Letter from Snake Johnson - March 1876 (Part Four)

  The explosion came from outside the cell wall. My vision was full of smoke and dirt as I flew back into the cabinets. My head struck something hard and the world went quiet. It was in that small moment, when I wasn't sure if I was alive or dead, that the image of you in that yellow dress came to mind. It was so real. Like we were both standing in Miller's store back in Wichita. You remember that dress? The color of a sunflower. It was the first thing I ever bought you Prissy. And you were so beautiful in it. I thought you were an angel that day. I dont think I have ever seen anything my whole life as pretty as you standing in the sun on Miller's porch wearing that dress. Strange that that vision would come to me right at that moment but it did.

   I reached up to the back of my head and felt the warm wettness. The dust began to settle and I started to hear the screams. I tried to shake the cobwebs loose and opened my eyes. I saw poor Fingers. He was lying under a pile of stones and beams. I tried to make it to him and realized my legs were pinned under a large section of wall. I tried to move the stone and free myself, but it was just too damn heavy. I looked back to Fingers and watched him cough up blood. "Damn it Fingers" I cried out to him, "you just hold on now! You're gonna be alright! I'm gonna get there in just a second!" I tried again to lift the rocks on my legs.
"Son-of-a-bitch!" I yelled. It was just then that a large two by four from the rubble was shoved under the stones trapping my feet and I heard a grunting and groaning from above me.

  "Help me Marshal, I can't do this alone!" came a familer voice and I shoved again with all my strength. The rocks slipped to the side and I quickly pulled my legs free. I looked up to see who it was that saved me. Imagine my surprise to see your Johnny.

  I turned and went to Fingers. "Help me get him loose Johnny!" I cried, but then saw we were too late. Fingers was gone. He was a good man. There were two men still in the cell. Both part of Holmes' gang we brought in the other day. One was dead from the explosion, and the other one was yelling in pain. He had a piece of the window bars sticking out his gut. I quickly looked around and saw no one else.

  Holmes was gone.

Red Creek Tribune - February 15th, 1876 Part One

(Note from Barry - I took the liberty to edit this article of Silas's and post just parts of it at a time to go along with the information already given by Snake, Ruby, and the others. I will post the rest as the story of this fateful day progresses.)

Red Creek Terrorised

By Silas Furgenson, Owner, Red Creek Tribune

(Part One)



   It was just after 11 this past Friday morning, April 13th, when 6 masked horsemen came riding into the south side of town with murderous intent on their minds. Young Kaleb Mckay was tending his chickens outside his parents home just across from the livery when the cold hearted assassins came barrelling down Main Street, their pistols brandished and loaded. The marauders proceeded to empty their guns aiming wildly into the sides of buildings, wagons, passersby, seemingly anything that crossed their paths. The Mckay boy was wounded in his eye from flying splinters as he took cover behind a fence post.
  Two of the six headed up the street towards the center of town while the other four became engaged in a violent shootout at the livery. Deputy John Roberts fought against the invaders and managed to kill two of them before taking a bullet in the chest. The other two were slain by young Deputy "Shots" as he arrived on the scene. As he later reported it was as Shots was trying to tend to Deputy Robert's wound that he first heard shots from what he assumed to be Rosie's Saloon. It was only seconds after that the jailhouse exploded.

Ruby's Letter's - February 1876 - (Battle of Red Creek)

  Dear Margo,
    I am still trying to put all the pieces together. So much has happened, I am not really sure where to begin. I couldn't keep my nose out of other people's affairs. I drank all night and stewed. In the morning I made Gus go get the Marshal and bring him to me. I looked him in the eyes and told him the truth about his son. I don't know why I do the things I do Margo. I get up on my high horse and tell other people what's wrong with their lives and how they should fix them. And yet, here I am. Sad and alone. I should just drink myself to death. Sigh, sorry girl. I am a mess today. I need to stop feeling sorry for myself and see if I can help those out there that are really hurting. Lotta pain out here today.

   I guess it started an hour or so after I saw Snake. Some riders came in from the hills and started shooting things up down by the livery. I guess the boys from Mitchellson's ranch started shooting back and a real fight erupted. I was trying to sleep things off, but the shots woke me up. Somehow I made my way down stairs to the bar. Just as I did a man in a mask bust through the doors with a pistol in his hand. He laughed and took a shot at the bar. Busted up one of my mirrors! "Son of a Bitch!" I yelled at him. I know, a stupid thing to say to a man in a mask holding a loaded pistol, but damn it, that mirror cost me alot of money! He stepped inside and pulled off his mask. He was an ugly son of a bitch with a large burn scare on the right side of his face. He smiled as he walked towards me.

  "Well, well." He said in a low raspy voice. "What have we got here?"  It was only then that I realized we were the only two people in the bar.