Phineas Clanton
Encyclopedia
Phineas Fay Clanton was the son of Newman Haynes Clanton and the brother of Billy and Ike Clanton
. He was witness to and possibly played a part if a number of illegal activities during his life. He moved frequently in his early life from Missouri to California and back to Arizona.
Their father was implicated in the ambush and murder of a number of Mexican smugglers in July 1881. The following month he was killed by Mexican Rurales
. Phin's brother Ike Clanton
had an ongoing series of conflicts with Deputy U.S. Marshal Virgil Earp
and was accused of cattle rustling among other things. Phin and his brothers developed bitter and angry feelings for the Earps. During the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
on October 26, 1881, Ike escaped unharmed but their brother Billy was killed. Ike and Phin were accused of attempting to murder Virgil in December and assassinating Morgan Earp
two months later, but Cowboy
friends vouched for their presence in Contention, 12 miles (19.3 km) away.
Phin had numerous other brushes with the law during his life. He and his brother Ike moved to northern Arizona near their sister and her husband, Eben Stanley. The three men developed a reputation for stealing livestock
. The grand jury indicted them and Ike was killed while resisting arrest. Phin served one year and five months of his 10-year prison term. He married late in life and four years later died after contracting pneumonia.
to Newman Haynes Clanton and Maria Sexton Kelso. Phin had six siblings: John Wesley, Joseph Issac
, William Harrison, Alonzo Peter, Mary Elise and Ester Ann. The family moved frequently during his youth, from Missouri to Adams County, Illinois
in 1851 and then to Dallas, Texas
in 1853. When he was 20, the family moved again to Fort Bowie
, Arizona Territory
and then the next year to San Buenaventura
and after that Port Hueneme, California
. Phin’s mother Mariah died while enroute to California.
In 1869, at 24 years old, Phin was living in Lone Pine, California
with his oldest brother John Wesley Clanton and his wife Nancy. Four years later he returned to Arizona to help his father build up Clantonville, a farming community his father founded in Gila Valley, Arizona. In 1877 his father gave up on Clantonville and moved the family about 100 miles (160.9 km) south to land on the San Pedro River
, about 8 miles (12.9 km) up river from Charleston
, Arizona Territory
.
house which became the headquarters of the Clanton Ranch. Phin obtained work as a freight driver. Prospector Ed Schieffelin
discovered silver
that same year in the hills east of the San Pedro River
on a plateau known as Goose Flats, less than 15 miles (24.1 km) from the Clanton ranch. The family was very well situated to meet the demands for beef from the booming town
of Tombstone
. From its founding in March 1879, it grew from 100 residents to upwards of 15,000 citizens at its peak less than a decade later. When the mines built stamping mills on the San Pedro River about 5 miles (8 km) south of their ranch, a town named Charleston was built up to support them, providing the Clantons with another market for their beef.
Phin's father was implicated in the First Skeleton Canyon Massacre
in July, 1881. A month later "Old Man" Clanton was leading a group of rustlers driving a herd of cattle through Guadalupe Canyon near the Mexican border. At dawn they were ambushed while they slept. Two men escaped and when one of them returned with help, they found "Old Man" Clanton and four others dead and stripped naked. The others were taken back by wagon and buried about ten miles east of Cloverdale, New Mexico. The retaliatory raid was likely conducted by Mexican and was nicknamed the Guadalupe Canyon Massacre
. In 1882 Phin and Ike exhumed their father's body and moved it to the Boot Hill
cemetery in Tombstone. He was re-interred alongside his son Billy Clanton who had been killed in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
.
in which their brother Billy Clanton was killed, Ike filed murder charges against Deputy U.S. Marshal Virgil Earp
, Assistant Marshal Morgan Earp
, and temporary deputies Wyatt Earp
and Doc Holliday
. After a contentious month-long preliminary hearing, they were exonerated by Judge Wells Spicer
. Ike attempted to file murder charges again in Contention, but failed for lack of new evidence. On December 28, 1881, Tombstone Police chief Virgil Earp
was ambushed by hidden assailants. He was seriously wounded and Dr. Goodfellow had to remove 5 inches (12.7 cm) of bone, leaving Virgil crippled. Phin and his brother Ike were both arrested for attempted murder, but Cowboy friends bore witness that they were both in Charleston, about 12 miles (19.3 km) miles away when the shooting took place.
