A Man in A Black Derby Hat: Bat Masterson: Selected Short Stories
Michael King
Paperback
(Independently published, Nov. 4, 2018)
The short stories told in this book are original scripts from Wild West Podcast. You can listen to the audio version of this book by scanning the QR code provided after each chapter or go to Wild West Podcast @ wildwestpodcast.buzzsprout.com.The Man in the Black Derby Hat is the first book in a series of stories of the first pioneers as they became legends of their times. Their legends were built on luck but mostly on their skills to survive. These are the stories of the personal legends built out of character for the will to survive which made them unique to American lore. The first chapter, "Bartholomew and the Fair Maiden," takes the reader into the real and tragic love story between William “Bat” Masterson and Mollie Brennan. The story conveys an everlasting memory of a courageous act of one's sacrifices in the name of love. In chapter two, "Boardwalks from Hell," Bat Masterson is returning to Dodge City in 1877 after being away for two years. He is elected as Sheriff of Ford County as he continues to protect his brother, Ed, from any evil doings. But tragedy strikes quickly at the Lady Gay Dance Hall. At the end of the chapter, Bat Masterson has a reflection on death while attending his brother’s funeral. He reflects on his inability to control the destiny of life and loss so easily taken in the wake of the frontier. Gallantry is never a replacement for an ending so quickly distorted over life, as death will always take its toll on the living. Chapter Three, "Battle of the Plaza," is the retelling of the gunfight between Bat Masterson, A.J.Peacock, and Al Updegraff. The Battle of the Plaza is told from the first-person perspective of a man named Cimarron George and takes the reader deep into the conflict surrounding the feud between Jim Masterson and A.J. Peacock over the Lady Gay Saloon. The story provides a first-person account of a perpetual conflict between the Mastersons and the leading citizens of Dodge City.Chapter four is an added short story entitled “Get the Hell Out of Dodge.” The story begins at the end of a trail drive just outside of Dodge City at Saw Log Creek on November 3, 1877. A man by the name of Bob Shaw enters the Saw Log Creek campsite looking for a man by the name of Texas Dick. The next day Bob Shaw finds Texas Dick in the Long Branch Saloon resulting in a standoff with gunplay between Shaw and Ed Masterson. The story is a true account based on an article from the Dodge City Times entitled Frontier Fun.