Bat Masterson

[Bat removes the bullets from Powers' pistol]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Your fangs are drawn, Mr. Powers, but this establishment still finds rattlesnakes unwelcome.

[Katie and her rifle get the drop on Bat]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Cherche la femme.

Powers:
Cherche la what?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Nothin'.

Powers:
Now don't go making French remarks around Katie.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oh, I wouldn't think of it. Not in front of innocent, blue-eyed, little old Katie.

[Carstairs has ordered Bat to dig his own grave]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oh, ah, Katie... how about lunch tomorrow?

Katie:
For me, yes - for you, no.

Carstairs:
It's not over yet, Mr. Masterson. You've got some digging to do.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Dig?

Carstairs:
We're going to shoot you, bury you, then run a herd over your grave. No one will ever know where you've gone.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You're late.

Hugh Blaine:
Well, I got a little lost, but you're right, you didn't need any help.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
On the contrary, there's a man in my grave.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You tired of playing cowboy?

Hugh Blaine:
Me? I'm a businessman, not a rancher. I'd be bored to death.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Ah, you're right. A shoemaker should stick to his lasts. As for me, Hugh, I'm staying with gambling.

Hugh Blaine:
That's no business.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
With me it is. The cheaters are fewer and easier to spot.

Narrator:
A short distance from Denver, Colorado in the early '80s. Very few people get both feet in a grave and live to tell about it. A notable exception was Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

[Bat brandishes a shotgun]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I don't plan to use this unless someone gives me a good reason to.

Nora Grant:
Good reason or the right price?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oren Dilts and I have never met, but he hired me by wire to drive his cattle to the trailhead in Abilene. At the price he's paying me, I'd gladly drive them all the way to China - and that's a long way to swim.

Orin Dilts:
Just how rough was that trip, Masterson? I'd like to know; you're here in Beaumont on my account. If there's any trouble...

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
No, I'm here on my account... and your bank account.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Interesting thing about people when they get rich... they get fussy.

Nora Grant:
I've always been fussy.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
And stubborn, too.

[Grimes, the sheriff and two deputies are preparing to drag Anton out of court and kill him]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
He can't stop this trial!

Judge Dorset:
Four guns spout an awful lot of law. I'm not going to argue with him.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You nearly sliced up my derby! They're hard to come by around here.

[Bat shows the Sheriff how Grimes cheated him at roulette]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm going to leave him to your tender mercy. Don't be too tender.

[to Millie]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
If you hadn't given Anton a case of goosepimples, I'd be the owner of a $10,000 gambling joint in a town with a deserted mountain. You see - it pays to keep your word.

Narrator:
July 1885. Rumors of a fabulous gold strike at Telegraph Pass brought miners, gamblers, and gunmen to Apache Springs, last stop on the trail to the new diggings. Among them was Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

[Ben Thompson is wounded while saving Bat Masterson's life]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You won't be using that gun arm for a while.

Ben Thompson:
That's a shame.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Why? Do you need it?

Ben Thompson:
I was countin' on it. I got word my kid brother Billy is sentenced to die in Ogalala for a killing he didn't do.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I guess I'd better ride up there. You stay here and take care of that arm.

Ben Thompson:
You don't owe me anything.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Just my life. I don't like being obligated.

Narrator:
A Nebraska cow town - July 26, 1884. Ben Thompson, notorious gunman, triggered a wild sequence of events in the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

[first lines]

Bailey Harper:
Bat Masterson. Bat Masterson, fastest cane in the West.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Bailey Harper? You're connected with stagecoaching, I believe

Bailey Harper:
If they're carrying money. Right now, I'm just a horse trader. I figure your horse for mine is fair enough... provided you throw in your gun and your money pouch.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
That pouch has a thousand dollars U.S. in it.

Bailey Harper:
Oh, don't apologize. When Bailey Harper makes a bargain, he sticks to it.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You're in a hurry, I take it.

Bailey Harper:
Right! I'm expecting lady and my fort is a fifty mile ride.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I had a poker date in Phoenix, but I guess I'm not in a hurry.

Bailey Harper:
Oh, you'll get there. Some day. Maybe.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oh, I'll get there, alright; on my own horse, with my own gun and the thousand dollars you're... borrowing.

Bailey Harper:
Masterson, you stop any place between here and Walesburg, tell 'em you're after Bailey Harper and see how much help you get.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm not looking for help, Harper. It's a personal matter.

Adam Fairbanks, Gunsmith:
I didn't say Bailey was a friend of mine, but I wouldn't want him for an enemy, either.

[Bat, riding shotgun for a stagecoach, "drops in" on the passengers]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Anything I can do to make you folks more comfortable?

Louisa Carey:
Yes, get up top and protect us.

[realizing he will be recognized, Bat ducks under the stagecoach driver's seat during a robbery]

Stage Driver:
Some shotgun rider! Why don't you hide your head in the sand like an ostrich?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Maybe this shotgun wants to live to shoot again - at bigger game.

Louisa Carey:
That's very funny, Bat, but Bailey could whip you with one hand, and I want to love a man, not laugh at him.

[last lines]

Sheriff:
Whaddya say, Bat?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oh, just a personal matter.

Narrator:
The Territory of New Mexico, early summer, 1881. A rider less horse and a matter of principle play their parts in an incident from the colorful life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Hugh, here's your evidence.

Hugh Blain:
I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you, Bat.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
The fact is, you can't. I know Purcell can't pay off, so ten percent of zero is zero.

Hugh Blain:
You saved me fifty thousand dollars and ten percent of that is five thousand. There it is.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Mr. Blaine, I like the way you think - and pay off.

Hugh Blaine:
Does a trotter lift all four feet off the ground at the same time?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
That's one of the oldest arguments in horse racing. For what's it's worth, I'd say when its racing, a trotting horse has all four feet off the ground.

Roger Purcell:
It's not worth much without proof, Mr. Masterson.

[to Blaine]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You made a bet where the burden of proof is on you?

Hugh Blaine:
Yeah.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
How much is the bet?

Roger Purcell:
Exactly fifty thousand dollars.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Is this some kind of joke?

Roger Purcell:
If it is, the laugh's on your friend Blaine. You've got just three days to find that proof... or the money.

Roger Purcell:
Billie, why would I...

Billie Tuesday:
...marry a woman like me? Because you owe me fifty thousand dollars and you can square the debt with a two dollar marriage license.

Narrator:
Tucson, Arizona Territory. In the West, sulky racing was one of the most popular sports of the day. More important, it was a gentlemen's sport. And Bat Masterson was always a gentleman. This, too, was part of the legend. And it led him straight into trouble.

[first lines]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
That's the danger in killing - getting killed.

Sheriff Geary:
You can't do much when you're dead!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
How 'bout when you're alive?

Desk Clerk:
Change your mind about something?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Yeah. I've just decided to stay alive.

Lisa Anders:
I'm really concerned about your condition, Bat - bad health, bad luck - or are they one and the same at the moment?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Smith wants me dead, Lisa. He's impossible when things don't go his way. So all things considered, I'd say the time has come for me to die.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Shadows seldom shoot back, Mr. Smith. Only people who make them do.

Narrator:
The Sand Bar on the road to Casper, Wyoming. One quarter mile of barren land jutting out into the Platte River. The Good Fortune Saloon, deserted during the summer but where, in the winter months, vast fortunes were known to change hands overnight. A place where an empire was won on the toss of the dice. And where the man who built it became its only law, it's only Judge, and it's Jury. It was also a place of intrigue and danger for Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Mary MacLeod:
Bat Masterson, I have nothin' but burnin' words for the likes of ya! You promised to help my grandfather and I took you at your word.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, he's out of jail...

Mary MacLeod:
At what price? Turning a noble castle into a cheap hotel!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oh, no - a luxury hotel.

[Bat closes the visor on a suit of armor]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Sorry, old boy, but it's impolite to yawn.

[to Tracy]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You know, when I first met you, I thought you had stars in your eyes, but now I think they're dollar signs.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Dying is a very personal matter and a man with real pride doesn't ask others to help him do it.

Captain Angus MacLeod:
Bat, you're a conniver and a knave - there must be a touch of Scot's plaid in your blood.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, I don't...

[Tracy c*cks his pistol]

Tracy Crow:
We'll know that in a minute.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, one more ghost for the castle, Angus. Think your forefathers will mind?

Captain Angus MacLeod:
Our gain, Bat, lad, is their loss.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Aye.

Narrator:
San Francisco Harbor, 1883 - where we find Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
A gun...

Lawyer:
A gun what?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
The ace in the hole - or the hole in the ace. Councellor, you and I are going to court to restage that poker game.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I don't suppose you saw anybody come through here after firing a shot at me.

Belle Sims:
Oh no, I didn't see a thing. I didn't hear a thing. I take after her

[Belle points at a statue of the blindfolded Lady Justice]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
That doesn't mean being blind; that means she judges people on facts alone, not what they look like.

Narrator:
Casper, Wyoming - summer 1885. An adventure in the colorful life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Rance Fletcher:
Where'd you get that thing?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Dick Pierce and I did a little tinkering. It's a rifle cane - used in Europe to assassinate kings. Works good on knaves, too.

[the order of the shooting contestants is being chosen by drawing a card from Bat's deck]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Pick a card.

[Fletcher turns the deck over to select an advantageous card]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Do you want to pick a card or a bullet?

Rance Fletcher:
Some day, some way, you're going to meet me on my terms!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I hope not. I'd hate to think what your terms are.

Amber Mason:
And if I weren't a lady grown, I'd box your ears for intimating I was making sheeps' eyes at Mr. Masterson.

Billy Webb:
You never look at me like that when I'm not lookin'.

Amber Mason:
How do you know how I look at you when you're not lookin'?

Billy Webb:
But do you really think I ought to apologize to her?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Positively.

Billy Webb:
Well, oh, exceptin' I don't know what to apologize to her for!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
It doesn't matter - as long as you mean it.

Narrator:
The Annual Midas Creek Turkey Shoot was no trivial affair. And because of his reputation, the Town Council sent for a man both fearless and fair to run the shooting match. Bat Masterson - the man who became a legend in his own time.

Mace Pomeroy:
Masterson, where in tuck have you been? You're six minutes late!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You haven't changes a bit, Pomeroy.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I worked for you three years ago, you remember.

Mace Pomeroy:
Well, certainly I remember. Why else do you think I sent for you?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You never got around to paying the money you owed me.

Mace Pomeroy:
What are you talking about?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Two hundred sixty one dollars and fifty cents. You've owed it to me for three years.

Mace Pomeroy:
Oh, for heaven's sake, Masterson, this job pays five times that amount.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
It's a matter of principle. Do I collect it?

Mace Pomeroy:
Alright. I'll add it to your fee.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
One fee at a time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You look for me at Condor Canyon, Pomeroy. I'm going to make you pay every cent of that money you owe me right through that nose.

[last lines]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Let's see now - I've got $261.50, plus my fee of one dollar.

General Moran:
Sorry, Bat, no poker.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
And I know you've got at least $5000. It's going to be a very interesting trip back to Omaha.

General Moran:
If you think I'm going to risk my five thousand against a mere two hundred and sixty two...

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Why not? We're both playing with Pomeroy's money.

[they laugh]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Cut?

General Moran:
Well, I guess I didn't expect to keep this railroad anyway.

Narrator:
Omaha, Nebraska - 1886. Here the leaders of the great railroads gather to discuss their dreams of progress with the men who would turn them into hard reality. Bat Masterson was one of these men. His background as track boss and troubleshooter qualified him for a commanding role in the railroads' epic battle to conquer the West. In the hushed atmosphere of the Putman Club, the battle lines were drawn.

Shapley Howell:
Seein' how I gave you a fightin' chance, why don't you give me one?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You gave me the chance to fight a bear. I'm goin' to give you a chance to fight one, too... and I need some satisfaction anyway.

Shapley Howell:
Shoot him! Shoot him!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I don't think she's a murderer.

[Bat hits Howell with a bearskin and then knocks him out]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You just got your bear. It'a a tough business. You've got to know a lot about bears - and women.

Shapley Howell:
You can't take me back. We're in Canada - out of your jurisdiction the minute we crossed the border.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well now, Mr. Howell, I don't know about that. The American-Canadian border is a little hard to find in the wilderness. I'd say we're still on the American side.

Shapley Howell:
Ridiculous!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Alright, let's get packed. First night out, we'll have bear steaks for everybody, courtesy of Bat Masterson. And when we run out of those, I'll kill you some fish.

Narrator:
The Montana Rockies - October 12, 1885. A hunting party, a killer bear, and a murderer enter the life of Bat Masterson, one of the West's most famous guns. A man who became a legend in his own time.

