The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-26
THE NAN WITH APLUG HAT.
Eat MAsTERsoN's TIsIT TO RENO IN
ITS TOUGH DAYS.
The Little MARTA By VShich RIoodshrd Was
Avoided-One Roint on which u Fnrnoua
Gun Ftrhter was C~rnuky-Trinru That
NJ. .-.-....A nn.-II- -.

Avotded-One Point on which u Famous
Gun FIGHTER was Crnmky-Trlnru THAT
Have Frevented Homicide In the west.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 25.-"Shooting.bec that
might have proved wicked and deadly have
often been switched Off and prevented by mar.
row margins, often by mere accident, out in the
Rocky towns and amps" said Joe Forsythe of
Reno, New. I've seen three or four instances
OF this myself. In 1856 1 was running a small
hotel in Reno, about a block from the railroad
station. Reno wasn't a reform town at that
timo by n whole lot, and it isn't AN especially
long-eared town now. for that matter. But
ten years ago the boys in Reno used to Mug
away at each other on smaller provocation, and
a good deal oftener than they do now. for tho
best to be had out there Mt that time was sage
brush whiskey that burns holes in limestone,
and 1t kind O. kept their nerves on edge.
Zone January day Reno got into the middle
OF a pretty bad blizzard, and the snow piled up
to about n foot and n half on the level. The
express train from tho East, San Francisco
bound, was n couple OF hours late. 1t was
due to stop at Reno at @ o'clock in tho evening,
but 1t did not haul into the station until a bit
after 3. Reno wasn't yet over the holiday
drunk, and the town was pretty lively. About
fifty OF the mon wero down ut the station to see
the train come in and to give male arrivals ut
Reno q warm reception, should there DO any.
There was one. He was a compactly built
man with grayish hair and q serious countc.
nance. He looked like one of those whiskey
drummers that never sample their own goods.
He was logged out In swell Eastern style. lilo
wore a fine chinchilla ulster that reached al.
most to his heels. and was trimmed with seal
skin, patent leather shoes, and. "A plug hat!
Now, that mans situation when he got Off
tho train and clutched his two big grips was
not one that I'd have cared to be ina plug hat
IN Ropa vyhan pa,n ,,,, ,t.tl oatI;. x...l
tho regulation three weeks holiday jag, and
all of the boys right on the spot into the bar.
gain. The poor man stepped from the train
with his two grips. The boys wasted no time
in giving him tho boot. They didn't make any
hostile demonstrations, nor dance around him.,
nor attempt to ~perforatc the hat with forty
Fights, but they just howled IN unison rs he
walked along the platform with a grip in each
hand. The man with the plug hat didn't pay
tho slightest attention to them. He looked
neither to the right nor to the left. Not a muscle
OF his serious face twitchcd. He kept right on
his way down the platform, bound for my hotel.
This GOODNESS on the part Of the man with the
plug hat did not please the boys. They wanted
him to get mad and say things, in order that
they might have fun with him.
What kind Of O tendcrfoot Is this, any
howT they asked each other as the new arrival
disappeared around the corner of the station.
And where do VIC get the worth of our money
out O. himl'
''They all made a rush for the end of the sta
ton around which the man with the plug hat
had disappeared. He had not gone more than
fifty feet from the station, for there were some
pretty heavy snowdrifts along the path to my
hotel, and his satchels were heavy. The hat
looked tempting, and the snow was everywhere
at hand. The boys began to pelt at the plug hat
with snowballs. Most of them had hands on
'em like hams, capable OF crushing a handful of
snow into q ball of leo with one crunch. The
whole fifty Of them pegged away at the hat.
But the man probably wore a charm inside the
The man was hit everywhere else from the
nape of the neck to the heels. but his hat was
balls were heaved at it BY men with trained
m mar sa1 diaD eyes Vs. The 1ror man nn underneath ihe
right along to the door of my hotel with Ls
two grips. He didn't even drop the grips to feel
Of HIS neck and ears when the snowballs pasted
II was behind the hotel desk when the man
with the plug hat came in. He walked up to the
How are your said he to me.
'Then he took Off his plug hat and laid it down
ulster and his cutaway coat underneath it, and
peeled OFF both at the same time. AS he stood
eye caught sight Of q gold star, with a big dias.
nond set in the contre Of it. pinned to his left
su, pendor. that had slipped a bit from beneath
and made for the door at which he had come in,
i saw in each of his hind pockets n gun that
"Bareheaded and in his shirt sleevcs,and with
a sort of Pickering, smile at the corners of his
went out the door. The street was well lighted
all the way down to the station. He Owed into
gan to make snowbaIIs like a man who 6ad of.
ten made EN- before. He piled up a stack of
tTSnf Ssd Or be salr belt Fioedb him Gne 8 e 59d9Es the tn fellows
before, and were now coming in his direction.
got on to him.. Then he began to neave his
N ntVhn III m TIM Innp LraN .r--,l. -
threw hit a man. The gang n set Up a sn howl Of dee Ee
light. and began to pelt him in return. They
the toes of his shoes, but he didn't mind it a lit
tie bit: apparently, and continued firing 'em
back at them, one man against fifty, for twenty
minutes. He got n lot OF EN- right in the eye,
"When he got tired of the game he walked
coolly into the hotel again and went over to a
washstand In the corner to wash up. without
"rhen the gang came in in a body, looking for
the man who had worn the plug hat, whom they
approved and admired. They admired and ap-
big guns, sticking out of his hind pockets, and
they, looked like they were still wondering
four Of the boys went up to the stranger.
You're all right. Cap they said 10 him pa
for a man wearin' a dicer like that you had on.
We didn't mean you no harm, you understand.
"@nef beS yom i when d nm ot home, said the ou,e,
man.. From Leadville just now
See you're heeled, all right, said one Of the
IVY PN'A'.'f ~. ~ A"hp' - bhilbs w udI
would You do with EN-. anyhow. in u pinchT
1.-THE stranger looked at the speaker with q
vague sort OF smile.
" Well said he, II any of you fellows had
hit that hat of mine maybe there'd have been
some, dead ones around here. l can stand for
any kind of u game of fun except having my
hat knocked off. l take cold easily. you see.'
"The thunder you say said some of the
boys, and they looked again like they, thought
this stranger was n queer kind of duck. They
stood around without saying much until he got
through washing up. When he got through
no came over to the desk, and ! turned the reg.
lister around for him to put his name on Il. Ho
then in small, neat handwriting. he put down
this Inscription: bartholomew Masterson,
II hauled the register around and looked at
the name. Bat Masterson resumed his plug
hat and cutaway coat. and waited for me to Us.
sign him q room. l gave him the best in tho
house. After he had gone upstairs some of
the boys walked over TO the desk 10 have n look
at the register. The first man who got his eye
on the new arrivals pane gave a jump and
then turned TO the crowd.
" Say, said he, you fellows can all pass by
me In lnjun file and lei me kick you good and
hard. and whom 1t Is all over you can all kick
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