| Wyatt Earp's Statement |
| November 17th, 1881 the Epitaph printed the statement of Wyatt Earp concerning the gunfight at the OK Coral. Wyatt testified to the dealings he had with the Clanton's and McLowrys over a period of time and then went on to tell his side of the story as follow's. |
| Wyatt Earp's Statement On October 26, I got up around noon, Ned Broyle came to me and told me that he met Ike Clanton on Allen street near the telegraph office, and he was armed. Ike told him that as soon any of those Damm Earps make there appearence on the street today the battle would be open, that he said 'We are here to make a fight, we are looking for the Son's of Bitches."Jones came to me after I got up and went to the saloon and asked "What does this mean? I asked him what he meant, He say's Ike Clanton is hunting you Earp boys with a Winchester rifle and a six shooter. I said, I will go down and find him and see what he wants. I went out and on the conner of Fourth and Allen Street I met Virgil Earp the Marshall. He told me how he heard that Ike Clanton was hunting us. I went up Allen Street and Virgil went down Fifth Street and then Fremont. Virgil Found Ike Clanton on Fourth street in the alley. He walked up to him and said I heard that you were hunting for some of us, Ike then throws his winchester rifle around toward Virgil, Virgil grabbed it and hit Ike with his six shooter, knocking him down. Clanton had his rifle, and his six shooter was exposed in his pants. By that time I came up, Virgil and Morgan took his six shooter and rifle away and took them to the Grand Hotel after the examination and took Ike before Justice Wallace. Before the investigation, Morgan Earp had Clanton in charge as Virgel Earp was out. A short time later I went into Justice Wallace's court and sat on a bench. Ike Clanton looked over at me and said "I'll get even with all of you, if I had a six shooter I would make a fight with all of you."Morgan then said "If you want to make a fight right bad I'll give you this one" At the same time offering Ike Clanton his"Ikes" own six shooter. Ike started to get up and take it when Campbell the deputy sheriff pushed him down in his seat and said that he would not allow any fuss. I never had Ike Clanton's arms at any time as he said. I was tired of being threatened by Ike Clanton and his gang, and believed that what they had said to other's and me, and from their movements that they intended to assassinate me the first chance they had, and I thought if I had to fight for my life against them, I had better make them face me in an open fight. So then I said to Ike Clanton who was sitting about eight feet from me" You d...d dirty cur theif, you have been threatening our lives and I know it. I think I should be justified in shooting you down any place I see you, but if you are anxious to make a fight, I'll go any where on earth to make a fight with you, even over to San Simon, among your own crowd. He replied "alright I'll see you when I get thru here, I only want four feet of ground to fight on. I walked out of the justice's office and met Tom McLowry. He came up to me and said if you want to make a fight I'll meet you anywhere. I suppose at the time he had heard what had first transpired between Ike Clanton and me. I knew of him having threatened me and I felt the same with him as I did with Ike Clanton, if a fight was to come I wanted it to come when I had an even show to defend myself. So I said to him alright make a fight right here and at the same time I slapped him in the face with my left hand and and drew my pistol with my right. He had a pistol in plain sight on his right hip but made no move to draw it. I said to him"Jerk your gun and use it" He made no reply and I hit him on the head with my six shooter and walked down to Haffords conner. I went into Hafford's and got a cigar and stood by the door. Pretty soon I saw Frank McLowry, Tom McLowry and William Clanton, they passed me and went down fourth street to the gunsmith shop. I followed them down to see what they were going to do. When I got there, Franks horse was standing on the sidewalk with his head stuck in the door, I took the horse by the head and commenced to back him off the sidewalk, when Frank, Tom and Billy came to the door. Billy had his hand on his gun, Frank took hold of the briddle, and I said you will have to get this horse off the sidwalk. He backed him off on to the street and Ike Clanton came along about that time they all went into the gunsmith shop. I saw them in the shop they were changing cartridges in there belts. They came out of the shop and walked down Fourth street to the conner of Allen street. I followed them down Fourth to Allen, then they went down Allen street to Dunbar's Coral. Virgil was then City Marshall, Morgan was a special policeman for six weeks, wore a badge and drew pay. I had been sworn in to take Virgil's place while he was in Tuson on the Stillwell and Spence charges of robbing the Bisbee Stage. Virgil had been back for several day's but I was still acting. I know it was Virgil's duty to disarm those men, but he