Murder in Tombstone: The Forgotten Trial of Wyatt Earp (The Lamar Series in Western History)

264 Pages·2004·0.76 MB·English

by  Steven Lubet

Murder in Tombstone

Murder in Tombstone
The Forgotten Trial of Wyatt Earp
Steven Lubet
Yale University Press
New Haven and London
Published with assistance from the Mary Cady Tew
Memorial Fund.
Copyright © 2004by Steven Lubet.
All rights reserved.
This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part,
including illustrations, in any form (beyond that copying per-
mitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law
and except by reviewers for the public press), without written
permission from the publishers.
Set in Galliard type by Achorn Graphic Services.
Printed in the United States of America by R. R. Donnelley,
Harrisonburg, Virginia.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition
as follows:
Lubet, Steven.
Murder in tombstone : the forgotten trial of Wyatt Earp /
Steven Lubet.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN0-300-10426-X (cloth : alk. paper)
1.Earp, Wyatt, 1848–1929. 2. Earp, Wyatt, 1848–1929—
Trials, litigation, etc. 3. Tombstone (Ariz.)—History—19th
century. 4. Peace officers—Arizona—Tombstone—Biography.
5. Outlaws—Arizona—Tombstone—History—19th century.
6.Trials (Murder)—Arizona—Tombstone. 7. Violence—
Arizona—Tombstone—History—19th century. 8. Frontier
and pioneer life—Arizona—Tombstone. 9. Tombstone
(Ariz.)—Biography. I. Title.
F819.T6L83 2004
978.02′092—dc22
[B]
2004045580
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British
Library.
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence
and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines
for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.
ISBN-13: 978-0-300-11527-7(pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-300-11327-X (pbk. : alk. paper)
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my father,
M"z
Fred Lubet

Contents
1. Slap Leather 1
2. From Dodge City to Tombstone 7
3. Prelude to a Gunfight 27
4. Thirty Shots in Thirty Seconds 44
5. Invitation to an Inquest 57
6. Judge Spicer’s Court 71
7. “I Don’t Want to Fight” 84
8. “I Think We Can Hang Them” 105
9. “In Defense of My Own Life” 135
10. “I Want Your Guns” 156
11. Decision 179
12. Aftermath 203
Notes 224
Bibliography 233
viii Contents
Acknowledgments 244
Index 245
Photographs follow page 104
Murder in Tombstone