became a train brakeman for the Southern Pacific Railroad and then a storekeeper in Sidney, Nebraska. In 1878, he moved to Phoenix, Arizona where he took the job as deputy Sheriff. He then moved to Tombstone and became deputy sheriff under Sheriff John Behan.During the late 19th Century no area in the United States was a haven and a refuge for criminals like the Indian Territory, pre-statehood Oklahoma. The jurisdiction of this territory fell to the United States court for Western Arkansas, located at Fort Smith, Arkansas. The court was the largest federal court in United States history covering over 75,000 square miles. In 1875, Judge Isaac C. Parker, was given the task of cleaning up the territory by President Ulysess Grant. It would not be an easy task. Parker authorized the hiring of 200 deputy U.S. marshals to sweep out of the territory and arrest felons and fugitives.William "Bat" Masterson was born on Nov. 24, 1853, in Quebec, Canada, he was one of seven children. When William was still a child, the Materson moved to a farm in Illinois. On the farm, he learned how to shoot, hunt, and about hard work. His first gun was an old black powder rifle musket and he practiced shooting whenever he had a chance. He was 17, when William and his older brother Ed left the farm and looked for adventure in Kansas. They went to work for the Santa Fe Railroad. They contracted with the foreman, a man named Ritter, to grade the railroad bed. They were to be paid $300 when the job was done. When finished, the two went to collect their money, but were told by Ritter, that there was no money available and to come back next spring. Ed went back to the farm, but William stayed in the area and joined a buffalo hunting outfit. His first job was to spend 12 hours a day staking buffalo hides in the sun. Because of his shooting ability, he later became a buffalo hunters in the camp, where he earned up to $100 a day. Born July 29, 1852, Commodore Perry Owens...
