The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-19

Miles disbanded his troops and estab-
lished cantonment on the Sweetwater
in the Panhandle of Texas. now called
Fort Elliott. Masterson made his head
quarters there for year. devoting him
self principally to the green cloth. and
it was during this period that he had
his first personal encounter.
III.
Masterson, Sergeant King Of the
troops stationed at the cantonment, and
two or three others, were gambling in
saloon when some controversy arose
and the game broke up in a row. King
thought Masterson gave him the worse
of 1t and laid for him. AS Masterson
was leaving the saloon King pulled his
gun and without any warning shot him.
the ball striking him In the groin and
lodging in the right side of the back
Masterson's GOODNESS and sure aim
stood him in good stead or he would
surely have been killed. He pulled mis-
gun and shot his assailant. killing him
instantly before he could fire second
shot. Then Masterson fell and was
carried to his quarters, 1t was sup
posed to die, but he recovered and was
tried and eXonerated for the killing of
King.
In the fall of the same year Master
son was called upon to take another
life to preserve his own. A buffalo
hunter named Charles Miller put up
at the cantonment one day and went
on bowling drunk He started in TO
shoot the town to pieces and by some
freak of Imagination conceived the idea
that Masterson intended interfering
with his sport Masterson made his
Headquarters at a saloon run by Char
lie Norton, who stopped short at the
end of rope at Kokomo, California, in
1880 for shooting the city marshal. Mil
Ter saw Masterson go in the saloon
t*..l l. f,,, 80. -
out any intimation of danger. Master
son walked out, and Miller, standing
about 10 feet away, opened fire. The
charm of Providence, which seems to
have stood between Masterson and
death so many times, willed that the
drunken hunters first two shots should
go wild and Masterson, seeing his only
chance for reaching a ripe old age lay
in killing the man. drew his gun and
fired before Miller could cock his wea-
pom for third shot The ball struck
Miller on the bridge of the nose and
ranging up through the brain put
sudden period to his career. No action
was taken against Masterson for this
killing.
In the spring of 1876 Masterson left
the cantonment and went to Fort
Dodge, Kansas. That summer the
Deadwood excitement broke out and he
Joined the rush to the Black Hills. re-
naming in Deadwood till fall, when he
returned to Fort Dodge. That year
was the first in which the cattle drive
came from Texas to Dodge. The San
ia Fe read built immense cattle pens
and the Texas cattle barons drove their
herds there to ship them East. The
cattle trade started at Baxter Springs,
Kansas in 1870. in 1871 it was divided
between Abilene and Newton. in 1872 1t
went to Wichita, in '73 and "a it was
at Ellsworth. in 70 it dropped back on
the Arkansaw river at Great Bend, and
the following year came to Fort Dodge.
In all these places the cowboys ran the
town during the cattle season, shot peo-
pie promiscuously. and there was no
hour of the day or night that pistols
were not popping They carried it to
such extremes that no mans life was
safe and the people of Dodge knew
what to expect when the Santa Fe be-
gan preparations to bring the cattle
trade there. The citizens determined
that Dodge should not be run by the
cow punchers, as the other towns had
been, and began casting about for a
man for sheriff who would be able to
keep some control over them. Just
about that time Masterson returned
from the Black Hills and was imme-
diately hit upon as the right man for
the place. He had hardly had time To
acquire a residence when election time