41STERSON, WILLIAM BARCLAY, sheriff, gambler. VERY RARE SIGNED DOCUMENT by Masterson as sheriff accomplished in manuscript, Ford County, Kansas, 11 August, 1879. ARREST WARRANT FOR TWO MEN ACCUSED OF THE THEFT OF A HORSE, SADDLES, BRIDLES, BLANKETS, CLOTHES AND BOOTS. 2 pages, folio. William Barclay "Bat" Masterson was one of the legendary lawmen of the West, responsible for the policing of 9,500 square miles and marshall of notorious Dodge City, taking over the position after the previous marshall (his brother) was shot down by two men. Masterson arrived on the scene in time to kill one and mortally wound the other and so began his reputation as a lawman "filling up boothill." In 1880 he went to Tombstone, considered one of the most lawless towns in the world, and frequently assisted another legend, Wyatt Earp, in his duties as a federal marshall there. By the next year Masterson had moved to Denver where he supported himself in the then reputable occupation of gambler, until relocating to New York City in 1902 to begin a long and successful career as a sportswriter. Material signed by Masterson as sheriff is scarce.