The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1892-03-22
HUMAN LIFE CHEAP
AMONG THE DESPERATE MEN or
THE TOWN OF CREEDE.
A Talk with Notorious Bob Ford-Their
Daily Papers Published I'm tho Guich.
News Published by Them.

ex-train robber and assassin of Jesse
James, is one of tho most interesting
figures in camp. He is a slender. harmless
looking young man, pale and nervous, and has
a habit of continually rolling his eyes around
in their cavernous sockets In an uneasy.
frightened manner, suggestive of the hunted
hare. lie is as talkative as the nest of women
who are herded in the stubby little rooms
above his saloon and gambling house. the mis-
treSs of whom bears his name. "Want to talk
me to death. I guess" was his remark when
the correspondents guide asked Ford to be in
troduced to the newspaper man, "and then 60
homo and roast me like all the other -
papers do" continued Ford snappishly.
mo-" Ford said after larguidly acknowl-
edging the introduction, II was not so much
as in the shooting scrape the other day in
which was reported killed. I had nothing
to do with IL, and don't know how my friends
in Missouri got the news of my murder didn't
come here to fight. came here for the Same
purpose OF everybody else-to make money. 1
suppose there are men here who would like to
kill me, but they won't get chance if see them
first. don bother with them. and can't see
how they going 10 get chance to kill me.
I see everybody who enters the door. That big
glass behind the bar is my lookout / have
tried for years to get out of the reach of killers.
but every place go l meet some fool with al
insane Ue5lfO LOT cheap nOCOTI0ty, ana uo ElGn-
| ages to get me into brawl l have gone to
| the quietest and most obscure little towns in
| tho west but have hardly got settled before
| some idiot hobs up and spreads the news that
| Bob Ford's in town. Then some - fool pro-
cceds to tank up on mean whisky, and try to
make trouble for me- In a little village not
| far from Denver, three or four months ago, a
| barber cringed around mo for long while until
! he won my friendship. One night friend
| told me that the barber was drank, said he was
En- G rrnyv, Il
me. laid for him, and, sure enough. about
midnight he came in my saloon fuller than an
| Indian. But he was extremely polite to ne.
| However, wanted to see what he meant by
| his wild talk and took him out in my back
| yard, faced n with his crazy threats and told
| him to draw is gun and let her fly. The poor
| fool got down on bis knees and begged like
| baby. l smashed him in the snoot, made
| with me. and there, before all the gang, beg
| my pardon en- his knees. You see we've got
| to treat those fellows that way or there would
| be no place on earth for Us. / have talked
| with lots of other mon with regulations as
| killers, and they all feel about it Just as Go.
| They would give up everything in the world
| il they could rid themselves of their names
| and live like other men. never get on
railroad train but am stared at like gorilla.
| [ have got SO that when start to travel pick
| out some fellow in the Car with long hair and
| big hat, tell the trainmen that's Bob Ford,
| and the passengers then pike him off, while L
| read or sleep"
Ford talks as glibly about his freebooting
| expeditions as does a prize fighter of his
! proves. Jesse James, he says, was not as
| dangerous man as Frank. Jesse was too
| nervous and tdgety. He was quick to shoot,
| but his aim was uncertain. Frank, when on a
| run, was as fussy as an Old woman, but his
| aim was deadly and his nerve steady. lie was
| moro Intelligent than Jesse. but he was not as
| true q friend. "Thcy say that Frank has
sworn to kill me on sight said Ford, ''but I
| don't believe it. There was no love lost be-
| tween Frank and Jesse, and two or three times
| they came very near having shooting scrape.
| Frank has had chance TO get at me, but he
did nothing. Soon after the St. Joe affair he and
| drank at tire same bar in Kansas City. We
watched one another in the glass; but didn't
turn around. l kept my hands above the bar,
and so did he. L understand he's a clerk in a
Texas Shoe store now, and if he is III bet lie
makes rafting salesman. He's the most
plausible talker [ ever listened to-"
Bat Masterson is generally recognized in the
camp as the nerviest man of all the fighters
here. He has a record for cool bravery unsur-
passed by any man in the west lie is man
aging the saloon and gambling house OF Wa
trous, Banninger 4 Co, rich Denver firm
which las opened a branch here. Their bar
receipts average $3.50 day: There is no tell
ing how much they rake Off the gaming table
every twcnty-fOur hours. .Every gambling dye !
ice known to the west is carried on in their
house, and every table is literally full
night and day Masterson walks around
the house about sixteen hours out of the
twonty-four and knows everything that is
going on. He is a shCrt, thick man Of thirty |
eight. He wears a corduroy suit Of lavender
color and plain black tie, without JcWelry of
any kind. He is an Illinoisan by birth. but
has been in the toughest sections of the west
for twenty years. There is no blow or sWag-
ger about him. lie is OF unusually pleasant
address, and his language is that of a man Of
uncommon education His department. and
bearing such that, despite the fact you
know his record you could never summon
bardihood enough TO ask him about some Of
his eScapadeS. But all the tOughs and thugs
fear him as they do no other dozen men IN
camp. Let an incipicnt riot start and ali that
is necessary to quoll it is the whisper, There
comes MastersOn."
Mastorson has been living quiet and I'M
evcntful life at Denver for the past ten years,
serving most Of the time deputy sheriff
Of Arapahoe county. lie has never been des-
pcIado in the sense Of other men with whom
his name has beon connected. lie doesn't |
stand accused of train robbery and such like
deeds Of Iawlcssncss. But many is the man
who did commit these deeds that lie has met
aud vanquished, lie has been in nearly |
every rough town Of the west since 1872 as q |
gambler ION the inside" as the sports term it, |
and he has come through many a shower of |
bullets unscathcd. but his pistol has caused |
innumerabe OF the Composition" to bite the |
dust. Perhaps the most doggedy dangerous |
of Dodge City Kan Webster.in the palmy days |
was running asaloon and gambling house i'll |
Dodge. So was AIaStGrsCn, and out OF this bus |
mess rivalry sprang an anllGOSty between the |
twomen. IL a town election Webster defeated |
Masterson for marshal. Not content with |
his political victory, Webster declared boldly |
that lie and Masterson could no longer live III |
the same town. The day after the election |
the defeated candidate went to visit Luke |
Short, another nervy man, in Texas. While !
away he heard of the threats Webster had |
made and the railroads cOuldn't bring himback
to Kansas fast enough. Some Of the marshaPs |
friends saw Masterson OH the ran going out |
of Kansas City west, and wiz h N this brief,
but ominous message:
"Masterson on train bound for Dodge"
That was enough for Webster. He k new !
that it meant the fight of his life. He rallied |
tho boidest Of his friends around him, armed |
them to the teeth, and waited the trains ar |
rival. The marshaps posse was in Webster's |
saloon close to the depot TO get TO his |
own place Masterson was compelled to |
walk right by the saloon that was for tho |
noNce veritabe arsenal. He knew the men |
were in there. The doors and windows were |