"On the night of October 25, 1881, Ike (Clanton) was in the Occidental Lunch Room, which was attached to the Alhambra Saloon, when Morgan (Earp) and Doc (Holliday) came in. Wyatt (Earp) was already there, sitting in the back. Both Ike and Doc were carrying an overload of whiskey, and soon talked themselves into a yelling, cursing fight, each screaming obscenities.
Doc's anger knew no bounds because of the threats the Cowboys had made against him and the Earps. With his hand under his coat, Doc cursed Ike as a "son-of-a-bitch cowboy," and urged him to use his gun. Ike claimed that he was not armed.
"You son-of-a-bitch, if you're not, go get heeled" Holliday exploded. "Your damned big mouth has already got your old man killed! I plugged him myself, and I'd be happy to do the same to you!"
Morgan, who had been sitting on the counter nearby, spoke up, "Yeah, you son-of-a-bitch, you can get all the fight you want right now!"
Wyatt walked up to the group, but said nothing. Virgil (Earp) and Deputy Marshal James Flynn were just outside the door.
Still in shock over the things that Doc had said to him, Ike left, asking that he not be shot in the back. Such a statement was ridiculous. Neither Holliday nor the Earps ever shot anyone in the back - not even someone like Ike Clanton.
Morgan went up Allen Street to the Oriental Saloon; Ike went to the Grand Hotel and Wyatt went to the Crystal Palace Saloon, where he had a faro table. In a short while he came back out on Allen Street and was confronted once more by Ike Clanton. He told Wyatt that when Doc had invited him to reach for his gun, he "had not been fixed right" but, that in the morning it would be man-to-man and that it was high time that the fighting talk be fetched to a close. His last words to Wyatt were: "You must not think I won't be after you all in the morning."
"I would fight no one if I cannot away from it, because there is no money in it," Wyatt replied. Then, carrying his taro bank money, Wyatt walked west on Allen Street. He met Holliday near the Alhambra and they walked down Allen together, until Doc broke off to go to his room at Fly's. Wyatt continued on to his house. (Holliday never lived in a house and never owned one in Tombstone though some of the "overnight" historians tell visitors, "that's Doc Holliday's house!")
That same night (October 25th) a strange poker game took place in the Occidental. The participants of this game were Virgil Earp, John Behan, Tom McLaury, and another man who has not been identified. Ike Clanton came later and they gave him a seat. These men played poker all night. As was usual Ike had a complaint. He was upset this time because Virgil had held a pistol on his lap during the whole game. (This only indicates how much Virgil trusted these men.) Virgil started home about 6:00 A.M. Ike called to him and asked him to carry a message to Doc Holliday. "Tell that damned son-of-a-bitch he has to fight!"'
"I'm going home to bed. Don't you create any disturbance!" Virgil replied.
As Virgil walked away, Ike yelled back, "you may have to fight before you know it."
Virgil went home and went to bed - but around 9:00 A.M. Officer Bronk woke Virgil to tell him that Ike Clanton was on the streets threatening to shoot him on sight. Ike's threats did not much concern Virgil and he went back to deep.
When Virgil did start uptown he met a man, named Lynch, who gave him the same report.
A little before noon Ike appeared at Fly's Boarding House, where Doc lived. "Big Nose" Kate was visiting Doc at the time and Mrs. Fly told her that Ike had been there looking for Doc. When Kate informed Doc, he replied, "If God will let me live long enough, he will see me."
By this time Virgil was up and dressed, and he and Morgan had gone to locate Ike. The two men went up Allen Street to Fifth Street, then north to Fremont, then turned west to Fourth Street where they found Ike in an alley.
Virgil said, "I hear you are hunting some of us." Ike swung his Winchester toward Virgil who grabbed the rifle, then hit Ike over the head with his pistol. Morgan and Virgil took Ike's rifle and pistol away from him. Then they took him to Justice Wallace's court. (This was not at the courthouse on Fremont, but the J.P.'s office on Fourth Street between Allen and Toughnut.)
