Pod Insights American History Tellers Shootout at the O.K. Corral | Thirty Seconds | 3 About this episode Tensions boil over in Tombstone, Arizona as the Earp brothers confront the Clanton and McLaury outlaw gang, resulting in a 30-second shootout that leaves several dead. With the town divided over the Earps' actions, the brothers face an onslaught of assassination attempts as they try to maintain order in the lawless frontier town.
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0:24 Lindsay Graham? Imagine it's mid-October 1881 in Tombstone, Arizona. You're a telegraph operator and you're unwinding at a saloon after a long day of work. You finished your third glass of beer and then decide to settle up and head home for bed. But before you can pay, two menacing figures plop down on the stools on either side of you. One is short and husky, the other tall and gangly. You instantly sober up, recognizing them as outlaws from a local cowboy gang. The short one leans in and hisses at you. You're on the telegraph line in town, right? I do. You remember a message a few months ago? Wells Fargo agent in town send it? Well, he sends a lot of messages. No, this one was special. It was about the Benson stagecoach robbery. You recall that?
1:09 Lindsay Graham? Well, sure, I recall the incident. Two people died, the driver and passenger on the roof. Yeah, you got a good memory. Wells Fargo put up a handsome reward for catching the perpetrators, $3,600 to be exact, and that's a lot of money. Yeah, I would agree, it sure is. And from what I hear, the Wells Fargo agent wanted to know whether the company would pay that reward if the bandits were killed during the apprehension. You remember a message like that? Ah, well, you know, look, fellas, I send hundreds of messages a week. It would be, I mean, it's just impossible for me to remember any single one of them. The lanky cowboy leans in and jabs a pistol in your ribs. You freeze in horror. The short cowboy just smiles. Well, suddenly you're having memory problems. I think you need to think harder. Let me ask you again.
1:54 Lindsay Graham? You remember a telegram like that? Yeah, yeah, I probably do. All right. Now, was Wyatt Earp with the Wells Fargo man that day? Yes, yes, he was. So why do you think Earp had him send that message? Well, that I don't know. Did I Clanton's name ever come up? No, I don't think so. The tall cowboy cocks the pistol and then rams you harder into your side. Barrel practically lifts you off your stool. Hey, I, I, I, I don't know. I don't remember anyone mentioning Ike Clanton. I, I really, I really don't know what you're talking about. The short cowboy stares at you, his eyebrows fur-hug. Then he nods at the lanky one who pulls the gun back. You're left sweating as they rise from their stools.
2:37 Lindsay Graham? Well, thanks for the conversation, much obliged. But don't you dare breathe a word of this to anyone. Or my friend here might have to pay you another visit.
2:47 Lindsay Graham? You nod vigorously and watch the two of them amble away. And as they do, you can't help but wonder what Ike Clanton has to do with Wyatt Earp. And why these cowboys seem so concerned about it. But whatever it is, you feel like there's a showdown coming in Tombstone.
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4:12 Lindsay Graham? From Wondery, I'm Lindsay Graham, and this is American History Tellers. Our history, your story.
4:33 Lindsay Graham? By the summer of 1881, the citizens of Tombstone, Arizona, had endured months of lawlessness as gangs of local cowboys terrorized the region with robberies and murders. Residents were fed up with the cowboys' violence, and they blamed county sheriff Johnny Beehan, who'd done little to rein in the marauding gangs. So feeling desperate for a break in the violence, people in Tombstone increasingly looked to the Earp brothers to maintain order, since they refused to back down from the outlaws. As town marshal, Virgil Earp had evicted squatters after a fire in town, and along with his brothers Wyatt and Morgan, pursued several stagecoach murderers long after Johnny Beehan had given up. But the Earp brothers had far less power than Beehan to stop crime, and their hot
5:16 Lindsay Graham? tempers also led them to behave rashly. So that finally, in late October 1881, months of tension exploded in the most violent day in Tombstone's history. This is episode 3 of our four-part series on Tombstone: 30 Seconds. By October 1881, Ike Clanton was growing increasingly erratic. The rancher had always been volatile, and had long been pals with the criminal gangs of cowboys that roamed the desert around Tombstone. But after his father died, Clanton began to drink and carouse even more. He also grew paranoid. Six months earlier, he had agreed to help Wyatt Earp nab a group of fugitives wanted for a stagecoach killing.
6:00 Lindsay Graham? That plan fell through when all three fugitives were eventually killed before capture, but Clanton was terrified that people somehow knew about his involvement in the scheme. The dead man still had powerful friends, and Clanton feared they might take revenge on him if his deal with Earp ever came to light. His fears only grew worse when one night the local Wells Fargo agent got drunk and sidled up to Clanton at a bar. The agent brought up the telegram he'd sent to company headquarters about the reward money and tried to assure Clanton that Wyatt Earp would never betray him. Wyatt had been discreet, so the agent didn't know any details of the plot, but it was still clear that he knew Clanton was working with Wyatt. And if this exchange was meant to soothe Clanton's nerves, it had the opposite effect.
