WEBVTT - Short Stuff: The O.K. Corral

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, and welcome to the short stuff. I'm Josh, there's Chuck,

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<v Speaker 1>there's Jerry. Let's get to it. Giddy up, draw that's

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<v Speaker 1>pretty good, little pea shooter laser. That's right. So we're

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<v Speaker 1>talking about the gunfight at the Okay Corral. I've been there?

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<v Speaker 1>Have you ever been there? No, you've been there. What's

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<v Speaker 1>it like? Dusty? I'll bet I was gonna say dusty hot?

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<v Speaker 1>Were there? Tumbleweeds sure everywhere? Varmints, you wouldn't believe the varmints, wraps, gallions,

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<v Speaker 1>that's barilla, Yeah, all that good stuff. Have you ever

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<v Speaker 1>tasted sasaparilla? Sure, it's kind of like roop here. That's

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<v Speaker 1>what I've always thought. But I don't I don't know.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not sure. I think I had one back then,

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<v Speaker 1>but I don't remember that that when I was a child.

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<v Speaker 1>But we are talking about the gunfight at the Okay Corral,

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<v Speaker 1>the very excuse me, famous gunfight between the the Earps

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<v Speaker 1>and Doc Holiday and the cowboys. A very simplistic way

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<v Speaker 1>to look at this, which was in the um. Otherwise,

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<v Speaker 1>pretty good. How stuff works short article is, you know

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<v Speaker 1>the Earths were the good guys. The bad guys were

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<v Speaker 1>the other guys wrong. But there's some nuance there because

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<v Speaker 1>the earps and I think, like most lawman of the

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<v Speaker 1>time out west, you know, there were criminals too sometimes

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<v Speaker 1>they were. The thing that differentiated them was the badge

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<v Speaker 1>and the fact that they were able to enforce the law. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>and not to say that they were all awful people

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<v Speaker 1>and they were horse thieves and you know, no good cusses,

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<v Speaker 1>as this article says for the bad guys, but that

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<v Speaker 1>was definitely, Um, I think it was kind of few

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<v Speaker 1>and far between where you had a truly just and

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<v Speaker 1>righteous lawman. Well so why at A he had been

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<v Speaker 1>run out of California for horse thieving, so he was

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<v Speaker 1>an actual horse thief. He moved to Wichita and he

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<v Speaker 1>was a marshal there for three years before he was

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<v Speaker 1>run out of which atall for corruption. And then he

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<v Speaker 1>ended up in Tombstone where his brother Virgil was the

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<v Speaker 1>marshal there. And then Wyatt and his brother Morgan became

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<v Speaker 1>basically deputy marshals under their brother and they kind of

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<v Speaker 1>selectively enforced the law. But when it came to those cowboys,

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<v Speaker 1>the Clanton gang is another way to put it, Um,

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<v Speaker 1>they enforced the law extra judiciously, very frequently. Yeah. They

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<v Speaker 1>also had a buddy named John Henry Holiday. He's from Griffin,

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<v Speaker 1>went by the name of doc was he, Yeah, dent.

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<v Speaker 1>His dental office is still in Griffin. I think it's

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<v Speaker 1>like your museum now. So he was a he was

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<v Speaker 1>good with a gun and not shy with a trigger finger.

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<v Speaker 1>And we should mention the bad guys, he said. The

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<v Speaker 1>Clanton Gang was a man named Billy Claiborne, and then

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<v Speaker 1>I can Billy Clanton and then Frank and Tom McLaury.

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<v Speaker 1>And they weren't just like you know, low life cowboys.

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<v Speaker 1>They were actually from wealthy ranching families from what I understand. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>but you know it was sort of a thing back

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<v Speaker 1>in the day, which I guess you could still be

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<v Speaker 1>a rich low life really, yeah, kidding me. They're they're everywhere. Uh,

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<v Speaker 1>These these two groups of men did not like each

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<v Speaker 1>other though, um for a full year. Uh in Tombstone,

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<v Speaker 1>they really went through a population explosion when someone found

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<v Speaker 1>not gold in them dar Hills, but silver good enough,

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<v Speaker 1>good enough at the time, and uh, they said, we

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<v Speaker 1>need some law enforcement. And it was literally the wild

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<v Speaker 1>West out there at the time. I know that that

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<v Speaker 1>word has used a lot like it's the Wild West

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<v Speaker 1>and podcasting. Yea, with all these shootouts. You know who's

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<v Speaker 1>quick on the draw is that Roman mars Man. That

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<v Speaker 1>guy's good. But they went to the town leaders, and

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<v Speaker 1>they had a lot of the town leaders on their side.

