Ike Clanton – Biography, Childhood and Life of Crime, How Did He Died?

Ike Clanton was a member of the notorious groupwho called themselves “The Cowboys”. He was an archetypal figure of the American Old Wild West. The Cowboys were managed by Ike’s father, sometimes referred to as “Old man Clanton”. The group was known for terrorizing citizens, violence, unlawful killings, indiscriminate use of firearms and cattle rustling. They had a long-standing rivalry with the Earp brothers.

Biography of Ike Clanton

Ike Clanton, whose real name is Joseph Isaac Clanton lived from 1847 to June 1, 1887. He was born in Missouri (Callaway County) to Newman Haynes Clanton and Mariah Sexton Clanton. He had 3 brothers and 2 sisters. His father held various jobs before becoming a breeder. He worked as a farmer, gold miner and then rancher in Arizona Territory. Ike Clanton moved with his family to the territory of Tombstone, Arizona, in the late 1870s. He ran a “lunch counter” at the site of the town mill for a time and also helped his brothers to take care of their father.

In 1881 he started working on his father’s ranch which became a family business. The Clantons (father and brothers), their ranch hands and associates became the “Cowboys”. His mother died in 1866 and his father died in 1881.

Childhood and life of crime

Ike Clanton grew up in a life of violence, especially in the footsteps of his father and brothers. Their ranch (Cienega Amarillo) was located near Escudilla Mountain, east of Springerville. He was popular among the locals because he behaved like a successful businessman who had money to spend – despite being quick-tempered, a heavy drinker, and a very loud-mouthed man. Tombstone was told that the Clantons boasted about the success of their ranch, mostly because they didn’t have to buy their cows like other ranchers.

This further reaffirmed their cattle rustling activities. On October 26, 1881, there was a confrontation between the Earp brothers, Doc Holliday and the Clantons which Ike provoked. His brother Billy and Frank Mclaury after hearing about the fight rushed to town to support Ike. Like a coward, he fled when filming began, claiming he was unarmed. Sadly, his 19-year-old brother Billy died in the shooting.

Ironically, Ike’s inconsistency in his testimony also exonerated the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday from the murder charges brought against them for Billy’s death. This made Clanton very angry and he made different attempts to personally avenge his brother’s death.

How did he die?

Ike, along with his brother Phineas, had been charged with cattle rustling by the state, and Detective Jonas Brighton sought to bring them to justice. On June 1, 1887, at a ranch in Springfield, Arizona, as Ike and Phineas were accosted by detectives, Phineas voluntarily surrendered to the law, but Ike did not and was shot during a a shootout with the detectives.

A source who was present the same day IkeClanton was killed, gave an eyewitness account of the sequence of events that led to his death. He said Ike went to a farm and was met at the door by Mr Brighton and another detective, Mr Miller – who was there to provide any help that might be needed.

Upon spotting Detective Miller, Ike pulled out his gun to shoot the policeman and the two detectives ordered him to stop, but unfortunately he ignored their warning. As he readied his rifle to target the two, Detective Brighton fired at him and the bullet entered his body just below his right arm, passed through his beating heart and exited his body just below his left arm. Ike Clanton was instantly killed by that one hit.

After his death, some men came to identify his corpse, and took his remains for burial in a shallow grave, under a very large grave. Ike is survived by many relatives and some of Clanton’s descendants still reside in the west today. Ike Clanton’s lifetime of crime and other violent acts have been depicted in various movies and films over the years, some giving precise details and others giving an inaccurate account.