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| Tombstone scene by William Turner Porter |
McLaury’s horse must have been
fond of him, because it strolled up the wooden sidewalk and stuck its head inside
the door of the gun shop. Wyatt startled McLaury and Clanton by walking up to
the shop and leading the horse away. When the angry McLaury charged out to grab
the reins from Wyatt, the lawman coolly warned him that letting his horse
wander onto the sidewalks was a violation of a city ordinance.
Violation of another city
ordinance — the one against carrying firearms inside city limits — had gotten
Billy’s brother Ike pistol-whipped over the head earlier by Virgil Earp. Ike joined
the others at the gun shop to buy a pistol. Owner George Spangenberg looked at
Ike’s bleeding head, remarked that it looked like Ike had been in trouble and
said that he therefore refused to sell Ike a gun — demonstrating that gun
dealers in the “Wild West” were sometimes smarter and more ethical than the
ones today.
Wyatt Earp has been portrayed at
least 10 times on the movie screen, by everyone from James Garner to James
Stewart, but in none of the films, to my knowledge, does a horse poked his
curious head into the gun shop just prior to the big battle.
And why not? A little comic relief
can provide just the right, light touch in a melodrama. And the unlikely scene
would have the additional advantage of being true.
Sources: “Inventing Wyatt Earp:
His Life and Many Legends," Allen Barra; “Wyatt Earp: The Life Behind the
Legend,” Casey Tefertiller
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