Gunfight at the O.K. Corral the law in their favor when it affected their gambling and saloon interests, which earned them further enmity with the Cowboy faction. To reduce crime in Tombstone, on April 19, 1881, the city council passed ordinance 9, requiring anyone carrying a bowie knife, dirk, pistol or rifle to deposit their weapons at a livery or saloon soon after entering town. The ordinance was the legal basis for City Marshal Virgil Earp's decision to confront the Cowboys on the day of the shootout. In the borderlands south of Tombstone there was only one passable route between Arizona and Mexico, a passage
James Riley (gunman) James Riley (gunman) James Riley (1853-?) was a young man from Kansas who, on August 19, 1871 was the deciding factor in a little-known but deadly gunfight, which became known as the Gunfight at Hide Park, that took place in Newton, Kansas. The gunfight, despite being lesser known than either the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral or the Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight, resulted in more dead. Where Kinch 'James' Riley came from is unknown. It is believed that he was born in Kansas, but as to where in Kansas is unknown. He first surfaced in Newton around 1869.