by Joe Corso
Ned blew smoke from the barrel of his gun, then turned to the bartender. “He’s the Lone Jack Kid, and if these jerks would have left us alone, they’d still be alive now.”
Suddenly the place was alive with talk and finger pointing at the celebrity who honored them by killing three men in their presence, while having a beer in Clancy’s joint. All but forgotten were the three men lying dead on the floor. Clancy ordered a few of the men to drag the dead men out back, then go and get the undertaker. Clancy pushed a bottle toward Charlie.
“This is the best I have and nothing is too good for the Lone Jack Kid. Why didn’t you tell us who you were? This could all have been avoided.”
“I didn’t want anyone to know because, as you’ll soon see, I’ll have my hands full with jerks like these who will want to make their reputation by being the ones who killed the Lone Jack Kid. Now the rabbit’s out of the hat and there’ll be no stopping the killing that’s about to start.”
Charlie motioned for Clancy to come closer. “Who will I have to worry about in this town? Give me some names.”
Clancy thought for a moment. “Well, there’s George Wainwright and Rat Logan; then there’s Tucker Carlsen and let’s see now . . . Oh yeah, I almost forgot. One of the men you killed has two brothers, Jim and Orson Fielder. Now you’ll have to watch out for those two. Now I’ll deny ever saying this but . . .” Clancy leaned real close so no one could hear. “Those two will shoot you in the back the first chance they get. All they’ll want to do is kill you and they won’t care how they do it, so be careful.”
Charlie looked really serious. “Can you describe them for me?”
“Well, Jim won’t be hard to miss. He has a scar running down his face from this eye to his chin. He’s got sandy-colored hair, about six feet tall and lean. Orson looks like his brother but without the scar. He’s the younger one and he’s just as bad tempered as his brothers.”
“Are they good with a gun?”
“They’d like to think they are, but from the gunplay I just saw, they’re no match for you, Kid. But remember this. They won’t face you man to man. They’ll wait somewhere and ambush you, probably when you ride out of town, so be on your toes until you get far away from here.”
Charlie nodded and dropped a five-dollar gold piece on the bar. “Thanks, Clancy.”
“Don’t mention it, Kid. You did me a big favor by killing those men here. Now my place will be packed with people wanting to hear about the gunfight. Vaya con Dios, my friend, and come back and see me before you leave.”
Charlie waved as he walked through the swinging doors, swearing never to enter Clancy’s Saloon again.
Chapter 33
Charlie stood in the middle of the street and counted twenty-one saloons, starting with Clancy’s.
“Well, we might as well get started. Let’s take them in a row, one after another.”
They stepped into the Crystal Palace, which wasn ’ t a palace and it had no crystal in it.
“Ned, you were right. I did need someone to watch my back and you did good in Clancy’s. I want you to do the same thing in every place we visit. I have a feeling those boys are still in town somewhere. This place is a gold mine for the likes of those two, so why would they want to leave to go somewhere where it’s still winter? No, I have a feeling they’re still hunkered down here somewhere. All we’ve got to do is find them. By the way, Ned, did you take down the names of those two brothers?”
“I sure did. What kind of newspaperman would I be if I didn’t jot down important facts like that? And what kind of story could I write if I forgot the names of the people you fought with?”
Charlie put up his hands in surrender. “Okay, Ned. Enough already, I get it.”
Charlie and Ned visited eight more taverns with no luck.
“We’ll try again tomorrow.”
They were in Charlie’s room when there was a knock on the door. Charlie pulled his gun and motioned for Ned to get behind the door. “Who is it?”
“A friend. I need to speak to you. Can I come in?”
“Come on in but keep your hands where I can see them.”
The door opened and a stranger came in, holding up his hands.
“You can let your hands down now.”
Ned stepped away from the door and the stranger noticed the caution the two men took. “I see you’ve been here long enough not to trust anyone.”
“You got that right, partner,” Charlie sai d . “What’s on your mind, stranger?”
