July 6, 1900

Nearly nineteen years after the gunfight near the O.K. Corral, the Earp name again appeared in Arizona Territory newspapers. This time the story came from Willcox, where Warren Earp was shot and killed by Johnny Boyett in the early morning hours of July 6, 1900.

The surviving newspaper account describes no lawman’s fight, organized feud, or celebrated frontier showdown. It describes a personal quarrel between two men who had been at odds for years – a quarrel that ended when Earp challenged Boyett to arm himself and Boyett returned with two revolvers.

Bad Blood

The contemporary account reported that there had been “bad blood” between Warren Earp and Johnny Boyett for several years. It said Earp had a disagreeable habit, when under the influence of liquor, of “running Boyett all over town,” while Boyett generally tried to avoid a quarrel.

The newspaper also related an earlier incident in which Earp allegedly confronted Boyett in a saloon, pressed a six-shooter against his stomach, and made him promise that if the two men quarreled again, a killing would result. The report presented this as background to the fatal encounter; it did not establish when the earlier incident occurred.

The Challenge

At about one o’clock on Friday morning, July 6, the two men met in a restaurant at the rear of Brown’s Saloon in Willcox. The newspaper reported that Earp was under the influence of liquor and began abusing Boyett. Bystanders were said to have remarked that they had never heard a man endure such abuse.

After several minutes, the men went into the saloon. There, according to the newspaper, Earp challenged Boyett directly:

“Boyett, get your gun and we’ll settle this thing right here. I’ve got my gun, you go and get yours.”

Boyett left the saloon, went to his hotel, obtained two .45-caliber Colt revolvers, and returned.

Boyett Returns

The newspaper said Boyett advanced to the middle of the saloon and called out for Earp. Earp appeared in the doorway of the restaurant, and Boyett fired at him. The first shots missed. Men in the saloon ran outside, while Brown, the proprietor, took cover behind the bar.

Boyett fired two more shots, both striking the floor. Earp disappeared from the restaurant doorway.

The confrontation did not end there. Within seconds, according to the report, Earp had gone out through the rear room, walked around the building, and entered the saloon through another door.

The Fatal Shot

Boyett remained near the middle of the saloon. When Earp came in, Boyett warned him not to approach.

Earp continued forward. The newspaper reported that he threw open his coat and said:

“Boyett, I’m unarmed. You’ve all the best of this.”

But Earp kept advancing.

According to the account, Boyett ordered him to stop four or five times. When Earp had closed to within approximately eight or ten feet, Boyett fired one shot.

Warren Earp lunged forward and fell dead.

What Was Found

The newspaper reported that a small pocket knife, half opened, was found in Earp’s hand. It further stated that, aside from the knife, nothing was found on his person that might have been used as a weapon.

Deputy Sheriff Page, who carried news of the killing to Tucson, described Boyett as a peaceable man who had endured a great deal from Earp. The same account described Boyett as a small rancher and cattleman at Hot Springs and noted that Earp was well known in Tombstone because of the prominence of his family there.

The Coroner’s Verdict

A coroner’s jury was convened to inquire into Warren Earp’s death. The contemporary newspaper account supplied with this story reports the jury’s conclusion that Earp died from a gunshot wound inflicted by Johnny Boyett and that, based on the testimony received, the shooting appeared to have been committed in self-defense.

The verdict is important because it records the conclusion reached by the local jury after hearing the evidence then available. It does not require a later writer to decide whether Boyett’s actions were justified; the contemporary proceeding made that determination.

Burial at Willcox

Warren Earp was buried at Willcox. A modern steel monument bearing his name now stands in the Willcox Pioneer Cemetery. The monument is not an original 1900 grave marker and should be treated as a later memorial rather than evidence, by itself, of the precise location of the original burial.

The distinction is worth preserving. Warren Earp’s death is surrounded by a famous family name, but the surviving contemporary account is strong enough without adding later legend.

What the Contemporary Record Says

On July 6, 1900, Warren Earp and Johnny Boyett met after years of hostility. Earp had been drinking and verbally abused Boyett. He challenged Boyett to get a gun. Boyett left, armed himself with two .45-caliber Colts, returned, and fired several shots during the confrontation.

Earp left the immediate line of fire, came around the building, and re-entered the saloon through another door. He announced that he was unarmed but continued advancing after Boyett repeatedly ordered him to stop. At a distance reported as eight or ten feet, Boyett fired the shot that killed him.

A half-open pocket knife was found in Earp’s hand. No firearm was reported on his body.

The coroner’s jury concluded that Boyett had acted in self-defense.

For Warren Earp, the youngest of the Earp brothers, the end came not in Tombstone and not as part of the events that made his family famous, but in the early morning hours inside a Willcox saloon – the final act of a personal quarrel that had gone on too long.

Source Note

Primary source: contemporary newspaper clipping supplied for this story, headlined “Warren Earp Killed – Shot at Willcox by Johnny Boyett on July 6th,” including the reported circumstances of the shooting and the coroner’s verdict. The narrative above has been restricted to details stated in that contemporary account or to the documented modern status of the Willcox memorial. Dramatic details and later claims not established by the available record have been omitted.