The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-26
HIS BLUSHING HONORS.
The Story OF an Election In The Pan
handle.
How Burch Masters Conquered a
Frontier Town and Became It's sher-
in-An Incident of Texas Life.
From the st. Louis Republic.

We were all young and hopeful together
up in the big, bare, northwest end of
Texas in the early '70's, when cattle were
first taken in there, and Masters was a
sort of popular idol with it's scattering
citizenship.
There was enough Buffalo there for any
body's taste, and more than enough In
dams. Men of his stamp were needed and
appreciative, and he became an unelected
leader, if not ruler, in his section
There are people, l know, who call
Burch Masters vain, and speak of him as
the very type of frontier dandy, because
of his'fowing hair, his magnificent SOM
breos, magnificently worn, and the care
fully careless arrangement of his
streaming crimson neckties but they
are people who have never seen
him in action, or under fire, and
who do not know him as we, his
old friends and partners, know him l do
not think he is any more proud of his
curling locks than the desert lion is of
his tawnY name. His tendency toward
tonsorial and sartorial gorgeousness is
but the outcome and natural accompani-
ment of his physical perfection. 1t is
an intoxication few of US can measure,
to be formed exactly right in this world
of mishappen, wry-built experiments.
Along in 80, when the Panhandle got
too civilized TO give him fair scope, he
joined the Rangers. Then he was a scout
with Miles, and after Geronimo, and into
every border scrap we ever had with the
Mexicans, always distinguished himself
and making our little Panhandle town
proud TO think it had once belonged to
him.
When he finally came back after a lon
ger absence than usual, having been down
in old Mexico and seen some hard fight
ing with the presidential forces, he found
US assuming metropolitan airs.
A railroad had gone through the little
handful of 'dobe huts that used to repre-
sent the country town. We had a big
frame Queen Ann hotel and fancy
depot-in short, the place was on a boom
In spite of changes, Masters owned the
town about as soon as he set foot in it,
and he hadn't been with us two weeks,
renewing old friendships and captivating
everybody who'd not met him before, till
heard that number of his old friends
were talking of running him for sheriff.
Burch Masters speechmaking, mixing,
conciliating votes The idea was prepos-
ferrous, and ours was holly contested
Political headquarters in a cow town is
at one saloon or another. Ours was at
the Roundup Saloon" There was plenty
of money, everybody was treated and
things went well enough when our candi-
date wasn't present. Graceful as he had
always been in posing as sort of I'M
crowned potentate, he couldn't seem to
get around to the position of sutton of the
sovereigns at all.
hC
"Roundup," was Masters great admirer,
used to come to me daily with the most
doleful tales and representations
This yer 'lectiOn'S gone fawn skin 4;
he's beat right now," he would say, "an'
him sech a man-worth any ten we've
got! But the boys won't stand i'm
Glover Nance comes in yesterday-you
know Nancel'
"a mighty rancid chap" said I. "How
did he and Masters make it,"
Rancid or no rancid, Y groWled, Spike,
"he's hustler and the best worker at the
polls in West Texas. How did they mako
it, Well, Nance asked him how many dep
pitites he was going to pint, n Masters
SEE, lookin out the winder like he wuz
bevin' his likeness struck, EZ many as
the work calls fer
You'll agree that warn't noways en-
couragin' but Nance, he ups and SEE
'DGClueu ON any u IlbF UdiueS WIZ
4 don't see ez tibet would consarn you
in the least seq Masters, turrible sur
rymonyus, sence yore name won't DO one
on 'em under any circumstance.
well, well, l answered, making the
best of bad matter, I'VE don't want
Glove Nance for deputy sheriff, do we9
Masters is right" 5EH
son, he's right 'nuff," groaned poor
Spike; but why making me present of
his whole ethetical code in one sentence)
couldn't he IA hilt onto his sentymints till
after 'lectionl"
There were many, many things Masters
said and did in the next three weeks that
might, with profit, have been ''hilt onto
till after 'lection;' but he was neither to
hand nor TO bind"
He told the Mexicans that this was a
white mans election and they'd better
stay out. He informed the wheelhorses
of his party, when interrogated as to his
future policy in some particular, that he
should run the office exactly to his own
ideas, consulting nobody: he turned on
Bat Everson when that worthy presumed
to slap him on the back and inform him
that he was the man, with the icy irony
1T may be possible, but don't think I've
got your brand on mel; and he hustled
the men he was told he must treat, up to
the bar like man taking trail to
water.
Finally, just before election, it was de-
cided that he must make one speech, any,
how.
We got around him and told him how
hot the opposition was; how it seemed TO
be becoming more personal than political,
and he swore considerably and said he
didn't want the otf1ce, would beg nobody
for votes and address no meetings We
explained that backing out now would be
like backing out of a fghr-cowardly-
and that getting beaten was no compli-
ment to US, his friends.
"All right, boys" he said finally "don't
you try to spur me in the shoulder because
can't travel your gate. Tell me what
you want me to say and III try to say II. /,
The night came and we got him up be-
fore the motley assemblage out in front
of headquarters, looking somehow shorn
and Knocked.
The opposition was unfortunately out
in force. and our men were few. He saw
faces that reused all the fight there
was in him. He halted through the SEN
fences we had put in his mouth and with
an i'll enough GRANGE. looking mostly at
his own hands or feet and speaking away
savagely to get to the end, when some
fellow in the back of the crowd inter
rupted him with choice bit of cowboy
badinage.
Then his head came up, his big eyes be-
gan TO glow lambently, and swept the
crowd from side to side. He was begin
ming TO take some interest in the proceed
ings.
He deftly unfastened belt of satiny
IL. i. IL, -