Wyatt was appointed Deputy U.S. Marshal in Virgil's place. Wyatt deputized several men who guarded Virgil and his wife Allie on their way to Tucson and a train ride back to Colton, California
and their parent's home where he could recuperate in safety. In Tucson, Wyatt spotted Frank Stilwell
lying in wait near the railroad tracks and killed him. Pima County Sheriff Bob Paul
issued a warrant for their arrest. When Cochise County Sheriff Johnny Behan
received the warrant, he assembled his own posse. He deputized Phin, Pete Spence
, Johnny Ringo
and others.
Unable to obtain satisfaction in the courts against those who attacked his brothers, Wyatt assembled and deputized a posse and set out to avenge
his brothers. They killed Florentino Cruz at Pete Spence’s wood camp in the foothills of the Dragoon Mountains
. In a fight at Iron Springs, Wyatt and his deputies killed "Curly Bill" Brocius
and Johnny Barnes
. The Behan posse set out to arrest Wyatt Earp and his federal posse, but the two posses never met during the two-week long pursuit.
In 1882, Phin and Ike traveled to Guadalupe Canyon, dug up their fathers body, and reburied alongside his son Billy in Tombstone’s Boot Hill graveyard.
, Apache County
, where his sister Mary Elsie lived with her husband Eben Stanley, a recipient of the Medal of Honor
while fighting with the 5th U.S. Cavalry under General George Crook
. Ike Clanton arrived in August. By 1885, both brothers had bought a quarter-section
of land (160 acres (64.7 ha)) 10 miles east of Springerville near the New Mexico border. Eben assisted Phin and Ike in getting their cattle business started.
Two years later, on December 27, 1885, the Apache County treasurer’s office was broken into. Deputy Treasurer Francisco Baca claimed that although the robbers were masked, he recognized the men as Phin and Ike Clanton, Eben Stanley and Lee Renfro of Springerville, and Mr. Buck Henderson of St. Johns. During the trial the court found that Baca had made up the story to cover his embezzling activities. He was later tried and convicted of stealing $11,166.54.
and other southern towns to sell. The "Clanton-Stanley outfits" were regarded as rustlers
and had been a "terror for years". Apache County
Sheriff Perry Owens and the local Stock Association decided to pursue indictments against them.
On March 1, 1887, George Powell testified before the grand jury
implicating Ike, Phin, Eben, Charles Gray, Robert Gray, and Lee Renfro in livestock theft
. An arrest warrant for Lee Renfro had already been issued on February 26 for the shooting death in November 1886 of Isaac Ellenger at Phin's Cienega Amarilla Ranch. Phin had allegedly given Renfro a horse to enable his escape. The grand jury
returned 15 indictments the same day accusing Phin of grand larceny
.
Phin was arrested and jailed on April 30. During May more livestock were stolen and on May 14 deputies Albert Millet, George Powell and Detective Jonas V. Brighton left Springerville, Arizona to track down the stolen horses and mules. They followed the trail to "Peg-leg" Jim Wilson's ranch on Eagle Creek. They arrived on the evening of May 31 and spent the night. Early the next morning Ike Clanton rode up to the door on horseback. When the lawmen answered his knock, he immediately recognized them. He turned his horse to flee and withdrew his rifle from his scabbard. Detective Brighton shot Ike through the heart and he died before he hit the ground. On July 8 Renfro was found and was also killed while resisting arrest.
On September 1887 Phin was found guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in the Yuma Arizona State Prison
. While serving his sentence, it was discovered that the prosecution’s primary witness that led to Phin’s conviction had lied on the stand so he could collect the $250 reward. On March 15, 1889, after serving only one year and five months, he was pardoned by Governor Meyer Zulick and was released on March 24, 1889.
