The New York herald., 1921-10-31
Bat Masterson in Creede.
The Benevolent THEFT OF ParsOn
UzzelPs Trousers.

To THE NEW YORK HERALD: first
knew Bat Masterson shortly after his
Dodge City days, when Nick Creede had
found pay streaks of spectacular Vaiue
in the gulches up among the headwaters
of the Rio Grande In 1890. Creede the
town, known variousiy as Jimtown and
Amethyst, from a one tent camp grew
in six months to be city of some 1s,0oo
people and the proverbial fioclSing OF
prospectors and others followed Creede's
luck.
I had gone into the gulch when the
narrow gauge branch of the ID. and X. G..
was built in from Wagon Wheel Gap.
and established the first newspaper early
in the game. The following winter Mas
terson and Mart watrous came down
from Denver and "opened up a restraw
and run tabble dote." just as Casey
did on Red Hoss Mountain. AS news
paperman it was necessary for me TO
greet the newcomers and obtain an In
|terview. 1t was about third drink time.
say about o'clock in the evening. The
place was crowded.
The bar-a long, low, rakish bar at
the right as one entered-wss shining
in its newness, and ranged In front, ceie-
brating the opening of the place, were
personages. There was Jefferson RAN
dolph Smith-"Soapy'- met his end
in Skagway years afterward: Joe Sim
mons, his running mate; Doc Pratt,
who nursed most Of us through pneu-
monia. that winter Colonel s. X. Hooper
Of the Denver and Rio Grande, Nick
Creede. discoverer of the Last Chance !;
Dick Plunkett, Deputy United States
Marshal: Bob Ford. slayer of Jesse
James. who was killed by Ed Kelly the
Following summer; Dick Bradshaw. who
had found--and lost--more pay streaks
than any prospector OF his day; Old Man
Wason. the ranchman who kept the toll
rate down the river Frank Atkins of
the Rocky Mountain Ne,Cs, and lot
more. including Lon Hartigan. formerly
OF Chatham Square and then my asso-
ciate on my newspaper This was be-
fore Cy warman had Joined me and
made the town famous when he wrote
for Mr.. Dana of The SUN the affecting
ballad OF f+N
Itss day all day in the daytime.
And there is no night in Creedc.
BacN OF the bar was large room,
probably fifty by sixty feet, equipped
with sundry devices for the trial OF luck
and skill as to the manipulation Of dice.
cards. keno markers. roulette wheels and
plain poker The tables were baize COW
cred. the chairs comfortable--and time
was no object thirty years ago.
The room lent itself admirably as a
place of meeting, and one Sunday, when
parson Tom Uzzell of the Peoples
Church in Denver came down to reform
us a whole lot, Masterson and Watrous
volunteered to give him the use OF II
for holding services that he might bring
Il--fore us some vision Of our unregener-
acy and lead us. possibly, In paths OF
greater righteousness. II memory still
holds her seat, Il was Soapy Smith who
called the meeting to order and intro
-duced the parson. Play at the tables
stopped, but throughout the sermon.
which dealt with the Prodgals return.
the players. whose game had been in
terrupted let their chips slide remin-
iscentIy through their fingers, making
comfortable cliclsings as they stacked
together and absentmindcdly the faro
dealer stunned his cards. At the end,