6:44 Lindsay Graham? Immediately, Clanton began to wonder who else Wyatt had told of their scheme. Clanton was especially worried that Wyatt had run his mouth to his close friend Doc Holliday. Holliday wasn't living in Tombstone at the time, he was gambling up in Tucson, but he still made occasional trips down to Tombstone. Moreover Holliday had a reckless streak and liked to shoot his mouth off. So if Holliday knew, then it wouldn't be long before the rest of the town did as well. This fear gnawed at Clanton. On the morning of October 25th, 1881, Clanton rode into Tombstone with a companion, 28-year-old rancher Tom McLory. McLory stood out in Tombstone as one of the few men who was clean-shaven. He was the brother of Frank McLory, who had tangled with Virgil Earp in the past over stolen army mules.
7:29 Lindsay Graham? Tom was much quieter than the volatile Frank, though. He had business in town and was visiting to talk to some butchers about his cattle and to grab supplies for an upcoming trip to his sister's wedding in Iowa. Clanton tagged along for a different reason. He needed to blow off steam to manage his anxiety, and he was eager to visit the town's saloons and get drunk. So McLory and Clanton checked their guns at a local hotel in accordance with the law, then grabbed their first drink around noon. Many more bars followed until the two ranchers eventually got separated. Hungry and drunk, Clanton decided to find a place to get a meal. Around midnight, he ended up at the All Hambra, a cafeteria with sandwiches and quick bites. People sat around tables, smoking, playing cards, and eating.
8:12 Lindsay Graham? Among them were Wyatt Earp and his brother Morgan. But Clanton ignored them. He got his food and settled in to eat alone. And it might have been an uneventful night if Doc Holliday hadn't strolled in fresh from Tucson after a full day of drinking himself. A drunken argument immediately ensued with Clanton asking Holliday whether he knew any details about his dealings with Wyatt Earp and Wells Fargo. Unfortunately, in his drunkenness, Clanton let slip enough details that Holliday pieced together what had happened. So Holliday then called Clanton out for backstabbing his own friends, a betrayal that violated the gentlemanly code of honor that Holliday was so devoted to. Things only got more heated after that. At one point, Holliday demanded that Clanton go fetch his gun so they could have it out.
8:57 Lindsay Graham? It's at this point that Morgan Earp intervened, eventually dragging Holliday outside to end the argument. But Clanton followed and kept screaming. It was at this point that Town Marshal Virgil Earp jumped in. He'd been next door at the Occidental Saloon when he heard Clanton and Holliday shouting. After some threats, Virgil convinced Holliday to go to his hotel and sleep things off. But Clanton refused to do the same, so Virgil distracted him by roping him into a poker game at the Occidental. There, Clanton reunited with his friend Tom McLory, who'd been playing cards with Virgil and Sheriff Johnny Behan. Assembled around a table together, they formed a motley crew, glaring at each other over their cards. But the game lasted all night, in part because Behan was a terrible poker player.
9:42 Lindsay Graham? But as county sheriff, and therefore county tax collector, he was pretty wealthy by tombstone standards. He showed up for the night's game with a canvas sack full of gold and silver bits that he kept tossing into the pot. And as long as he was willing to lose money, the other players were happy to let him. Finally, around 6:00 a.m. the following day, the game broke up. Despite having been drinking for eighteen hours straight, Clanton was still upright and still angry. When Virgil rose from the poker table, Clanton finally noticed the pistol that had been discreetly lying in his lap. Clanton's already paranoid mind, fueled by liquor, jumped to the conclusion that Virgil was looking for an excuse to shoot him. So as Virgil walked away, Clanton followed him outside, screaming.
10:25 Lindsay Graham? Virgil finally convinced Clanton that as a marshal, he had a good reason to carry a gun with him, and that calmed Clanton down a little. But then Clanton demanded that Virgil relay a message to Doc Holliday to watch his back. Virgil stalked off and left Clanton in the street. He considered Clanton a coward and figured he would eventually pass out somewhere. But he was wrong. After leaving his all-night card game, Clanton returned to the hotel where he'd checked his pistol and retrieved it. But instead of leaving town after rearming himself as the law required, he staggered back into the street and started harassing anyone who got within shouting distance of him. A passing bartender tried to steer him to a hotel, but Clanton refused to consider the idea.
