Photo from the authors collection
"Bat Masterson was the quintessential Peace Officer, who's good
works are apparent by the legacy that he left behind"
-The Author
William B. 'Bat' Masterson, Was Ford County Sheriff and Dodge City citizen. W. B. "Bat" Masterson was born William Bartholomew (nee, Barclay) in Iberville County, Quebec, Canada on November 26, 1853. Bat was the second of five children. According to Masterson, in his book Gunfighters of the Western Frontier (1907), he gained his nickname later in life. Bat Masterson was the quintessential Peace Officer, who's good
works, level head and attention to duty are apparent by the legacy that he that he left behind.
"It was as a hunter he won his name of 'Bat', which descended to him, as it were, from Baptiste Brown, or 'Old Bat', whose fame as a mighty nimrod was flung all across, from the Missouri River to the Spanish Peaks, and filled with admiration that generation of plainsmen which immediately preceded Masterson upon the Western stage."
-Bat Masterson
Bat Masterson moved to Kansas sometime in 1871, he and his family settled near the small farming community of Sedgwick which is located near Wichita Kansas, along with a family friend, buffalo hunter, H.H. Raymond. The Masterson family had previously farmed in New York and Illinois. During the fall and winter, 18-year-old Bat went west to hunt buffalo with his 19-year-old brother Ed, together they camped with other hunters working along the Salt Fork River in present Comanche and Barber counties, Kansas. During this time, Ed and Bat Masterson met several people who would become Western legends, including Billy Dixon, Tom Nixon, "Prairie Dog" Dave Morrow, and Bat's lifelong friend, Wyatt Earp. Bat and his brother also worked on a crew grading roadbed for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad. Their territory covered a four-mile stretch from near Fort Dodge, KS to a tent town then called "Buffalo City" later Dodge City. According to Robert M. Wright, Dodge City's founder, in his 1913 book, "Dodge City, the Cowboy Capital"
"Bat Masterson was the real deal. He came west in the 1870s and was at the Battle of Adobe Walls where the buffalo hunters held off the Comanche. He was an Army scout against the Kiowa; in 1877 he joined his brother Jim and Ed in Dodge City and was elected Sheriff of Ford County where he had a commendable record."
-True West Magazine
The Battle of Adobe Walls
Probably the most amazing and poignant story about Bat was his involvement in the Battle of Adobe Walls, it was in June 1874, when he was in the Texas Panhandle, when he along with other buffalo hunters took part in the Battle of Adobe Walls, Texas, starting on June 27, Bat was one of twenty-eight men and one lone woman in the poorly protected settlement of Adobe Walls. They faced with an attack by 800-1000 Native Americans Indians, lea by Chief Quanah Parker, who commanded the Comanches; Lone Wolf, the Kiowas; Stone Calf and White Shield, the Cheyennes against the white buffalo hunters.
Law Enforcement
In 1877, Bat Masterson was elected sheriff of Ford County, which included Dodge City. His tenure was marked by decisive action against crime, especially horse theft. He was known for apprehending nearly every horse thief who dared to operate in the area Police1. His leadership helped bring order to the chaotic frontier town.
In 1879, he served as deputy U.S. marshal for Dodge County. While working in this role, he was part of the local “Gang” of town bosses, but his law enforcement duties were often tied to protecting the community and enforcing federal and local laws. Bat’s brothers, Ed and Jim, were also active in law enforcement. Ed served as assistant marshal in Dodge City and was known for his bravery,
"In June 1877, Ed was appointed deputy marshal of Dodge City and very quickly became popular and respected throughout the entire town. Seven months after his appointment to the police force, he was promoted to city marshal. In the evening hours of April 9, 1878, Ed, along with his deputy, Nat Haywood, tried to control a group of cowboys wooping it up at the saloon. Ed disarmed Jack Wagner and gave the gun to Wagner's boss, A.M. Walker. When Masterson left, Walker returned the pistol to Wagner. Wagner went outside and got into a wrestling match with Ed. Wagner's pistol discharged in the struggle and the bullet hit Masterson in the abdomen and exited through his lower back. Even though shot, and his jacket on fire from the powder blast, Ed pulled his gun and fired 4 shots, killing Wagner and wounding Walker. Masterson then turned and stumbled 200 yards to the saloon and fell to the floor. He was carried to brother Bat's room where he died a short time later. He was 25 years old. Ed's funeral was attended by the entire town who mourned the loss of the lawman that they had come to love and respect."
-Find a Grave
refs
- kansashistory.us/fordco/batmasterson
- True West Magazine
- Find a grave