After his release, Phin and his friend Pete Spence
began raising Angora
goats on what is now the Bohme Allotment. on Phin’s ranch in Globe, Arizona. In 1891, a Clifton newspaper mistakenly reported that Phin had been shot and killed by Ballard Peason at St. John.
On May 15, 1894, Phin Clanton was arrested by Sherrif John Henry Thompson for robbing Sam Kee, a Chinese gardener in Wheatfields, at gunpoint. Kee said Phin stole a gold watch valued at $40, two bars of silver bullion, each valued at $15, one gold bracelet valued at $20 and $320 in cash. Phin was found not guilty and released. Clanton was acquitted on May 22, 1894.
On October 15, 1902, at age 58, Clanton married 44 year old Laura Jane (née Neal) Bound (or Bohme) in Globe, Arizona
. She had a 12-year-old son from her first marriage to William Jackson.
. He died at the age of 61 in Webster Springs and was buried in the Globe Cemetery.
His widow Laura Jane did wash at the mining company's guest house and took in boarders. Sixteen year old Will found work for a freight company driving mule teams that hauled ore from the Continental Mine to the Old Dominion. The wagon tracks are still visible in the rocks west of the Bohme Ranch on Webster Gulch. Every payday, Will bought another cow. He and Jane ran cattle on the range subsequently designated the Bohme Allotment by the U.S. Forest Service. Four years later Laura married Phin’s friend and business associate Pete Spence.
Ike Clanton
Joseph Isaac Clanton was born in Callaway County, Missouri. He is best known for being a member of group of outlaw Cowboys that had ongoing conflicts with lawmen Wyatt, Virgil, Morgan Earp and Wyatt's friend Doc Holliday. The Clantons repeatedly threatened the Earps because they interfered with...
. He was witness to and possibly played a part if a number of illegal activities during his life. He moved frequently in his early life from Missouri to California and back to Arizona.
Their father was implicated in the ambush and murder of a number of Mexican smugglers in July 1881. The following month he was killed by Mexican Rurales
Rurales
Rurales was the name commonly used to designate the Mexican Guardia Rural : a force of mounted police or gendarmerie that existed between 1861 and 1914...
. Phin's brother Ike Clanton
Ike Clanton
Joseph Isaac Clanton was born in Callaway County, Missouri. He is best known for being a member of group of outlaw Cowboys that had ongoing conflicts with lawmen Wyatt, Virgil, Morgan Earp and Wyatt's friend Doc Holliday. The Clantons repeatedly threatened the Earps because they interfered with...
had an ongoing series of conflicts with Deputy U.S. Marshal Virgil Earp
Virgil Earp
Virgil Walter Earp fought in the Civil War. He was U.S. Deputy Marshal for south-eastern Arizona and Tombstone City Marshal at the time of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in the Arizona Territory. Two months after the shootout in Tombstone, outlaw Cowboys ambushed Virgil on the streets of...
and was accused of cattle rustling among other things. Phin and his brothers developed bitter and angry feelings for the Earps. During the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral was a roughly 30-second gunfight that took place at about 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26, 1881, in Tombstone, Cochise County, Arizona Territory, of the United States. Outlaw Cowboys Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne ran from the fight, unharmed, but Ike's brother...
on October 26, 1881, Ike escaped unharmed but their brother Billy was killed. Ike and Phin were accused of attempting to murder Virgil in December and assassinating Morgan Earp
Morgan Earp
Morgan Seth Earp was the younger brother of Deputy U.S. Marshals Virgil and Wyatt Earp. Morgan was a deputy of Virgil's and all three men were the target of repeated death threats made by outlaw Cowboys who were upset by the Earps' interference in their illegal activities. This conflict eventually...
two months later, but Cowboy
The Cowboys (Cochise County)
The Cowboys were a loosely associated group of outlaw cowboys in Pima and Cochise County, Arizona Territory in the late 19th century. They were cattle rustlers and robbers who rode across the border into Mexico and rounded up cattle that they then sold in the United States...
friends vouched for their presence in Contention, 12 miles (19.3 km) away.
