My A-to-Z Expedition Into the Wild West - Reflections

I had such a rip-roarin' good time this year on the A-to-Z!  It was my second year participating, but it was a year for firsts, as well.  First time I had the privilege of being a co-host.  First time I worked with a theme.  First time I did this as an established blog, as last year I had never posted publicly or tried to get attention to my writing at The Warrior Muse.

You, too can grab this badge and stick it on your blog. Thanks, Jeremy!
There were also many people I got to meet for the first time, many who I gained a friendship with.  There were blogs I found for the first time, read for the first time.  Fabulous firsts!

Boy, did I have fun!  I loved poring through information about the Wild West.  I spent hours reading and researching before I sat down to write my posts.  Sometimes I got so lost in what I was reading that I'd come around at 1 AM and realize I still needed to put all that information into an at least vaguely readable post.  Then would come the image search, with some being easier than others.  That was cool, too, with sometimes some fairly gross pictures, considering I was looking at post-hanging and post-shoot-em-up photos.  Some of you out there are probably quite relieved I skipped posting those photos, while others have already stopped reading to go hunt down some of those photos.  Happy searching!

What did I learn this year?  I learned that I'm still a little kid when it comes to researching history.  I learned I still enjoy research and the Wild West immensely.  I learned that I was right to think that I should have pre-written my posts and had every. single. one scheduled to post.  That was my intention, but I completely underestimated how sucked in I'd get and how long each post would take me to write.  Next year?  Haha, yeah, we'll see...

Despite my girlhood flirtation with the Wild West, I learned a ton I hadn't previously been aware of during this Challenge. Wyatt Earp a pimp...whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?  There were things that didn't make it into posts, because something else came along, such as the fact that Samuel Clemens was out west as a prospector before he became Mark Twain.  I bet when he washed his face in the stream he found gold dust in his 'stache.
  

I had so much fun, in fact, that I'm considering doing some posts on historical topics, just for fun.  For now, I'm resting.  This girl is tired!  I'm already considering themes for next year, though...

If you'd like to post a Reflections post and have everyone come on by and see what you had to say, sign up below.

Are you already thinking ahead to next year's A-to-Z?  Got any ideas?  What would you do differently?  The same?

May you find your Muse.

*Censored stamp courtesy of Mohamed Ibrahim, clker.com
**Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens picture from Appleton's Journal July 4, 1874; See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

M is for Bat Masterson

asterson. Bat Masterson.

Born Wiliam Barclay Masterson, Bat Masterson was more than just a lawman. He was a buffalo hunter, a writer, a gambler, a scout for the U.S. Army, and a U.S. Marshal. He is also the first Canadian "gunslinger" I've run across, so far. He was born November 26, 1853 in Henryville, Canada East. He was actually baptized as Bartholomew Masterson, but chose to go by William Barclay as he got older.

His father was first generation Canadian, with an Irish family, while his mother was born in Ireland. He had five brothers and two sisters, and was the second oldest. Two of his brothers would also become lawmen: James and Ed Masterson. But first, they took off, the three of them, to be buffalo hunters, somehow getting roped into fighting Indians, specifically the Kiowa and Comanche, for the U.S. Army. He fought in the Battle of Adobe Walls on July 27, 1874, at 21 years of age. It was during his buffalo hunting days that Bat Masterson met Wyatt Earp, who taught him how to gamble.

In 1877, Bat became a sheriff's deputy, along with Wyatt Earp, in Dodge City, Kansas. Just a year before, he had killed a man in a gunfight, though it was established that the man had begun the fight, all over a woman. When the man fired at Bat in a jealous rage, the woman threw herself in front of him. Bat came away with a gunshot to the pelvis, which he fully recovered from, but the bullet had gone through his lady first, killing her.

It didn't take long for Bat to become sheriff, just a few months, in fact. However, he was voted out in 1879, not due to lack of a sparkly record. During his time as sheriff he avenged his brother Ed's death in the line of duty (U.S. Marshal), brought in members of the Mike Roark Gang (train robbers) and the murderer of entertainer Dora Hand. There was never a complaint about him in his role of sheriff, and he very rarely had to pull his gun, his reputation as a sharp shooter preceding him wherever he went.

After he was voted out, he became a Deputy U.S. Marshal. He then began working with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, aiding them in their battle with the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad to establish a right of way through Raton Pass.

