Lawman

Chapter 3

The stage to Garden City was scheduled to leave at noon and US Marshal Matt Dillon, dressed in his more formal attire of grey jacket and string tie was striding along the boardwalk towards the depot. The stage was already waiting there and Jim Buck, the driver, was on the roof securing passengers bags and other cargo. A fresh team had been already been hitched and were snorting, anxious to be moving.

Jim looked down as Dillon approached and threw his bag up to the man's waiting hands.

"Glad to have you along Marshal," he called down as his gloved hands caught the bag and added it to the cargo. "We should be ready to go in a few minutes."

Matt took the time to look around. Chester, as usual was close behind him and he turned to give the man a few last minute instructions. Then the face he really hoped to see was there among the small gathering of people around the depot. He walked over and touched her arm.

"Thanks for coming to see me off Kitty. I'm hoping it won't take me too long to sort this mess out."

"Stay safe cowboy," she said quietly. "I'll be waiting for you."

A brief smile passed between them, it was all that was allowed here on Front Street, in view of the whole town.

"All aboard now folks." The call from Jim Buck as he climbed down from the roof to take his place on the box, interrupted their moment. "I'll see you later Kitty," the lawman said before he turned and folded his tall frame into the waiting coach.

She stood there watching as the driver whipped up the team and in a cloud of dust and small rocks the stage picked up speed and raced along Front Street and out of town. She did not expect any farewell wave, but stood there for a few minutes anyway. When the stage was out of sight a familiar voice brought her back to the present.

"Can I walk you back to the Long Branch Miss Kitty."

Chester always tried to be the gentleman and watch over her when Matt was away, his shy sometimes awkward manner had seemed strange to her at first, but now she knew that the young man would give his life protecting her or 'Mr. Dillon' and she gratefully accepted.

"Thank you Chester, and I tell you what, how about a cold beer when we get there?"

xxx

Douglas Hamilton, Deputy US Marshal, currently acting as City Marshal, sat quietly in a cell in Garden City's jail. He couldn't believe things had turned out this way. His career had started soon after the war when, influenced by his friend Matt Dillon, he had taken to upholding the law as a way of earning a living. He had started out in western Colorado in some of the small mining towns. At first he had acted as Deputy to several Sheriff's in the area on an as needed basis, but after a while became a sheriff in his own right in the town of Durango. He really enjoyed his work, he was good with a gun and with his fists. He was not as tall as he remembered his friend Dillon, but he had a strong stocky frame and he was fast. He also developed a desire to help the frontier lands grow and he knew for that to happen the rule of law had to be present. Investors and businesses were not going to risk their money in a place where thieves and murderers had the upper hand. One of his proudest moments was when Marshal Wilson had appointed him as deputy US marshal. He knew that Matt had put in a good word for him and felt indebted to his friend for the opportunity to put some real meaning in his life. Wilson had assigned him to the area around Pueblo. At the time it was a flourishing town but the local law was weak and several outlaw gangs had taken advantage of that and begun to use its resources to line their own pockets. For a year or so he had worked hard to tame the wild land and despite setbacks had accomplished a lot. Then he met the beautiful dark eyed Gina and she became the light of his life, he would do anything to make her happy. Her parents had come to America from Italy and they ran a small bakery in Pueblo. They worked long hours and gained respect from their neighbors, but, considering all the time they put in, did not make a lot of money. Gina grew up not wanting for much, but had dreams of a better life.

Looking back, Doug guessed she never understood that a deputy marshal did not make a lot of money and after they married she expected a fancy home and him being around most of the time. Sadly his job was not like that and she began to complain when he was gone too much, sometimes for weeks at a time.

When the town of Garden City, Kansas needed a law man, Doug figured that although it would be somewhat of a step down from the deputy marshal post he held, it would at least be a job where he would be home almost every night, and that would make Gina happy.

Of course with his growing reputation he easily got the job and the town was so excited about his arrival that they even provided him with a small house on the edge of town for as long as he needed it. The pay wasn't bad either and he learned that he got to keep a percentage of any fines and levies that he collected, so by working a little harder he could improve his pay check.

He thought things were going well. The town council seemed pleased with his work and Gina seemed happy for a while. But after a few months the little house where they lived became too small for her. She wanted more room so they could have a family, she wanted nice furnishings for the home and pretty gowns to wear. He knew that a good husband should provide these things so he worked harder to make more money. Sadly the result was that it led to him being gone sometimes, but it seemed worth it to keep her happy. She found a group of girl friends to associate with and sometimes, if he was gone overnight, she would spend time with them – and then it got to be that occasionally, even when he was home, she would be gone. Even so she seemed happier and that was what mattered most to him.

It had been about a month ago when Dirk Williams – a known bounty hunter, had brought in the body of an outlaw who had been wanted for robbery, murder and kidnapping mostly stemming from a bank hold up in Garden City about a year before Hamilton arrived there. There was a $2500 reward on the outlaw's head, dead or alive, and although it irked him to have to hand over such a sum to someone as despicable as Williams, he had no choice. Gina had heard about it and had questioned him as to why he never got to keep any reward money when he arrested wanted men. He tried to explain to her that lawmen didn't do that because they were just performing their duty. She made a few more comments and then changed the subject.

The Bounty Hunter didn't want to come into town to collect his money, feelings ran high against men of his profession and he feared for his life – and his money. Hamilton had arranged to meet him at a small crossroads just south of town near a bend the Arkansas River. He remembered that afternoon so well – it marked the beginning of his life falling apart.

Williams had wanted cash – he didn't believe in banks. Doug had taken the money he got from the bank and packed it in a canvas sack, then flung it over his saddled horse and together with a fishing pole made his way out of town. Most people assumed he was taking a well deserved break. It was two days later when a ranch hand brought the body of the bounty hunter into town. The cowboy said he had found the body down by the Arkansas River and it looked like had been shot in the back. The corpse was slung across the back of a horse and covered with a canvas. Hamilton looked at the man's face and then folded back the covering and saw the bloodstained clothing covering the man's back. He probably should have inspected further but at the time it did not seem necessary. Of course there was no sign of the reward money.

The body of the bounty hunter was summarily inspected by the town's doctor and then hastily buried in the public cemetery without much in the way of ceremony. Then all of a sudden the town was up in arms. Unintentionally Gina had let it slip that Doug had ridden out to that very spot to hand over the money and indeed he had been seen there by another fisherman a little further down stream. Of course she proclaimed he would never murder anyone and certainly not for the money. But the rumor spread like wild fire.

People didn't particularly like bounty hunters, but they didn't like people being shot in the back either, especially by a lawman. Doug could not believe how quickly this town that he had protected and made his home, could turn against him. There began to be talk of lynching and in an effort to stop that from happening the town council had appointed two temporary deputies to lock Hamilton in his own jail and stand guard – for his own protection of course. Gina had been attentive, bringing him food and coffee and even clean clothes. She kept telling him that everything would be all right, she believed in his innocence. Her love was such a comfort to him.

He got up from the cot he had been lying on and paced back and forth across the cell for a while, wishing he could ride out and look at the place where the body had been found. Maybe he could find some tracks or something out there that would help solve the case. He looked over at the young man who had been placed in charge of the jail – he was asleep with his feet up on the desk. Doug didn't think he would have much of a chance if the crowds got ugly. He didn't worry so much for himself but what would happen to his beautiful Gina.

Having paced the small cell back and forth for a while, he finally settled on the cot again and tried to sleep – that was about all he could do anyway.

TBC