Phin had numerous other brushes with the law during his life. He and his brother Ike moved to northern Arizona near their sister and her husband, Eben Stanley. The three men developed a reputation for stealing livestock
Cattle raiding
Cattle raiding is the act of stealing cattle.In Australia, such stealing is often referred to as duffing, and the person as a duffer...
. The grand jury indicted them and Ike was killed while resisting arrest. Phin served one year and five months of his 10-year prison term. He married late in life and four years later died after contracting pneumonia.
Early life
"Phin" or "Fin" was born in Callaway County, MissouriCallaway County, Missouri
Callaway County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 44,332. Its county seat is Fulton. The county was organized in 1820. It was named for Capt. James Callaway, a grandson of...
to Newman Haynes Clanton and Maria Sexton Kelso. Phin had six siblings: John Wesley, Joseph Issac
Ike Clanton
Joseph Isaac Clanton was born in Callaway County, Missouri. He is best known for being a member of group of outlaw Cowboys that had ongoing conflicts with lawmen Wyatt, Virgil, Morgan Earp and Wyatt's friend Doc Holliday. The Clantons repeatedly threatened the Earps because they interfered with...
, William Harrison, Alonzo Peter, Mary Elise and Ester Ann. The family moved frequently during his youth, from Missouri to Adams County, Illinois
Adams County, Illinois
Adams County is the westernmost county of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 67,103, which is a decrease of 1.7% from 68,277 in 2000...
in 1851 and then to Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
in 1853. When he was 20, the family moved again to Fort Bowie
Fort Bowie
Fort Bowie was a 19th century outpost of the United States Army located in southeastern Arizona near the present day town of Willcox, Arizona.Fort Bowie was established in 1862 after a series of engagements between the U.S. Military and the Chiricahua Apaches. The most violent of which was the...
, Arizona Territory
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863 until February 14, 1912, when it was admitted to the Union as the 48th state....
and then the next year to San Buenaventura
Ventura, California
Ventura is the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States, incorporated in 1866. The population was 106,433 at the 2010 census, up from 100,916 at the 2000 census. Ventura is accessible via U.S...
and after that Port Hueneme, California
Port Hueneme, California
Port Hueneme is a small beach city in Ventura County, California surrounded by the city of Oxnard and the Pacific Ocean. The name derives from the Spanish spelling of the Chumash wene me, meaning "Resting Place". The area was discovered by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo in the mid 16th century...
. Phin’s mother Mariah died while enroute to California.
In 1869, at 24 years old, Phin was living in Lone Pine, California
Lone Pine, California
Lone Pine is a census-designated place in Inyo County, California, United States. Lone Pine is located south-southeast of Independence, at an elevation of 3727 feet . The population was 2,035 at the 2010 census, up from 1,655 at the 2000 census. The town is located in the Owens Valley, near the...
with his oldest brother John Wesley Clanton and his wife Nancy. Four years later he returned to Arizona to help his father build up Clantonville, a farming community his father founded in Gila Valley, Arizona. In 1877 his father gave up on Clantonville and moved the family about 100 miles (160.9 km) south to land on the San Pedro River
San Pedro River (Arizona)
San Pedro River is a northward-flowing stream originating about ten miles south of Sierra Vista, Arizona near Cananea, Sonora, Mexico. It is one of only two rivers which flow north from Mexico into the United States. The river flows north through Cochise County, Pima County, Graham County, and...
, about 8 miles (12.9 km) up river from Charleston
Charleston, Arizona
Charleston is a ghost town in Cochise County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. It was occupied from the late-1870s through the late-1880s, and was located in what was then known as the Arizona Territory...
, Arizona Territory
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863 until February 14, 1912, when it was admitted to the Union as the 48th state....
.