Lacking a badge, he drifted around as a gambler for a time, even joining Wyatt Earp as a casino/saloon enforcer and manager in Tombstone, Arizona. His time there was short, though, as a telegram arrived for him from an anonymous source stating that two fella's were going to kill his brother, James. He immediately raced back to Dodge City, running into the two men who were purported to be gunning for his brother. He immediately addressed them, asking to talk to them. They knew who he was, as well as that he was one of the best shots in the west, so they fled, inciting a gunfight (they shot first, or else they would have been killed immediately, or so folks said). Despite the fact that others joined in the gunfight, no one was killed, though Bat wounded one of them, resulting in his arrest. As the man survived, Bat was released on $8 payment, and he and James left Dodge City. This was his last gunfight; he was 27 years old.

Bat returned to his law roots shortly thereafter, serving as a marshal in Trinidad, Colorado and a sheriff in Pueblo, Colorado. He and his crew single-handedly cleaned up the city of Trinidad, Colorado in one year. As of 1888, however, he was back to dealing faro and gambling, working his way around Colorado. He and Soapy Smith were involved in a scandal together concerning election fraud in Denver, Colorado. This is also where he met his wife, an actress (gee, he and Wyatt had a LOT in common) named Emma Walters.

It was his involvement in gambling that led him to prize fighting, which then led him to sports writing, first for George's Weekly in Denver and eventually the New York Morning Telegraph. He came to have a column in the NY Morning Telegraph three times per week, which was entitled Masterson's Views on Timely Topics. In this column, he continued discussing sports, but also expanded into all topics dealing with his city, including politics and recreation spots.

Bat Masterson wrote until his death, October 25, 1921, at the age of 67. He died of a heart attack. Yet another man of the west who died a most surprisingly simple death, considering the life he'd led.

1. Bat Masterson, during his newspaper days, would buy guns at pawn shops, carve notches in them, and sell them, claiming each one was the gun he used during his territory days.

2. Bat Masterson was a member of the Dodge City Peace Commission, which also included Wyatt Earp. They were involved in the Dodge City War, a bloodless war that occurred between opposing political groups in Dodge City. Masterson's gang was a powerful group, and a new mayor made it his mission to oust the old crew when he took over.



3. His story became legend because of a trick played on a reporter in 1881. When the reporter asked a man in Gunnison, Colorado about any man killers they'd had in the area, the man launched into a tall tale about Bat Masterson, even pointing to a man in the building and claiming he was Bat, despite the fact that he'd already left the territory. He said Bat had killed 26 men in his time in the west, which was far from the truth (excluding his time in the military). This reporter published his story in the New York Sun, which was widely circulated. It was re-printed in other papers across the country, solidifying the tremendous fictional character forever attached to the real Bat Masterson.

4. During his writing years, Bat worked as a U.S. Marshal in New York at the request of president Theodore Roosevelt. 1908-1912. President Howard Taft fired him when he came to power, as he was removing all of Roosevelt's appointees.

5. In 1902, Bat Masterson was arrested for illegal gambling.

6. Bat was famous for getting drunk and walking down Main Street in Trinidad, Colorado, shooting out lights. When he sobered up the next morning, he'd go around and pay for the damage.

7. He was involved in the prize fight officiated over by Judge Roy Bean in between Texas and Mexico Territory. It was his responsibility to protect the prize money and see it got to the winner.

8. He was asked to leave Denver City in 1902, due to his issues with alcohol and public drunkenness.

9. He referred to himself as "The Genius" when self-publicizing.

10. It is thought he killed only one man in a gunfight, outside his military/Indian Scout years. Yet he gained notoriety for his shooting prowess, anyway.

You think Masterson and Earp were separated at birth? Where was the line drawn, back in the Old West, between lawman and criminal?

May you find your Muse.

*Letter M courtesy of OCAL at clker.com
**Beschreibung: Bat Masterson 1879, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
***Beschreibung: Wyatt Earp (rechts) und Bat Masterson 1876, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
****Bat Masterson, Aged 61, at Johnson - Willard fight, Havana, Cuba, April, 1915., By Kelly Parker, Greyhawk Media [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
*****The "Dodge City Peace Commission" June 1883. From left to right: Standing: W.H. Harris, Luke Short, Bat Masterson; Seated: Charlie Bassett, Wyatt Earp, Frank McLain and Neal Brown. By Camillus S. Fly, ca. 1890. 111-SC-94129. From Wikimedia Commons

E is for Wyatt Earp & Every Helpful Link I Could Find

Yeah, so I had to stretch for the helpful links portion of the title. What can I say??

I'm going to list a few helpful links for writers and then I'll launch into Wyatt Earp's story.

