Few names in the American Old West inspired as much fear, respect, and enduring fascination as Bat Masterson. Long before he became a famous lawman, a sharp-witted newspaper writer, and a trusted friend of presidents, Masterson built his formidable reputation in some of the most violent frontier towns the country has ever known. In those rough settlements, survival depended on speed, raw courage, and deadly accuracy with a revolver.
From dangerous gunfights in dusty streets to relentless outlaw hunts across the open plains, his steady rise to power transformed him into one of the most feared men in the entire West. But the question that has lingered for more than a century is whether Bat Masterson was truly a fearless hero who stood for justice, or whether the legend surrounding his name cleverly hid a far darker and more complicated reality. Stay with us as we uncover the 𝓈𝒽𝓸𝒸𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 truth behind the man who became an enduring Old West legend.
Bat Masterson, born Bartholomew William Barclay Masterson, became one of the best-known figures of the American frontier during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Born into a hard-working Irish family in Quebec, he traveled west while still a young man and built a reputation across the Great Plains as a buffalo hunter, frontier scout, and guide during the years of rapid Western expansion. His early experiences on the frontier helped shape the tough, confident image that later made him famous throughout the country.
Masterson eventually rose to prominence in Dodge City, where he served as a lawman and sheriff during one of the most turbulent periods in that town’s history. Historical records show that his calm demeanor, strong physical presence, and close connections with other frontier figures contributed greatly to his growing reputation. Over time, newspapers and dime novels transformed him into one of the legendary personalities of the Old West.
During the mid-1880s, Masterson relocated to Denver, where he became deeply involved in gambling and the rapidly growing world of professional sports. He developed a strong interest in boxing and earned respect as one of the nation’s leading experts on prizefighting. From the 1880s until his death in 1921, he attended many of the country’s major championship matches and became widely recognized for his detailed knowledge of the sport.
In 1902, Masterson moved to New York City and began a new chapter of his life as a journalist for the Morning Telegraph. His newspaper columns focused heavily on boxing and athletics, but he also shared his opinions on politics, crime, military affairs, and major national events. During this period, he became a close associate of Theodore Roosevelt and was later grouped among the famous White House gunfighters alongside frontier figures such as Pat Garrett and Ben Daniels, who received federal appointments during Roosevelt’s administration.
Bat Masterson was born on November 26, 1853, in Henryville, located in the Eastern Townships of what was then called Canada East. Baptized as Bartholomew Masterson, he grew up in a large working-class family headed by Thomas Masterson, whose parents were of Irish descent, and Catherine McGurk, who had emigrated from Ireland. Bat was one of seven children, and his early years were shaped by constant movement as the family worked farms in Quebec, New York, Illinois, and Missouri before eventually settling near Wichita.
Life on the frontier demanded hard work, and as teenagers, Bat and his brothers, Ed and Jim, left the family farm to hunt buffalo across the Great Plains. Like many young men during the post-Civil War era, they were drawn by the economic opportunities tied to westward expansion and the booming buffalo trade. Historians note that this period played a major role in shaping Masterson’s toughness, independence, and growing reputation on the frontier.
In July 1872, Bat and Ed accepted railroad work from a subcontractor named Raymond Ritter, helping grade part of the track for the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway. However, Ritter disappeared before paying the workers the wages they had earned. According to accounts from the time, Masterson spent many months trying to recover the unpaid money through persistence and direct confrontation, reflecting the rough business conditions often found in frontier towns and railroad camps.
On April 15, 1873, Masterson learned that Ritter would be arriving in Dodge City aboard a Santa Fe train. When the train arrived, Bat confronted Ritter publicly and demanded payment for the debt owed to himself, his brother Ed, and their associate Theodore Raymond. Ritter eventually handed over the three hundred dollars that had long been overdue.
Witnesses reportedly responded with loud applause, and the incident helped strengthen Masterson’s growing image as a determined and fearless frontier figure who refused to back down when treated unfairly.
On June 27, 1874, Bat Masterson was once again working as a buffalo hunter when he became involved in one of the most famous frontier conflicts of the Old West, the Battle of Adobe Walls. The confrontation took place in the Texas Panhandle at a small trading and hunting settlement known as Adobe Walls. During the five-day standoff, several hundred Comanche, Kiowa, and Cheyenne warriors, including followers of Quanah Parker, surrounded the outpost, which was defended by only a small group of buffalo hunters and frontiersmen.
