Corral and was known for his opposition to the Earps.Behan was sheriff of Yavapai County from 1871 to 1873. [31] It established Wyatt Earp's role as a fearless lawman in the American Old West and the legend of the "Gunfight at the O.K. Both were friends of Ike Clanton and the McLaurys. Wyatt always claimed to have been the one to shoot Hoyt, although it could have been anyone among the lawmen. At its founding, it had a population of just 100, and only two years later, in late 1881, the population was more than 7,000 (excluding Chinese, Mexicans, women, and children), making it the largest boomtown in the American Southwest. [16]:194 Virgil Earp was suspended as town marshal pending the outcome of the trial. These witnesses' testimony, especially that of H.F. Sills, a disinterested party, discredited much of the testimony given by Sheriff Johnny Behan, Ike Clanton and the other Cowboy witnesses. The gun fight at the OK Corral in Tombstone is a classic. On December 7, 1897, he was quoted in a story in the Washington Post which reported that he was staying at the Riggs House, a local hotel. As the wounded lawmen were carried to their homes, they passed in front of the Sheriff's Office, and Johnny Behan told Wyatt Earp, "I will have to arrest you." [7] In August 1881, 15 Mexicans carrying gold, coins and bullion to make their purchases were ambushed and killed in Skeleton Canyon. Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne and a man I don't know [Wes Fuller] were standing in the vacant space about halfway between the photograph gallery and the next building west. The Cowboys were located in a narrow 15–20 feet (4.6–6.1 m) lot[91] between the Harwood house and Fly's 12-room boarding house and photography studio at 312 Fremont Street,[92] where Doc Holliday roomed. Behan's sympathy to the Cowboys was well known, and during the trial he firmly denied he had contributed money to help Ike with his defense costs. The day was chilly, with snow still on the ground in some places. Miner Ruben F. Coleman later told The Tombstone Epitaph:[87][88][89], I was in the O.K. "[13], Among the lawmen involved in the O.K. The Board of Supervisors reduced the assessment to $1,000,000, substantially reducing Behan's take by $25,000. The suspects in both incidents furnished alibis supplied by other Cowboys and were not indicted. Doc Holliday: Piss on you, Wyatt. Is it real? Directed by Lawrence Kasdan, this epic version of the legendary western sheriff-gunslinger's life story stars Kevin Costner as Earp, who lived from 1848 to 1929. Directed by Roy Rowland. "[8], Spicer took written and oral testimony from a number of witnesses over more than a month. [104], All witnesses generally agreed that the first two shots were almost indistinguishable from each other. [32][34] The book and later Hollywood portrayals embellished Wyatt's reputation and magnified his mystique as a western lawman.[21]. ", Behan died at St. Mary's Catholic Hospital in Tucson, Arizona, on June 7, 1912. The Mexican government assessed heavy export taxes on these items, and smugglers earned a handsome profit by stealing them in Mexico and selling them across the border.[6][7]. Corral on Allen between 3rd and 4th, from which he thought they would be departing if they were leaving town. He told those near him, "They have murdered me. At the scene of the holdup, Wyatt discovered an unusual boot print left by someone wearing a custom-repaired boot heel. The next month Mexican Commandant Felipe Neri dispatched troops to the border,[44]:110 where they killed five Cowboys, including Old Man Clanton, in Guadalupe Canyon. Wyatt Earp was an imposing, handsome man: blond, 6 feet (1.8 m) tall, weighing 165 to 170 pounds (75 to 77 kg), broad-shouldered, long-armed, and muscular. Between them and Earps rose a bitter feud over the division of the proceeds of the looting. Virgil Earp was told by several citizens that the McLaurys and the Clantons had gathered on Fremont Street. When he attempted to disarm Curly Bill Brocius, the gun discharged, striking White in the abdomen. The shootout has come to represent a period of the American Old West when the frontier was virtually an open range for outlaws, largely unopposed by law enforcement officers who were spread thin over vast territories. [62] According to Wyatt, Ike was initially interested, but the plan was foiled when the three suspects—Leonard, Head and Crane—were killed in unrelated incidents. Wyatt paused two or three seconds and replied very forcibly: "I won't be arrested today. [1] On September 28, 1874, Behan was nominated as sheriff at the Democratic convention in Yavapai County. [40], Shibell won the election by a 46-vote margin. [58]:181 