Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the late 19th and early 20th-century American Old West.

He was born to a working-class Irish family in Quebec, but he moved to the Western frontier as a young man and quickly distinguished himself as a buffalo hunter, civilian scout, and Indian fighter on the Great Plains.

He is remembered today for his connection to many of the Wild West's most iconic people, places, and events, and his life and likeness are frequently depicted in American popular culture.

[b] The other six Masterson children were Edward John (1852–1878), James Patrick (1855–1895), Nellie E. (1857–1925), Thomas (1858–1941), George Henry (1860–1889), and Emma Anna "Minnie" (1862–1884).

In July 1872, Ed and Bat Masterson were hired by a subcontractor named Raymond Ritter to grade a five-mile section of track for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad.

[4]: 32–33 Masterson was once again engaged in buffalo hunting on June 27, 1874, when he became an involuntary participant in one of the Wild West's most celebrated Indian fights: a five-day siege by several hundred Comanche, Kiowa and Cheyenne warriors led by Quanah Parker at a collection of ramshackle buildings in the Texas panhandle known as Adobe Walls.

[citation needed] In August 1874, Masterson signed on as a U.S. Army scout with Colonel Nelson Miles, who was leading a force from Fort Dodge to pursue Comanche and Apache war parties across the Cherokee Strip and into Texas.

Masterson managed to wrap his arms about the girth of the 315 pound city marshal, Lawrence Edward "Larry" Deger, thereby permitting Gill to escape.

[6] On February 1, 1878, Sheriff Masterson captured the notorious outlaws Dave Rudabaugh and Ed West, who were wanted for an attempted train robbery.

The tandem law enforcement effort came to an abrupt end, however, when 25-year-old City Marshal Ed Masterson was shot and killed in the line of duty on April 9, 1878.

Among Masterson's recruits were such noted gunmen as Ben Thompson, "Mysterious Dave" Mather, John Joshua Webb,[citation needed] and possibly Doc Holliday.

[citation needed] The end of Masterson's involvement came on June 12, 1879, when he surrendered a roundhouse his men were holding at Cañon City, Colorado.

City Marshal James Masterson, Bat's younger brother, was listed on the same census as living with Minnie Roberts, age 16.

According to Masterson, he and Billy Thompson "were given a royal welcome and were immediately taken in charge by Colonel Cody, who found a safe place for us to remain until he could outfit us for the trip across the country to Dodge City.

On February 8, 1881, he left Dodge City and joined Wyatt Earp in Tombstone, Arizona Territory, where he met Luke Short for the first time.

[8] Allegedly, long after he retired from being a law officer Masterson would buy old .45 six-guns and "sell" them to gullible persons as "relics" of his Gunfighting days.

[15] although (excepting fighting Indians as a Buffalo Hunter and Army scout) Masterson was only involved in four incidents in which 2 men were killed and 2 wounded.

He had hardly settled into his $75-a-month (equal to $2367.93 today) marshal's job when Wyatt Earp requested his help to prevent the extradition of Doc Holliday from Colorado to Arizona.

However, Masterson's rescue of Doc Holliday, as well as his nightly "moonlighting" as a faro dealer, spelled doom for his career as city marshal of Trinidad.

Before disbanding on June 10, 1883, Short, Masterson, Earp, and five other notable men from frontier history posed for a group portrait that was soon labeled "The Dodge City Peace Commission."

Masterson finally left Dodge City and made Denver, Colorado, his center of interest, where he soon became involved in a divorce scandal.

The trouble began in a Denver theater on September 18, 1886, when a comedian named Lou Spencer, who was performing on stage, spotted his wife, Nellie, seated in the audience on Masterson's knee.

In its account of the incident, the Rocky Mountain News described Masterson as one "who pleases the ladies", and Nellie McMahon Spencer as "a beautiful woman, with a fine wardrobe and a sweet voice.

"[25] In early 1892 Masterson moved to the silver boom-town of Creede, Colorado where he managed the Denver Exchange gambling club until the town was destroyed by fire on June 5, 1892.

According to a Dodge City paper, Masterson bet on the winner, Corbett, while noting, "Charlie Bassett and Luke Short were among the notables in attendance.

[19] He wrote to his Denver friends glowing accounts of fishing trips "...with the Goulds on their yacht..." and announced his intention to remain in New York City indefinitely.

[f] In 1907, Masterson provided five biographical studies of Ben Thompson,[32] Wyatt Earp,[33] Luke Short,[34] Doc Holliday[35] and Bill Tilghman.

On February 2, 1905, Roosevelt wrote Masterson a letter which concluded with the lines: "You must be careful not to gamble or do anything while you are a public officer which might afford opportunity to your enemies and my critics to say that your appointment was improper.

They were photographed standing together on the roof of the New York Morning Telegraph building and went back to Masterson's office where he asked Hart to sit in his chair and pose for a second photo with him.

[citation needed] On October 25, 1921, at age 67, Masterson died at his desk from a massive heart attack after writing what became his final column for the Morning Telegraph.