Clanton was born in Hamilton County, Texas. He was one of seven children of Newman Haynes Clanton and Mariah Sexton (Kelso) Clanton. His father worked as a day laborer, gold miner, farmer, and later a cattleman in Arizona Territory. The family moved to Adams County, Illinois in 1851 and then to California after the Civil War. Clanton's mother died in 1866.
In 1873, Clanton moved with his family to Pima County, Arizona Territory, and then to Charleston. His father established the "Clanton Ranch" in 1877. That same year, Ed Schieffelin discovered silver near the ranch, leading to the growth of Tombstone. Billy Clanton and his brother Ike frequently visited Tombstone on weekends and conducted ranch-related business there with the McLaury brothers.
Billy Clanton was a member of a group of outlaws who had ongoing conflicts with lawmen Wyatt Earp, Virgil Earp, and Morgan Earp. The Clantons repeatedly threatened the Earps for interfering with their illegal activities. In December 1879, Wyatt Earp's horse was stolen, and he later found it at the Clanton's ranch near Charleston. Billy Clanton attempted to take the horse from a corral, but Wyatt Earp prevented him. After ownership papers arrived, Billy Clanton gave up the horse.
In July 1879, rustlers attacked a rancho in Sonora, Mexico, killing inhabitants. Mexican Rurales pursuing the murderers were ambushed. Johnny Ringo later stated that Old Man Clanton and his sons, Ike and Billy, were among the murderers. On August 13, 1881, Billy's father was killed in an ambush in Guadalupe Canyon. The Clanton sons continued operating the ranch.
On October 25, 1881, Ike, Billy, and the McLaury brothers headed to Tombstone. Ike had repeated confrontations with the Earps and Doc Holliday. On October 26, 1881, Billy, Ike, Billy Claiborne, and brothers Tom McLaury and Frank McLaury were seen armed in Tombstone. Anxious citizens warned the Earps. Upon attempting to disarm the Cowboys, a shootout, later named the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, broke out.
Conflicting versions exist of what happened and who fired first. Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne ran away. Billy Clanton emptied his gun and was killed along with both McLaurys. Doc Holliday, Virgil Earp, and Morgan Earp were wounded. The town was divided in its support. The funeral for the three Cowboys was the largest in Tombstone's history. William McLaury, brother of Frank and Tom, attempted to indict the Earps for the killings.
This article is based solely on the supplied corpus. No external sources were consulted; claims that could not be substantiated against the corpus were omitted under the drop-the-claim rule.
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