Wyatt Earp and The Cowboy War (2024) s01e02 Episode Script

1
[tense percussive music playing]
[music stops]
[Ed Harris] Now, pay attention.
Because this happens fast.
Oh, we don't want that.
No! Hold on, hold on.
[groans]
[groans]
- [groans]
- Wyatt, don't kill me. I'm unarmed.
Ike Clanton. Get out of the way.
- [gunshot]
- [man grunts]
[gunshot]
[man moans]
[groaning]
- [groans]
- [gunshots continue]
- [groans]
- [Wyatt] Morg!
[grunts]
- [Wyatt] Morg!
- [grunts]
[somber music playing]
[Ed] That was it.
The whole thing
only lasted about 30 seconds.
But it would become
the most famous gunfight
in Wild West history.
And it would change everything
for Wyatt Earp
and America.
Somebody get a doctor! [grunts]
I need a doctor!
[somber music playing]
[Casey] The gunfight was very quick.
It probably took half a minute at most,
with around 30 shots being fired.
And all this activity happening so quickly
that even people watching it
weren't sure what was happening
because so much was going on.
[Ed] Three Cowboys were dead.
Brothers Tom and Frank McLaury.
And Ike Clanton's younger brother, Billy.
[somber music continues]
[gasping]
[Ike] Billy.
Billy!
[somber music continues]
[breathes shakily]
[somber music continues]
[music fades]
[Morgan groans]
- Jesus.
- [Morgan] Doc, give me the whiskey.
[tense music playing]
Here. Take a swig of that.
[groaning]
- [Morgan coughs]
- [groaning]
[man] Nurse.
[tense music continues]
[groans]
[Casey] You've got Virgil Earp
wounded through the leg,
Morgan seriously wounded.
He's in horrible pain.
Holliday's been skimmed by a bullet.
And I mean, you wouldn't think
it was that painful, but it really hurts.
[Virgil screams]
[Ed] In 1881, if you needed surgery,
dying might actually sound
like a better option.
It was brutal and barbaric.
And your chances
of surviving a bullet wound
were pretty much zero.
But often,
it wasn't the bullet that killed you.
It was infection.
You see, while the surgeons
were poking around looking for the bullet,
they were spreading germs
from their dirty hands.
The only way you had a chance of surviving
is if you got shot in the arm or the leg.
Because then the surgeon
could just saw it off.
[Virgil groans]
Doc, am I gonna lose my leg?
[Ed] Now, call it fate
or divine intervention,
but it just so happened that one of
the smartest doctors in the country
was treating Morgan and Virgil.
You're gonna be just fine.
Dr. George Goodfellow,
who was a surgical pioneer
and one of the first to realize
that washing your hands before surgery
prevented infection.
So who knows how many lives he saved
just by that act alone.
[Virgil] Doc.
Doc!
[groans]
[Virgil yells in pain]
[Ed] While Wyatt was left wondering
if his brothers were going to survive,
most of the townspeople
wanted to congratulate him.
[Edward] In the immediate aftermath
of the shoot-out,
the Earps are initially hailed
as representatives of law and order.
Sure, they killed a few people,
but they were in the right
when they did so.
[somber music playing]
[Ed] But Ike had fallen from grace.
[somber music continues]
[Ed] The once mighty mob boss
was now the town's pariah.
He'd started a gunfight,
and lost.
He'd been completely humiliated.
[somber music continues]
Ike Clanton was enraged
for many, many reasons.
Long-standing hatred of the Earps,
the fact that he'd been humiliated
and had to flee from the battle,
and the fact
that his brother had been killed.
He was just consumed
with a desire for vengeance.
[Ed] Now, Ike probably thought
his days as the mob boss were over.
But to hell with what people thought.
He wasn't going anywhere.
And this is where Ike
did something totally unexpected.
["Requiem in D Minor, Lacrimosa"
by Mozart playing]
[John] The three Cowboys
were placed in open-top coffins
with a big sign that said,
"Murdered on the streets of Tombstone."
[man] This is sheer propaganda.
They were in their Sunday best,
looking so clean-cut, all-American.
This is, uh, a real effort
to win over public sentiment
to the Cowboy element
and away from the Earps.
And it worked.
["Requiem in D Minor" continues]
[Ed] The thing is,
Ike was just getting started.
[Ike] Three innocent young men
in their prime
were gunned down in cold blood
by the very men
that are supposed to protect this town.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Ed] Ike wanted to tell his version
of events to as many people as possible.
