THANKS-GIVING
by Goldie
CHEYENNE DAILY NEWS
August 28, 1881 Cheyenne, Wyoming
OUTLAWS CAPTURED
Bank- and train-robbers Hannibal Heyes and Jedediah "Kid" Curry, having been successful at evading capture for many years, yesterday met their match, thanks to the watchful eyes of honest citizen Clement C. Carlson. Mr. Carlson, a reformed outlaw himself, was aware of the identify of Mr. Heyes and pointed him out to local law enforcement as he passed through town on the main street yesterday with Mr. Curry at his side. Sheriff Bullock and both his courageous deputies acted expediently, allowing the outlaws to surrender peacefully if they so desired. Unfortunately, Mr. Curry, a known gunman, attempted unsuccessfully to gun down the pillars of law and order before they were able to bring him to justice with well-placed bullets. Mr. Curry's bullets wildly missed their marks; they have not yet been found. Mr. Heyes saw the folly of his ways and surrendered without incident. Witnesses said Mr. Heyes appeared upset at seeing Mr. Curry lying in a pool of blood. He will certainly now understand the folly of a despicable life choice. Mr. Carlson is to be commended for abandoning his life of crime for more honest pursuits. Sheriff Bullock and his deputies were not injured in any way.
Mr. Heyes will be brought to trial as soon as possible in Cheyenne Territorial Court. It is expected that the trial will be held as early as October. It is likely that Mr. Heyes will be found guilty and will begin serving a 20-year prison term immediately thereafter. Mr. Curry will be expected to stand trial as soon as his doctors release him from a local hospital. His wounds are extensive but not life-threatening, and it is believed that his recovery may take up to two months. He will most likely also be found guilty and is also expected to serve a 20-year prison term.
CHEYENNE DAILY NEWS
October 27, 1881 Cheyenne, Wyoming
HANNIBAL HEYES SENTENCED
As expected, the trial of outlaw Hannibal Heyes has resulted in a verdict of guilty. The trial, generally expected to take only a short time, in fact lasted three days, as a number of people were brought to the stand as character witnesses in favor of the plaintiff! Well-respected Sheriff Lom Trevors suggested that Mr. Heyes has suspended his life of crime recently in favor of an honest life, at the urging of the Governor of Wyoming! Sheriff Trevors even went so far as to suggest that the Governor himself testify to this effect! Thankfully, Judge Meeley's common-sense approach prevailed and Mr. Heyes was sentenced to 20 years in the Wyoming Territorial Prison. Throughout the trial, in spite of the fact that several witnesses were testifying as to his good points, Mr. Heyes appeared despondent. As he was being led away, this reporter asked how he felt about his sentencing. He replied that it just didn't matter any more.
Jedediah "Kid" Curry, Mr. Heyes's partner in crime, is continuing to recover in an unnamed local hospital from the wounds sustained in the bloody gun battle he initiated. Doctors indicate that he will recover fully and be able to stand trial very shortly. Although he is already preparing his defense, Mr. Curry will almost certainly not escape justice! At the urging of Judge Meeley, Mr. Heyes was not informed that Mr. Curry survived.
Proclamation 252 - Thanksgiving Day, 1881
November 4, 1881
By the President of the United States of America
It has long been the pious custom of our people, with the closing of the year, to look back upon the blessings brought to them in the changing course of the seasons and to return solemn thanks to the allgiving source from whom they flow. The mourning which has filled our hearts still finds its sorrowful expression toward the God before whom we but lately bowed in grief and supplication, yet the countless benefits which have showered upon us during the past twelvemonth call for our fervent gratitude and make it fitting that we should rejoice with thankfulness that the Lord in His infinite mercy has most signally favored our country. The abundant privileges of freedom which our fathers left us in their wisdom are still our increasing heritage. Calamity has been tempered and in a manner sanctified by the generous compassion for the sufferers which has been called forth throughout our land. For all these things it is meet that the voice of the nation should go up to God in devout homage.
