Guadalupe Canyon Massacre
On August 12, 1881, Clanton and six other men began a journey herding stolen cattle sold to him by Curly Bill through Gualadupe Canyon near the Mexican border. Around dawn after the first day and night on the trail, they were ambushed by Mexicans dispatched by Commandant Felipe Neri. in what was later dubbed the Guadalupe Canyon Massacre. Five men were killed in the ambush, including Clanton who was cooking breakfast when he was hit, and fell dead into the cook-fire.
Survivors Harry Ernshaw and Billy Byers would survive to tell the story. Along with Dick Gray, who helped bury the dead, all said that the attackers were Mexican. The Byers family received from Ike and Phin Clanton a picture of Old Man Clanton on the back of which they had written, "Mr. Clanton killed on Aug 13—81 by Mexicans with 4 other Americans in Guadalupe Canon New Mexico." Both men signed the inscription. Another photograph of Will G. Lang, who was killed in the ambush, bears a similar inscription: "Will G. Lang killed by Mexicans—Animas Valley New Mexico Aug 13, 1881 together with Gray, Cranton, Clanton and Snow and Byers wounded." along with Behan's involvement in King's escape, was the beginning of increasingly bad feelings between the Earp and Cowboy factions.
Snow was buried where he fell due to decomposition. The others were taken back by wagon and buried about ten miles east of Cloverdale, New Mexico.
Read more about this topic: Newman Haynes Clanton
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