Historical accounts indicate that just twenty-eight defenders held their position throughout the conflict, with Masterson among them. Although casualty estimates among the native forces vary widely in surviving reports, historians generally agree that the defenders suffered relatively few losses. The Battle of Adobe Walls later became one of the defining events of the Red River War and symbolized the growing tension between westward expansion and the native tribes of the Southern Plains.
After several days without a decisive breakthrough, Quanah Parker and his warriors eventually withdrew from the area.
In August 1874, Masterson accepted work as a scout for the US Army under Colonel Nelson A. Miles. Miles was leading military operations from Fort Dodge across the Cherokee Strip and into Texas in pursuit of Comanche and Apache groups during the Red River War campaign.
Frontier scouts like Masterson played an important role in navigation, tracking, and communication because of their knowledge of the plains and western trails. During this period, Miles’ force also became involved in efforts to recover four young sisters who had been taken captive after an attack on a migrant family near Ellis on September 11, 1874. The family had been traveling toward Colorado Territory when the incident occurred, and several members of the family did not survive.
Over the course of roughly six months, all four sisters, who ranged in age from nine to fifteen, were eventually recovered alive through continued military operations and negotiations. Historians often cite the case as one of the better-known recovery efforts connected to the Red River War era.
Bat Masterson became involved in his first major frontier confrontation on January 24, 1876, in Sweetwater, later known as Mobetie in Wheeler County, Texas. The incident reportedly began after a dispute involving a US Army corporal named Melvin A. King, whose real name may have been Anthony Cook, and a woman named Molly Brennan.
During the confrontation, Brennan was fatally wounded, likely unintentionally, while King later died from injuries he sustained. Masterson himself suffered a serious wound to the pelvis, but eventually recovered. Historians often point to this injury as the reason Masterson later relied on a cane for support.
Over time, the cane became one of his most recognizable trademarks and contributed to his carefully crafted public image. Although many stories about Masterson were later exaggerated by newspapers and frontier legends, records confirmed that this event marked an important turning point in his early reputation across the frontier.
Not long afterward, Masterson settled in Dodge City, one of the most active cattle towns of the American West. On June 6, 1877, he became involved in a public dispute while attempting to interfere with the arrest of Robert Gilmore, commonly known as Bobby Gill. During the incident, Masterson briefly restrained City Marshal Larry Deger, allowing Gill to escape.
The situation quickly attracted attention from bystanders, and Masterson was later fined for disturbing the peace, while Gill received a much smaller penalty. Despite the controversy, Masterson’s influence in Dodge City continued to grow. In July 1877, he was appointed undersheriff under Charles E.
Bassett, a respected local sheriff who could not seek another consecutive term because of Kansas law. Seeing an opportunity, Masterson entered the race to become sheriff of Ford County, with Larry Deger emerging as his primary opponent. The election, held on November 6, 1877, was extremely close.
But Masterson won by just three votes. His victory marked the beginning of his rise as one of the best-known lawmen of the frontier era.
Only a month later, on December 6, 1877, his brother Ed Masterson replaced Deger as City Marshal of Dodge City. Together, the Masterson brothers held major law enforcement positions at both the county and city levels, giving them significant influence during one of the most turbulent periods in Dodge City’s history. On February 1, 1878, Bat Masterson strengthened his growing reputation as sheriff of Ford County when he helped capture the well-known frontier outlaw Dave Rudabaugh and an associate named Ed West.
The pair were wanted in connection with an attempted train robbery, a crime that had become increasingly common during the expansion of western railroads. A few weeks later, on March 15, Bat and his brother Ed Masterson arrested two additional suspects connected to the same robbery attempt, further increasing the brothers’ standing in Dodge City.
The partnership between the Masterson brothers came to a tragic end on April 9, 1878, when Ed Masterson was seriously wounded while performing his duties as city marshal. The confrontation involved a cowboy named Jack Wagner, who reportedly did not realize Bat Masterson was nearby at the time. As the situation unfolded, Bat intervened from across the street and fired at Wagner and another man, Alf Walker, who was also involved in the dispute.
Wagner later died from his injuries, while Walker recovered after returning to Texas. Newspaper coverage of the incident varied considerably, and some reports were unclear about who had actually fired the decisive shots. Because of these conflicting accounts, later historians debated Bat Masterson’s exact role in the confrontation.
