Hyde Park Gunfight in Newton, Kansas
On a sweltering August day in 1871, the dusty streets of Newton, Kansas, bore witness to a scene of unparalleled violence, a maelstrom of gunfire that would forever be etched into the annals of the Wild West. This event, known as the Hyde Park Gunfight, or sometimes referred to as the Newton Massacre, stands as a stark reminder of the lawlessness and brutality that characterized the frontier. The sheer scale of the bloodshed, claiming more lives than the infamous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, or the Dalton Gang’s ill-fated raid in Coffeyville, Kansas, makes the Hyde Park Gunfight a significant, albeit often overlooked, chapter in American history.
The year 1871 marked a turning point for Newton, Kansas. The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway had extended its iron tendrils westward, reaching Newton and transforming it into the new terminus of the Chisholm Trail. This vital artery of commerce funneled thousands of cattle and cowboys into the fledgling town, rapidly turning it into a bustling hub of activity. However, this rapid growth came at a price. Like other Kansas cow towns of the era, Newton quickly became a magnet for those seeking fortune, adventure, or simply a place to escape the constraints of civilized society. Saloons, gambling parlors, and brothels sprang up like mushrooms, catering to the desires of the transient population. Inevitably, this volatile mix attracted lawless individuals, creating a powder keg of tension that was destined to explode.
The seeds of the Hyde Park Gunfight were sown on August 11th, 1871, in the Red Front Saloon. A seemingly innocuous argument between two local lawmen, Billy Bailey and Mike McCluskie, escalated into a deadly confrontation. McCluskie, an Irishman hailing from Ohio and a man known for his rough demeanor, had arrived in Newton by way of his employment with the Santa Fe Railroad as a night policeman. Upon arriving, he befriended a young man named James Riley, who was suffering from tuberculosis, a detail that would later prove to be significant. Bailey, on the other hand, was a Texan cowboy, likely drawn to Newton by the promise of work and opportunity along the Chisholm Trail.
Both McCluskie and Bailey had been hired as special policemen to maintain order during the heated August elections. The nascent city was grappling with the formation of a new county, and the question of who would lead this endeavor ignited fierce debates among the locals. Despite working together, McCluskie and Bailey were often at odds, their personalities clashing from the outset. Their simmering animosity finally boiled over in the Red Front Saloon. What began as a verbal dispute quickly devolved into a physical altercation. Bailey was knocked out of the saloon and into the dusty street, where McCluskie, brandishing his pistol, fired two shots, fatally wounding him in the chest. Bailey succumbed to his injuries the following day.
McCluskie initially fled town to evade arrest, but he returned a few days later, emboldened by the belief that his actions would be deemed self-defense. Although Bailey had not drawn a weapon, McCluskie claimed he feared for his life, citing Bailey’s involvement in three previous gunfights where he had killed two men. This justification, however, did little to appease Bailey’s friends from Texas, who were incensed by his death and vowed to avenge him. The stage was now set for the bloody drama that would unfold in Hyde Park.
The fateful night of August 19th, 1871, saw McCluskie entering Tuttle’s Dance Hall, a popular establishment located in the Hyde Park section of Newton. He was accompanied by Jim Martin, a fellow Texan cowboy. Inside the saloon, James Riley, McCluskie’s young friend and self-appointed "shadow," was already present. The atmosphere was thick with anticipation as McCluskie and Martin settled in to play a game of faro.
After midnight, three of Bailey’s Texan compatriots, Billy Garrett, Henry Kearnes, and Jim Wilkerson, arrived at the dance hall. All were armed, and Garrett, like Bailey, had a reputation as a gunslinger, having already claimed two lives in previous confrontations. The three men mingled amongst the crowd, their eyes fixed on McCluskie as he gambled. Soon after, another Texan cowboy, Hugh Anderson, the son of a wealthy cattle rancher from Bell County, Texas, entered the saloon. Anderson wasted no time in confronting McCluskie, approaching him directly and unleashing a torrent of abuse: "You are a cowardly son-of-a-bitch! I will blow the top of your head off!"
Jim Martin attempted to intervene, trying to defuse the situation, but Anderson ignored him and fired a shot at McCluskie, hitting him in the neck. McCluskie attempted to return fire, but his pistol misfired, and he collapsed to the floor. Anderson, now standing over his prone victim, fired several more bullets into McCluskie’s back, ensuring his demise.
As Anderson rained bullets on McCluskie, chaos erupted in Tuttle’s Dance Hall. Kearns, Garrett, and Wilkerson also opened fire, perhaps to suppress any attempts at intervention from the crowd. In the midst of this pandemonium, James Riley, McCluskie’s loyal friend, drew his two Colt revolvers and unleashed a hail of bullets at the Texans. Despite having no prior experience in gunfights and likely hampered by the smoke-filled room, Riley managed to hit seven men.
Among those struck by Riley’s indiscriminate fire was Jim Martin, the would-be peacemaker, who was hit in the neck and stumbled out of the saloon, dying on the steps of Krum’s dance hall across the street. Billy Garrett, one of the Texan cowboys, was shot in the shoulder and chest, succumbing to his wounds a few hours later. Henry Kearnes also suffered a mortal wound, lingering for a week before finally dying.
Tragically, innocent bystanders were also caught in the crossfire. Patrick Lee, a Santa Fe Railroad brakeman who was simply observing the scene, was shot in the stomach and died two days later. Another Santa Fe employee named Hickey was shot in the calf but survived his injury. The other two Texan cowboys, Jim Wilkerson and Hugh Anderson, were also wounded. Wilkerson was shot in the nose and leg but recovered. Anderson sustained two leg wounds but also survived.
With seven men lying wounded or dead on the floor of Tuttle’s Dance Hall, James Riley, who had previously led a life free of violence, calmly walked out of the smoke-filled saloon and vanished, never to be seen again. His actions that night, born of loyalty and desperation, transformed him from an obscure figure into a legend of the Hyde Park Gunfight.
In the aftermath of the carnage, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Hugh Anderson. However, his wealthy father and friends orchestrated his escape, smuggling him aboard a train to Kansas City. From there, he made his way back to Texas, avoiding prosecution for McCluskie’s murder. But the story of the Hyde Park Gunfight did not end there.
Arthur McCluskie, Mike’s brother, sought revenge against Hugh Anderson for his brother’s murder. For two years, Arthur and his friends searched for Anderson, who remained safely hidden in Texas. However, Anderson made the mistake of returning to Kansas in 1873, where Arthur tracked him down in Medicine Lodge. Anderson was working as a bartender at Harding’s Trading Post. Arthur sent a man into the trading post on July 4, 1873, to invite Anderson to a duel, offering him a choice of weapons: guns or knives. Anderson chose pistols, and the two men faced off. After emptying their pistols at each other, they resorted to knives, and in the end, both men lay dead. The final chapter of the Hyde Park Gunfight was written in blood.
Despite its scale and brutality, the Hyde Park Gunfight has received relatively little attention from historians compared to other, more famous gunfights of the Old West. This lack of recognition may be due to the absence of any well-known figures among the participants. Unlike the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, which featured the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday, the Hyde Park Gunfight involved ordinary individuals caught up in a web of violence and revenge. Nevertheless, the Hyde Park Gunfight remains a significant event in the history of the American West, a testament to the lawlessness and brutality that characterized the frontier era.