'How did I get myself into this mess? And why does it always happen when Kid's not with me? Better question is, how can I get OUT of this mess? I've got less than five minutes to figure it out. C'mon Heyes, THINK!'
Hannibal Heyes sat in the jail cell, minutes from being led to the gallows. He and Kid Curry had split up at the Arizona border. Kid had went to deliver a package to a friend of the Wyoming governor, Heyes had went into the town of Gray Horse to wait for a potential job guarding a payroll that would be leaving by stagecoach. As he had left the telegraph office rereading a message regarding said job, he had bumped into a lady entering. He looked up to apologize and saw the most beautiful set of hazel eyes he'd ever seen. And that's the moment the trouble had started that had him in his current predicament.
'There has to be some way out of this. Don't panic Heyes. You'll think of something. HOW did I wind up in this mess! Oh wait, I know how I got into this. And it all started with HER...'
"Begging your pardon ma'am. I'm terribly sorry."
"That's quite alright."
Hannibal Heyes caught himself staring at her. "It was completely my fault. I should've been watching where I was going Miss..."
"Crandall. And like I said, its quite alright."
"But its not alright with me Miss Crandall," Heyes said with a smile. "Let me make it up to you by say, lunch this afternoon?"
"Well, I usually don't go out with someone I literally just bumped into." She sent him a sly smile back. "But in your case, I think I'll make an exception Mister..."
"Joshua Smith ma'am."
"Well Mr. Smith, I'll meet you at one in the cafe." And with that, she picked up her papers and continued on into the telegraph office.
Heyes watched until the door shut, then set off to find out who the local law was. Passing discreetly by the sheriff's office, he saw the name Crandall over the door.
"Wonder if they're related?" Heyes said to no one inparticular. Having never heard of Sheriff Crandall, he was still cautious. No need to go parading around in front of the law, even if you didn't know them. He crossed the street and headed into the hotel to get a room and wait for Kid to arrive.
'I don't know why Kid hasn't shown up yet. Where could he be? He was supposed to have been here by now. I hope he's alright.'
asj asj asj asj asj asj asj asj
Kid Curry sat his saddlebags down in front of the counter. "One ticket to Gray Horse."
"That'll be ten dollars. And the train will be delayed until tomorrow morning. Landslide up the line is blocking the tracks. Should be cleared by tomorrow."
"Great. Well, thanks." Kid collected his ticket and headed to the telegraph office. The telegrapher was leaned back in his chair reading the paper.
"Howdy. I need to send a message to Gray Horse."
"Alright, let me find my pencil." The telegrapher took what seemed like an eternity to locate a writing utensil. "Okay, go ahead."
"To Joshua Smith, Gray Horse, Arizona. Train delayed until morning. Be there tomorrow evening. Thaddeus Jones."
asj asj asj asj asj asj asj asj
'C'mon Heyes, you can get out of this. Concentrate...Dang it! SHE keeps creeping into my mind.'
Tilly Crandall waltzed into the cafe and sat herself down at a table near the window. She liked to watch the town go about its business. She longed to follow in her father's footsteps, stay in the family business, as it were. But she was a woman in a man's world. She may never get that chance. At least she could still dream. It was in the midst of one of those daydreams that Heyes showed up at the tableside.
"Good to see you again Miss Crandall. May I sit down?"
"Please."
Heyes sat down opposite her. He didn't especially like sitting in the window, but what could one time hurt? The waitress arrived and they ordered a light lunch of a sandwich and soup.
"So Mr. Smith, what brings you to Gray Horse? I haven't seen you around before," Tilly enquired, smoothing a napkin on her lap.
"Please call me Joshua. I'm waiting on my partner to show up. He's been...at work. So, I take it you live here in town?" Heyes tried to steer the conversation off of himself.
"Yep. Lived here all my life. And you can call me Tilly." Their lunch then arrived.
"So what do you do around here?" Heyes asked.
"Absolutely nothin', 'cept try to keep the peace between my pa and the neighbors."
On the outskirts of the other side of town, Sheriff Crandall was paying yet another visit to the farm next door.
"Johnson!" Crandall knocked at the door of the house. "Johnson, git out here!"