So he used the press.
Wyatt Earp and his brothers,
Morgan and Virgil.
You may call them lawmen.
I call them murderers.
[Ed] Ike didn't just take control
of the narrative.
He completely hijacked it.
And it's hard to believe,
but in the course of about 24 hours,
opinions started to shift
from the Earps as heroes to murderers,
and the Cowboys as the innocent victims.
And that's when the story really blew up.
[suspenseful music intensifies]
[Ed] The story was picked up
by big city newspapers
and soon spread across America.
[newsboy] Get your Morning Star!
Read all about it! Morning paper!
The American newspaper industry
is booming.
And there's a vast newspaper network
all across the country.
And they're all competing for the most
sensational version of a story.
And American newspaper readers
wanted salacious stories.
They wanted corruption,
murder, scandal, infidelity,
and in this case, gunfights,
because that's what sold newspapers.
[Ed] The story
about the gunfight at the O.K. Corral
couldn't have happened at a worse time.
Because it landed
just after another violent crime.
One that happened back east in Washington.
In 1881, America had a new president,
James Garfield.
He was young, dynamic, and popular.
He was the JFK of his time.
Unfortunately, in more ways than one.
[gunshots]
[people scream and shout]
[Ed] While waiting to board a train,
he was gunned down by an assassin.
[somber music playing]
[Edward] There is virtually
no layer of protection for the president.
It's nothing like the protections
that presidents have in the modern era.
And that allows for Garfield's assassin
to walk right up to him
on that train platform and shoot him.
[Ed] The nation was horrified.
Memories of Lincoln's assassination,
which happened only 16 years earlier,
came flooding back.
The whole country went into mourning.
Even the White House was draped in black.
The death of a president
was big news around the world.
And then, soon after,
the story of the gunfight
at the O.K. Corral hit.
So you can imagine people were wondering
what the hell was going on in America.
And news traveled fast.
It only took a day to reach England
because of the transatlantic telegraph
cable constructed a few years earlier
running under the Atlantic Ocean.
[somber music playing]
[Ed] And do you know
who this was a big problem for?
J.P. Morgan.
You see, the news arrived in England
just as he was about to close
one of the biggest deals
any American had ever attempted.
He'd spent weeks in London
trying to secure an investment
to help him take over
the railroads in America.
And one of those investors
was Lord Rothschild.
Northern Pacific have accepted my offer.
It's only a matter of time
before the Erie follows.
Is something wrong?
I've spoken with our investors.
The feeling is now is not a good time.
The president assassinated.
And now I'm hearing stories
about lawmen murdering innocent people.
It's rather disconcerting,
wouldn't you say?
[suspenseful music playing]
[man] Whenever there's a crisis,
like the assassination of a president,
foreign investors take a moment,
and they wonder,
"Okay. Is this is this a good idea?"
"Is this a good investment?"
"Is my money gonna be safe
if I place it in an American railroad?"
[Ed] There was no way
J.P. Morgan was gonna lose this deal.
If Rothschild thought
America was a disaster,
then Morgan was going to sort it out.
Telegraph this to Washington.
Yes, sir.
[telegraph machine clicks]
[suspenseful music continues]
[Ed] After Garfield died,
the vice president became president.
His name, Chester Arthur.
The only reason people have heard of him
is that he's known
as one of the worst presidents in history.
No one thought
he was anything other than a decent guy.
He liked good meals,
the company of of other gentlemen.
He dressed quite well.
He was a bit of a dandy.
But politically, he was seen as a nothing.
[suspenseful music continues]
Send a telegraph
to the governor of Arizona.
"Concerned about reports
of a gunfight in Tombstone."
"Investigate immediately
and, uh, report forthwith."
[music fades]
[suspenseful music playing]
[Ed] The president's telegram
basically said, "Sort this out."
The governor of Arizona's response
was to send a telegram
basically saying the same thing
[knocking on door]
to the sheriff of Tombstone.
[suspenseful music continues]
Shit.
[Ed] Johnny Behan was the sheriff.
And he was the top lawman in Tombstone.
It was a well-paid job,
and he didn't have to do much police work.
[suspenseful music continues]
[Ed] He left that to the marshal
and the deputy marshals,
who all reported to him.
And that was Virgil,
Morgan, and Wyatt Earp.
What's important
to understand about Sheriff Behan
is that he was a politician.
The sheriff was an elected position,
so he had to stay on good terms
with the locals,
including, and maybe especially,
the Cowboys.