The man looked to be in his mid-thirties, dressed like a businessman, his dark hair parted in the middle. He had a large mustache, which most men wore at the time .
“My name is Josh Harris and I own the Los Angeles Tribune, a paper I publish once a week. I heard about the gunfight you had in Clancy’s tonight and I want to thank you for getting rid of the three troublemakers for us. We’ve tried to do it ourselves but we almost got ourselves killed in the process.”
Charlie raised an eyebrow. “We? What do you mean ‘we’?”
“I’m referring to the town council. We have no law in Los Angeles, but we do have a vigilante committee and that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. We, that is, the committee would like to offer you the job as town sheriff at an above average salary. It would only be until we can find a man who is qualified for the job and who isn’t afraid to take on the bad guys. Right now it appears you are the only one who stood up to them and lived.”
Charlie ground his teeth and said, “Maybe we could help each other. I’m looking for two men who bushwhacked me, stole my money and shot me, thinking they killed me.” He showed Harris the wanted posters. “Have you seen either of these men?”
Harris studied the posters carefully with a trained reporter’s eye and nodded.
Charlie’s spirits lifted. “You know them?”
“Yes, it’s my business to know these things. These two hang out every night at Murphy’s Saloon, and you can even find them there during the day sometimes. They’ve been here for about a month, now, and maybe a little longer.”
Charlie thought about it. “I’ve been tracking those two for quite a while now and that fits with the time line. I caught up to the third member of their team a while back and he’s now behind bars. You say you’re a member of a vigilante committee?”
“Yes, but we keep it quiet. We’re just farmers and business men businessmen , not gunfighters, so we try to keep our identities a secret. We usually pick a time when we can get one of these murderers alone, and then we’ll hang him. But lately they travel in groups of two or three, which makes it harder to bring them to justice. We can’t go out with our wives because we’re afraid they’ll be accosted and we’ll be unable to protect them. That’s why we need a town marshal, and that’s the reason for my visit to you this morning.”
Charlie shook his head and pointed at Buntline. “Maybe Ned Buntline here can help you get a sheriff . He’s going to write another book about the Lone Jack Kid, and in that book he can write a prologue about how Los Angeles could use a sheriff . Maybe someone somewhere will be the man to answer your need.”
Buntline nodded but then he looked at Charlie. “You know, Kid. You taking the town sheriff ’ s job even for a few weeks would make one hell of a story. Why don’t you sleep on it tonight and let Mr. Harris know in the morning.”
Charlie frowned. “Look, the way I see it is, if I take the job it would be good, because I can kill those two guys within the law. On the other hand, when I hand you the badge after a few weeks it will look like I’m chickening out, which could be an incentive to make the bad guys a lot bolder in challenging me. You get my point?”
“Yes I do, but that doesn’t change anything. We still need a sheriff and if you take the job you can go after those men legally and not have to worry about the law coming after you.”
Charlie barked a cold laugh. “Since when did I ever have to worry about the law coming after me? Every time I’ve been in a gunfight I was the one who w
as challenged, and every lawman in every town I had trouble in knew it. What makes this place different?”
“Supposing we have Judge Slater appoint you temporary town sheriff ?”
“I’m not interested in hiring on as a temporary town marshal. I don’t mean to offend you, but find someone else for the job.”
Buntline raised his hand. “Wait a minute, Charlie, I have an idea.” Ned turned to Harris. “Would Judge Slater consider appointing Charlie a temporary federal marshal instead of a temporary Sheriff ? If he agrees to that appointment, then I think you should accept the job, Charlie. By accepting the job you can take the badge with you and use it whenever you ’ re confronted by someone who wants to see you dead, for whatever reasons someone who wants to see you dead, for whatever reasons, confronts you . In fact, wearing a badge may make some of the bad guys think twice before challenging you.”
This made a whole lot of sense to Charlie. Ned noticed Charlie’s reaction so he pushed Harris a little more. “So, would Judge Slater consider this?