[Bat's partner, Frank Holloway, has been murdered]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm sorry, Frank, I'm very sorry. You lost even before we started gambling.

Andrew Strathmere:
If you killed Holloway everyone would be happy.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Except Holloway.

[outside Holloway's cave hideout]

Dane Holloway:
You've seen our mansion. Let's step in the parlor and talk.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
There's one more thing - I made a bargain; I owe you one hundred dollars for finding Dane Holloway. Sorry if there's a little blood on the money.

Narrator:
Santa Fe, New Mexico - 1879. Bat Masterson and his friend, Frank Holloway, had put together $10,000 for a business venture. Now, Holloway was dead - and there was blood on the money. Which lead to a curious quest for Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

[Bat knocks out Whit's assistant before entering the police commissioner's office]

Whit Morrison:
How did you get in here?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You ought to send your boys to my club to learn the manly art of self-defense.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You know, I have never struck an honest-to-goodness police commissioner before - but you aren't honest.

Isabel Fowler:
You know, you don't look like a kind of man who would pass up opportunity.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I usually listen when it knocks. Sometimes I knock myself.

Marty:
But what makes you so sure the city won't close you up again?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm a gambler, Marty. Calculated risk.

[Whit blackmails Marty with evidence of previous crimes]

Whit Morrison:
I want you to plant some dynamite in Masterson's club.

Marty:
Oh, no!

Whit Morrison:
Oh, yes!

Marty:
He's my friend!

Whit Morrison:
And I'm your enemy, but you're going to do it just the same.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I read someplace that a great man keeps one eye on the stars and another at the holes in the road.

Monroe Fowler:
Well, I guess I'll go out and start filling in some of those holes.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Mr. Mayor, if you'll appoint me police commissioner for a minute or two, I'll be very happy to take your prisoners to jail - or shall we call them "holes in the road?"

Monroe Fowler:
Whatever you prefer, Mr. Commissioner.

Narrator:
Denver, Colorado. One of the foremost sports centers of the country was the scene of an unusual adventure in the colorful life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Luke Simes:
I'd like to be able to kill him a handful of times. Once doesn't seem likely to be enough.

J.J. Carver:
Say, I've never seen you so insistent.

Susan Carver:
Am I being insistent?

J.J. Carver:
Yes!

Susan Carver:
I always am.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Never knew what hit him, but the other Indians will. Only gun that would make a hole like that is a buffalo gun.

[Susan tries to break away from Simes's clutches]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
If there's going to be a fistfight, Simes, my money is on the lady.

Indian Chief:
Is it the woman that gives you courage?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I want to save her from death. Is that unworthy?

[last lines]

[referring to Bat]

Charlie:
That's a man - a dying breed like the buffalo.

Narrator:
June 28, 1887: the Dakotas - the land of the Sioux and the land of the buffalo, where we find Bat Masterson, who became a legend in his own time.

[first lines]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I sure will be glad when the Army escort picks up this cargo. There's something about explosives that's so... explosive.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, if the Sioux army attacks the fort, how many men are there?

Billy Willow:
Not enough. The supply bins are full of nothing but daylight.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I've got important business in Cheyenne with three of its richest citizens and poorest poker players.

Jody Reese:
Wancho, no!

Wancho Tully:
The man's paying the highest wages.

Jody Reese:
What's he paying the widows?

Billy Willow:
You've still got a patriotic duty!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
To the poker playing millionaires of Cheyenne! If I don't teach them how to lose graciously, they'll never learn.

Billy Willow:
They got renegade written all over them! I'm mighty glad you changed your mind, Bat.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
They changed it for me, Billy.

Billy Willow:
What do you mean?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, they were at the depot around the cargo and then they weren't, then they volunteered and then they didn't, then they did. A woman could just change her mind, but a man... a man's usually got to have a reason.

Billy Willow:
I reckon nobody will be building a pyramid to remember him by.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
There's only one decent thing we can do for a man like that - forget him.

Narrator:
Rapid City, South Dakota, 1875: The end of the line for the railroads. Beyond this point, nothing but wilderness and badlands, inhabited by hostile Indians, gun-happy renegades, and, for a short but violent interval, Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You haven't forgotten how to ride.

Jane Taylor:
You memory is good after all this time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
We remember what pleases us.

Dallas Agate:
Not much gets by you, Bat - or me, for that matter.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
If you play around with barbed wire, you're liable to get cut.

Dallas Agate:
You get in my way, Bat, I'll have to cut you down as quick as I do that fence.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
At least we understand each other.

Dallas Agate:
We always have.

Narrator:
Abilene, Kansas, 1886: Battleground for free grass. A strange mission that led to a fence war brought Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Trent:
Seems to me, Mr. Pate, that Cheyenne's been getting cluttered up with them Eastern dudes.

Pate:
Well, that Eastern dude was sheriff of Dodge City two years ago. Happens to be Bat Masterson.

Steven Haley:
How long have you known John Conant?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
All of thirty minutes.

Steven Haley:
He told me you were an old friend.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I've had friendships that didn't last that long.

Pate:
Are you suggesting I cheat at cards?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, it goes a little beyond suggesting.

Pate:
Get out of town. Tonight!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I was just beginning to like it here.

Pate:
I won't tell you again.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I didn't even like it the first time you told me.

[Bat takes a last drink before confronting Pate's killers]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
To your health Mr. Conant... and mine.

Sarah Lou Conant:
Mr. Masterson, please don't go outside.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Everyone seems to want to protect me.

Sarah Lou Conant:
From what Steve says, there's trouble out there.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Trouble's a thought a man has to entertain from time to time.

Steven Haley:
Well, I think you've put them out of the gunfighting business.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Yeah, they may have to take an honest job - like gambling.

Narrator:
August 1881. The Cheyenne Club - oasis of culture and elegance in the rough, bustling cattle town in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Walking into one of his extraordinary adventures is Bat Masterson, a connoisseur of good living, who became a legend in his own time.

Lolita:
A hundred dollar bill? Is that the smallest you have?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
At the moment, fortunately, yes.

Narrator:
In the 1880's, the through train to El Paso made a brief stop for mail at Headstone. Passengers availed themselves of this opportunity for quick refreshments. Among them was Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Major Whitsett:
The army has always been my first objective.

Colonel Downey:
Has it? The way you twist the truth should make you a very successful politician

Doc:
You gotta get up pretty early to get the Colonel. I heard he left at dawn this morning.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You mean he went to the peace conference?

Doc:
I don't know where he went. He just left. They don't tell me nothin'. They just come in after the shootin' and order me to stop 'em from bleedin' to death.

Major Whitsett:
Are you calling me a liar?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Yes, I am. I'm almost tempted to call you a murderer.

[the Major's political operatives get the drop on Bat]

Amos Judd:
We've got orders to kill you, Masterson.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well now, that's no way to treat a registered voter.

Doc:
Poor devil. I guess he wanted to serve his country and didn't know how.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
He did... he died.

Ben Pick:
'Tis no use, Nione. Mr. Masterson go his way and we go ours.

Nione:
I like his way better.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Where's the water wagon?

Doc:
Gone. Why?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm thirsty!

Narrator:
Fort Logan, 1876. Colorado, the newest State in the Union, was still without Representatives in Congress. Political bosses combed the ranks of the military for candidates with popular appeal. A brass hat in the ring could attract a lot of votes. But for one civilian scout in the Cavalry, it attracted more bullets than ballots and helped make Bat Masterson a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Joe and I are friends - good friends.

Harry Cassidy:
Yes, he had a lot of friends.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Had?

[indicates the wreath on the sheriff's office door]

Harry Cassidy:
He had enemies, too.

Danny:
The next time I hang a wreath, it will be on your grave.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I prefer camillas. What's your choice?

Danny:
Notice anything different?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well now, let's see - new hat, new jacket, new shoes.

Francie Wallace:
Something else, Bat.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Brand new attitude, new point of view and a new sense of values. They look good on you, too.

Narrator:
Buckhorn, Wyoming, 1889. The nefarious Dakota Boys were the scourge of the Black Hills area - a vicious clan of killing cousins. Their family ties were twisted into a hangman's rope when they encountered Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

[after Judd rescues Bat from a pair of claim jumpers, Bat relieves the crooks of their pistols]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Thanks, Judd. Looks like you saved my life.

Judd Elkins:
You have nine lives, Bat. The main thing is we saved your claim.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, if my claim doesn't prove out, I can always open a gunshop.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You're lucky you didn't have to use that hearse for transportation goin' back.

Vernon Ellwood:
The silver vein from the main strike goes right through your property.

Ann Elkins:
I'll never count a cent of it without thinking of you.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Thank you, Ann. That should keep you thinking of me for quite a while.

Narrator:
The mining area around Monument City, Nevada, where thousands answered the siren call of "Silver strike!" The new diggings and reworked tunnels were offering fortunes by the spadesful if you were lucky, sometimes only a grave if you were not. Returning to the revitalized ghost town to roll the dice with Lady Luck was Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Cowhand:
Those Bassett boys really got their work cut out for 'em. Rod Clements has killed four men that I know of and he's got help now besides.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Yeah, and these boys owe me money - and dead men don't pay their debts.

[last lines]

Louise Clements:
Bat! Bat! Since these men ain't - aren't able to behave themselves like gentlemn, would you be good enough to see me home?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'd be charmed. M'lady. Gentlemen. I'm very happy for you and Hal, but I wish you'd been a few years older.

[Bat winks]

Narrator:
Wichita, Kansas in the 1870's. A Saturday afternoon with a trail herd on its way in. It was to be a busy day in the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Your horse give out far from here?

Jay Simms:
Coupla miles.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Bring your valet with you?

Jay Simms:
My what?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Your valet.

Jay Simms:
What's this valet?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You boots look remarkably clean for a man who's walked though a couple of miles of brush.

Jay Simms:
Is that your business?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Perhaps.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
The white man knows me as Masterson; your people know me as "The Man with the Stick."

Indian Chief:
I have heard of you.

[the Indian chief dismounts and limps towards Bat leaning on a stick]

Indian Chief:
I, too, am a man with a stick.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
We need horses.

Indian Chief:
Only this one. What you trade?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Five hundred dollars.

Indian Chief:
White man's paper is good for small fire.

[discussing Lorna]

Indian Chief:
Squaw mangy, but we trade.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Their idea of a good wife is a woman who can pull two hundred pound of buffalo meat while carrying a baby on her back.

Tim Minto:
Don't push your luck.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
My mistake.

Tim Minto:
Almost your last.

Narrator:
Webster, Texas - 1887. A stagecoach ride and a beautiful girl: the beginning of what was nearly the end of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Dr. Harold Dunsmore:
Do you mind if I offer you some advice? I think you should grab what you can and clear out now, because I don't think you'd like prison. You can take that from someone who's been there.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I hope this doesn't get you in any trouble with the law, Soda.

Soda Smith:
Oh no, them lizards ain't likely to skin off to the sheriff. Even if they did, they'd come here to arrest me for shootin' you. All I got to do is show 'em what a live corpse you are. And it's a good thing for you that you're a fast talker - otherwise you'd have been a goner.

Ellie Winters:
Bat, will you come to see me in prison?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oh now, you aren't going to prison.

Ellie Winters:
I was working for them.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You'll be cleared of any criminal part of the swindle. At worst, you'll be convicted of being a pretty bad judge of character.

Soda Smith:
Son, I wish we had you on our side - the South would have won.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You might have won anyway, Soda, if you hadn't run out of bicarb.

Narrator:
Leadville - one of Colorado's more colorful mining camps. A town where the unexpected was the order of the day and where Bat Masterson "died" to prove to Ellie Winters that diamonds are not always a girl's best friend. From the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
What about DeChalma?

Shorty Mason:
Demanded a private room - the main room no less. Arrived about an hour ago with two gorgeous blondes, one on each arm, looking like a million dollars.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I wonder whose.

Narrator:
Hard Rock, Colorado - 1883. A backward frontier town must promise fresh opportunities for a hard headed businessman to come there expecting to invest both time and money in its future. This is especially true if the businessman happens to be Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
From now on, I am no longer accepting gifts from dead men - they're too hard to return.

[last lines]

Harrison Whitney:
Amazing thing, Constance - the way his visit has affected the Clarion's circulation.

Constance Whitney:
Mm-hmm. Mine, too.

Narrator:
Shotgun Falls, Wyoming. In this part of the West, life and death had definite similarities. Both were fast, violent, and full of surprises to Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Claire Cantrell:
"Buck", I said - that's Buck Peters, my fiancee, the sheriff of...

Slim Tobey:
...the sheriff of Mesquitte Springs. How many more times you gonna tell us?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
That was unkind, uncouth and uncalled for.