[suspenseful music continues]
[Ike] Come on, Johnny.
[Ed] You see,
Ike had a lot of influence in the town.
When Ike said vote for someone,
they voted.
And in return, Behan turned a blind eye
to Ike's criminal activities.
[suspenseful music continues]
[Ed] But that cozy relationship
was now threatened.
[music fades]
[Ed] Because the governor had asked Behan
to do a full investigation
of the gunfight.
Maybe he should just arrest Ike
for causing the gunfight.
But you don't just arrest the mob boss.
Not with an election coming up.
No, he'd talk to him.
Maybe he could get everyone to agree
it was all just a big misunderstanding.
An accident.
Nobody's fault.
[tense music playing]
[music fades]
- [Ike] Whiskey?
- Nope.
I have to write a report.
Got the governor breathing down my neck
about a gunfight.
A gunfight that you started, Ike.
[tense music playing]
Well, that's not what happened.
No?
Then why don't you go ahead
and tell me what happened?
[tense music continues]
[liquid pours]
[tense music continues]
We were just about to leave town.
I heard Wyatt Earp screaming my name.
[Wyatt] Ike Clanton!
- Where are you?
- What do they want?
I don't know, but put your gun down.
We don't want no trouble.
They wanted to kill all of us.
These sons of bitches.
Don't shoot.
Let 'em have it.
[gunshots]
[groans]
[groaning]
[gunshot]
I managed to escape.
For God's sake.
[tense music playing]
Run, rabbit, run.
[tense music continues]
- [gunshots continues]
- [Ike panting]
Poor Billy never stood a chance.
[Billy] Wyatt, please don't shoot me.
I'm unarmed.
[breathes heavily]
[gunshot]
[Billy] Please.
Please don't.
[gunshot]
Billy!
Billy!
They murdered him.
Did you see? He shot him like a dog.
[Johnny] All right.
If that's it,
I guess I'll go talk to the others.
[Ike] You're gonna speak with the Earps?
I wouldn't be much of a sheriff
if I didn't do that.
[Mark] So Ike was basically saying
that the Earps
were shooting down in cold blood
these men who were surrendering.
That's not what happened.
But it was again, you know,
Ike's way of twisting the story
to make his brother
and their associates look innocent.
[tense music playing]
[Ed] Behan knew Ike's story was bullshit.
And usually, that didn't matter.
Whatever Ike said was good enough.
But with the governor involved,
Behan had no choice
but to speak to his marshal, Virgil Earp,
who, along with Morgan Earp,
had barely survived the gunfight.
- [Virgil coughs]
- [Johnny] You take it easy.
If you feel up for it, you can go ahead
and tell me what happened.
Oh, we don't want that.
[tense music playing]
We went in there only to disarm them.
We weren't expecting them to fire.
[tense music continues]
[Virgil] When we approached them
near the O.K. Corral,
they already had their guns raised.
Billy Clanton fired first.
We fired back in self-defense.
[Ed] Now, understandably,
Virgil could only remember certain things.
So it's probably best
if you learned what really happened
at the gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
[funky music playing]
[Ed] Most historians believe
Billy went for his gun first
and fired at Wyatt, just missing him.
At the same time, Wyatt fired his gun.
Not at Billy Clanton, but Frank McLaury.
[operatic music playing]
Because he thought he was
the most dangerous gunman of the bunch.
[groans]
[operatic music continues]
[Ed] Two of Ike's Cowboys
saw Frank get hit,
and ran like hell.
That left four against four.
The gunfire came in bursts.
Frank returned to the fight,
and his brother, Tom,
tried to take cover behind a horse.
Doc stalked him
and blasted him with a shotgun.
[Tom groans]
[operatic music continues]
[Ed] He didn't last long after that.
[coughs]
[Ed] The strangest thing happened
in the middle of the gunfight.
Ike hadn't even pulled out a gun.
He was frozen with fear.
Wyatt.
And in a panic he ran towards Wyatt.
- No, no Wyatt. Don't kill me.
- [Wyatt] Get out of the way.
[Ike grunts]
[Ed] Wyatt saw he had no gun in his hand
and pushed him away.
Ike ran into Fly's Boarding House.
As the gunfight continued,
Morgan fired at Billy,
and got him in the right arm.
He switched his gun to his left hand.
Meanwhile, even though he was wounded,
Frank McLaury continued to fire,
and hit Virgil in the calf.
Billy Clanton then hits Morgan
in the shoulder.
[groans]
[Ed] Frank fires at Doc,
grazing him on the hip.
