He claimed the gun went off accidentally when Wyatt seized him from behind. He ordered them all out of town, and they meekly complied. Wyatt promptly hauled the unconscious Brosius to jail, expecting him to be found guilty of murder, but Curly Bill was set free when White gave the doctor his dying statement in front of witnesses that the shooting was an accident.
Curly Bill never forgave Wyatt for hitting him so hard. Brosius was the uncontested leader of more than outlaws working both sides of the border under orders from Old Man Clanton. It was the largest rustling empire America has ever had.
They stole cattle from all over southern Arizona, horses from army posts, and longhorns from Mexico. Their depredations became so bad that President Garfield demanded they be stopped at all costs.
Hiding themselves in the high rocks, they shot the Mexicans from their saddles, and when the mules began to stampede, they shot them, too. With so much loot and no way to transport it, Brosius had Zwing Hunt and Billy Grounds hide it somewhere in the Canyon, while he and the rest of the gang returned to camp. The Skeleton Canyon slaughter left dead Mexicans and mules scattered up the canyon toward the San Simeon, and it was more than a day before the two outlaws had the job done. When Hunt and Grounds were killed before they could tell their cronies where they buried the loot, the Skeleton Canyon treasure became legend.
It remains one of the most famous lost treasures to this day. After Virgil Earp was paralyzed by a sniper from the shadows on 28 November , and after Morgan Earp was murdered in a poolroom on the night of 17 March , Wyatt determined to put an end to the outlaw business in Tombstone once and for all. He and Doc Holliday quietly put Virgil and the body of Morgan on the train for California and rode as far as Tucson with another brother, James Earp, who had been permanently crippled in the Civil War.
At Tucson, Wyatt and Doc got off the train. Wyatt cornered Curly Bill at the Iron Springs water hole.
According to legend, Wyatt saw Curly Bill just about the same time that the outlaw was drawing down on him with a sawed-off shotgun. There was a great explosion, and Wyatt felt his coat tail jerk, as the shot from both barrels struck it. With an angry scream, Brosius then threw the shotgun at Wyatt.
It was over in an instant. Curly Bill fell, cut almost in half, as Wyatt pumped shell after shell into him. He never forgave them. The entire population was divided on the question of whether or not Wyatt killed Curly Bill. Wyatt and the members of his posse maintained that he had blown Brocius apart. The Cowboys insisted that the outlaw was alive and well. Many legendary tales abound concerning the sudden disappearance of Curly Bill Brocius, that he rode down into Mexico, married a Mexican woman and raised a hacienda full of kids; that he rode up to Wyoming to start over again; that he went to Texas and lived a peaceful life; and numerous other versions.
It is not logical that Curly Bill would vacate Arizona, just when everything was going his way. The Earps and Holliday were riding out, leaving him in complete control of southeast Arizona with no enemies to hinder him. The two couriers said they had two men wounded and one dead. They identified the dead man as Curly Bill Brocius, but did not know the wounded men. Ayers kept the saloon in Charlston that was the headquarters for all the outlaw and rustler element.
This man, Ayers, for personal reasons that would take too long to tell supplied me with reliable information. Thru him I got in touch with several others. Johnny Barnes, who you will recollect was in the fight at Iron Springs, gave me much information, not only of that, but of many other things before he was killed.
Afterwards, all that they said with reference to Curly Bill was corroborated by Ike Clanton himself! Johnny Barnes, who was in the. That Wyatt Earp throwed sic down on Curley Bill right across his horse and killed him. That the Earp party made it so fast and hot that all of the Curley Bill party that could, got away. I made this report direct to John J.
Valentine sent Thacker out there, and he, as you know, made a full investigation. They all talked to him, but Ike Clanton would have nothing to do with him, but he got all the information that he required and was thougherly sic and completely satisfyed sic beyond a doubt that Wyatt Earp had killed Curley Bill and that Bill was buried on the Patterson ranch.
As I said, Johnny never recovered from his wounds, and finally died of them in Charleston where he was being cared for by Ayers. At the same time they buried Curly Bill somewhere near the barn and hid the grave. A few days later Barnes developed blood poisoning and had to be taken to J.
Ayers sent for Fred Dodge so that Barnes could tell him first hand. But, regardless of any information, facts, or otherwise, after the gunbattle at Iron Springs, Curly Bill went on no more cattle raids, hijacked no more smugglers, and was seen in his favorite hang outs no more.
He vanished completely and was never seen again! And he threw in Johnny Barnes for good measure! Following the fight at Iron Springs the Earp posse moved to pick up Warren Earp at the crossroads where they had left him.
Then they went into camp about six miles north of Tombstone. Tipton stayed in Tombstone, but Smith joined the Earps in camp that night. Feeling is growing here against the ring, Sheriff, etc. Then, a few weeks later, on March 18 th , , Morgan Earp was gunned down by an assassin.
Wyatt knew the only way justice would be served for the shooting of his brothers would be for him to take the law into his own hands. Wyatt led a small posse of friends on a vendetta against the perpetrators. Both parties met unexpectantly at the watering hole. There was a furious exchange of gunfire. Curly Bill and Wyatt were both armed with shotguns. Wyatt opened up with both barrels and nearly cut Bill in half. With Curly Bill out of the fight, Wyatt turned his attention to the other Cowboys, who were ducking and dodging, firing wildly as they ran for cover.
To make matters worse, his horse, spooked by the gunfire, was doing a war dance keeping Wyatt from pulling his Winchester from the scabbard. Then he reached for his pistol only to find his gunbelt had slipped down almost to his knees.
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