Frank McLaury

Frank McLaury (born Robert Findley McLaury; March 3, 1849

His mother Margaret died when an epidemic of typhoid swept through their community on October 11, 1859, when Frank was 9. Franks' father Robert was 65 years old in August 1875. By that time he had lived as a widower for over 15 years. He was the father of 11 children, six of them sons. But by 1875, two of his sons had already died. His father remarried widow and neighbor Jane Arbuthnot on September 13, 1860. Eight of his siblings including Frank were still living at home, as were eight of Jane's children. Around the time he was in Fort Worth, Robert Findley stopped using his given name and began going by Frank, a modern derivative of his middle name, Findley. When Old Man Clanton sold his ranch to purchase another holding along the San Pedro River in southern Arizona, Ike Clanton remained behind. The McLaury brothers and Ike became fast friends. Nearby Tombstone, Arizona, was just beginning to see its population explode due to the silver rush. Frank briefly assisted local constable Melvin Jones in apprehending soldiers who had stolen government horse harnesses. The soldiers attempted to bribe the two men but McLaury and Jones both insisted they submit to arrest. On July 25, 1880, Captain Joseph H. Hurst requested the assistance of Deputy U.S. Marshal Virgil Earp, who brought Wyatt and Morgan Earp, as well as Wells Fargo agent Marshall Williams, to track the thieves of six U.S. Army mules stolen from Camp Rucker. This was a federal matter because the animals were U.S. property. Acting on a tip, they found the animals on the McLaury's Ranch on the Babacomari River and the branding iron used to change the "US" brand to "D8".

To avoid bloodshed, Cowboy Frank Patterson promised to return the mules and Hurst pressed the posse to withdraw. The Cowboys showed up two days later without the mules and laughed at Captain Hurst and the Earps. Hurst responded by printing and distributing a handbill describing the theft and promising a reward for the "trial and conviction" of the thieves. It said, "It is known that the stolen animals were secreted at or in the vicinity of the McLaury Brothers ranch, and it is also believed that they were branded on the left shoulder over the Government brand. " Hurst specifically charged Frank McLaury with assisting with hiding the mules. It was reprinted in The Tombstone Epitaph on July 30, 1880. According to Wyatt's testimony later, 18-year-old Billy Clanton asked him insolently if he had any more horses to "lose", but he gave the horse up without first being shown the ownership papers, demonstrating to Wyatt that Billy knew to whom the horse belonged.

Move to Sulphur Springs

Early in 1881, shortly after Cochise County was created, Tom and Frank moved their ranching operations to the Sulphur Springs Valley. They dug a well and built a substantial adobe ranch house, a barn, corrals, and irrigation ditches for farming. They owned eight horses, two mules, and 140 cattle. They began planning a visit to their sister Sarah Caroline McLaury in Iowa, who was set to be married on November 30.

Shootout at the O.K. Corral Graves of Billy Clanton, Frank McLaury and Tom McLaury in Boothill Cemetery, Tombstone, Arizona. On October 26, 1881, the McLaury brothers were in Tombstone to conclude a cattle deal. Tensions between the Earps and Cowboys had escalated. Ike Clanton had been cited earlier in the day for carrying a weapon in town, after which Tom McLaury had arrived to get Ike. Wyatt Earp and McLaury had a heated exchange. and Wyatt later testified he saw a pistol in Tom's waistband and buffaloed Tom.

Later in the day the Clantons and McLaurys, along with Billy Claiborne, faced off against the Earps and Doc Holliday in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Some witnesses testified that Frank and Billy Clanton drew their weapons first, while others loyal to the Cowboys supported their version of events in which Tom opened his coat to show he was unarmed. The Earps and Holliday killed Frank and Tom McLaury along with Billy Clanton. All three were buried in Tombstone's Boot Hill cemetery. Their brother William McLaury spent most of his finances in pursuing charges against the Earps and Doc Holliday. Tom left his pistol at a nearby saloon at some point that afternoon, but the Earps had no way of knowing that.

Tom McLaury had $3,000 in his possession when he died during the shootout, a fact that the prosecution emphasized during the preliminary hearing that followed the shoot out. His brother William, who joined the prosecution team, wrote in a letter home to Texas that his brothers had just sold their herd of cattle and were leaving Tombstone shortly to come be with him in Fort Worth. He said that they were in Tombstone on business, with plans to depart shortly afterward to visit him in Texas. They may have been arranging a cattle deal with their neighbor E. B Frink with butchers Bauer & Kehoe.

Although modern historians have called him a gunfighter, others say he was not. The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is believed to have been his only violent confrontation.