The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-06-09
THEY SAY HE'S GAME
The Man Who Is Said to Keep an Eye
Out for Gould.
HE IS HANDY WITH GUNS
He Has Shown Himself to Be the
Boss of the Road Every Time
But He Never Starts
Any Trouble.
IE IS HANDY WITH GUNS
Special Correspondence or the standard

il tairly educated man. well posted. ans
3 one whose word, in the slang phrase
: goes He ran away from home IN
5 1875 or 1874 and went west. where n,
l met and travelled with Wild Bill a
= notorious character who was killed In
D 1874 by gambler in Navaline. Kan.
ana Masterson drffted westward and
t formed the acquaintance Of Luke
: I snort Short was an old friend OF
, wild Bill. and he told Short that the
hoy Masterson who was with him was
one OF the nerviest fellows he ever
met, one who was not afraid. and
would dare To do what others trembled
at the thought OF. When Masterson
reached Dodge City il was TO find that
tie town was overrun with a lawless
eiement. Dodge was then the end OF
the Iexas cattle trail. and from that
point all the beef in the country. IL
might be said. was shipped TO the Chi
caBo market But the place was in
the hands OF the cowboys. who made
NE dangerous. took possession OF the
saloons and robbed and pillaged the
place whenever the fancy struck them.
marshal had no terror for them.
: several had been appointed, and those
that had not been killed had resigned
or allowed the cowboys TO do as they
The saloon men Of the town were I'm
! terror, as were the gamblers Dodge
/ was profitable place for each II they
/ were LEFT alone. and as they constitut-
/ ed the government of the town they
mad appointed nearly everybody rec
I commended TO them. but alwavs with
/ Lne same result. They relied on Luke
| short. but fearless as he was, the cow
| boy crowd was too much for him. So
ne nailed the arrival Of Bat with de-
light, and calling the saloonkeepers
| and gamblers together. he Announced
| that he could recommend 10 them a
man who would restore order in Dodge
C1ty, and asked that Masterson be an
pointed marshal He was brought be-
Tore them-a mere boy 10 years of ace
and II was with some rniseivings
that commission was made out and
placed in his hands. Masterson imme-
dlateiy appofnfea as deputies Short
Parren Stevens and Pat Garrett. the |
latter the man who killed BILLY the |
Kid in New Mexico in the early sos |
IN fact, he gathered around him men |
who afterwards became famous on the |
frontier
Then Masterson called upon the va
Ilous tough men Of the place notified /
Them that he had been appointed mar
shal, that the town was i'm a lawless
condition, and that I'm the future acts
OF violence would not be tolerated. I
mere must be no more shooting out OF
lights In the saloons and gambling
houses; In short. they must behave
themselves or take the consequences.
ana that beginning the next morning
ne would expect every man to behave
hlmself. He was laughed at. and when
morning dawned "A wild orgie was in
progress: gambling houses were being
robbed, saloons being destroyed and
property generally i'm danger Master
son called on the crowd to disDerse
and a movement was made for re-
NolVers, when couple of shots from |
the new marshals revolver laid two !
tough men dead on the floor. and the |
crowd walked out as meekly as II IL
had been reared in slavery. II took a | I
couple or more killings to convince |
some OF the doubling bad men thar no | ,
was I'm earnest and that ne meant lust ,
what he said, and then the wheels OF | ,
the gambling houses turned in safety
ana liquor was dealt out over the bars |
pt the saloons in the knowledge that II
a row was started the town had a I
marshal who could restore order as
lulck as any dozen men i'm the county
Ihe tran nerds that came up from ,
Texas were sometimes ACCOMPANIED ,
by rough characters. And. after a
ong drive, they were certain 90 be I
ugly but Masterson was always equal I
% the occasion, and II is said that I'm C
al hts experience in Dodge CITY. and | c
III the trouble he has been through. Z
le never picked a quarrel. and he | {
leVer took advantage Of a mamie i,
liways gave the person he went after
chance. but he was too quick with c
us revolver for any OF them He has s
'een shot several times. badly wound
a. but never had a case Of "rattles"
md always knew just what he was do
ng ana Just what To do. The story is n
old or him that two drunken soldiers
ttempted 10 kill him near Dodge
hey saw him coming and dismount- 4,
ng' tied their horses together and | :
pened fire on him. He was badly
rounded. staggered 10 a fence and | d
rawing his revolver killed both of I s.
hem. Jim Masterson was killed AT I q
lodge during the days when Bat held | al
n the Santa Fe railroad and prevent ol
q that corporation from building into Z n
NJ place. -Four nameless men were / l.
ointed out 10 him. after the military -
~ the town, and one morning ne =
'alhed INTO a room where they were tu
nj killed the quartet "a
There ls bend in the Santa Fe
'ack as 10 enters Dodge CITY 10 the Z n.
ist. and at this point Mastarson Is n,
ported 10 have killed az different | -
mes no less than Il men. tough char a.
,ters who We're looking for trouble. IN
M whom he invariably accommodated 90
meeting them ON the outskirts OF pr
10 town. IN order not 20 disturb the | as
ace OF the place. on one occasion. I'm | y
.e summer OF 1875. six men whose | "
imFs are not now known. under the | -.
huence Of bad whiskey. decided thar =
ey would rob and burn the citv. m -
ey could n1t rob IT, they would SET
- Co BE-. and for this purpose thev
3 uizad a. mob and started for th.,
1c" that hoasteI an invincibla mar ha
al MastarsHn heard OF 10. Taking | co
w winchester rifle. De called his dap- | y,
les together and started f1r ths =
nd I'm the railroad track. and took uu '-
position behind the water tank. Tr / t'
rs not long until a cloud of dust was si
en-. and soon afterwards the forms gf "
e mob. lsd by the siN cow 5oys. Just | y.
low the tank, as though scenting al