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Tom McLaury

Thomas "Tom" McLaury (30 June 1853 – 26 October 1881) was an American outlaw of the Wild West and a member of the Cochise County Cowboys gang. He and his brother Frank McLaury, along with Billy Clanton, were killed at the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in 1881.

Biography[]

Thomas McLaury was born in Meredith, Delaware County, New York on 30 June 1853, the younger brother of Frank McLaury. When he was two, the family moved to Belle Plaine, Iowa, and Tom and Frank moved to Hereford, Arizona in 1878 and befriended Ike Clanton and his family. The McLaury brothers owned a ranching operation near Tombstone, and they became affiliated with the Cochise County Cowboys gang. On 25 July 1880, the brothers stole a pair of mules from the US Army, and the McLaury brothers and the Clanton brothers both became rivals of the Earps for foiling their plans. On 26 October 1881, they rode into Tombstone carrying guns, which was against the town's rules, so the three Earp brothers and Doc Holliday walked down to the O.K. Corral to confront them. In the ensuing Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Tom was one of the first to shoot, and he was gunned down by Doc Holliday before he could mount his horse, being shot in the chest with buckshot.

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