Chapter Six
The next morning it was Slim who rode into town. With the harassment of himself and Jess elevating as the time for the trials drew near he thought he'd better let the sheriff know what was going on. The horses being set free was one thing but then there was the slaughter of all their chickens, the damaged harness and the burned hay. The insults, threats and assaults - especially on Jess - when they had visited neighbors to buy more chickens to replace the ones they'd lost. It was getting out of hand and he didn't want Ben, or any unlucky stage passengers, to be caught in the middle.
It was a bright,hot day. Slim was thirsty by the time he got to town. The sun had beat down on him making him feel light headed - or so he convinced himself.
Fred Dalton, the acting sheriff, a tall, lean forty something with gray hair, was sitting at his desk looking over the latest batch of Wanted Posters when Slim walked in.
"Slim. What brings you to town on such a hot day?"
"I want to report a problem.. Maybe a crime, but mostly malicious mischief I think you'd call it," the blond rancher said and proceeded to explain about the incidents that had happened over the last week.
"Any idea who threw the rock through your window? Or who's responsible for any of the other incidents?"
"I can't say for sure except it has to be friends of one of the men about to go on trial for the lynching of John MacLean and the attack on me before they did it. Could be almost anyone."
While they were talking Slim suffered another dizzy spell. Fred Dalton noticed and rose in a hurry to make Slim sit down.
"You been having dizzy spells long Slim?"
"Who says I'm dizzy?" the rancher replied, denying the obvious.
"You did. Just now. Your face went white and you started swaying on your feet. Did they start the day that MacLean was lynched?"
"Yeah. Jim Hedrick - I think - hit me pretty good. But they're not bad and they've almost stopped."
"Sure they have," the sheriff was skeptical. 'I think you should see Doc Hansen but I know that Hansen, Sr. is out of town and Junior has been drinking again. It would probably be a good idea if somebody rode home with you - just to make sure you get there okay. I can't have one of our star witnesses having an accident and getting hurt just a few days before the trials start."
"No need for that. I'm fine now," the rancher protested.
The sheriff looked at him skeptically. He wasn't at all sure it was a good idea for Slim to go by himself but the truth was he couldn't spare anybody to escort him.
"If you say so. I'd rather you had somebody with you but I can see there's no stopping you."
Reluctantly he let Slim leave but watched him from the door as he mounted his horse and turned down the road toward home.
The crowd of men gathered in Windy's saloon, the next morning, was discussing the upcoming trials and how they could help their friends escape the punishment that certain parties, including Slim Sherman and Jess Harper - especially Slim Sherman and Jess Harper, were determined to see them receive.
"We can't let those two testify or Tom and Sam and the others will hang."
"We've already tried harassment. The chickens and the horses. We burned some of their hay."
"Not enough," their ringleader said. "Sherman came in to the sheriff's office and reported the note we threw through their window. He's more determined than ever to testify at the trials."
"What else can we do?" one of the others asked. "They aren't going to be scared off."
"We give them one more chance. If they don't back off we do to them what the posse did to McLean - hang 'em!"