The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-01-02
EARP's GUN.
The Dead Shot Who Refereed Prize
Fight.

Known as a Desperate in the Wild and
WoolIy west-One of Family Who
Shot to Kil1-Earp Does Not Know
How Many Lives He Has Taken.
Wyatt carp, whose refereelng OF the
Sharkey # iztAimmons fight has made
him prominent in the sporting world, Ia
q man with record.
He has been identified with the most
awless times of the wild and woolly
West and can thank his own qu1ckness
W 18th mis- revolver for being able to ref
cree prize fight today. There is no rea
son why ia should be alive and walking
around. His good luck Is the only ex-
plapation that can be offered.
How many times he has been shot at,
or how many men he has killed he prob
ably does not know himself.
Two of his brothers have beenYshot down
beside him in desperate gun fights on
the border, and he has been "laid" for
| repeatsdIy, He is fine looking man,
nearly ak feet high, with light hair and
eyes Of that peculiar steely blue which
mark men who do not know what fear
| is and who shoot first and explain after
wards.
| He seldom smiles and is as slow to
| take up an argument. In crowd he is
| silent and reserved; with one or two per-
sons he talks freely and we'll, but he does
not like an audience. He always goes
armed. His gun is as much part OF
his dress as his hat and he would feel
| lost without It,
| His street and saloon fights with des-
peradoes sound like chapters from dime
novels.
| He is Missourian by birth, and shows
many Of the characteristics which
marked SO many of Missouri's desperate
and fearless fights.
In 1878 he was police officer at Dodge
City, Kan, which was then the end OF
the Frisco road, and the beginning of
the cattle trail.
Bat Masterson was sheriff, his broth
or, Eddie Masterson, was marshal and
Charley Bassett, Jim Masterson and
WYATT carp were deputies. 1t was q
tough town then and full of tough peo-
ple. The officers had shot eme cattle
man fullsof holes and his brother and
his crowd resolved to be revenged.
One day word came up the trail that
these men were coming to wipe out the
uffcers or die In the attempt. They
came. four Of them. Eddie Masterson
was on the street near the dance hall,
talking to a woman. The. gang from
the trail opened fire as soon as they saw
him. He was shot in the stomach and
killed. Masterson, Earp and the rest
were in the dance hall at the time, and
came out as soon as they heard the shots.
1t did not take them long to join in.
When the fight was over three Ut the
i four who had come up the trail were
dead and the fourth shot full Of holes.
Hs was nursed by his father in u little
room over the newspaper Office. The Mas
tersous said they would never let him
leave the town alive, but he sneaked out
one night en- midnight train.
At that time carp wore two big guns,
with white handles and long, shining
barrels. Hs dressed usually in blue fan
mel, without coat, and no collar to his
white shirt.
He is now very well dressed man,
but not conspicuous. He wears dark
clothes, patent leather shoes and silk
hat. He 10 as quiet rs ever and probably
as dangerous.
Another adventure no had in the shoot
ing line was at Tombstone, Ariz. His
brothers, Jim, Virgil and Morgan, were
with him then, and there was deadly
fsud between the Earps and the Clatin
party. They all attended the theater
one night, and one of the Ulatins put
his foot apon the edge of the bex. One
Of the carp party took offense at this and
put bullet through his foot. Then
everybody went for their guns and start
ed to shoot. There were four mon killed
in that encounter, two of them being
carp boys. Wyatt, as usual, came off
unhurt.
He has been through dozens Of similar
sorapes and always escaped unhurt, not
that he avoided danger, because he does
not seem to know what ii Is. but his
luck was always with him in all his en-
1 COuubeES.
William Llswellyn Saunders. the cleo
ton commissioner, tells an interesting
story of his meeting with Wyatt carp
in 1883.
} 1t was in Albuquerque, N. M, in
1885," said Mr.. Saunders, 'twhsu first
saw Wyatt carp. That section of the
country that time was very wild and
lawless. People were shot and killed on
ths streets almost every day. 1t was a
, hang-out for cowboys and gamblers, SO
that there was always some trouble
afoot
II was running paper called the
Review, and Tom Hughes was running
the Journal Wiley Bunnell, now run
ing paper in Duluth. was down there
at the time. My foreman WAS r. L.
Hutchinson, who is now a successful
physician at Pana. Ill.
Zone day. just as was going to press,