This past month's Pikes Peak Writer's Write Brain workshop for writers is available for free online! You do not have to be a member of Pikes Peak Writers to enjoy this informative MP3 file entitled Wearing Many Hats, presented by Jodi Thomas. Click on that link and look to the right on that page for the link for the actual recording. It is underneath the green Resources box (not in it).

Amazon now has a solar charging Kindle case available.

Are you devious at heart? Like writing flash fiction or want to try your hand at it? The Pen Women Flash Fiction Contest is still on, deadline May 1. First prize is $100, Second is $50, Third is $25. Entry is $10.

The Hysterectomy Association is having a Short Story and Poetry Contest for female writers. Click the link for more details.

The Write Practice is having a Show Off Writing Contest. The winner will receive help polishing the story. There is a new competition each month with a different theme (this month's theme is "spring" with a deadline of April 9). Each month's winner will also be part of an anthology at the end of the 12 months. I did not see mention of pay, but I merely scanned.

arp. Wyatt Earp.

The Earp Brothers, sons of Nicholas Porter Earp, a justice of the peace, were James, Virgil, Wyatt, Morgan and Warren, I believe in that order. They also had three sisters, Martha, Virginia and Adelia; one older half-brother, Newton; and a half-sister who died before they were born (she was 10 months old), Mariah. Nicholas was a busy man, if you know what I mean...

I had originally intended to cover all the Earp brothers, but good heavens, do you see how many of them there are? There's no way for me to do these guys justice in such a short format, so I will just try to cover the most famous (infamous?) of these guys: Wyatt Earp.

Prepare to be surprised...I may burst some bubbles.

Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (yikes) was born March 19, 1848 in Monmouth, IL. The Earp family moved around the country for years, even as far as California, before ending up in Lamar, Missouri in 1869. During that time, Wyatt worked as a rancher on the family farm, an assistant stage coach driver, a teamster, and he helped with the material transport and building of the Union Pacific Railroad. In November 1869, twenty-one year old Wyatt took over the position of constable for the town of Lamar from his father. He was officially a lawman.

Wyatt got married on January 10, 1870 to a woman named Urilla Sutherland. Unfortunately, she died sometime later that year of Typhoid fever; she was pregnant. Earp fled the state sometime in 1871, several legal charges having been filed against him accusing him of embezzlement and falsifying court documents during his time as constable. That year he was also accused of horse theft in Indian Country, and was taken into legal custody to be tried. He escaped jail by climbing through the roof (boy, jails sure weren't well built back then) and fled again, eventually ending up in Peoria, IL, where he became a pimp.

Are you wondering whether you read that correctly? I said A PIMP!

Yep, Wyatt and his little brother, Morgan, were arrested in a brothel on February 24, 1872. They were fined then set free. A few months later, the two were arrested again, this time in a different brothel. They were fined and had to sit in jail because they couldn't afford to pay. Shortly thereafter, Wyatt started pimping on the Beardstown Gunboat, a brothel on a ship. That's right, he was a floating pimp. Actually, some data claims he owned this boat, but I can't say for sure what's true.

He was arrested and fined twice more due to his services as a pimp on the Beardstown Gunboat. He also earned the name "The Peoria Bummer" in the newspapers of the day.

Perhaps it was this last arrest and fine, which landed him in infamy in the papers, but Earp moved on to Wichita, KS, first serving as a private "collections" man to get some money back for someone. He then became a member of the Wichita police force on April 21, 1875. Apparently, news of Wyatt hadn't spread all the way to Wichita!

He was removed from the police force in 1876 after an altercation with a rival of his boss's. His boss continued to employ him sort of under the table until Wyatt was once again accused of embezzling.

So what happened? Was he severely punished? Arrested? Horse whipped?

No, he went to Dodge City and got on the police force there. Gives you real confidence in the police forces of the day, doesn't it?

He came and went from the Dodge City police force between the years of 1876 and 1879, being rehired each time he returned from wherever he had wandered. It is claimed by some that he was hunting buffalo during those breaks. He worked with Bat Masterson a lot during this time, and they were good friends. By the time he left Dodge City in 1879, heading west, he was a well respected lawman, his past crimes forgotten.

Wyatt Earp finally came to Tombstone, Arizona in 1879, accompanied by a woman named Mattie Blaylock (real name Celia Ann), who he claimed as his common-law spouse. His brothers James, Virgil and Morgan all joined him with their families, and they began to stake mining claims. At some point, Virgil became a U.S. Deputy Marshal, and often roped his brothers into helping him. During this time, Wyatt served as a shotgun messenger for Wells Fargo, protecting the cargo on their stagecoaches. On July 27, 1880, Wyatt Earp was appointed a Deputy Sheriff of Pima County. He received many accolades from the press over the years, and was, again, a highly respected lawman.

