Ritter skipped out without paying the Masterson brothers all of the wages to which they were entitled.
It took Masterson nearly a year, but he finally collected his overdue wages from Ritter, at gunpoint.
It took Masterson nearly a year, but he finally collected his overdue wages from Ritter, at gunpoint.
On April 15, 1873, Masterson learned that Ritter was due to arrive in Dodge City, Kansas, aboard a Santa Fe train and that Ritter was carrying a large roll of cash. When Ritter's train pulled in, Masterson entered the car alone and confronted him and marched him out onto the rear platform of the train, where he forced him to hand over the $300 owed to him, his brother Ed, and a friend named Theodore Raymond. A loud cheer then went up from a large crowd which had witnessed the event
He was a sports writer, boxer among many other things He was a prominent figure of the American Wild West, gained notoriety for his involvement in the 1874 Battle of Adobe Walls, a significant conflict between buffalo hunters and Native American tribes. Masterson, then a young buffalo hunter himself, participated in the defense of the Adobe Walls trading post against a large force of Comanche, Cheyenne, and Kiowa warriors.
ReplyDeleteHere's a more detailed look at his involvement:
Buffalo Hunting:
Before the battle, Masterson, along with his brothers, worked as buffalo hunters in the Texas Panhandle.
Adobe Walls Defense:
In June 1874, he was one of the 28 buffalo hunters who, along with one woman, held off an estimated 700 Native American warriors at the Adobe Walls trading post.
Outnumbered but Defiant:
The defenders, armed with superior rifles, including the powerful Sharps rifle, managed to withstand the attack, inflicting significant casualties on the attacking tribes.
Masterson's Role:
While the exact details of Masterson's actions during the battle are debated, he was recognized as one of the key figures in the defense. The battle, which lasted for several days, is considered a pivotal event in the Red River War, a conflict between the US Army and the Plains tribes.
Post-Adobe Walls:
After the battle, Masterson continued his career as a buffalo hunter and later became a lawman in Dodge City, Kansas, where he became known for his role in maintaining order in the rough and tumble frontier town. There were a lot more stories about his career but you will have to google him as I'm done for the day. And yes, he was a gambler and new the Earps in Dodge City and Tombstone. He is buried at at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York. He als wrote several books about his times and life it the old west.
yes, absolutely! I wanted to post something related to the blog's focus though, and also, something no one would know about.
DeleteHis wild west time is well known, his books and sports work are pretty well known trivia.... but the story I posted is quite unknown, and involved revenge, and is about rail road train track land that is still out there.
I suppose Adobe Walls have fallen down, and maybe the trading post location might be missing.
No one will ever figure out where the graded area was that Masterson worked on either.... so much history is just stories now, nothing remains but the stories