The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-01
LUKE SHORTS PLUG HAT
PUT THE FAMOUS MAN KILLER To
HIS SEVEREST TEST
OF NERVE
WORE IT INTO DODGE CITY
Hat MastersOn Tells How He
Risked the Bad Men
There to Win "a
Bet.

Whenever Bat Masterson visits New
York his friends count upon rare treat
in the matter of story telling. During
his recent sojourn in the metropolis he
reei"d off this Renaissance of Luke
Short to a group of admirers:
You wouldn't think, would you, that
the mere wearing of plug hat on a
single occasion would constitute the most
remarkable test of nerve that the famous
Luke Short ever underwent, especially
after rejecting that Short. as marshal
of some Of the worst towns in the South
west, had been compelled to kill as many
as twenty-five men?
"WelI, it was, and Short several times
told me so himself 1t happened in Dodge
City, when Dodge City was about the
worst town on the map of the world, let
alone in this country. Short had been
spending some time in La Junta, Col,
ana one day he met there a freighter
who had just got in from Dodge City.
Short got into talk with the freighter,
and asked him about the town he had
just LEFT behind him.
- hear it's right smart bad down
that way said he. How about it? Was
thinking some Of going there
Stay away, podner,' replied the
freishtcr. They'll sit you sure. They
git TWO or three every night in Dodge.
Tut it to a Eastern Teller The other day
I T uothn' but wearin' a plug hat
He ACCEPTED TIE WAGER.
60 That So said Short, who was un-
known to the freighter. I guess I'll go
there tomorrow, and 1 guess I'll wear
plug hat when I get there
The freighter sized the small sandy
bearded Luke up out of the tail of his
eye. seemingly trying to determine
whether he was crazy or just a buffer
got $500 that says you won't go to
Dodge with plug hat on he said,pdlI-
ing out his roll
You're on said Short, pulling out
his Wad instantly.
THE freighter was puzzled to have his
wager picked up so quickly, but he
stood Cor it, ard both men put up their
money with the La Junta agent of the
express company. They arranged 20
start for Dodge City the next week
Short sent up to Denver for SO silk
hat, and it reached him a couple Of days
later. TWO days after that they took
the train in company for Dodge. the
freighter being still unaware of Shorts
identity as the quickest man on the trig-
ger III the whole West, as well as the
most dangerous man in a knife fight.
As the train drew close to Dodge City
the freighter said to short:
90 'Podner, yC' had better take my adj
vice and not git off with that thing on
yo' head. Io' kin pull yo' bet down. 1
don't know nothin' about yo' family, or
even if yo' got one but eff the boys
shoot yo' up, as they re boun' t do, it'n
sort o. stick by me, and 1 amt no killer
myself Better git off with yo' regular
everyday hat on.
LUKE SHORT MERELY SMILED
Luke smiled
The bet stands, said he, and he
reached down to the bandbox, pulled out
the silk hat stroked it with the sleeve of
his blue flannel shirt, and put 1t on. He
had two guns strapped to his waist, top
boots and all that sort of d makeup, but
yet with it all, he looked the quiet, I'M
assuming little chap he always was.
There was the usual crowd of men
around the station when the train pulled
up, and the usual number of them were
drunk and boisterous.
L reckon I'll stay aboard an watch
TIL game, said the freighter, when he
saw the crowd.
An right said Short, and then he
stepped out TO the car platform, queer
picture, with the plug hat set jauntily on
one side Of his head and his makeup of
a frontiersman.
Howdy, Luke said Lafe' Towers,
the night marshal, who was in the crowd
at the station. Towers was the only man
there who knew Short and he didn't say
anything about it.
''The eyes of every man in that crowd
of nearly one hundred men were on
Luke Short as he calmly stepped from
the train, and not a man said a word.
There was something in Shorts serious
countenance, in his determined carriage,
and probably in the incongruity of the
shiny silk hat in combination with the
blue flannel shirt and the other strictly
Western effects in dress, that seemed to
hold them off. 1t would have been quite
in keeping with the customs and prac-
tees of Dodge City for the bunch of men
at the station to shoot that silk hat into
ribbons as Short deliberately walked
down the main street. without once turn
ing around, but that is just the thing
that didn't happen.
NOT A SHOT WAS FIRED.
ct didn't happen at any stage of the
game, either; there wasn't even a Single
shot fired Short walked into the Cid
Rd Grub saloon. still with that shiny hat
Set on one ear, strolled up to the bar, and
asked for drink. There were a lot of
pad men in the saloon, but they just
looked. They didn't say anything alb tut
lhe hat and they didn't shoot Short
took his drink, and then removed the hat
ind held In In his hands for a minute.
" i don't seem to get any action on
this thing, he said, out loud, and so it's
or no further use to me.
"Whereupon he placed it on the floor,
brim down, and jumped on 1t until it was
pulp. Meanwhile the freighter had fol-
lowed him up, noticing that there was no
shooting, and he took Short by the hand
" Podner,' said he. 'yo win, and you
kin TELEGRAPH tn man at La Junta T. send
tn dust along to We. While 1 resoeaks
yo' FIR bein' man O. nerve KANT re-
speck yO' FIR being d-n fool. WITCH
the same, begin y'r pardin', I thinks
go is.
Nobody ever made any lungs at Luke
Short while he was in Dodge City. it's
needless to say"