The assassination attempt on Virgil Earp, a key figure in the law enforcement of the Old West, occurred on December 28, 1881, in Tombstone, Arizona Territory. This event was part of the larger conflict known as the Earp-Cowboy feud, which culminated in the infamous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Background
Virgil Earp, along with his brothers Wyatt and Morgan, was heavily involved in law enforcement in Tombstone. The town, at the time, was a hotbed of tension between the Earps and the Cowboys, a loosely organized group of outlaws and rustlers. The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral on October 26, 1881, where Virgil played a leading role as Tombstone’s town marshal, escalated these tensions. In this shootout, three Cowboys—Tom McLaury, Frank McLaury, and Billy Clanton—were killed, while Virgil and his brothers emerged relatively unscathed. This event intensified the animosity between the Earps and their enemies.
The Assassination Attempt
On the night of December 28, 1881, Virgil Earp was ambushed while walking down Allen Street in Tombstone. He was on his way from the Oriental Saloon to the Cosmopolitan Hotel, where he and his wife were staying. As Virgil passed by the intersection of Fifth and Allen streets, he was shot from behind with a shotgun. Three assailants, concealed in an unfinished building (likely on the second story, diagonally across Allen Street), fired three loads of buckshot from double-barreled shotguns at a distance of about 60 feet.
Virgil was struck by multiple pellets from the blasts. The primary wounds were:
- A devastating injury to his left upper arm, where the buckshot shattered the humerus bone longitudinally and caused extensive damage around the elbow area.
- A wound to his back above the left hip, with buckshot pellets penetrating deeply and lodging near the hip bone above the groin.
He did not immediately collapse. Critically wounded and bleeding heavily, Virgil staggered back into the Oriental Saloon (or nearby area) before being assisted—likely by his brother Wyatt Earp—the short distance to the safety of the Cosmopolitan Hotel, where the Earp families had relocated for mutual protection after the O.K. Corral gunfight.
Dr. George E. Goodfellow, Tombstone’s renowned “gunshot physician” (who had previously treated wounds from the O.K. Corral incident and was an expert in such trauma), was summoned along with other physicians. Goodfellow performed emergency surgery on Virgil’s injuries.
- For the arm: He removed approximately 4 inches (about 10 cm) of shattered humerus bone, including parts near the elbow joint. This extensive debridement saved the limb from immediate amputation but left it permanently crippled and nearly immobile. Virgil would carry it in a sling for the rest of his life.
- For the back/hip wound: Goodfellow extracted around 20 buckshot pellets that had lodged in the soft tissue near the hip and groin area.
The wounds were life-threatening; contemporary newspaper reports (such as from the Los Angeles Daily Herald) quoted doctors giving Virgil only a one-in-five chance of survival, citing fears of fatal infection, blood loss, or complications from the deep penetrations. Despite the grim prognosis, Virgil remained conscious enough during initial treatment to reassure his wife, Allie, with the famous line: “Never mind, I’ve got one arm left to hug you with.”
Aftermath
The attack on Virgil Earp further inflamed the feud between the Earps and the Cowboys. Just a few months later, on March 18, 1882, Morgan Earp, another of Virgil’s brothers, was shot and killed in another ambush. This event prompted Wyatt Earp to lead a vendetta ride against the Cowboys, resulting in a series of violent encounters and killings.
Virgil Earp, despite his injury, continued to serve as a lawman. He left Tombstone in 1882 and eventually settled in California, where he served as a law enforcement officer in Colton and other areas. He lived until 1905, passing away at the age of 62.
The assassination attempt on Virgil Earp remains a significant event in the history of the American West, symbolizing the violent and often lawless nature of frontier life during that era.