However, researchers later uncovered court testimony in which Masterson stated under oath that he had fired at both men. These records have led many historians to conclude that Bat personally responded during the incident that claimed his brother’s life.
Another highly publicized case followed later that year. On October 4, 1878, a stage performer known professionally as Dora Hand, whose real name was Fannie Keenan, was accidentally killed in Dodge City by James Kennedy, the son of wealthy Texas rancher Mifflin Kennedy. In response, Masterson organized a posse that included future frontier legends Wyatt Earp and Bill Tilghman.
The group pursued Kennedy and captured him the following day after a brief chase in which Masterson wounded him in the arm, bringing the pursuit to an end.
In 1879, officials from the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway contacted Bat Masterson and asked him to recruit armed supporters during the intense railroad conflict known as the Royal Gorge Railroad War. The dispute centered on control of valuable rail routes through the Royal Gorge near Cañon City, where the Santa Fe Railroad and the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad were competing for access. Although Masterson officially held authority only in Kansas, he nevertheless assembled a sizable group of frontier figures to support the Santa Fe side.
Among the men reportedly associated with Masterson during this period were well-known Western personalities such as Ben Thompson, Mysterious Dave Mather, John Joshua Webb, and possibly Doc Holliday. Historians generally view the Royal Gorge conflict as an example of how railroad companies during the late nineteenth century often relied on private groups and influential frontier figures to protect their economic interests. Masterson’s participation ended on June 12, 1879, when he surrendered a railroad roundhouse in Pueblo that his men had been guarding.
Soon afterward, the railroad dispute was resolved through legal and financial agreements rather than continued confrontation.
Masterson’s activities in Colorado damaged his political standing back in Ford County. In the sheriff election held on November 4, 1879, he lost his bid for re-election to bartender George T. Hinkel by a wide margin.
Many local voters appear to have viewed Masterson’s extended involvement in Colorado as a distraction from his responsibilities in Kansas. The 1880 census records from Dodge City show that Masterson was living with a nineteen-year-old woman named Annie Ladue, who was described in the census using terminology common to that era. His younger brother, James Masterson, was also listed in the same census living with a young woman named Minnie Roberts.
These records provide historians with a glimpse into the personal lives of the Masterson brothers during their years in Dodge City.
Shortly afterward, Masterson received a telegram from Ben Thompson requesting assistance for his younger brother, Billy Thompson, who was facing serious legal trouble in Ogallala after a shooting incident involving a man named Tucker. Despite being injured himself during the encounter, Billy Thompson managed to survive. Masterson quietly escorted him out of Ogallala aboard a late-night train heading toward North Platte.
Once they arrived in North Platte, the pair reportedly received assistance from the famous frontier showman, Buffalo Bill Cody. According to Masterson’s later recollections, Cody welcomed them warmly and arranged safe accommodations while helping prepare them for the journey back to Dodge City. Newspaper reports from the period later confirmed Masterson’s return from Nebraska and noted that Billy Thompson had largely recovered from his injuries.
During the final months of 1880, Bat Masterson divided his time between Kansas City and Dodge City. On February 8, 1881, he traveled to Tombstone, where he reunited with Wyatt Earp and met Luke Short for the first time. In Tombstone, the three men worked at the famous Oriental Saloon as faro dealers and security lookouts during one of the busiest periods in the mining town’s history.
Masterson’s stay in Tombstone lasted only a few months before he received an urgent telegram calling him back to Dodge City. His brother, Jim Masterson, had become involved in a serious dispute connected to the Lady Gay Saloon and dance hall, which he partly operated with Alfred James Peacock. Tensions had grown between Jim and Peacock over Peacock’s brother-in-law and bartender, Albert Updegraff, whom Jim believed to be unreliable and dishonest.
As arguments escalated and threats were reportedly exchanged, Bat quickly returned to Kansas to support his brother.
When Masterson arrived in Dodge City on April 16, 1881, the confrontation rapidly intensified near the local jail. Accounts from the period disagree about exactly how the incident began, and historians still debate who initiated the exchange of fire. The disturbance caused panic among nearby citizens as shots struck buildings along Front Street, including the well-known Long Branch Saloon.
Several other individuals joined the conflict on both sides before Updegraff was wounded and the situation finally ended. Mayor A. B.
Webster later placed Masterson under arrest. Afterward, Bat learned that his brother, Jim, had not actually been in immediate danger. Updegraff survived his injuries, although authorities were unable to determine who had fired the shot that struck him.