The door flew open revealing Johnson and his shotgun. "Thought I told you to stay off my property!"
"And I thought I told you to keep your daggone cows outa my back yard!"
"I have been!"
"No you ain't! There was at least four new cowpies out there this morning! Now I told you, one more time, and I'ma start shooting!" Crandall said the last part slowly with venom.
"You do...and I might just shoot back."
They both glared at each other for a long minute. Finally, Sheriff Crandall spoke. "One...more...time." With that threat, he turned to leave. Johnson watched him go, then turned to get ready to go into town.
Crandall made a stop by his own house before going back to the office. He walked in to get some coffee and heard a noise in his back yard. He went to his back door, opened it and looked out. Low and behold, there was yet ANOTHER mangy cow in his yard. "THAT...IS...IT!" the Sheriff yelled slamming the door. Forgetting about the coffee, he stormed off in the direction of town.
Heyes and Miss Tilly Crandall had finished their lunch and were standing on the boardwalk outside the cafe.
"Thank you for the lovely lunch Joshua," Tilly smiled.
"You're very welcome! Maybe we'll 'bump' into each other again soon..." Heyes tipped his hat and crossed the street to his hotel room.
"Who was that?" Sheriff Crandall asked gruffly, walking up to his daughter.
"Just a new friend," Tilly answered watching Heyes enter the hotel.
"Never seen him before."
"He's just waiting to meet up with his partner."
"Partner huh? Well, I don't want you seeing no saddle tramp."
"What's got you so riled up? You fightin' with Mr. Johnson again?"
"Never mind that. Did you make a date with that boy?"
"No, but we might 'bump' into one another again, say at dinnertime."
The Sheriff scoffed at that. Then an idea hit him. "I gotta be going. See you tonight." Crandall stepped off the boardwalk headed to his office.
Sheriff Crandall always liked to check on the transients that showed up in Gray Horse. So, once in his office, he started looking at wanted posters. "I know I've seen that boy before," he said to himself. He flipped through numerous posters for ten minutes. Then he glanced up at his bulletin board. One poster jumped out at him and all at once it hit him. "THAT'S who that is! I HAVE seen him before. And his partner's not with him..." A devious grin spread across the Sheriff's face. "This could be the answer to my little problem..."
Across the state line, Kid Curry was trying to relax in the saloon when the train stationmaster came in asking if anyone was holding tickets for the train to Gray Horse. Kid walked over and said he was.
"Well, that landslide's taking a little longer to clean up than expected, so the train will be leaving tomorrow around noon."
"Alright, thanks," Kid said and went back to finishing his beer.
Back in Gray Horse, Hannibal Heyes decided to head to the general store to get some supplies so he'd be ready to leave when Kid arrived. He had just been gone about five minutes when the telegrapher walked in to bring Joshua Smith a message.
"I saw him leave here about five or ten minutes ago. Don't know where he was headed," the hotel clerk said.
"Well, when he comes back, will you tell him I got a telegram for him. I got to get back to the office."
"Yeah, alright."
Heyes was just about to enter the store when he saw Tilly Crandall walking down the boardwalk in his direction.
"Didn't I just see you a while ago?" Tilly said coming up to him. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you was stalking me."
"Now Miss Tilly, I wouldn't do a thing like that!" Heyes smiled.
Across the street, Sheriff Crandall looked out his window to see his daughter talking to that outlaw again. As he was watching, Clyde Johnson came out of the store and headed around back, no doubt to get his wagon full of supplies. The sheriff decided this was his chance. He walked out of his office and circled around to the alley beside the general store.
"Tilly," he called, "can I see you back here for a minute." He knew she would bring her 'friend' with her.
"Sure Pa," Tilly answered. "C'mon Joshua. You can meet my Pa."
They walked around the corner and down the alley to where Sheriff Crandall was waiting. Heyes saw the tin star glittering on the sheriff's vest. So, they WERE related. He calmly turned to Tilly. "You know, I just remembered something I need to go check on. I'll see you later."
Before Tilly could protest, Sheriff Crandall had walked up to them. "You ain't goin' nowhere, Hannibal Heyes."