[operatic music playing]
Doc shoots Frank McLaury in the chest.
[operatic music continues]
[Ed] Morgan shoots
and hits Frank in the head.
At some point, Billy's hit in the chest,
the bullet most likely coming from Morgan.
[somber music playing]
[music stops]
[Johnny] Hmm.
You did the right thing.
No one does that.
[Virgil] Thanks, sheriff.
Well, you rest up.
You're a tough son of a bitch.
[tense music playing]
[Ed] Ike's plan to expose Wyatt Earp
as a murderer had just unraveled.
He was screwed,
and he had to find another way.
[tense music continues]
[Ed] And this is where the story
takes a massive turn.
But to understand why,
you have to know more about Sheriff Behan.
You see, he was living
with a beautiful actress,
Josephine Marcus.
Josephine was smart and talented,
and way out of Behan's league.
Behan had promised her
a life of adventure.
And had promised to marry her.
But she waited and waited.
And neither happened.
And the relationship quickly soured.
[tense music playing]
What are you looking at?
[tense music continues]
[Josephine] Where are you going?
[tense music continues]
[woman] Johnny Behan is cheating
on Josephine almost from the beginning.
[sighs]
He had a girl
in every brothel in, uh in Tombstone.
[tense music playing]
[exciting music playing]
[Ed] But Josephine
had a secret of her own.
[exciting music continues]
[Ed] And it was only a matter of time
before that secret got out.
[music fades]
["Love Is A Game" playing]
How long do you have?
[Josephine] An hour.
Doo, doo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo ♪
Doo, doo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo ♪
Doo, doo, doo, doo ♪
[whispers] I found Josephine
with Wyatt Earp.
Doo, doo
Doo, doo, do, do, doo ♪
Doo, doo, doo ♪
[laughing] Oh my sweet Jesus.
[laughs]
Help yourself.
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah ♪
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah ♪
[Ed] Now, there was always speculation
about how this whole thing went down.
[Ike] Don't shoot the messenger.
Ah ♪
[Ed] But one thing was for sure.
[Johnny] I'll take care of it.
[Ed] Wyatt was having
an affair with Josephine.
Doo, doo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, do, do, doo ♪
[Ed] This had all fallen into Ike's lap.
Doo, doo, doo ♪
[Ed] Now he just had to watch
the whole thing play out.
Doo, doo, doo, doo ♪
[tense music playing]
[David] So of all the women
in all of Tombstone,
Wyatt's gotta steal
the sheriff's girlfriend.
And so you have
all of the makings of a disaster.
[ominous music continues]
[music fades]
[Johnny] Don't.
[Ed] Neither Behan, Wyatt, or Josephine
ever talked about the moment
when Behan confronted them.
So we don't know exactly what happened.
But you have to imagine
Behan must have been so filled with rage
that he desperately wanted to shoot Wyatt.
But he did something much smarter.
Wyatt Earp.
I'm arresting you for the murder
of Billy Clanton, Frank McLaury,
and Tom McLaury.
Now, put your clothes on.
[Ann] The story that we never tell
of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral
is that this was a love triangle.
A tale of jealousy and rage
fought over a beautiful young woman.
Wyatt Earp had stolen Johnny Behan's girl.
["Requiem in D Minor, Lacrimosa"
by Mozart playing]
[David] So Behan makes a big show of it
[man] Murderer!
[David]marching him down into town,
making sure everybody witnesses this.
There must be
a personal factor here, right?
Wyatt stole his girlfriend.
[woman] Murderer!
["Requiem in D Minor" continues]
You will never see her again.
[David] But also,
he is signaling to the Cowboys that,
"I'm on your side against Wyatt Earp."
[Ed] Ike Clanton had gotten his revenge.
And now, Behan was charging Wyatt,
his brothers, and Doc
with murder at the O.K. Corral.
["Requiem in D Minor" continues]
This isn't good.
No shit.
[music fades]
["Love Is A Game" playing]
Doo, doo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo ♪
Doo, doo, doo
Doo, doo, do, do, do, do, do, doo ♪
Doo, doo, doo, doo ♪
Doo, doo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo ♪
Doo, doo, doo
Doo, doo, do, do, do, do, do, doo ♪
Doo, doo, doo, doo ♪
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah ♪
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah ♪
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah ♪
Doo, doo, doo, doo ♪
Doo, doo, doo, doo ♪
Doo, doo, doo, doo ♪
Doo, doo, doo, doo ♪