Earp Historical Timeline Page 7

Vendetta

• 1882, March 20 - Virgil and the Earp wives catch the train for California. Deputy U.S. Marshal Wyatt Earp accompanies his family to the station. He, in turn, is accompanined by Doc Holliday, Warren Earp, Sherm MacMasters, and Turkey Creek Johnson. At the station Wyatt spies Ike Clanton and Frank Stilwell. At 7:00pm as the train is leaving the station Wyatt and his men catch up with Stilwell, whom they believe to have been one of the trigger men in the murder of Morgan Earp, and the posse (this term is perhaps loosely applied here) leaves Stilwell dead on the tracks, riddled with bullets and buckshot.
• 1882, March 21 - "I want to see you." says Sheriff Johnny Behan. "You've seen me once too often." says Wyatt Earp. Earp and his posse have returned to the Cosmopolitan Hotel. The posse is legal because Wyatt has an official sanction and expenses to go after the cowboys, but is accused of the cold blooded murder of Frank Stilwell. At 1:00pm a telegram arrives ordering Behan to arrest Earp. But the telegraph operator warns Wyatt.
• 1882, March 22 - Wyatt and his posse ride into the camp of Pete Spence. Informed that Spence is in Tombstone they ride over the hill to investigate half-breed Florentino. There are differing versions of what happened, but suffice to say, Florentino did not survive the questioning. Wyatt told in later years that the half-breed admitted to being paid to hold the assassins horses during the murder of Morgan. Meanwhile back in Tombstone Behan is putting together his own posse, one so disreputable that Bob Paul, Pima County Sheriff, refuses to join it.
• 1882, March 23 - Wells Fargo comes out publically supporting the Earps.
• 1882, March 23 - Wyatt and posse camp near the powderhouse east of Tombstone and Texas Jack goes into town to arrange fro $1000 to be sent to Wyatt at Iron Springs. The posse makes its way to the Springs, leaving Warren to collect the money. They're going to make camp at the springs. They're relaxing, getting ready to make camp, Wyatt dismounted with loosened gunbelt, when something warns him of danger. He's got his shotgun in hand and leading his horse as he moves forward; the other men, still mounted, are to the rear. The springs consists of a hollow and as Wyatt moves into sight it's an ambush (or a surprise collision?) with men springing up from behind rocks. The rustlers, except Curly Bill, merge into the cottonwoods to start firing. Wyatt squeezes off both triggers of his shotgun and cuts Curly Bill near in half. Texas Jack has his horse shot out from under him, and the rest of the posse startled, has turned and fled. Meanwhile with loosened gunbelt falling around his thighs, Wyatt has trouble remounting and is under a barrage a fire. Miraculously he escapes unharmed. The Nugget later dismisses Wyatt's claims to having killed Curly Bill and offers a reward for conclusive proof that the rustler leader was dead. The Epitaph countered with an offer to pay $2000 to charity if Curly Bill would turn up alive. Neither money was every claimed. Wyatt's map of the Iron Springs gunfight at the Wyatt Earp Historical Homepage.
• 1882, March 27 - Wyatt's posse seeks refreshments at Henry Clay Hooker's ranch. They are well treated by the sympathetic rancher and head off in the evening to camp on a bluff not far from the ranch where they can watch for Behan and his posse.
• 1882, March 28 - Behan's posse arrives at Hooker's, and while they get refreshments in turn, they are not provided with information to the whereabouts of the Earp posse and Hooker iss less than complimentary to the composition of Behan's posse. One of the posse takes offense and there is an altercation nearly leading to a shooting. Hooker later tells the posse where to find Wyatt since he knows Wyatt is looking for a fight.
• 1882, March 29 - Wyatt's posse watches Behan's posse from their camp move off in a different direction, according to Hooker's account. Later Wyatt returns to Hooker's ranch for a relaxing couple of days.
• 1882, April 4 - In response to Harry Wood's glowing account in the Nugget of the behavior of Behan's posse and Hooker's refusal to assist them, the Epitaph prints a letter from "Them", a rather tongue in cheek version of the events, probably written by Doc Holliday.
• 1882, April - The Earp possed arrives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. While there Doc and Wyatt have an argument, very possibly over a comment made by Doc Holliday. Doc and Dan Tipton head out to Trinidad, Colorado.
• 1882, Late April - Wyatt and remaining posse members camped outside of Trinidad, Colorado. They had to lie low being in the contradictary situation of being both law and outlaw.

  To Extradite or not to Extradite ...

  Back in time ...

  Historians : Found an error? Please feel free to email me at wyatt@panhistoria.com with corrections.

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  Sources:
  The Illustrated Life and Times of Wyatt Earp by Bob Boze Bell, Boze Books, 1993
  Wyatt Earp and the Coeur d'Alene Gold!: Stampede to Idaho Territory, by Jerry Dolph and Arthur Randall, Eagle City Publishing, 1999
  Wyatt Earp: The Life Behind the Legend, by Casey Tefertiller, John Wiley & Sons, 1999
  Wyatt Earp: The Missing Years, San Diego in the 1880's, by Kenneth R. Cilch and Kenneth R. Cilch, Jr., Gaslamp Books, 1998
  The Earp Papers : In a Brother's Image by Don Chaput
  The Truth About Wyatt Earp by Richard E. Erwin