Slim Tobey:
She hasn't shut up once since we left Reno.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Ms. Cantrell is about to be married. I suggest you apologize.

Claire Cantrell:
Don't bother, Mr. Masterson. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Just for that, I won't say another word.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Now you see what you've done, Mr. Tobey. We'll probably die of boredom.

[gunshots whiz overhead and the stagecoach is robbed]

Eddie Griswell:
Hey! Where's my lunch?

[to Bat]

Buck Peters:
Eddie Griswell. He'll be hanged Saturday.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
The prospect doesn't seem to spoil his appetite.

Slim Tobey:
They say you're pretty good with a gun.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I won't miss a target as big as you.

Slim Tobey:
I can take you, Masterson.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Don't try it.

Slim Tobey:
I can drop you with one shot.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
If you reach, I guarantee you'll see nothing but sky.

[Tobey draws his pistol and in the ensueing gunfight, is shot by Bat]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Is the view worth it, Tobey?

Mayor Goodwin:
Masterson, you did it! Six of them with one gun!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
With one bullet.

Mayor Goodwin:
How can you kill six men with one bullet?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, simple. Just line them up like crows on a line.

[last lines]

Johnny:
Mr. Masterson, they're sayin' you didn't kill all the outlaws!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Who says I didn't?

Johnny:
My father says you only killed one.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, Johnny, that's the problem with grown-ups. They just refuse to believe the impossible.

Narrator:
Mesquite Springs, Nevada is a small town on the way to Carson City. In the fall of '86, it was a place of unexpected danger for Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Sit down, Fisher.

[to Cactus Charlie]

Eli Fisher:
Go ahead, old man. Draw!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You heard me, Fisher! I can speak louder with this [pistol] if you prefer.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You know, there are some men, Charlie, who are born to riches, other men work for it and some have it thrust upon them. My conscience says no, but the rest of my refuses to listen.

[Bat kills Hall in a shootout]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I wonder if he weighed the odds against the stacks.

[last lines]

Cactus Charlie:
Bat, you're more than a partner, you're a real friend. You know I'm kind of glad this thing turned out the way it did.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
How's that?

Cactus Charlie:
Well, I've been lookin' for gold so many years, that the lookin' for it's become more important than the findin' of it. So long, partner!

Narrator:
Central City, Colorado, in the 1880's - the Gold Strike years. Fortunes were made overnight and with them sometimes came trouble and danger. One man who encountered both was Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
William Barclay Masterson at your service, ma'am.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Would you do me the honor of dining with me tonight.

Maria Costa:
My father has instructed me never to continue a relationship with a stranger.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
My father always told me never to let a pretty girl get away.

Sandy:
You sure dress fancy, Mr. Masterson. I thought a gunfighter didn't care about his looks.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Gunfighter?

Sandy:
My father says you're the fastest draw between here and California.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
That's a lot of territory.

[Bat polishes his gold-headed cane]

Sandy:
That's why they call you "Bat" isn't it?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Yep. It was given to me by the grateful citizens of Dodge City when I was sheriff there.

Sandy:
My father says you can bat a man over the head faster than a man can go for his gun.

[Bat dons his bowler hat]

Sandy:
You're going to wear that? You must have a fast draw.

Narrator:
Arizona, June 20, 1883. A showdown - double showdown - was brewing in the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Jessie Simmons:
Bat - your horse.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Thanks, Jessie. You'll go to the good place when you die.

Jessie Simmons:
Well, that's not fair, Bat. I want to see you again.

[Bat confronts the imposter]

Chad Hornsby:
I warn you, I never lost in a shootout yet.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
That was when you were Bat Masterson. I like the way you wear your clothes, Hornsby. I like your style. As a matter of fact, you're not a bad sort, but if I let you get away with that gold shipment every lawman from here to Frisco would be looking for Bat Masterson, so I can't let you do that. You can either ride out of here or, ah... It's up to you.

Narrator:
Silver City, Nevada. May 1883. The only thing more important to Bat Masterson than winning a bet was his name and reputation. An adventure from the life of the colorful figure who became a legend in his own time.

Ellie Winters:
Fighting Quince is like fighting snakes in the dark.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Some of my best friends are snakes... and beautiful blackjack dealers.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
One thing I didn't teach you is how to shoot a man in the back when he's rolling on the ground.

[last lines]

Ellie Winters:
Will you be coming back after the trial? I'll even let you win at blackjack.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'll be back.

[they kiss]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
After all, I'm a gambler.

Narrator:
Fortune City, Nevada - November 25, 1882. The time and place of one of the famous adventures of Bat Masterson, the man who developed his own philosophy of gun fighting and became known as a teacher of that philosophy. The man who became a legend in his own time.

Thompson:
Do you need a trail driver, Mr. Masterson? If I can run my herd along with yours, I'll more than make up what I lost.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I can't think of a faster way to build five thousand dollars into twenty five thousand.

Thompson:
Or a more dangerous one.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
A man can get killed walking behind a horse. Personally, I'd rather get it on the way to the bank.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Madam, your boudoir is set up among the oak trees.

Valorie Mitchell:
Madam thanks you. See me to my door?

[Bat gives Valorie his arm]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Now what kind of cattle drive do you think this is?

Narrator:
August 2, 1880 - Laramie, Wyoming - the heart of the cattle kingdom. The stakes are high in this episode from the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well now, Mr. Wright, I'll not pay you a penny's worth of tribute, although I may give you my gold-handled cane.

Teddy Wright:
Your cane?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Right across where you'll feel it the most. It hurts!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
There's always a choice when a man gets more sick of himself than scared.

Joe Rankin:
Bat, every time I get up there my knees get to knockin' so hard I sound like a bass drum on the Fourth of July.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You're improvin' right along, Joe. Just stand bow-legged.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Now let's settle this with ballots instead of bullets.

Narrator:
Protection, Kansas. The year - 1878. The cattle drive was nearly over. But it became the beginning of a private war called a public election. From the colorful life of Bat Masterson - the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I couldn't scare up enough tools to dig a shallow grave for a skinny Indian.

Narrator:
Colorado in the spring of 1882. Nature resented the invasion of the railroads and battled fiercely to resist them. But the railroads had chosen wisely the general to lead the fight - Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Narrator:
Eden, New Mexico in the 1880's: a small, isolated town sweltering in the grip of a sudden heat wave. For one lone traveler, for whom the town appeared an oasis, it instead proved to be as deadly as the heat. The traveler was Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
All it took was confidence, Sam. As a great philosopher once said, "When courage feels it is right, there is no personal daring of which it is not capable."

Sam Phelps:
That's pretty good.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Yeah - especially when you back it with a shotgun.

Narrator:
Arizona Territory, 1884. On his way to Tombstone, Bat Masterson suffers a humiliating interruption. He did not like interruptions as he proved convincingly during this event in the life of the man who became a legend in his own time.

Ben Wilson:
We've come to a decision. We're not going to shoot you.

Emile Barole:
Unh-uh.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Thank you. I knew I could help you think.

Ben Wilson:
We're going to blow you to kingdom come if you try to run.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I love the sedentary life.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
What are you going to do with all your money?

Emile Barole:
I'm going to get all the glorious champagne to drink and all the gorgeous food to eat. Then I'm going to lie down to dream - to dream of more food and more champagne.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Aim high, men! Shoot at the moon - you may hit a star.

[Bat plans to ask Miranda for a loan]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
What have I got to lose?

Emile Barole:
Nothing - the lady is so pretty.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You Frenchmen.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
He's still alive. I hope he lives long enough to know that we - Ben Wilson and his friends - built a flume to the Mother Lode.

Emile Barole:
Bat, you are a genius.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'll drink to that.

Narrator:
The mother lode of the country of California on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada. Some struck it rich; some threw away a lifetime digging and dreaming, always only two feet away from a million dollars. Gold, the yellow Lorelei that opened the West, also provided one of the most exciting incidents in the colorful life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

General Moran:
I'm risking a spur of my railroad against that Texan's horse ranch.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
A spur of your railroad! General, I don't like the way you bet.

General Moran:
I need your help at your price. You interested?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, the bigger the wager, the bigger my fee... General, I like the way you bet!

Ruby Red:
Can't a lady have any privacy? Go away!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I can't - my foot's in the door.

Narrator:
San Antonio - one of the liveliest little towns in the overgrown State of Texas. The setting for one of the most exciting sporting events in the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

[about General Sherman]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
There goes a fine soldier. He's the man who said "War is hell."

Marshal:
He wouldn't have said that if he'd seen Dodge City first.

Drew:
Yankees sure do the funniest things - like hanging a piece of tin on a tinhorn and callin' it the law.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Okay, folks, listen carefully to what I have to say and spread the word. I've been deputized, so as long as General Sherman is a guest in Dodge City, I'm going to be nothing more or less than a walking revolver with a hair trigger itching to explode... so don't say I didn't warn you.

Newspaper Reporter:
Don't you feel a bit nervous coming here when so many of our citizens are from the South?

General William T. Sherman:
This is part of the United States, isn't it?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Sometimes the cane is mightier than the gun.

Marshal:
The town's full of Texas cowboys. They'll be all liquored up and spoiling for trouble.

General William T. Sherman:
That makes it a point of honor. I must do it.

Marshal:
It'll be plain suicide, sir.

General William T. Sherman:
There are a lot worse things in life, sir, than being shot at.

Marshal:
I must warn you, there may be some characters about who would like to take a shot at you.

General William T. Sherman:
What's the population of Dodge City?

Marshal:
Well... What do you mean?

General William T. Sherman:
Well, at one time, General Joe Johnston's whole army was hoping to take a shot at me.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Now, General, last but not least, the Alhambra - every game of chance known to man from poker to parcheesi.

Narrator:
Dodge City, Kansas. The year - 1880. The western frontier considered him among its most famous gamblers. Yet Bat Masterson found that one of his most famous gambles had nothing to do with cards.

Rosita Anselm:
You are the gentleman who was so gallant to me at the bank today. Had I recognized you, I wouldn't even have fired at you once, senor.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Do you make it a habit of shooting first and identifying your victims at leisure?

[aiming a pistol at Bat]

Juan Torrino:
Such fine clothes - it would be a pity to put a hole in the fabric.

[Bat shoots Torrino in the shoulder]

Juan Torrino:
You are a very bad shot, Senor.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I happen to be a very good shot.

Juan Torrino:
You saved me for prison?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
There is such a thing as parole. Life is sweet, my friend.

Henry Hansen:
What do you mean she didn't commit a crime? She wound up with the money didn't she?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Unh-uh. You did.

[last lines]

Rosita Anselm:
Bat!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Rosita, my dear Rosita. The banker has much more money than I do.

Narrator:
San Bernardino, 1882, where a beautiful Spanish girl and 7,000 lovely dollars enter the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

[Bat enters a bank with his poker winnings stuffed in his hat]

Bank Manager:
You're Mr. Masterson, aren't you?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
The nouveau riche Mr. Masterson.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
It's been a rewarding day. Lady Luck smiled at me, grinned broadly and then broke out laughing. Fact is, she was almost hysterical.

Bank Manager:
I hope you enjoy your stay in Las Cruces.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I will now. I have no lock on my hotel room. It takes twice as long to sleep with one eye open.

[Bat finds the bank's employees dead and the safe opened and empty]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Now I know why Lady Luck laughed.

[Winkler agrees to stake Bat in a poker game if he agrees to guard his wagon load of valuable cargo]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Old man, you could make a fortune selling raincoats on the desert.

Romer:
When money talks, I listen.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Your wagon inside?

Winkler:
Yeah, I gotta keep it locked up. Like I told you, I'm carryin' a mighty valuable cargo.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Everybody's going to Double Creek to get rich and you're bringing riches to Double Creek. Maybe I oughta have a peek at what I'm going to guard.

Winkler:
These ladies are mail order brides.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Ladies, my hat's off to the United States Post Office Department and the beautiful packages it delivers - gift wrapped.

Eileen:
I was told that you always carry a cane.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oh, ah, my horse and I usually take turns.

[last lines]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Destination: Double Creek.

Eileen, Mildred Vaughn, Anna Calder:
Double Creek!

[to Romer, his prisoner]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oh, and prison, of course. I wouldn't want to overlook you.

Narrator:
Famous as a buffalo hunter, Indian fighter, Army scout, and law man, Bat Masterson blazed his way into the history of the West. But in Las Cruses, Mexico in the 1880's, it was a fabulous table stakes game that led to one of the most colorful adventures in the life of the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm going to explain everything, but it's going to take a lot of time.

Julie Giles:
Promise?

