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Matson

Prospector from Twin Bluffs,[1] Nebraska[2] in 1875.[1] (April 9, 1829 – July 28, 1875)[2]

Matson had been a cowhand,[2] recently from Dodge City.[1] By July of 1875,[2] he had come to Twin Bluffs and became a trusted friend of Sam Harris. Harris made Matson his partner to help him in working the gold strike he had recently made on Sioux land in the Black Hills.[1]

Harris took Matson into the Black Hills to work the mine, but realized they were being tracked by Mart Fallon and his sons, Wes and Rip, from Twin Bluffs. Instead of taking Matson to the mine, Harris began leading the Fallons is a false, circular path away from the Harris Mine.[1]

A few days into the Black Hills, the Fallons caught up to Matson and Harris and demanded to be cut in for a share of the mine. Harris refused, and was mortally shot by Wes Fallon. Mart Fallon then demanded that Matson take them to the mine, but Matson had never been there and didn't know where it was. However, he knew that someone who knew the location of the mine was due to arrive on stage to meet Harris at the Packsaddle Station[1] in northern Nebraska[2] in five days.[1]

The Fallons led Matson at gunpoint to the Packsaddle Station. There, they tricked him into telling them who was on the stage that was to meet Harris. Matson told them it was Harris' wife, coming in from Boston, who would have a map to the mine. Matson was set free to leave, but as he got to the door of the station, Wes Fallon threw a knife into his back, killing him. Before they could dispose of the body, Bret Maverick arrived, so they propped Matson' up in a chair with his hat over his eyes to appear to be asleep.[1]

A few minutes later, the stage arrived and the station filled with passengers, including Mrs. Harris. Mart Fallon approached her, claiming to be Matson, and Harris had sent him to have her lead him to the mine with her map. Having found Harris still alive a few days earlier and knew the full story, Bret pointed out that the real Matson was at the table, already dead.[1]

Hours later, a band of Sioux that had tracked Bret out of the Black Hills attacked the station, demanding that Bret be turned over to them or they would all die. Bret's hat and yellow buckskin coat were put on Matson's body and thrown to the Sioux. The Indians, believing Matson's corpse to be Bret's dead body, were satisfied and dragged the body away with them.[1] Matson's body was never recovered.[2]

See: Stage West