Builds ranch in Charleston
In 1877, Phin helped his father build a large adobeAdobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
house which became the headquarters of the Clanton Ranch. Phin obtained work as a freight driver. Prospector Ed Schieffelin
Ed Schieffelin
Edward Lawrence Schieffelin was an Indian scout and prospector who discovered silver in the Arizona Territory, which led to the founding of Tombstone, Arizona. He partnered with his brother Al and mining engineer Richard Gird in a handshake deal that produced millions of dollars in wealth for all...
discovered silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
that same year in the hills east of the San Pedro River
San Pedro River (Arizona)
San Pedro River is a northward-flowing stream originating about ten miles south of Sierra Vista, Arizona near Cananea, Sonora, Mexico. It is one of only two rivers which flow north from Mexico into the United States. The river flows north through Cochise County, Pima County, Graham County, and...
on a plateau known as Goose Flats, less than 15 miles (24.1 km) from the Clanton ranch. The family was very well situated to meet the demands for beef from the booming town
Boomtown
A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons,...
of Tombstone
Tombstone, Arizona
Tombstone is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, founded in 1879 by Ed Schieffelin in what was then Pima County, Arizona Territory. It was one of the last wide-open frontier boomtowns in the American Old West. From about 1877 to 1890, the town's mines produced USD $40 to $85 million...
. From its founding in March 1879, it grew from 100 residents to upwards of 15,000 citizens at its peak less than a decade later. When the mines built stamping mills on the San Pedro River about 5 miles (8 km) south of their ranch, a town named Charleston was built up to support them, providing the Clantons with another market for their beef.
Phin's father was implicated in the First Skeleton Canyon Massacre
Skeleton Canyon Massacre
The Skeleton Canyon Massacres refer to two separate attacks on Mexican citizens in 1879 and 1881. Skeleton Canyon is located in the Peloncillo Mountains , which straddles the modern Arizona and New Mexico state line border...
in July, 1881. A month later "Old Man" Clanton was leading a group of rustlers driving a herd of cattle through Guadalupe Canyon near the Mexican border. At dawn they were ambushed while they slept. Two men escaped and when one of them returned with help, they found "Old Man" Clanton and four others dead and stripped naked. The others were taken back by wagon and buried about ten miles east of Cloverdale, New Mexico. The retaliatory raid was likely conducted by Mexican and was nicknamed the Guadalupe Canyon Massacre
Guadalupe Canyon Massacre
The Guadalupe Canyon Massacre was an incident that occurred on August 13, 1881 in the Guadalupe Canyon area of the southern Peloncillo Mountains – Guadalupe Mountains. The canyon straddles the modern Arizona and New Mexico state line and connects the Animas Valley of New Mexico with the San...
. In 1882 Phin and Ike exhumed their father's body and moved it to the Boot Hill
Boot Hill
Boot Hill is the name for any number of cemeteries, chiefly in the American West. During the 19th century it was a common name for the burial grounds of gunfighters, or those who "died with their boots on" ....
cemetery in Tombstone. He was re-interred alongside his son Billy Clanton who had been killed in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral was a roughly 30-second gunfight that took place at about 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26, 1881, in Tombstone, Cochise County, Arizona Territory, of the United States. Outlaw Cowboys Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne ran from the fight, unharmed, but Ike's brother...
.
Brother Billy dies in O.K. Corral shoot out
After the Gunfight at the O.K. CorralGunfight at the O.K. Corral
The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral was a roughly 30-second gunfight that took place at about 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26, 1881, in Tombstone, Cochise County, Arizona Territory, of the United States. Outlaw Cowboys Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne ran from the fight, unharmed, but Ike's brother...
in which their brother Billy Clanton was killed, Ike filed murder charges against Deputy U.S. Marshal Virgil Earp
Virgil Earp
Virgil Walter Earp fought in the Civil War. He was U.S. Deputy Marshal for south-eastern Arizona and Tombstone City Marshal at the time of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in the Arizona Territory. Two months after the shootout in Tombstone, outlaw Cowboys ambushed Virgil on the streets of...
, Assistant Marshal Morgan Earp
Morgan Earp
Morgan Seth Earp was the younger brother of Deputy U.S. Marshals Virgil and Wyatt Earp. Morgan was a deputy of Virgil's and all three men were the target of repeated death threats made by outlaw Cowboys who were upset by the Earps' interference in their illegal activities. This conflict eventually...