Narrator:
Arizona Territory, 1884. Bat Masterson had served the United States Army many times in many ways, usually as a civilian scout for the Cavalry. But this was his first venture as a horse trader - a transaction destined to be one more dramatic reason why Bat Masterson became a legend in his own time.

Jess Santala:
You gonna be around here long, stranger?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Long enough.

Jess Santala:
That's all I'm askin' - just long enough.

[Bat shows Jennie an unflattering newspaper article about himself]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Do you know anything about this?

Jennie:
I had a feeling that paper might catch up with you. You don't miss much when it comes to your reputation.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
It's my stock in trade, Jennie. It's all I've got.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Do you know anything about me, Miss Hart?

Jo Hart:
Enough to know what you stand for: violence, Mr. Masterson - the law until himself!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
The law is only a word unless it's backed up by the truth.

Jo Hart:
Bat, you know you don't have to go on. There's a job here for you on the paper.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I couldn't stay fixed yet - at least for a while. I've got more places to go, things to see - but don't you think for a moment I'll forget the things I learned here. Look, I've got printers ink in my blood, too. I may even begin to look at things differently from now on; sort of like a reporter. Someday, I may even have enough to write about.

[last lines]

[Jo gives Bat a pencil]

Jo Hart:
Bat, take this with you.

[Bat puts the pencil in an empty pistol chamber]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
We both pack a lot of lead. They go well together.

Narrator:
Leadville, Colorado - April 1879. Bat Masterson's reputation was already made as a law man, an Army scout, and an Indian fighter. And he regarded his reputation with great esteem. And he would protect it to the limit. That's what brought him to Leadville. An adventure of the colorful figure who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
We were ambushed.

Sheriff Buck Simpson:
Why? They weren't carrying a shipment here.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
There was something else, Sheriff.

Sheriff Buck Simpson:
What?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Me.

Narrator:
Jackson Hole, Wyoming in the 1880's, where a well-planned but badly executed ambush was the town welcome for Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Narrator:
Sacramento, California in the spring of 1880. An adventure in the colorful life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

[Bat smashes a cigar that Jimmy took from his pocket]

Kid Jimmy Fresh:
You crushed it!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
The next time you go for something that doesn't belong to you, sonny, remember it.

[when Jimmy tries to draw on the Marshal, Bat knocks the gun from his hand with his cane]

Kid Jimmy Fresh:
You're pretty active with that overgrown toothpick!

Red Eric Peterson:
You take orders good or you'd be dead. Now take one more or you will be. Get out!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I don't like being watched.

Wolff:
It ain't hard to watch you - you're so pretty.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Can I borrow your coat, please.

Hugh Blaine:
My coat?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Mm-hmm.

Hugh Blaine:
Well, all right. Just don't get any bullet holes in it, will you?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Your honor, I want you to make an arrest.

H.G. Cogswell:
Well, certainly. What?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Me.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Where would you be without Eric? A right-hand man without a man?

Narrator:
Wyoming in the 1880's. Although the railroads helped open the West, its advance was fiercely resisted by those who worried it meant the end of the open range. The railroad's law was to become Bat Masterson's law, and one of the most colorful adventures in the life of the man who became a legend in his own time.

[dying words]

Elmer:
The only hard way to die is without friends.

[referring to the marshal's shotgun]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Do you always carry that?

Marshal Johnny Dillon:
I do when I'm outnumbered.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Makes a good deputy, huh?

Marshal Johnny Dillon:
Yes indeedy!

Marshal Johnny Dillon:
I understand you left this over at the saloon so Elmer could have a decent funeral.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
It was his winnings. After all, I...

Marshal Johnny Dillon:
That's very interesting. Far as I know, Elmer never had a nickle so he could sit in on a game. You must have been a real good friend of his.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Fact is, we never met before, Marshal.

Marshal Johnny Dillon:
He did have a good friend.

Narrator:
Meeker, Colorado in the 1800's: a town situated high up on the State's mountainous Western slope, a natural geological sanctuary for the lawless, the wanted - one that's never been violated except at the price of death. Such was the challenge that ultimately was forced on a visitor to town - Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Just a minute, Sheriff. It's customary even in the most backwards communities to charge a man with some offense before locking him up.

Sheriff Jeb Crater:
That's right. Disturbing the peace! Is that good enough for you?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
No, but it doesn't matter, does it?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
From where I stand, this town could use an honest dealer.

Ellie Winters:
From where you stand, you'd better keep right on going. Oh, Bat, this is one time you picked the wrong man to play "King of the Hill" with.

Ellie Winters:
Jail isn't such a bad place, Bat. Some of our best citizens have been in there.

Ken Wills:
What are you in for?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
The charge is cheating at cards. The facts are somewhat different, though.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Anything wrong with my life expectancy?

Ellie Winters:
You'd better ask Jim Crater. He held an emergency meeting of the dealers' association this morning. Bat, they wouldn't get up that early unless it was a matter of life and death!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Probably mine.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Never bet on a sure thing unless you got enough money to get you back home.

Ken Wills:
Yes sir, professor!

[last lines]

Ellie Winters:
You still want to vary your diet?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You know, it's like riding a trail, Ellie. You leave it, cross it, forget it, but you always come back to it again someday.

Ellie Winters:
Especially if you want to.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'll meet you where the trails cross.

Ellie Winters:
That sounds like a song.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
It is. It's a good one.

[they kiss]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Keep a light in the window, will you?

Narrator:
Mason City, Kansas, October 1879. A shaved Ace of Spades and a license to cheat were the origin of an adventure in the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
One dead, the other on his way to Yuma prison. "We all live our destined hour and pass along the way." - Omar Khayyam

Gwen Parsons:
Well, what will we call the ranch, Bat?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You own it, you name it.

Gwen Parsons:
I think I'll call it the "50-50."

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I like that. Shall we, ah, seal the deal - 50-50?

[they kiss]

Narrator:
Tucson, Arizona. The annual convention of the National Cattle Ranchers Association was in its last few days. One big event still remained: the drawing of the $100,000 lottery. Meanwhile, in a private room of the Arizona Palace Hotel, four men were engaged in their own little enterprise: poker. Andrew Stafford, English cattle baron from Texas; Jack Lattigo, promoter, man about town; Sonny Parsons, feed business operator in Tucson; And Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Oliver Jenkins:
I wonder if you realize that in England, there's virtually no crime at all. We've reached a point of civilization where even the bobbies, policemen you call them, don't carry guns. They need nothing more than their sticks - and that's the result of respect for the law.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I don't think we're quite that civilized here, Mr. Jenkins.

[Bat holds up his cane]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
To use the stick to enforce the law like this, you may be needing two...

[picks up a yardstick and makes a cross]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
...like this!

[Bat believes that Hobart and his henchmen have kidnapped Oliver Jenkins]

[toasting]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Health!

Jess Hobart:
Yours or mine?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oliver Jenkins'.

Deborah Jenkins:
If you try to bring him back, they'll kill you both!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I know. I've already been extended an invitation.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You know, the only reason I had him unkidnapped was to have my clothes cut.

Deborah Jenkins:
That wasn't the only reason.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, uh, you did threaten me with a gun.

Deborah Jenkins:
Isn't there... another reason?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
No, um, I like my girls older and less attractive.

Narrator:
The town of Junction, New Mexico Territory - spring 1881. The Territory was young and federal laws had not yet penetrated the undeveloped areas. The task of enforcing the law was always a part of the colorful life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Very clever, gentleman, but cheating nevertheless, and if permitted would be very destructive to our moral fiber.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Gentleman, I'm known for other things besides gambling. There's five hundred dollars of my money on that table.

Sheriff:
Good morning, Bat.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm called Bat by my friends.

Sheriff:
Alright, Masterson. You gotta reputation as a gunslinger. I won't have any trouble in my town!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Your town? I thought this was Morgan's town.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Sheriff, were you ever a decent man?

Sheriff:
That's a miserable question to ask a man.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Yeah, that's what I thought.

[last lines]

Amelia Roberts:
I can't thank you enough for all the trouble you went to - and for complete strangers!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
There are no strangers.

Amelia Roberts:
And you really got nothing out of it.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, I got my money back - the five hundred I loaned to you and your brother and the five hundred they cheated me out of - and I had a lot of fun doing it.

Amelia Roberts:
That's it, that's what I learned out of this whole adventure. I see that you get fun out of your life. I'm going to get some out of mine.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm sure you will.

Narrator:
Morganville, Wyoming Territory - 1881. A crooked deal of poker and a swindle in a land trade. From the colorful history of the man who became a legend in his own time.

Narrator:
Texas, 1883. When a hungry North made it profitable to buy Mexican cattle and trail them the tortuous miles to the Kansas rail head, a man with a few dollars and a lot of grit stood to make a fortune, such as Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Are you the doc?

Doc Edgerton:
Howard J. Edgerton, the sagebrush Hippocrates.

[Doc Edgerton examines a mortally wounded man]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, what do you think?

Doc Edgerton:
Well, just say he's high on lead and too full of holes to hold whiskey.

Jobe Crail:
Now, what is it I told ya? Always shoot a man till he's dead and then shoot him again!

[to the Crails]

Doc Edgerton:
Now ain't that a sight for Halloween.

Jobe Crail:
You tell Masterson and all the people that I'm coming back to town with every man I've got and when I finish with it, there won't be nothin' left but the nails!

Free:
You're a brave man, Mr. Masterson, but you can't fight the Devil on Earth and win. That's what you're tryin' to do.

[referring to Free, who had an arm amputated after a gunfight with the Crails]

Doc Edgerton:
Rabbits!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
No, not him, Doc. He's got a strong argument and a loose sleeve.

Doc Edgerton:
I guess it sometimes takes the patient to point out the doctor's backbone to him.

Narrator:
Mimbres, Colorado, 1883. Shoshanna woman and children had been abducted for ransom. The Arapahos had been blamed. The military thought a band of whites was behind the atrocities. But where was the evidence? Into this darkness and danger, the United States Government sent Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Narrator:
An official journey to investigate a reported shortage of funds in a small town Wyoming bank and a meeting with an interesting dog combined to provide one of the most unusual episodes in the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Ellie Winters:
Bat, you took Shad out of the gutter and set him on his feet.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Now what do you mean? He worked hard and I made him a partner. No, you must be wrong, Ellie. I'm sure Shad is grateful.

Ellie Winters:
Sometimes people can put out a friendly hand to a mongrel and get rabies.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Mari is an old friend of mine.

Ellie Winters:
What a surprise.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Now, you're her boss, Ellie. You tell her what to do and see that she gets some food in her... and buy her a new pair of shoes. I'm sure you girls will be good friends.

Ellie Winters:
What size shoes do you wear, *friend*?

Shad:
The great Bat Masterson. The late, great Bat Masterson. As full partner in the Master Place, I'll inherit when he dies.

Secret:
Masterson, you cheat.

[Bat ignores him]

Secret:
I call you a cheat and now I call you a coward!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You know, I believe you really mean that.

Secret:
Word for word!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
In that case, I'm not going to play with you.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Too bad you didn't notice the sleeve gun, but after all, you're just a little country girl from San Francisco.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
There's no need to raise your eyebrows at me - mine are raised for both of us.

[Mari betrayed Bat because Shad had kidnapped her son]

Marri Brewster:
Will you ever forgive me?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
If I had to make a choice between myself and a four or five-year-old child, who do you think I'd take?

[last lines]

Ellie Winters:
Old flintheart - wouldn't give away anything but his shirt.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You know something, Ellie, a fellow said it a couple of thousand years ago. Augustus Caesar was his name - first emperor of Rome.

Ellie Winters:
Augustus said what?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oh, he said something very strange and very sage: "It's only money."

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Mari has some free time so she's going to work for us.

Ellie Winters:
Dealer?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
No.

Ellie Winters:
Cook?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
No.

Ellie Winters:
What can she do?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, she's the new manager of the gun concession. You told me earlier, Ellie, we lost our regular man.

Ellie Winters:
To sheer fright!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, out here in the West where men wear guns...

Ellie Winters:
And use them.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Did you ever get shot?

Ellie Winters:
Of course not.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Because you're a woman.

Ellie Winters:
Ha!

Narrator:
Denver, Colorado - 1883. An investment in a gambling casino led to a matter of embezzlement and a matter of death in the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Henchman:
[to Mari, as he hands her his gun belt] I've been told this is the funnest place in Denver to get a gun took off of ya'... [Mari opens his vest and sees a concealed gun] Careful of that second rib, there. It kinda' does somethin' to me.

[first lines]

[Bill-Bill is singing a ballad in a remote cemetary]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
That's pretty. Why are you singing way out here outside of town? Your singing's not that bad.