"Hannibal Heyes!" Tilly was surprised, then worried. "Are you really him Joshua? You can't be...can you? But you're so nice." A thought then struck her. "Please don't hang him Pa!"
Heyes turned back to her as the Sheriff tied his hands behind his back. "Don't worry. I'm NOT Hannibal Heyes. And even if I were, I wouldn't have done anything to be hung for."
Sheriff Crandall turned Heyes to face him. "Son, I KNOW you're Hannibal Heyes. I was part of a posse once that was after you and your partner. And I got a REAL GOOD look at you. Oh, and by the way, I AM going to hang you...for murder."
"Its a well-known fact I've never killed anyone."
The sheriff smiled and said, "Until now." Crandall then stepped around the back corner of the store and shot Johnson in the chest.
Tilly was horrified. "PA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"
Sheriff Crandall was eerily calm to have just killed a man in cold blood. "I took care of two problems at once." He smile sadistically at Heyes as he turned his gun on him. "Now, MOVE. There's a cell in my office with your name on it."
Heyes had no choice but to comply. Having seen what just happened, he was pretty sure this lawman wouldn't think twice about killing him too. He also knew he was in real trouble. It was his word against the sheriff's. The only witness was Tilly and she surely wouldn't go against her pa, would she? As they cleared the alley, the townspeople had started to gather to see what had happened.
"What happened?"
"Was the store robbed?"
"Somebody get killed?"
"What's going on Sheriff?"
Crandall pushed Heyes through the crowd as he spoke. "I just arrested Hannibal Heyes for killing Clyde Johnson."
A collective gasp went through the crowd. "String him up!" someone yelled which almost started a riot.
Crandall stopped, holding onto Heyes. "Now, you all don't work yourselves into a frenzy. He'll get what's coming to him soon as the judge gets back to make it legal." He then continued to push Heyes into the jail and lock him up.
Tilly stood stunned in the alley. All this at once was just too much. With tears in her eyes, she ran toward the sheriff's office. She burst into the building just as the Sheriff was sitting down at his desk. "HOW could you DO such a thing!"
"Now Tilly, don't get into this. It has nothing to do with you."
"Yes it does! I like Joshua and what you're doing is wrong and you know it."
"Joshua is a notorious outlaw! Who cares if he spends his life in jail or gets hanged. Besides, he deserves it after all he's done."
"His friends will care. You want the whole Devil's Hole gang coming in here?"
"They won't."
"How do you know?"
"There's a rumor that Heyes and Kid Curry are trying to go straight and they left the gang. And if Curry shows up here, well, I guess I'll just collect the reward on him too."
Tilly was disgusted. "He's never killed ANYONE. Even if he is Hannibal Heyes, he doesn't deserve to die, ESPECIALLY for something YOU done! I CANNOT believe you."
"That's enough out of you young lady! If your mother was here, she'd back me up."
"NO...no she wouldn't. Ma was the most moral minded person I've ever met. She'd be disgusted with you."
"I SAID THAT'S ENOUGH." Crandall slammed his fist on the desk. "And you WILL NOT EVER tell what you saw today, you understand me?"
Tilly turned to go, but stopped at the door. "You know Pa, I used to dream of being able to be the first female sheriff in the country. But if this is what lawmen do, I want no part of it. I think I'll stay with a friend tonight." Then, she left, slamming the door behind her.
Early the next morning, Judge Harris returned to town. It wasn't long after he entered the courthouse, that Sheriff Crandall arrived.
"Howdy Judge. Good to see you back."
"Thanks Sheriff. Now, what can I do for you."
"I've got Hannibal Heyes in custody. He shot and killed Clyde Johnson yesterday."
"You don't say."
"Now, I think we should have a fast trial as soon as possible before his gang shows up and causes more trouble."
"What made him shoot Johnson?"
"Well now, I don't know. But he's been telling anybody that'll listen that I was the one that done it. Can you believe such a thing! I don't think he even deserves a trial, especially since I saw him do it. So I was thinking maybe we just ought to go ahead and string him up."
"Better let me see him first. Bring him over here."
Ten minutes later, Heyes found himself in front of Judge Harris and a few on the spot jurors he had recruited from the street.
