Tombstone Daily Nugget

October 30, 1881

The Coroner's jury summoned for the purpose of inquiring into the death of William Clanton and Thomas McLowry and Frank McLowry, met at 10 o`clock yesterday and continued the examination, by taking the testimony of the following witnesses:

I heard some stranger ask Ike Clanton what is the trouble; he said there would be no trouble; then Ike Clanton went over to Dolan's saloon; I then looked over and saw the Marshal standing at Hafford's doorway; then saw the Sheriff going over to where the Marshal and Sheriff were talking; the Sheriff says, "What's the trouble;" the Marshal says, "Those men have made their threats; I will not arrest them but will kill them on sight;" Virgil Earp said this; the Sheriff asked the Marshal in for a drink; did not see them afterward, as I crossed over the street to the other side; when I got over there I saw one of the Earp brothers, the youngest one, talking with Doc Holliday; looked across the street; saw the Marshal again; some one came up to him and called him aside; when this gentleman got through talking with the Earps; saw three of the Earps and Doc Holliday go down the street together; they keep on the left side of the street on Fourth; I was on the right side; when I got to the corner of Fremont and Fourth I started to go across to the southwest corner of Fremont; when I got mid-way between in the street I saw the firing had commenced; I keep my eyes on the Earps and Holliday until the shooting commenced; I saw Doc Holliday in the middle of the street; the youngest of the Earp brothers was about three feet from the sidewalk; he was firing at a man behind a horse; Holliday also fired at the man behind the horse, and firing at a man who ran by him on the opposite side of the street; then I saw the man who had the horse let go, he was staggering all the time until he fell; I never saw the two elder Earps; I do not know where they were situated; I then went to the young man lying on the sidewalk and offered to pick him up; he never spoke except the movement of his lips; I picked up a revolver lying five feet from him; then I saw Doc Holliday running towards where the young man was lying, still having a revolver in his hand, making the remark, 'the s- of a b- has shot me and I mean to kill him;' could not say who fired the first shots; I didn't see a shotgun go off; I didn't see a shotgun after I walked down the street: I didnt' see any one with their hands up, I was too far away to see that.

"Am a cattle dealer; was present on the 26th of the month, and am a brother of William Clanton who was killed on that day; saw the whole transaction, the killing; well the night before the killing went into the Occidental lunch saloon for a lunch; while in there Doc Holliday came in and raised a row with me; was abusing me; he had his hand on his pistol; called me a s- of a b-; he told me to get my gun out; I told him I had no gun; I looked around and saw Morgan Earp behind him, they began to abuse me, when I turned and got out doors; Virg. Earp, Wyatt and Morgan were all up there; Morg Earp told me that if I wanted to fight to turn myself loose; they all had their hands; I told them again that I was not armed; Doc Holliday said, 'You s- of a b- go and arm yourself; I did then go and arm myself; I went back, saw V. Earp and T. McLowry; Virg. Earp was playing poker with his pistol on his lap; we were playing poker; we quit at daylight; I followed him and said, I was abused the night before and was still in town, he said he was going to bed; the reason I followed him up was I saw him take his pistol out of his lap and stick it in his pants; I came back and passed in my chips; staid around until 8 or 9 o`clock;

The next thing they, Virg. and Morg Earp, slipped up and disarmed me; shortly after I met my brother; he asked me to go out of town; just then I met the man who had are team; I told him to harness up; then I left to go get something left by my brother; We then went to where are team was; met the Sheriff there; he told us that he would have to arrest us and take are arms off. I told him that we were just going to leave town; that I had no arms on me; he then told Billy, my brother, to take his arms up to his office. Billy told him he was just leaving the town; he, the Sheriff, then told Frank and Tom McLowry to take their arms off. Tom McLowry then opened his coat and said, 'Johnny, I have nothing. Frank said that he was leaving town, and he would disarm, if the Earps would; that he had business that he would like to do before he left town. Just at that time Doc Holliday and the Earps appeared on the sidewalk; the sheriff stepped out to meet them; he told them he had the party in charge; they walked right by him, I stepped out and met Wyatt Earp; he struck his sixshooter at me and said, "Throw up your hands!" The marshal also told the other boys to throw up their hands; Frank McLowry and Billy Clanton threw up; Tom McLowry threw open his coat said he had nothing; they said you s- of b-s came here to make a fight; at the same instant Doc Holliday and Morgan Earp shot; Morgan shot Billy Clanton, and I don't know which of the boys he shot; I saw Virg shooting at the same time; I grabbed Wyatt Earp and pushed him around the corner and then ran through the photograph gallery; at the same time I saw Billy Clanton fall; when I got away.