Masterson was eventually fined eight dollars and released. Although warrants were later issued amid public outrage, both Bat and Jim Masterson were allowed to leave Dodge City without further punishment.
Masterson’s national reputation expanded dramatically later that same year because of an exaggerated newspaper story that circulated across the country. In August 1881, a reporter visiting Gunnison asked Dr. W.
S. Cockrell about dangerous frontier figures. As a joke, Cockrell pointed to a nearby man and falsely identified him as Bat Masterson, claiming he had been responsible for dozens of killings.
The doctor then recounted dramatic stories about Ed Masterson’s death and Bat’s response afterward. The tale appeared in the New York Sun on November 7, 1881, and was soon reprinted nationwide, helping create the larger-than-life legend that followed Masterson for the rest of his life. Cockrell later apologized after Masterson insisted he had not even been present in Gunnison at the time.
Historians generally agree that many of the stories surrounding Masterson’s reputation were heavily exaggerated by newspapers and frontier folklore. Although he owned several . 45 caliber revolvers and cultivated the image of a seasoned frontier figure, historical records indicate that the number of confirmed armed confrontations directly involving Masterson was far smaller than legend suggested.
Researchers today usually identify only a handful of documented incidents connected to him outside his years as a buffalo hunter and army scout on the plains.
Bat Masterson was appointed city marshal of Trinidad on April 17, 1882. The position paid seventy-five dollars per month, a respectable salary for a frontier law officer during that era. Soon after taking office, however, Masterson became involved in one of the most famous legal controversies of the Old West when Wyatt Earp asked for his assistance in preventing the extradition of Doc Holliday from Colorado back to Arizona Territory.
Masterson personally appealed to Colorado Governor Frederick Walker Pitkin on Holliday’s behalf. After considering the case, Pitkin ultimately declined to approve the extradition request. Historians often point to this event as evidence of the strong loyalty that existed among several well-known frontier figures of the period.
However, Masterson’s public support for Holliday, combined with his continued work as a faro dealer during evenings, damaged his political standing in Trinidad and created criticism among local residents.
By March 1883, local newspapers had begun openly mocking Masterson’s connection to gambling while he held public office. During the following city election, voters overwhelmingly rejected him, and on April 3, 1883, he lost his re-election campaign by a wide margin. His brief tenure as city marshal had officially come to an end.
Not long afterward, Masterson became involved in another major frontier dispute connected to his long-time friend, Luke Short. Short had been forced out of Dodge City by political opponents led by Mayor Webster and Masterson’s long-time rival Larry Deger. In response, Masterson and Wyatt Earp gathered a group of well-known frontier figures and traveled to Dodge City to support Short during what later became known as the Dodge City War.
Although the situation created national attention, the conflict ended without major bloodshed, and Luke Short was eventually allowed to return to Dodge City. Before the group separated on June 10, 1883, Masterson, Earp, Short, and several other frontier personalities posed together for a famous photograph later known as the Dodge City Peace Commission. Historians today consider the image one of the most iconic surviving photographs of the American Old West.
Masterson returned once again to Dodge City in November 1884 and briefly entered the newspaper business by publishing a small political paper called Vox Populi. The publication focused mainly on local political disputes and commentary. A rival newspaper even praised the paper’s appearance and predicted that Masterson might eventually find success in journalism.
Despite the encouraging review, Vox Populi survived for only a single issue before shutting down. Nevertheless, the experience foreshadowed Masterson’s later career, and nearly twenty years afterward, he would successfully reinvent himself as a respected journalist and columnist in New York City.
After leaving Dodge City behind, Bat Masterson made Denver his new home and center of business activity. During the late 1880s, Denver was rapidly growing into one of the most important cities in the West, attracting gamblers, businessmen, entertainers, and political figures. It was there that Masterson became involved in a widely discussed personal 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝓃𝒹𝒶𝓁 that received heavy newspaper attention.
The controversy began on September 18, 1886, inside a Denver theater where comedian Lou Spencer was performing. During the show, Spencer reportedly noticed his wife, Nellie, sitting closely with Masterson in the audience. The performance abruptly stopped as tensions rose between the two men, eventually leading to a public altercation that ended with both being arrested.
