In the spring of 1881, three men held-up a stagecoach and killed the driver. Doc was accused of having a hand in it. He may have known something about it before it happened, but likely did not take part. Wyatt Earp and his friends attested to Doc's innocence. Shortly afterward Doc and Kate got into a huge fight, after which he threw her out for good. In retaliation, she went to the Sheriff and claimed Doc was one of the stagecoach robbers. Doc was promptly arrested, but his $5,000.00 bail was paid for by Wyatt Earp, J. Meagher, and J.H. Melgren. A hearing was held in July, at which time the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence. Afterward Kate agreed to leave town, but only upon payment of a substantial amount of money.
Doc next appears at the shootout at the OK Corral, on October 26, 1881. Wyatt had paid Ike Clanton and his brothers to help flush out the perpetrators of the stagecoach robbery. The men had been taken care of by other outlaws, but Ike became increasingly worried that Wyatt would reveal his association with "the law." He began spreading rumors that Wyatt was spreading rumors about him. The situation was tense and Wyatt deputized Morgan and Doc in case it came down to a fight, which of course it did.
The shootout took place at the OK Corral on Fremont Street, near the corner of Third Street. Sheriff Behan attempted to stop the fight before it started. He claimed he disarmed Tom McLowery. Frank McLowery refused to surrender his weapon. Ike and Billy Clanton supposedly were unarmed, but somebody fired back when Holliday and Morgan Earp fired the first shots. In a matter of minutes, Billy Clanton and Frank and Tom McLowery lie dead, while Ike Clanton was seriously wounded. In the melee Virgil and Morgan Earp were wounded. Billy Claiborne and Johnny Ringold escaped without injury. Wyatt and Doc were arrested for murder immediately afterward, Virgil and Morgan being indisposed. A month later they were released after the judge decided they were just discharging their duties as law officers and were defending themselves. Doc was arrested two days later for firing a gun in the city limits. He was later acquitted.