Wherefore I, Chester A. Arthur, President of the United States, do recommend that all the people observe Thursday, the 24th day of November, as a day of national thanksgiving and prayer, by ceasing, so far as may be, from their secular labors and meeting in their places of worship, there to join in ascribing honor and praise to Almighty God, whose goodness has been so manifest in our history and in our lives, and offering earnest prayers that His bounties may continue to us and to our children.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
CHESTER A. ARTHUR
By the President:
JAMES G. BLAINE, Secretary of State
December 1, 1881
Dear Mr. Governor,
My name is Jed Curry. I am one of the two men you granted amnesty to last week. I want to thank you for doing that. That was very nice of you. Hannibal Heyes was the other one. He is my cousin and friend. We have wanted amnesty since we heard about it and have worked very hard to get it. We are glad you think we earned it. But we really did because we worked hard for it. Sometimes it was hard to do legal things when we knew how to do the same things easier another way. But we did it because we wanted you to believe in us. So thank you for that.
I wanted to write you to thank you but I wanted to write you for another reason too. Maybe you know about this. My friend Heyes is in the hospital. You probably know that he went to trial and was put in prison. I wasn't there because I was recovering from bullet wounds. I found out later that he thought I was dead. I know this would have been very hard for him because it would have been hard for me if it had been the other way around. It was Judge Meeley's decision to let Heyes think I was dead. The Judge is not a nice person. To put it mildly. He also had Heyes thrown in prison even though a lot of people spoke well of him at the trial. But Heyes is thin-skinned and I figured prison would be hard on him and I was right. He kept a diary, writing in it sometimes, and he said how hard it was. I got this diary from a prisoner named Gray, my friend's cell mate. It was hard to read. My friend said he did not want to live. There is a big man, a prisoner named Strait who did not like Heyes, so Heyes picked a fight with him so that Strait would kill him. And he damn near did! I'm happy to say that my friend survived and is recovering in the hospital now. He knows now that I am alive and he knows that he has his amnesty. And the doctors say he will be all right. My friend is a good man and I want you to know that. It was the right thing to do, granting amnesty. He is alive and he is happy because of you and I am too.
In case you don't believe me, I am enclosing my friend's diary that he kept in prison that I got from his cell mate. I know you are busy but if you ever have some extra time you might want to read it. You will see that you have saved a man's life, and that makes you a hero. What you did for us was a good thing.
Thank you from Hannibal Heyes and me. When he is able to, he will thank you himself too. If we can ever do anything for you, we are your loyal servants!
Jedediah Curry
October 28, 1881
Day One
October 29, 1881
In a way, Kid, you're lucky.
God, I miss you. Would give anything to talk to you again.
October 30, 1881
October 31, 1881
A ghoulish place to spend Halloween
November 1, 1881
Few more goblins than I wanted to see yesterday. The worst one – about seven feet tall and white as a ghost. Might be one! Groans a lot. Gave me the evil eye. Damn, I hate this place!
November 2, 1881
November 3, 1881
November 4, 1881
Made a new "friend" today. Name of Gray. Tried to say I was Joshua Smith but everyone in here somehow knows who I am. This guy's all right. Check-forger. Was a bookkeeper and didn't make enough to feed his family so branched out. Ha! But now they're probably really starving. He's in for another two years. He's counting the days. I haven't started doing that yet but he says I will. 20 years times 365 days 365
X20 0 0
7300
7300 days! Minus the 8 served! Six more hours today. Please God help me
November 5, 1881
Gray says to try to relax, things will go better. Can't relax. I'm Hannibal Heyes! I did great things. I broke the P&H. I was a gentleman robber, not a thug. Not like what's in here. Now that I think about it, where exactly am I? Wyoming Territorial Prison? Or Hell? Both, says Gray.
November 6, 1881
Keep a diary, everyone says. It helps. They give you plenty of paper. They sure don't give you much else. Just a tin cup and plate and spoon. Prison clothes. Shoes, not boots. No warmth. Everyone is cold. So Diary, why aren't you helping?