Newspapers across Denver eagerly covered the story, with the Rocky Mountain News describing Masterson as a popular and fashionable frontier celebrity while also praising Nellie Spencer’s beauty and stage presence. Only a few days later, Nellie Spencer filed for divorce, and local newspapers quickly fueled rumors that she had left with Masterson. Historians, however, have found no evidence that Bat and Nellie ever officially married, and she soon disappeared from the public record connected to him.
The episode nevertheless added to Masterson’s growing reputation as a colorful and controversial Western personality whose private life often attracted as much attention as his frontier career.
During his years in Denver, Masterson worked extensively in gambling houses and entertainment venues. He dealt faro at the Arcade Gambling Hall for businessman Big Ed Chase and later became involved with the Palace Variety Theater, eventually managing and purchasing the establishment. Around this time, he likely met Emma Moulton, a performer known for singing in Indian club exhibitions, a popular form of stage entertainment in the nineteenth century.
Bat and Emma later lived together and were widely believed to have married in Denver. However, historians continue to debate the exact date because surviving records are incomplete and sometimes contradictory. One commonly cited date, November 21, 1891, came from a statement made years later by Bat’s brother, Thomas Masterson.
Yet official records show that Emma was not legally divorced from her first husband, Edwin Moulton, until November 9, 1893. Census records from 1910 suggest Bat and Emma considered themselves married around 1893, leading some biographers to conclude that a formal marriage likely occurred shortly after Emma’s divorce, although no surviving certificate has ever been located.
While living in Denver, Masterson also formed a long friendship with Soapy Smith, one of the city’s most notorious political operators and con artists. In 1889, both men became linked to allegations involving election fraud and questionable voter registrations. Historians often point to this period as evidence that Masterson’s later life blended politics, gambling, journalism, and frontier celebrity status in ways that reflected the rapidly changing society of the post-frontier American West.
Throughout the later years of his life, Bat Masterson remained deeply involved in the world of professional boxing and sporting events. He regularly attended major prize fights across the United States and became well-known within boxing circles as both a better and an experienced observer of the sport. In addition to wagering on matches, Masterson occasionally worked officially as a second or timekeeper during important championship bouts.
Because of his long-time involvement in boxing, Masterson developed personal relationships with many of the era’s greatest heavyweight champions. Over the years, he became acquainted with famous fighters such as John L. Sullivan, James J.
Corbett, Jack Johnson, and Jack Dempsey. Historians often note that Masterson’s transition from frontier lawman to respected sports authority reflected the changing culture of the American West as entertainment and professional athletics became increasingly popular during the late nineteenth century.
Masterson attended the famous heavyweight championship match between John L. Sullivan and Jake Kilrain in Richburg on July 8, 1889. The bout became one of the most historic fights of the bare-knuckle boxing era.
Masterson served as the official timekeeper for Kilrain, although some newspapers later criticized aspects of his performance in that role. Reports from the time also claimed that Masterson positioned trusted associates, including Luke Short and Johnny Murphy, around the ring to help maintain order in case the large crowd became unruly.
In early 1892, Masterson relocated to the booming silver mining town of Creede, where he managed the Denver Exchange Gambling Club. Like many Western boomtowns of the era, Creede experienced rapid growth followed by sudden disaster, and much of the town was destroyed by a major fire on June 5, 1892. Such fires were common in frontier communities because many buildings were constructed quickly from wood and stood close together.
Later that same year, on September 7, 1892, Masterson traveled to New Orleans alongside Luke Short and Charlie Bassett to attend the heavyweight championship fight between Sullivan and Corbett. According to newspaper reports from Dodge City, Masterson placed his wager on Corbett, who ultimately won the match, while Bassett supported Sullivan. The fight marked a major turning point in boxing history, symbolizing the decline of the older bare-knuckle era and the rise of modern gloved boxing.
Masterson continued to stay closely connected to the sport during the following years. On January 25, 1894, he appeared in Jacksonville as part of the support team for British boxer Charlie Mitchell during Mitchell’s championship fight against James J. Corbett.
The contest ended quickly with Corbett successfully defending his heavyweight title after only three rounds. In 1895, Bat Masterson traveled to New York City, where he briefly worked as a bodyguard for wealthy businessman George J. Gould.
During his stay, Masterson wrote enthusiastic letters to friends in Denver describing fishing excursions and social outings with the Gould family aboard their yacht. He even suggested that he intended to remain in New York permanently, leading some acquaintances to believe he had finally found a far more comfortable lifestyle than the rough frontier life of his earlier years. Despite those plans, Masterson eventually returned to Denver and continued participating in local politics, sports, and law enforcement activities.