"Sheriff here tells me you gunned down Clyde Johnson in cold blood. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Heyes had given up trying to convince anyone he was just 'Joshua Smith' since the sheriff could identify him. So, he just answered, "I'm innocent your honor. Sheriff Crandall here was the one that done the shooting. His daughter can testify to that."
"Don't you dare bring my little girl into this."
"Is what he says true Sheriff?"
Crandall squirmed slightly. "No Judge. She didn't see Johnson get shot. She only heard it."
"But its the truth your honor! Me, Tilly, and the sheriff was talking in an alley and he just leaned around the corner and shot that man!"
"I said LEAVE my girl OUT of this."
"Well now, Mr. Heyes. Who am I to believe, the sheriff who I've known for years, or a known outlaw wanted dead or alive?"
"Your honor, I know you're more likely to believe Sheriff Crandall here, but ask yourself, why would I want to shoot someone I didn't even know or had any ill will against? Especially since, all through the years, its a known fact I never shot anyone."
Judge Harris took this into consideration. "But I have to take into account of why would the sheriff shoot Johnson. They've been neighbors for quite a while. I know they've had some arguments, but they've never shot at each other. Looks like if he wanted to shoot him, he'da done it by now."
"Ah, BUT, not unless he was waiting for someone to pin it on. And unfortunately, I just happen to show up."
"I'm sorry Mr. Heyes. But put yourself in my place. Would you believe an outlaw who would say anything to save his neck?"
Heyes inwardly groaned.
"We'll take a few moments for the jury to deliberate."
Sheriff Crandall and Heyes sat in the courtroom while the jury stepped out to talk. A few minutes later, they returned.
Judge Harris looked at the impromptu jury. "How do you find the defendent?"
"We find him guilty your honor."
"Hannibal Heyes, I sentence you to be hanged by the neck until dead, sentence to be carried out tomorrow. This case is concluded."
"But your honor...!"
"Take him away sheriff."
'So much for a fair trial. Talk about being railroaded...WHERE is Kid!'
Crandall was leading Heyes back to jail when Tilly saw them. She followed them in.
"What are you doing now? Telling the judge lies?"
Crandall slammed the cell door shut. That sound always made Heyes shudder. He turned to try to listen to the conversation.
"I told the judge what happened."
"Oh yeah? So what happens now?"
"Joshua is gettin' hung tomorrow!" the Sheriff smiled.
"You're really gonna let an innocent man die for something you did!"
"Listen here, we went through this yesterday. He is far from being innocent. He may not have done the shooting, but he IS going to be the one to pay for it. Or would you rather your own pa get hung?"
Tilly was speechless. Of course she didn't want to lose her pa. But could she sit back and watch someone else take the punishment? At that moment she decided what she was going to do. "Well, at least let me talk to him."
Crandall considered the request. "Alright, you got five minutes."
Tilly walked back to the cell block. Heyes had sat down with his head in his hands. "Hi Joshua, or, well, I don't know what to call you."
Heyes looked up at her. "Joshua's fine."
She looked downcast at him. "I'm sorry for what my pa is doing to you."
Heyes got up and walked over to the bars. "Don't be. Its not your fault he's a dirty lowdown snake in the grass." He gave her a half smile.
"Well, I feel responsible. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I don't want to see you hanged, and I sure don't want pa to hang."
"Do you have any idea why your pa shot that man?"
"He'd been arguing with Mr. Johnson for some time now. Mr. Johnson didn't really keep a close eye on his livestock and ever so often a sheep or cow would wander into our backyard. They fought like cats and dogs over it. I guess pa finally got tired of it."
"Tilly, you need to tell what you saw."
"But I can't Joshua. I can't be responsible for getting pa hung. I'd never forgive myself."
Heyes started to pace, but then stopped once more at the bars. "Can you at least do me a favor?"
"What is it?"
"Here's the key to my room at the hotel. My partner was supposed to have been here by now. Go in and when he does decide to show up, tell him what's happened and to NOT let the sheriff see him. I've got to think of some way out of this."
"Alright. I'll do it." Then, before Heyes could turn away, she reached up and pecked him on the cheek. She then turned and left, leaving Heyes in shock.
