OK Solberg: 00:00

Hello. And again, welcome here to the 04:05 coffee break. Guys, new week. Got some rain. Get you a cup of coffee, glass iced tea, bottle of water, maybe a shot of rot gut, Jack Daniels, if it's only one.

OK Solberg: 00:11

And let's see what's happening out there. Springlight, $5.92 a bushel. 550 pounds steer calf, $3.88 a pound. Butcher hog in Omaha, Seventy Nine Cents a pound. And finally, a hundred pound foul.

OK Solberg: 00:27

I'm in Billings. I'll fetch $2.16. But, guys, there's more, much more. Today, the shootout at the Okay Corral. Now this episode was for Friday, but there was a glitch in the system, and it didn't air till later.

OK Solberg: 00:44

So some didn't hear it, and I like it, and so I'm gonna do it again. But first, the Bible verse that I feel is very fitting. It's from Romans 12 verse 19. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God for it is written, vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord.

OK Solberg: 01:05

Never avenge yourself. Easy to understand, but much harder to do. Right, guys? You don't know what they did to me. I know.

OK Solberg: 01:16

I know. Now Netflix has a relatively new drama documentary titled Wyatt Earp and the cowboy war. It was produced just last year, 2024. It's a great historical account of the famous shootout at the O. K.

OK Solberg: 01:32

Corral. Oh, yes. It really did happen, and it happened in 1881. Guys, I believe they did an outstanding job in doing their research and creating this movie slash documentary. I encourage you to watch it, and I won't ruin it for you.

OK Solberg: 01:52

It is six episodes in its entirety, and I'll share only from the first episode. Now we all know about Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Shoot. You've been living in a cave. If you haven't heard their names, Hollywood has used it over and over and over again.

OK Solberg: 02:10

But now I think we have a close to accurate account, and it's not a simple one to explain. For we all know about greed, vengeance, romance, and mankind's natural tendencies. So locally, understand this. The railroad came through Siding 54 in Malta in 1887. The shootout happened six years prior in Tombstone, Arizona.

OK Solberg: 02:41

To understand it, you have to know that the cowboys were just another street tough gang. And like any gang, they have a leader. And in this case, the leader was Ike Clanton. Now what are cowboys good at? They're good at many things, but predominantly handling cattle.

OK Solberg: 03:00

So understand this. With the railroads and the ability to transport goods so fast, so far, you could have cattle down south that are worth $3 a head, but in Chicago, you could get $60 a head. Well, sure. You even remember in lonesome dove, the guys rode south across the border in the moonlight, and what they do, they stole cattle. Think of greed and money.

OK Solberg: 03:29

Then you have to understand that there was a stagecoach robbery, and it was filled with silver. And the silver was mined right near tombstone. And it was found that the cowboys robbed the stage, and one of Wyatt's dear friends was shot and killed in the stagecoach robbery. And then did you realize that even JP Morgan played a part in this drama? Yes.

OK Solberg: 03:55

He did. And he was trying to get money alone to buy up the financially struggling railroads, but the London bigwigs read the news. They didn't wanna loan money when it looked like their investments wouldn't pay off from all the thievery. So with the help of JPMorgan, there was a $6,000 reward put up for the capture and arrest of these stagecoat robbers. Well, Wyatt was on the other side of what the Cowboys and Ike Clanton were doing, but Wyatt did find and arrest one of the robbers but wanted to find the other.

OK Solberg: 04:33

So Wyatt visits with Ike Clanton and offers him the entire $6,000 if the other robber is found interested. Now Ike is tempted by this large amount of money, which, guys, would equate to about a hundred and $80,000 today. Here. I'll give you a hundred and $80,000. All you have to do is rat out your friend.

OK Solberg: 05:00

So Ike rats out one of his own. Well, Wyatt goes in pursuit. But by the time he gets there, some ranchers had already killed the other stagecoach robber. Therefore, no arrest, no reward. You can imagine what kind of mood this put Ike Clanton into.

OK Solberg: 05:20

He wants his money, and Wyatt says there ain't no reward because the robber's already dead. Well, this fuels anger in Ike Clanton's mind. And even though his other cowboys want him to go with them and get out of town, Ike wants to kill Wyatt Earp, and this escalates into the showdown. Three cowboys are killed, and Morgan and Virgil Earp are wounded. But this isn't the end.

OK Solberg: 05:50

This is only the beginning. And then there's lying witnesses that are hired or told by fear because of fear to testify that Wyatt and his brother shot them down in cold blood. So there's a trial, and it's not looking good. And Wyatt is near to the gallows, and you gotta watch the movie documentary, a fascinating piece of history. Can I tell you if this is all the gospel truth?

OK Solberg: 06:21

No. No. I can't do that. But if you watch it, it all makes perfect sense when we understand mankind's natural tendencies include greed, vengeance, and romance. Oh, yes.

OK Solberg: 06:38

There's romance too for sheriff Johnny Behan of Tombstone has a lady friend named Josephine, and sheriff Behan is on the side of the cowboys. And he has a lady friend named Josephine. Well, she's having an affair with Wyatt Earp. Fascinating story. Real history.

OK Solberg: 07:02

Watch a war. Worth a watch. Watch a worth. Worth a watch. Netflix, Wyatt Earp and the cowboy war.

OK Solberg: 07:10

Oh, and I didn't even tell you that Doc Holliday really did save Wyatt's life three years prior to the shootout. Go out and watch it. Gotta run. So until next time, as you go out there, remember now. Don't be bitter.