This Day…

1881-In the famed Gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, AZ. the Earps and Doc Holliday killed Frank and Tom McLaury and Billy Clanton. Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne were both unarmed and wisely scampered to safety. Tom McLaury was unarmed too. But he didn’t scamper fast enough.

1842-Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones, commanding a fleet of the US Navy in the Pacific Ocean, seizes Montery, the capital of the Mexican Provice of California, when he hears that the United States and Mexico are at war. Cateby Jones had feared that the British would take advantage of the hostilities to seize California. He returns to the post the following day when he learns of his mistake. Apologies reparations are made to Mexico by President Tyler.

1867-Four boisterous cowboys in Laramie, Wyoming decided to roust some immigrants from Illinois. The immigrants were not intimated though and a fearful brawl erupted. Deputy Marchal Big Steve Long commanded a halt to the proceedings which was ignored, of course. He then pulled both 44’s and fired into the pugilists. Five of them were killed, three from Illinois and two of the cowboys.

1884-The toll bridge over the Arkansas River in Dodge City, Kansas – City Marshall Bill Tilghman emptied his revolver and started up with his Winchester in order to encourage some rowdy cowboys to return to their camp. They stood their ground and fired a few shots in return but nobody was hit. It was all in good fun.

1783-A Congressional committee issues a report on the status of the Indians, and urges a meeting between the Indians and the new government; this does not happen.

1892-A posse of federal marshals assualted Ned Christie’s fort and two of them were wounded, the posse then tried to set Ned’s fort on fire but they just burned down an outhouse. Then they tried to dynamite him out but that failed too. Finally they gave up.

1870-Clay Allison led a lynch mob that strung up accused murderer Charles Kennedy. He then decapitated the corse and placed the head on a pole in Lambert’s Saloon in Cimarron, New Mexico.

1871-The gambler and saloonman, Phil Coe, got to whooping it up with about fifty texas cowboys in Abilene, Kansas when he confronted Coe fired on Wild Bill Hickok but missed twice and Hickok gutshot him. Just then Deputy Mike Williams rushed onto the scene to assist Hickok but Hickok mistook him for an adversary and killed him with two headshots. Williams was the last man that Hickok ever fired a gun at. Coe died in agony three days later.

1865-Norrato Ponce killed a man named Joy in a dispute over cards at the Governor’s Saloon in Hayward, California. Later in the month he escaped into the night near Livermore after being surprised by a posse and hit with a shotgun blast and three pistol slugs. He was finally run down and killed by Sheriff Harry Morese in Pinole Canyon.

1876-A patrol led by Texas Ranger Sergeant John Armstrong closed in on an outlaw camp at Espinoza Lake near Carrizo, Texas when the smoke cleared the rangers had killed three of the four outlaws in that camp and the fourth was hit four times. In seperate shootouts that night Armstrong’s detachement killed to other outlaws.