Early Challenges
Startin' with the day he come ta stay in '76, my pa Chester Goode were full o' stories 'bout his 11 years livin' in Dodge City, all but one o' 'em workin' fer the US Marshal fer all of Kansas headquartered there Matt Dillon. Even though both served in the Union Army, Mr. Dillon, an orphan, had ta grow up fast so, despite bein' only a year older than pa's 24 that day they met in October of '65, pa seemed much younger. It were no wonder Pa took ta him like he were already a hero. What were amazin' were that Mr. Dillon were not jist willin' ta spend time with a country fella like him an' me if'n' I was ta be truthful 'bout it, but were ready ta depend on his assistance. He'd be annoyed with Pa, but also proud like my big brother Donald is with me. I'm glad Donald's my brother but he ain't nothin' special, not like Mr. Dillon, the youngest full marshal ever.
Doc Adams, a single man in his early 40s back in '65, who'd met him as a new doctor jist after Mr. Dillon were orphaned in '55 a month before his 15th birthday, agreed with Pa about him bein' special. It were why he an' Bear, that's Mr. Sanderson our town founder, talked the other town leaders into pickin' him from the list o' three names the government give 'em e'en though Doc weren't absolutely sure it were the same boy he'd brought back to health from a beatin' growed to a man. It were only a year later Miss Kitty Russell, a girl of 19, come to Dodge to work at the Long Branch, the saloon she come to own.
The four o' them found family in each other. She an' Mr. Dillon bein' orphans an' Pa, who'd been on his own since he joined the army at 19 were near one too. Doc bein as old as he is give 'em the friendly advice of someone what's seen more o' life. Early on Miss Kitty showed that like Mr. Dillon she's someone special too. The two o' them was pulled ta each other in the way a man an' woman is drawn together 'til death do them part. It took time, but as is fittin' with family, Doc give away the bride an' Pa were best man at their June 3, '87 weddin'.
I'm right proud Mr. Dillon give me the chance to prove myself useful jist like he done Pa when I first come ta Dodge with my folks fer the weddin'. Last February he hired a police detective sergeant he met in Denver last year, who were in charge of makin' sure all the important witnesses in a trial got ta testify, as the man he wanted ta be the next marshal. Mr. Dillon insisted to a government man that 26-year-old Lionel Walker be the one in charge o' a gold transfer from the Dodge City bank to Denver. Protectin' the gold meant traveling west on the late train the same night as the Dillon weddin'. Lionel askin' fer my help in gettin' that gold to where it needed to be as arranged by his pa, the Denver District Attorney, Derrick Walker begun our friendship.
After that Mr. Dillon left him in charge a lot. There was plenty need startin' with while he were honeymoonin' in St. Louis. The whole rest o' the summer Lionel done most o' the day ta day law enforcin' while Mr. Dillon settled into married life an' took ta readin' law with Judge Brooker real serious. Me an' Festus did our part fer the newlywed ta get used ta bein' open 'bout how things is with them. We made it so they didn't always have ta go thru the Long Branch ta get into Miss Kitty's old rooms, added space an' made it easier fer her ta cook meals. We done this by buildin' a stairway with it's own entry like at Doc's across the ally, expandin' into the two rooms on either side an' addin' a cook stove next ta the fireplace in the main room. We left the door what always opened into the upstairs hallway so they could still go directly into the saloon. It were a real cozy apartment they come home to.
Turned out it were a good thing we done all that buildin' 'cause by July two young'uns, Nat an' Abby, who come back with them and their grandma on the stage, moved in. Their nana, as they called her, had a bad heart what were growin' weaker, so when Nat twisted his ankle near the ranch after the horse Mr. Dillon give him to ride out there were stole, they stayed in the apartment too. The new rooms with doors openin' into the main room become theirs leavin' Mr. Dillon an' Miss Kitty the bedroom alcove with its big brass bed cut off from the main room by two walls an' a curtain. The stove were in the corner of the main room nearest the washroom. That were the start o' the Dillon family. When the kids' nana passed Mr. Dillon give 'em his name official like, same as Pa done with Donald an' me. Then Miss Kitty found she were expectin'.
