Frank McLaury (OK Corral)

Frank McLaury (March 3, 1848 - October 26, 1881) was a cowboy of the Old West. He is notable as being a member of the "Cow-boy" faction that faced off against lawmen Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan Earp during the early days of the boomtown of Tombstone, Arizona, and for being killed by the Earp faction during the Gunfight at the OK Corral. Although he has been dubbed a gunfighter by some accounts, he was not. The Gunfight at the OK Corral is believed to have been his first violent confrontation.

Born Robert Findley McLaury in Courtright Center, New York, and while still a child his family moved to Belle Plaine, Iowa. His older brother William McLaury completed college and later became a judge in Fort Worth, Texas, and both Frank and his younger brother Tom McLaury studied pre-law. In 1878, he moved with his brother Tom to Hereford, Arizona, where they first met Ike Clanton, and became associated with the Clanton family. At the time, the Clanton family owned one of the largest cattle operations in Arizona.

By 1879 the two brothers were seeing success in the cattle business, and they purchased land and built a house at Soldiers Hole, near Tombstone, Arizona, which was just beginning to see its population explode due to the silver rush. They also, along this time, became associated with "Curly Bill" Brocius. While with Brocius, on October 27, 1880, the two brothers were briefly detained following Brocius accidentally shooting and killing Tombstone Marshall Fred White. The shooting occurred when White went to disarm Brocius, grabbing the pistol Brocius held by the barrel and pulling it, at which time it discharged due to it being cocked. White stated before his death that the shooting was not intentional, and Brocius, who liked White, regretted the shooting greatly by accounts written afterward.

However, when arrested for the shooting, Brocius had been "pistol whipped" by Wyatt Earp, which only escalated an already tense dislike that had developed between members of the "Cow-boy" faction and the Earp faction. Although there is no direct evidence that the McLaury brothers ever participated in any illegal acts, their association with Brocius and the Clanton's put them at odds with the Earp's. They had likely dealt in the selling of stolen cattle, but they were never arrested and definite proof of that has never been presented beyond some doubt. In early 1881, a stolen horse was recovered on their ranch, with allegations that the tip to law enforcement that the horse was there came from Ike Clanton. Whether Clanton told law officials the horse was on their ranch or not has never been confirmed. They were, however, not arrested for possessing the horse, as the suspect in that horse theft was Sherman McMasters, a sometime "Cow-boy" member, and later Earp faction supporter.

By that point, the tension between the Earp and "Cow-boy" factions had reached a boiling point. On October 26th, 1881, the McLaury brothers took part in the Gunfight at the OK Corral, and by accounts afterward it was Frank and Billy Clanton who first drew their weapons, although that has been disputed in other reports of the shootout.

Ike Clanton had been arrested earlier in the day on a weapons charge, after which Tom McLaury had arrived to get Ike. Wyatt Earp and McLaury had a heated exchange outside the courtroom that led to Wyatt hitting Tom over the head with his pistol as Tom stepped towards him. A short while later, Tom was found to have left a pistol in a nearby saloon, showing he was indeed carrying it in violation of city law at the time of his altercation with Wyatt.Both Frank and Tom McLaury were killed, along with Billy Clanton. They were buried in Tombstone's Boot Hill cemetery. Their brother William McLaury spent most of his finances in pursuing charges against the Earp's and Doc Holliday.

Tom McLaury had $3,000 in his possession at the time of their deaths, which was emphasized during the trial that followed. Their brother William later wrote in a letter that his brothers had just sold their herd of cattle, and were leaving Tombstone shortly to come be with him in Fort Worth. He also suggested that they were in Tombstone on business, with plans to depart within a short time in the company of Billy Clanton. They also are believed by some to have been in business with the "Bauer & Kehoe Market", planning a cattle drive.

External links

* [http://www.clantongang.com/oldwest/ganlaury.html Frank and Tom McLaury]
* [http://www.ferncanyonpress.com/tombston/wyatt/frank.shtml Frank McLaury]
* [http://cp1237.com/frankandtom/factsheet.htm McLaury Factsheet, Gunfight at the OK Corral]