They were all known Cowboys and rustlers. [39] While Virgil and Wyatt were in Tucson for the federal hearing on the charges against Spence and Stilwell, Frank McLaury confronted Morgan Earp. "[47] Behan testified afterward that he'd only said he'd gone down to the Cowboys "for the purpose of disarming them," not that he'd actually disarmed them. But when the gunfight broke out, Clanton ran forward and grabbed Wyatt, exclaiming that he was unarmed and did not want a fight. For the location, see, "The OK Corral" redirects here. Tom and Frank McLaury worked with the rustlers buying and selling stolen cattle. [68], Sadie, traveling as either Mrs. J. C. Earp or Mrs. Wyatt Earp, left for Los Angeles on March 25, 1882,[69] and then returned to her family in San Francisco. Steve Brodie played Behan in nine episodes of the same series.[70]. ", McLaury said he was not armed. Will McLaury, Tom and Frank's brother and a judge in Fort Worth, Texas, claimed in a letter he wrote during the preliminary hearing after the shootout that Tom and Frank were still armed because they were planning to conduct business before leaving town to visit him in Texas. A portion of the town is a historical district that has been designated a National Historic Landmark and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. National Park Service. Ike testified that he picked up the weapons from William Soule, the jailer, a couple of days later. Many of the sources describing the events leading up to the gunfight, and details of the gunfight itself, conflict with each other. Wyatt later said that on June 2, 1881 he offered the Wells, Fargo & Co. reward money and more to Ike Clanton if he would provide information leading to the capture or death of the stage robbers. He noted that the prosecution claimed that the Cowboys' purpose was to leave town,[115] yet Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne did not have their weapons with them. C.S. The source of some of the information on the death certificate was Behan's son, Albert. But charges of corruption didn’t come up until around 1880, after he moved to Cochise County. Cowboy witness Wes Fuller said he saw Frank in the middle of the street shooting a revolver and trying to remove a Winchester rifle from the scabbard on his horse. 4 1/2" Crown 2 1/2" Brim w/ Binding Can be made in sizes: 6 7/8 - 7 5/8 Call or email for Availability The true Derby. Each side had strong family ties. Corral . Later that year, Behan gave a contrived explanation of his actions during the hearings after the gunfight at the O.K. I am right here and am not going away. The Arizona Republic noted that $50,000 had passed through prison official's hands without any accounting. Virgil, Morgan, and Doc Holliday were wounded. He was appointed Deputy U.S. When Wyatt demanded, "Are you heeled or not? [6] Yavapai County Sheriff John P. Bourke married German immigrant and widow Harriet Zaff in 1860. [85] She testified that when the Earp party passed by her location, one of the Earps on the outside of the group looked across and said to Doc Holliday nearest the store, "... let them have it!" There are no contemporary Tombstone records that indicate a relationship between Sadie and Earp, but Earp certainly knew her, because both Behan and Earp had offices above the Crystal Palace Saloon. During the robbery, the driver heard one of the robbers describe the money as "sugar", a phrase known to be used by Frank Stilwell. When Cochise County was formed in February 1881, Behan was appointed as its first sheriff. [3] Ike Clanton subsequently filed murder charges against the Earps and Holliday. The prosecution was led by Republican District Attorney Lyttleton Price, assisted by John M. Murphy, James Robinson, and Benoodrich. "[19] At that time during the 1880s in Cochise County, it was an insult to call a legitimate cattleman a "Cowboy. He insisted that Holliday fired the first shot from a nickel-plated revolver. Guns in tombstone Tyler had been hired by a competing gambling establishment to drive customers from Joyce's saloon. [108] Like Ike, Billy Claiborne was unarmed. He was quoted in the October 27 issue of The Tombstone Epitaph in which he said, "Tom McLaury fell first, but raised and fired again before he died." On June 2, 1880, Behan was counted in the 1880 census in Tip Top, Arizona as a saloon keeper. [5], Horse rustlers and bandits from the countryside often came to town, and shootings were frequent. It is hereby declared unlawful to carry in the hand or upon the person or otherwise any deadly weapon within the limits of said city of Tombstone, without first obtaining a permit in writing. Henrietta died on March 6, 1877 at age seven of