Morgan Earp Biography

Morgan Earp is one of the legendary Earp brothers whose story has been told in the book ‘The Earp Brothers of Tombstone,’ believed to have been written by his sister-in-law. His life has been portrayed in the TV series ‘The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp’ and in the movie ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.’ While his elder brothers were fighting the American Civil War, he was left to look after the farm with his teenage sibling. However, he preferred wielding a gun to farming and started as a shotgun messenger. He later worked as a deputy marshal under his brother in Tombstone. While in Tombstone, Morgan and his brothers got into a conflict with the outlaw group ‘Cowboys,’ who were suspected to be involved in stealing cattle and horses. The Earp brothers confronted the ‘Cowboys’ in the famous gunfight at the ‘OK Corral,’ in which three of the Cowboys were killed and Morgan was shot in the shoulder. The brothers were put under arrest for murder, but were later released as the jury felt that their actions were justified. Six months later, Morgan was assassinated by a gunman, who shot him through a window, while he was playing billiards, late at night, at a billiards parlor. His brother Wyatt decided to avenge his brother’s death by taking law into his own hands. While the court acquitted the accused, Wyatt and his men killed three of the suspects. The rest of the of the ‘Cowboys’ behind Morgan’s death were later caught up by the law on miscellaneous charges.