- Edgar Lee Masters Stamp - Wikimedia Commons-US Government
Logan, the town marshal, speaks in Edgar Lee Masters’ “The Town Marshal” from Spoon River Anthology. Although he remains nameless in his own poem, he is called “Logan” in the companion piece, “Jack McGuire.”
First Movement: “The prohibitionists made me Town Marshal”
Logan begins by reporting that he became town marshal because of prohibition. He had been “a drinking man” and had once “killed a Swede,” before he “joined the church.” His reputation seemed to lend itself to the kind of individual the prohibitionists wanted to enlist to enforce the new statute.
Logan’s personality is that of a braggadocio who is not shy about tooting his own horn. His assessment of the conclusion of the trial of the man who shot him demonstrates this trait.
Second Movement: “And they wanted a terrible man”
Logan explains that prohibitionists wanted a strong, anti-booze man who was “a terrible man, / Grim, righteous, strong, courageous, / And a hater of saloons and drinkers.” Logan, no doubt, sees himself as his “terrible man,” who could “keep law and order in the village.”
Again, the town marshal shows the high estimation he has of himself. His strong sense of self accomplishment motivates his actions.
Third Movement: “And they presented me with a loaded cane”
Logan reveals that the prohibitionists armed him with “a loaded cane,” that is, a walking-stick that contains lead in one end, which renders it a legal weapon. Quickly, the marshal cuts to the heart of the matter, stating that he struck Jack McGuire with this loaded cane just before McGuire pulled a gun and shot Logan dead.
The details of the encounter with McGuire are recounted in McGuire’s testimony, the poem that follows “The Town Marshal” in the Spoon River Anthology. After the reader is apprised of those details, Logan’s personality becomes clearer.
Fourth Movement: “The Prohibitionists spent their money in vain”
Logan boastfully takes credit for McGuire’s receiving a sentence of only fourteen years, despite the fact that the prohibitionists “spent their money in vain” trying to get McGuire to swing at the end of a rope. The marshal claims that he visited one of the jurymen in a dream and told him the whole sordid tale about how he was shot.
The story vindicates McGuire, at least, enough so that hanging was not the recommended punishment. Thus McGuire was sentenced to only fourteen years, and Logan feels that that punishment is appropriate. At least, Logan does finally recognize himself as a bully and wants to see justice prevail.
Source:
- Edgar Lee Masters, "The Town Marshal," bartleby.com
Linda Sue Grimes - As a writer, researcher, and SRF devotee, Linda Sue Grimes has studied poetry and practiced Kriya Yoga for over thirty years..
