TERRIT OF ARIZONA
CotmTY OF COCHISE
w. C. Callborn being du y sworn deposes and says that his name
is W. C. Caliborn and that he resides t Hereford, Cochise County A.T.
His business 1s a driver in the employ 0 _ a New York M'Co .
A. I was present on the afternoon of Oct . 26th" '81 v-lhen the shooting
commenced oe~leen certain parties.
Ao I am acquainted with the parties engaged in that affair .
A. Their t'1as Frank and Tom r: cLot ery and Ike and Billy Clanton on I
one side and the Earp boys and Doc Holliday , Morgan Earp and two
other brothers I do not know their names on the other side .
A. I was present at the time that the shooting took place
A. I was standing there with Mr. Behan and the McLowery~ and Clantons
~. I was there when Behan came up
A. I was talking to Billy Clan on then he came up
Statement:
The day that this t ing happened I went down wi th Ike Clanton to
Doctor Gillingham1s office to assist him to assist him in getting his
hea dressed and the.n I walked up 4th stree Billy Clanton and
Frank McLowery and Billy asked me where tt(l ," Ike - He said I want to get
him to go out home - He said I did not co e here to fight anyone and
no one didn't want to fight me - then he asked me to go down to Johnny
Behanfs stable with him and we !lent down to Johnny Bel an's corral and
got Billy Clan to horse and went through the OK Correl - Billy Clanton
said he wanted to go to some other correll to get his brothers horse.
and then we got down where the McLowery boys and Ike Clanton and he
told his brother Ike that he wanted him to go and get his horse and
come home to the ranch and his brother told him that he would go directly -
and then Mr . Behan the Sheriff came up ana was talking to the boys I
did not hea what he said to them - I was talking to Billy and Behan
was talking to Ike Clanton Frank and Tom McLowery - And then shortly
afterwards Mr. B~han turned his back and walked up the street and the
next thing I ~aw was Morgan Earp hi~ two brothers and Doe Holliday and
Doc Holliday and i~rshall Earp said TOU ons of bitches you have been
looking for a fight and now you can get itj they both s aid the same
thlng a~ d at the Ilame time and Marshall Earp said throw up your hands
\'1hich Billy Cl anton Ike 'Clanton and Frank McLowery did and Tom McLowery
took hold of the lappels of his coat threw it open and said I have not
got anything - at that instant the shoot ing commenced by Doc Holliday
and Morgan Earp - The first shot was -I~ pea taking Tom McLowery was
fired by Doc Holliday and the next one was fired by Morgan Earp taking
Billy Cl ant on and Billy Clanton lIlas shot wi th h1s hands \l~ in this
pos sition shwing his hands raised in front and to one s - de - ke-ee
Bil ly Clanton s.aid don't shoot e I don't want to fight he said this
afte1'" the ~hot was fired and that was the l ast I saw of Billy Clanton
alive ~at !:l -a~ e:r- f'ttr. Behan pu.t me in the photograph g llery out of
the way . 0 he said stay there unti I get back I stayed their 5 or ten
minutes that ~a8 all I saw except I saw the bodies afterwards - I sa
the bodies in the presenoe of the coroner s jury at the house where
they were taken to by the undertaker - I recognized the bodies as the
bodies or Tom McLowery Frank McLowery and Billy Clanton - I knew them
t"fell in their lifetime have known them about four years - I was sworn
that night by the coroner - and the statement I made to the Jury at
that time was made under oath -
That is all I knm-'l - While I wa .. standing talking to the Clantons
and ppa~k McLm~ery8 in the presence of Mr . Behan - Ike Clanton and
Tom and Frank M-cLowery were standing on the siewalk bel the
photograph gale~ about 10 feet facing up the street - I think one
of the McLowery boys had a horse holding it and Billy and I. was
standing in the vacant place about half away between the fro~and
back end of that building l eaning up against the building t1l and
Billy were bout ~ 4 feet a little more or l ess from the others -
Idon't know whether Billy heard the conversation on the part of the
Sheriff or not - Billy was talkir~ with me there about 15 minutes
while the Sheriff \ as there and Bil ly l eft me after the Sheriff went
away in about ;2 or 3 minutes an joined the other boys - \ihen the
Earp party came up they had their pi"tols in their hands .
I saw Billy Clanton dralr;; his pistol after he \'/ s shot down - I satt
also Frank MeLo~lery draw his pistol after about 6 shots had be~n
Tired by the Earps - I am po""itlve that the first two shots took
ef"feet as I have before stated - Me ~'3ery s.taggered backwar'os afte
the first shot - th t w s Tom McLo\'lery - I did not see him fall -
Tom r4cLowery did not have a weapon of . ry kind - I t hlnl{ their !flag
about 16 shots fired before I went to the photograph ale£Y I was
kind- of at one end in a vacant plea - I wa ... struck wi.th . bull et
through the pants leg - Ike Clanton got away from their after the
first 7 or 8 shots I did not see '1!1 at Ike Clanton done before he
got away - I t hink that the Sher'ifr was th-eir about 20 minutes -
Behan asked if I vas one of the party 1 told no I was not. - The
dis t ance between the two parties \iihen they firs t commenced f~iring
I think was about 4 feet .. Doc Holl iday fired the first aho W.l. h a
~iek~ep.lated six shooter - Bil ly Clanton did not e xactly fall a.t the
first shot, but e ~a gep Just laid back but I think that he got up
afterwards - I was not armed that day - I came into t o t own the day
before t he shooting s.nd l eft my arms at Kellogg' s saloon - I think
too tI saw the Sher!!'"r when he me t the Earp part y coming d(:W!l - I
judge it was about t~enty feet from t he oth r party where the Sheriff
met the Earp party - I did not see a shot ) in the fight . Ike
Cl anton threw up his hands at first ~ 'lhe~! the i'irat two shots were
fired by r .. lorgan Earp and Holliday. the other two Earps were I think
behind them or close to t he side of them - I did not see the Sheriff
at that time I don't remember of seeing him a.f ter he \ient up t o meet
th..e Farp boys - Behan put me in the house after the l{ill lng - I think
that theit"' !i' ·as a coupl e of shots fired a.fter I got into the house -
I think that there viaS 28 or 30 fired - I think there was 16 or 17
fired before I \'.[a8 put into the house - a s I was .standing t here
tal king to the Clanton boys they were talking about going home and
were not talking about fighting - I think that it was While Behan was
\
thel'e - I 8a\,1 the other tt.'lO Earp brothers fire a shot - ! think t hat
Bi lly Clanton \t8;6 in town about a hal f an hour before the shoot i ng -
Frank came in wi th Billy so I understood - I do not kn~l how l ong Tom
McLowery had been in - I can not exactly tell when the other two Earps
. .I
~ . ' -"~ ~ . ;,. ..
cowmenced to shoot - I dcnlt remember how many shots had been fired
be.eor'e they commenced to fire - I 1010\'/ that t he other ttt O Earps
commenced firing before Billy Clanton and Franlt McL<Y!ifel"'Y commenced
firing . I think I saw Wm A. Cuddy pass by while I was stazding
in a vacant place - I was not talking to any body .
/s/ Willie Claborn
