October 26 1881 2:30pm

THE SHOOTOUT


Doc Holliday would be the first to fire and here's why . Doc and Tom were across from each other on the Freemont side of the lot and Billy Clanton would be the third man in. Doc being no stranger to gunplay knew that he had to keep his eyes mainly on Tom but not to neglect the other cowboys. He would be aware that Tom went to open his coat to declare that he was unarmed. Out of the corner of his eye he would have saw Billy Clanton thrust his arms forward and could have very easily mis read that as Billy drawing a weapon. Doc would have responded by shooting Billy Clanton.
Morgan would fire the next shot shortly after Doc's. Morgan would fire the next shot and after a slight pause all hell broke loose. Almost all of the eye witnesses claimed that Holliday fired first followed by someone else in the Earp party most likely Morgan.

Ike Clanton (unarmed) ran up to Wyatt and begged not to be killed and for them to stop. Wyatt said that the Fighting has commenced and to fight or leave. Ike quickly ran away from the fight his words had started.

Billy Clanton stayed and fought, the witnesses said that he drew only after he was shot. Billy would fight until he collapsed in the street. Tom Mclaury probably never fired a bullet, he was killed by Holliday from a shot gun blast. Frank Mclaury also fought until he died firing many times. Frank and Billy would seriously wound Virgil and Morgan and one of their bullets grazed Holliday. Wyatt Earp was the only one untouched and with that his lore started to grow. Bullets wouldn't touch him. Doc Holliday was the most deadly in the battle. He shot Billy in the Stomach and Tom died of a shotgun blast with Doc having the only shotgun. The fight was a bloody mess, ending 20 seconds after it began.


Billy and Frank fought well. Their only crime would be that they fought on the wrong side of the law. It was their right to defend themselves when the fighting started. Tom Mclaury was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Billy Claiborne was hiding in Fly's during the battle he never was a factor. Ike Clanton ran away and let his friends and brother fight his fight. Frank, Tom and Billy would all succumb to their wounds in what was later called the death house on fifth street. The bodies were transported to the undertakers were the next morning they were displayed with the sign "MURDERED IN THE STREETS OF TOMBSTONE."

The Town was divided into to camps: Pro Earp and Anti Earp. Many townspeople would say that the Earp's were murderers and that they should be hanged. Many people felt that justice had been served. It is important to note that prior to the shootout the general feeling of the town was that ranchers and cowboys (including the Clantons and the Mclaurys) were lawless trouble makers. A good number of the citizens were happy that the cowboys died and some of the people would have preferred that they all killed each other.