Kid had finally got to board the train and was on his way to Gray Horse. He hoped Heyes had received his telegraph so he wouldn't be worried. Settling down into a seat beside the window, he pulled his hat low over his eyes.
That evening, he arrived in Gray Horse and immediately went to the hotel and asked for Joshua Smith's room. The desk clerk told him Smith was really Hannibal Heyes and had been arrested. It was all Kid could do to keep the shock and worry off his face. Thinking quickly back to one of Heyes' previous ideas, he said, "That's what I'd heard. I'm his cousin Jonathon. Could I have the key to his room to freshen up before I go see him?"
The clerk, who was clearly bored beyond belief, handed the key over. "Here. And you might want to hurry and visit your cousin. They're going to hang him tomorrow."
"WHAT!" Kid couldn't help himself. He quickly calmed himself as best he could. "I mean, why?"
"'Cause he done killed one of the town's farmers."
All Kid could do was stare. Shaking himself from the shock-filled trance, he took the key and quickly ascended the stairs. He opened the door and the first thing he saw was a lady sitting at the window-side table.
"I'm sorry. I thought this was Joshua Smith's room," he said turning to leave.
"Don't go! It is his room. Or it was. You must be his partner."
Kid quickly shut the door and drew his gun. "Who are you?" he asked with an icy stare.
"I'm Tilly Crandall. The sheriff is my pa and the man that set your partner up. I want to help but I don't want to get my pa hanged." She was on the verge of tears.
Kid holstered his colt and sat down on the bed. "Tell me what happened."
Tilly went into great detail about the events of the previous day. When she finished, she said, "So you see, if I tell what I saw, pa gets hanged, if I don't, Joshua gets hanged. I don't know what to do."
"Yeah, I see what you mean." Kid ran his hand through his hair. "Heyes is the one that usually plans these things."
"Oh, and he told me to tell you not to let my pa see you. He's the one that recognized Joshua."
"Great, I won't even be able to talk to him. Let me think..." Kid caught himself about to get up and pace. He smiled at that. "Don't this town believe in a trial by jury?"
"Pa's quite an influence on the judge when he wants to be."
"Listen, can you do me a favor? Would you mind getting me a sandwich or something? I haven't eaten since early this morning. Then come back. I've got to think of some way to save him."
"Yeah okay." Tilly got up and left the room. Kid, frustrated by the situation, threw a pillow across the room. "Alright Kid. You gotta think like Heyes. If he were planning this, what would he do? Who am I kidding? Ain't nobody can think like Heyes..."
Fifthteen minutes later, Tilly returned with Kid a chicken sandwich.
"Thanks. Sit down. I have to ask you something."
Tilly did as he asked and sat down in her previous spot.
Kid sat down and faced her. "I need to know something. I need to know how far you're willing to go to help me save Heyes...Joshua."
She thought for only a second. "I want to do the right thing as long as my pa doesn't hang. I just can't be the one to do that to him."
"That's understandable. I just want to know...are you willing to...bend the law to save both of them."
"Yes."
"Well then, here's what we're gonna do..."
'How did I get myself into this mess? And why does it always happen when Kid's not with me? Better question is, how can I get OUT of this mess? I've got less than five minutes to figure it out. C'mon Heyes, THINK!'
Hannibal Heyes sat in the jail cell, minutes from being led to the gallows. He got up and paced frantically. Outside, the preparations were being finished up. Down a side street close to the gallows, Kid was finishing his own preparations.
"Alright Tilly. You understand what to do. Soon as they bring him out, you set off this dynamite. The explosion and fire should create a big enough diversion for them to delay the hanging. When they take him back in the jail, I'll go in the back way, get him out, and get away from here. Now, you remember what deal to make with the judge when they catch you."
"Yeah, I remember." Tilly was visibly nervous. She was sweating profusely.
"You don't have to do this you know."
She took a deep breath. "I know. But its the only way to save them both and keep my conscious clear. Tell Joshua I said good-bye."
Kid squeezed her shoulder then went to ready the horses.
The time had come. Sheriff Crandall entered Heyes' cell and cuffed his hands behind him. "Time to pay for your crimes boy!"
"You mean time to pay for YOUR crime."