, and temporary deputies Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Earp
Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was an American gambler, investor, and law enforcement officer who served in several Western frontier towns. He was also at different times a farmer, teamster, bouncer, saloon-keeper, miner and boxing referee. However, he was never a drover or cowboy. He is most well known...
and Doc Holliday
Doc Holliday
John Henry "Doc" Holliday was an American gambler, gunfighter and dentist of the American Old West, who is usually remembered for his friendship with Wyatt Earp and his involvement in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral...
. After a contentious month-long preliminary hearing, they were exonerated by Judge Wells Spicer
Wells Spicer
Wells W. Spicer was an American journalist, prospector, politician, lawyer and judge whose legal career immersed him in two significant events in frontier history: the Mountain Meadows massacre in the Utah Territory in 1857; and the 1881 shootout commonly known as the Gunfight at the O.K...
. Ike attempted to file murder charges again in Contention, but failed for lack of new evidence. On December 28, 1881, Tombstone Police chief Virgil Earp
Virgil Earp
Virgil Walter Earp fought in the Civil War. He was U.S. Deputy Marshal for south-eastern Arizona and Tombstone City Marshal at the time of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in the Arizona Territory. Two months after the shootout in Tombstone, outlaw Cowboys ambushed Virgil on the streets of...
was ambushed by hidden assailants. He was seriously wounded and Dr. Goodfellow had to remove 5 inches (12.7 cm) of bone, leaving Virgil crippled. Phin and his brother Ike were both arrested for attempted murder, but Cowboy friends bore witness that they were both in Charleston, about 12 miles (19.3 km) miles away when the shooting took place.
Wyatt was appointed Deputy U.S. Marshal in Virgil's place. Wyatt deputized several men who guarded Virgil and his wife Allie on their way to Tucson and a train ride back to Colton, California
Colton, California
Colton is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The city is located in the Inland Empire region of the state and is approximately 57 miles east of Los Angeles. The population of Colton is 52,154 according to the 2010 census, up from 47,662 at the 2000 census.Colton is the...
and their parent's home where he could recuperate in safety. In Tucson, Wyatt spotted Frank Stilwell
Frank Stilwell
Frank C. Stilwell was an outlaw Cowboy who murdered at least two men in Cochise County during 1877-1882. For four months he was a deputy sheriff in Tombstone, Arizona Territory for Cochise County Sheriff Johnny Behan...
lying in wait near the railroad tracks and killed him. Pima County Sheriff Bob Paul
Robert H. Paul
Robert H. Paul was a law enforcement officer in the American Southwest for more than 30 years. He was sheriff of Pima County, Arizona Territory from April 1881 to 1886 and a friend of Deputy U.S. Marshall Virgil Earp and his brother Wyatt Earp...
issued a warrant for their arrest. When Cochise County Sheriff Johnny Behan
Johnny Behan
John Harris Behan was from April, 1881 to November, 1882 sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona Territory. Behan was appointed the first sheriff of the newly-created county in February, 1881. The mining boomtown of Tombstone was the new county seat and Behan's headquarters...
received the warrant, he assembled his own posse. He deputized Phin, Pete Spence
Pete Spence
Pete Spence , suspected of robbery in 1878 in Goliad County, Texas, changed his name from Elliot Larkin Ferguson. He was later a suspect in a stagecoach robbery outside Bisbee, Arizona and was known for his association with outlaw Cowboys Frank and Tom McLaury and Ike and Billy Clanton of...
, Johnny Ringo
Johnny Ringo
John Peters "Johnny" Ringo was an outlaw Cowboy of the American Old West who was affiliated with Ike Clanton and Frank Stilwell in Cochise County, Arizona Territory during 1881-1882.-Early life:...
and others.
