#bat masterson

[citizenscreen]

On April 16, 1881, famed gunslinger Bat Masterson fought his last gun battle, known as the "Battle of the Plaza," in Dodge City, Kansas. He paid an $8 fine and retired.

[kwebtv]

Bat Masterson board game by Lowell Toys issued in 1958

[what-the-whump]

~The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, 2x13, Take Back Your Town~

[treadingsoftlyincombatboots]

April 28, 1883

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐨𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 — 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐖𝐚𝐫

In 1883, the infamous Long Branch Saloon sat at the center of one of the wildest political brawls the Kansas plains had ever seen. Luke Short — skilled gunfighter, cool-handed gambler, and no stranger to trouble — had bought out Chalk Beeson's stake in the Long Branch back in February and thrown in with partner William H. Harris. When Harris threw his hat into the ring for mayor that spring, it seemed like a natural move. But Lawrence E. Deger, backed by the self-styled "law and order" crowd, had other ideas. Harris lost, and Deger's entire slate swept the city council along with him.

The new council wasted no time. Two ordinances targeting vice, immorality, and vagrancy hit the books almost immediately — and anyone with eyes could see they were aimed squarely at the Long Branch. Then on April 28th, 1883, things came to a head. Three courtesans employed by the saloon were hauled in by police, even as women working in other establishments continued their trade without so much as a sideways glance from the law. That evening, Short got into a heated exchange with Louis C. Hartman that spilled fast into gunplay. Nobody caught a bullet, but Short found himself arrested on a firearms charge. He bonded out — and the powder keg only packed tighter.

The morning after his arrest, Short was marched to the train depot and handed a simple choice: east or west. He took the eastbound to Kansas City, where he linked up with Charles E. Bassett — former sheriff of Ford County and one-time city marshal of Dodge. Together, with the help of William F. Petillon, they began plotting Short's return.

On May 10th, Short stood before Governor George W. Glick in Topeka and laid out the case plainly: men had been run out of town without the benefit of law or due process. The governor brokered a ten-day cooling-off period, though not everyone was in a cooling mood. Thirteen men signed their names to a public statement making clear they'd take no responsibility for Short's safety if he lingered past his welcome.

Short went back to Kansas City, where Bat Masterson was waiting. They reached out to Wyatt Earp, and before long a formidable group of men — many of them well-acquainted with the business end of a pistol — had agreed to ride to Dodge. Constable Dave Marrow swore them in as deputies. Short, Earp, and Petillon met in Kinsley, Kansas, on June 3rd, 1883, and stepped off the afternoon train into Dodge City together. The next day, Mayor Deger issued a proclamation ordering every gambling house in town shuttered.

It was a bold move — and a costly one. The cattle drives were in full swing, and Deger's heavy hand threatened to choke the very commerce that kept Dodge breathing. The governor took notice. So did the Santa Fe Railroad, which had more than a passing financial interest in keeping Dodge City open for business. Both leaned hard on the mayor to find a resolution. Short, Earp, and their allies weren't inclined toward half-measures, and with a crew of deputized gunfighters at their backs, the threat of bloodshed hung thick in the air.

In the end, it was economics — not gunfire — that settled the Dodge City War. The mayor and council folded under the pressure, and the gambling halls, dance halls, and saloons swung their doors back open. That night, both sides gathered in a dance hall and shook hands over the whole affair, stepping back from what might have been one of the bloodiest standoffs the frontier had ever produced.

[countesspetofi]

Today in the Department of Before They Were Star Trek Stars, DeForest Kelley guest stars in "No Amnesty for Death," episode 25 of the third season of Bat Masterson (original air date March 30, 1961).

Kelley plays one of three men who are about to be hanged for their participation in the Lincoln County War when Bat Masterson arrives with a last-minute pardon, to the horror of the local sheriff, whose sons were killed in the conflict. As soon as the prisoners are released, they immediately rob a stagecoach and Kelley kills the driver. Masterson helps track them down, but instead of arresting them the sheriff starts a gunfight in which he and Kelley are both killed. Another perfectly good saloon floor ruined.

[spawksstuff]

Highwayman According to De's Characters

I was a highwayman

Along the coach roads I did ride With sword and pistol by my side

Many a young maid lost her baubles to my trade Many a soldier shed his lifeblood on my blade

The bastards hung me in the spring of '25 But I am still alive

I was a sailor

I was born upon the tide With the sea I did abide

I sailed a schooner 'round the Horn to Mexico I went aloft to furl the mainsail in a blow

And when the yards broke off they said that I got killed But I am living still

I was a dam builder

Across the river deep and wide Where steel and water did collide

A place called Boulder on the wild Colorado I slipped and fell into the wet concrete below

They buried me in that great tomb that knows no sound But I am still around

I'll always be around, and around and around And around and around and around and around

I'll fly a starship

Across the Universe divide And when I reach the other side

I'll find a place to rest my spirit if I can Perhaps I may become a highwayman again

Or I may simply be a single drop of rain But I will remain

And I'll come back again, and again And again and again and again and again And again

[iamrunning-low]

I see no difference

[hollywoodlady]

Gene Barry for 'Bat Masterson' (1958 - 1961).