No Show Showdown

Reputations were handy if you were a lawman like Earp or Masterson. More than once both of them defused potentially deadly situations with little more than a steely eye and the imagination of what they might do. Some of those reputations, Masterson’s in particular were inflated by gaudy newspaper accounts, tabloid magazine stories and dime novels. Modesty never entered into debunking those stories. They were cheaper than ammunition.

Gamblers like Short and Holiday found comfort in their reputations. They made their livelihoods on the edges of society where liquor, winning, losing and chance might erupt into violence at any moment. Even a drunk might think twice about calling out Doc Holiday, Luke Short, Masterson or any of the Earps. Of the gamblers, Luke Short probably had the quickest gun and a resume as lethal as Holiday's.

During Abilene’s wide open Cowtown days, folks speculated about the speed and gunfighting prowess of Ben Thompson, John Wesley Hardin and City Marshal Wild Bill Hickock. It may have made entertaining speculation, but none of the principals wanted any part of a throw down. Hickock and Thompson may have walked up to the line over the Bull’s Head sign dispute, but that ended with a tongue-in-cheek white-washing of the anatomically correct offensive member. Hickock and Hardin had a respectful relationship. A reader from Hardin’s family tree once told me John Wesley wanted no part of tangling with Wild Bill. Hickock’s behavior suggests the feelings were mutual.

The closest account I can find to a high profile throw down happened in Dodge City September 18, 1878. Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson and a collection of no nonsense lawmen were taming the tough Cowtown. Many Texas cowboys resented the lawmen. Wyatt Earp was singled out, likely over the killing of one of their own George Hoy. Shootist Clay Allison rode into town backed by a couple dozen of his Texas pals. From there the story takes on a life of its own with Allison drinking his way around town looking for variously Wyatt Earp or Bat Masterson. Some accounts have a drunken Allison confronting Watt with Wyatt talking Allison down. Other accounts have Masterson hiding from Allison or breaking up the Earp stand-off. What we know is that Masterson was out of town at the time. Earp was busy with the Dull Knife uprising and Allison eventually gave it up and left town.

A post series on old west gunfighters hardly seems complete without mention of Billy the Kid. Regular readers of these posts know I’ve written books on the Kid’s career. The third, Bounty of Greed comes out next month. We’ve previously written about the Kid’s life and times in these posts, so we’ll not go there this time. The scars have barely healed from the last time I offended the Garrett clan.

Next week: 3:10 to Yuma
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Ride easy, Photo-art by Jim Hatzell
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