Unable to obtain satisfaction in the courts against those who attacked his brothers, Wyatt assembled and deputized a posse and set out to avenge
Earp vendetta ride
The Earp Vendetta Ride, lasting from March 20 to April 15, 1882, was a manhunt for outlaw Cowboys led by newly appointed Deputy U.S. Marshal Wyatt Earp. He was searching for men he held responsible for maiming his brother Virgil, the Tombstone Marshal and Deputy U.S. Marshal, and assassinating his...
his brothers. They killed Florentino Cruz at Pete Spence’s wood camp in the foothills of the Dragoon Mountains
Dragoon Mountains
Dragoon Mountains are a range of mountains located in Cochise County, Arizona. The range is about 25 mi long, running on an axis extending south-south east through Willcox.- Geography :...
. In a fight at Iron Springs, Wyatt and his deputies killed "Curly Bill" Brocius
William Brocius
William "Curly Bill" Brocius was a gunman, rustler and an outlaw Cowboy in the Cochise County area of Arizona Territory during the early 1880s. He had a number of conflicts with the lawmen of the Earp family, and he was named as one of the individuals who participated Morgan Earp's assassination....
and Johnny Barnes
Johnny Barnes
Johnny Barnes born John James Adolphus Mills on June 23, 1924, is a Bermuda native found waving to passing traffic at the Foot of the Lane roundabout in Hamilton, Bermuda, from roughly 3:45 am to 10 am, every workday, rain or shine...
. The Behan posse set out to arrest Wyatt Earp and his federal posse, but the two posses never met during the two-week long pursuit.
In 1882, Phin and Ike traveled to Guadalupe Canyon, dug up their fathers body, and reburied alongside his son Billy in Tombstone’s Boot Hill graveyard.
Raises cattle and goats
In June 1882 Phin moved 200 miles (321.9 km) north to SpringervilleSpringerville, Arizona
Springerville is a town in Apache County, Arizona, United States within the White Mountains. Its postal ZIP code is 85938. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 1,956.Springerville sits at an elevation of 6,974 feet...
, Apache County
Apache County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*23.3% White*0.2% Black*72.9% Native American*0.3% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.0% Two or more races*1.3% Other races*5.8% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, where his sister Mary Elsie lived with her husband Eben Stanley, a recipient of the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
while fighting with the 5th U.S. Cavalry under General George Crook
George Crook
George R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
. Ike Clanton arrived in August. By 1885, both brothers had bought a quarter-section
Section (United States land surveying)
In U.S. land surveying under the Public Land Survey System , a section is an area nominally one square mile, containing , with 36 sections making up one survey township on a rectangular grid....
of land (160 acres (64.7 ha)) 10 miles east of Springerville near the New Mexico border. Eben assisted Phin and Ike in getting their cattle business started.
Two years later, on December 27, 1885, the Apache County treasurer’s office was broken into. Deputy Treasurer Francisco Baca claimed that although the robbers were masked, he recognized the men as Phin and Ike Clanton, Eben Stanley and Lee Renfro of Springerville, and Mr. Buck Henderson of St. Johns. During the trial the court found that Baca had made up the story to cover his embezzling activities. He was later tried and convicted of stealing $11,166.54.
Phin and Ike indicted
Stanley and the two Clanton brothers were suspected of stealing cattle from the Springerville area and taking them south via the Blue River to Clifton, ArizonaClifton, Arizona
Clifton is a town in and the county seat of Greenlee County, Arizona, United States, along the San Francisco River. The population of the town was 3,311 at the 2010 census. It was a site of the Arizona Copper Mine Strike of 1983....
and other southern towns to sell. The "Clanton-Stanley outfits" were regarded as rustlers
Cattle raiding
Cattle raiding is the act of stealing cattle.In Australia, such stealing is often referred to as duffing, and the person as a duffer...
and had been a "terror for years". Apache County
Apache County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*23.3% White*0.2% Black*72.9% Native American*0.3% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.0% Two or more races*1.3% Other races*5.8% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
Sheriff Perry Owens and the local Stock Association decided to pursue indictments against them.
On March 1, 1887, George Powell testified before the grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
implicating Ike, Phin, Eben, Charles Gray, Robert Gray, and Lee Renfro in livestock theft
Cattle raiding
Cattle raiding is the act of stealing cattle.In Australia, such stealing is often referred to as duffing, and the person as a duffer...