On April 6, 1897, while serving as a deputy sheriff in Arapahoe County, he became involved in a dispute during an election day disturbance with a man named Tim Connors. During the struggle, a firearm accidentally discharged, injuring a bystander named C. C.
Lauterbach in the wrist. Incidents like this reflected the tense and often chaotic atmosphere surrounding frontier era elections and political rivalries. By 1899, Masterson had once again turned much of his attention toward boxing and athletics.
On April 9 of that year, he became part owner of a sports organization called the Colorado Athletic Association. However, disagreements with his business partners quickly emerged, and he was removed from the organization only days later. Masterson responded by establishing a competing club known as the Olympic Athletic Club, where he served as president.
During this period, he also gained favorable publicity through his work as sports editor for the Denver publication George’s Weekly, which helped strengthen his reputation as an authority on boxing and sporting events.
In September 1900, Masterson sold his interest in the Olympic Athletic Club and made another extended trip to New York City. Although he initially intended to settle there permanently, he unexpectedly returned to Denver soon afterward. The circumstances surrounding his final departure from Colorado remain uncertain because contemporary accounts differ sharply.
According to Masterson’s own version of events, a woman confronted him during a local election on May 2, 1902, and struck him with an umbrella after objecting to his participation in the voting process. Other accounts from the time painted a far less flattering picture, claiming that Masterson’s behavior and drinking had damaged his public standing in Denver. Historians continue to debate which version is more accurate, but what is certain is that Masterson left Denver shortly afterward and never again made the city his home.
Bat Masterson and Emma Moulton relocated permanently to New York City on June 5, 1902. Almost immediately after arriving, Masterson found himself caught up in a highly publicized police incident. While having his shoes polished at a public stand, officers arrested a gambler named James A.
Sullivan nearby and also detained Masterson, claiming the two men were connected to an alleged confidence scheme involving a wealthy Mormon elder named George H. Snow. Authorities additionally discovered that Masterson was carrying a concealed revolver.
The fraud accusation was eventually dismissed, although Masterson paid a small fine related to the weapon charge. Never shy about criticizing authority, he later complained to reporters that some police officers became overly self-important once given political power. Incidents like this reflected the rough and tumble atmosphere of New York politics and law enforcement during the early twentieth century, where former frontier figures such as Masterson often attracted intense media attention.
Masterson’s fortunes soon improved thanks to journalist Alfred Henry Lewis, who persuaded his brother William Lewis to hire Masterson as a columnist for the New York Morning Telegraph. Beginning in 1903, Masterson wrote a regular column titled Masterson’s Views on Timely Topics, which focused heavily on boxing, sports, and public affairs. The column appeared three times each week and continued until Masterson’s death in 1921, helping transform him from a frontier celebrity into a respected sports journalist.
In 1905, Alfred Henry Lewis published The Sunset Trail, a fictionalized biography inspired by Masterson’s life and adventures. Lewis also encouraged him to contribute personal recollections and historical sketches to Human Life Magazine. These writings allowed Masterson to shape his own legend while providing readers with first-hand accounts of famous Western personalities and frontier culture.
In 1907, Masterson published biographical profiles of several well-known frontier figures, including Ben Thompson, Wyatt Earp, Luke Short, Doc Holliday, and Bill Tilghman. In these articles, Masterson explained what he believed were the defining traits of successful frontier gunmen, often emphasizing confidence, composure, and reputation over simple speed or aggression. The series, titled Famous Gunfighters of the Western Frontier, was expected to continue, but Masterson contributed only one additional article afterward, focusing on Buffalo Bill Cody.
Editor Alfred Henry Lewis later joked publicly that Masterson’s failure to continue the series resulted more from laziness and summer distractions than from any lack of material. Despite Lewis’s efforts to encourage more contributions, Masterson never fully resumed the project. Even so, the surviving articles remain important historical sources because they helped shape the popular image of many legendary Old West figures during the early twentieth century.
At the same time, Masterson remained deeply connected to professional boxing. He frequently served as an official timekeeper for major championship matches and continued to attend important fights throughout the country. One of his most notable appearances came on April 5, 1915, in Havana during the heavyweight title fight between Jack Johnson and Jess Willard.
Footage of the sixty-one-year-old Masterson performing his duties at ringside later appeared in the documentary Legendary Champions 1882 to 1929, preserving one of the few moving images connected to the famous frontier lawman.