That family near got smaller when school started 'cause o' two things, the first bein' Nat & his friend Lester Pruitt saw a murder. The second bein' folks from back east sayin' Mr. Dillon an' Miss Kitty shouldn't be Nat an' Abby's folks. Fer a time it looked like the two boys was the only ones what seen it, so Mr. Dillon were kept busy dealin' with keepin' his new son safe, hidin' it from the blood kin what tried ta take the kids away an' tryin' ta find the man what done the killin' 'fore he hurt the boys. The murderer come close ta killin' Lester an' even closer ta it with Nat so it were no surprise only Lionel an' Festus was at the jailhouse when I come ta town on a Tuesday mornin' in late September. Nat were alive, but still weak.
"Albert, Matt's left it up to me to deal with most things, but Governor Martin, knowing about Matt's new family obligations, isn't sure I can handle all that responsibility. He's asked a roving Deputy US Marshal, Bat Masterson, to help."
"That don't make no sense. Mr. Dillon's already got two deputies, you an' Festus, an' me 'n' lots o' others willin' ta lend a hand ifn' they's asked. What do we need with this Masterson fella?" I asked jist as Mr. Dillon come in.
"The Governor thinks my newest deputy hasn't spent enough time on the job in Kansas. He feels a young, former Denver policeman lacks the necessary experience or maturity so he requested temporary use of a federal deputy with local connections," Matt replied as he took a seat at his desk. "I disagree. Bat, who used to be Ford County Sheriff, isn't more than 5 years older then Lionel here and hasn't been around much in the past six years. Fact is, he's been out of the territory completely for the last three."
"Matt, Washington has to agree with the governor. Otherwise they wouldn't have brought a man that used to call Dodge home back without so much as a your leave."
"Let me worry about Bat, Lionel. You're the man I want to succeed me even if Washington doesn't see it my way yet. Meanwhile, Kansas is still my territory with or without Bat and his 20 deputies or John Martin trying too hard to be a friend."
"Matthew, we don't need the likes o' Bat Masterson now any more than when he got hisself elected Ford County Sheriff ten year back. I were ready ta handle things mine own self while yah got yer health back after what Mase Gore done. 'Stead they pinned that thar Deputy United States Marshal's badge on that duded up gambler Masterson."
"Take it easy, Festus. I couldn't do much more than lie in bed back then. Bat's government appointment aside, he was useful as County Sheriff. Those county cells in the courthouse basement came in handy."
"Mr. Dillon, what are ya'll talkin' about?" I asked, bein' right puzzled. "I know Fred Singer's Ford County Sheriff 'till the November votin', but he don't pretend ta be no marshal. You sayin' there's actual deputy marshals 'round here you didn't swear in?"
"Yep. Two years before Mase Gore overran Dodge and nearly killed me Washington appointed H. J. McCarty as a roving deputy reporting to the regional marshal in St. Louis. When McCarty was gunned down in the Long Branch late in '78 they picked Bat to replace him at the start of the next year. I reckon they thought I needed the help, just like they do now."
"Mr. Dillon, I'm with Lionel an' Festus. Why'd the governor ask the government to step in? That ain't actin' like a friend ta me!"
"Yeah, but that's not how he sees it. Knowing all Kitty and I have been through in the three years since Jude Bonner took her hostage and that the three escaped prisoners who stole my horse from Nat were dog soldiers, he thinks he's making it easier for me to get used to being a family man and future judge. He figures I need the extra help with keeping things turning into all out war west of here. Bat might be useful at that, but he'll deal with Grey and Garfield Counties hard and fast like the gambler he is. He'll play the odds and bust heads with that cane of his, knowing he's got the backing of 20 men. It could get people killed," Mr. Dillon said, sittin' down at his desk. "We just might need every man I can find. Albert, you can help if you want. I know there's not much to keep you busy at the ranch yet."
Now, I like workin' the ranch, but I'm not agin' a bit o' excitement now an' then if it means I'm helpin' Mr. Dillon. I reckoned the O'Brien foreman Wade Cross could see to the needs of what little stock I'd bought so far whilst I were helpin' Mr. Dillon the way pa useta. I told him yes.
Mr. Dillon weren't goin' with us. I reckon Miss Kitty were happy he'd be stayin' home. Lionel took charge of the posse what would be headin' out from Hank Miller's stable at first light. When I got there Cyrus an' Dale Benson, Clem Thompson, Laibel an' Gerry Gorofsky was already waitin' with Festus an' Lionel. They's all good men Mr. Dillon trusts. Cyrus is a guard at Mr. Bodkin's bank. His twin brother's runnin' their pa's blacksmith shop, but started in on smithin' even before Mr. Benson got temporarily stove up by a bad-tempered mule what didn't like bein' shod. Case you're wonderin' it weren't Ruth what done the kickin'. Clem's a barkeep over at the Bull's Head and somehow manages to cool off anyone spoilin' fer a fight an' in that place some nights it's near every customer. Gerry, the younger of the two Gorofsky brothers has cooled off somewhat from when he wanted revenge for his little brother's death, but Laibel's always been levelheaded. Jeff Miller, who has the same calm way with horses an' people as his grandpa Hank, made sure our mounts were ready for the long ride.
Mr. Dillon had let Masterson know Lionel were leadin' a separate set o' Dodge men. Both posses met up at Kalvesta, a town 'bout ten miles from Ravanna to the north and Eminence to the west an' ten miles further along than Bruckner Creek, a fishin' hole both Doc an' Festus is fond of 'bout 30 miles northwest o' Dodge. They's the two towns competin' ta be voted in as the County Seat fer the east part of the area up near Garden City, back on March 27 when the Kansas government accepted the petition o' the people livin' 'round there to form it into Garfield County.
"Masterson, you know I'm here with these men to carry out Matt's orders to take charge of seeing to it this election comes off smoothly. In case you've forgotten, he's the US Marshal in Kansas, not you, even if you both share an immediate superior headquartered in St. Louis who followed through on Governor Martin's request. I suggest we work together rather than against each other. Matt thinks of you as a friend. If you feel the same, you should want to cooperate."
"Walker, isn't it? I've no quarrel with Matt but our boss Senior US Marshal Paxton put me in charge not Matt. Sorry if it bruised his pride, but the assignment means I'm in charge of special circumstances like this. If you don't want your boss replaced, you and Matt's handpicked men with you either follow my orders or go back to Dodge."
"Matt led me to believe you were your own man and his friend, not a tool of your so-called superiors. It appears I'm wrong. You know darn well Paxton's a political hack, not a lawman. He only cares about making himself look good. Why let him win at Matt's expense? Maybe it's your stubborn pride that's getting in the way, not Matt's."
Fer a time I thought neither would back down, but finally Lionel & Masterson come to an understandin' fer Mr. Dillon's friendship's sake. Lionel took five of us an' eight of Bat's deputized pals, while Festus an' Clem joined up with Masterson's posse, givin' his group one man more. Since the ones he kept was his closest pals an' he kept an extra man Masterson thought his were the better deal. Actually, Lionel were the one who come out on top. The plan followed were the one he talked over with Mr. Dillon. It worked. Nobody got killed in Ravanna or in Eminence where we rode.
It weren't easy. Men from everywhere what usually done their business in Eminence an' strangers from who knows how far drove ta town alone or with their families fer the vote. The crowds overflowed the streets, makin' it hard for even the locals to tell which men actually had a say in the decidin'. That were the locals job accordin' ta Mr. Dillon's plan. He knew we'd have our hands full keepin' folks from tearin' into each other or pullin' iron. My rifle became a batterin' ram as I broke men apart, but like the rest of us there ta keep the peace, it didn't always work. Men still got shot.
Things was similar in Ravanna. When it were all over none o' us was hurt an' nobody died in either town, but 'bout ten was wounded an' the jails was so full they had to make use of a couple o' barns fer the extras in both towns. Back in Dodge Lionel recounted the ballots after checkin' them against the voter lists. Ravanna had won on the first count by only 35 votes, but even allowing for outlying yet legally registered voters, several thousand voted in each town, far more than could possibly be eligible. Lionel Walker, the son of the Denver District Attorney, made sure there was legal proof of the obvious fraud so the Kansas courts could come ta a final decision.