Bill-Bill MacWilliams:
I like it better out here. 'Sides I don't like what's goin' on in town, Mr. Masterson.

[the sound of hammering can be heard]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
That's a familiar sound - the sound of violence. They're building a scaffold for a hanging.

Bill-Bill MacWilliams:
Yeah, they're building three of them.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You're the son of McWilliams, the marshal.

Bill-Bill MacWilliams:
The marshal's remaining son.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You're building bleachers?

Mrs. Kendall:
Yeah. You better get your ticket now. It's all sold out but the last row.

Stagecoach Driver:
Hey, you didn't come in on my stage!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
No, I just rode in - just in time.

Mrs. Kendall:
Five dollars, mister - in advance.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You mean you're charging money to witness a hanging?

Mrs. Kendall:
I guess you don't know about the Lincoln County War.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Tell me.

Mrs. Kendall:
The work around this stable used to be done by a man, but there's no man anymore. So the town gave me the concession for this hangin' - sort of a benefit for me.

Mrs. Kendall:
I valued my husband... and lost him. This way I get paid in full.

Narrator:
Western Colorado in the 1880's, where civic pride and gunplay often went hand in hand, and where Bat Masterson found himself trapped by friendship between the guns of warring towns. From the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

[Dolores convinces Bat to undertake a dangerous rescue mission]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
The things I do for dimples.

[Bat and the Rafferty sisters are pursued by Indians]

Barbara Rafferty:
You keep looking back as if you wish they were there.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
It works both ways. When you lose them, then that's when you have to worry about where they are.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Alright now, Stone Calf - you be good or be dead.

Narrator:
Broken Bow, Kansas, 1876. Bat Masterson had already established his reputation as an Indian fighter and had just returned from a successful peace mission for the United States Army. He thought his days of Indian fighting were over. But the murderous renegade Stone Calf honored no peace. From the colorful life of Bat Masterson, who became a legend in his own time.

[Bat attempts to keep his pigeon roost a secret by telling the carpenter the holes he's bored in the roof are for his cats]

Carpenter:
There's just one question, though. You see, we're three stories up. Just how are those cats going to get in?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oh, it's not for the cats to get in, it's for the cats to get out.

Carpenter:
Well then, why three cat holes?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, you see, when I say scat to the cats, I just want them to go! Does that answer your question?

Carpenter:
Yes, sir.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Now don't forget your promise to me. You won't tell anyone about these cat holes. We'll keep that real secret, because people will think I'm eccentric.

Carpenter:
Eck what?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Ec...

[Bat points to his head]

[holding a decanter and shot glasses]

Hugh Blaine:
My boy, we got the world in a jug and the stopper in our hands.

[Bat and Selena are viewing a rodeo]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Isn't this more humane than hunting pigeons with falcons? The man takes the abuse for a change.

Selena Thorn:
It's much too violent for me. I don't think I can watch this much longer.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, perhaps I should take you away from all this... a quiet place, a table for two...

Selena Thorn:
Surely no more. Crowds frighten me.

[last lines]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You know, you have the wild beauty of your falcons.

Selena Thorn:
I do?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm a real pigeon for wild beauty.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
May I suggest you leave now or you will incur my utmost displeasure.

Lee Baxter:
We are going but you, sir, will remain in Denver on pain of our utmost displeasure.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm looking forward to your displeasure with the utmost pleasure.

[a murderous shootout disturbs Selena's falcons]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
The birds are shocked by all this. I guess they don't approve of our *natural* instincts.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Gentlemen, it's never the principle, it's the money.

Narrator:
Denver, Colorado - a town that was really booming in the '80's - had gold, silver, lead, and the best rodeos in the West. Enjoying a more comfortable seat than the cowboys was Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Courtney Shepherd:
I can always say you gave me the combination to the safe. I'm not the only one you sent to jail, you know. There's a lot of people who'd like to see you hang!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm a gambler, Court. Let's see which one they believe.

Fletcher:
What's the shooting all about?

[sees the bank's safe opened and it's contents strewn around Court's body]

Fletcher:
Our money!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Yours, Platte River Bank's and even honest citizens'.

Narrator:
Western Wyoming Territory - 1880. This country was refuge for the last of the long trail riders. It was also the setting for one of the oddest episodes in the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

First Mate:
I hope you don't mind checking your gun, Mr. Masterson. We like to keep the peace aboard.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm all for peace. Gunplay uses up good poker time.

First Mate:
Your gunbelt...

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I can't. It holds up my britches.

King Henry:
You are merely being held as hostages. No harm will come to you at all as long as your fellow passengers do as they are told. If there's any resistance or uprising or revolt of any kind, you will be shot...

[fires two shots into the ceiling]

King Henry:
...thusly.

McCabe:
Why you filthy, no good riverb...

[the "first mate" strikes him with his pistol butt]

King Henry:
Now where was I?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
The hostages will be shot... thusly.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Next time never remind me to save the lives of husbands of beautiful women.

[Bat asks Kyle to nail him into a empty cheese barrel so he can follow the pirates after they leave the riverboat]

Kyle:
Are you sure you want to do this, Bat?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'd climb into a snakepit to get back $10,000.

Paulson:
You're not figuring on shooting the four of us before one of us gets you?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Indeed I do, Mr. Paulson.

[fires three quick accurate shots]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Any questions, Mr. Paulson

Narrator:
Dakota Territory - the summer 1883. A Missouri riverboat and the last of the buccaneers enter the colorful life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Lori Adams:
How come a man like you ever got into the banking business, Bat?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I was looking for security. Next time I'll know better.

Charlie Bassett:
Bat, to me your word is just as good as that gold there.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Hmm, but not quite as negotiable.

[last lines]

[the audience enthusiastically cheers Dora's singing performance]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Bravo! Bravo!

Dora Miller:
Listen. They like me! They're applauding for me!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I've been trying to tell you, honey, you're good. On your own you're good - you never did need Medford.

[Dora returns to the stage to take a bow]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
As a matter of fact, honey, I don't think you even need me.

[Inside the opera house, Bat trades shots with Medford and his henchman]

Judge Thatcher:
Stop this terrible thing at once, Marshal!

Marshal:
Hold your fire!

[to himself, after discovering he is out of ammunition]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm afraid I'll have to.

Dora Miller:
I can't be seen with every Stage Door Johnny.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Since we're not to be seen, driver, take us to the dark part of town.

Narrator:
St. Joseph, Missouri. In the 1880's, St. Joe was a booming metropolis of the West - the departing point for wagon trains, military expeditions, and adventurers headed for the fabled fortunes of California. But one man was not interested in moving on - for the moment. He was Bat Masterson, the man who became of legend in his own time.

[Bat and Harry watch a sharpshooting exibition]

Harry Varden:
Think you could do that, Bat?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Not a chance, Harry.

Harry Varden:
Nothing less than a man-sized target for you, eh, friend?

[issuing a challenge for an audience member to allow him to shoot a cigar from the volunteer's mouth]

Danny Dowling:
Who'll risk his nose for a night on the town? Who doesn't need his nose?

Harry Varden:
Who's the fellow who shot the fellow who shot Wes Hardin?

Dealer:
Darby Cole.

Harry Varden:
Is he still in town?

Dealer:
Yeah.

Harry Varden:
Get him. And Fred, if he's got a friend he's afraid to turn his back on, I'll talk to him, too.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Maybe I wouldn't shoot a tiger in the zoo, but nobody's going to stop me from getting in the cage with him.

[Bat agrees to allow Danny to shoot a cigar out of his mouth]

Danny Dowling:
I assure you, Mr. Masterson, our cigars are made from the finest imported Havana tobacco and the bullets - the best grade Mr. Colt manufactures.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Caesar, we who are about to die salute you.

[last lines]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
By the way, if it's a boy, will you call him William Barclay? I don't use the name much, anyway.

Narrator:
Dodge City, Kansas, May 1883. One of the most intriguing questions of the West: can a professional sharpshooter hold his own when face to face with a professional gunfighter? A partial answer came from the day in the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Leo Talley:
Something on your mind, mister?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
My hat.

O'Malley:
That's Toby Dawson. He's just practicin'.

Sheriff:
Just itchin' for a shootout. Always itchin' and itchin' until he scratches up a challenge.

[Bat sneaks up behind Lisa, who is waiting to ambush him]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You know, a successful killer, Lisa, should have a sense of direction.

Lisa Truex:
I wasn't going to kill you, Bat. I swear it!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Really? You had someone else in mind?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Something tells me you two are friends.

Leo Talley:
That's right - friends.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, my sympathies to you both.

Lisa Truex:
The sheriff is owned by Leo Talley.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
And you own Leo Talley.

Lisa Truex:
Long term lease.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
It's nothing but rock and sand. You couldn't raise an eyebrow on this property.

[Leo can't understand why Bat isn't upset after being swindled in a land deal]

Leo Talley:
Just a minute, Bat. You look too cocky.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, I'm a real estate investor. What's your excuse?

[Bat markets the worthless piece of land he bought from Lisa as an elite graveyard]

Lisa Truex:
At a hundred dollars a plot, how many do you think you'll sell, honey Bat?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Ol' honey Bat might sell about a hundred.

Lisa Truex:
Ten thousand dollars - that's my property, Leo. I want it back!

Leo Talley:
You heard the lady, Masterson.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oh, I did, didn't I? They're available in six foot sections, ma'am.

Leo Talley:
I'll buy one... for you.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
For me? You touch me, Mr. Talley. I didn't know you cared.

Leo Talley:
Go inside, boys. Drinks on the house.

Sheriff:
Not me. I'm not as young as I was yesterday.

[last lines]

Sheriff:
Come on, Lisa. They're waiting for you over in the courthouse.

Lisa Truex:
Aren't you going to help me, Bat? I have no one else - no family, no friends - no one who really cares.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oh, the sheriff cares, Lisa. And so do those twelve men on the jury.

Sheriff:
And they're ready and willing to fix you up good and proper.

[at the thought of men in the jury box, a evil gleam appears in Lisa's eye]

Lisa Truex:
Twelve men...

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Mm-hmm.

Lisa Truex:
Of course. Let's not keep them waiting, Sheriff!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oh, Sheriff... in the interest of justice, make sure those jurors bring their wives to the trial.

Sheriff:
Don't you fret about justice. Every wife in town is going to be there.

Narrator:
Deadwood, South Dakota: the blood-soaked capital of the Black Hills Gold Rush. Even when its gold was gone, the glitter of Deadwood's reputation continued to attract anyone interested in quick money, fast guns, and sudden death. One of Deadwood's most reluctant visitors was Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

[last lines]

Parker James:
So long, Bat. Where ya headed?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Did you ever notice how much brighter the rainbow shines on the other side of the mountain?

Ivy Dickson:
And to think I nearly married Noah Gannon.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Do you still want to marry me?

Ivy Dickson:
Aw, yes, Bat. We can build our casino!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Do you think we'd have a happy marriage with only visiting hours?

Ivy Dickson:
Visiting hours?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
That's right - in the penitentiary.

Narrator:
In the spring of 1882, a stage headed for Denver crawled over the Colorado Mountains carrying a fortune in pure silver ingots. One of the passengers carried a similar fortune in bank notes. This traveler, whom Lady Luck had smiled upon, was Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Laura Hopkins:
First, I thought the way to do it is to make you remember, make new again what was between us and, knowing you and the kind of man you are, I'd say, "There's some trouble, Bat. I need your help." You'd put on your grin and your gun... somehow there wouldn't be any trouble any more.

Clark Benson:
Maybe that circuit rider will take his time about us because there's more important killings somewheres else with more shivaree to it and more picnic dancing. We only had a small killing take place here - my brother's.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I call you thieves. There's a brand on the horse I rode and there's others you call wild shod - that makes you thieves. And there are some among you who don't hold with it, but you don't do anything about it, so that dirties you with it. You keep silent about a boy shackled to a tree - that makes you a mob. That makes you thieves and murderers. One man's pushing you into it and you let him. How long are you going to let him do that?

Clark Benson:
You wanted a trial, boy, and you're going to get it. And as long as it takes, that's how much living you have left.

Narrator:
Nevada, September 5, 1886. Wild horses, wild men, wild times from the history of the West and the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

[first lines]

Stagecoach Driver:
Ho! End of the road.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
End of the road for now, but one day not too distant, this will be an open gate to the West.

Stagecoach Driver:
Is the elevation botherin' you?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
One day, you and I will ride across that mountain together.

Narrator:
California in the middle 1880's. The awesome Sierra Nevada Range - an uplift so shear that geologists spoke of it as a defiant wall of granite; an impassable natural barrier to the westward movement. The Governor of California had ordered a road put through at all cost. But in addition to natural barrier, there's a human barrier. And a call for Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

[last lines]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
It's a pretty good world if you don't fight it, but sort of spin with it.

