WILLIAM BARCLAY "BAT" MASTERSON - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 02/04/1914 - HFSID 350561

WILLIAM BARCLAY "BAT" MASTERSON
Rare, 1914 typed letter signed by the Western lawman on New York Morning Telegraph letterhead signed by the Western lawman while he was a sports writer at the paper. It's addressed to Robert M. Wright, author of Dodge City, The Cowboy Capital and laments the sale of Wright's "meritorious volume". With three typed manuscript pages from Wright's book on the murder of Masterson'sbrother Ed.
Typed letter signed "W. B. Masterson" in purple ink. 1 page, 8½x11, on letterhead of the New York Morning Telegraph. Feb. 4, 1914. Addressed to the Honorable R. N. Wright, Dodge City, Kansas. In full: "My dearBob:-I got your letter yesterday and hasten to reply for fear I'll forget it as I find it is quite easy for me to forget things now. I am indeed sorry that the book doesn't sell more readily than it does for it really is a meritorious volume. I will call Mr. Price's attention to what you say regarding his writing from time to time stories from the book and believe as you do that will help its sale immensely. What is required to stimulate the sale of a book is advertising and unless that is done there is little demand for a book no matter how interesting it is. I know of no way to help out in the matter here although it might be worth while to place some of them on sale in one of the book stores. I have talked the book up among friends and one of them told me the other day he intended sending for a number of books to present same to personal friends. I loaned mine to him to read and he was greatly interested in it. I hope for better results with the book. With very best wishes, I am, Sincerely yours,". Lightly toned, stained, and creased. Lightly torn along all edges. Folded once horizontally and twice vertically. Otherwise in fine condition. Accompanied by: Three unsigned typewritten pages, bound to letter at top with a pin. Titled: "Edward Masterson". Description of the murder of Masterson's son Ed, Marshal of Ford County, Kansas, in Dodge City deputy, on April 9, 1878 (here "April 9, 1978"). Lightly toned, soiled, stained and creased. Black ink and lead pencil notations in unknown hand. Tears at all edges. Folded thrice and unfolded. This letter was sent by Masterson to Robert M. Wright, author of his book Dodge City, The Cowboy Capital(1913) while working as a sportswriter at the New York Morning Telegraph. Wright, a former mayor of Dodge City, Kansas, dedicated several pages of his book to Masterson, a former deputy in Dodge City. The unsigned pages attached to this letter are manuscript pages from that book. Masterson promoted Wright's book as much as he could in his New York Morning Telegraph column and often quoted passages from it. Summing up the life of Masterson (1853-1921) in a few sentences isn't an easy thing. He was an American frontier gambler and buffalo hunter and a scout for the United States Army. Masterson was also a lawman, serving as a deputy in Dodge City, Kansas alongside Wyatt Earp and later sheriff for Ford County, Kansas (1877-1879), as well as town marshal of Trinidad (1881-1882) and later, during the administration of President Theodore Roosevelt, as a U. S. Marshall for the southern district of New York. He was also a journalist, beginning his career in the political hotbed of Dodge City and later as a sportswriter in Denver, Colorado and in New York City at the New York Morning Telegraph. Framed to ovall size of 37x22½.