Except, Tom McLowry, who threw open his coat, saying he had nothing. There was some trouble between myself and the Earps prior to this; there was nothing between the other boys and the Earps; Doc Holliday had said that I had used his name; I said I hadn't; I never had any trouble with the Earps; they don't like me; we once had a transaction, myself and the Earps; I know of no threats made by the Clantons and the McLowrys that day; I made no threats, only as I formerly said; they, the Earps, met Billy Clanton 15 minutes befoe they killed him and shook hands with him and said they were glad to meet him; Billy Clanton and Frank McLowry were only half an hour in town; I might have made threats as said, as I felt that way, I made no worse threats then they did with me; I didm't expect Wyatt, I expected

Our crowd did not expect an attack until someone told us; at the time they made the attack I had no arms; the Earp brothers had my arms; Virg. Earp had them; it was a sixshooter; it was two days prior since I saw Billy or Frank McLowry until that morning; had never had a word of conversation with either of them in my life; I don't know whether the party had a shotgun; Virgil Earp was about six feet from me; they were three or four feet distant when they fired; I did not see my brother or either of the Mclowrys fire a shot; there were four or five shot fired before I left the ground; at the time Sheriff was talking to us; Billy Clanton and Billy Claiborne were standing together; the McLowrys and myself were standing five or six feet to the left; the Clantons came up from Antelope Springs for a load of frieght, that is the McLowrys; I don't know how near Claiborne was to me at the time of the shooting; I don't know whether Morgan or Doc fired first; it was a nickle-plated pistol by one of them; there weapons were down when they came up; the Sheriff, after he had ordered us to give up our arms I did not think we were under arrest; he said it was alright if we left town; Behan had a conversation with Frank McLowry; I know where the Sheriff's office is; we could not have gone up to the sheriff's office after he left us before the Earps came up; the Sheriff told us to stay where we were until he came back; I would not have staid there had I not had orders from the Sheriff, after I saw the Earps armed; the Sheriff was with us four, five or six minutes.

Resides in Tombstone; occupation housekeeping; I was coming from my home to the meat market, Mr. Bauer's, to get some meat for dinner; I saw quite a group of men standing on the sidewalks with two horses, near the market; I passed into the shop; the parties inside seemed quite excited; did not seem to wait on me; I inquired what was the matter, and they said there was going to be a fuss between the Earp boys and cowboys; then I stepped to the door; I heard some talking then but did not understand what was said, then these parties seem to seperate, and the man with the horse seemed to be leading, as the man who was talking with them turned from them; one of them said, "If you wish to find us, you will find us down there;" then the man went up towards the post office; he was a tall man; then stepped into the market; the butcher was in the act of cutting the meat, when some one said, "There they come;" Then I stepped to the door and looked up the sidewalk, when I saw four men coming down the street; I saw and know one of the parties, it was Doc Holliday; there were three others of the party which were pointed out to me as the Earps brothers; Mr. Holliday was next to the buildings on the inside; he had a gun under his coat; I stood in the door until these men passed; till they got to the second door; what frightened me and made me turn back? I heard the man on the outside kind of stop or look at Holliday and said "Let them have it;" Holliday said, "All Right;" then I thought there would be shooting; from what these parties said; and ran for the back of the shop; but before I reached the middle of the shop I heard shots, and don't know what happened afterwards.

