The Tombstone Epitaph, A FATAL GARMENT, July 25, 1880

The Fatal Garment Killing 1880

The article below is straight out of the Tombstone Epitaph:
July 25, 1880
A FATAL GARMENT

About 7 o'clock last evening the pistol was used with fatal effect on Allen Street, resulting in the death of T.J. Waters from gunshot wounds from a weapon in the hand of E.L. Bradshaw. The causes which led to this unfortunate tragedy are brief.

Waters was what is considered a sporting man, and has been in Tombstone several months. He was about forty years of age, powerful build, stood over six feet in height and weighed about 190 pounds. When sober he was a clever sort of man but quite the opposite when under the influence of liquor.

Yesterday he won considerable money and had been drinking a great deal, hence was in a mood to be easily irritated.

Bradshaw was an intimate friend of Waters but a very different character, being a man of medium size, over fifty years of age and very reserved and peaceable in his disposition. We understand that these two men had prospected together and when Waters first came to Tombstone he lived in Bradshaw's cabin.

Yesterday morning Waters purchased a blue and black plaid shirt, little dreaming that the fated garment would hurl his soul into eternity before the sun had set. It so happened that several good natured remarks were made about the new shirt during the day until Waters had taken sufficient liquor to make the joking obnoxious to him, and he began to show an ugly resentment and was very abusive, concluding with, "Now, if anyone don't like what I've said let him get up, G-d d-n him. I'm chief. I'm boss. I'll knock the first s--- of a b--- down that says anything about my shirt again."

This happened in the back room at Corrigan's saloon and as Waters stepped into the front room Bradshaw happened in, and seeing what his friend was wearing made some pleasant remark about it, whereupon Waters, without a word, struck Bradshaw a powerful blow over the left eye which sent him senseless to the floor.

Waters then walked over to Vogan & Flynn's, to see, as he said, "if any s--- of a b--- there didn't like this shirt."

He had just entered the street when Ed Ferris made some remark about the new shirt, which Waters promptly resented in his pugilistic style. After some more rowing Waters went back to Corrigan's saloon.

As soon as Bradshaw recovered from the knockdown he went into the back room, washed off the blood, went down to his cabin, put a bandage on his eye and his pistol in his pocket. He then came up to Allen Street and took his seat in front of Vogan & Flynn's saloon.

Seeing Waters in Corrigan's door, Bradshaw crossed towards the Eagle Brewery, and walking down the sidewalk until within a few feet of Waters, said: "Why did you do that?"

Waters said something whereupon Bradshaw drew his pistol and fired four shots, all taking effect, one under the left arm probably pierced the heart, two entered above the center of the back between the shoulders and one in the top of the head ranged downward toward the neck, any one of which would probably have resulted fatally.

Waters fell at the second shot and soon expired. Bradshaw was promptly arrested and examination will be had in the morning before Justice Gray.

-- end of article.

On July 24, 1880, Tom Waters was killed by Edward L. Bradshaw on Allen Street after a previous altercation involving the blue and black plaid shirt that Waters wore that day. Waters didn't like being the brunt of jokes. And while drinking in Corrigan's Saloon, Waters said, "I'll knock down any man who opens his mouth about my shirt again!" 

He supposedly said that just as his supposed friend Edward Bradshaw entered the saloon and felt obligated to comment on the colorful, new shirt. Tom knocked him down as promised and left Corrigan's with Bradshaw out cold on the floor.

Their friendship was short-lived if anything because it's said Bradshaw went looking for a gun when he came to. Angry at what Waters did, an armed Bradshaw found Waters outside Vogan's Alley and asked, "Why did you hit me?" 

Waters who was said to be quite drunk by then simply responded by yelling at Bradshaw. Bradshaw in return opened fire on Waters. Waters was hit once in the heart, once in the head, and two rounds struck his back as he turned to run. 

Tom Waters is buried in the Boothill Cemetery in Tombstone, Arizona. As for what happened to Edward Bradshaw, well as strange as it might sound,  by September 1880 Bradshaw stood trial for the shooting but was acquitted. Imagine that.

Hollywood has distorted what much of the Old West was really like. So frankly, even with their biases, I find old newspapers a great insight into how people really lived in the Old West. As for the above old newspaper article, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did. As for reprinting it here, as I've said before, whenever I post an article from a newspaper archive, I try not to edit a single word unless the spelling is worst than my own.

Tom Correa