11:07 Lindsay Graham? And rather than pass out, Clanton somehow found the energy to stumble into a wine bar and keep drinking. While there, he started threatening to murder the Earps. By this time, Virgil had arrived home and crawled into bed with his wife, Ally. She asked him what he'd been doing all night, and Virgil answered that he'd been trying to prevent Doc Holliday and Ike Clanton from killing each other. Ally asked why he didn't just let them. Virgil grunted, then quickly fell asleep, until an urgent knock on the door woke him up.
11:40 Lindsay Graham? Imagine it's 9:00 a.m. on October 26, 1881, on the outskirts of Tombstone. You're a deputy marshal in town, and you hurry up to the home of your boss, Virgil Earp. You pound on the door.
11:52 Speaker 03 Virge, Virge, you in there? There's big trouble brewing.
11:56 Lindsay Graham? There's no answer, and no sign of Virgil's wife, Ally. She must be out and about already. You feel awkward, but you push the door open and hurry inside.
12:05 Speaker 03 Hey, Virge, where are you?
12:06 Lindsay Graham? Uh, who is it?
12:09 Lindsay Graham? You enter the bedroom, and your shoulders slump to see Virgil's still in bed. He blinks at you, as if clearing his vision. Oh, God, what the hell do you want? I'm sorry to bother you, but Ike Clanton's on the warpath. He's running from bar to bar, swearing he'll shoot anyone who tries to arrest him. Uh, what do you mean? I told him to go pass out somewhere. Well, maybe you did, but he just kept drinking. He's raising hell. Oh, good Lord. All right, well, hand me a nip of that whiskey. I need some hair of the dog.
12:36 Lindsay Graham? You hand him the bottle and watch him take a slug and grimace. Then he turns to you. Alright, now explain to me what's happened. Well, it's like I said, Clayton kept drinking after you went home, just causing a hell of a lot of trouble, and now he's threatening people. Has he got his guns on him? Yeah, saying he'll shoot any Earp on sight. Hearing this, Virgil does the last thing you've ever expected, he starts laughing. Oh God, that's the emptiest threat I've ever heard in my life. Ike Clanton is a big talker, but deep down he's a coward. Virg, I'm telling you, he's out of his mind. I think he's legitimately crazy. Well, be that as it may, I'm going back to bed. I'll check in this afternoon. Virg, no, you gotta get up. No, I gotta sleep. Now get the hell out of here.
13:20 Lindsay Graham? You consider protesting, but you decide to keep your mouth shut. Virgil's a great boss, but he can be stubborn sometimes, and you know there's nothing you can do to change his mind. So you step outside again, and a blast of wind slaps you. You start shivering, but it's not just the cold. You're convinced Ike Clanton is going to do something crazy. And the town's top law enforcement officer isn't taking the threat seriously. You just hope his indifference won't cost someone their life.
13:49 Lindsay Graham? After dismissing the warning from his deputy marshal, Virgil Earp finally roused himself from bed around noon, at which point another citizen warned him again about Ike Clanton. Angry and annoyed, Virgil finally realized that he'd have to defuse the situation himself, so he hurried off into the cold and windy day. Within a few blocks, Virgil ran into Morgan and Wyatt, who'd also heard that Clanton was stirring up trouble. Virgil made sure they were armed, then the brothers split up to look for Clanton. Wyatt went one way, Virgil and Morgan another. And it was these two who soon found Clanton in a ridiculous state. He'd fetched his rifle from his hotel as well, and was slumped against a wall, cradling it like a baby. He was also carrying on a slurred conversation with the mayor, who was trying to keep him occupied.
14:34 Lindsay Graham? Given that Clanton was armed and had made explicit threats against his life, Virgil could have shot him then and there. The mayor and the town council almost certainly would have supported him. But Virgil wanted to defuse the violence, not contribute to it, so he decided to disarm Clanton instead. An opportunity soon presented itself. His brother Wyatt appeared at the far opposite end of the street, catching Clanton's attention. Clanton straightened, turned to face Wyatt, and stared him down. He was so focused that Virgil was able to sneak up behind him and yank the rifle away before Clanton saw him. A startled Clanton reached instead for the pistol in his belt, but before he managed to get it free, Virgil unholstered his own and pistol-whipped Clanton, who crumpled to the ground in a heap, his head bleeding.
