by J. T. Edson
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
TEXAS KILLERS. Copyright © 1978 by J. T. Edson. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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1. Although this is the date supplied by Alvin Dustine “Cap” Fog, the author must state that it may be incorrect. The falsification would have been carried out to avoid possible embarrassment to the descendants of certain people, whose names have also been changed, who are believed to have died more honorably than is recorded.—J.T.E.
2. “Spear point:” one where the sharpened edges of the blade come together in symmetrical convex arcs. Designed for fighting, it is far less utilitarian than the “clip point” of the general purpose “bowie” type of knife, a description of which is given in Footnote 7, Appendix Three, for the benefit of new readers.—J.T.E.
3. For the benefit of new readers, full details of Dusty Fog’s background and qualifications are given in Appendix One.—J.T.E.
4. Hessian leg: extending to just below knee level, with a V-shaped notch at the front, as on the footwear worn by Hussars and some other types of light cavalry.—J.T.E.
5. New readers can find an explanation of the various types of Colt Model P “Peacemaker” in Footnote 17, Appendix One.—J.T.E.
6. Pistolero valiente: an exceptionally competent gun-fighter, especially one who is a hired killer.—J.T.E.
7. “Sharpshooter”: an expert marksman carrying out the duties of a sniper.—J.T.E.
8. The reasons are explained fully in: BEGUINAGE.—J.T.E.
9. A description of a floating outfit’s function is given in Footnote 4, Appendix Two.—J.T.E.
10. Told in: HELL IN THE PALO DURO, GO BACK TO HELL and THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN.—J.T.E.
11. An example of this is given in: OLE DEVIL AND THE CAPLOCKS. The five volumes of the “Ole Devil Hardin” series cover Texas’ struggle for independence from Mexico.—J.T.E.
12. When Dusty Fog’s grandson, Alvin Dustine, required an alias for his undercover duties during the Prohibition era (1919–33) he too adopted the name Rapido Clint, as is told in: “CAP” FOG, TEXAS RANGER, MEET MR. J.G. REEDER.—J.T.E.
13. Told in: SET TEXAS BACK ON HER FEET.—J.T.E.
14. The records examined by the author claim that the substance on the knife’s blade was curare, also known as woorali or urare, but do not say how Beguinage obtained a supply. A brittle, blackish resinous extract of certain South American trees of the genus Strychnos, especially S. Toxifera, it is used by the native Indians as an exceptionally potent and swift acting arrow poison. In medical practice, it is employed as an adjunct to general anesthesia on occasion.—J.T.E.
1. The class of vessel to which the U.S.S. Nantucket belonged also carried five thirty-pounder rifled cannon as bow and stern chasers and swivel guns, but only those pieces which formed the “broadside” counted in giving a warship its “rate.”—J.T.E.
2. Used in this context, the word “sloop” has nothing to do with size or rigging—i.e. a single-masted, fore-and-aft rigged craft having a fixed bowsprit and carrying at least one jib, now employed principally for racing—but means a vessel carrying its broadside battery on the upper, or “spar” deck.—J.T.E.
3. New readers can read the details of Mark Counter’s family background and special qualifications in Appendix Two.—J.T.E.
4. Even before learning of Oscar Schindler’s presence in Corpus Christie, Dusty Fog had envisaged the possibility that a “sharpshooter” might be employed to carry out an assassination attempt at long range. So he had suggested precautions should be taken. Such was the importance attached by Congress to ensuring the Crown Prince’s safety that the measures recorded in this chapter were authorized without hesitation.—J.T.E.
1. The author had not learned of this precaution when he was producing the manuscript for BEGUINAGE. It only came to light while we were examining the rest of the documents received from Alive Dustine “Cap” Fog.—J.T.E.
2. “Scuttlebutt”; a rumor. From the “scuttled,” lidded, cask containing drinking water for the crew. This served as a gathering point at which the hands from the various divisions and “parts of ship” could meet and exchange gossip.—J.T.E.
1. This point came to light when Alvin Dustine “Cap” Fog found a copy of Crown Prince Rudolph’s book JAGDERLEBNISSE IN TEXAS (Hunting Experiences in Texas) and gave the author permission to make use of the information it contained.—J.T.E.
2. The sharp toes of a cowhand’s boots were an aid to slipping into and out of a stirrup iron hurriedly when necessary and the high heels could be spiked into the ground for greater security when roping on foot.—J.T.E.
3. Colt 1860 Army revolvers which were manufactured to fulfill military contracts had eight-inch-long barrels. An explanation of the term “Army” is given for the benefit of new readers in Footnote 16, Appendix One.—J.T.E.
4. For the benefit of new readers, details of the Ysabel Kid’s background and special qualifications are recorded in Appendix Three.—J.T.E.
