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Tombstone in Cochise County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)
 

Curly Bill Brocius Killed Marshal Fred White Here

 
 
Curly Bill Brocius Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Denise Boose, June 13, 2011
1. Curly Bill Brocius Marker
Inscription. Curly Bill Brocius killed Marshal Fred White here on October 28th, 1880.
 
Erected 2005 by Tombstone Restoration Commission. (Marker Number 33.)
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Law Enforcement. A significant historical date for this entry is October 28, 1880.
 
Location. 31° 42.72′ N, 110° 3.918′ W. Marker is in Tombstone, Arizona, in Cochise County. Marker is on East Allen Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 535 East Allen Street, Tombstone AZ 85638, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Bird Cage Theatre (here, next to this marker); M. Calisher General Store (a few steps from this marker); The Oriental Saloon (within shouting distance of this marker); City Marshall Virgil Earp (within shouting distance of this marker); Owl Cafe and Tourist Hotel (within shouting distance of this marker); Tombstone, Arizona (within shouting distance of this marker); Tombstone Engine Co. No. 1 (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Million Dollar Stope (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tombstone.
 
Also see . . .
1. Wikipedia Entry for Fred White. Excerpt:
On the night of October 28,
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1880, several Cowboys entered town and began drinking, with several of them firing their pistols in the air at different locations. Marshal White proceeded to confront each of them and disarm them. All of those confronted by him gave up their weapons voluntarily, without incident. Late that night, White encountered “Curly Bill” Brocius at the east end of town, on a dark street in a vacant lot where the Birdcage Theater now stands. Brocius was intoxicated and he (or his companions) were firing pistols into the air. White instructed Brocius to surrender his pistol. Brocius did this by pulling the weapon out of his pocket, handing it barrel-first to White. Wyatt Earp later claimed that he thought the pistol’s hammer was “half-cocked” over a live round (it was later found to have contained six live rounds). When White grabbed the barrel and pulled, the weapon discharged, shooting White.

Wyatt Earp, who witnessed the shooting and flash but could not clearly see the action in the dark, pistol-whipped Brocius, knocking him unconscious, and arrested him. Wyatt told his biographer many years later that he thought Brocius was still armed at the time and did not notice that Brocius’ pistol lay on the ground in the dark until Brocius was already down.
(Submitted on October 23, 2021.) 

2. Wikipedia Entry for William Brocius
Bird Cage Theatre & Curly Bill Brocius Marker in front. image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Denise Boose, June 13, 2011
2. Bird Cage Theatre & Curly Bill Brocius Marker in front.
The marker is mounted on a pole and placed next to the boardwalk between the building and the watering trough.
. Excerpt:
White died two days after Curly Bill shot him. Before dying, White testified that he thought the pistol had accidentally discharged and that he did not believe that Curly Bill shot him on purpose. Wyatt Earp supported this testimony, as did a demonstration that Brocius’s pistol could be fired from half-cock, and the fact that it had been found to contain six rounds, with only one of them fired. After spending most of November and December 1880 in jail awaiting trial, Brocius was acquitted with a verdict of accidental death.
(Submitted on October 23, 2021, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.) 
 
Marshal Fred White (1849–1880) image. Click for full size.
Public Domain via CowboyToCowboy.com
3. Marshal Fred White (1849–1880)
William Brocius (1845–1882) image. Click for full size.
Public Domain. From the collection of the Bird Cage Theater, via Wikimedia Commons
4. William Brocius (1845–1882)
Wikipedia reports that this photograph has not been authenticated.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on October 23, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 11, 2012, by Denise Boose of Tehachapi, California. This page has been viewed 4,067 times since then and 205 times this year. It was the Marker of the Week October 24, 2021. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on March 11, 2012, by Denise Boose of Tehachapi, California.   3, 4. submitted on October 23, 2021, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 19, 2024