15:19 Lindsay Graham? The Earps then dragged Clanton into a special town courtroom where cases of drunkenness and other petty crimes were processed quickly. Virgil fetched a local judge, who fined Clanton $27.50. Clanton then staggered off, free but woozy, his head still bleeding. The Earps figured that he wasn't a threat anymore. And the day's events might have ended there, if not for Wyatt's temper. Wyatt did not get angry quickly, his fuse burned slowly, but once aroused, his temper was volcanic. And something about Clanton's threats that morning set him off. Wyatt was still steaming while walking home. On the way, he bumped into Clanton's companion, Tom McLory. McLory had a wicked hangover, and was chastising himself for not getting any errands done the day before,
16:04 Lindsay Graham? and he had no idea where Clanton was, so he was planning to track his friend down, finish his errands, have another drink or two, and then get home. Accounts differ on what McLory said to Wyatt as they passed each other, but whatever it was, Wyatt erupted, and McLory didn't back down either. He answered that he'd fight Wyatt right there in the street. Wyatt demanded to know twice if McLory was armed. McLory denied it, but Wyatt didn't believe him. So Wyatt pulled his gun out, and smashed McLory in the temple. The blow left him prostrate in the street, and witnesses recall being shocked at the outburst of violence from Wyatt, but he didn't care. Wyatt trudged home, satisfied that the day's troubles were over. But what he didn't realize was that Tom McLory and Ike Clanton would soon have reinforcements.
16:49 Lindsay Graham? In fact, McLory and Clanton's brothers were already in town, and they would soon be coming after the Earps, looking for revenge.
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18:03 Speaker 06 There are books that change how you see the world, and there are books that change how you see yourself. In a new podcast series, A Great Book with Barack Obama, President Obama sits down with a series of surprising and sharp guests to explore six books that have shaped his life and perspective on the world. From Song of Solomon and the Fire Next Time, to All the Pretty Horses and Gilead, the president is joined by guests like Tom Hanks and Ta-Nehisi Coates to reflect on how these timeless stories shaped his thinking on everything from fatherhood to leadership, and discover together what they tell us about the world we live in and the world we want to create.
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19:09 Lindsay Graham? Around 1:00 PM on October 26, 1881, Frank McLory and Billy Clanton ambled into Tombstone on horseback, shivering against the chilly wind. They trotted down the dusty street, passing rowdy saloons and hotels on either side. They were each visiting on routine business, and had no idea that their brothers Tom McLory and Ike Clanton had gotten into so much trouble. After they tied up their horses, Frank McLory, aged 33, and Billy Clanton, aged 19, entered a hotel and bellied up to the bar. They wanted a warming slug of whiskey after a cold and windy ride. But before they could even raise a toast, a bystander hurried up and filled them in about their brothers, who were still nursing wounds. Frank was stunned to hear about Wyatt Earp pistol-whipping Tom, and Billy was equally
19:54 Lindsay Graham? surprised to hear about Virgil clobbering his drunken brother Ike. They soon grew furious, especially Frank. He'd always viewed the Earps as bullies who used their badges to push around hard-working folks like him. So they left their drinks untouched and hurried outside. It's not clear whether Frank and Billy intended to turn their guns in at the hotel bar upon arriving in town, but there was no way they were leaving themselves unarmed now, because Frank's thoughts were hot with revenge. Still, his most pressing concern was to round up his brother and Ike Clanton and get out of town before anything worse happened. He and Billy grabbed their horses and began searching for Tom and Ike. Tom McLory proved elusive, but they did find Ike Clanton inside a gun shop.
20:37 Lindsay Graham? Ike's head was now bandaged, but blood was already seeping through the wrapping. The Earps had confiscated Ike's rifle and pistol earlier that morning, so Ike had made his way to the gun shop, where he demanded that the owner sell him a pistol. The owner, though, had heard about his fight with the Earps and refused, but when Frank McLory and Billy Clanton arrived at the shop, the owner agreed to sell them boxes of ammunition, which they all started loading into their guns. It's not clear why they wanted the ammunition. They could simply have been restocking their usual supplies. Unfortunately, Wyatt Earp happened to be standing across the street from the gun shop, watching everything unfold through the store's plate glass window. And the sight of the cowboys buying ammunition and loading their guns did not look innocent to him. A minute later, Virgil hurried up.
21:23 Lindsay Graham? Although he had downplayed the warnings about Clanton before, he was now taking the threat quite seriously. He was carrying a shotgun he'd just borrowed from Wells Fargo, a far deadlier weapon than Virgil's regular pistols. So Wyatt and Virgil watched carefully as the cowboys exited the shop, at which point Tom McLory happened by. He joined his brother and friends as the two parties eyed each other hard, then the cowboys turned and walked a few blocks north. At that point, an armed Doc Holliday arrived on the scene with Morgan. He had also been alerted that morning that I Clanton was on the warpath, but like Virgil Earp, Holliday had waved the warning off and kept sleeping until early afternoon. After rising, he wandered over to the Alhambra Cafeteria for a late breakfast.
