In the summer of 1880, Billy Thompson was on the show in Ogallale, Nebraska. After the shooting, the law kept him in custody only in one of the hotels “House of Ogallala” until they tried and hung him up - this was the lost conclusion of all residents. His brother Ben Thompson, a well-known player and pistol fighter, was convinced that the crowd in Ogallale was waiting for him to arrive after Billy. He had reason to believe that if he appeared, they intended to arrange a tie-party for two. Hedging his stakes, Ben called an old friend, Bat Masterson, to free his brother from the clutches of what was recognized by Ogallala’s wry law.
It all started when Billy vied for the affection of the local whore with the disgraceful nickname of Big Alice. The owner of the salon, Bill Tucker, filed a complaint about his attempts at duty and warned Billy to stay away from the girl. Billy, who did not know to heed the warnings, continued to get involved with Big Alice, until he decided to confront Tucker in his cabin, the Cowboy break. Shot down the gut filled with liquor, Billy rushed into the salon and quickly shot at Tucker. The bullet served as a salon owner in his hand when he served a whiskey customer. Tucker quickly contrasted his fingers with his left hand and found that he lacked a thumb, and three more fingers were disfigured. He grabbed a bar towel, wrapped his bloody hand and dived into the bar. Billy, thinking that he had killed this man, hid the gun and stumbled out of the salon.
Tucker was far from death. He pulled a double-barreled rifle out from under the bar. He ran to the door and, with a good hand, passed ten meters to Thompson, swinging both barrels. Billy, who was a short distance from the salon, went outside with five wounds to the back and buttocks. Tucker's friends threw him into his house for medical care, while the law dragged Billy into Ogallala House, where he was treated and held in captivity.
Since Ben Thompson saved his life or for some reason, Masterson felt obliged to help Ben get his wayward brother back from Ogallala's circles, and he took the train for Nebraska. Arriving in a city that was slightly larger than a few crudely hewn buildings that huddled around the Union Pacific Coast line on the north bank of the South Platte River, Bath examined the situation and found that he was distorting bad odds. Billy’s wounds made him unable to ride a horse, so Bath had to work out another way to get him out of town. He told Billy to pretend that he was so weak that he could not escape when he came up with a plan.
Based on his time, Bath became friends with a young deputy who is charged with guarding Billy at the hotel. They played cards to pass the time, and often Bath paid for drinks. Then a few days later, Bath saw his opportunity on Sunday night, when the whole community was at a dance party that was held in a school house on the outskirts of the city. The sheriff, who was the best player in the area, loved to play and kept the crowd dancing until the very early hours of the next morning.
On the night of the dance, Ogallal's house was empty, leaving only Bata, Billy, a deputy and a bartender named Jim Dunn. The master managed to bribe Dunn to dislodge the Mickey Finn into one of the whiskey he ordered for himself and the guard. The guard knocked down the prepared drink, and Bat called for another round. A few minutes after the second drink, the guard fell to the floor in a daze. Bath paid the bartender and rushed to the room of Billy, where he got a wounded man. Then he rolled up Billy on the carpet, pushed him over his shoulder and took him to the depot. They arrived just as the train reached for the station around midnight. Bath took the train, heavy Billy to the place, and they quietly left for North Platte about fifty miles east of Ogallala.
At about two o'clock in the morning, they fell on North Platte, where Bat shouldered Thompson and descended the stairs to the station. He was black, but on the street, Masterson could see gas lights in Dave Perry's cabin. He managed to pull Billy through the cabin doors and put him on the pool table. How lucky, Bill Cody was in the cabin, drinking and telling stories to his friends. Bath explained his vision to them, and Cody, ever a showman, vowed that he personally would see to it that they did not fall into the hands of Ogallala’s authorities and would not provide the means to return them to Dodge City.
That's where the story takes a comedic turn. Without telling his wife, Cody excites Masterson, her new phaeton buggy and a well-trained horse to get Billy out of Nebraska. In addition, he invited them to follow along with a group of dignitaries, whom he led on a trip to a large cattle ranch about twenty-five miles south of North Platte. The Europeans, sent by General Sheridan, toured west to see firsthand the wild fields, and Cody was responsible for escorting them to Keita's ranch. Twenty foreigners arrived with impatience for the famous Bill Buffalo to lead them across the wild plains, and he was in his element, filled with grand gestures and dramatic talent.
When the caravan got ready, Cody asked Masterson to drive his van with a double crew and let his other ranch hand drive the buggy with Thompson. Bath quickly discovered that a small amount of food and a huge amount of liquor were loaded in the van. All the riders got a strong drink, and then Cody gave the signal to the group to hit the road. Having been a short time, Cody stopped the riders to stop the rest, including a liberal amount of "liquid drinks." He repeated this routine for a few more stops, until the caravan had a grandiose old time, but it was getting harder and harder to stay in the saddle.
Finally, Cody, shuddering in his saddle, pulled up to the van and fell aboard. He immediately fell asleep, and Bath remained in charge of the group in the south. Bath, who also had his share of liquid refreshment, could barely move around the car and soon hit the track slightly and turned the van over on its back. Masterson was shattered from the van, but Cody was trapped under a bed covered with a load of "soft drinks." Bath landed on his face and fed a bloody wound to his lower lip. He and the others managed to reach the van only to find that Cody was unharmed and wondering what had happened to thunder.
They finally made it to Keith's ranch, where they dined, and Cody sobered up to entertain his surroundings with his legendary shooting and riding skills. The next morning, Masterson, courting a swollen lip and a massive hangover, picked up Mrs. Cody's phaeton and headed for Dodge City with Billy. A short time after leaving the ranch, a massive black cloud overtook them from the west, soaking them with rains of rain. He continued to rain on a pair to remind him of a two-hundred-year journey.
A few days later Mrs. Cody's carriage moved to Dodge City with Masterson on the reins and Thompson wrapped in raw buffalo. Both were covered in mud and thoroughly soaked. Shivering, Bath was convincing a tired horse toward his favorite hotel, where there was always a hot bath and decent food. Billy moved from under his buffy skin and demanded that they first stop at the telegraph, where he tied Sheriff Ogallala. The report said that he had arrived safely at Dodge and that the sheriff could find him there if he wanted to come and get him.
Over the years, Billy Thompson was accused of many things, but never, never was very bright. Fortunately, for Billy, the sheriff decided that he was not worth the effort, and let the case fall.