Narrator:
The high country of northern California: big timber country above the tumbling Trinity River that washed out rich veins of gold nuggets, for the mining, for the killing. This is "Terror on the Trinity" where the legend almost ended for Bat Masterson.

[Bat buys a map of the Superstition Mountains]

Barkeep:
It isn't complete, but it takes you in the right direction.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
No wonder our friends got lost.

Barkeep:
But I'm warning you - people that go into the Superstitions don't ever come back.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oh, we will. If we don't find our friends, you've given us a great incentive to return.

Mr. Smith:
I'm afraid your men took the wrong trail and were killed by Indians, like so many misguided souls.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Misguided or misdirected?

Allesandro:
I think both our friends are here but, unfortunately, we cannot seek them. That dog in there is armed to the teeth.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Let's hope Bruno is open to bribery.

Allesandro:
I do not think that dog knows the value of money, but even so, where would he spend it?

Allesandro:
I am morally against gambling. I always lose.

Angelita:
Mr. Masterson, how did you know he would take your commands?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I didn't, but dogs have a pretty strong sense of justice.

Angelita:
Steve!

[Angelita and Steve embrace]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, Steve, I see you really struck it rich... and I can't think of a way to share.

Allesandro:
We would like a little information.

Barkeep:
Ah, sure sure! Anything!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Do you have a map that would show us where to find the nearest U.S. Marshal?

Narrator:
Tucson, Arizona Territory - 1884. Many men risked their lives in the forbidding Superstition Mountains, north of Tucson, to search for the fabled Lost Dutchman's Mine. Among them was Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Carol Otis:
I beg your pardon...

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
A lady as pretty as you doesn't have to apologize for anything, ma'am.

Carol Otis:
I've tried to hire a guide, but there just isn't anybody. I promise I won't be any trouble.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I sure you won't.

[Bat spurs his horse]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Not to me.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Where's Polk?

Carol Otis:
He's dead.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
He'd have died anyway for his past. This way, he died saving somebody's future.

Narrator:
Pine Junction, a railroad head east of San Francisco. The fastidious Bat Masterson always chose his friends carefully. One of them was General Moran, railroad president. But complications lay ahead in the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Ten thousand dollars for a...

Teresa Renault:
For a genuine Verano painting. I can't let these snobs outbid me. I'd never live it down.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
If that's a Verano, I'm Leonardo da Vinci.

Teresa Renault:
You've said that four times, Leonardo.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You haven't been listening, dear.

Teresa Renault:
You haven't even taken a good look at the canvas.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I've looked at Thackery - that's good enough for me.

[last lines]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I almost forgot - we have a dinner engagement.

Teresa Renault:
It's not even lunchtime yet.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Good. Then we'll get an early start.

Narrator:
Colorado - 1883. These were great days when the flourishing gold mines turned desert rats into millionaires - overnight. Central City was striving to become the cultural center of the West and its newly-rich residents were easy prey for unscrupulous art dealers. Here occurred one of the most unusual adventures in the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
A beautiful girl doesn't need a gun to be convincing, but I guess it helps, Miss Surratt.

John Surratt:
Retirement's for young folks. Old people don't have the time to waste on it.

Narrator:
Timberline, Wyoming - a tiny town near Cheyenne, where this chapter of the John Surratt Story first begins. John Surratt's name popped up three times in history: first, as a conspirator in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, and twice in the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Narrator:
Epilog - Next week, don't miss the second and concluding chapter of the John Surratt Story. Bat Masterson thought he had heard the name "John Surratt" for the last time. But there was to be another chapter of historical importance and far-reaching circumstances in the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Dana Ruggles:
What happened?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I am wanted for murder.

Dana Ruggles:
Murder?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
That's right! Watson's dead and thanks to that conniving son of yours, I'm about to become a fugitive.

Dana Ruggles:
Hold on, now. The worst thing you can do run away.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Correction: the worst thing I can do is hang and a noose doesn't go well with the blue suit.

Narrator:
Cheyenne, Wyoming - the Crow Bit Saloon, a link to the name of the notorious John Surratt, only exonerated conspirator in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. John Surratt's name was to appear twice. First, Bat Masterson undertook to prevent the publishing of a false story that would rock the nation and affect the reputations of innocent people. A trumped-up story sold to the Cheyenne Clarion by a man named John Watson, posing as John Surratt, solely for the purpose of a fast fortune. John Watson met his death because of it. But the name of John Surratt was not dead. His name was to pop up again in the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
A man could never live with himself if he didn't call your hand in a game like this.

Jake Sims:
In that case, be prepared to bet your life!

Magnus:
They're waiting for you, Major - those who lived through Arroyo Blanco... and those who died.

Major Liam Mars:
Go through that door, they'll kill you and the girl!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
And if I don't, maybe just her, Major.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Save the orders, Major. I'm not one of your troops.

Magnus:
Again you've gambled and lost, Bat Masterson.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I've found that a man that takes a chance always has one, Magnus.

Tobias Tinker:
This is going to be a private execution.

Magnus:
And a slow one. First, we will remove the wings of the fly.

Narrator:
After a truce had been established between Comanche and settler, the American Southwest gradually, and at times uneasily, adjusted to living in peace. But to some men, there can be no peace - ever. It was through this soul-scarred breed that a life or death decision was forced upon Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Bank Manager:
The money and the accumulated interest was awarded by the court to Mrs. Masterson.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
How's that? Mrs. Masterson?

Bank Manager:
The Masterson widow, sir.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oh no, wait a minute. For a man to have a widow, he must be married and dead - in that order.

Bank Manager:
Now, now this takes clear thinking. This can't be settled in anger, you know.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm not angry; I'm just hurt. Nobody had the decency to invite me to my own funeral.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You're going to tell me Bat Masterson is dead. I don't mind the dying, your honor, but I'd hate to die broke.

Jack Fontana:
Masterson is dead. The man who shows up here will be a stranger - a trespasser. Now we got every right to gun him down.

Nellie Fontana:
If he lets you.

Jack Fontana:
He'll let me. He won't be looking when it happens.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I never realized I had such excellent taste in wives. Too bad I died so young.

Nellie Fontana:
What do you want?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Forgive me from being mercenary, ma'am: twenty thousand dollars and the man who murdered me.

Nellie Fontana:
He's more than a murderer, he's a madman! He killed a poor saddle tramp to put in your grave. He killed Judge Hodie, too. He's going to kill me next, unless I get away from here.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I wouldn't dream of letting him kill my own widow. Not as long as I'm alive.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
What's wrong, Jack? It looks like you've seen a ghost.

A.J. Mulcaney:
Mr. Masterson, I changed the marker on that grave. What'll I do with this one?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, I'd just get rid of it, Mulcaney. I'm not going to be using it for a while.

Narrator:
Bonanza, Colorado - 1882. Like many other mining towns, Bonanza enjoyed a moment of glory that was all too brief. In just a few, short months, its roaring silver boom faded to a melancholy whisper. Bonanza became a town of dying dreams, haunted by ghosts of it's recent past. And the most active ghost of all carried a gold-headed cane: Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Anders Dorn:
One last deal - that watch against your whole stack.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Is that a watch? Looks like something you'd hang in a church steeple. It's no use to me.

Anders Dorn:
But it's three hundred years old! It was carried by the Spanish explorer Davila.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Colonel, that wise old watch ought to tell you when it's time to quit. Your luck's run out.

Narrator:
The Town of Little Paris, Arizona Territory - October 1878. The hands of an antique watch moved second by second to one of the climaxes in the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Herman the Great:
And now, ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to have from the audience one your most fearless and courageous men...

[indicates his assistant]

Herman the Great:
Let the lady choose.

Jenie Landry:
Go on!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm fearless and courageous, but I'm shy.

Landry:
Jeanie, I didn't hear you come in.

Jenie Landry:
When you get to counting your ill-gotten gains, Daddy dear, there are a lot of things you don't see or hear.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Take him in. Mr. Landry and I will press charges and we'll bring this thing to an end.

Deputy Sheriff:
Well, it's their three alibis against you're one suspicion. I can take them in on that.

[Landry brandishes a shotgun]

Landry:
Mr. Masterson, just what are your intensions towards my daughter?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Are you kidding with that thing?

Landry:
No, I'm not kidding! What are they?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, they've never been anything but honorable, sir. Why?

Landry:
She seems to have gotten herself smitten by you - a gambler.

Jenie Landry:
But he's kind and sweet... and adorable.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
That's very nice of you, Jeanie, but your're wrong. I'm false, unfaithful, with a wandering heart and restless feet. I'm worth about a tinker's toot.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I need the help of Professor Hermann.

Landry:
That conjurer? What do you need him for?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, if he's innocent as he claims he is, I don't think he'll object to having his reputation cleared, do you?

Landry:
An actor with a reputation - that's absurd!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, if his vanity doesn't get to him, there's another actor's weakness that will.

Landry:
Yeah? What's that?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Publicity.

[last lines]

[Jeanie is admiring a wedding gown in a shop window]

Jenie Landry:
Oh, Bat...

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I don't think it's your size.

[Bat playfully flees]

Narrator:
Whether it was in the stars or the cards, the paths of two well-known figures were destined to cross in Dodge City, Kansas: That of world famous magician, Hermann the Great, and Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

[first lines]

Ellie Winters:
I certainly didn't bring you any luck, Bat.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, I knew it would happen one day. I admire cleanliness, but, ah...

[shows Ellie his empty billfold]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
...not in a wallet.

[admiring Lucy's diamond necklace]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Why, this must be worth a fortune!

Lucy Carter:
Well, I don't know what you consider a fortune, Mr. Masterson, but it's insured for $150,000.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
That's my idea of a fortune.

[Ellie catches Bat, on his way to meet the beautiful Lucy Carter, tiptoeing past her room]

Ellie Winters:
You're so considerate of the other guests.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Your friend just lost his bet - do you want to lose some teeth?

Henchman:
No offense, mister. Maybe we just had too much to drink, huh?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
That's a human failing - I guess you're human.

[Lucy's diamonds have been stolen under Bat's nose]

Lucy Carter:
There's no need for you to leave, Bat.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I plan to catch your *visitor*. You have diamonds to regain; I have a reputation to regain.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You know, you amaze me. After what happened, I'd have thought you'd never want to see me again.

Lucy Carter:
Diamonds are a lot easier to replace than friends.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
It doesn't add up, Ellie.

Ellie Winters:
Maybe you're not very bright at arithmetic.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
It happened too fast, too easy, as though it were meant to happen.

[Ellie imitates Lucy's Southern drawl]

Ellie Winters:
Bat, darlin', you just don't understand us Southern gals.

[returning to her usual voice]

Ellie Winters:
Did it ever occur to you that your southern-fried chicken just might be in on it?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Don't reach for you gun, mine is much handier.

[Reed emerges from behind a curtain with his pistol drawn]

Reed Morgan:
So is mine.

[indicating Morgan's hat floating on the river]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Don't hurry, boys. Mr. Morgan was a silent partner - he's very silent now.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'll correct you on one thing. Diamonds maybe easier to replace than friends, but they're a lot more reliable than some friends I know.

Ellie Winters:
So all along that southern-fried chicken was using your cane for a nest.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I said I was working on the case - some just take longer than others.

Ellie Winters:
Especially if there's a beautiful blonde involved.

Narrator:
Saint Joseph, Missouri - 1882. Luck wasn't running to form for Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Wyatt Earp:
Well, Bat, looks like everything's back to normal. The sheriff's back on the job again. I got my $13,000 back and Browder's heading for the state peniteniary.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Again. And you're disillusioned with women.

Wyatt Earp:
Again. I said everything's back to normal. I wonder what the Mexican authorities will do with her.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
It all depends on how hard they fall for flattery.

Wyatt Earp:
Bat, do you realize that was the third robbery attempt?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, you were right about El Paso, Wyatt. When it starts to cook, it boils.

Wyatt Earp:
You think it boils here, wait until you ride across the border to Juarez.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
No thanks, I prefer a nice, peaceful American burial.

Wyatt Earp:
Any luck?

Wyatt Earp:
None. They scattered in all directions. They had it all figured out.

Wyatt Earp:
Fine. By now they're counting my 13,000 dollars.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Unlucky number, unlucky you.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
A shirt! And a very handsome one.

Elena:
Do you like it?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oh, I like it. I want to thank you, Elena, and the grateful people of Juarez.

Elena:
We made it especially for you. Oh, try it on, Bat! Hurry, I must see you in it.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I have no intention of disappointing a lady.

