b"THE OLD STORYTELLERThe Gunfight at OK CorralAs Told By Hank Sheffer, The Old StorytellerM any years ago western-style storytelling was very much in vogue at the old Apacheland Movie Ranch studios. Gunfighters, pistoleros, bank robbers, rustlers, anything western was fair game. One of the most popular stories was, of course, the notorious Gunfight at the OK Corral. I must say that we know much more about the event now than we knew then (some 35+ years ago), but this is the way the beloved legend was told by The Old Storyteller back thenold-fashioned jargon and allWell sir, it was in eighteen hundred and seventy-nine whenWell now, it wasnt enough that Wyatt Earp was alreadyhis head when the rustlin business was goin on. To add more these three boys come to town. Slick as whistles they wasDeputy City Sheriff at the time, and running card games inwood to the fire, in July of 1881, Sheriff Behan arrested Doc dressed in them long, black frock coats and straight brimmedthe best of places all over town, but now he could becomeHolliday on suspicion of holdin up a Wells Fargo stagecoach. hats. They werent nothin like the town of Tombstone hadan assistant to his brother, the Marshal, anytime he wantedThe rumor was that Morgan Earp had masterminded the ever seen before and probably never see again. Tombstoneto. Sounds to me like them Earp boys had the town sewedwhole thing while in the employ of Wells Fargo. None of was a town on the rise, with silver minin goin on up in theup, cause the greenbacks was a-comin' in from everythese allocations held up in court, and the whole matter was mountains and carpetbaggers and con men down in thewhich a way. dropped due to a lack of evidence.streets. Folks was makin lots of money.What brought them Earp brothers to Tombstone was the same sweet scent ofWere not talking but a couple of months before we see theWell, turn about bein fair play, come September 1881, opportunity that brought everybody else.arrival of two more gunfighters on the scene. The youngestthe Earps scored a double hit on the Cowboys and Behan. of the Earp brothers (in Tombstone), Morgan, and JohnVirgil, in his capacity as U.S. Marshal, ordered the arrest No saints was these Earp boys either, no siree, except maybeDoc Holliday, an old friend of Wyatts from the Dodgeof one of Sheriff Behans deputies, Frank Stilwell.He James, the oldest. Hed been a bartender all his life andCity days. Both of these boys were hotheads and the samealso arrested Peter Spence(r), a longtime friend of the had grand desires of becomin a saloon keeper and beinage at 28 years. Come to think of it, I have the sneakingClantons. You guessed it; they were arrested for holdin respectable and all. And because of an old Civil War wound,suspicion that Doc probably knew Virgil, too, as they hadup a stagecoach. Heres where the pot starts up to boilin Jamess game arm never let him become a gunfighter like hisboth spent time in Prescott, Arizona, Virgil prospecting,. . . We have the Earps workin both sides of the street brothers, nor would he be a part of the O.K. Corral shoot- and Doc gambling. makin money hand over fist. We have the Clantons and out as so many people seem to think. the McLaurys stealin hand over fist, and we have a sheriff As it turns out, Tombstone was just growing faster thansmack in the middle takin money faster than a heartbeat Virgil now was a different story. Hed been a stage driver inyou can imagine. With new places all fancied up like thefrom any fool who will give it to him. Things are gettin hot Iowa and Kansas for a while before becoming a U.S. DeputyCosmopolitan Hotel Maison Doree, Julius Caesars Newdown in Tombstone town.Marshal for the Arizona Territory. At 36, and only twoYork Coffee House, and the Birdcage Theater with plays years younger than James, Virgil had the idea of returnin toand such. Things were really on the move. But of course,It is now October 25, the day before the famous gunfight. prospecting. However, his idea of prospecting was a little bitthere were still the bawdy houses and the rambunctiousIke Clanton and Tom McLaury arrive in town with Billy different than everybody elses. He wanted to buy up claimscowboys raisin up the dickins all the time. It became clearClanton and Frank McLaury due in the next day. Tom that he could turn around and sell at a quick profit. No pickto the Earps that they would have to enforce the letter ofMcLaurys intentions had to do with getting paid for some and shovel for this boy, no sir! the law, or they would have to wield a controlling influencecattle the Cowboys had delivered to the U.S. government over the fractious goins on of Tombstone after dark. Virgilearlier. Ike Clanton, on the other hand, was in town solely Wyatt S. Earpnow there was a rascal. Why in eighteenand Wyatt found themselves holding the reins of power infor the purpose of spending a night on the town. Billys hundred and seventy-one, Wyatt and this other feller wasboth those worlds. It didnt take long before the Earps wereonly purpose for bein in town was probably to take his charged with horse stealin of all things. That was down inmaking a bunch of enemies. older brother home. It seems Ike usually couldnt walk too Fort Gibson. Now they call that same territory Oklahoma.well the day after the night before. It was during that night Of course, Wyatt and that other feller skedaddled beforeAs I recollect, the most troublesome of those enemies wasof drinkin that Ike opened up the ball, as they say. He they could be brought to trial. Ya know, they used to hangtwo sets of brothers called the Clantons and the McLaurys.encountered Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday and some bad folks in those days for stealin horses, and you can bet themThere were three Clantons . . . Ike, Phineas, and thewords were thrown back and forth. There wasnt any gun boys knew that. Well, it wasnt long before Wyatt was caughtyoungest, Billy. They made their livelihood raising cattle,slingin, but Ike Clanton threatened to get the Earps.with his hand in the cookie jar again. This time he was aor so they said. Seems they sold an awful lot of cattle that policeman for the town of Wichita and found himself indidnt belong to them. If that wasnt problem enough,The next morning brought still more of the same, except the nefarious position whereby he could fine folks for theirthere was a time when somebody got real good and stupidthis time Ike was arrested for carrying firearms inside wrong-doins, and just never bother himself to turn the fineand stole Wyatt Earps horse. Low and behold, when thethe city limits by Virgil and Morgan Earp. Ike was taken money over to the town. So now we have Wyatt on the runhorse was found it was none other than little Billy Clantonbefore A.O. Wallace, a Justice of the Peace. His Colt .45 again, this time to become an assistant marshal in Dodgethat was a-settin' in the saddle. Well now, you know theand Winchester were confiscated, and he was fined $27.50. City and one of the best doggone faro dealers around. WyattMcLaurys didnt get off to a much better start with theIt took no time at all before Wyatt got wind of the early was a-doin' it again, playin both ends in toward the middle.Earps, either. Seems Frank and Tom were stealing mulesmorning doins, and he arrived at the courthouse at about Yes sir, that Wyatt Earp was a rascal. from the U.S. government. It was Virgil Earps sworn duty,the same time as Frank McLaury, who had just arrived in as a U.S. Marshal, to go out and arrest those cowboys.town. Now, this is developing into a fine kettle of angry fish. Well sir, as time passed it didnt take long before the EarpsNeedless to say, none of this set too well with themWe have all these folks gathered into one spot with not a gunfighting skills came into need. Turns out that some cattleMcLaury boys. shaker of love lost among the bunch.rustler came into town, got all drunked up, and proceeded to expire the local City Marshal. Virgil was already a DeputyNow we have another character enter into this whole schemeAs you will recall, all sorts of things were goin on early the U.S. Marshal for the territory, so the town folks asked him ifof things. The Cowboys had a real good friend in Sheriff Johnmorning of October 26th. Billy Claiborne, a young wagon he would fill the post. He said he would. Behan. This Sheriff of Cochise County had a tendency to turndriver, also happened into town that morning, and being 8 December 2020"