James Masterson
Encyclopedia
James Masterson, also known as Jim Masterson, (September 18, 1855 – March 31, 1895) was a lawman of the American West and the brother of gunfighters and lawmen Bat Masterson
and Ed Masterson
.
, Luke Short
, and others, was built on his being a gunfighter. Although historically he receives little notoriety, James Masterson was well known in the Kansas
and Oklahoma
areas as a formidable gunman, and an extremely capable lawman.
After working on the western frontier
as a buffalo
hunter with his brothers, he returned to Kansas
. He became Assistant Marshal
in Dodge City, Kansas
in June 1878. At that time Charlie Bassett
was the Marshal, having replaced Jim's brother Ed Masterson
, Ed having been killed that past April. Wyatt Earp was a Deputy Marshal under Bassett at that same time, along with Earp's brother James
. In the summer of 1878, a cowboy named George Hoy opened fire on the Comique Variety Hall, outside of which stood Masterson and Wyatt Earp. Earp had been involved in an altercation with Hoy previously. Both Earp and Masterson returned fire, and Hoy was shot from his horse by one bullet that severely injured his arm. Hoy died a month later, and Earp always claimed to have fired the shot that ultimately killed Hoy. However, that was never confirmed, and it is entirely possible that the shot was actually fired by Jim Masterson. Masterson, however, never disputed Earps claim, and simply didn't comment.
He made several hundred arrests during the next two year time span, mostly of drunken cowboys that came through Dodge City on cattle
drives. In November, 1879, he was promoted to Marshal after the resignation of Bassett. He shot at least one man during his service with the Dodge City Marshal's Office, aside from the Hoy shooting. On April 6, 1881, he lost his job after a change in city government, and the belief that the long standing hard-lined stance of the Marshal's Office was past its prime and no longer useful.
He fell out with his business partner, A.J. Peacock, over the hiring of the latter's brother-in-law, Al Updegraph, as bartender, and someone wired Bat Masterson in Tombstone that his brother's life was in danger. Bat arrived in Dodge on 16 April and saw Peacock and Updegraph near the station. Firing broke out, with Jim and others also taking part. Updegraph was the only casualty, taking a bullet through the lungs. Bat was fined for discharging a gun within the city limits and the brothers left Dodge.
Masterson moved to Trinidad, Colorado
, where he joined the police force. While in Trinidad, Masterson arrested John Allen for the shooting death of Frank Loving
, in what became known as the Trinidad Gunfight
. In 1885 he became an under sheriff in Colfax County, New Mexico, and in 1889 he took an active part in the Gray County (Kansas) County Seat War. He was one of a group who made a raid on the courthouse at Cimarron which resulted in a gunfight in which a man was killed and several were wounded.
He later moved to Guthrie, Oklahoma
, and then later became a Deputy Sheriff of Logan County, Oklahoma
. On September 1, 1893, he was involved in the Battle of Ingalls
as a Special Deputy US Marshal, a gunfight in Ingalls, Oklahoma
against the Doolin-Dalton
gang, and was responsible for the capture of gang member "Arkansas Tom" Jones
. He died of tuberculosis on March 31, 1895.
Bat Masterson
William Barclay "Bat" Masterson was a figure of the American Old West known as a buffalo hunter, U.S. Marshal and Army scout, avid fisherman, gambler, frontier lawman, and sports editor and columnist for the New York Morning Telegraph...
and Ed Masterson
Ed Masterson
Ed Masterson was a lawman and the brother of the American West gunfighters Bat Masterson and James Masterson.-Lawman career:...
.
Lawman career
James Masterson, regardless of not achieving the fame that his brother Bat achieved, was probably involved in more shootouts than his brother ever was. Bat Masterson's fame, mostly attributed to his association with Wyatt EarpWyatt Earp
Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was an American gambler, investor, and law enforcement officer who served in several Western frontier towns. He was also at different times a farmer, teamster, bouncer, saloon-keeper, miner and boxing referee. However, he was never a drover or cowboy. He is most well known...
, Luke Short
Luke Short
Western frontiersman Luke L. Short was a noted gunfighter, who had worked as a farmer, cowboy, whiskey peddler, army scout, dispatch rider, gambler and saloon keeper at various times during the four decades of his life.- Early life :...
, and others, was built on his being a gunfighter. Although historically he receives little notoriety, James Masterson was well known in the Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
and Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
areas as a formidable gunman, and an extremely capable lawman.
After working on the western frontier
Frontier
A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. 'Frontier' was absorbed into English from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"--the region of a country that fronts on another country .The use of "frontier" to mean "a region at the...
as a buffalo
American buffalo
American buffalo is the colloquial name for the American bison.American Buffalo may refer to:*American Buffalo , a play by David Mamet*American Buffalo , a 1996 film of Mamet's play*American Buffalo , a United States coin...
hunter with his brothers, he returned to Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. He became Assistant Marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
in Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City is a city in, and the county seat of, Ford County, Kansas, United States. Named after nearby Fort Dodge, the city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town of the Old West. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,340.-History:The first settlement of...
in June 1878. At that time Charlie Bassett
Charlie Bassett (lawman)
Charles Bassett was a lawman and saloon keeper associated with the early days of Dodge City in the American Old West.Charles E. Bassett was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, on October 30, 1847 to the parents of Benjamin Bassett and Julia Bassett. -Early life, career as a lawman:Bassett was...
was the Marshal, having replaced Jim's brother Ed Masterson
Ed Masterson
Ed Masterson was a lawman and the brother of the American West gunfighters Bat Masterson and James Masterson.-Lawman career:...
