He arrived there in 1902. Teddy Roosevelt was president at the time. He appointed Bat as U.S. deputy marshal of New York. He also worked as an editor for the New York Morning Telegraph. His three-times-a-week column was one of the most popular.
When Roosevelt left office, Taft and his cronies had no further use for Bat. He was fired in 1909. But he stayed in Manhattan, where he still wrote his columns. During that time, Frank Ufer accused him of gaining his reputation by shooting Mexican and Indians in the back. It took two years for Bat’s slander case to go to court. The court awarded him $3,000 in damages when various scouts, sheriffs, gunfighters, and soldiers testified to his bravery and skill.
He dabbled in politics over the next few years and became closer friends with Roosevelt. He and promoter Tex Rickard even sat down with him one day to discuss military strategy for the upcoming fighting in World War I. Roosevelt became ill from a fever contracted in a South American jungle and died on January 6, 1919. Bat was quite broken up over the death of his friend.
Bat spent his last years writing his columns and visiting gyms. He was always very active in the fighting business. On October 25, 1921, he went to work as usual. But right in the middle of typing his article, he died of a sudden heart attack. His wife died in 1932.
