Bolivar, Missouri

Lawman Bat Masterson always thought his brother was too kind to be a deputy. He was right. Deputy Marshall Ed Masterson preferred to try and work things out peacefully and give offenders the benefit of the doubt. His conciliatory nature led to his demise. This week in 1877, the Dodge City Deputy Marshall tried to put an end to a quarrel between Ed Shaw and Texas Dick Moore, co-owners of the Lone Star Dance Hall. All of them got shot up in the melee. Including an innocent bystander, but happily all recovered fully. It’s sad to note the Ed was eventually shot and killed while on duty in Dodge. The bullet struck at such a close range it set his jacket and vest on fire. He called out to his brother, Bat, who came to his brother’s side as fast as he could. Bat was brokenhearted and made sure the people responsible for his brother’s death paid. I admire that attitude and how brothers and sisters stuck together during that time period. The Earps, the Mastersons, the Tilghmans, family came first. No one who killed one of their siblings was allowed to get away with it. Perhaps the visitor to my sight from Bolivar, Missouri in the 7 o’clock hour yesterday were hoping such an attitude did not exist today. I assure you it does. The devotion even extended into the 11 o’clock hour when the visitor from Bolivar had a visitor from Norborne check out the site. And so I will say it again…my brother isn’t what you claim. Even after he’s gone I’m going to keep fighting for him. Watch for The Plea coming to bookstores. And make plans to see Conviction coming to a theatre near you.