A young man from the country realizes his dream by joining his older brothers in the big city and sharing with them great adventures. But soon the dark side of life in a boom town destroys his dream, and he goes back to the country injured in body and spirit. When someone tries to kill one of his brothers, he is obligated to return. When another brother is killed, the hope for a bright future is replaced with rage. Hate consumes him, and he loses all feeling for himself or others. He soon kills — or helps to kill — men believed to have been involved in his brother’s death, and a warrant for his arrest is issued. He drifts from town to town. Trouble follows — trouble brought on by the emptiness in his heart, trouble that leads to his death by gunfire.

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Sound like the story line of some old B western? Maybe so. But it was also the life of Warren Baxter Earp.

Warren was born in Pella, Iowa on March 9, 1855, to Nicholas and Virginia Earp. The youngest of six brothers, he was born 18 years after the birth of the oldest, a half-brother named Newton. He was told of a half sister born to Nicholas’ first wife, Abigale, but the sister had died at birth. A full sister, Martha, had died when he was about 1 year old. He did have two younger sisters, Virginia and Adelia, but Virginia had died in 1861 when Warren was still a child. He was nearly four years younger than his nearest brother in age, Morgan. The older brothers were James, born in 1841; Virgil, born in 1843; and Wyatt, born in 1848.

By the time he was in his teens and his brothers had gone off, only Warren was at home in Colton, Calif., to care for and to be cared for by his parents. Years later, Virgil’s wife, Allie, would describe Colton as ‘a sleepy little town out on the desert from Los Angeles, and not far from San Bernardino — just a stretch of cactus with some trees along the creek.’ There, Warren grew to manhood, knowing full well that his brothers were off doing more exciting things than working the land and tending bar at their father’s saloon.

Finally the chance came to fulfill his dreams. Word reached Warren that brothers James, Wyatt, Morgan and Virgil all at a fast growing silver-mining town in Arizona Territory. So in 1880 he went to Tombstone, where he moved in with Virgil, a deputy U.S. marshal and chief of police, and Allie. Bowing to his brother’s desire to ware a badge and gun, Virgil would sometimes allow Warren to guard prisoners, deliver papers and join posses.

In July 1881, word reached Virgil that a herd of cattle stolen in Mexico was being moved from the ranch of a suspected rustler named Newman ‘Old Man’ Clanton. A posse was formed to investigate, and Warren was a member of that posse. Although there has been no official proof (even Wyatt Earp later disclaimed it), some researchers believe that the lawmen caught and killed most of the rustlers, including Old Man Clanton. Warren is believed to have been injured during that gunfight. According to a letter written by his sister Adelia, Warren soon returned to Colton and stayed with her,’suffering from a wound he received in a fight with rustlers on the Mexican border.’

It was while Warren was recuperating that his brothers — Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan — and Doc Holliday shot it out with the Clantons and McLaurys in the famous October 26, 1881, gunfight near Tombstone’s OK Corral.

On December 28, men identified as Ike and Phin Clanton, Frank Stillwell, Johnny Barnes, John Ringo, Hank Swilling and Pete Spence, attempted to assassinate Virgil while he walked across Allen Street. Although Virgil survived, he lost most of the use of his left arm. Most of the shooters were arrested, but acquitted on technical grounds. Wyatt was appointed U.S. deputy marshal. Upon hearing about Virgil’s fate, Warren returned to Tombstone. He again moved in with Virgil, and Allie and helped with Virgil’s care.

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