Wyatt had major conflicts with Johnny Behan, who eventually became sheriff of the area. They were both attracted to the same woman, actress Josephine Sarah Marcus. Behan had a relationship with her first, but she kicked him out when she discovered him cheating. She and Wyatt hooked up, despite the fact that he had claimed Mattie as his common-law wife.

Later, Wyatt and Behan competed for the sheriff's role. Due to political issues, Behan became sheriff. He promised under-sheriff to Wyatt, but didn't follow up, instead appointing another man to the role.

No longer a lawman, Wyatt was hired to be an enforcer at a saloon, and given shares. He continued riding in sheriff's posses to catch stagecoach robbers and troublemakers, which landed him in the ill sights of the McLaury brothers and the Cowboys. Things continued to escalate until the incidents that led up to the fight at the O.K. Corral, which I wrote about yesterday under Doc Holliday. It should be noted that Ike Clanton told a very different story than Wyatt and his friend and brothers: click HERE to read the other side.

After the O.K. Corral incident, the Earps and Doc made their way through New Mexico and Colorado, ultimately finding themselves in Gunnison, CO. He took the actress Josephine as his common-law wife, having left Mattie behind in Tombstone. They were together the rest of their lives. Wyatt worked as a Faro dealer, owned several saloons, and continued to attempt mining. In 1884, Wyatt once again took on the cloak of a lawman, becoming a sheriff in Kootenai County, Idaho. In 1885, he left and went after gold in San Diego, CA. There, he juggled real estate, opening saloons and running them. He also became a gambler and started investing in racehorses.

In 1897, having traveled a bit more around California, Wyatt and Josephine went up to Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush, once again opening a saloon in his city of residence. They continued chasing gold back in California and Nevada. In 1910, Wyatt began working as a bounty hunter, of sorts, for the Los Angeles Police Department until being involved in a dispute that became the Pot Ash Wars, which he was not further involved in. He moved to Hollywood and became a film consultant on Westerns. This he did until his death on January 13, 1929, age 80, of chronic cystitis, now believed to have been prostate cancer.

Some extra facts:

1. Wyatt Earp met a young John Wayne, who based many of his characters on the old lawman.

2. Earp was the last gunfighter from the O.K. Corral to die.

3. He was never shot. Shot at, yes, but no bullet ever hit its mark.

4. He met author Jack London while in Alaska.

5. His father was convicted of bootlegging in 1859.

6. Wyatt was not a lawman during his participation at the O.K. Corral, though he was considered to be acting as an Assistant Marshal.

Did you know these things about Wyatt Earp, or did you think he was squeaky clean like the film Tombstone made him out to be? Any other helpful links to share?

May you find your Muse.

*Silver E courtesy of OCAL at clker.com
**Wyatt Earp, circa 1869, by Sbharris at en.wikipedia [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons
***Wyatt Earp Oval Photo public domain via Wikimedia Commons
****Dodge City Police Commission, June 1883, by Camillus S. Fly, ca. 1890. 111-SC-94129, public domain via Wikimedia Commons

D is for Ducks and Docs (Holliday, That is) ([Mostly] Wordless Wednesday)

Remember that old preschool game? Duck, duck goose? Let's play!



DUCK

DUCK [BUTT]

GEESE! (close enough)

Now let's talk about...

oc Holliday!

Born on August 14, 1851, John Henry Holliday, aka Doc Holliday, was the son of a Confederate soldier and pharmacist. His mother died of tuberculosis (consumption) when he was fifteen. Seven years later, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, as well, and had to give up his dental practice when his coughing fits became so extreme that he could no longer do dental procedures without risk. He left Georgia for Texas, the end of the railroad, in order to get to a warmer, dryer climate.

Doc didn't really fit in, seeing as how he was an educated and cultured man, who'd had a wealthy upbringing. He took to gambling to make his way, using his intelligence to kill at the poker table. He often acted as a dealer, as well.

Gambling being a dangerous pursuit at the time, he frequently practiced with his six-shooter, becoming quite proficient with it. Doc was a short tempered man, though, and his ability with the gun made him quite deadly. His first documented gunfight was in January of 1875; neither man was wounded. However, a few days later he killed another man in a gunfight. The man he'd killed was a prominent citizen, and he was chased out of town by a posse, ending up in Jacksboro, Texas. Jacksboro was lawless, so the three gunfights that followed shortly behind his arrival didn't bring any punishment for him. He became a Faro dealer, wearing visible guns so troublemakers would steer clear.