22:07 Lindsay Graham? There Holliday ran into Morgan Earp, who updated him on the situation. Holliday realized a fight might be brewing, and he was eager to get in on the action. Holliday and Morgan had rushed outside, and then found Virgil and Wyatt near the gun shop. As the four men discussed what to do, the last major player in the day's events approached, Sheriff Johnny Behan. Behan had slept even later than Virgil and Doc Holliday. Around 1:30 PM, he'd been getting a leisurely shave downtown when some men gossiping in the barber shop informed him of the day's events. An alarmed Behan jumped up, half shaved, and raced out to find the three Earp brothers and Doc Holliday, all armed and glaring at the Clantons and McLorries in the gun shop across the street.
22:49 Lindsay Graham? Fearing a shootout, Behan encouraged the Earps and Holliday to head into a nearby saloon called Halfords to cool their heels. They agreed and went inside. After they grabbed a round of drinks, a local businessman asked to speak with Virgil in private. He told Virgil he had a dozen folks ready to arm themselves as vigilantes. After months of robberies and threats, many residents had reached their limit with the cowboys' lawlessness, and they were prepared to make a stand with Virgil and send a message to the cowboys that their time was up. But Virgil despised vigilante groups, who often turned just as lawless and violent as the men they sought to tame. So he refused to help and rejoined his brothers, Holliday and Behan, at the table. Soon after this, a miner wandered in and informed them that the Clantons and McLorries
23:33 Lindsay Graham? were spouting off about them at a rowdy saloon called the "OK Corral." The cowboys were swearing that they'd shoot the Earps on sight. Hearing this, Virgil made a decision. He announced that the Clantons and McLorries could talk all they wanted if they did so indoors. He and his brothers would let them be as long as they weren't waving their guns around in the street. This was a pragmatic decision, but not everyone was content with Virgil's plan to stand pat and see what the cowboys did. Sheriff Johnny Behan in particular thought he had a better idea. Imagine it's the afternoon of October 26, 1881. You're the county sheriff for the Tombstone region. You're sitting in a bar nursing a whiskey at a table with the Earp brothers and Doc
24:18 Lindsay Graham? Holliday. The events of the past 24 hours have shaken you. The town's been lucky to avoid major violence so far, but you're not out of the woods yet. Tensions are running high. Someone could easily still die. But like any good politician, you sense an opportunity in this crisis. Tap Virgil Earp on the shoulder and lead him away for a private chat. Virgil looks at you sternly. "All right, what's on your mind?" "Well, I've got an idea, a way to maybe defuse things." "No, I don't want to hear any clever ideas from you. You're the whole reason those cowboys run wild. You should have been busting their heads for months now." "Hey, calm down. I do maintain friendly relations with them, but there's a good reason for that." "Oh, I know. It's because they vote for you. Quid pro quo.
25:01 Lindsay Graham? You get a shiny badge and they get to commit crimes with impunity." "No, that's not it at all. The real reason is to get them to trust me." Why do you need their trust? So I can approach them, talk to them in moments of crisis like this, like now. If I play my cards right, I think I can convince them to give up their guns. Oh, I doubt it. Look, I'm under no impression that those men are upright citizens. They're petty and they're selfish, but let's use that to our advantage. Appeal to their self-interest. And how are you gonna do that? Well, I'll tell them flat out that they can't beat three armed Earp brothers plus Doc Holliday, and who knows how many vigilantes would join in. Their best hope is to surrender their guns to me for temporary safekeeping and just leave town. And you think they'll agree to that? Well, it's worth a shot. But you gotta promise me something.
25:46 Lindsay Graham? If I do disarm them, they get safe passage out of town. What do you say? Virgil crosses his arms and looks away. You see him chewing his lip, thinking things over. All right, I'm fine, but I want them gone within the hour. Okay, it's a deal then. I don't think you're gonna regret this. Just keep your side of the bargain, right? Don't you worry about that. You know it's those cowboys who can't be trusted. You nod curtly and hurry to the door before Virgil can change his mind. If you succeed in disarming the cowboys, you'll look like a hero, which will be a fine thing come election time. After cutting a deal with Virgil Earp, Tombstone County Sheriff Johnny Beehan headed over to the O.K. Corral Saloon.
26:30 Lindsay Graham? Around 2:30 PM, he pushed open the doors and stepped inside. But to his surprise, the Clantons and McLorries weren't there. Beehan's confidence crumbled, fearing a disaster was brewing. Virgil Earp had specifically said he would not go after the cowboys as long as they stayed indoors, and obviously, they had not. So Beehan darted back into the street to hunt them down. It was only a few minutes earlier, just before Beehan's arrival, that the Clantons and the McLorries had ducked out of the corral's back door, grabbed their horses, and headed down an alley toward Fremont Street. There, Frank chatted with a butcher, conducting a bit of the business he'd originally come to town for. The others lingered in a narrow, empty lot next door to the shop.