Elena:
Your beautiful shirt - it's soiled!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Along with my reputation. It will launder, Elena.

Elena:
It was to be only for very special occasions.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Perhaps what happened was a special occasion. The more I think about it, a very special occasion.

Wyatt Earp:
I thought maybe one of your customers...

Elena:
These people? They don't know outlaws.

Wyatt Earp:
No matter, we'll find 'em... but, I'm beginning to think it will be later, not sooner.

Elena:
Promise me you'll bring Bat with you next time you come.

Wyatt Earp:
Well now, I'm not so sure that's a good idea. I'll think about it.

Elena:
Well, why don't you think about it and come back tonight. I won't be so busy.

Wyatt Earp:
Well, that's the kind of thinkin' I'm good at.

[while returning from Elena's cantina, Wyatt is savagely beaten by outlaws]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Looks like your senorita plays a little rough.

Wyatt Earp:
For some reason, I'm not in a joshin' mood. I located 'em.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
In Juarez?

Wyatt Earp:
No, down near the border. They took my gun, my horse and your shirt. Well, when do we get started... Bat, did you hear me?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Yeah, I heard... and now I know which set of tracks to follow.

[reading newspaper]

Wyatt Earp:
"Bandit wears Bat Masterson's $1300 shirt." You know what they're calling him now? "El Camiso" - The Shirt - 'cause he's wearin' your shirt.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, now it's time to go fishing.

Wyatt Earp:
Do you care to tell me about your big plan, Mr. Masterson, or don't you trust me?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oh, I trust you, Mr. Earp. I just don't want to hear you bellow. Now, let's see how good I am at guessing games.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I never disappoint a lady. I don't know about Wyatt, but I never do.

[Bat ties the end of a rope to his cane]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I told you I was going fishing. This way, I get my hook back.

[looking at the unconscious El Camiso lying in the dust]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
El Camiso... El Dirty Camiso.

Narrator:
El Paso, Texas, across the line from Juarez - one of the most famous and dangerous towns on the Mexican border. Murder, robbery, plunder - no place of business, no human life, was safe. The call went out for Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Polly Landers:
I'm flattered you know of my establishment.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
A travelin' man has to know where the table stakes are worth tryin' for. I plan to win some of your money, Miss Landers.

[Bull, losing heavily in a poker game, is surprised when Bat offers to pay $500 for Jim's boxing contract]

Bull Kirby:
It's your money.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
And soon will be again.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
One minute rest between rounds; a round called whenever a fighter's knee touches the ground; no more than ten pounds difference between the fighters.

Bull Kirby:
You've got yourself a fight.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
And I get half the gate.

Bull Kirby:
I do the collectin'.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
And I do the watchin'.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Now remember, the first thing you do when you get to San Francisco is find George Wilson at the Olympic Turnverein. Give him this and he'll know exactly what to do.

Jim Bemis:
I'd like to find some way to thank you, Mr. Masterson.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You can thank me by listening to every word he has to say. His knowledge of boxing begins where mine leaves off.

Jim Bemis:
But not of fighting, Mr. Masterson

Narrator:
Silverton, Colorado - May 20, 1886. Known to be an avid prize fight enthusiast, Bat Masterson proved that he was a man who could handle a situation with his fists as well as guns. He became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
When I draw, shoot me - and try to look your wife in the eye again.

[last lines]

Sheriff Zeke Armitage:
Thanks, Masterson

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Don't forget to thank your wife. She really stood by you.

Sheriff Zeke Armitage:
That... will take a lifetime.

Cally Armitage:
Mr. Masterson...

[Cally kisses Bat]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Yep... a very nice life.

[Ace and his henchmen have stolen Bat's money]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Take care of that $1200, gentlemen. Look after it as a sort of trust. I intent to get it back... with interest.

Narrator:
Bat Masterson blazed his way into the history of the West. But it was a lonely road to Lordsburg, New Mexico to meet a young friend that led to one of the most gripping episodes in the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

[Bat has bet heavily on his poker hand]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Queens and deuces.

Winning Poker Player:
Aces and eights. Those ladies were awfully expensive, Bat.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Most of them are, my friend.

[Middlesworth tries to organize a boxing match]

Middleswirth:
All right, ladies and gentlemen, step back, step back. These gentlemen are going to need a little falling down room.

Sir Edward Marion:
Actually, it's a theory of mine, one that I've held for many years. Reduced to its simplest commn demoninator, all it means is that the man with the superior equipment ultimately must win, regardleess of speed or firepower.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oh, that may be true of target practice or big game hunting, but you forget one thing, Sir Edward. Out here, when a man draws a gun, his target can think and shoot back.

[Sir Edward challenges Bat to a shootout]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, after all, he wanted to join the hierarchy of western gunfighters. Now, all he has to do is pay his initiation fee.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
First rule for the gunman is to maneuver for the best position. Put the sun behind you.

[Bat shoots off Sir Edward's hat]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Second - present a small moving target.

[Bat dives to the ground, but still places his next shot between Sir Edward's feet]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Third - unnerve your opponent.

[Bat shoots the cup off a nearby wagon]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Fourth - force you opponent into a mistake.

[Sir Edward's hurried shot, the only one in his pistol, goes wild]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Up to this point, I haven't tried to kill you. Fifth - make sure you finish your man clean. Especially when you're down to your last bullet.

Sir Edward Marion:
Finish it, sir.

[Bat fires into the air]

Sir Edward Marion:
Mr. Masterson, it has been both an education and an honor.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
They say school never closes for the mind of a man.

Narrator:
Cheyenne, Wyoming, now known as the Equality State, because Wyoming was the first in the history of the world to give the right to vote to women. This was not accomplished without a fight. And where there are fights - and women - there was Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Old Billy North:
Bat, they aim to have you killed.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Relax, Billy. Their aim might not be so good.

Susan Stevens:
I know we had strong opposition, but why you, Bat? Why not us?

Old Billy North:
I'm happy to say they didn't think it wise to have any pretty little martyrs on their hands.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Sound thinking. Gamblers get shot every day - sometimes even twice a day.

Old Billy North:
Bat, why step over to their side?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Because she's prettier than you, you old goat.

Grace Williams:
Well, what now, Mr. Masterson?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
It's your honor.

Grace Williams:
My honor?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
To be one of the first women in the world to vote - that is, if you get out of jail in time. After all, you've been a very bad girl.

[last lines]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, Billy, what do you think of women's suffrage now?

Old Billy North:
I think I may just suffer. I might just marry one of them!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'd say Lady Luck was standing behind you, Daphne - at least as far the judge and jury are concerned.

Burt Comers:
She's very sentimental - about money.

[first lines]

Zach:
Mr. Masterson!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
What's all the excitement, Zach?

Zach:
Fellow's been havin' a run of luck that would unbend a horseshoe. Never seen nothin' like it!

Daphne Kaye:
Dealer goes broke.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
In more ways than one. Mr. Winston, I owe you $40,000.

George Winston:
I don't understand. According to this system, I should have lost.

Burt Comers:
How 'bout paying off, Masterson?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Certainly, however I'm going to need a little time. You see, gentlemen, that last hand just put me out of business.

Narrator:
Beaverhead, New Mexico - the spring of 1884. A system player had put a gambling casino out of business and the town was still talking about the distinguished loser - Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You taught your boys something, but yourself - nothing.

Narrator:
Mejano, Oklahoma, where one man faced the notorious Doolin Gang: Jim Doolin, Tulsa Jack, and Arkansas Tom: Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Marie:
Anyting else I can do?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Yes, just stay alive and be a good witness. Other than that - change the subject.

Marie:
Have you killed a lot of women, Macy? I don't believe you could - you know that - at least not if they were thirsty. And there are bottles of the best champagne in Wyoming. Why don't we go out there and have one?

macy:
I'd kill anybody, any time, any place. Now you sit down and don't get up again.

[last lines]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well then, I'll meet you in Denver at the Brown Palace Hotel a week from today. I'll wait for you.

Marie:
So will I.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
And the password is...

[Bat kisses Marie]

Marie:
I'll remember that one.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
So will I.

[toasting]

Marie:
To Denver.

Narrator:
Blackwater, Wyoming in the 1880's - a Kingdom of Crime ruled by John Kelso, infamous, ruthless, merciless. After a secret meeting in the Pinkerton office, Sheriff McCauley has returned to Blackwater to await the arrival of uncover operative Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
This one's on me. If we drink enough, we're liable to put our place back on it's feet.

Luke Short:
What's happened to us, Bat. Are we going to let those four-flushers back us down?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm a gambler, Luke. I never play in a game when the deck is stacked

Governor:
They call Dodge City the Queen of the Cow Towns. It would be nice to know the lady wears an honest crown.

[last lines]

Wyatt Earp:
You two do your talkin' later. Now, let's get the picture taken.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Yeah. I want a picture of the Dodge City Peace Commission, just in case someday one of you fellows becomes famous.

Narrator:
Dodge City, Kansas. This is an authentic story of Luke Short and the forming of the famous Dodge City Peace Commission by Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Sid Guild:
Apologies come hard to me, Mr. Masterson.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
To us all, General. Sometimes they come too late.

Walker Hayes:
But I don't even know where to look for that kind of money.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Why don't you just look in your safe?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Then again, you might not have $6000. You have more hired guns on your payroll than you do customers.

Diane Jansen:
Bat, wait a minute. Wait... a... minute. Are you going back to collect that debt?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
When he doesn't have so much help around.

Diane Jansen:
Why, I've been thinking...

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
And...

Diane Jansen:
Well, he can just say he doesn't have it. Now, what are you going to do? Threaten him? Kill him?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Or be killed.

Diane Jansen:
Right. But if you were county tax assessor, then you would demand to see his books. Then you could find enough evidence to stand up in any court.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You keep on fishing till you use the right bait, don't you?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm glad you sell guns. This town eats up an awful lot of them.

[to a dead man]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You do play for high stakes.

Sheriff Dan Rainey:
When a lawman gets old and loses his teeth, he plays it cozy - close to the vest.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Sometimes under the table?

Sheriff Dan Rainey:
Sometimes above the table. All he needs is a good example.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Lawman, I think your teeth just started to grow back.

Mr. Jensen:
Our thanks, Bat. We got our town again and...

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
And Diane learned to set off a dynamite charge.

Diane Jansen:
Oh, no. No, you were the one that rocked this town, Bat. I don't suppose there's any real reason for you ever dropping by?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oh, I wouldn't say that. Who knows, if I behave myself and live the good life, I might just end up in Paradise.

Narrator:
Famous as a buffalo hunter, Indian fighter, Army scout, and law man, Bat Masterson blazed his way into the history of the West. But it was a trip to Paradise, Colorado to collect a gambling debt that really meant danger and high adventure in the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

[Topaz has stolen Bat's derby]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Excuse me.

Ann Eaton:
Bat, no. They'll kill you!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
The easiest way for a man to be killed is for word to get out that he backs down when somebody thinks he has the upper hand.

Miner:
It ain't easy to spend fourteen hours diggin' your kid brother out from under a couple of tons of dirt and rock.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
It costs money to re-shore tunnels and lives if you don't.

Augustus Ulbrecht:
For a minute out there, I thought maybe Masterson had taken the place of money as the love of your life.

Narrator:
Colorado, 1885: the Mining Capital of the new West and frequently the scene of disaster. To some, the mines brought wealth and power, and to others, violent death. It was here that the miners' fight became Bat Masterson's fight. A vicious fight - by the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Good old Ned Buntline - shoots like a rifle.

Wyatt Earp:
Why don't you wear the Special he gave you?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
The barrel's too long - it ruffles my suit.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You're a good man, Wyatt.

Charlie Ryan:
Wyatt? Wyatt Earp?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Yep. I thought I needed some help so I called me a one-man army.

Ellie Winters:
You just don't know how wonderful it is to be a free woman again.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Seems like old times, Ellie, doesn't it?

Ellie Winters:
Where shall we celebrate, Bat?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm afraid you're going to have to do that without me. I've got to be leaving for Denver.

Ellie Winters:
You're always leaving at the wrong time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Ah, but I come back at the right time.

Wyatt Earp:
Well, here's your evidence.

[Bat tears up the envelope and throws it out the window]

Charlie Ryan:
That letter was a fake, too!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I thought you were a smart poker player, Ryan. A good bluff wins many a pot.

Narrator:
[Bat is engaged in a poker game with several other players] A gambling hall in Dodge City, Kansas, as Bat Masterson knew it. [Ellie Winters enters a hotel room] A hotel room in Durango, Colorado, as Bat Masterson was soon to know it.

