Ike Clanton Bio
Joseph Isaac Clanton
Born: 1847
Died: June 1, 1887
Ike made his living
at the Clanton Ranch 20 miles east of Tombstone. The Clantons and Mclaury
also were involved with rustling cattle. His Father Old Man Clanton was Murdered
while on a "business trip" in Mexico. The Mexicans caught up to the Clanton
party just after they crossed the US boder with a herd of liberated Mexican
Cattle. Involment in cattle rustling was a big part of the bad blood between
the Ike and the Earps, which had only just began.
Ike talked the talk but did not walk the walk. If you say that the "Cowboys"
wanted to ride out of Tombstone on October 26th your probally right. Although
Frank, Tom and the Billies disliked the Earps it is save to say that they
did not want to fight them. Ike Clanton basically talked The Mclaury's and
his younger brother to death. When the fight that his mouth started begun
and his brother and friends were being killed he ran away screaming like
a little girl. His friends had no choice, they stayed and died like men.
Whether you support the Earps or the Cowboys you have to admire the bravery
of all of the men who fought that afternoon. The Earps had to go and confront
the man who was threatening there lives the night before, Billy Clanton and
the Mclaury boys for sticking up for each other. Following the gunfight Ike
would go on to file murder charges against the Earps not once but twice.
He was party to the assasination attempt on Virgil Earp, he even left his
hat at the scene of the crime. Ike had a great stroke of luck to be aquitted
of attempted murder.
His luck would change in 1887 when he was killed by detective J.V. Brighton.
