- Narrator: Politics on the frontier of 1876 was often a brawling, conniving business. Wyatt Earp, as Marshal of Dodge City, was appointed by the Mayor and the Council. He didn't have to run for election. But when Charlie Bassett, Sheriff of Ford County, decided not to seek election again, Wyatt was confronted with a difficult choice. He must either allow a bad choice backed by some cattlemen, to take over the Sheriff's Office or he must find a candidate with whom he could work in honest law enforcement. So Wyatt decided that young Bat Masterson should make the run for Sheriff. The big trouble was, neither Wyatt nor Bat knew how many guns were loaded and aimed at them.