HooDoo War E-Book

Craig Rainey

• Herausgeber: Craig Rainey Creative, LLC
• Kategorie: Sachliteratur, Reportagen, Biografien
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Set in the backdrop of one of the bloodiest range wars in Texas history, HooDoo War is the story of Boyd Wechsler, the son of a lovely young widow, who grows up on his wealthy grandfather’s ranch. He learns the truth about his long-dead father when a ruthless outlaw and his gang are arrested and condemned to death at the hands of a corrupt sheriff. After learning the secret his mother and grandfather kept from him his entire life, he finds himself on a path shared by those who seek revenge against his grandfather and the men who support him.
This heart-wrenching Western drama follows a German immigrant boy’s life, from learning the truth about his late father, who died under suspicious circumstances, through early manhood, when he learns the truth about his birth and the reason he has always been an outcast. His path leads him into the middle of the violence of the Mason County War.
From his efforts to please a stern grandfather who will never respect him, to discovering a lost uncle whose singular goal is to see his grandfather dead for his sins from before Boyd’s birth, Boyd will have to choose between honor or vengeance. Does he remain loyal to the family who raised him, or does he betray that upbringing to honor the blood that flows in his veins?
In this Texas Frontier Tale, Craig Rainey weaves his fictional characters into the tapestry of the history of the Mason County War – the Texas range war known as the HooDoo War.

Leseprobe

Russel Spears led a large contingent of Town Folks into the clearing beyond Wechsler’s ranch house. In all, there was a total of fourteen in his cavalcade. All appeared ill-tempered and purposeful. They passed a pair of Mexican laborers tending the large vegetable garden as they made their way along the narrow lane to the ranch house.

Unlike the previous visit, members of the household did not meet him. He and his men passed by the long stables, undetected by anyone within the house.

Spears lifted a hand as he pulled up before the kitchen door. Emma appeared in the doorway, surveying the riders with apprehension.

It wasn’t Spears who spoke first, but rather a stout man with large sideburns, astride a barrel-chested black horse; apparently one of the few mounts capable of bearing his weight for so long a journey.

“We are here for your son, Ms. Wechsler,” the stout man announced evenly but firmly.

Emma recognized the speaker as Wilson Hey, presiding judge in Mason County, and unelected leader of the town of Mason.

“He isn’t here, judge,” she said flatly.

“Where is he?”

“I’m right here,” replied a voice from the direction of the stables. “Go inside, Ma. This isn’t your affair. I’ve already seen how these Townies treat women. Let’s see if Spears has the sand to front me outside of prison bars, without the cover of a woman to protect him.”

“You are a blackguard liar…,” Spears growled, his hand gripping his pistol.

“Russel,” the judge interrupted. “This is a matter for the law, not vigilantes.”

Boyd watched the conversation carefully, unsure how to act with a judge participating in what he considered to be a personal vendetta.

“Now, young man,” the Judge continued in a reasonable tone. “The allegations against you are growing at an alarming rate. These latest charges levelled by the law-abiding citizenry, combined with your past misdeeds, warrant my involvement today. Sheriff Clark is unavailable, so I recognize my participation as being a bit outside of normal procedures. Nevertheless, I need you to surrender yourself to me and these men and return to jail until we straighten out this matter.”

Wolfgang Wechsler appeared in the doorway. He laid a hand on his daughter’s shoulder, easing her away from the door. He stepped onto the porch.

“On what charge do you arrest this boy?”

Boyd failed to cover his surprise at his grandfather’s intervention on his behalf.

“Wolf,” the judge replied with a polite smile. “A charge is not required to secure a suspect in an investigation, particularly if I am unconvinced he will not flee the jurisdiction.”

“I’ll need an accounting of potential charges if I am going to release him to your custody, judge.”

“You ain’t entitled to a reason,” Spears said loudly. “You got no authority to resist an officer of the law.”

“Shut up, Spears,” Hey said with uncustomary heat. “Wolf, this boy has attacked three members of the Spears household and pulled a rifle on a group that visited to handle this matter peacefully. One of his attacks was upon a man in the Sheriff’s office. The Sheriff had to quell the attack at gunpoint. Your daughter even participated in the assault.”

“Where are you getting your information, Judge?” Wolf asked with dismay registering on his face.

“I will hear from all sides in this matter. I intend to end this thing peacefully, with those responsible accounting for it in the eyes of the law. My participation here today is to ensure the peace is kept and the matter is handled properly.”

Wechsler considered what he heard.

“Come now Wolf,” the Judge urged. “I know you. We have always seen eye to eye when it comes to right and wrong, good and bad, legal and criminal. I am counting on your equable nature in this matter.”

Boyd waited silently, his fascination with the conversation overriding any instinct to intervene. The Judge’s accounting of the events of the past few days were, in the least, over simplified, and at the most, one-sided, and self-serving. Boyd believed there would be an opportunity for his response no matter how the debate ended.

“I appreciate your consideration of my sense of reason and fair play,” Wechsler said slowly, measuring his words. “It is true we have seen eye to eye in the past. I think you may remember dealings singularly from long ago. Since then, I trusted you and the law to deal fairly with me when I brought you hard evidence of those who rustled my cattle, only for you to release them on a twist in the wording of the law.

“I recall that one of my men went to town after collecting his wages. You may remember him. He was beaten within an inch of his life in the hotel saloon for being an outlaw and gunman. He was there, unarmed at my insistence. That man is no longer in my employ, gone for parts unknown to escape the death those men attempted and which he narrowly avoided.

“I see here among you several of those same men who attacked him that night. They were never arrested, nor was anyone arrested in the case. In another instance, you awarded a rustler one of my prize horses when my son shot his from under him as he attempted to make off with my cattle.

