Chapter 10 – Final Witnesses But One

"Judge, I refuse to be questioned by that animal!" an irate Eleanor Purvis shouted from the witness chair before Matt could ask his first question. "The fact that poor woman hasn't always been respectable is no excuse for the callous disregard shown to her and my brother by permitting the beast who beat them both to harass honest folk. It's bad enough that so-called doctor friend of his claims he's incapable of doing what the rest of us know he did."

"Your opinions on how I run this courtroom are irrelevant, Mrs. Purvis," the judge interjected, pounding his gavel for order, as she finally took a breath. "Any further outbursts and you will be in contempt. Do you understand? Proceed, Mr. Dillon," he added when she nodded her head yes.

"I understand from what Sheriff Miller told me your husband Colin Purvis took you away from an at best unhappy life in your parents' home. What happened that led to Dean Harlow being thrown out of your father's home at 13?"

"Papa had very definite ideas about his rights as head of household and the behavior of his wife and children, which he strictly enforced," Mrs. Purvis began after a piercing look from Judge Blundt persuaded her she had no choice but to answer. "Mama and I tried our best to comply, but nothing papa did had any effect on Dean. My brother knew his ability to work long hours on our farm west of Lawrence was far too important for his punishment to incapacitate him for more than an hour even if he shirked those chores in favor of what he wanted to do at the moment more often than not. Although by the spring of 1858 he'd already been pulled out of school so he could do more on the farm, Dean went off to town to celebrate his 13th birthday with the friends he'd made. When he finally came home Papa grabbed him, stripped off his shirt, tied him over a barrel and hit him as hard as he could with the beatings strap and his fists. Despite the severe beating Dean sassed papa instead of admitting his disobedience. Papa struck him until his whupping arm tired and he finally untied him. Then he threw Dean's shirt at him and told him he could crawl off to make his own way with just the clothes on his back. Judge, what's my and my brother's childhood got to do with this big lug being sent to prison?"

The spectators wondered the same thing. They'd come to see the man on trial get what was coming to him. Whether or not the man he'd beaten was a rebellious son or the woman he'd nearly killed was a saloon girl didn't signify. Judge Blundt banged his gavel for order as some of the men rose from their seats, Colin Purvis among them, intent on their own brand of justice. A glare and drawn pistols from Sheriff Miller and temporary Bailiff Sterling Hadley succeeded where the judge's gavel couldn't. Matt Dillon was allowed to continue for the moment.

"Mrs. Purvis, why was your brother so rebellious? Was there something in him that said your father was wrong in how he treated the entire family or only him?"

The woman hesitated to answer again but finally complied after another glare from Judge Blundt. "Only Dean was exempt from papa's wrath. Mama and me belonged to papa to do with as he pleased. Like papa Dean expected total obedience from womenfolk. He was young but full-grown when Quantrill come through in '63 and used to living by his wits gambling, stealing and such. Successfully hiding out from those bushwhackers and the Union Army only made him more confident. He learned to control women and girls so they'd help him without question. If she already had a man, he expected that man to step aside until he was through with her, but would fight him if he had to."

"Did your brother tell you and Mr. Purvis anything about Miss Russell? If he did, was it before or after the beating?"

"Dean didn't keep in regular contact after '63, but did come to my wedding right after the war and sporadically let us know where to find him. We didn't even know he was in town until the paper reported the beatings. When he come to he told us how Miss Russell was his from the time he met up with her in Dodge City whether or not she wanted him as much as he did her. He told us he planned to settle down to raise a family with her once she promised to honor and obey him for the rest of her life."

"That's all the questions I have Mrs. Purvis. You're done unless Judge Blundt wants to ask you something."

The judge had none. Matt waited until Mrs. Purvis was seated before he walked to the witness chair to be sworn in by Hadley.

"I had my eye on the man I spotted as a professional gambler from the moment he got off the stage from Medicine Lodge late Tuesday afternoon August 28 until Dean Harlow got caught the next afternoon in the Lady Gay dealing from the bottom of the deck and substituting cards he'd hidden up his sleeve," Matt replied when Judge Blundt posed his first question. "I gave him a stern warning and the other players their money back."

"I assume since you were keeping a eye on Mr. Harlow's activities from the moment of his arrival you knew if he interacted with Miss Russell. When were you first aware of any contact between them?"

"Festus Haggen, a friend of mine, spotted Kitty exchanging a couple of casual words with him in Mr. Jonas' store right after I threw him out of the Lady Gay. I saw him with her for myself when I stopped by the Long Branch at the end of my early rounds. He had a tight hold on her and was pulling her away from the bar toward the stairs despite the fact she was fighting him as best she could. In two strides I pulled him off her and my right fist connected with his jaw. As Harlow staggered to his feet, I told him to get out of Dodge. He took an eastbound stage that left just as Kitty, Doc and I finished supper at Delmonico's."

"Why were you in Great Bend the evening of your arrest?"

"I left Dodge with my prisoner Hoyt Slocum for Abilene at dawn on August 30. It's a four-day ride and I wanted to make sure we were both on time for his trial for murder and robbery on Monday September 3. The judge wanted me to stay for Slocum's sentencing so I couldn't leave for home until midway through Tuesday morning. I was within a mile of Great Bend when night fell so I decided to take a hotel room rather than camp out for the night on Wednesday the 5th. While walking to this hotel from the stable behind it I saw a commotion in the alley. When I got closer I saw Harlow kicking Kitty Russell on the ground. The unexpected sight of her battered body lying there caused me to lose all control. I lit into Harlow with everything I had."

"Have you ever lost control like that before, Mr. Dillon? Have you ever threatened to beat someone to death in the past and why?"

"Nope. The badge I wear stops me. Yeah, Judge, I have threatened to kill men as part of my job. It tends to make them stop killing each other or beating up on a woman or child. When the person brutally attacked is one of my few close friends, only the badge reminds me I'm a lawman before I'm a man. When Sheriff Miller arrested me I thought Harlow might already have killed Kitty."

Only one final witness remained. Judge Blundt ordered everyone with even the slightest connection to the present case remain in court with two very important exceptions, Doctors Wilcox and Adams. He sent them to fetch Kitty Russell to the courtroom.