PHIN CLANTON
February 16, 1898
Arizona Republican newspaper


Phin Clanton, whose name is associated with many of the most 
stirring events in ARizona, fifteen to twenty years ago when 
Arizona was wilder than it had ever been before. He was about 
Tombstone in its silver days when the Earps and Doc Holiday 
were wading in slaughter pretending to keep the peace. Clanton 
was one of them and none was more reckless and skillful than 
he.  He could stand in a street melee with a dozen men shooting 
at him without disturbing either the quickness or accuracy of 
aim.  Those were times when outlawry ahd to be met with outlawry 
and the one kind was conducted under the cover of the law.  
The killing of a man in cold blood was not exactly a crime 
if the victim was given any sort of a chance for his life or 
if the killing was actuated by revenge.  Some of the killers 
had been peaceable men in other communities and when the 
storm of lawlessness was over many of them became peacable 
again. Some of them  became robbers and open violiators of more 
firmly established laws and at first all of them were easily 
suspicioned of crimes whose commission requied nerve.

Clanton himself was arrested for a desperate offense of some sort, 
but he always swore he was innocent. Judge W.H. Barnes who 
defended and acquitted him has always said that he never had 
any doubt of his innocence.  AFter it was all over Clanton said 
the accusation and prosecution nearly drove him into the camp 
of the outlaws. He had been on the balance so long that it is 
a wonder with the incentive of which he complained he did not 
enroll himself among the desperate criminals.

He is rather glad now that he did not. He has been industrious 
and fairly prosperous and is the owner of a good herd of 
cattle in the eastern part of the territory.