27:12 Lindsay Graham? But as Frank was wrapping up his business, he saw a breathless Johnny Behan run up. The sheriff pleaded with Frank to hand over his pistol. Frank refused. He thought it would look soft to surrender his gun to a lawman in public. But Behan persisted, arguing that Frank needed to think things through. If he took on three armed Earp brothers and Doc Holliday, someone would likely end up dead. Behan finally managed to convince Frank, and to help him save face, they agreed to go to Behan's office where Frank could surrender his gun in private. Behan then entered the lot next door to speak with the other cowboys. Seeing Frank backed down, they also reluctantly agreed to surrender their guns. Behan's confidence crept back. But then things got complicated.
27:56 Lindsay Graham? Despite his initial agreement, Frank McClory changed his mind. He was still willing to give up his gun, but only if Behan also disarmed Wyatt Earp as punishment for pistol-whipping his brother. Behan groaned at this because there was no chance Wyatt would surrender his pistol at the demand of someone like McClory. Behan again tried to make Frank see reason. But before Behan could get anywhere, he heard a bystander shout, "Here they come." Confused, Behan ducked out of the lot and looked down the street. What he saw nearly made him jump out of his boots. Doc Holliday and the three Earp brothers had left Hafford Saloon and were now stalking toward the vacant lot with hard glints of hatred in their eyes. Behan feared his efforts to defuse the situation were unraveling,
28:40 Lindsay Graham? and he was running out of time to stop a violent confrontation.
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29:49 Speaker 03 A trucker merges onto the I-10 in New Orleans. He checks his mirrors. The lane is clear. And then, boom, impact. A pickup truck, seemingly out of nowhere, scrapes down the side of his 18-wheeler, multiple passengers inside. One man flees the scene, and the driver of the pickup, he doesn't seem all that upset. It didn't feel like a regular accident, because it wasn't. Across the city, truckers are getting sideswiped, all on the same stretch of the same freeway. And behind many of the cases is one person, a Hollywood stunt woman turned personal injury lawyer named Vanessa Moda. This podcast is a story about fake accidents that lead to real consequences, and a scheme that ends in betrayal and murder.
30:34 Speaker 03 Listen to Over My Dead Body: Operation Sideswipe wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge all episodes early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app, or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
30:56 Lindsay Graham? On the afternoon of October 26, 1881, town marshal Virgil Earp strode through Tombstone, Arizona, leading the way toward Fremont Street. His brother Wyatt flanked him on the left, his brother Morgan, and their friend Doc Holliday to the right. Each man held a pistol, and Holliday gripped a shotgun. Holliday had intended to hide the shotgun beneath his long coat, but whenever the wind kicked up, his coat fluttered open. This line of armed men made for an ominous sight to residents watching from the windows. Only a few moments earlier, a local man had entered Hafford Saloon where the Earp brothers were gathered nursing drinks. He told Virgil that the cowboys had left the O.K. Corral Saloon and were now loitering in a vacant lot near Fremont Street, and that they were still armed.
31:40 Lindsay Graham? Virgil's face flushed with anger. He had been willing to let the Clantons and McClorries spout off inside the O.K. Corral, but now that they were moving through town openly armed, Virgil felt like his credibility was on the line. So he rushed outside, along with his brothers and Doc Holliday. When this quartet were a block away from the vacant lot, County Sheriff Johnny Behan spotted them and ran up. Behan begged them to turn around, but they pushed past him unwilling to back down. As they strode toward the lot, Behan shouted after them. His next words were later disputed. Wyatt and Virgil would swear that he said the cowboys were already disarmed, but Behan insisted he only said he was about to disarm them.
32:23 Lindsay Graham? Either way, Wyatt and Virgil believed the outlaws were disarmed. Confident they wouldn't be fired upon, they relaxed and slipped their pistols into their pockets. They then continued walking forward to confront the cowboys and assert control, making sure the situation didn't spiral further out of hand. Their brother Morgan lingered a few steps behind while Doc Holliday posted himself in the street, ready to fire the shotgun if any other cowboys appeared. Wyatt and Virgil then entered the narrow lot, which sat a few doors down from the O.K. Corral saloon. It was a small dirt plot only fifteen feet wide, flanked by wooden buildings on either side. There, Ike Clanton stood alone, still drunk and swaying unsteadily. The McClory brothers, Billy Clanton, and another cowboy were gathered near two horses
33:08 Lindsay Graham? at the far side of the lot. Virgil and Wyatt quickly realized that their adversaries were still armed with pistols and had rifles secured to the saddles of their horses. So Virgil shouted for the cowboys to throw down their guns. Frank McClory said they would, but at the same time he grabbed for his pistol. A chain reaction followed, and every man quickly drew a gun and cocked it. Virgil shouted "Hold!", but no one did. According to most accounts, Wyatt fired first, yanking his pistol from his pocket and aiming at the man he considered most dangerous, Frank McClory. Wyatt plugged him in the stomach, and McClory dropped to the ground. A split second later, Billy Clanton fired at Wyatt and missed.