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<v Speaker 1>They went to Verge and white ear It's like, you guys,

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<v Speaker 1>are you know good enough? I guess yeah, you've done

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<v Speaker 1>it before and you're not afraid to shoot someone in

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<v Speaker 1>the face, right, So go shoot him in the face. Boys. So, um,

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<v Speaker 1>you've got like this this uh history of of run

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<v Speaker 1>ins between the herbs and the cowboys. There was bad

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<v Speaker 1>blood between them. Um. I read elsewhere that Wyatt Earp

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<v Speaker 1>had designs on becoming sheriff of a neighboring town or

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<v Speaker 1>neighboring county, and so he wanted to make his name

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<v Speaker 1>by bringing the Clanton gang down. So he actually went

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<v Speaker 1>to Ike Clanton and said, hey, why don't you turn

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<v Speaker 1>on your brother and the rest of the gang members

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<v Speaker 1>and I'll make sure that you get off, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>Scott free. And apparently apparently Ike was thinking about it.

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<v Speaker 1>That was a great cattle wrestler, I think, but Ike

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<v Speaker 1>was thinking about it, But he ended up not doing it.

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<v Speaker 1>So why it realized that he was in a bit

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<v Speaker 1>of a pickle here because it would harm his reputation

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<v Speaker 1>if it was found out that he was making chunder

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<v Speaker 1>the table deals with bandits Um. And so he decided

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<v Speaker 1>that I needed to go the evidence against him. I

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<v Speaker 1>needed to be rubbed out. So that's basically from what

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<v Speaker 1>I saw that actually led to this gunfight at the

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<v Speaker 1>Okay Corral. That the earth Boys were spoiling for a fight.

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<v Speaker 1>They were actually stalking the Clanton gang that day. All right, well,

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<v Speaker 1>let's take a break and we'll come back and talk

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<v Speaker 1>about what happened. Not high noon, but about three o'clock.

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<v Speaker 1>I guess it was high noon somewhere on October. All right,

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<v Speaker 1>so here's the deal. In Tombstone. It was against the

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<v Speaker 1>law to carry weapons in Tombstone, which is shocking. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>don't they know about the Second Amendment? I don't know.

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<v Speaker 1>So Virgil Earp and Virgil was the he was the

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<v Speaker 1>marshal at the time. He said, cowboys, you know, you're

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<v Speaker 1>not supposed to have your guns. And there was some

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<v Speaker 1>other run ins that day. There were a couple of

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<v Speaker 1>violent pistol whippings. H and Tom I Clanton and Tom

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<v Speaker 1>McClary were kind of beat down by the RBS earlier

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<v Speaker 1>in the day. Yeah, I didn't. I didn't see anything

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<v Speaker 1>about that elsewhere. But well, it basically came to a

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<v Speaker 1>head at about three o'clock on October. And this is

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<v Speaker 1>crazy to think about, but the gunfight at the Okay

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<v Speaker 1>Corral lasted about thirty seconds. There were about thirty to

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<v Speaker 1>forty shots fired between. Mean, how many guys? Was it six? No?

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<v Speaker 1>I think it was more like eight or nine. But

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<v Speaker 1>estimates say that they were about six ft apart from

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<v Speaker 1>one another. Can you imagine they were just in a

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<v Speaker 1>little circle. Basically, he'd just be like shooting at each other.

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<v Speaker 1>Stop quick stop. I'm surprised they all didn't end up

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<v Speaker 1>dead A couple of them did. Um, I know that

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<v Speaker 1>both of I think both of the Clanton brothers ended

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<v Speaker 1>up dead, right, Billy Clanton died and then both mcclari brothers.

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<v Speaker 1>So three of the cowboys died. Um, none of the

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<v Speaker 1>herbs died. But Whyatt got off scott free? He had

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<v Speaker 1>no scratches on him. Virgil almost died. He got shot

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<v Speaker 1>through the back and just narrowly missed his spine. Right now,

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<v Speaker 1>that was Morgan. Virgil got hit in the leg. But yeah, Morgan,

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<v Speaker 1>it just was like a through shot. But I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>I know, I'm sure that felt great. Dot got a

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<v Speaker 1>little scrape and I think he said, like, why you

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<v Speaker 1>know this is Kevin Costner. But yeah, that's some pretty

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<v Speaker 1>terrible shooting right there from six right. So um, yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>that's that's basically like closing your eyes and just firing

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<v Speaker 1>like in a direction that level of of contact. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>you would have seen my boot spurs running in the

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<v Speaker 1>other direction in a zig zaggie pattern. So um. The

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<v Speaker 1>shootout of the Okay Corral lasted thirty seconds. It was

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<v Speaker 1>not at high noon, and another little known fact is

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<v Speaker 1>that it wasn't even at the Okay Corral. It was

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<v Speaker 1>in a vacant lot behind the corral, between a boarding

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<v Speaker 1>house and a photo studio. Oh really, yeah, I don't

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<v Speaker 1>think I knew that it's true. It was in an

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<v Speaker 1>Olen mills. Afterwards, Doc Holiday went and got a picture

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<v Speaker 1>where it's like face on and then up in the

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<v Speaker 1>corner he like looking off into the into the moon.

