 and the guy would leave town and then bat the next day would go to his favorite pawn shop buy a similar gun cut some notches in it put it back in his holster and he's ready for the next fella from out of town to come to his saloon he became a a father figure to some of the young reporters some of the up-and-coming people damon runyon he was a young man who was a reporter for the new york tribune and he really worshipped bat masterson and years later he paid homage to bat