Narrator:
Dodge City, Kansas. During his colorful career in the sprawling West, Bat Masterson saved more lives than he was forced to take. When he rescued a Gypsy chief and helped him back to the camp, there began one of the most unusual incidents in the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You understand, Ellie, there may be some danger in this for you.

Ellie Winters:
Oh, I like living dangerously - so let's live!

[one henchman leaves the room, leaving his partner to guard Bat]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Aren't you going to get lonesome without your friend?

[the henchman pats the pistol in his holster]

Slender Bodyguard:
Nope.

[Bat has lost heavily in a poker game]

Garrickson:
I believe it is time to settle up.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You mean we were playing for money?

Garrickson:
You walk softly, Mr. Masterson.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I also carry a big stick.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I would like to know what he's carrying in that briefcase.

Calhoun:
I resent that imputation, sir. I am a gentleman. I don't steal from my friends!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
No, just your customers.

Narrator:
The Cheyenne Club - center of culture and intrigue in the brawling cattle town of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Some men came to the club for its elegance, some for it's gambling, some to meet a pretty face. On this occurrence, a man acted from all three motives, plus a fourth. Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Yaqui Kid:
I've seen the dude before. He's the great Bat Masterson, Naylor. You hear that? He's not like the others, oh no. Big man; important man. When I kill him, then the Yaqui Kid will be an important man, too.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm in Yuma to attend a wedding, not a manhunt.

Sheriff Brady:
I'll have to have a full report from you.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You'll get it. Right now, I'm a little hungry. I'm here to give the bride away, my closet bout with matrimony to date, and the thought makes me a little nervous and when I get nervous...

Sheriff Brady:
You get hungry.

Sheriff Brady:
Wasn't it any good?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Boiled prairie dog would be good as long as you have the right wine to go with it.

Lola White:
My, you're just as handsome as ever. You know, I told Johnny the only reason I was marrying him was because I was tired of waiting for you... What's wrong, Bat?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I hate to be the one to tell you this, Lola, but it's bad news. Very bad.

Lola White:
What is it, Bat? Is it about Johnny?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Johnny's dead, Lola.

Lola White:
I-I guess I'll have to wait for you after all, won't I, Bat?

Alf Hayman:
Well, we had the Yaqui Kid and he got away.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, there's one thing in our favor we didn't have before. Now we know who we're looking for.

Alf Hayman:
You intend to go after him?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Alone if I have to.

Alf Hayman:
You won't be alone.

Yaqui Kid:
Good move, Bat Masterson, but now we are alone and this is Yaqui country. Now we will finish the game - my way!

Alf Hayman:
A holdout gun! That was one thing the Yaqui Kid didn't think of.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You have to play the game by the rules the other fellow makes up... but you don't have to like them.

Narrator:
Yuma in the Territory of Arizona, 1881, where the Yaqui Kid wrote his name in blood. But more than anything else, he wanted the blood of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Abigail Feather:
So you see, Mr. Masterson, you're just what we need.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
It's possible.

Richard Woodman:
We're prepared to pay you ten thousand dollars.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
It's growing probable.

Abigail Feather:
You keep company with a powerful lot of ladies, Mr. Masterson.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I always aim to dispel loneliness wherever I find it, Miss Feather.

Richard Woodman:
How did you know I was hidden back there.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
That's where I'd be if I were you and you were me and Abby was still Abby.

[last lines]

[proposing a toast]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
To trust instead of treasure - and free drinks on Isaac Parker.

Narrator:
Tonapah, Nevada - 1882. The rich silver town attracted gamblers, fortune hunters, killers, and Bat Masterson, who became a legend in his own time.

Sheriff Vince Morgan:
Tell me something. What is a man like you doin' transportin' a murderer in a tumbleweed wagon?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
He killed a very good friend of mine.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Forgive me if I say you don't look like the kind of girl who'd marry Luke Steiger.

Julie Poe:
Really? What should I look like?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Hard, scared, without much hope.

Julie Poe:
Well, appearances do fool you sometimes. You don't really look like a federal deputy, either. You look more like a faro dealer.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Faro, poker, roulette - they're all very good friends of mine... and so was Sam Burroughs.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm sorry. You start off with a tumbleweed wagon and you end up with a hearse.

Narrator:
Summer, 1881. Bat Masterson arrived in Concho, an outpost of civilization, to pick up a prisoner in a tumbleweed wagon - a traveling jail of the West. An incident from the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

John Martin:
I think we should get the facts straight before the marshal arrives.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
What facts?

John Martin:
Mr. Moseley, my nephew here, thought this gentlemen was reaching for a gun. An unfortunate accident - no more

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
An act of murder - no less.

[Martin tries to bribe Bat]

John Martin:
Mr. Masterson, do you have a favorite charity?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Myself - and I'm the only contributor.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Thanks to the young lady, who saved my life because of the United States government. Not me, mind you, but because of the United States government.

[last lines]

Marshal Roy Dunning:
Now I expect you'll be going back to headquarters?

Linda:
Nooo, they're giving me a month off... and I don't know where I'll spend it.

Marshal Roy Dunning:
And you're on your way to Reno, I suppose?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm on my way to get my ticket now.

Linda:
I wonder if they have an extra seat on that stage. I've never been to Oklahoma.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm sorry, I'm not speaking of El Reno, Oklahoma. I'm speaking of Reno, Nevada.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oh, that's all right. I've never been to Nevada.

Narrator:
El Paso, Texas: Way stop on the road West; back door to Mexico. They say you could find anything you wanted in El Paso - except a quiet evening. This man found three bullets with his name on them. The name: Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Despite your very careful training, I happen to be very much at home in disreputable gambling places.

[last lines]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
He ran from a faie fight all the way from Antietam to Texas to Nob Hill. Of course, when he came to the Pacific Ocean, he couldn't go much farther.

Narrator:
In the late 1800's, San Francisco was a city of violent contrasts: the Barbary Coast swarmed with the riff raff of the gold camps; while up on exclusive Nob Hill, dueling pistols sometimes replaced six-guns. But they killed you just as dead. Into this city of elegance and evil stepped Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Sheriff:
That's the third wagon train we've lost on that run this summer.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
What's out there? Commanches?

Sheriff:
Worse! A pack of the meanest, low-down sand skunks that ever breathed air. Read that poster in the basket.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
[reading] Wanted: two thousand dollar reward for unknown trail pirates - dead or alive.

Sheriff:
Sandstorms blew that desert clear of wagon tracks leadin' to water. A man has to depend on trail markers. Them buzzards switch 'em wrong. Train follows a dry trail - those pirates wait till they die of thirst then move in and clean the wagons.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Nice, friendly way to make a living.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
We have lots to settle if we're going out in the morning.

Ellen Parish:
I have no intention of trusting my people with a gambler - whatever it is about the gun.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Did it ever occur to you that you and your folks are gamblers crossing the desert?

Ellen Parish:
Gamblers?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You're playing for bigger stakes than you'll find on those tables. A man with a gun might come in handy.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
It's kind of a custom out here, ma'am. When you see a man draw a gun, you'd better draw yours. If I hadn't, I might be shaking hands with St. Peter.

Ellen Parish:
Then I'm not sure if you know where St. Peter is stationed.

Ellen Parish:
When we get to California, we could use a man like you to help us get settled. Would you care for the job?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, some folks are settlers and some just want to see what's over the next range and some, maybe, what's going on in the next town.

Narrator:
July 27, 1879. Good Springs, in the Nevada desert, where water is life and the desert is death. From the history of Bat Masterson, who became a legend in his own time.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Hey, Smithy! Take care of horse - he's a friend of mine.

[Bat gives his horse to the blacksmith]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Why don't you strip him and rub him down.

Tom Noble, Justice of the Peace:
I wouldn't even stay that long!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Small town, lots of advice.

Tom Noble, Justice of the Peace:
I know your reputation, Masterson. Don't bury it here.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Mr. Noble, I don't care if Foley is a rustler, a night rider or a murderer, or if Swan Valley's his Robber's Roost.

Tom Noble, Justice of the Peace:
Then you'll be leavin'?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Oh, no. I'm stayin'.

Tom Noble, Justice of the Peace:
Confound it, why?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, he said a mean thing to me.

Molly Doyle:
There's something I think you should know about Sergeant Foley.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
There's quite a bit I know about him already. Court martialed out of the army, does a lot of night riding so it will be cooler for his horses, contributes to charities such as the Justice of the Peace... Swan Valley's model rustler.

Molly Doyle:
Angus says he'll kill you.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
There's a law says he won't.

Molly Doyle:
What law?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Self-preservation.

[Foley and his henchman have tried to ambush Bat in his hotel room]

Hotel Owner:
Do you have any idea how hard it is to get glass out here? I have to send all the way to the East for it. Oh, why didn't you tell me you were going to get shot at? I'd have put you in an inside room - with no windows!

[Pat walks down the street wearing his bowler, formal suit and cane]

Pete the Blacksmith:
You got the right idea, Masterson.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Yes, Pete?

Pete the Blacksmith:
Long as you decide to stay, you might as well be dressed to be laid out at any time.

[Bat buys a license to run a poker game]

Angus McLarnin:
Where are you goin' to operate, Bat?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Right here: back to the wall, eyes on the front door.

Sergeant Foley:
Some people just can't be told, can they?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
You're welcome to try your luck.

Molly Doyle:
You're a fool.

Angus McLarnin:
But I'm not. If there is a shootout in my place and they get you, I'll be obliged to take the wreckage out of your wallet.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Angus, a deal's a deal.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
This Foley - where can I find him?

Angus McLarnin:
How many draws are there leading into the Tetons? How many huts? How many abandoned ranch houses?

Dank, Henchman:
Congratulations!

[Foley's henchman holds his hand out to Bat]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I seldom shake hands. I caught a fungus once.

Narrator:
Swan Valley, Wyoming Territory. August 11, 1883. A renegade torch touches off several flaming events in the colorful life of Bat Masterson, familiar figure of the West, who became a legend in his own time.

Fargo:
What's you business, Mister?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I have several - gambler, horse thief, train robber, hired assassin. Hold me horse, will you? I call him George - I forgot to ask him his real name when I got him.

Fargo:
What do you want here?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I want to see Mr. Hudson.

Fargo:
What about?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Why don't you ask Mr. Hudson after I see him?

Renee Hudson:
Mr. Masterson, would you mind if I ask just who and what you are?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Should I lie about it or tell you the truth?

Renee Hudson:
Which story is the most interesting?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm an excellent liar.

Renee Hudson:
Then by all means lie.

Fargo:
Get your horses. I want all that wetback beef on our side before dark.

Benton Foster:
What time is it?

[Bat steps into the doorway]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
It's too late!

Taylor Milland:
Masterson!

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I know I'm supposed to be dead, but I didn't care much for the idea.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I could have shot you, but I've never used one of these before.

[he flexes his sword cane]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
This is the civilization you brought to Texas?

Alec Hudson:
I don't suppose I have to tell you how many herds and probably human lives you've saved.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
I'm happy to have saved my own.

Narrator:
1882 - Presidio, Texas, close to the Rio Grande but still a long way from anywhere. Which added to the mystery in town of the appearance of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Narrator:
Great Falls, Montana. Sometimes it's very unpleasant to collect a personal debt. Sometimes it takes a man out of his way and into the kind of adventure that colored the life of Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Judge Pete Perkins:
What do you think of Paradise, Mr. Masterson?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well now, I'd say whoever named it wasn't aiming very high, Mr. Perkins.

Narrator:
Paradise, Colorado - the spring of 1885. An unscheduled stagecoach stop became a dangerous adventure for Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.

Barney Kaster:
What's the problem?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Your wagon wheels put a pleat in my three-dollar derby.

Barney Kaster:
If he loses another hat in this town, his head will be in it.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
How are you fixed to fight some good, honest competition?

Barney Kaster:
There's no room here for more wagons.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, there's room for another riverboat line.

Barney Kaster:
What's your stake in this?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Two badly battered derbies.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
It takes more than brooms, bullets or conversation to stop Kaster. The only way to beat him is competition.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
What was it your father said? "It's the small merchants who turn a small town into a big city." He couldn't have meant these merchants. Oh, no - they don't have the courage to turn a corner.

[Bat kills Kaster in a shootout]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
That's one way to go out of business.

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
A new derby at an honest price. Nothing is more satisfying.

[Sharon grabs him and they kiss]

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Well, almost nothing.

Sharon Stabler:
Will I see you again, Bat?

William Barclay 'Bat' Masterson:
Every time I need a new derby.

Narrator:
Whistle Valley, Missouri - 1884. Seven hard miles away from the riverfront. Seven miles that became the difference between life and death for Bat Masterson, the man who became a legend in his own time.