Daily Nugget, CORONER'S INQUEST, Oct. 30, 1881
Further Testimony Regarding The
Late Tragedy.
(Editor's note: The Nugget in reporting the testimony of the
Inquest, printed only the answers.)
The coroner's jury. Summoned for the purpose of inquiring into the causes
of the death of William Clanton and Thomas and Frank McLowry (sic), 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; Then saw the
Sheriff going over to where the Marshal and Sheriff were talking; the Sheriff
says, "What's the trouble," the Marshal says, "Those men have made their
threats; I will not arrest them but will kill them on sight;" Virgil Earp
said this; the Sheriff asked the Marshal in to take a drink; did not see
them afterward as I crossed over the street to the other side; when I got
over there I saw one of the Earp brothers, the youngest one, talking to Doc
Holliday; looked across the street; saw the Marshal again; some one came
up to him and called him aside; when this gentleman got through talking wit
the Earps; saw three of the Earps and Holliday go down the street together;
they kept on the left of the street on Fourth; I was on the right side; when
I got to the corner of Fremont and Fourth I started to go across to the southwest
corner of Fremont; when I got midway between in the street I saw the firing
had commenced; I kept my eye on the Earps and Holliday until the shooting
commenced; I saw Doc Holliday in the middle of the street; the youngest of
the Earps brothers was about three feet from the sidewalk; he was firing
at a man behind a horse; Doc Holliday also fired at the man behind the horse,
and firing at a man who ran by him on the opposite side of the street; then
I saw the man who had the horse let go, and was staggering all the time until
he fell; he had his pistol still when he fell; I never saw the two elder
Earps; I did not know where they were situated; I then went to the yound
man (Editor's note---Frank McLaury) lying on the sidewalk and offered to
pick him up; he never spoke except the movement of the lips; I picked up
a revolver lying five feet from him; then I saw Doc Holliday running towards
where the young man was lying, still having a revolver in his hand, making
the remark, 'the s--- of a b--- has shot me and I mean to kill him;' could
not say who fired the first shots; I didn't see a shotgun go off; I didn't
see a shotgun after I walked down the street; I didn't see any one with their
hands up, I was too far away to see that."
Ike Clanton, sworn;
"Am a cattle dealer; was present on the 26th of the month, and am a brother
of William Clanton who was killed on that day, saw the whole transaction,
the killing; well, the night before the killing went into the Occidental
lunch saloon for a lunch; while in there Doc Holliday came in and raised
a row with me; was abusing me; he had his hand on his pistol; called me a
s--- of a b---; he told me to get my gun out; I told him I had no gun; I
looked around and saw Morgan Earp behind him, they began to abuse me, when
I turned and got out doors; Virgil Earp, Wyatt and Morgan were all up there,
Morg Earp told me if I wanted to fight to turn myself loose; they all had
their hands; I told them again that I was not armed; Doc Holliday said, 'You
s--- of a b---, go and arm yourself; I did then go and arm myself; I went
back, saw V. Earp and T. McLowry; Virg Earp was playing poker with his pistol
in his lap; we were playing poker, we quit at daylight; I followed him and
said, 'I was abused the night before, and was still in town,' he said he
was going to bed; the reason I followed him up was I saw him take his pistol
out of his lap and stick it in his pants; I came back and passed in my chips;
staid around until about 8 or 9 o'clock;
I STAID 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
McLowry to take their arms off. Tom McLowry 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
nd 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
McLowry and Billy Clanton threw up; Tom McLowry 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 throught 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 McLowry, 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 McLowrys 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 McLowry 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 [Editor's note:
The arms had been left earlier that day at the Fountain Saloon, in the Grand
Hotel, by Virgil Earp.]; Virg Earp had them; it was a six shooter; It was
two days prior since I saw Billy or Frank McLowry 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 McLowrys 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 McLowrys 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 McLowrys; 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
orderred us to give up our srms I did not think we were under arrest; he
said it was all right if we left town; Behan had a conversation with Frank
McLowry; 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 McLowrys
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 McLowry 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 McLowrys talking
with Cheriff 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. Some one in the Earp party then said;
'THROW UP YOUR HANDS'
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 McLowry 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 McLowry 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 McLowry 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 McLowry, 29 years of age (Editor's note:
Records show his birth date as March 3m 1848, which made him 33 not 29.) and
a native of Mississippi (Editor's note: Records show his place of birth as
Kortright, New York.), 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
(Editor's note: Not listed in Document 48, Coromer's Inquest, J.W. Cowell
(Editor's note: Not listed in Document 48, Coroner's Inquest.), J.C. Davis,
Harry Walker, C.D. Reppy, G.H. Haskell (Editor's note: Spelled Haskill in
Document 48.) And W.S. Goodrich (Editor's note: Listed as B.S. Goodrich
in Document 48.)
The verdict in the case of Wm. Clanton and Thomas McLowry was the same
as the above, excepting as to their names and ages, which werre inserted
in the body of the document. After the jury adjourned sine die.