In 1876 he killed his third man, a soldier, over a disagreement. The U.S. government put a bounty on his head, and he was once again run out of town. He fled to Denver City and started dealing Faro again, but another argument led to him attacking another man with a knife. The man was mutilated, though he lived, and folks forced Doc out yet again.

He ran back to Texas, where he met U.S. Marshall Wyatt Earp, who was chasing Dave Rudabaugh, a train robber. Doc had played cards with the man and spoke with Earp, telling him where he suspected he'd gone. Earp contacted Bat Masterson, a sheriff in Dodge City, and Rudabaugh was captured. Doc and Earp became friends, and everything was going well until a man started trouble at the card table. He pulled his gun on Doc Holliday, who gutted him with his knife. By this time, Doc was infamous for his kills, and the town turned on him, despite the fact that this time it was self defense. He was arrested and placed in a guarded hotel room (there was no prison in the town), but Big Nose Kate helped him to escape before the lynch mob arrived. Together, they fled to Dodge City, where Doc set up his dental practice again, and Kate promised to leave prostitution behind her.

Kate was bored with this life, though, and they broke up, going their separate ways for a time. In response, Doc returned to gambling, though he didn't kill anyone for quite some time, staying lawful out of respect to his friend, Wyatt Earp. It wasn't until a couple of troublemakers, some cowboys, busted into the saloon and threatened to kill Wyatt Earp. Doc snuck up behind them and held a gun to their leader's head, allowing Earp to disarm them.

Doc's next kill occurred in Trinidad, Colorado, when Kid Colton challenged him to a gunfight. Some say he wanted to make a name for himself. He did, but not the name he was looking for. Doc took him down with two bullets.

In a roundabout way, Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp and Big Nose Kate all ended up together again in Tombstone, Arizona. Doc had killed one more man in a face-to-face gunfight, and been chased out of yet another town by a lynch mob.

Earp and his brothers had come out to mine for silver, but Wyatt ended up being deputized by his brother. A local outlaw gang, The Cowboys, resented the arrival of law, and went on a crusade against the Earps and Doc. When a stagecoach robbery was committed, with two people killed, The Cowboys pointed the finger at Doc. Big Nose Kate was plied with liquor by the sheriff and signed an affidavit saying Doc had been the shooter; she was angry with him for tossing her out (again). She took it back once she sobered up, but Doc had finally had enough and kicked her out for good, sending her away.

On October 25, 1881, Doc and Ike Clanton, one of The Cowboys, got into an altercation when Doc had enough of the threats against him and the Earps. They were split up by Virgil Earp, but Ike promised to see him the next day in a showdown. The next day, The Cowboys gathered to hijack Doc Holliday, a ways down from the O.K. Corral. The sheriff notified the Earps, who gathered Doc up and headed down to arrest the other men.

The actual gunfight lasted only about 30 seconds, with three of the Cowboys dead, and Virgil and Morgan Earp wounded. The sheriff showed up after the fact, having refused to be a part of the originally intended arrest, and arrested Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday for murder. They were ultimately found to have acted within the law.

This became an all-out war between the two sides, with several more altercations, including Morgan Earp being shot in the back while playing pool. Wyatt Earp sought revenge for his brother's death, and Doc Holliday stayed by his side the entire time. This posse killed nineteen men who had been involved in a little over a year. Several warrants were put out for their arrests, but no man dared confront them.

Wyatt and Doc headed up to Colorado, where Doc was arrested by a man who claimed to have witnessed one of their killings. Doc made public that those who had stood against them that day were all outlaws, and the governor eventually freed him. He and Wyatt headed back down to Arizona, killing one more of the Cowboys along the way.

Doc ended up in Leadville, Colorado, living peacefully until another member of the Cowboys showed up in town. He waited for the man in a saloon and fired over his head when he walked in. The man fled, Doc was tried for attempted murder, but he was let off. He moved back to Denver, his health worsening, and met up with Wyatt Earp. He then went to Glenwood Springs, hoping to heal in the famous springs, but he died November 8, 1887, his feet bare, much to his chagrin. He'd expected he'd die with his boots on, shot, knifed or hanged.

Not a bad run for a man who went west to die.

Was Doc Holliday a bad guy? Seen any of these Old West towns mentioned in this post? Do you get Canadian geese in your area?

May you find your Muse.

*Letter D courtesy of NanoMobile, via clker.com
**Headshot of Doc Holliday [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
***Big Nose Kate public domain via Wikimeida Commons
****Doc Holliday (standing) in Prescott, AZ by Tkandell at en.wikipedia [Public domain, Public domain or Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons