Misplaced Pages

Dodge City War: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactivelyContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 23:07, 23 December 2005 editMbaugh (talk | contribs)47 editsNo edit summary  Latest revision as of 07:10, 9 September 2024 edit undoRFNirmala (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users4,136 edits Added short descriptionTags: Mobile edit Mobile app edit Android app edit App description add 
(174 intermediate revisions by 69 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|1883 bloodless Wild West conflict}}
'''The Dodge City War''' was a bloodless conflict that took place in ] in ]. It came at the close of the first 10 years of the city's history at a time when ] and ] were fading as a dominant force in the city's politics.
{{Infobox historical event
|Event_Name = Dodge City War
|Image_Name = DodgeCityPeaceCommission.jpg
|Imagesize = 300
|Image_Alt =
|Image_Caption = The "Dodge City Peace Commission" June 10, 1883. (Standing from left) William H. Harris (1845–1895), ] (1854–1893), ] (1853–1921), William F. Petillon (1846–1917), (seated from left) ] (1847–1896), ] (1848–1929), Michael Francis "Frank" McLean (1854–1902), Cornelius "Neil" Brown (1844–1926). Photo by Charles
A. Conkling.<ref> (1883) Ford County Historical Society. retrieved October 2014</ref>
|Thumb_Time =
|AKA =
|Participants =
|Location = ], ], ]
|Date = June 1883
|nongregorian =
|Deaths = None
|Result = Long Branch Saloon reopened
|URL =
}}


The '''Dodge City War''' was a ] conflict that took place between ] and the ] mayor, who tried to force Short to close the ] and leave town. Luke called on several friends, including ] and ], who supported him during his confrontation from April 28 to June 7, 1883. The event is best remembered because it produced one of the most iconic photos of ] gamblers and gunfighters who played roles in the history of the Wild West.
From it's founding, Dodge had a reputation for corruption and was often called "the Wickedest City in America." The informal associttion known as the ] dominated the law enforcement and much of the political life of the community, and monopolized the whiskey trade. In ] the anti-gang faction won a closely election for ], defeating popular gang member ]. This was the first in a number of elections that ousted the members of the gang from positions of power.


== Luke Short and the Long Branch Saloon ==
While the new political faction identified themselves as reformers it seems more likely that they wanted to reap the profits of the whiskey trade for themselves. Mayor Alonzo B. Webster, elected mayor in ] owned two saloons himself. The new mayor lost no time in firing Bat's brother Jom Masterson as city marshal and posting a series of new 'moral' ordinances, complete with a warning.


Luke Short arrived in Dodge City during April 1881. William H. Harris, whom Short had met in Tombstone a few months earlier, gave Luke a job as a faro dealer at the Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas. The saloon was owned by Harris and his partner Chalk Beeson. On February 6, 1883, Chalk Beeson sold his interest in the Long Branch to Short.<ref>''Ford County Globe'' (Dodge City), February 6, 1883</ref><ref name="parsons">{{cite web|last1=Demattos |first1=Jack |first2=Chuck |last2=Parsons|title=The Man Behind the Dodge City War|url=http://www.truewestmagazine.com/the-man-behind-the-dodge-city-war/|website=True West|access-date=7 October 2015|date=July 21, 2015}}</ref>
''"To all whom it may concern: All thieves, thugs, confidence men, and persons without visible means of support, will take notice that the ordinance enacted for their special benefit will be rigorously enforced on and after tomorrow." ''


The month after Short and Harris formed their partnership, Harris was nominated to run for Dodge City mayor. On March 19, 1883 a ] group nominated Lawrence E. Deger to run against Harris. Deger defeated Harris by a vote of 214 to 143 on April 3. The citizens also elected all five of the city council candidates running with Deger.<ref>''Dodge City Times'', April 5, 1883</ref>
Tensions built between the Mastersons and Webster and his allies over the next several months. What triggered the war was the purchase of a half interest in the Long Branch Saloon by a ] and ] named ] in ]. Short was a friend of the Mastersons and other gang members.


=== Vice ordinances passed ===
Webster hoped to drive Short out of the business and had several of the ]s who worked for the Long Branch arrested. Luke want to the jail to protest the matter but was confronted by city policeman Louis C. Hartman and there was an exchange of gunplay. Neither man was hurt but Short mistakenly believed he had killed the officer and barracaded himself in the Long Branch. When he leadned that Hartman was unharmed Short submitted to arrest. He was sent out of town as an 'undesirable' several days later.


On April 23 the Dodge City Council passed two ordinances that were immediately approved by Mayor Deger. "Ordinance No. 70" was for "The Suppression of Vice and Immorality within the City of Dodge City," and "Ordinance No. 71" was titled "Define and Punish Vagrancy." Both of these ordinances were aimed at the Long Branch Saloon.
Short contacted his friends to protest the matter and Bat Masterson and ] began to assemble a small army of gunfighters to support him. The group included such noted gunmen as ] and ] as well as a large number of lesser-known fighters. Daunted by this impressive show of force, Webster negotiated peace with Wyatt Earp. He let Short return to his place of business in return for a promise there would be no violence.


On April 28, 1883 three prostitutes employed at the Long Branch were arrested by City Marshal Jack Bridges and policeman Louis C. Hartman. The ''Ford County Globe'' reported: “It was claimed by the proprietors that partiality was shown in arresting women in their house when two were allowed to remain in A. B. Webster’s saloon, one at Heinz & Kramer’s, two at Nelson Cary’s, and a whole herd of them at Bond & Nixon’s dance hall.” The paper suggested that if the owners' claim was true, “it would be most natural for them to think so and give expression to their feelings.”<ref name="parsons"/>
The war was over without any deaths. Seven of the gunfighters posed with Short for the famous ] photo. Those pictures were: Charles Bassett, Wyatt Earp, Frank McLain, Neil Brown, W. H. Harris, Luke Short, Bat Masterson, and W. F. Petillon. Ironically, Short sold his interest in the Long Branch only months after the war ended in his favor. He moved to ] where he purchased another saloon.


That evening Short and Hartman got into a gunfight. Neither man was hurt. Short was quickly arrested and released on $2,000 bond. His preliminary examination was set for May 2.<ref>''Ford County Globe'' (Dodge City), May 1, 1883</ref> Short told the ''Globe'', "their policeman attempted to assassinate me and I had him arrested for it and had plenty of evidence to have convicted him, but before it came to trial they had organized a vigilance committee and made me leave, so that I could not appear against him."<ref name="parsons"/>
==Sources==

http://www.historynet.com/we/bldodgecitywar/
== Luke Short forced out of Dodge ==

On April 30 Luke Short was again arrested (along with five other gamblers) and placed in jail. The following day Short and the five others were escorted to the train depot and given their choice of east or west-bound trains.<ref>''Dodge City Times'', May 3, 1883</ref> Short went east to Kansas City, Missouri where he looked up Charles E. Bassett at the Marble Hall Saloon. Bassett and Luke had a lot in common, not the least of which was that they both, at different times, owned an interest in the Long Branch Saloon. Bassett had served as the first sheriff of Ford County, as well as city marshal of Dodge City. Both Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson had, at various times, served under Bassett as deputies.

Short and Bassett, along with William F. Petillon, began planning Luke's return to Dodge. Luke went to Topeka on May 10, where he presented a petition to Governor ]. Upon learning the details of how Luke and five others had been forced out of town using extra-judicial means, told Sheriff George T. Hinkel, this action “simply shows that the mayor is unfit for his place, that he does not do his duty, and instead of occupying the position of peace maker, the man whose duty it is to see that the ordinances are enforced by legal process in the courts, starts out to head a mob to drive people away from their homes and their business.” Glick arranged a 10-day cooling off period to allow Short to return to Dodge and sell the saloon.<ref name="parsons"/>

The governor's offer was not well-received by some Dodge City citizens. Thirteen men published a statement in the ''Topeka Daily Capital'' on May 18, in which they said that if Short overstayed the 10 days, they "would not be responsible for any personal safety."<ref name="parsons"/>

Short returned to Kansas City where he was joined by Bat Masterson. He had no intention of being forced to sell his saloon and leave Dodge within the 10-day period. Masterson contacted his and Short's friend ] on May 31, 1883. Earp and his wife Josephine went with Masterson, Johnny Millsap, ], Texas Jack Vermillion, and Johnny Green to Dodge City to help Short, and the men were sworn in as deputies by constable Dave Marrow.<ref name="woog">Woog, Adam (February 28, 2010). ''Wyatt Earp''. Chelsea House Publications. {{ISBN|978-1-60413-597-8}} p 67</ref> Short, Earp and Petillon met in Kinsley, Kansas on June 3, 1883 and took the afternoon train to Dodge City.

Mayor Deger issued a proclamation the following day ordering the closing of all gambling places in Dodge City.<ref>''Leavenworth Times'', June 5, 1883</ref>

== Dodge City Peace Commission ==

Mayor Deger's action during the height of the seasonal cattle drive boom would ruin the saloon's and related company's business. Governor Glick and the Santa Fe Railroad, which did considerable business in Dodge, urged the mayor to quickly resolve the conflict. However, Short, Earp, and the others refused to compromise. Seeking to avoid a confrontation with the deputized gunmen, and under pressure from Governor Glick and the Santa Fe Railroad, the mayor and city council backed down. On June 9 they allowed the gambling halls, dance halls, and saloons to reopen, including the Long Branch. Both sides met in a dance hall that night and resolved their differences.

=== Historic photo ===

The following day – June 10, 1883 – eight men gathered and posed for what has become one of the most reproduced Wild West history photos. The group was immediately dubbed the "Dodge City Peace Commission." The eight men in the historic photo were: William H. Harris, Luke Short, Bat Masterson, William F. Petillon, Charles E. Bassett, Wyatt Earp, Michael Francis "Frank" McLean and Cornelius "Neil" Brown. Immediately after the photo was taken, Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp departed on a west bound train for Colorado.<ref>''Dodge City Times'', June 14, 1883</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=How Dodge City Became a Symbol of Frontier Lawlessness |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-dodge-city-became-symbol-frontier-lawlessness-180967912/ |access-date=26 October 2018 |work=Smithsonian |language=en}}</ref> Economics - rather than bloodshed - forced resolution of the "Dodge City War."<ref>{{cite news |title=The Man Behind the Dodge City War |url=https://truewestmagazine.com/the-man-behind-the-dodge-city-war/ |access-date=26 October 2018 |work=True West Magazine |date=21 July 2015}}</ref>

=== Luke leaves Dodge City ===

On November 19, 1883 Short and Harris sold the Long Branch to Roy Drake and Frank Warren.<ref>''Ford County Globe'' (Dodge City), November 20, 1883</ref> Short then moved to San Antonio for a brief time, before deciding to relocate in Fort Worth.<ref>''Ford County Globe'' (Dodge City), January 1, 1884.
</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* DeMattos, Jack "The Dodge City Peace Commission Revealed," ''Wild West History Association Journal'' (Vol. VI, No. 2), April 2013.
* DeMattos, Jack and Parsons, Chuck. ''The Notorious Luke Short: Sporting Man of the Wild West,'' Denton, TX: University of North Texas Press, 2015. {{ISBN|978-1-57441 594-0}}
* Shillingberg, Wm. B. ''Dodge City: The Early Years, 1872-1886,'' Norman, OK: The Arthur H. Clark Company, 2009. {{ISBN|978-0-87062-378-3}}

== External links ==
* by P.A. Mallory
*
* June 1883. Original photograph, Ford County Historical Society
*

{{Gunfights and feuds in the Old West}}

]
]
]
]
]
]
]

]

Latest revision as of 07:10, 9 September 2024

1883 bloodless Wild West conflict
Dodge City War
The "Dodge City Peace Commission" June 10, 1883. (Standing from left) William H. Harris (1845–1895), Luke Short (1854–1893), William "Bat" Masterson (1853–1921), William F. Petillon (1846–1917), (seated from left) Charlie Bassett (1847–1896), Wyatt Earp (1848–1929), Michael Francis "Frank" McLean (1854–1902), Cornelius "Neil" Brown (1844–1926). Photo by Charles A. Conkling.
DateJune 1883
LocationDodge City, Kansas, USA
OutcomeLong Branch Saloon reopened
DeathsNone

The Dodge City War was a bloodless conflict that took place between Luke Short and the Dodge City mayor, who tried to force Short to close the Long Branch Saloon and leave town. Luke called on several friends, including Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson, who supported him during his confrontation from April 28 to June 7, 1883. The event is best remembered because it produced one of the most iconic photos of Western gamblers and gunfighters who played roles in the history of the Wild West.

Luke Short and the Long Branch Saloon

Luke Short arrived in Dodge City during April 1881. William H. Harris, whom Short had met in Tombstone a few months earlier, gave Luke a job as a faro dealer at the Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas. The saloon was owned by Harris and his partner Chalk Beeson. On February 6, 1883, Chalk Beeson sold his interest in the Long Branch to Short.

The month after Short and Harris formed their partnership, Harris was nominated to run for Dodge City mayor. On March 19, 1883 a law and order group nominated Lawrence E. Deger to run against Harris. Deger defeated Harris by a vote of 214 to 143 on April 3. The citizens also elected all five of the city council candidates running with Deger.

Vice ordinances passed

On April 23 the Dodge City Council passed two ordinances that were immediately approved by Mayor Deger. "Ordinance No. 70" was for "The Suppression of Vice and Immorality within the City of Dodge City," and "Ordinance No. 71" was titled "Define and Punish Vagrancy." Both of these ordinances were aimed at the Long Branch Saloon.

On April 28, 1883 three prostitutes employed at the Long Branch were arrested by City Marshal Jack Bridges and policeman Louis C. Hartman. The Ford County Globe reported: “It was claimed by the proprietors that partiality was shown in arresting women in their house when two were allowed to remain in A. B. Webster’s saloon, one at Heinz & Kramer’s, two at Nelson Cary’s, and a whole herd of them at Bond & Nixon’s dance hall.” The paper suggested that if the owners' claim was true, “it would be most natural for them to think so and give expression to their feelings.”

That evening Short and Hartman got into a gunfight. Neither man was hurt. Short was quickly arrested and released on $2,000 bond. His preliminary examination was set for May 2. Short told the Globe, "their policeman attempted to assassinate me and I had him arrested for it and had plenty of evidence to have convicted him, but before it came to trial they had organized a vigilance committee and made me leave, so that I could not appear against him."

Luke Short forced out of Dodge

On April 30 Luke Short was again arrested (along with five other gamblers) and placed in jail. The following day Short and the five others were escorted to the train depot and given their choice of east or west-bound trains. Short went east to Kansas City, Missouri where he looked up Charles E. Bassett at the Marble Hall Saloon. Bassett and Luke had a lot in common, not the least of which was that they both, at different times, owned an interest in the Long Branch Saloon. Bassett had served as the first sheriff of Ford County, as well as city marshal of Dodge City. Both Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson had, at various times, served under Bassett as deputies.

Short and Bassett, along with William F. Petillon, began planning Luke's return to Dodge. Luke went to Topeka on May 10, where he presented a petition to Governor George W. Glick. Upon learning the details of how Luke and five others had been forced out of town using extra-judicial means, told Sheriff George T. Hinkel, this action “simply shows that the mayor is unfit for his place, that he does not do his duty, and instead of occupying the position of peace maker, the man whose duty it is to see that the ordinances are enforced by legal process in the courts, starts out to head a mob to drive people away from their homes and their business.” Glick arranged a 10-day cooling off period to allow Short to return to Dodge and sell the saloon.

The governor's offer was not well-received by some Dodge City citizens. Thirteen men published a statement in the Topeka Daily Capital on May 18, in which they said that if Short overstayed the 10 days, they "would not be responsible for any personal safety."

Short returned to Kansas City where he was joined by Bat Masterson. He had no intention of being forced to sell his saloon and leave Dodge within the 10-day period. Masterson contacted his and Short's friend Wyatt Earp on May 31, 1883. Earp and his wife Josephine went with Masterson, Johnny Millsap, Shotgun John Collins, Texas Jack Vermillion, and Johnny Green to Dodge City to help Short, and the men were sworn in as deputies by constable Dave Marrow. Short, Earp and Petillon met in Kinsley, Kansas on June 3, 1883 and took the afternoon train to Dodge City.

Mayor Deger issued a proclamation the following day ordering the closing of all gambling places in Dodge City.

Dodge City Peace Commission

Mayor Deger's action during the height of the seasonal cattle drive boom would ruin the saloon's and related company's business. Governor Glick and the Santa Fe Railroad, which did considerable business in Dodge, urged the mayor to quickly resolve the conflict. However, Short, Earp, and the others refused to compromise. Seeking to avoid a confrontation with the deputized gunmen, and under pressure from Governor Glick and the Santa Fe Railroad, the mayor and city council backed down. On June 9 they allowed the gambling halls, dance halls, and saloons to reopen, including the Long Branch. Both sides met in a dance hall that night and resolved their differences.

Historic photo

The following day – June 10, 1883 – eight men gathered and posed for what has become one of the most reproduced Wild West history photos. The group was immediately dubbed the "Dodge City Peace Commission." The eight men in the historic photo were: William H. Harris, Luke Short, Bat Masterson, William F. Petillon, Charles E. Bassett, Wyatt Earp, Michael Francis "Frank" McLean and Cornelius "Neil" Brown. Immediately after the photo was taken, Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp departed on a west bound train for Colorado. Economics - rather than bloodshed - forced resolution of the "Dodge City War."

Luke leaves Dodge City

On November 19, 1883 Short and Harris sold the Long Branch to Roy Drake and Frank Warren. Short then moved to San Antonio for a brief time, before deciding to relocate in Fort Worth.

References

  1. Dodge City Peace Commission Old West Gunfighters Dodge City, KS 1883 (1883) Ford County Historical Society. retrieved October 2014
  2. Ford County Globe (Dodge City), February 6, 1883
  3. ^ Demattos, Jack; Parsons, Chuck (July 21, 2015). "The Man Behind the Dodge City War". True West. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  4. Dodge City Times, April 5, 1883
  5. Ford County Globe (Dodge City), May 1, 1883
  6. Dodge City Times, May 3, 1883
  7. Woog, Adam (February 28, 2010). Wyatt Earp. Chelsea House Publications. ISBN 978-1-60413-597-8 p 67
  8. Leavenworth Times, June 5, 1883
  9. Dodge City Times, June 14, 1883
  10. "How Dodge City Became a Symbol of Frontier Lawlessness". Smithsonian. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  11. "The Man Behind the Dodge City War". True West Magazine. 21 July 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  12. Ford County Globe (Dodge City), November 20, 1883
  13. Ford County Globe (Dodge City), January 1, 1884.

Further reading

  • DeMattos, Jack "The Dodge City Peace Commission Revealed," Wild West History Association Journal (Vol. VI, No. 2), April 2013.
  • DeMattos, Jack and Parsons, Chuck. The Notorious Luke Short: Sporting Man of the Wild West, Denton, TX: University of North Texas Press, 2015. ISBN 978-1-57441 594-0
  • Shillingberg, Wm. B. Dodge City: The Early Years, 1872-1886, Norman, OK: The Arthur H. Clark Company, 2009. ISBN 978-0-87062-378-3

External links

Gunfights and feuds in the Old West
Gunfights
Duels and
showdowns
Feuds
Range
wars
Robberies
See also
Further information: List of Old West gunfights, List of Old West gunfighters, and List of Old West lawmen
Categories: