Did Doc Holliday and Morgan Earp fire the opening shots in the street fight?
The cowboys steadfastly claimed Doc Holliday and Morgan Earp opened fire on the Clanton/McLaury group without any provocation whatsoever. Ike Clanton, said when the Earps and Doc Holliday reached the cowboys, “They pulled their pistols as soon as they got there. . . .” Virgil Earp ordered the cowboys to “Throw up your hands!” With this, someone, possibly Wyatt, yelled out, “You sons-of-bitches have been looking for a fight and now you can have it!” To this, Billy Clanton replied, “Don’t shoot me. I don’t want to fight!” and “Tom McLaury threw open his coat saying, I haven’t got anything, boys, I am disarmed”( testimony of William Claibourne). Ike claimed both he and Frank McLaury held up their hands in complete and immediate submission in response to the Marshals order.. At this moment, Sheriff Behan became preoccupied with a nickel-plated pistol held, he believed, by Doc Holliday. He later recalled, “My attention was directed to the nickel-plated pistol for a couple of seconds. The ni