scarlatina. When Wyatt resigned, Behan was appointed to fill his place, which included the mining boomtown Tombstone. Woods claimed that someone had deliberately unlocked a secured back door to the jail. He was elected to the Seventh Arizona Legislative Assembly, representing Yavapai County. [80], Outside the court house where Ike was being fined, Tombstone Deputy Marshal Wyatt almost walked into 28 year-old Tom McLaury as the two men were brought up short nose-to-nose. "[127] Grilled by the prosecution, he corroborated virtually all of the defense's testimony. Behan personified the duplicitous nature of the silver-mining boomtown: well-dressed, but of dubious virtue. They utilized a movie set to recreate a space similar to the lot where the original gun fight took place. Behan was sheriff of Yavapai County from 1871 to 1873. Sheriff Tombstone A.T. In late September 1880, Holliday followed the Earps to Tombstone. An investigation found that Behan had somehow set aside $5,000 in funds while he was sheriff from unknown sources. You told me these men were disarmed; I went to disarm them. Chuck Sawyer Phoenix, Arizona. Even today, the event and its participants are viewed differently by opinionated admirers and detractors. The telegraph office manager was a friend to the Earps and delayed delivery long enough to allow the Earps and their associates to get ready to leave town Tuesday evening. [86], Billy and Frank stopped first at the Grand Hotel on Allen Street, and were greeted by Doc Holliday. In 1881, Wyatt Earpserved for about five months as undersheriff of the eas… Defense accounts contradicted the testimony of Behan, Claiborne and Allen, who all said that a man had fired a nickel-plated pistol first. Behan testified that when he searched Tom McLaury for a weapon prior to the gunfight, he was not thorough, and that Tom might have had a pistol hidden in his waistband. [13], Though usually opposing each other in their reporting of events, reporting by both the Epitaph and the Nugget initially supported the lawmen's version of events. [65], After twenty-seven years in Arizona, Behan moved east, and in 1891 was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and by 1892 was in a commission business in Washington, D.C. [130], John Gilchriese became friends with John Flood, who had been Wyatt Earp's secretary, confidante, and best friend for many years. "[87] Wyatt said Virgil told the Cowboys, "Throw up your hands; I have come to disarm you! [95] Caroline married James Reed in Richland, Iowa at the end of November that year. While Ike Clanton was planning to leave town, Frank McLaury said he had decided to remain behind to take care of some business. Tombstone resident George Parson wrote in his diary, "A Cowboy is a rustler at times, and a rustler is a synonym for desperado—bandit, outlaw, and horse thief." Dr. Henry M. Mathews examined the dead Cowboys late that night. Morgan took Holliday out onto the street and Ike, who had been drinking steadily, followed them. Gordon stormed from the saloon and began firing his revolver into the building. [14][13][15][16]:183 Subsequent stories about the gunfight published in the Nugget after that day supported Behan's and the Cowboys' view of events. At the time, Wyatt was not a law officer, but had used the threat of Behan riding out to the Clantons' ranch as a bluff to get Clanton to turn over the horse. [43] The position of undersheriff was now open, and Shibell immediately selected Democrat Johnny Behan to serve as Tombstone area undersheriff.[44]. [67] Earp remained with Blaylock until he left Tombstone in April 1882. [40], Behan's ex-wife Victoria in 1881 and sent Albert to live with his father in Tombstone sometime afterward. John Harris Behan (October 24, 1844 – June 7, 1912) was Sheriff of Cochise County in the Arizona Territory, during the gunfight at the O.K. I then went and saw Marshal Virgil Earp and notified him to the same effect. [56], Behan testified that from the time the Earps passed him by to confront the Cowboys, he had watched them closely. Like many frontier mining boomtowns, Tombstone grew rapidly. Corrall.Relive history with our authentic replica, in quality cast pewter with a spring pin backing. Wyatt told Ike to go home "because there was no money in it." [117] Retired army surgeon Dr. J. W. Gardiner also testified that he saw the bulge in Tom's pants. Behan stated he quickly finished his shave and went to locate the Cowboys. The Dunbars used their influence to help Behan get appointed sheriff of the new Cochise County, in February 1881. He testified that Tom's right-hand pants pocket was flat when he went in but protruded, as if it contained a pistol (so he thought), when he emerged. But he's a no-nonsense man, who knows what he wants. Corral: Did Tom McLaury Have a Gun", "Decision of Judge Wells Spicer after the Preliminary Hearing in the Earp-Holliday Case", "Grand Jury Indictment for the Killing of Frank Stilwell", "Johnny Harris Behan – 1st Sheriff of Cochise County", "Arizona Genealogy Birth and Death Certificates online", Tombstone Gaming License Signed by Sheriff Johnny Behan, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Johnny_Behan&oldid=993734101, Members of the Arizona Territorial Legislature, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2011, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2009, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Arizona Territory legislative representative, Cochise County Undersheriff, testified against Earps and Doc Holliday during the, This page was last edited on 12 December 2020, at 05:16. At the time of the gunfight about two hours later, Wyatt could not know if Tom was still armed. [87][88] His decision to take action may have been influenced by the Cowboy's repeated threats to the Earps, their proximity to Holliday's room in Fly's boarding house, and their location on the route the Earps usually took to their homes two blocks further west on Fremont Street. Behan's partner in the Dexter Livery, John Dunbar, through his family in their home town in Bangor, Maine, was "close family friends" of the powerful Senator James G. Blaine, one of the most powerful Republican congressmen of his time. He immediately appointed Johnny Behan as the new deputy sheriff for eastern Pima County, a job that Wyatt wanted. They claimed that they had been present and witnessed the shootout. "[18]:94 The cause of death was arterial sclerosis, and secondarily syphilis, which he had contracted thirty years earlier (in 1882, while sheriff in Tombstone). Corral/Saint Valentine's Day Massacre", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gunfight_at_the_O.K._Corral&oldid=997545251, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Virgil and Morgan wounded, Holliday grazed by bullet; Tom and Frank McLaury and Billy Clanton killed, "Shootout at Fly's Photographic Studio", a, This page was last edited on 1 January 2021, at 01:48. At the height of their popularity in 1959, there were more than two dozen "cowboy" programs on each week. Wyatt Earp and Johnny Behan both ran for the position of Sheriff in the new district. Behan tended to ignore the Earps' complaints about the McLaurys' and Clantons' horse thieving and cattle rustling. He wouldn't tell who his confederates were until the posse lied and told him that Doc Holliday's girlfriend had been shot. Tombstone became the new county seat and the location of Behan's office. Wyatt had been a deputy city marshal in Witchita, and Dodge City, as well as deputy sheriff in Tombstone. Behan failed to gain the nomination and thus left office at the end of his term, in November 1882. [8]:4, Virgil initially avoided a confrontation with the newly arrived Frank McLaury and Billy Clanton, who had not yet deposited their weapons at a hotel or stable as the law required. Both Virgil and Williams' testified that Behan visited Virgil Earp that evening and said, “I am your friend, and you did perfectly right.” This corroborated the initial Nugget report, which upon Wood's return was altered to a version that favored the Cowboys and which Behan later supported in his testimony at the hearing. In August 1880, Behan sought the nomination as County Recorder in Yavapai County once more, but was defeated. King was in Bauer's butcher shop located on Fremont Street. [6] In 1864, he served as a clerk to the First Arizona Legislative Assembly in Prescott, the territorial seat. Pinafore from December 24, 1879 through February 20, 1880. The Earps walked further down Fremont street and came into full view of the Cowboys in the lot. On December 14, 1910, the acting governor of Arizona Territory gave him a commission as a railroad policeman in Arizona. However, Virgil at the same time continued to hold his position of deputy U.S. marshal, and it was in this federal capacity that he continued to chase robbers of stage coaches outside Tombstone city limits. Hurst brought four soldiers, and Virgil invited Wyatt and Morgan Earp, as well as Wells Fargo agent Marshall Williams. [107] Fallehy also saw Tom stagger across the street until he fell on his back. Shortly after Behan became sheriff, Virgil Earp was appointed as City Marshal. Immediately after of their lives. [ 1 ] Behan reneged on his right-handed! And Frank McLaury in the years to follow, there were several not friendly! 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