5. Waco’s background and qualifications are given in Appendix Four—J.T.E.
1. New readers can find details of Belle Boyd’s connection with Dusty Fog in Appendix One. What the mission was is told in: THE REMITTANCE KID and WHIP AND THE WAR LANCE.—J.T.E.
1. New readers can find references to Dusty Fog’s career as a peace officer in Footnote 13, Appendix One.—J.T.E.
2. New readers, see Paragraph Four, also Footnotes 18, 19 and 20, Appendix One.—J.T.E.
3. How Marvin Eldridge “Doc” Leroy—who makes “guest” appearances in various volumes of the Floating Outfit and Waco series—achieved his ambition is told in: DOC LEROY, M.D.—J.T.E.
1. “Indian Nations”: colloquial name for Oklahoma Territory.—J.T.E.
2. Waco’s meeting with the Keller family is described in: TRIGGER FAST.—J.T.E.
3. Told in: THE MAKING OF A LAWMAN and THE TROUBLE BUSTERS.—J.T.E.
4. Forming an extension to the thrower’s arm and, as its front end moves faster than the hand holding it, the woomera helps to generate a centrifugal force that greatly increases the velocity when the spear leaves it at the highest point of its arc. Held above and behind the shoulder
with the hook upward and the spear pointing forward, it is operated by a swing of the arm and snap of the wrist. While the woomera is now primarily associated with the Australian aborigines, a similar device was used by prehistoric Cro-Magnon men and various primitive people prior to the discovery of how to make and employ a bow and arrows.—J.T.E.
1. “Made wolf bait”: to kill. Derived from the practice of shooting an animal and, having poisoned the carcass, leaving it where it fell to be eaten by wolves.—J.T.E.
2. “Soft shell”: derogatory name for a radical liberal intellectual.—J.T.E.
3. And still are. See the author’s Rockabye County series covering the duties of a modern Texas sheriff, Jack Tragg, and his deputies.—J.T.E.
4. New readers, see Appendix Three for explanation of the word, “Pehnane.”—J.T.E.
5. Told in: THE BAD BUNCH.—J.T.E.
6. Told in: THE COW THIEVES.—J.T.E.
7. Ka-Dih: the “Great Spirit” of the Comanche nation.—J.T.E.
8. While there is no confirmation in the documents examined by the author, both “Cap” Fog and he believe that the murder was carried out in the manner Waco suggested.—J.T.E.
9. New readers can find references to the various volumes which cover Waco’s career as a peace officer before and after the events recorded here in Appendix Four.—J.T.E.
1. The Benkinsop family has retained its close connections with the leading members of international criminal circles, as is told in: BLONDE GENIUS.—J.T.E.
2. The events which involved the Ysabel Kid with Octavius Xavier “the Ox” Guillemot are told in: THE QUEST FOR BOWIE’S BLADE.—J.T.E.
3. Details of another man’s search for the “Crusaders’ bird” are given in: THE MALTESE FALCON BY Dashiel Hammet.—J.T.E.
1. “Boxer” cartridge: an early form of self-contained metal center-fire bullet designed by an Englishman, Colonel Boxer, primarily for use by the British armed forces. Comprised of a thin coiled brass case with an iron base-head and separate cap chamber, it was relatively effective and cheap to manufacture, but was rendered obsolete when the sturdier drawn brass cases were produced commercially.—J.T.E.
2. While working on the manuscript, the author has discovered that curare relaxes the “end plates” between the nerves and muscles, preventing the heart and lungs functioning thereby causing death by asphyxiation. So he assumes some form of strychnine—most varieties of which produce convulsions and stiffening of the muscles—was the basis of Beguinage’s poison.—J.T.E.
1. In 1854, an Englishman, Sir George Gore, hired the famous mountain man, Jim Bridger, as his guide and had a retinue of around fifty men. During 1871–72, Grand Duke Alexis hunted with an escort headed by Generals Philip H. Sheridan and George Armstrong Custer, with William F. (Buffalo Bill) Cody as his chief guide.—J.T.E.
2. The Britschka originated in Poland and was introduced into Britain in the early 1820’s, finding favor because of its carrying capacity and comfort.—J.T.E.
1. Told in: SET A-FOOT. J.T.E.
1. Neither “Cap” Fog nor Miss Amelia P. D. Benkinsop, M.A., B.SC. (Oxon), George Medal, Honorary Member, Holloway Old Girls’ Association—see Chapter Eleven, Footnote One—with whom the author also consulted, could find any record of “Beguinage’s” real name. Incidentally, according to the researches of fictionist-genealogist Philip José Farmer—author of the biographical works TARZAN ALIVE and DOC SAVAGE, His Apocalyptic Life—no matter who her father might be, the eldest girl of each succeeding generation retained the name Amelia Penelope Diana Benkinsop.—J.T.E.
