Sherman McMasters – Outlaw or Lawman?
The American West, a landscape etched with both promise and peril, spawned figures whose lives blurred the lines between justice and criminality. Among these ambiguous characters stands Sherman W. McMasters, a man whose story is as captivating as it is confounding. Was he a hardened outlaw, a dedicated Texas Ranger, a principled lawman, or some combination of all three? His legacy is inextricably linked to the infamous Earp Vendetta Ride, but his life before and after that event remains shrouded in mystery, fueling the debate about his true nature. This article delves into the life of Sherman McMasters, exploring the evidence and anecdotes that paint a complex portrait of a man caught between two worlds.
Born in Illinois in 1853, Sherman McMasters ventured westward, drawn by the allure of opportunity and the open frontier. The details of his early life are scarce, but he quickly gained a reputation as a skilled gunfighter. He found himself in Dodge City, Kansas, a notorious hub of cowboys, gamblers, and outlaws, during the same period as the legendary Wyatt Earp and the enigmatic Doc Holliday. He cultivated friendships with both men, relationships that would later shape the trajectory of his life. An early indicator of the violence that would mark his career, McMasters reportedly killed a man in self-defense following a heated dispute in a local saloon. This incident, whether justified or not, contributed to the growing perception of him as a man capable of deadly force.
In September 1878, McMasters donned the badge of a Texas Ranger, serving in El Paso County until the spring of the following year. This period suggests a desire for order and a commitment to upholding the law. The Texas Rangers, even in their early days, were a force to be reckoned with, tasked with maintaining peace in a vast and often lawless territory. However, even during this period of purported lawfulness, conflicting narratives emerged. It was during his time in the Lone Star State that he is said to have crossed paths with Curly Bill Brocius, a notorious outlaw, and, according to some accounts, aided him in escaping from jail. This alleged act casts a shadow on his tenure as a Ranger, raising questions about his true allegiances.
By 1879, Sherman McMasters had gravitated to Las Vegas, New Mexico, where he associated with members of the notorious Dodge City Gang. This criminal organization, reportedly controlled for a time by the corrupt Hoodoo Brown, was deeply involved in stagecoach and train robberies, cattle rustling, and even murder and lynchings. McMasters’ association with such a nefarious group further complicates his image. Was he simply associating with the wrong crowd, or was he actively participating in their criminal enterprises? The answer remains elusive, obscured by the lack of concrete evidence and the conflicting testimonies of those who knew him.
Later, McMasters drifted to Tombstone, Arizona, a boomtown fueled by silver mining and rife with tension. Here, he found himself navigating a treacherous social landscape, maintaining friendships with members of both the Clanton faction, known for their outlaw tendencies, and the Earp brothers, who represented law and order, at least ostensibly. His ability to move between these opposing camps suggests a complex personality, perhaps one driven by pragmatism or a genuine desire to mediate the escalating conflict.
During his time in Tombstone, McMasters became a suspect in several crimes, including the theft of Army mules in July 1880, the subsequent theft of valuable horses from the Contention Mine, and a stagecoach robbery near Globe, Arizona. These accusations, while never definitively proven, further solidified the perception of him as a potential outlaw. However, the narrative takes another twist in 1882, when Wyatt Earp purportedly employed McMasters to help track down Curly Bill Brocius and Pony Deal following the robbery of a Bisbee, Arizona stagecoach. This alleged collaboration raises the tantalizing possibility that McMasters was operating as an undercover informant, working to dismantle the Cowboy faction from within. The question remains: was Sherman McMasters truly an outlaw, or was he a clandestine operative working to uphold the law in a lawless land?
The events of March 1882 irrevocably altered the course of Sherman McMasters‘ life. He was present in the saloon where Morgan Earp was assassinated, an event that ignited the fuse of the Earp Vendetta Ride. Following Morgan’s death and the attempted assassination of Virgil Earp, McMasters openly aligned himself with the Earp brothers, joining Wyatt and Warren Earp on their vengeful pursuit of those they believed responsible for the attacks. Two days later, he participated in the murder of Frank Stillwell in Tucson, Arizona, and allegedly, the killing of Florentino Cruz, also known as Indian Charlie. These acts of violence, committed in the name of revenge, firmly place McMasters on the side of the Earps, solidifying his role in one of the most controversial episodes in Western history. However, he was reportedly not present during Wyatt Earp’s alleged final confrontation with Curly Bill Brocius. Following the two-week revenge ride of the Earps, McMasters left Arizona with Wyatt, disappearing from the historical record for a time.
The circumstances surrounding McMasters’ death are as ambiguous as his life. Will McLaury, in a letter to his father, claimed that McMasters was killed in a shootout with the Cowboy faction in 1884. Wyatt Earp, however, offered a different account, stating that McMasters died in the Philippines in 1898 while serving as a soldier in the Spanish-American War. However, no official documents support Earp’s version of events. The most credible account comes from McMasters’ own siblings, who indicated that he died in Colorado in 1892. The conflicting narratives surrounding his demise only add to the enigma of Sherman W. McMasters, a man whose true fate, like his true character, remains a subject of speculation.
In conclusion, Sherman McMasters remains a figure shrouded in mystery. Was he an outlaw, a lawman, or something in between? The evidence is conflicting, the accounts are unreliable, and the truth is likely lost to the sands of time. What is certain is that he lived a life on the fringes of society, navigating a world where violence was commonplace and allegiances were fluid. His association with both outlaws and lawmen, his involvement in the Earp Vendetta Ride, and the conflicting accounts of his death all contribute to the enduring legend of Sherman W. McMasters, a man whose place in the history of the American West remains a subject of debate. He embodies the complex and often contradictory nature of the frontier, where the lines between right and wrong were often blurred, and where a man could be both a hero and a villain, depending on who was telling the story.