33:51 Lindsay Graham? Virgil was slow to fire, and it cost him. From the ground, the wounded Frank fired on Virgil and struck him in the calf. Virgil crumpled in pain. In a panic, Ike Clanton rushed toward Wyatt and begged him not to shoot. The two began to wrestle instead. Meanwhile Morgan, still back on the sidewalk, fired a shot at Billy Clanton, hitting him in the torso. Billy staggered back against the wooden wall but still managed to fire at Wyatt. This bullet strayed wide, merely tearing a hole in Wyatt's coat. Wyatt was still grappling with Ike, who clawed at Wyatt's pistol until it accidentally went off. Meanwhile, the injured Virgil kept firing from the ground. That's when Morgan cried out. A bullet had gone clean through his shoulder.
34:35 Lindsay Graham? It may have come from one of the outlaws, but it's just as likely it was friendly fire from Wyatt or Virgil. And it was shortly after Morgan was hit, that Wyatt finally threw Ike off. Ike sprinted down the street, getting as far from the firefight as he could. But all this time, Tom McLory had been hiding behind his horse on the side of the lot. Wyatt, free at last, took aim, but his shot grazed the animal instead. The horse bolted, leaving Tom exposed. That's when Doc Holliday took advantage and blasted Tom with the shotgun, striking him under his right armpit. Tom staggered down the street, badly wounded, and stumbled into a telegraph pole. But Billy Clanton, bleeding badly from the wounded in his torso, was still trying to fire at the Earps.
35:18 Lindsay Graham? Either Wyatt or Virgil hit him again, this time in his right wrist, his shooting hand. Billy slumped to the ground and gamely tried to keep shooting with his left hand, but his shots went wild. This left Frank McLory as the only real danger. He'd already been shot in the stomach and had taken cover behind a second horse. But now, as he fired at Morgan, this horse spooked and tore off. Frank was left kneeling in the street, exposed. Doc Holliday rushed forward. He had discarded the shotgun and pulled out his pistol with its distinctive nickel plating. He leveled it at Frank. Despite his grave injury, Frank raised his own gun at the same time. The two men froze, pistols trained on each other.
36:01 Lindsay Graham? Frank roared, "I've got you now!" and Holliday responded, "You're a daisy if you have. Blaze away." Both men fired. Frank's bullet grazed Holliday's hip. Holliday's bullet slammed into Frank's chest, and he toppled sideways. A heavy silence then fell over the lot. After thirty bullets in just as many seconds, the fight was over. On the lawman's side, Virgil had been shot in the calf and Morgan in the shoulder. A bullet had grazed Doc Holliday's hip, and Wyatt was left untouched, aside from several holes in his coat. The cowboys had suffered far worse. Frank McLory was dead. Bystanders dragged Tom McLory and Billy Clanton into a nearby home and summoned two doctors to help them, but he was already too late.
36:46 Lindsay Graham? Tom lay quietly, bleeding out, until his ragged breathing stopped. Billy, just nineteen, screamed in agony for fifteen minutes before a doctor finally took mercy on him and ended his suffering with a lethal shot of morphine. Meanwhile, the main instigator, Ike Clanton, was cowering on a street corner two blocks away. Sheriff Johnny Behan arrested him and took him into protective custody. Rumors were swirling that vigilantes wanted to lynch Ike, so Behan assigned ten men to guard him that night in his cell. Behan also tried to arrest Wyatt Earp for firing first. The sheriff had a longstanding grudge against Wyatt, ever since Wyatt dated his ex-fiance and saw him as a political rival. But Wyatt wouldn't back down. He told Behan to go to hell and vowed to stay in town
37:32 Lindsay Graham? and face any negative reaction from the public for what he'd done. So Behan relented, and despite his hostility toward Wyatt, he then visited Virgil at his home that night and promised to support him in the investigation to come. The Earps, bruised and bloodied, were proud of what they had done. But if they had expected to be hailed as heroes, they were about to be disappointed.
37:55 Lindsay Graham? Imagine it's October 27th, 1881. You're a deputy undertaker in Tombstone, and you're dressing the third and final body on the wide table in front of you. This time, it's nineteen-year-old Billy Clanton. You slide his arms into a white shirt and start buttoning it. Then you lift his heavy head and loop a necktie under the collar. You try not to look too closely at his face, because he still looks like a boy. A moment later, your boss enters, and sets a rectangular parcel down on a small table. Then he pulls a bag from his pocket and hands it to you. "Here, put these on instead." You open the bag to find three ties. "Are these silk?" "They are. The tailor donated them." "But why?" "Because they're of the same mind on this. These men deserved to go into the ground looking respectful. They died like heroes."