Harris thought for a moment. “I don’t know if the judge is qualified to give you a federal appointment, but I’ll tell him of your request. I believe he’ll do it if he can. Meanwhile, I want you to think about it, Mr. Longstreet. If the judge does appoint you as a temporary federal marshal, you would have a legitimate badge to use whenever the need arose, with no one holding you here.”
That sounded like a pretty fair deal to Charlie. He put out his hand. “That being the case, Mr. Harris, if the judge approves the position, it looks as though you’ll have hired yourself a temporary federal marshal.”
Ned jumped with glee. “Kid, I can’t wait for this adventure to end so I can get to write this story. And it’ll be the best Lone Jack Kid book I’ve written yet.”
“Don’t start counting your chickens, Mr. Buntline. The judge hasn’t agreed to the request yet. I’m going over to the judge’s office now. Then I’d like to talk to you. Where will I be able to find you?”
“We’ll get a bite to eat at our hotel and wait for you there. I’d like to go to Murphy’s Saloon, but I’d prefer to go there wearing a marshal’s badge.”
Chapter 34
Josh Harris rushed over to the hotel dining room where Charlie and Ned were having their dinner. “Finish your dinner boys. The judge sent a cable to Washington asking that they confirm your appointment as an interim federal marshal and they immediately responded by agreeing to his request. He’s waiting for you at his office to swear you in.”
Charlie gulped down his food and hurriedly paid the bill, then the three men rushed to the judge’s office.
Judge Slater was pleased that Charles Longstreet agreed to accept the position of interim federal marshal, at a salary of two hundred and fifty dollars a month plus room and board while actively performing his duties. Charlie agreed to have his salary suspended when he was not actively performing his duties.
“Josh Harris told me what those three men did to you. I know you captured one of them, but while you’re in my territorial district I’d prefer you acted within the boundaries of the law. This badge gives you the authority to apprehend those men legally, either dead or alive.” The judge turned to Buntline. “Mr. Buntline, in case you decide to act on your friend’s behalf, I think it would be wise if you accepted the job as temporary town sheriff .”
Buntline was surprised at this new turn of events but he nevertheless agreed.
“Good! Now raise your hands and repeat after me.”
Charlie, Ban-Chu and Ned left the office with Josh Harris and Judge Slater following. Both men wanted to see how Charlie handled his first official act. Besides, Josh Harris was planning on printing a special edition of his newspaper, introducing Charles Longstreet as the new federal marshal and writing about the gunfight he thought would take place in Murphy’s Saloon.
When Charlie and Ned, with the wolf beside them, walked through the batwing doors to Murphy’s Saloon, with their badges displayed prominently over their chests, there was silence in the large room as every eye turned to them. Judge Slater and Josh Harris looked over the swinging doors, observing the interaction between Charlie and the other patrons.
Charlie was relieved to find his quarry sitting at a card table in the back corner of the room, with their backs against the wall. Murphy walked down the long bar towards Charlie. “What’ll you have, Marshal?”
“Cold beer for me and my friend here.”
Ned shook his head, waving his hand. “Forget the beer and give me a double shot of your best whiskey.”
Charlie’s reputation had preceded him. Every one in the bar knew who he was. They wondered why he was standing with his back to the bar staring at the corner table. Charlie put his beer down and walked through the crowded room toward the back table. Ned put his whiskey down and admonished the bartender not to touch it. He quickly caught up to Charlie.
“Watch my back, Ned. Make sure no one tries to back shoot me.”
He turned to the men seated at the table. “You three fella’s aught to get up from the table and move over there somewhere.” He pointed to the opposite wall.
“Why?” one of the men asked.
“You can remain where you are if you like, but there’s a good chance you’ll get blood all over your fine clothes.”
The men looked confused. “Whose blood are you talking about?”
“Why, those two murdering back shooters, with their backs against the wall, that’s who I’m talking about.”
