GUNFIGHTS FAR FROM THE O.K. CORRAL
Western gunfights were mostly spur-of-the-moment, one-on-one affairs, often fueled by a lethal mix of alcohol and indignation. Rarely did fair play enter into the equation. As one historian wrote, “Although there are documented examples of face-to-face confrontations—such as [James Butler] Hickok’s duel with Dave Tutt—most real gunfights were not equal opportunity events.” That explains why so many notorious shootists—Hickok, John Wesley Hardin, Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Ben Thompson, King Fisher, Pat Garrett, Dallas Stoudenmire, et al.—were ultimately dispatched from behind or by surprise.
Of all known historic gunfights, the Oct. 26, 1881, dustup near the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona Territory, has garnered more than its share of popular attention, due in part to the number of participants, the involvement of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, and the many and varied interpretations in print and on-screen. It was one of the few face-to-face encounters in which an equal number of men stood on each side. The fight involved eight men (well, seven, if we omit Ike Clanton, who fled the bullet barrage like a startled jackrabbit) and left three killed and three wounded in less than a minute.
That said, it was neither the most dramatic nor the deadliest gunfight. In several instances a lone man squared off against vastly superior firepower, with varying degrees of success. In other gunfights the list of casualties exceeded those downed in Tombstone. Indeed, on Feb. 10, 1918, Arizona itself witnessed a deadlier gunfight at a cabin high in the Galiuro Mountains that left four men dead, including three lawmen (see Thomas Cobb’s article on that fight in the October 2012 Wild West).
Following are 10 other notable shootouts to compare to that most famous gunfight in a vacant lot on Tombstone’s Fremont Street, six doors west of the rear entrance to the O.K. Corral.
1. FOUR MEN DEAD IN FIVE SECONDS
Dallas Stoudenmire was not a man to be trifled with. “Big Dal,” as he was known,
