The old TV show said “he wore a cane and derby hat.” There’s plenty of photos of Bat Masterson wearing derbies—but none of him carrying a cane. The legends say that’s how he got his nickname, or that he used a cane after being shot in the hip in an 1876 Texas fight.
Masterson biographer Robert DeArment says none of that is true. Bat’s original name was Bartholomew, and his family shortened that to “Bat” when he was young. There’s no proof the man ever carried a cane, even for style.
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