suspected of having trouble in doing so and I followed up to give assistance if necessary, especially as they had been threatening us. As I've stated, while Virgil, Morgan, Doc. and myself were standing in the middle of Fourth street, several persons came up and said" There's going to be trouble with those fellows"and one man named Coleman said to Virgil " they mean trouble they just went from Dunbar's coral to the OK coral all armed, I think you need to go and disarm them. Virgil turned to Doc. Holliday , Morgan and Myself and told us to come and help assist him in disarming them. Morgan said to me " they have horses had we better not get horses ourselves, so that if they make a running fight we can catch them. I sid no if they make a running fight we can kill their horese and capture them. We four then started down Fourth to Fremont street. When we turned the conner of Fourth and Fremont streets we could see them standing near or about the vacant space between Fly's photograph gallery and the next building west. I first saw Frank McLowry, Tom McLowry, Billy Clanton and sheriff Behan standing there. We went down the left side of Fremont street. When we got within a 150 feet I saw Ike Clanton, Billy Claiborn and another party there. We had walked a few steps futher when I saw sheriff Behan leave the party and come toward us, every few steps he would look back as if he apprehended danger. I heard him say to Virgil" for God's sake don't go down there you'll be murdered. Virgil replied I'm going to disarm them. When Morgan and I came up to Behan he said," I have disarmed them". When he said this I took my pistol which I had in my hand under my coat and put it in my overcoat pocket. Behan passed us up and we walked on down. We came up on them close, Frank McLowry, Tom McLowery and Billy Clanton standing all in a row on the east side of the building on the opposite side of the vacant space west of Fly's photograph gallery. Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne and a man I did not know were standing in the vacant space about half way between the photograph gallery and the next building west. I saw that Frank, Billy and Tom had their hands by their sides. Frank and Billy's six shooters were in plain sight. Virgil said " Throw up ypur hands I've come to disarm you. Billy and Frank had their hands on their six shooter's, Virgil said "Hold I don't mean that"I have come to disarm you. They Frank McLowry and Billy Clanton began to draw their pistol's, at the same time Tom McLowry threw his hand to his right hip and jumped behind a horse. When I saw Billy and Frank draw their pistol I drew mine. Billy Clanton leveled his pistol at me but I did not aim at him, I knew that Frank McLowry had a reputation of being a good shot and a dangerous man so I aimed at him. The first two shots that were fired were fired by Billy Clanton and Myself. He shot at me and I shot at Frank. I do not know which shot was fired first, we fired at the same time. The Fight then became general. After about four shots were fired Ike ran up to me and grabbed my arm I could see no weapon at the time and thought he had none. I pushed him off with my left hand and said to him" the fight has commenced now start fighting or get away. He ran and disappered between the photograph gallery and the lodgeing house. My first shot hit Frank in the belly. He staggered off toward the sidewalk but first fired a shot at me. When we told them to throw up their hands Clairborne raised his left hand and ran. I never saw him again until later that afternoon after the fight. I never drew my pistol or made a motion to shoot until Billy Clanton and Frank McLowry drew their pistol's. If Tom McLowry was unarmed I did not know it. I believe he was armed and fired two shots at our party before Doc. Holliday who had the shotgun fired and killed him. If he was unarmed there was nothing to the circumstances, or in what had been communicated to me, or in his acts, his threats, that would have lead me even to suspect his being unarmed. I never fired at Ike Clanton even after the shooting commenced because I thought him to be unarmed and I believed then and now, from the acts I have stated and the threats I have related and other threats communicated to me by other persons as having been made by Tom McLowery, Frank McLowery and Isaac Clanton that these men, last named had formed a conspiracy to murder my brothers Morgan, Virgil, Doc. Holliday and Myself. I believe that I would have been legally and morally justified in shooting any of them on sight, but I did not do so or attempt to do so. I sought no advantage. When I went as a deputy marshal to help disarm them and arrest them, I went as a part of my duty and under the direction of my brother the marshall. I did not intent to fight unless it became necessary in self defense and in the performance of official duty. When Bill Clanton and Frank McLowry drew their pistols, I knew it was a fight for life, and I drew and fired in defense of my life and the life of my brothers and Doc. Holliday. |
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