"I saw the arrest of Ike Clanton the morning before the shooting took place; Marshal Earp went up behind him and grabbed his gun, then there was a scuffle and Clanton fell; didn't see Earp hit him, but saw Earp have a sixshooter, but don't know whether he had taken it from Calnton or not; Clanton was taken to the police station, and after the trial was over Marshal Earp offered him his rifle, but Clanton would not take it; they had some words, during which I heard Clanton say, "All I want is four feet of ground;" soon after I was standing in front of the OK-Corral; and saw two Clantons and McLowrys standing and talking in a stall in Dunbar's corral; in a few minutes they came out and cross into the street into the O.K. corral; Billy Calnton was riding his horse and Frank McLowry was leading his; as they passed, Billy Clanton said to me, 'Where is the west end corral; I told him where it was and they passed on into the corral and went up Allen street again and passed through O.K. corral, where I saw the Clantons and Mclowrys talking with Sheriff Behan, and heard one of them say, "You need not be afraid of us, Johnny, we will not make any trouble." Billy Clanton had his horse with him; I then turned and went up Fremont street; when I got as far as Bauer's butcher shop, I met Wyatt, Morgan and Virgil Earp and Doc Holliday walking down the center of the street; Sheriff Behan walked up to them and said, 'I don't want you to go any further,' I don't think they made any reply, but passed on down the street until they came opposite the Clanton party. The Earp party addressed them; I heard 's-of b-'s, but don't know which party spoke. Some one in the Earp party then said:

Or 'give up your arms,' I thought I was too close, and as I turned around I heard two shots, then the firing became general. After a few shots, Ike Clanton ran up the street and through Fly's gallery; think there were two shots fired at him; after the first two shots Tom McLowry ran down Fremont Street and fell; Billy Clanton stood in the same position as when I first saw him; Saw him fire two or three shots in a crouching position; one of them hit Morg Earp, who stumbled or fell; he jumped up again and commenced shooting; about that same time Frank McLowry came came out in the street towards Holliday, some words passed between them; frank said: "I got you now," firing a shot at the same time, which struck Holliday on the hip or his scabbard; I hollooed to Holliday, saying, "You've git it now," he answered ,"Yes I'm shot right through," Frank passed right down the street and fell; I think Billy Calnton must have been struck but was in a crouching position, and using the pistol across his knee and fired two shots, one of which hit Marshal Earp; Wyatt and Morgan were still firing at him, when he raised himself up and then fell, still holding his pistol in his hand; after the shooting saw Sheriff Behan and Wyatt Earp talking; Behan said: "I ought to arrest you," Wyatt said, "I won't be arrested; you decieved me Johnny when you said that they were not armed, and repeated again, "I won't be arrested," but I'm here to answer for what I have done; I am not going to leave town; couldn't tell from where I was whether they threw up their hands or not, except Billy Clanton, he had his hand on his pistol, which was in his scabbard; his right hand on his left hip; this was after the first two shots; can't swear how many of the Clantons were armed; don't think Ike was; can't say I saw a shotgun; don't think Billy Clanton was shot until after the first two shots; don't think he was hit until after he shot; did not see Tom Mclowry have a pistol; my impression was that he started to run to get away from the shooting; I didn't see Behan or hear him say anything.

At the conclusion of the evidence given by the last witness, the jury decided that no further testimony was necessary, and a few minuted after retiring, returned with the following verdict:

Tombstone, Territory of Arizona,

County of Cochise, October 29, 1881

We, the undersigned, a jury of inquest, summoned by the coroner of the court of Cochise to determine whose the body is submitted for are inspection; when, where, and under what circumstances the person came to death. After veiwing the body and hearing such testimony as has been submitted to us, find that the person was Frank McLowry, 29 years of age and a native of Mississipi, and that he came to his death in the town of Tombstone in said county, on the 26th day of October, 1881, from the effects of pistol and gunshot wounds inflicted by Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, Wyatt Earp and one Holliday, commonly called Doc Holliday.

Thomas Moses, R.F.Hafford, D. Calisher, T.F. Hudson, M. Garrett, S.B. Comstock, J.W. Cowell, J.C. Davis, Harry Walker, C.D. Reppy, G.H. Haskell and W.S. Goodrich.

The verdict rendered in the case of Wm. Clanton and Thomas McLowry, was the same as above, excepting as to their names and ages, which were inserted into the body of the document. After which the jury adjourned sino dio.

The Examination- November 1, 1881