Ed Masterson

Ed Masterson (September 22, 1852 – April 9, 1878) was a lawman and the oldest brother of the American West gunfighters Bat Masterson and James Masterson.

Lawman career

Edward John "Ed" Masterson was born in Henryville in Canada East. In the early 1850s, his family moved to the area about Wichita, Kansas. Ed Masterson, as reported by those who knew him, never possessed the characteristic personality of his more famous brother, Bat Masterson, or his other brother James. He was killed by gunfire while trying to disarm a drunken cowboy.

Prior to beginning his lawman career, he and his two brothers worked as buffalo hunters. During his service as deputy marshal and then marshal of Dodge City, Kansas, Ed Masterson was shot twice. The first incident occurred in November 1877, when he was shot in the breast by Bob Shaw in the Lone Star Dance Hall. Although his right arm was paralyzed, Ed switched his gun to his left hand and shot Shaw in the arm and leg. After Masterson's recovery, he replaced Larry Deger as the town marshal. It is commonly believed that he replaced lawman Wyatt Earp, but it was actually Deger. On March 15, 1878, Masterson assisted his brother Bat Masterson, who was the Ford County sheriff at that time, and lawman Charlie Bassett in the capture of two train robbery suspects.