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William Harrison Clanton (1862 – October 26, 1881) was an outlaw Cowboy in Cochise County, Arizona Territory. He, along with his father Newman Clanton and brother Ike Clanton, worked a ranch near the boomtown of Tombstone, Arizona Territory and stole livestock from Mexico and later U.S. ranchers.
In Tombstone at the time of the gunfight were five members of the Cowboys: Billy Claiborne, brothers Ike and Billy Clanton, and brothers Tom and Frank McLaury. During that brief battle, three men were killed, three were wounded, two ran away, and one fought but was unharmed.
- October 26, 1881
- Background
- Prosecution Team and Witnesses
- Defense Team and Witnesses
- Ruling
- Aftermath
- Further Reading
Media response
The two newspapers in Tombstone usually opposed each other in their reporting, but both newspapers' stories after the gunfight initially supported the lawmen's version of events. The Daily Nugget was a Democratic newspaper loyal to Sheriff Behan and the rural Cowboys, but their pro-Cowboy publisher Harry Woods was out of town. Richard Rule, an experienced reporter, knew Behan personally and very likely interviewed him after the gun fight. He wrote the story for Nuggetpublished on the day afte...
Public reaction
The initial public reaction was largely favorable to the Earps, but began to change when rumors began to circulate that Ike Clanton and Tom McLaury were unarmed, and that Billy Clanton and Tom McLaury even threw up their hands before the shooting. Within a few days, Phineas "Phin" Clanton arrived in town, and some began to claim that the Earps and Holliday had committed murder, instead of enforcing the law. Clara Spalding Brown, the wife of mining engineer Theodore Brown, was a correspondent...
Conflicting record of events
It is not known who started shooting first. Accounts by both participants and eye-witnesses were contradictory. Those loyal to one side or the other told conflicting stories and independent eyewitnesses who did not know the participants by sight were unable to say for certain who shot first. All witnesses agreed that general firing almost immediately commenced. Most witnesses reported the first two shots were so close together that they could barely be distinguished. Some witnesses testified...
The preliminary hearing was prosecuted by Republican District Attorney Lyttleton Price, assisted by John M. Murphy, James Robinson, and Ben Goodrich. During initial motions, they tried to invalidate Justice Spicer's ability to render a decision. They argued that as justice of the peace he was merely an administrative officer and had no power to pas...
Tom Fitch, the Earps' defense counsel, was an experienced trial lawyer. He had gained a reputation as the "silver-tongued orator of the Pacific." Fitch was one of the best-known legal and political figures on the American frontier in the 1880s.: 80 He carried impressive credentials: he was a former state legislator from California, had been Nevada'...
These witnesses' testimony, especially that of H.F. Sills, discredited much of the testimony given by Sheriff Johnny Behan, Ike Clanton and the other Cowboy witnesses. In his ruling, Spicer specifically mentioned Sills' testimony: Sills' lack of knowledge of the parties enhanced his credibility with Justice Spicer and may have been the deciding fac...
The newspapers followed the hearings closely. When Spicer announced his decision, the Arizona Weekly Citizenon March 26, 1882, wrote: "These facts are sorely entitled to sufficient consideration to prevent the homicide thus legally declared to be justifiable from being classed with deeds of secret murder." On about December 14, Justice Spicer recei...
Legal and Court History of Cochise CountyOriginal images and transcripts of Spicer hearing testimony
Nov 24, 2009 · On October 26, 1881, the Earp brothers face off against the Clanton‑McLaury gang in a legendary shootout at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona.
Aug 14, 2006 · Cowboy Billy Clanton still lay dying, his face contorted with pain, when the press began the difficult task of piecing together the details of an October 1881 street battle in Tombstone, Arizona Territory. In later years it would become known as the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Mar 26, 2020 · Billy Clanton and Tom and Frank McLaury were dead. Ike Clanton and two other cowboys had escaped the same fate. On the Earps’ side, all survived, but only Wyatt remained unharmed.
People also ask
Who was Billy Clanton?
Did Cowboy Billy Clanton die?
Did Billy Clanton go to Tombstone?
Who killed Billy Clanton & Frank McLaury?
O.K. Corral: A Gunfight Shrouded in Mystery. By Casey Tefertiller and Jeff Morey. Cowboy Billy Clanton still lay dying, his face contorted with pain, when the press began the difficult task of piecing together the details of an October 1881 street battle in Tombstone, Arizona Territory.
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