Journalist Alfred Henry Lewis eventually introduced Bat Masterson to Theodore Roosevelt, beginning a friendship that became one of the most important relationships of Masterson’s later life. Roosevelt admired many frontier figures of the American West, and Masterson soon became a regular visitor at the White House. The two men also exchanged letters frequently, reflecting Roosevelt’s fascination with Western history and larger-than-life frontier personalities.
Because of their friendship, President Roosevelt arranged for Masterson to receive an appointment as Deputy US Marshal for the Southern District of New York. Before the appointment became official, Roosevelt personally warned Masterson to avoid gambling or any behavior that critics could use to question the decision. In a letter dated February 2, 1905, Roosevelt advised him to act carefully while serving in public office, showing that even the president understood Masterson’s controversial reputation could attract political criticism.
Masterson held the federal position until 1909 and reportedly earned an annual salary of two thousand dollars, a respectable income at the time. Historians often view the appointment as an example of Roosevelt’s tendency to reward Western lawmen and frontier veterans whom he admired personally.
However, the political climate changed after Roosevelt left office. When William Howard Taft became president in 1909, he did not share Roosevelt’s enthusiasm for frontier celebrities serving in government positions. Taft’s administration ordered an investigation into Masterson’s role as deputy marshal, and the inquiry ultimately resulted in his dismissal on August 1, 1909.
Despite losing the position, Masterson had already established himself as a successful newspaper columnist and sports writer in New York. For the final twelve years of his life, Masterson focused largely on journalism and continued covering the major boxing events of the early twentieth century for the New York Morning Telegraph. His deep connections within the boxing world gave him access to many of the sport’s most famous athletes and championship matches.
One of Masterson’s most memorable public appearances occurred on April 5, 1915, in Havana during the heavyweight championship fight between Jack Johnson and Jess Willard. As he arrived at the arena, newsreel cameras captured the sixty-one-year-old Masterson smiling, tipping his hat, and greeting the crowd. Later footage from the official fight film also shows him entering the ring area as part of Jess Willard’s support team shortly before the championship bout began.
On July 2, 1921, Bat Masterson attended what would become the final heavyweight championship fight of his life. The event, promoted by famed boxing entrepreneur Tex Rickard, was known as the million-dollar gate because of its enormous financial success and record-breaking attendance. During the match, Jack Dempsey successfully defended his world heavyweight title, further cementing his place as one of boxing’s biggest stars.
Only a few months later, on October 7, silent film Western actor William S. Hart visited Masterson at the offices of the New York Morning Telegraph. The two men posed together for photographs on the roof of the newspaper building before returning to Masterson’s office for additional pictures.
Hart later recalled sitting in Masterson’s chair at Bat’s request while they completed the photo session. Reflecting on the moment afterward, Hart noted that Masterson would still be sitting in that same chair only eighteen days later when his life unexpectedly came to an end.
Masterson died on October 25, 1921, at the age of sixty-seven after suffering a severe heart attack while working at his desk. Remarkably, he had been writing what became his final newspaper column for the Morning Telegraph only moments earlier. His last published words reflected his characteristic mixture of humor, skepticism, and commentary on social inequality, themes that had often appeared in his writing during his years as a columnist.
Approximately five hundred people attended Masterson’s funeral service at Frank E. Campbell’s Funeral Church in New York City. Among his honorary pallbearers were Damon Runyon, Tex Rickard, and William Lewis, all prominent figures in journalism and sports.
Damon Runyon, who had become one of Masterson’s closest friends, delivered an emotional tribute describing him as loyal, generous, humorous, and deeply supportive of struggling friends and acquaintances. Runyon’s remarks helped preserve the image of Masterson as more than simply a frontier lawman, portraying him instead as a memorable personality whose friendships and storytelling abilities left a lasting impression on those around him.
Masterson was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. Interestingly, his gravestone does not include the name Bartholomew, the first name given to him at birth. Instead, the marker reads William Barclay Masterson above a simple epitaph stating that he was loved by everyone.
Bat Masterson became one of the most feared and respected men of the American frontier, not simply because of his reputation, but because he survived some of the most dangerous and unpredictable years of the Old West. Yet behind the stories and newspaper headlines was a man whose real life was often far more complex than the myths that surrounded him. Do you think Bat Masterson truly earned his fearsome reputation, or did the legends make him larger than life?
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