Anger-fueled Discussions (Part 4 of 6)

Billy Clanton was looking for older brother Ike, and Frank McLaury was looking for younger brother Tom.  They arrived at Tombstone together in the early afternoon and heard talk of pistol whippings, talk that both Ike and Tom had been bloodied by the hated Earp brothers.  Neither Billy nor Frank deposited their firearms at a saloon or livery as they were legally obligated to do, instead they were said to visit Spangenberg’s hardware store to purchase cartridges for their weapons.

Ike and Tom had since joined them, both still seething from their encounters with the Earps.  They had also been stopped by Sherrif Behan, who had been told that the two were still armed.  Both denied the accusation, opening their coats to reveal that they had no weapons, that what Behan had been told was baseless rumor.  Tom tried to purchase a new revolver, but the hardware store owner refused to sell him one.  He quite possibly had heard some of the talk of pistol whippings and revenge circulating in town.  No need to feed the fire.  No need to get involved.

From the hardware store the four men were said to walk to Dunbar’s corral, then crossed Allen Street to the O. K. Corral.  Witnesses later testified that they observed the men involved in very intense discussions, likely contemplating just how they should deal with the Earp brothers.  They had the option to walk away from the situation, to ride out of town, to cool off, but Ike Clanton hadn’t stopped drinking since leaving that all night poker game, so was as belligerent as ever.  Billy and Frank hadn’t been drinking, but no doubt their emotions fed off those of pistol-whipped Ike and Tom.

From the O. K. Corral they walked across the block, to Fremont Street, Frank and Billy leading their horses by the reins, stopping in a small, vacant lot between C. S. Fly’s boarding house and the Harwood house.  By this time, they had been joined by two other cowboys, Billy Claiborne and Wes Fuller.  The bold talk continued, had never really stopped, talk of killing, talk of revenge.  Little did they suspect that the targets of their anger-fueled discussion had learned where to find them and were about to confront them.