(THEME)
VOICE ONE:
This is Faith Lapidus.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Steve Ember with EXPLORATIONS from VOA SpecialEnglish. Today we present the first of two programs about some ofthe most famous people who lived in the American West many yearsago. We tell about lawmen, criminals and gunfighters. And we willtry to tell as much truth as possible about this interesting time inAmerican history.
(WESTERN MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Our story begins ineighteen-eighty-three in Dodge City, Kansas. Dodge City was arailroad town. Huge herds of cattle were brought there from westernstates to be transported by railroad to markets in the easternUnited States.
A man named Luke Short owned a small store where he sold alcohol.People also took part in gambling — games of chance — in hisstore. Several people who owned similar businesses wanted Luke Shortto leave Dodge City. They did not like the business competition.Luke Short was threatened several times. He knew his life was indanger. So he left Dodge City.
VOICE TWO:
Several weeks later, the people in Dodge City began to seesomething that frightened them. Strangers were entering the town.All of these men carried guns. The men said they were friends ofLuke Short. They caused no trouble. A newspaper in Dodge Cityprinted a story that identified the men.
One of the first of these men to arrive was a former Dodge Citylawman. His name was William Masterson. The newspaper said he waswell known as an expert with guns and had killed several men. Hisfriends called him “Bat.”
Two other men arrived together. One was Wyatt Earp. He was afamous gunfighter from Tombstone, in the Arizona territory. He alsowas a former lawman who had killed men in gunfights. With him washis friend, a dentist, John Holliday, who also survived severalshooting incidents. His friends called him “Doc.”
About twelve other men also arrived in Dodge City to help LukeShort. They were not as famous as the three named in the newspaper.But they were also considered to be very dangerous.
VOICE ONE:
Luke Short returned to Dodge City wearing his guns. The chieflawman of the town quickly sent a telegram to the governor of thestate asking for help. He was afraid a major civil war would beginin his town. The men who had forced Luke Short out of town decidedto negotiate a settlement. They did not want to face his manydangerous friends.
A few days after the settlement, Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, DocHolliday and the other dangerous friends of Luke Short left DodgeCity. No one ever fired a shot. No one was even threatened. All ittook to force a negotiated settlement was for these dangerous men toshow their faces in Dodge City. Just the fear of them settled theargument in favor of Luke Short. No one wanted to deal with men whowere not afraid of a gunfight.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
Who were these dangerous men? Why did people fear them so much?Why did they become so famous? The story of these famous men began alittle before the American Civil War of the eighteen-sixties.
This wild and lawless period in the West has been shown inhundreds of movies, television programs and books. It only lastedfor about seventy years. The first shooting incident by a person whocould be considered a professional gunman took place in Texas ineighteen-fifty-four.
Most of the shooting incidents between professional lawmen andoutlaws took place during the eighteen-seventies in Texas.
VOICE ONE:
The real movement into the American West began after the CivilWar. Many families moved west to build new lives after the war. Landwas almost free. Some people wanted to find gold or silver andbecome rich. Other families wanted to raise cows or horses or begina farm and start a new life.
But living in the American West was not easy. There were no laws,no courts and little or no government. There were few lawmen to keeporder. The people who arrived in the West included many criminals.Many were escaping punishment from their crimes. They knew that anarea with no law would provide them with safety. These professionalcriminals often used force to take what they wanted — cows, horsesor money. Often, there was little to stop them.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
Honest people who moved to theWest carried weapons to protect themselves and their property. Thesesettlers began to build small towns when they found areas theyliked. They tried to improve their towns with churches, schools andthe rule of law. But it was often difficult.
To protect their towns, the settlers often had to employ peoplewho were expert in the use of firearms. Several lawmen in the OldWest had learned to use their weapons when they were criminals.
Both the outlaws and the lawmen in the Old West had somethingelse in common. They could do something many other people could not.They were willing to risk their lives to enforce the law or tocommit a crime. And they were willing to do this with a gun.
VOICE ONE:
A good example was a man named William Matthew Tilghman(TILL-man). He was arrested two times and charged with stealing whenhe was a young man. However, he later became a deputy United Statesmarshal, a law officer.
On July fourth, eighteen-eighty-eight, a man named Ed Pratherbegan shooting his gun in the street in Farmer City, Kansas. Peopleran away in fear. Tilghman made him stop. Prather left the streetangry and went into a drinking place. He began drinking alcohol andmaking threats.
Later, Tilghman went into the drinking place looking for Prather.Prather put his hand on the gun he was carrying. Tilghman told himto move his hand away from the gun. When he did not obey, BillTilghman pulled out his gun and shot Ed Prather two times. He diedimmediately.
VOICE TWO:
That was only one of the many times Bill Tilghman used his gun asa law officer. He served in many other towns. Often, all he had todo was walk into a room to stop a fight. Outlaws feared and obeyedhim. Most criminals stayed away from a town where Bill Tilghman wasthe marshal.
Bill Tilghman was shot to death on November first,nineteen-twenty-four. He was trying to arrest a man who had beendrinking too much alcohol. He was seventy years old and stillworking as the marshal of Cromwell, Oklahoma. His life had lastedexactly the seventy years of the American Wild West.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
The famous American gunman named Wyatt Earp has been the subjectof at least four major motion pictures, one television series andmany books. He served as a marshal in Tombstone, Arizona. He tookpart in one of the most famous gunfights in American history — thegunfight at the O-K Corral.
Wyatt Earp was once asked how to win a gunfight. He said a goodgunfighter took his time. He said he had to go into action asquickly as possible — as fast as he could move. But then he shouldtake his time with the shooting. He said a successful gunfightercould not let fear or anything else force him to shoot too soon andmiss the target. Missing the target could get him killed.
Wyatt Earp was very successful. He was only wounded once in agunfight. He is one of the few successful gunfighters who lived toold age. He died in nineteen-twenty-nine. He was eighty-one yearsold.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
Experts on the American West often disagree about who were themost dangerous gunmen in that period of American history. Was it oneof the famous lawmen? Was it Bill Tilghman, or perhaps Wyatt Earp?
Or was it one of the outlaws? Maybe it was the famous bank robberJesse James or an extremely dangerous gunman named John WesleyHardin.
Those questions will never truly be answered. However, join usnext week when we tell about two of the most dangerous gunfightersof the Old West.
(THEME)
VOICE ONE:
This program was written by Paul Thompson. It was produced byMario Ritter. This is Faith Lapidus.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Steve Ember. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONSin Special English on the Voice of America.