38:41 Lindsay Graham? "Heroes? They got into a gunfight." "Yes, a gunfight, standing up to those Earp thugs and that scoundrel Doc Holliday." You're taken aback. You knew your boss was a Democrat, and sympathized with the ranchers and cowboys, but this vehement surprises you. "Well, I heard Ike Clanton provoked them." "No, that's not what I heard. Ike Clanton is the biggest coward in Arizona. You really think he'd provoke armed lawmen like that?" "Well, maybe if he was drunk." "No, not a chance." "And what about Wyatt Earp pistol-whipping Tom McClory for no reason? Look at that bruise on Tom's body. If someone had attacked my brother, I'd have shot him too." "But don't they all run with Curly Bill Brocius and the worst of the outlaws?" "Yeah, and some of them steal cattle from the Mexicans too, but what do I care? Besides, the outlaws aren't the point." "Look at this face right here."
39:25 Lindsay Graham? Your boss points to Billy Clanton. He brushes some hair away from the young man's forehead. "Yes, he was a child. You wouldn't think he was even fifteen. I've got a son this age, you know. And for one mistake, for sticking up for his brother, now he's dead. You think that's fair? You think that's justice?" "I don't know." "Well, I know it's not. Now, get them in the silk ties." You do as your boss says, but when you finish, he has another surprise for you. In the front of the shop sits three handsome cherrywood coffins, the most expensive ones in stock. Each one has a dummy inside, with wax heads and bodies stuffed with straw. Your boss points to them in the window. "All right, now pull those dummies out of the coffins." "Why?" "Because we're gonna put these bodies in the window instead.
40:09 Lindsay Graham? I want the whole world to see what the Earps did." The idea unsettles you, but you can tell your boss is serious because as you prepare the bodies, he's readying a hand-painted sign that reads "Murdered" in the streets of Tombstone. As he places the sign in the shop window, a chill runs down your spine. The events of yesterday shocked everyone, but now you're realizing that with people's blood running so hot, the wave of violence might not be over. After the shootout on October 26th, the Earp brothers were confident that the majority of Tombstone stood behind them. Even the two newspapers in town, which normally couldn't agree on what day of the week it
40:50 Lindsay Graham? was, ran stories stating that the brothers' actions, however regrettable, were justified. But many people in Tombstone had a different opinion. The local undertaker put the cowboys' bodies on display in the window of his funeral parlor, next to a sign accusing the Earps of murder. Other local business owners donated clothing and flowers, and the dead trio were placed in expensive caskets, each with a silver nameplate. Then came the funeral on October 28th. Two hearse's solemnly rolled through town with the bodies inside. Ike Clanton and his older brother followed in another hearse, like dignitaries. A brass band played somber dirges, and 300 cowboys lined the streets, hats in hand. They were all there to pay their respects and to make a show of force.
41:35 Lindsay Graham? The Earps may have believed that they had put an end to Tombstone's troubles, but in truth, their troubles were about to get much, much worse. Next on American History Tellers. The shootout at the O.K. Corral sparks a series of assassination attempts on the Earp brothers and their allies, who finally have to go rogue to eliminate their enemies once and for all. American History Tellers is only possible because of listeners like you, so thank you. And don't miss an episode. Be sure to follow American History Tellers on Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge new seasons of American History Tellers early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts.
42:20 Lindsay Graham? And to find out more about me, including my other podcasts, my live show, the history tours I'm arranging, and all sorts of other things, go to historyishuman.com. That's historyishuman.com.
42:36 Lindsay Graham? From Wondery, this is episode three of our four-part series on the shootout at the O.K. Corral from American History Tellers. If you'd like to learn more about the shootout at Tombstone, we recommend The Last Gunfight by Jeff Gwynn, Tombstone by Tom Clavitt, and Ride the Devil's Herd by John Bozenek. American History Tellers is hosted, edited, and produced by me, Lindsay Graham, for Airship. Audio editing by Mohammed Shazib, sound design by Molly Baugh, music by Thrun. This episode is written by Sam Keen, edited by Dorian Marina, produced by Alita Rosansky, managing producer Desi Blalock, senior producer Ginny Bloom. Executive producers are Jenny Lauer Beckman, Marshall Louie, and Aaron O'Flaherty for Wondery.
43:25 Speaker 07 Imagine you're reading Pride and Prejudice, except you're not reading it. Harris Dickinson and Marissa Abella are reading it to you on Audible. Her barbs sting you. His coldness sends a shiver up your spine. Your heart aches. Your ears burn. You yearn for Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy to profess their undying love for one another. You can't bear it any longer. Well, maybe a chapter longer. Performance is so good, you'll give love a second chance. Audible. Stories that speak to you.
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