. An arrest warrant for Lee Renfro had already been issued on February 26 for the shooting death in November 1886 of Isaac Ellenger at Phin's Cienega Amarilla Ranch. Phin had allegedly given Renfro a horse to enable his escape. The grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
returned 15 indictments the same day accusing Phin of grand larceny
Grand Larceny
Grand Larceny is a 1987 thriller film directed by Jeannot Szwarc and starring Marilu Henner, Ian McShane, Omar Sharif and Louis Jourdan.-Plot summary:...
.
Phin was arrested and jailed on April 30. During May more livestock were stolen and on May 14 deputies Albert Millet, George Powell and Detective Jonas V. Brighton left Springerville, Arizona to track down the stolen horses and mules. They followed the trail to "Peg-leg" Jim Wilson's ranch on Eagle Creek. They arrived on the evening of May 31 and spent the night. Early the next morning Ike Clanton rode up to the door on horseback. When the lawmen answered his knock, he immediately recognized them. He turned his horse to flee and withdrew his rifle from his scabbard. Detective Brighton shot Ike through the heart and he died before he hit the ground. On July 8 Renfro was found and was also killed while resisting arrest.
On September 1887 Phin was found guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in the Yuma Arizona State Prison
Yuma Territorial Prison
The Yuma Territorial Prison was a prison in the Arizona Territory of the United States and now in present day Yuma, Arizona. The Territorial Prison is one of the Yuma Crossing and Associated Sites on the National Register of Historic Places in the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area.The site is...
. While serving his sentence, it was discovered that the prosecution’s primary witness that led to Phin’s conviction had lied on the stand so he could collect the $250 reward. On March 15, 1889, after serving only one year and five months, he was pardoned by Governor Meyer Zulick and was released on March 24, 1889.
After his release, Phin and his friend Pete Spence
Pete Spence
Pete Spence , suspected of robbery in 1878 in Goliad County, Texas, changed his name from Elliot Larkin Ferguson. He was later a suspect in a stagecoach robbery outside Bisbee, Arizona and was known for his association with outlaw Cowboys Frank and Tom McLaury and Ike and Billy Clanton of...
began raising Angora
Angora
Angora is the historic name of Ankara, Turkey Angora may also refer to:* Angora, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania** Angora , a commuter rail station* Angora Township, Minnesota* Angora, Nebraska* Angora , a musical group...
goats on what is now the Bohme Allotment. on Phin’s ranch in Globe, Arizona. In 1891, a Clifton newspaper mistakenly reported that Phin had been shot and killed by Ballard Peason at St. John.
On May 15, 1894, Phin Clanton was arrested by Sherrif John Henry Thompson for robbing Sam Kee, a Chinese gardener in Wheatfields, at gunpoint. Kee said Phin stole a gold watch valued at $40, two bars of silver bullion, each valued at $15, one gold bracelet valued at $20 and $320 in cash. Phin was found not guilty and released. Clanton was acquitted on May 22, 1894.
On October 15, 1902, at age 58, Clanton married 44 year old Laura Jane (née Neal) Bound (or Bohme) in Globe, Arizona
Globe, Arizona
Globe has an arid climate, characterized by hot summers and moderate to warm winters. Globe's arid climate is somewhat tempered by its elevation, however, leading to slightly cooler temperatures and slightly more precipitation than Phoenix or Yuma....
. She had a 12-year-old son from her first marriage to William Jackson.
Accident and death
On January 5, 1906 Phineas was involved in a wagon accident and his exposure to the cold weather led to a fatal case of pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. He died at the age of 61 in Webster Springs and was buried in the Globe Cemetery.
His widow Laura Jane did wash at the mining company's guest house and took in boarders. Sixteen year old Will found work for a freight company driving mule teams that hauled ore from the Continental Mine to the Old Dominion. The wagon tracks are still visible in the rocks west of the Bohme Ranch on Webster Gulch. Every payday, Will bought another cow. He and Jane ran cattle on the range subsequently designated the Bohme Allotment by the U.S. Forest Service. Four years later Laura married Phin’s friend and business associate Pete Spence.