Wild West Podcast
Welcome to the Wild West podcast, where fact and legend merge. We present the true accounts of individuals who settled in towns built out of hunger for money, regulated by fast guns, who walked on both sides of the law, patrolling, investing in, and regulating the brothels, saloons, and gambling houses. These are stories of the men who made the history of the Old West come alive - bringing with them the birth of legends, brought to order by a six-gun and laid to rest with their boots on. Join us as we take you back in history to the legends of the Wild West. You can support our show by subscribing to Exclusive access to premium content at Wild West Podcast + https://www.buzzsprout.com/64094/subscribe
Wild West Podcast
When Lawlessness Decides Who Lives and Who Dies: A Frontier Murder Story
Before Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson became synonymous with Dodge City, a more sinister form of "justice" ruled the streets. "The William Taylor Incident" transports you to 1873 frontier Kansas, where the line between law and lawlessness wasn't just blurred—it didn't exist at all.
Narrated through the eyes of Herman Fringer, one of Dodge City's founding settlers, this harrowing account reveals how a simple misunderstanding escalated into a brutal execution. William Taylor, a well-regarded black servant from nearby Fort Dodge, found himself in the crosshairs of the town's self-appointed vigilantes after refusing to transport a man to a local brothel. What follows is a chilling sequence of events culminating in a public execution that would ultimately force Kansas officials to establish formal governance in the notorious frontier town.
The story provides a raw, unflinching look at early Dodge City when it was little more than a collection of saloons, general stores, and brothels serving buffalo hunters and railroad workers. With approximately thirty killings in less than a year and the nearest law enforcement over a hundred miles away, the settlement operated on its own brutal code—where perceived slights could carry deadly consequences.
Beyond recounting a forgotten tragedy, this narrative examines how one man's murder potentially catalyzed the appointment of Ford County's first commissioners and sheriff, forever changing the trajectory of what would become one of the most famous frontier towns in American history. Listen as we uncover this pivotal moment when the Wild West's lawlessness was forced to give way to civil order, all sparked by the tragic death of an innocent man whose final words still echo through time: "Please, Mr. Scott, don't shoot me like you shot my mule."