“Hey, wait a minute. Where do you get off calling us murd e rers and back shooters?”
Charlie looked around the room and spoke loudly, so everyone could hear what he had to say. “I was on the road when these two back shooting bastards jumped me while I was sleeping in my camp. They robbed me of over three thousand dollars and shot me. They thought they shot me in the head, but they only shot me in my hand as I raised it defensively, trying to protect myself. Blood from the bullet hole in my hand splattered all over my face and, thinking I was dead, they stole everything of value I owned. I’ve tracked them right to this place. Their names are Clem Saunders and Luke Watson. I captured Jeb, the third member of their gang, and right now he’s enjoying the warm comforts of a jail cell.” Charlie turned to the two frightened men. “You tangled with the wrong man, fellas. You tangled with the Lone Jack Kid. I’m gonna give the two of you a choice now, so choose wisely. You can come willingly with me to the jail or you can take a one way trip to the undertaker’s. Now which will it be, boys?”
In a sudden move, Clem turned the table over and reached for his gun, but Charlie was quicker on the draw and fired two shots. One took Clem in the wide area of his chest, entering his heart, and the second bullet hit Luke in the center of his forehead. The gunfight happened so quickly that it could have been measured in heartbeats, giving Ned no time to pull his gun.
“I figured that’s what they would decide, a one way trip to the undertakers . . . instead of coming with me quietly.”
Everyone in Murphy’s Saloon was dumbstruck. They’d never seen someone pull a gun that fast in their lives, and they were in a town where this type of gunplay took place on a daily basis.
Buntline wiped his brow. “Geez, Kid, this was a replay of the fight we had in Lone Jack. I didn’t think I’d ever be in one of those types of fights again—but it seems that I’ve survived another.”
“Ned, search those men. They still owe me three thousand dollars. And while you’re at it, take their billfolds, if they have any . ”
Ned found their wallets and a wad of cash. It totaled over four thousand dollars.
“Give me my three thousand dollars and give the bartender enough to pay for the u n dertaker and then use the rest of the money to use for drinks for the rest of the night and then every day until the money runs out .”
At the mention of spending most of that money on free drinks, the Lone Jack Kid’s stock went way up.
Josh Harris turned to Judge Slater. “Did you see that?”<
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“Yeah,” Slater said. “I never thought I’d be privileged to see gunplay so horrible that it bordered on pure art. Well, I’m glad to see that Marshal Longstreet performed his duties within the law. Now let’s get back to the office. I think the marshal will be asking me to check the wanted posters.”
Harris scratched his head. “How can you be so sure?”
“I knew that’s what he would do when he asked Buntline to get their wallets. Now we’ll wait to see if my assumption is correct.”
The judge was correct .. . almost. No sooner had Slater and Harris closed the door behind them, it opened again and Charlie and Ned came walking in. The judge sat behind his desk, smiling.
“I have a feeling I know what you’re here for, Marshal.”
Charlie handed Slater the wallets but then he handed him the wanted posters he’d been carrying with him. Slater looked at the posters and then he looked at Charlie. “ Let me check my papers to see if they ’ ve been updated.” The judge walked to his filing cabinet and lifted a stack of wanted posters off the top. “Here , t hese posters have been sitting here for ages , but these posters have just come in . Los Angeles never had a law officer that could go through them or even enforce them.”
Charlie took the new posters to the clerk’s desk and began sorting through them. He was a third of the way through when he came across Luke Watson’s poster. It read, “$500 REWARD. Luke Watson, wanted dead or alive for bank robbery and murder.” Charlie found Clem Saunder’s wanted poster about a third from the bottom. It read the same. Those two thought that by staying in Los Angeles, a well-known lawless border town, they would be safe. “ You were right judge , their posters have been upgraded . The r e wards went from $250.00 and $350.00 to $500.00 for each of the two men. ”
Judge Slater opened his safe and took out a thousand dollars, which he handed to Charlie. “The reward money for the two outlaws you killed.”