Dodge City
In May 1883, Mysterious Dave returned to Kansas and became assistant town marshal during the so-called Dodge City War, a dispute between saloon owners who were friends of the mayor of Dodge City and Luke Short, owner of the Long Branch Saloon. Several gunfighters including Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp gathered to support their friend Short. The show of force was enough to cause Short's enemies to back down, and violence was avoided. Mather also served during this time as a Deputy Sheriff under Sheriff Patrick F. Sughrue. On September 29, 1883, Mather led a posse in pursuit of train robbery suspects, capturing two the same day in which the posse left town.
While in Dodge City, Mather became owner of the Opera House Saloon, became active in politics as a Democrat, and may even have gotten married, but that is unconfirmed. Though the evidence is marginal, he may have been married to a woman named Josephine. Mather became involved in a feud with a rival saloon owner named Tom Nixon. Tom was the owner of the Lady Gay Saloon and was a friend of the mayor. An ordinance had been passed that restricted all saloons in town, except the Lady Gay. Dave's resentment grew when he was replaced as deputy by Tom Nixon.
On July 18, 1884, Mysterious Dave and Tom Nixon had an altercation in front of the Opera House Saloon. Nixon drew a pistol and fired once, missing Mather. Nixon posted a bond for assault with intent to kill in the sum of $800, but Mather himself elected not to file a complaint. The Dodge City Democrat published an article on the shooting which states plainly that by all indications, the situation was "by all appearances not yet at an end". The article could not have been more accurate. Three days later, Mysterious Dave walked up to Nixon and shot and killed Nixon. He then surrendered himself to authorities and was exonerated of murder. The common consensus at the time was that because of Nixon's previous attempt on Mather's life, Mather was acting in self defense.
On May 10, 1885, Mather was arrested again. This time he and his brother Josiah (called Sy) were accused of killing a gambler named Dave Jones over a game of cards, inside the Junction Saloon. The gunfight also resulted in Dave Mather being wounded by a bullet that grazed his head, and it has been reported that his brother was killed, but in fact he did not die until 1933. There was a preliminary hearing on the shooting, during which it was revealed that Dave Mather never fired a shot, and that Dave Jones had fired on Dave Mather, grazing him, only to be shot dead by Josiah Mather. The shooting and the aftermath were well publicized at the time, due mostly to the notoriety of Dave Mather. The results of that hearing were posted in the Dodge City Democrat on May 22, 1885. There were several witness statements included in that article.
The brothers made bail and left town, though the details of how are unclear. One account says that Marshal Bill Tilghman ran Dave out of town after an armed standoff, another says he slipped away disguised as a woman. Neither are believed to be true, and it is most likely he simply left town, and for all practical purposes disappeared from historical record.
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