2. The Beguine order, which originated in the Netherlands during the Twelfth Century, is devoted to a religious life, but not bound by irrevocable vows.—J.T.E.
3. The incident is told in: THE BAD BUNCH.—J.T.E.
1. Told in: YOU’RE IN COMMAND NOW, MR. FOG.
2. Told in: THE BIG GUN; UNDER THE STARS AND BARS; THE FASTEST GUN IN TEXAS and KILL DUSTY FOG!
3. Told in: THE DEVIL GUN.
4. Further details of Belle Boyd’s career are given in: THE HOODED RIDERS; THE BAD BUNCH; TO ARMS, TO ARMS IN DIXIE!; THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN; THE REMITTANCE KID and THE WHIP AND THE WAR LANCE.
5. Told in: THE COLT, THE SABRE and THE REBEL SPY.
6. Told in the “The Paint” episode of THE FASTEST GUN IN TEXAS.
7. Told in: THE YSABEL KID.
8. Told in: .44 CALIBER MAN and A HORSE CALLED MOGOLLON.
9. Told in: GOODNIGHT’S DREAM (Bantam edition title THE FLOATING OUTFIT) and FROM HIDE AND HORN.
10. Told in: SET TEXAS BACK ON HER FEET and THE HIDE AND TALLOW MEN.
11. Told in: TRAIL BOSS.
12. Told in: THE MAN FROM TEXAS.
13. Told in: QUIET TOWN; THE MAKING OF A LAWMAN; THE TROUBLE BUSTERS; THE SMALL TEXAN and THE TOWN TAMERS.
14. Told in: GUN WIZARD.
15. Their grandson, Alvin Dustine “Cap” Fog became the finest combat pistol shot of his generation and the youngest man ever to become a captain in the Texas Rangers, see: “CAP” FOG, TEXAS RANGER, MEET MR. J.G. REEDER and “CAP” FOG, COMPANY “Z.”
16. Although the military sometimes claimed derisively that it was easier to kill a sailor than a soldier, the weight factor of the respective weapons had caused the United States’ Navy to adopt a revolver of .36 caliber while the Army employed one of .44. The weapon would be carried on a seaman’s belt and not—handguns having originally and primarily been developed for use by cavalry—on the person or saddle of a man who would be doing most of his travelling on the back of a horse. Therefore, .44 became known as the “Army” caliber and .36 as the “Navy.”
17. Introduced in 1873 as the Colt Model P “Single Action Army” revolver, but more generally referred to as the “Peacemaker,” production was continued until 1941 when it was taken out of the line to make way for more modern weapons required for World War II. Over three hundred and fifty thousand were manufactured in practically every handgun caliber—with the exception of the .41 and .44 Magnums, which were not developed during the production period—from .22 Short rimfire to .476 Eley. However, the majority fired either .45 or .44.40; the latter allowing the same ammunition to be used in the Winchester Model of 1873 rifle.
The barrel lengths were from three inches in the “Storekeeper” Model, which did not have an extractor rod, to the sixteen inches of the so-called “Buntline Special.” The latter was offered with an attachable metal skeleton butt stock so it could be used as a carbine. The main barrel lengths were: Cavalry, seven and a half inches; Artillery, five and a half inches; Civilian, four and three-quarter inches.
Popular demand, said to have been caused by the upsurge of action-escapism-adventure Western series on television, brought the Peacemaker back into production in 1955 and it is still in the line.
18. “Tommy Okasi” is an Americanized corruption of the name he gave when picked up from a derelict vessel in the China Sea by a ship under the command of General Hardin’s father, but no record of the actual Japanese name exists.
19. When asked by the author at Fort Worth, Texas, in 1975, why a trained Samaurai was compelled to flee from his homeland, Alvin Dustine “Cap” Fog said that, because of the circumstances and the high social standing of the people involved—all of whom have descendants holding positions of importance and influence in Japan at the time of writing—that the Hardin, Fog and Blaze clan consider it is inadvisable even at this late date to make the facts public. Details of how Tommy made use of his Samaurai training are given in the “Ole Devil Hardin” series, which also covers much of the General’s early life.
20. As is told in: KILL DUSTY FOG!; THE BAD BUNCH; MCGRAW’ S INHERITANCE; THE RIO HONDO WAR and GUNSMOKE THUNDER, General Hardin’s granddaughter, Betty, was also given instruction in ju jitsu and karate by Tommy Okasi and gained considerable proficiency.
1. One occasion is described in: THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN.
2. One incident is told in: BEGUINAGE.