Chapter Seven

Roughly fifteen minutes before the late morning stage, from Cheyenne, was due, a group of ten men intent on seeing the accused murderers escape further trial, rode into the yard at the relay station. Ben had been given the day off and had gone fishing. Slim and Jess were alone on the place.

"Something I can do for you?" Slim asked as he came out of the barn.

"Yeah," the leader said. "You can stay away from the trial tomorrow. You can tell the court you were mistaken. You can tell the court you lied. What you won't do is testify again Josiah Carter, Sam Bartlett. Tom Willard and Abraham Edwards."

"That's where you're wrong mister," Slim said evenly, his light blue eyes flashing fire. "Jess and I have every intention of showing up in court tomorrow and telling exactly what happened."

"Slim's right," Jess said as he exited the barn just a few steps behind his partner. His bright blue eyes blazed with the light of battle. "You best be on your way back to Laramie or out of the area altogether. We're gonna be in court, on time, and tell the judge - and the new jury - exactly what happened. The Hedricks and their posse had no business hunting Mac down. Or trying him and hanging him. It was cold blooded murder."

The leader of the gang dismounted and approached the hot headed Texan.

"You don't take back what you said about our friends we just might have to convince you that it's a big mistake. Right fellas?"

The other men also dismounted and approached the other three. Before Slim and Jess realized exactly what was happening they were surrounded on all sides.

"That tree, in your yard, looks kind of bare. Maybe it could use another couple of ropes with ornaments on them," the tall overweight leader of the gang said.

"Great idea!" one of the others said. "Here's some rope to tie them with."

"I got the rope to hang 'em with," another one said.

Sherman and Harper were not about to just stand there and be hanged. They fought and fought hard. Slim took a hard right to his jaw which left him stunned. Jess went down under four men and the wind was knocked out of him with a whoosh. It was a short, but violent, struggle. Punches flew. Slim used his long legs to advantage a couple of times to push one of their assailants off of him while Jess kicked one away from him but it was no use. Within minutes their arms were wrenched behind them and their hands were quickly tied. The two men were then dragged over to a couple of the mob's horses and boosted into the saddles with nooses around their necks. The horses were led over to the same tree from which the posse had hanged Jess' friend and the other end of the ropes were thrown over a tree limb.

"You men will hang for this!" Slim shouted.

"Naw. Won't be no witnesses this time," the leader told him. "It'll just be a tragic case of not being able to admit you lied in court and couldn't go through it again."

"Let's quit gabbing and get it over with!" The others were getting restless.

Two of the mob started to tie the ropes to the tree but a shell, from a rifle in the hands of Mose Snell, stopped them in their tracks as the morning stage came down the road to the stage stop. When two others tried to do it the bullet of a .45 caliber pistol went into the arm of one of them while two others split the ropes that dangled from the tree limb.

"Drop those weapons at once!" a commanding voice from within the stage ordered.

The stage rolled into the yard at a fast clip and stopped in front of the barn - just beyond their normal stopping point. The stage door opened and a trio of men wearing badges, followed by a man clad in a black suit with a white shirt and a black string tie, exited the stage. The lawmen had their guns drawn and aimed at the would be lynch mob.

"Rick, go cut those men free," said the one whose badge read Territorial Marshal.

The deputy obeyed at once. Taking out a pocket knife he cut the ropes that bound Slim and Jess' hands. The two cowboys, now freed, reached up and removed the nooses from around their necks and dismounted on somewhat shaky legs.

"What's going on here?" the gentleman in the suit inquired.

"Looks to me like we interrupted a double lynching," Mose said. "These fellas look like trouble to me." Climbing down from the box he looked at his two friends and asked, "What's goin' on Slim?"

"These men came here to try and get me and Jess to say we won't testify at the murder trials coming up. When we told them we were going to no matter what they decided to get rid of us by lynching us the way their friends lynched John MacLean."

"Are you gentlemen all right?" the man from the stage asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Slim looked at his partner who was still pale but had a deep anger showing in his bright blue eyes."

'Yeah, I'm fine but they won't be in about two minutes." The Texan's voice was a growl.

"What are your names gentlemen, if I may ask?"

"I'm Slim Sherman. This is my partner, Jess Harper," the taller one replied.

"Sherman and Harper? You're the star witnesses in the trial I'm here to preside over," the man in the suit said. "I'm Judge Loren Fenady."

The rancher reached out to shake hands. His partner followed suit.

"Sure is good to see you judge," Slim said. "Especially in light of what just happened."

"Yes, I imagine it is, the judge responded. "This is Marshal Keith Walker and his deputies Blake Swihart and Rick Taylor."

"Sure is good to meet you fellas," Jess said.

"Not that I'm unhappy to see you, or ungrateful," Slim said, "but how is it you happen to be on the stage?"

Marshal Walker replied, "The judge heard about all the trouble over this man McLean being lynched and that the jury, at the trial, recommended clemency. He made it known he wasn't happy about that and then we heard that there was a lot of harassment aimed at the two star witnesses. He decided that my men and I should come along with him to back up your sheriff."

"I picked them up in Cheyenne, this morning," Mose told them, "and filled them in what I know - about your chickens and the hay and such. The marshal, here, couldn't wait to get to Laramie and teach some people a lesson or two. Looks like he'll get his chance starting here."

"Got some rope we can use to tie these men with?" Deputy Taylor asked. "We'll take them into Laramie and lock them up on assault with intent to kill and attempted murder charges"

'Here," Jess said handing them the ropes that had so recently been around his and Slim's neck. "Use their own rope."

Walker and his deputies soon had the men bound. With help from Slim and Jess the would be lynch mob was soon mounted on their horses and the lawmen, using horses borrowed from the ranch, took charge of them and headed into town.

"Did you see the look on their faces when they realized that they tried to hang us in front of a judge and three lawmen?" Jess asked his partner.

"Yeah. They're not just disappointed - they're terrified. It's not our word against theirs any more."