November 7, 1881
November 8, 1881
Little altercation two days ago with White Face. No, not little. Nothing's little about him. Seven, maybe eight feet tall. Wanted my hardtack, grabbed it while I was holding it. Punched him in the face. Notice I didn't write yesterday.
November 9, 1881
November 10, 1881
November 11, 1881
November 12, 1881
November 13, 1881
November 14, 1881
November 15, 1881
November 16, 1881
November 17, 1881
November 18, 1881
Please , I need help. I won't last much longer. Maybe I will, just don't want to! I hate this life. Hate it to my soul. They put me in a solitary dark cell for a week because of White Face. Him, too, I hear. When you're alone, you do nothing but think. There haven't been too many people I've hated in my life, but there's one now. me
November 19, 1881
Had the chance to re-think it through. Things looked bad yesterday; hated the world. Got into the sunshine in the yard for a while today; that helped. Had forgotten about the sun. It's dark and cold in here. Everyone complains but the guards don't care. At least White Face stays away from me now. And Gray helps, he really does. He's a real person. Reminds me of the Kid a lot. God, I wish I could talk to the Kid! He'd understand. He'd forgive me.
I'm so sorry, Kid.
November 20, 1881
I can see the yard from my cell. It rained all morning. Now it's snowing. We fight over blankets. Not enough to go around. Discovered I can think about the fun memories and get warmer!
Clem. We both loved her. Silky. He was like a granddad to us. Jed's ma, so loving and giving. And my folks, they
Why do the people we love have to be taken from us? Jed, can you hear me where you are?
November 21, 1881
Things are getting bad again. The only reason I'm writing at all is because Gray says I have to, to stay sane. Not sure if I want to any more. Maybe if I go insane the pain will go away!
It's almost lights-out. Kid, I am thinking about you. You are in my thoughts all the time. How I miss you! Over and over I tell you how sorry I am. Can you somehow hear me? Can you find it in your heart to forgive me? Your nature was always so trusting and forgiv
November 22, 1881
I just returned from the warden's office. He thinks I'm a celebrity, thinks I add some class to his prison. He will not entertain any thought of helping me get paroled. Or sent somewhere else. He offers nothing, no surprise there. The Kid and I never had trouble breaking out of jails, but this prison is another matter. I've been studying different possibilities of breaking out, but so far all is blank. No money to bribe anyone, either. I can't go on like this.
November 23, 1881
The guards tell us that tomorrow will be a special day. They're calling it Thanks-giving Day. They say we will have a special meal to celebrate this day. Perhaps this meal will be different because it will be edible. I wonder what it is that they think we should give thanks for. Maybe they want us to be happy that we are cold and sick all the time. Or maybe we should enjoy the rats that share the cells with us. Maybe we should thank the guards for the beatings that they dole out indiscriminately, or for the name-calling, or for them spitting on us. Maybe we should be happy that we attack each other because of our anger. Or maybe we should just thank God that we are locked away for twenty years with only these four walls to
November 24, 1881
Looking at yesterday's entry. Hard to write when you're indisposed. Hard to think. Hard to do anything but weep. What is happening to me? Thanks-giving, they say. I do everything I am told to do but cannot seem to stop thinking. I never was like this before; all I can think about is how sorry I feel for myself. Dear God, it's my fault that Jed Curry is dead! Kid, over and over I ask for your forgiveness but maybe I should be asking God for His. Please
Just returned from a fairly decent meal they called a Thanks-giving feast. There were meats and fruits, yams and milk. No hardtack, no jerky, no mealy bread. Yes, I am thankful for this.
But I still want to die. It should have been me who was gunned down, not the Kid. It was my fault they found us, not the Kid's. He was innocent. Never even drew his gun. He put his hands in the air and they still shot him. I saw him go down. And I will never be able to forget this. This is my punishment. And I can't take it any more. Please, God, let me join the Kid.
I know what you're doing. I miss the Kid so much. This is my punishment, isn't it? Live in hell without the Kid. Without anyone I love. Without hope. Was my life really that bad? If you've abandoned me, who do I pray to? In a month it will be Christmas. I don't want to be alive then.
November 25, 1881
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
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