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Dodge City, 1874. Photo courtesy Ford County Historical Society, Dodge City, Kansas

I have at all times tried to use my influence toward protecting the property holders and substantial men of the country from thieves, outlaws and murderers, among whom I do not care to be classed." Clay Allison, in response to a Missouri newspaper which reported him with fifteen killings under his belt.

There are several versions of the story of the showdown. Some say that Allison and his men terrorized Dodge City, while Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson fled in fear. Others, including Wyatt Earp himself, would say that Earp along with Masterson pressured Allison into leaving. The most likely version of the account; however, is that

Allison was talked into leaving by a saloon keeper and another cattleman, with little or no contact with Wyatt Earp at all. This version, which was later written about by famous Pinkerton Detective Agent, Charles Siringo, who was present during the event, is mostly likely the true story.

Historians basically surmise that Allison might have came to Dodge City looking for trouble, but nothing really happened. While Allison and his men went from saloon to saloon fortifying themselves with whiskey, Earp and his marshals began to assemble their forces. But in the end, Dick McNulty, owner of a large cattle outfit and Chalk Beeson, co-owner of the Long Branch Saloon, intervened on behalf of the town, talking the gang into giving up their guns.

Bat Masterson

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By 1880 Clay had moved to a ranch in Hemphill County, Texas, next door his brother-in-law, Lewis Coleman. On January 17, 1881, it was stated in a local newspaper that "three of the Allison brothers moved on the Gageby." Though John and Monroe may have joined Clay at some point, they continued using their Colfax County ranch for several years.

While in Texas, Allison's reputation was kept alive by reports of his unusual antics. Once he was said to have ridden nude through the streets of Mobeetie, whooping and hollering and declaring that drinks were on him at the local saloon. When the shocked ladies called upon the sheriff to intervene, the officer demanded that Allison get down from his horse. Instead, Allison spurred the steed to full speed up and down main street, then got off his horse, leveled his gun at the sheriff and marched him into the bar. He then forced the sheriff to drink until he couldn't stand up, and satisfied, went back to horse.

In October, 1883, Allison sold his ranch in Hemphill County and the couple returned to the Seven Rivers region in New Mexico where Clay continued to ranch. On August 9, 1885, Clay's first daughter, Pattie Dora was born in Cimarron.

In the summer of 1886, Clay had just finished a long, hard trail drive that took him to Cheyenne, Wyoming. Having a terrible toothache, he visited a local dentist, who, having already heard of Allison's reputation, trembled with the thought of who was in his chair. The dentist started working on his tooth, but Clay soon realized that it was the wrong tooth, pushed his way out of the dentist chair and went to find another dentist. After the new dentist pulled the correct tooth, an angry Clay returned to the first dentist, held him down in the dental chair and pulled one of his molars with a pair of forceps. Attempting to extract a second, the dentist's screams were heard and men came and pulled Allison away from the petrified dentist.

Shortly thereafter, the couple moved again, this time to Pecos, Texas, 50 miles south of the New Mexico line. On July 1, 1887, Allison was hauling a load of supplies to his ranch from Pecos when a sack of grain fell from the wagon. Trying to halt it's fall, Clay fell from the heavily loaded wagon and in the next instant the wagon wheels rolled across him, breaking his neck. As the horses reared and lurched forward, his neck was further crushed by the heavy buckboard, almost decapitating him.

Continued Next Page

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