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.