On the night of March 20, after killing Stilwell in Tucson, and verifying that the train was on its way to California with the rest of their family, the Earp party was afoot.
They walked 9 miles (14 km) southeast back along the Southern Pacific tracks out of Tucson to the Papago freight stop. (
The station was later renamed Esmond and was the site of a head-on train crash in 1903 at the current location of the Desert Sky Middle School in Tucson.)
At the Papago stop they flagged down the night-freight train back to the terminal in Benson.

Once in Benson they hired a wagon back to Contention where they picked up their stabled horses.
They rode into Tombstone around 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 21.
Once in Tombstone they learned of Marietta Duarte's testimony during the coroner's inquest into Morgan's death.
She told the jury that her husband Pete Spence and several others who she identified had talked about the murder in her home.
The Earps returned to their rooms upstairs at the Cosmopolitan Hotel, where they had lived in close company and used as their temporary headquarters since the first attack on Virgil in December.

Wyatt and Warren Earp, J.H. Holliday, Texas Jack, "Turkey Creek" Johnson, and Sherman McMaster were now wanted men due to the outstanding warrants.
 Tucson, where the Earps had killed Stilwell, was in the jurisdiction of Pima County Sheriff Bob Paul, a friend of the Earps.
He and District Attorney Alex Campbell sent a telegram to Behan in Tombstone asking him to arrest the Earps.
The telegraph office manager was a friend to the Earps and showed the message to Wyatt before it was delivered to Behan.
The operator agreed to delay delivering the message to Behan long enough to allow the Earps and their associates to make ready to leave town Tuesday evening.
 The Earps sent instructions to Montgomery's stable to get their horses saddled.

Early in the evening Behan received the delayed telegram.
He gathered his deputies and Tombstone City Marshal Dave Neagle.
They met in front of the Cosmopolitan Hotel, preparing to arrest the five men.
Behan encountered the heavily armed Earp lawmen as they passed through the lobby of the Cosmopolitan Hotel, getting ready to pick up their horses from the stable and leave town.
Cochise County Sheriff Behan told the Deputy U.S. Marshal, "Wyatt I want to see you."
Wyatt replied without stopping, "Johnny, if you're not careful, you'll see me once too often."

The Tombstone Epitaph reported, "The Sheriff made a weak attempt to arrest them at the Cosmopolitan Hotel before they left, but Wyatt Earp told him he didn't want see him; that he had seen him once too often, and thereupon the Earp party mounted their horses and rode away.".
One of Behan's deputies, Billy Breakenridge, claimed Wyatt and his men resisted arrest and even pulled their guns on Behan and Dave Neagle, one of Wyatt's friends, to prevent their arrest.
In a story published on May 14, 1893, Wyatt told a reporter for the Denver Republican:
The sheriff called on me to surrender, and I told him I would not do it.
He assembled a posse about the door of my room to take me in, but I walked through the men, and none of them offered to lay a hand upon me.

Wyatt and Warren Earp, Doc Holliday, Johnson and McMaster were joined by "Texas Jack" Vermillion, Dan Tipton, Charlie Smith, Fred Dodge, Johnny Green, and Louis Cooley to form a federal posse under Wyatt's authority as the Deputy US Marshal.
Continuing to ignore Behan, the Earp posse rode out of town the same evening of Tuesday, March 21.

The next morning Behan formed a posse consisting of a number of deputized Cowboys, friends of Frank Stilwell and Ike Clanton, including Johnny Ringo, Phineas Clanton, Johnny Barnes and about 18 more men.
They rode after the federal posse and the five men wanted for Stilwell's murder.
 Paul was on his way to Tombstone the next day when he ran into Behan and his posse on the road 5 miles (8.0 km) outside of town.
He joined the posse and rode with them to Contention that night and on to Tombstone the next day.
Without sleep for two days, Paul tol
On the night of March 20, after killing Stilwell in Tucson, and verifying that the train was on its way to California with the rest of their family, the Earp party was afoot. They walked 9 miles (14 km) southeast back along the Southern Pacific tracks out of Tucson to the Papago freight stop. (The station was later renamed Esmond and was the site of a head-on train crash in 1903 at the current location of the Desert Sky Middle School in Tucson.) At the Papago stop they flagged down the night-freight train back to the terminal in Benson.
Once in Benson they hired a wagon back to Contention where they picked up their stabled horses. They rode into Tombstone around 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 21. Once in Tombstone they learned of Marietta Duarte's testimony during the coroner's inquest into Morgan's death. She told the jury that her husband Pete Spence and several others who she identified had talked about the murder in her home. The Earps returned to their rooms upstairs at the Cosmopolitan Hotel, where they had lived in close company and used as their temporary headquarters since the first attack on Virgil in December.
Wyatt and Warren Earp, J.H. Holliday, Texas Jack, "Turkey Creek" Johnson, and Sherman McMaster were now wanted men due to the outstanding warrants.  Tucson, where the Earps had killed Stilwell, was in the jurisdiction of Pima County Sheriff Bob Paul, a friend of the Earps. He and District Attorney Alex Campbell sent a telegram to Behan in Tombstone asking him to arrest the Earps. The telegraph office manager was a friend to the Earps and showed the message to Wyatt before it was delivered to Behan. The operator agreed to delay delivering the message to Behan long enough to allow the Earps and their associates to make ready to leave town Tuesday evening.  The Earps sent instructions to Montgomery's stable to get their horses saddled.
Early in the evening Behan received the delayed telegram. He gathered his deputies and Tombstone City Marshal Dave Neagle. They met in front of the Cosmopolitan Hotel, preparing to arrest the five men. Behan encountered the heavily armed Earp lawmen as they passed through the lobby of the Cosmopolitan Hotel, getting ready to pick up their horses from the stable and leave town. Cochise County Sheriff Behan told the Deputy U.S. Marshal, "Wyatt I want to see you." Wyatt replied without stopping, "Johnny, if you're not careful, you'll see me once too often."
The Tombstone Epitaph reported, "The Sheriff made a weak attempt to arrest them at the Cosmopolitan Hotel before they left, but Wyatt Earp told him he didn't want see him; that he had seen him once too often, and thereupon the Earp party mounted their horses and rode away.". One of Behan's deputies, Billy Breakenridge, claimed Wyatt and his men resisted arrest and even pulled their guns on Behan and Dave Neagle, one of Wyatt's friends, to prevent their arrest. In a story published on May 14, 1893, Wyatt told a reporter for the Denver Republican:
The sheriff called on me to surrender, and I told him I would not do it. He assembled a posse about the door of my room to take me in, but I walked through the men, and none of them offered to lay a hand upon me.
Wyatt and Warren Earp, Doc Holliday, Johnson and McMaster were joined by "Texas Jack" Vermillion, Dan Tipton, Charlie Smith, Fred Dodge, Johnny Green, and Louis Cooley to form a federal posse under Wyatt's authority as the Deputy US Marshal. Continuing to ignore Behan, the Earp posse rode out of town the same evening of Tuesday, March 21.
The next morning Behan formed a posse consisting of a number of deputized Cowboys, friends of Frank Stilwell and Ike Clanton, including Johnny Ringo, Phineas Clanton, Johnny Barnes and about 18 more men. They rode after the federal posse and the five men wanted for Stilwell's murder.  Paul was on his way to Tombstone the next day when he ran into Behan and his posse on the road 5 miles (8.0 km) outside of town. He joined the posse and rode with them to Contention that night and on to Tombstone the next day. Without sleep for two days, Paul tol
Earp Vendetta Ride