, Ed having been killed that past April. Wyatt Earp was a Deputy Marshal under Bassett at that same time, along with Earp's brother James
James Earp
James Cooksey Earp was the little known older brother to old west lawman Virgil Earp and lawman/gambler Wyatt Earp. Unlike his lawmen brothers, he was a saloon-keeper and was not present at the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral....
. In the summer of 1878, a cowboy named George Hoy opened fire on the Comique Variety Hall, outside of which stood Masterson and Wyatt Earp. Earp had been involved in an altercation with Hoy previously. Both Earp and Masterson returned fire, and Hoy was shot from his horse by one bullet that severely injured his arm. Hoy died a month later, and Earp always claimed to have fired the shot that ultimately killed Hoy. However, that was never confirmed, and it is entirely possible that the shot was actually fired by Jim Masterson. Masterson, however, never disputed Earps claim, and simply didn't comment.
He made several hundred arrests during the next two year time span, mostly of drunken cowboys that came through Dodge City on cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
drives. In November, 1879, he was promoted to Marshal after the resignation of Bassett. He shot at least one man during his service with the Dodge City Marshal's Office, aside from the Hoy shooting. On April 6, 1881, he lost his job after a change in city government, and the belief that the long standing hard-lined stance of the Marshal's Office was past its prime and no longer useful.
He fell out with his business partner, A.J. Peacock, over the hiring of the latter's brother-in-law, Al Updegraph, as bartender, and someone wired Bat Masterson in Tombstone that his brother's life was in danger. Bat arrived in Dodge on 16 April and saw Peacock and Updegraph near the station. Firing broke out, with Jim and others also taking part. Updegraph was the only casualty, taking a bullet through the lungs. Bat was fined for discharging a gun within the city limits and the brothers left Dodge.
Masterson moved to Trinidad, Colorado
Trinidad, Colorado
The historic City of Trinidad is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Las Animas County, Colorado, United States...
, where he joined the police force. While in Trinidad, Masterson arrested John Allen for the shooting death of Frank Loving
Frank Loving
Frank Loving, sometimes called "Cockeyed" Frank Loving was an Old West gambler and gunman. His two known gunfights were two of the better known and well publicized shootouts of the day, although over time they have become obscure....
, in what became known as the Trinidad Gunfight
Trinidad Gunfight
Trinidad Gunfight was a gunfight of the Old West that took place in Trinidad, Colorado, between two professional gamblers, Frank Loving and John Allen...
. In 1885 he became an under sheriff in Colfax County, New Mexico, and in 1889 he took an active part in the Gray County (Kansas) County Seat War. He was one of a group who made a raid on the courthouse at Cimarron which resulted in a gunfight in which a man was killed and several were wounded.
He later moved to Guthrie, Oklahoma
Guthrie, Oklahoma
Guthrie is a city in and the county seat of Logan County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City Metroplex. The population was 9,925 at the 2000 census.Guthrie was the territorial and later the first state capital for Oklahoma...
, and then later became a Deputy Sheriff of Logan County, Oklahoma
Logan County, Oklahoma
Logan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population as of 2009 was 39,301. Its county seat is Guthrie. Logan County is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. On September 1, 1893, he was involved in the Battle of Ingalls
Battle of Ingalls
The Battle of Ingalls was a gunfight on September 1, 1893 between United States Marshals and the Doolin-Dalton Gang, during the closing years of the Old West era, in Ingalls, Oklahoma. The Doolin-Dalton Gang had been involved in a number of train robberies and bank robberies, beginning around 1891...
as a Special Deputy US Marshal, a gunfight in Ingalls, Oklahoma
Ingalls, Oklahoma
Ingalls is a small community in Payne County, Oklahoma, about 10 miles east of Stillwater. The town was settled out of the "Unassigned Lands" in 1889, and had a post office from January 22, 1890, until October 31, 1907. It was named for Senator John J. Ingalls of Kansas.Ingalls was the site of a...
against the Doolin-Dalton
Wild Bunch
The Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin–Dalton Gang or the Oklahombres, was a gang of outlaws based in the Indian Territory that terrorized Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Territory during the 1890s—robbing banks and stores, holding up trains, and killing lawmen. They were...
gang, and was responsible for the capture of gang member "Arkansas Tom" Jones
Roy Daugherty
Roy Daugherty, also known as Arkansas Tom Jones, was an outlaw of the Old West, and a member of the Wild Bunch gang, led by Bill Doolin....
. He died of tuberculosis on March 31, 1895.