ˌɔn mˈeɪ fˈoːɹ, wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti ˈeɪt, blˈæksmɪθ kɹˈɪstʃən mˈʌtʃlɚ ˈɔːlsoʊ spˈɛld mˈʌtʃlɚ ænd hɪz fɹˈɛndz dʒˈɑːn kˈɛli ænd hˈɛnɹi hˈoʊmz ɡɑːt ˌɪntʊ ɐn ˈɑːɹɡjuːmənt wɪð ɐ sɐlˈuːn kˈiːpɚ nˈeɪmd hˈeɪdʒmən.
On May 4, 1878, blacksmith Christian Mutschler (also spelled Mutchler) and his friends John Kelley and Henry Holmes got into an argument with a saloon keeper named Hageman.