The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1909-07-29
BAT MASTERSoN'S DODGE STORY.
What the Present Prosperous Town
was Like, Back in 1872, when
''Bat" was Sheriff of Ford
County, Kansas.
(Reprlnted from the N. Y. Morning Telegram

(Reprined from the N Y. Morning Telegram)
ODGE CITY quiet and ambke her glory the el
- the great Southwest has long departed nothing but
Of them remain Many them Boot Hill
named and we'll peopd There will Dodge this country
The started the fall Of 1872 several years remained
struggling village through the street which the
Achon Topeka Santa Fe Raway Every other main
street saloon in which gambling every variety was conducted
where thousands Of dollars nightly changed hands The was the
sheriff the county the time In those days the who the town
were free OF speech ready fight all firm foes
Charles 3asset Wyatt carp Ben Thompson, Josh Webb Billy Tghman
Neil Brown and others equal force Of character
Warwicks Of the place in those days.
Saloons dance houses hotels and general Quitting
two other business places composed the mercantile and social
town. There also church. and the pastor good who was
thoroughly liked everybody The edifce which religious
were held sat On the hill and there were services Sunday The
he held them The pains and penalties be visited upon those
Hskeo no IN the and path distinctly understood
and this arrangement violated While there shooting
sosps: which men and sometimes killed. these
selves and their neghbo wor mans too
s sn Soss s her
being Of the deacns Of the church. He
fellow other was for @ H9vs7 shs r 'ns
not against him He passed the plate Sunday mornings and
as known turned in the full amount Of the collection
The town the wdopn days Saloons dance
halls variety shows and all other forms night and
the afternoon however, the place up the shades
night business got into ga BOOM There
ming There were many shooting ARRAYS which the principals
cashd IN Tor all Time Everybody had and everybody spent
Much money lost at gambling Poker
bank and Spanish monte the generally
From 1876 1884 the town relied chiefly the support
when there less than shipped from
the okyards just east Of town. These immense herds cattle
driven the Northern markets from Southwestern and usually
took about three months make the trip Dodge City pay
Tor the herd bosses and the cowboys The imagine the
conditions that prevailed town with from
cowboys with three months their pockets bent getting
quickly possible The population the
did not exceed thousand souls but the during busy
often reached five times that number The COWBOYS generally
the Sunday school prohibition ORDER The majority never
seen railroad until they reached Dodge They had been brought up
Western Texas far from civilization and might DO expected
element deal with drunk sober Many verb demons
when under the influence LIQUOR and they all supplied with
shooters ard winchester rifles they anything ame
With the Dodge City brand ngot They had conception law
never having lived under its restraining influence
Disputes often settled by the Winchester and the
man who couldn't defend his usually had them him
The cowboy who surrendered his shooting without struggle
generally held in disgrace by his compas better fight and
lose than to not fight at ALL The cowboy code of
recognized no such thing gutter be uhuy however
that Dodge City one town The cowboys They
several occasions during the eight the
wrsted every me at Baxter Springs Newton Abilene
Great Bend all cattle shipping points Kansas another
cowboys succeeded in doing much they pleased they
reached Dodge they bumped into set Of who them