“We elected a Sheriff who swore to bring these rustlers to justice, and you say he is not here to do his job.”

Wechsler placed his hands on his hips as his two sons emerged from the door behind him, rifles in their hands.

“Our days of like minds are a part of history now, Judge. Bringing this large a group of men to my ranch seems a mite heavy handed if your aim is to enlist my assistance. You will forgive me if I say I feel a bit pressed by the number of men in your troupe today. Not a one is one of my people. Not a one is friendly towards me or mine.”

Judge Hey colored red from his cheeks to the top of his shiny balding head. He cleared his throat as he gathered his composure.

“What you don’t know,” he said. “Is that I have sent a missive to Governor Coke requesting Ranger assistance with this rustling problem. Now the law may not work on your schedule, Wolfgang, but it does work.”

The German rancher seemed unimpressed.

“Get off my land, all of you. The boy stays here.”

Spears leaned forward dangerously.

“I will have satisfaction, Wechsler,” he growled.

Wechsler’s eyes flashed as his temper got the best of him.

“Is that what you are after?” Wechsler shouted, his temper lost. “Well, there the boy is. Face him and end this like men. He doesn’t seem afraid to meet you here and now. How about you Spears? Are you afraid of a boy?”

“Damn you and your spawn,” Spears shouted with unpent fury. “I have no fear of any of your blood, much less a snot-nosed kid.”

Wechsler levelled a look at the Judge.

“What say you, your honor? A duel is archaic, but not illegal if it is mutually agreed and witnessed.”

Judge Hey shook his head helplessly. The accusations leveled at him by the rancher occupied his mind at present. His official composure was abandoned, superfluous in the face of irrational men.

“If we have a willing accord,” he acquiesced wearily. “Then I will not intercede.”

Spears dismounted with a bound. The others withdrew to a safe distance, creating a straight perimeter in line with the two duelers. Spears showed surprise when he noticed the pistol strapped to Boyd’s waist.

“I see the boy is heeled,” he said with a hardly discernable note of doubt.

Like most Anglos, he was accustomed to the typical German rancher who wore no side arm. Their habits tended towards passive acceptance of the actions of others, depending upon a manner of imperturbability and self-possession in matters of confrontation.

The boy wore his pistol low with an unmistakable comfort that caused the elder Spears a twinge of uncertainty.

“A Dutch gunfighter,” he said in ridicule. “You’ll die before your pistol clears leather. Say when.”

As he spoke, Spears’ confidence grew. Whether his resolve was manufactured or real, he appeared committed to his course.

Boyd pulled the hammer strap loose from the black pistol and turned sideways to his foe, left side forward, reducing the size of the target he presented.

Spears recognized the tactic from stories he had heard about notorious gunfighters. He wondered how the kid knew about it. Was he only imitating what he had heard or was he practiced in gun craft? His reason overcame his pique with the assurance the kid was a German ranch boy. He was no gunman.

Boyd glanced at his grandfather. Was this what was required to earn his respect or was this a ploy to end him and quell the hatred he felt for him?

The old man watched him dispassionately. He could as easily have been watching him ride a rough horse. There was no alarm or concern on his face. He revealed no surprise seeing Boyd wearing a side arm.

Boyd inhaled and released the breath, feeling a calm wash over him like a warm wave. All of the practice; the tutelage under Simon Martinez, the man beaten in town by many in this very group, calmed him with a confidence he did not expect.

Judge Hey cleared his throat.

“Men, when I drop this kerchief, fill your hands. I will personally gun down the man who pulls early.”

He conjured a small revolver from somewhere within his clothes and cocked the hammer.

The group was silent as they awaited the signal from the Judge.

Suddenly a cry rang out and Emma burst through the kitchen door. She rushed to where Spears stood in the dusty road. When she arrived, she shoved him, grabbing his pistol from his holster.

“You will not kill my son here today,” she shouted, pointing the pistol at his face. Her visage was remarkably changed from her previous calm demeanor. Her eyes flashed, tears reddening them at the edges, and her lips were wet with moisture, a fleck of white at the corner of her mouth. Her body shook, and her fingers clutched and unclutched the pistol as her passion overcame her.

“Get your vigilante posse off our land or I’ll kill you myself.”

“Emma,” Wechsler said with force.

“Hush, father,” she said without taking her eyes from Spears. She cocked the hammer. “Get on your horse now!”

Spears paused no more than a second before retreating to his horse. He mounted, and similarly to his first visit, yanked the horse’s head around, leaving the others behind as he spurred the horse, galloping away from the group.

The remaining members of the posse waited, unsure what to do.

Judge Hey considered Emma for a moment. Seeing her attention was reserved solely for Spears as he rode away, he eased his mount towards Wechsler, tucking his pistol and his kerchief back in his clothes.

“As far as the law is concerned,” Hey said. “This matter is not concluded. I will, however, delay taking the boy into custody with your word he will not depart the jurisdiction.”

“It is given, Judge.”

Judge Hey turned his horse, leading the remaining men from the ranch.

When the last of the townsmen departed, Wechsler walked to where Boyd stood, remaining in his draw ready position. As if emerging from a dark reverie, the boy relaxed his stance at his grandfather’s approach.

“You may think you are a dangerous gunfighter because of a small amount of guidance from Martinez, but I assure you it is not enough. Simon Martinez told me of his tutelage, and I recognize his gun and belt. You will not wear a sidearm on my ranch. Am I understood?”

“Yes sir.”

“Put it back in the stable where you hide it. We will talk more of this later.”

Boyd turned on his heel, returning to the stables, his mind full of questions and doubts.

Wechsler turned to his sons, who watched with interest.

“Get on your horses. We will delay the pursuit of our cattle for the moment. I want every rancher here tonight, is that clear?”

His sons replied together.

“Yes, sir.”