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<v Speaker 1>So here's how it apparently went down. It's like I said,

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<v Speaker 1>those brothers are mclarie and Clinton had been pistol whipped

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<v Speaker 1>earlier in the day. Um, the cowboys came into town

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<v Speaker 1>pretty ticked off about this and kind of looking for

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<v Speaker 1>a fight. So posedly, but also supposedly the RBS were

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<v Speaker 1>just like waiting to start a fight with these guys. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>Actually the um earps were almost charged with murder for

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<v Speaker 1>a second there, I think Ike, you said Ike survived, right? Uh? Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>Ike Clanton a couple of days later formally accused the

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<v Speaker 1>Herbs of murder, basically saying that they had ambushed the cowboys.

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<v Speaker 1>That's right. There were a lot of eye witnesses, but

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<v Speaker 1>there was one kind of apparently really important eye witness

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<v Speaker 1>uh named Addie Borland, and she said, uh, quote, I

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<v Speaker 1>didn't see anyone holding up their hands. They all seemed

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<v Speaker 1>to be firing in general, on both sides. They were

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<v Speaker 1>firing on both sides at each other. Right. So, what

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<v Speaker 1>the historians think actually happened is that the RBS came

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<v Speaker 1>upon the Clantons, who were caught by surprise, and the

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<v Speaker 1>Herbs said drop your weapons or we'll start firing, right.

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<v Speaker 1>They actually said it out loud, but then started firing

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<v Speaker 1>before they even had a chance to drop their weapons.

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<v Speaker 1>The Clanton gang star, it's firing back. But again they

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<v Speaker 1>were ambushed, they were caught by surprise, and they weren't

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<v Speaker 1>given a chance to actually surrender. Um. And so there

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<v Speaker 1>were kind of some things in there in the favor

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<v Speaker 1>of a case of murder against the herbs. But the

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<v Speaker 1>thing that got them off is that earlier witnesses had

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<v Speaker 1>overheard the Clanton saying that they were going to kill

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<v Speaker 1>the earps. So the RBS are like, see, this is

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<v Speaker 1>all just self defense. Yeah, And there wasn't actual hearing

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<v Speaker 1>because of that, um that call for murder old timing

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<v Speaker 1>name please, justice of the piece. Well, Spicer had a

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<v Speaker 1>hearing and he basically said, uh no, you know what,

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<v Speaker 1>it seems to me like they were well within their

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<v Speaker 1>rights as marshals and what they called special policemen to

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<v Speaker 1>do their duty. And because of Addie Borland's testimony, um,

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<v Speaker 1>and you know, I Clanton came out and he had

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<v Speaker 1>his own testimony, but it looks like they just you know,

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<v Speaker 1>it's frontier justice. They sided on the quote unquote law. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>I think I Clinton said that he and his brother

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<v Speaker 1>and gang members had their hands up and we're still

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<v Speaker 1>fired upon and at least one of them might not

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<v Speaker 1>have had a weapon, depending on who you asked on

0:11:13.920 --> 0:11:17.200
<v Speaker 1>the cowboys side. So that's how it went down. The

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<v Speaker 1>gunfight at the Ok Corral in a vacant lot at

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<v Speaker 1>three pm, that's right. And later on there was an

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<v Speaker 1>attempt assassination attempt on Virgil Earth in December of that

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<v Speaker 1>same year. Morgan Earp was murdered and a billiard club

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<v Speaker 1>in early eighty two, and everyone is cycle this is

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<v Speaker 1>clearly the work of Clanton, although who knows, because it's

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<v Speaker 1>frontier justice, it could have been anything. He could have

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<v Speaker 1>snored too loud. I'm sure the brothers had more more

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<v Speaker 1>enemies than just I Clanton, but people still suspect that

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<v Speaker 1>it was him. And as for Clanton, he was killed

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<v Speaker 1>and seven in the Arizona Territory by a detective and

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<v Speaker 1>Wyatt Earp lived until eighteen to the ripled age of

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<v Speaker 1>eighty where he died. Where else Los Angeles, where he

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<v Speaker 1>was a DJ and a sometime music producer. That's funny.

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<v Speaker 1>That's it for Short Stuff, everybody. If you want to

0:12:14.840 --> 0:12:16.640
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