While they were waiting for the judge, Ike said, "I will get even with all of you for this. If I had a six-gun I would make a fight with all of you!"
Morgan said, "If you want to make a fight right bad, I will give you one" and offered Ike his own pistol. Ike started to get up, but Deputy Sheriff Campbell pushed him back saying that he wouldn't allow any trouble.
Justice Wallace fined Ike $25 and $2.50 court costs, for a total of $27.50, for carrying a concealed weapon.
Ike admitted that he was armed and LOOKING FOR DOC HOLLIDAY. (IT IS OBVIOUS THAT HOLLlDAY WAS AT THE TOP OF THE ASSASSINATION LIST). He said that Virgil struck him from behind, and that when he recovered, Morgan had a pistol stuck in his face. Virgil said that he asked Ike if he was hunting for him and Ike replied, "I was, and if I had seen you a second before, the coroner would have had extra work."
Six people would later testify that they heard Ike making threats to kill Holliday and the Earps. They were R.E Hafford, E.F. Boyle, Julius A. Kelly, Virgil, Wyatt, and "Big Nose" Kate.
By this time Wyatt was sick and tired of the Cowboy threats and posturing, so he said to Ike, "You damned cur thief, you have been threatening our lives and I know it. I think I would be justified in shooting you down anyplace I should meet you but if you are anxious to make a fight I will go anywhere on earth to make a fight with you, even over to the San Simon among your crowd!"
Ike replied, "All right, I'll see you after I get through here. I only want four feet of ground to fight on."
Wyatt left the Justice's office very angry, and went outside where he encountered Tom McLaury, who made a very serious mistake by saying, "If you want to make a fight, I will fight you anywhere."
"All right, make a fight right here!" Wyatt thundered. At the same time he slapped Tom in the face with his left hand and drew his pistol with his right. Tom had a pistol on his hip, but made no move toward it, even when Wyatt told him, "jerk your gun and use it!" He made no reply and Wyatt hit him over the head with his gun barrel then walked away and left him lying in the street. Wyatt walked over to Hafford's corner got himself a cigar - then stood by the front door, watching the Cowboys. Soon Billy Clanton and both McLaury brothers went down Fourth Street to Spangenberger's Gun Shop. Wyatt followed them down and saw Frank McLaury's horse standing on the sidewalk with his head in the gun shop. He started backing the horse off the walk when the McLaurys and Billy Clanton came to the door - the latter with his hand on his pistol. Wyatt said, "You will have to set this horse off the sidewalk." Frank McLaury backed his horse off the walk and all of the Cowboys went into the gun shop. Wyatt, looking through the door, could see them putting cartridges into their shell belts.
About this time, the Citizen's Safety Committee came to Virgil and offered to back him up with men and guns. He thanked them, but refused their help, saying it was his job to disarm the Cowboys and he wanted no help except that of his brothers.
There have always been questions concerning the legal status of Wyatt, Morgan, and Holliday at the time of the gunfight. Virgil said under oath:
"Wyatt Earp had been sworn in to act in my place while I was in Tucson, and on my return, his saloon (Oriental) was opened and I appointed him a "Special" to keep peace, with power to make arrests, and also called on him on the 26th to assist me in disarming those parties: Ike Clanton, Billy Clanton, Tom McLaury, and Frank McLaury.
"Morgan Earp had been sworn in as a Special Policeman and wore a badge with "Special police" engraved on it, and he had been sworn in and acted as a "Special" for about a month." "As for John H. Holliday - I called on him that by for assistance to help disarm the Clantons and the McLaurys."
Standing before Hafford's Saloon, Virgil turned to Wyatt, Morgan, and Doc Holliday and said, "Come on, and help me disarm them." They went down Fourth Street to Fremont then west to Fly's studio. Here they met Sheriff John Behan, whose first two statements described him completely. The first one denied the second. The first was, "For God's sake, don"t go down there or you will get murdered." The second was, "I have disarmed them!" Now, if he had really disarmed the Cowboys, how could they have murdered the Earps and Doc Holliday - talked them to death?"
See the book for the next event - the deadly gunfight and much more!