"Shut up and move it." Crandall pushed him out of the cell towards the door. Tilly kneeled in the alley, waiting to light the fuse. Kid had the horses, waiting for the explosion. Both were watching the sheriff's office door.
A minute passed, then Heyes emerged from the door, pushed from behind. Tilly saw them and went to light the dynamite fuse. But her nervousness hindered her from getting the match lit. She kept breaking them. Heyes was led up the stairs to the noose. Kid, becoming panicked, ran to the alley where Tilly was. She was frantic and crying. The noose was put over Heyes' head. 'Oh my God, this is it.'
Kid grabbed the matches from her and lit the fuse. They both ran out in front of the building. The dynamite exploded, causing panic to grip the crowd. People started running everywhere. Sheriff Crandall, seeing what was happening, ran to the trap door lever and pulled it. Kid yelled out as he saw Heyes fall. He did the only thing he could think of, he drew his gun and shot the rope. Crandall and Judge Harris, thinking someone was shooting at them, dived off the platform and joined the crowd trying to figure out what was happening. Tilly gathered herself together and got the second bunch of dynamite lit. Yet another explosion went off, adding to the chaos. Kid ran to Heyes, who was laying on the ground, violently coughing.
"C'mon cousin, we gotta go, NOW!" Kid helped him up, removed the noose, and helped him run, then mount his horse. In the ensuing confusion, no one noticed the two making a quick exit. Crandall eventually noticed Heyes was gone.
"WHERE IS HE!" he yelled, but nobody paid him any attention. They were too busy running for cover.
"NEVER MIND HIM NOW. FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON," Judge Harris yelled back.
The answer was forthcoming, as Tilly walked through the crowd and handed the judge the matches. "I have to talk to you," was all she said.
After the crowd had been contained and dispersed, Tilly found herself in the judge's chamber. "Alright young lady. What's all this about? Do you know what you've done?"
She stood upright and answered, "Yes, I do. I saved an innocent man from hanging."
"What?"
"Hannibal Heyes didn't shoot Mr. Johnson. I know who did, BUT, before I tell you, you have to make a deal with me."
"What! What kind of deal? Don't you realize how much trouble you're in?"
"You have to promise me, in writing, that the guilty man won't hang."
"Why, I've never heard such a thing. Tell me who did it!"
"The promise...?"
Judge Harris regarded her for a moment. "Well, you did save me from hanging the wrong man. Alright." He then got a piece of paper and put in writing the promise. "Now, why did I have to promise this to get the truth, and it better be good."
"Because...it was...my pa..." Then, Tilly broke down.
Sheriff Crandall had ridden out to try to find out where Heyes had gotten to, but had lost the trail. Upon returning to town, he was promptly put into custody by Judge Harris. He was put in the cell across from his daughter.
A couple of miles out of town and up a mountain, Kid brought the horses to a stop. He helped Heyes to dismount and sit down, then handed him a lockpick. He had the cuffs off in no time.
"Where did you come from?" Heyes said hoarsely, massaging his neck.
"Kansas," Kid joked. "Sorry Heyes, but you told me to stay out of sight. I couldn't chance a visit."
"Wished you'da got there a little sooner. But...thanks."
"You're welcome. And the dynamite was meant to go off earlier, but there was a problem. There's someone else you need to thank too."
"Who's that?"
"Tilly."
"She helped you do this? Doesn't she know what kinda trouble she'll get in?"
"Yeah, she knew. But we managed to save both you and her pa from hanging."
"Really! How?"
"You rest your throat for a while and I'll tell you..."
In the days that followed, both Sheriff Crandall and Tilly were tried. Judge Harris was true to his word and sentenced Crandall to life in prison instead of hanging. Tilly was found guilty of conspiracy and helping a wanted man to escape and got two years in the women's prison.
A couple of weeks after her incarceration, she received a package in the mail with no return address. It contained a shawl and scarf, along with a letter.
Dear Tilly,
We know these things will never be enough to thank you for what you done, but its all we could do at the present time. We hope this finds you well and here's to a speedy release. I'll never forget our short time together. Hopefully one day, we can meet again under different circumstances.
Sincerely,
Joshua S.
and Partner