Around this time, a family of brothers roamed from hard labor to questionable enterprises to the industry of law enforcement. They were the Earp brothers: James, Virgil, Wyatt, Morgan, Warren, and their half-brother Newton. Though Wyatt Earp’s name would attain the greatest fame, Virgil, Morgan, and Warren would also go down in history as great lawmen (though some would argue vigilantes).
The Earp Brothers
Virgil fought in the Civil War as part of the 83rd Illinois Infantry from the summer of 1862 to the summer of 1865. After the war, he moved around the country, working the railroad, as well as a prospector, stagecoach driver, and eventually a lawman. His career as a law enforcement officer began in October of 1877 when he was haphazardly deputized during a street fight in Yavapai County, Arizona. He was later appointed as a U.S. Deputy Marshal on Nov. 27, 1879 for the Arizona Territory.Wyatt had been too young to serve in the Civil War, but he nonetheless had become exceptional with guns. Indeed, he had begun his life on the opposite end of the law (some suggest the loss of his first wife and unborn child drove him to unscrupulous activities), but his success in tracking horse thieves and dispensing justice brought him back on the right side. It was during his years in Dodge City, Kansas (1876–79) that he made his name as a marshal. Although Virgil and Wyatt lived in the city at the same time, it was the younger Wyatt who would become a lawman first. He also made a couple of famous friends: Doc Holliday, a former dentist turned gambler and gunfighter, and Bat Masterson, gambler and lawman.
Morgan lived in Dodge City for a short time with Virgil and Wyatt. After marrying, he moved to Butte, Montana, and became a marshal.
The Earps Move to Tombstone
By the end of 1880, Virgil, Wyatt, Morgan, James, and Holliday, along with their wives (or significant others) moved to Tombstone. They were drawn to the city for the same reason thousands of others had been: silver. By the time they arrived, however, the opportunity to make a strike had practically disappeared.James was a bartender at a saloon in Tombstone. Wyatt began working at the already established Oriental Saloon. Virgil became deputy marshal, and Morgan joined him as a peace officer. But peace was a hard find in Tombstone. Gunfighters, thieves, murderers, and prostitutes populated the town. Most of the trouble stemmed from local ruffians known as the “Cowboys.” Among them were the Clantons (Ike, Phineas, and Billy), the McLaurys (Frank and Tom), Curly Bill Brocius, Johnny Ringo, Frank Stillwell, and Florentino Cruz.
The Gunfight
Hoping to avoid a fatal conflict, Virgil requested Sheriff Johnny Behan to approach the Clanton and McLaury brothers and convince them to hand over their weapons. Behan tried, but failed. He is reported to have said, “There is to be trouble between the Clanton and the Earp boys today.” On Oct. 26, 1881, trouble came.Hearing that the Clantons and the McLaurys, along with another man, Billy Claibourne, defied the sheriff and the law, Virgil deputized Wyatt, Morgan, and Holliday to join him in disarming the gang. They marched to a lot near the Old Kindersley (O.K.) Corral where the five men were and announced their intentions. There are differing reports on the verbal interactions, but what is for certain is that a gunfight broke out and in about 30 seconds, Virgil, Morgan, and Holliday were wounded, and three Cowboys lay dead.
Inquest and Trial
The following day, the coroner began a formal inquest into the deaths. Ike Clanton pressed charges against Holliday and the Earp brothers. Judge Wells Spicer began a preliminary hearing on Oct. 31. On Nov. 4, Will McLaury, the brother of Billy and Tom, arrived from Texas to join Ike in pressing charges. Virgil, severely injured and recovering in the Cosmopolitan Hotel, was suspended from duty. For Wyatt and Holliday, it was during this week in history, on Nov. 7, 1881, that they were arrested on murder charges and held in the Sixth Street jail for 16 days.After testimonies, including from Ike, Wyatt, and Virgil (his testimony was taken from his hotel bed), the Earp brothers and Holliday were exonerated on Nov. 30 for their actions at the O.K. Corral. Feeling a severe injustice, the Cowboys began plotting their revenge.