| W.C. "Billy" Claiborne Sworn Testimony |
| Wyatt Earp |
| I was there on the 26th when this happened. I had been down at Doc. Killingham's office with Ike Clanton to assist in getting his head dressed. I then walked up fourth street and met Frank McLowry and Billy Clanton who asked where is Ike? I want him to go home I didn't come here to fight anyone and no one wants to fight me. We then went to Mr Behan's Stable to get Billy's horse and thru the OK Coral to another stable to get Ike's horse. Billy then told Ike to take his horse and go back to the ranch. Ike said that he would go directly, then Mr. Behan came up and started talking to the boys, I didn't hear what he was saying I was talking to Billy. Mr. Behan then turned and started walking up the street. The next thing I saw was Morgan Earp, his two brothers and Holliday. Marshall Earp said "You Son Of Bitches have been looking for a fight and you are going to get it, "Throw Up Your Hand's." Ike, Billy and Frank did. Tom pulled open his coat and said boy's I've got nothing. Thats when the shooting started by Holliday and Morgan, the first shot fired by Doc. taking Tom McLowry, and the second shot fired by Morgan taking Billy Clanton. Billy was shot with his hands up in front of him, he said "Don't shoot me, I don't want to fight." He said it after the first shot was fired. That's the last time I saw Billy alive. Mr. Behan then put me in a room in the photograph gallery and told me to stay there, I wanted to get out of there and not be in way. I stayed there for 10 or 15 minutes before I came out. That is all I saw until I came out and saw the bodies, yes I saw the bodies laying in the street and recognised them all. Tom, Frank and Billy. I knew them all for about four years. They were all laying in the street with there faces up. I think that Billy left me about a minute before they came up and walked over to where the boy's were. I saw Billy draw his pistol after he was shot. I saw Frank draw his after there was about six shots fired. I'm positive that Holliday and Morgan fired the first shots. I saw Tom McLowry stagger back but I did not see him fall. Tom had nothing to fire with, he had no weapon of any kind. This was before I went to the photograph gallery. Ike Clanton got away after about seven or eight shoots were fired I don't know what he was doing dodgeing around I guess. Mr Behan asked me if I was one of the parties and I said No Sir I was not. The boys told him I was not also. The distance between the two parties was not over four feet I think and Doc. fired the first shot. It was a nickel plated sixshooter. I think I saw a shotgun in the fight, Ike Clanton threw up his hands when Morgan and Holliday fired the first shots, the other Earps were behind them or near the side of them. I don't recall seeing the sheriff untill after the killing. I was put in the house. There was about two shots fired after I got in the house. I think there were 28 to 30 shots fired while I was standing with the Clantons, they were talking about going home and were not talking about a fight. That was partly because Behan was there. I saw the other Earp brother's shoot also, it was an eighth of a second later when the other Earp's started firing. |
| William A. Cuddy |
| I was present two or three minutes prior to the incident. I was standing at the post office and Mr. Kenealy told me of the trouble between the Earps and the Clanton's and the so called Cowboy's. I walked down toward Fly's house where I saw Sheriff Behan and what appeared to be four farmers talking. As I approched them Bill Clanton put his hand on his pistol as if in fear of something. He then recognized me and took his hand off his gun. Sheriff Behan's had his back to me. I then heard Behan say I will have no fighting in town and you must give me your pistols now or leave town Immediately. I then heard Ike Clanton answer there will be no trouble with us today Johnny, we are going to leave town now. As I passed by I said good day Johnny an proceeded to Allen street and was opposite the mexican dance house when the shooting began. I looked back where I had left the Sheriff and saw Ike Clanton run out a door of a house and ran into the Mexican dance hall. I started yelling the Sheriff has been killed. I went back and saw the dead bodies. I heard the Sheriff tell Wyatt that he was under arrest. Wyatt replied that no man can arrest me today. We had to do it, and you threw us Johnny, you said they were disarmed. Behan tried to explaine it to them and someone said that it was no use talking about it today. Earp said that he would let himself be arrested after thing's settled down. I think I saw Billy Claiborne there seem's he might have had something to do with it I don't know. |
| Ham Light Testimony |
| I was in town on October 26th, and saw a potion of the shooting between the Earps, McLowry's and Clanton's. I know the Earps and Holliday, and have seen him since, I recognize him as one in the party doing the shooting. I was in the barber shop and the barber told me that there was likely to be trouble, the Earps had just passed down the street with their gun's. I passed them at the conner of Fremont and Third and was at my house when. I heard two shots as quick as one two, an instant apart. I jumped for the side window and saw several men in the act of shooting. At that moment I saw a man on the conner of third and Fremont, reel and fall, don't know who the man was. I looked up the street, they were standing nearly at an angle, probably fifteen feet apart, nearly in the center of the street facing Fly's Photograph Gallery. A man with a horse was in between them and the vacent lot next to the building. Then I saw a man leaning aganist the building next to Fly's Photograph Gallery. There appeared to be three men firing at the man with a horse, he seemed to be struck by the motion's he made. He fired one shot at the lower man, that shot seemed to take affect, he turned partially around. I then looked at the man leaning against the house expecting him to fall, He was in the act of falling, at that inatant the horse ran, the lower man fired apparently up the street. I then turned my attention to the man who had slid down the wall, he was laying on his back, He had his pistol across his leg, He fired two shots and tried to fire a third, apparently he was two weak, the shot went in the air. There was a tall man with gray clothes standing in the middle of the street, He fired two shots at the man leaning against the house. Then there appeared to be a man firing in the direction of where this man lay, but his gun appeared disabled. The nex thing I saw was two men standing next to the wounded man at the conner of the street. A tall man in black clothes, with a rifle, He said take that pistol away from him or I'll kill him, He was dying anyhow. At this time the shooting was over, it altogether 15 or 20 seconds. The tall man was not one of the participants, he had black whiskers. It appeared there was six men shooting one with the horse, one on the south side of the street and four others. I recognized the man in the gray clothes, He was Doc. Holliday, there must have been 20 or 30 shots fired, did not see a shotgun fired, I was 130 or 140 feet away at the time, the first two reports were pistol shots. I think there was a report from a shotgun. The man never stirred after he fell at the conner of the street, I think he was the first man shot. I did not see the man fire any shots. both the first two shots came from two pistols, could not come from one pistol, could not have had time The man who fired the second shot must have been prepared, that is they must have had their pistols.These two shots were fired before I got to the window, it did not take me a second to get there. |
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| Below is the sworn testimony of three men who were witnesses to the shooting on Oct. 26th. I chose not to write their testimony down in the exact words they used, as it would make it hard to read, but there has been very few changes. |
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