Alton Pryor - The Real Story of Bat Masterson

The Real Story of

Bat Masterson

Alton Pryor

Copyright 2011 Alton Pryor

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The Real Story of

Bat Masterson

Bat Masterson

Bat Masterson did a bit of everything duringhis lifetime. He was a buffalo hunter, a U.S. Army scout, an avidfisherman, a gambler, a frontier lawman, a U.S. Marshal, a sportseditor and a columnist for the New York Morning Telegraph.

Bat was the second oldest of seven children.Two of his brothers, James Masterson and Ed Masterson were alsolawmen.

William Bartholmew (nee Barclay) BatMasterson was born November 26, 1853 at Henryville, Canada.

Bat and his brothers James and Ed left homein their late teens to become buffalo hunters. Bat traveled a whilewithout his brothers and took part in the Battle of Adobe Wallsin Texas.

At age 21, Bat was already a superb shot whenhe joined the defenders at Adobe Walls. He was the youngest of the29 defenders at the Adobe Walls battle.

Adobe Walls was the name of a trading post inthe Texas Panhandle. Southern Plains bands of Comanche, Cheyenne,Iowa and Arapaho Indians perceived the post as a threat to theirvery existence.

Comanche medicine man Isa-tai promisedvictory and immunity from bullets to warriors who took the fight tothe enemy.

Comanche Chief QuanahParker

At dawn, 700 Camanches, under the leadershipof Quanah Parker, attacked the post.

There were only 28 white men and one womandefending the post. The superior weapons of the buffalo huntersallowed them to fend off the attacking Indians.

Seventy Indians were killed during the fiercebut brief skirmish. There were many wounded, including QuanahParker himself.

The battle at Adobe Walls convinced U.S.government officials that the military must take action against theIndians.

With 300 cavalrymen, Colonel ChristopherKit Carson initiated a plan to trap and attack the hostileIndians. The initial strike began at the upper part of the Indianvillage, where the elderly and sick were in residence. All werekilled and the camp was destroyed.

After his stint at Adobe Walls, Bat engagedin his first gunfight in Sweetwater, Texas. He was attacked by aman in a fight, allegedly over a girl. The other man died of hiswounds.

Colonel Christopher Kit Carson.

Bat, who was shot in the pelvis, recovered.(The story that he needed to carry a cane the rest of his life wasperpetuated by the TV series starring the late Gene Barry).

In one of the buffalo camps where Bat and hisbrothers Ed and Jim were employed as hide skinners, Bat met WyattEarp. Earp started teaching him how to gamble while drinking.

In mid-1872, the Masterson brotherscontracted a grading job for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa FeRailroad. This job took them to Dodge City just as the town wasgetting off the ground.

As soon as they arrived in town, thecontractor they were subcontracting from skipped out with their$300. They went back to the buffalo camps to recoup theirlosses.

The following April, they spotted the samecontractor getting off the train in Dodge City. Bat put a gun tohis head and demanded his $300.

As soon as the money was handed over, Battreated all the onlookers to a drink in a nearby saloon. He thenwent back to buffalo hunting and hide skinning.

Bat returned to Dodge City in 1877 andpurchased an interest in the Lone Star Dance Hall. His brother Edwas an assistant marshal. Brother Jim was Eds partner on theforce.

Bat Masterson and WyattEarp

In a confrontation over a local marshalshandling of an arrested man, Bat himself was arrested and, jailedand fined. His fine was later returned by the city council.

After serving as a sheriffs deputy withWyatt Earp, Bat was elected county sheriff of Ford County, Kansas.He captured four members of the Mike Roark Gang. The gang wasunsuccessful in holding up a train at nearby Kinsley.

As Ford County Sheriff, Mastersonsjurisdiction ranged 75 miles north to south, and 100 miles east towest. Two weeks after taking office, he led a posse in pursuit ofsix train robbers whod botched a robbery at Kinsley.

Masterson set a trap and captured two of theoutlaws right away. Soon after, he captured three of the fourremaining bandits, one of which was Dave Rudabaugh, who later rodewith Billy the Kid.

Bat practiced with his firearms constantly.He was well-known for his ability at shooting. In contrast, hisbrother Ed hardly ever pulled a gun.

The records are fuzzy over Bats involvementin an incident in which his brother Ed was killed. Ed was the USMarshal in Dodge City where he was shot by cowboy Jack Wagner.

Bat, who was across the street from thefracas, responded by firing on Wagner and his boss, Alf Walker.Wagner died the following day, but Walker recovered from hiswounds.

Newspapers and historians have pondered overthe question of Bats involvement in the affair. Bat, however,testified in two court cases that he did shoot both men.

Having learned a lot about the art ofgambling from his friend Wyatt Earp, Bat spent considerable timepracticing the craft. At Wyatts invitation, Bat traveled toTombstone, Arizona, where Earp owned a one-quarter interest in theOriental Saloons gambling concession.

Earp wanted Bats help in running the farotables. Soon after taking the job, Bat received an unsignedtelegram that compellled him to return to Dodge City.

Jim Masterson was sheriff in Dodge City andwas partners with A.J. Peacock in the Lady Gay Saloon. Al Updegraffwas Peacocks brother-in-law and bartender.

Jim thought his partner Peacock was bothdishonest as well as a drunk. Jim Masterson also wanted Peacock tofire his brother-in-law from the bartenders job. This Peacockrefused to do.

The disagreement between Jim Masterson andA.J. Peacock grew, with threats flying both ways. Jim telegraphedBat to come help him out.

Before the train even came to a stop, Bat wasoff and running. He spotted Updegraph and Peacock (suspecting theyhad harmed Jim). Bat ordered them to stop.

The pair retreated behind the jail and thethree men began exchanging gunfire. Soon other individuals took upsides and citizens ran for cover as bullets ripped through the LongBranch saloon.

In the melee, Updegraff was shot. Mayor AbWebster arrested Bat Masterson. Only then did Bat learn his brotherJim was alright. Bat was fined eight dollars and released.

Masterson spent a year as marshal ofTrinidad, Colorado, and served as Sheriff of South Pueblo,Colorado. In 1883, he took part in a bloodless conflict called theDodge City War.