the Clantons and McLaurys that day; I made no threats, only as I formerly said; they, the Earps, met Billy Clanton 15 minutes before they killed him and shook hands with him and said they were glad to meet him; Billy Clanton and McLaury were only a half an hour in town; I might have made threats as said, as I felt that way; I made no worse threats at them than they did with me; I didn't expect Wyatt, I expected Morgan and Doc Holliday to attack me.

Our crowd did not expect an attack until some one told us; at the time they made the attack I had no arms; the Earp brothers had my arms; Virg Earp had them; it was a six shooter; It was two days prior since I saw Billy or Frank McLaury until that morning; had never had a word of conversation with either of them in my life; I don't know whether the party had a shotgun; Virgil Earp was about six feet from me; they were three or four feet distant when, they fired; I did not see my brother or either of the McLaurys fire a shot. There were four or five shots fired before I left the ground; at the time the Sheriff was talking to us; Billy Clanton and Billy Claiborne were standing together; the McLaurys and myself were standing five or six feet to the left; the Clantons came up from Antelope Springs for a load of freight, that is, the McLaurys; I don't know how near Claiborne was to me at the time of the shooting; I don't know whether Morgan Earp or Doc Holliday fired first; It was a nickel-plated pistol by one of them; their weapons were down when they came up; the Sheriff, after he had ordered us to give up our arms I did not think we were under arrest; he said it was all right if we left town; Behan had a conversation with Frank McLaury; I know where the Sheriff's office is, we could not have gone up to the Sheriff's office after he left us before the Earps came up; the Sheriff told us to stay where we were until he came back; I would not have staid there had I not orders from the Sheriff; after I saw the Earps armed; the Sheriff was with us about four, five or six minutes.'

Mrs. M.J. King, sworn:

'Reside at Tombstone; occupation house keeping. I was coming from my home to the meat market, Mr. Beuer's to get some meat for dinner; I saw quite a group of men standing on the sidewalk with two horses, near the market; I passed into the shop; the parties inside seemed quite excited; did not seem to wait on me; I inquired what was the matter, and they said there was going to be a fuss between the Earp boys and cowboys; then I stepped to the door; I heard some talking then; but did not understand at first what was said, then three parties seemed to separate, and the man with the horse seemed to be leading, as the man that was talking with them turned from them; one of them said, "If you wish to find us, you will find us down here;" then the man went up town toward the post office; he was, I think, a tall man; then I stepped into the market; the butcher was in the act of cutting the meat, when some one said, "There they come;" then I stepped to the door and looked up the sidewalk, when I saw four men coming down the street; I saw and know one of the party; it was Doc Holliday; there were three others of the party which were pointed out to me as the Earp brothers; Mr. Holliday was next to the building on the inside; he had a gun under his coat; I stood in the door till these men passed; till they got to the second door; what frightened me and made me run back? I heard the man on the outside kind of stop or looked at Holliday. And said, "Let them have it." Holliday said "all right." Then I thought there would be shooting; from what these parties said, and ran for the back of the shop, but before I reached the middle of the shop I heard shots, and don't know what happened afterwards.'

R.J. Coleman, being sworn, testified:

'I saw the arrest of Ike Clanton the morning before the shooting took place; Marshal Earp went up behind him and grabbed his gun, then there was a scuffle and Clanton fell; didn't see Earp hit him, but saw Earp have a six shooter, but don't know whether he had taken it from Clanton or not; Clanton was taken to the police station. And after the trial was over Marshal Earp offered him his rifle, but Clanton would not take it, they had some words, during which I heard Clanton say, "All I want if four feet of ground;" soon after I was standing in front of the O.K. Corral and saw the two Clantons and McLaurys standing and talking in a stall in Dunbar's corral; in a few minutes they came out and crossed the street into the O.K. Corral; Billy Clanton was riding his horse and Frank McLaury was leading his; as they passed, Billy Clanton said to me, 'Where is the West End corral.' I told him where it was and they passed on into the corral and I went on up Allen street; when opposite the Headquarters saloon I met Sheriff Behan; told him he should go and disarm the men, that I thought they meant mischief; I soon after met Marshal Earp and told him the same thing, I then walked down Allen street again and passed through the O.K. Corral; where I saw the Clantons and the McLaurys talking with Sheriff Behan, and heard one of them say, 'You need not be afraid of us Johnny, we will not make any trouble.' Billy Clanton had his horse with him; I then turned and went up Fremont street; when I got as far as Bauer's butcher shop, I net Wyatt, Morgan and Virgil Earp and Doc Holliday walking down the center of the street; Sheriff Behan walked up to them and said, 'I don't want you to go any further.; I don't think they made any reply, but passed on down the street until they came opposite the Clanton party. The Earp party addressed them; I heard s--- of b---'s but don't know which party spoke. Someone in the Earp party then said; "Throw up your hands" or or "Give up your arms." I thought I was too close, and as I turned around I heard two shots, then the firing became general. After a few shots, Ike Clanton ran up the street and through Fly's gallery; think there were two shots fired; fired at him; after the first two Tom McLaury ran down Fremont street and fell; Billy Clanton stood in the same position as when I first saw him; saw him fire two or three shots in a crouched position; one of them hit Morgan Earp, who stumbled or fell, he jumped up again and commenced shooting; about that time, Frank McLaury came out in the street toward Holliday, some words passed between them; Frank said, "I've got you now," firing a shot at the same time, which struck Holliday on the hip or his scabbard; I hollered to Holliday, saying, "You've got it now;" he answered, "Yes, I'm shot right through." Frank then passed across the street and fell; I think Billy Clanton must have been struck, but was down in a crouching position, and using the pistol across his knee and fired two shots, one of which hit Marshal Earp; Wyatt and Morgan were still firing at him, when he raised himself up and then fell, still holding his pistol in his hand; after the shooting saw Sheriff Behan and Wyatt Earp talking; Behan said, "I ought to arrest you." Wyatt said, "I won't be arrested; you deceived me Johnny when you said they were not armed," and repeated again, "I won't be arrested, but am here to answer for what I have done; I am not going to leave town." Couldn't tell where I was whether they threw up their hands or not, except Billy Clanton, he had his hand on his pistol, which was in the scabbard, his right hand on his left hip; this was after the first two shots; can't swear how many of the Clantons were armed; Don't think Ike was; can't say that I saw a shotgun; don't think Billy Clanton was shot until after the first two shots; don't think he was hit until after he shot; did not see Tom McLaury have a pistol; my impression is that he started to run to get away from the shooting; I didn't see Behan or hear him say anything.'
 

At the conclusion of the evidence given by the witness, the jury decided that no further testimony was necessary, and a few minutes after retiring, returned with the following verdict:

Tombstone, Territory of Arizona, County of Cochise October 29, 1881.

We the undersigned, a jury of inquest, summoned by the coroner of the court of Cochise to determine whose the body is submitted to our inspection; when, where, and under what circumstances the person came to his death. After viewing the body and hearing such testimony as had been submitted to us, find that the person was Frank McLaury, 29 years of age and a native of Mississippi, and that he came to his death in the town of Tombstone in said county, and on the 26th day of October, 1881, from the effects of pistol and gunshot wounds inflicted by Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, Wyatt Earp and one Holliday, commonly called Doc Holliday.

Thomas Moses; R.F. Hafford, D. Calisher, T.F. Hudson, M. Garrett, S.B. Comstock.

The verdict in the case of Wm. Clanton and Thomas McLaury was the same as the above, excepting as to their names and ages, which were inserted in the body of the document.

November 8, 1881 – Ford County [Kansas] Globe

"The Earp boys, who had the fight with the cowboys, at Tombstone, Arizona, which resulted in the killing of three cow boys, have been arrested by the friends of the men who were killed. The Earp boys were acting as peace officers, and from all reports were justified in doing what they did. Wyatt Earp was formerly city marshal of Dodge City, and a paper setting forth his good qualities was circulated last week and signed by all the prominent citizens."

November 8, 1881, Tombstone Nugget

"W. Earp and John Holliday were brought before this court [Judge Lucas' Probate Court] on a writ of habeas corpus, claiming that having been out on bail, Justice Spicer  had no power to order them in custody. After argument the writ was dismissed and Earp and Holliday remanded into the custody of the Sheriff."

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