Retirement

April 2024 Challenge

Outlaw Days

Relaxing on the porch of the leader's cabin at Devil's Hole, Kid Curry and Hannibal Heyes sat in comfortable rocking chairs. Their feet were balanced on the porch railing and each had a drink in their hand. The sun was shining and a light breeze was tickling the top of the trees. Life was good.

"Don't like it, Heyes. Too many ways it can go wrong, especially without Wheat and Kyle along, Curry said.

"Just a first draft of the plan, Kid." Excited, Heyes smiled widely as he pictured the gang executing this new plan. "You tell me where it needs tightening up and I'll fix it. Counting on them two to be back from visiting Kyle's ma by the end of this week," Heyes answered.

"Well, the first thing is we know from experience that train ain't never on time," Curry pointed out.

"Granted. And that might be a problem. Let me think on it."

Suddenly they sat up straight in unison, their attention fixed on the road into their camp as they heard three shots fired in rapid succession.

"Must be Hank and Riley returning with our supplies," Curry said, but didn't relax his scrutiny of the road. Security of their hiding place was part of his job as a co-leader of the Devil's Hole Gang. The blond gunman took security very seriously.

They stood up together as a solo rider appeared. Curry's hand hovered over his ever-present Colt.

"Hank, where's Riley? What happened?" demanded Heyes.

"Riley's coming. Nothing happened to him. Thought you might like to see this as soon as possible." Hank dismounted and handed Curry a newspaper, who glanced at it, huffed, and gave it to Heyes. He read the lead article outside.

"Two Members of the Devil's Hole Gang Held for Trial"

Last night two members of the infamous Devil's Hole Gang, Wheat Carlson and Kyle Murtry, were arrested here in Mountain Steps. They are charged with yesterday's robbery of our mercantile and shooting the owner. Mr. Gerald R. Major, proprietor, was shot in his left foot. He will survive. Trial for Carlson and Murtry will start in two weeks upon arrival of a Dakota Territory circuit judge. The Devil's Hole gang has never been active in our part of the territory before. This has led to the speculation these two have broken away from the gang. Extra deputies have been hired to prevent escape from our Step Mountains jail.

Heyes looked at the date of the paper and said, "Hank, go find Riley but first tell Preacher and Wooly Williams I want to see them right now."

Curry turned to his cousin. "I see that mind of yours goin'. What are you thinkin'?"

"Paper is from the twenty second so the robbery took place on the twenty first. Where were you on the twenty first?" Heyes answered with a question of his own.

Curry looked up, then smiled and snapped his fingers. "We robbed that bank in Bitter. We got the payroll we had heard was gonna be there. On the way home we hurrahed in West Ridge."

Heyes matched his partner's smile. "Exactly."

Carrying a bottle of whiskey, Preacher approached them. Wooly Williams sheltered his half-closed eyes from the sunlight. He was notorious for preferring the night over the day. He had become the night guard for Devil's Hole and was a perfect fit for the job.

"One question for you two. Were Wheat and Kyle with you all the time in West Ridge?"

Preacher answered, "You were there, Heyes. You know they were. They didn't leave until noon the next day to go see Kyle's sick ma."

Wooly nodded his agreement. 'We sure had fun there!"

"Good. Thanks. Me and the Kid spent the night with two very entertaining upstairs ladies. The Kid didn't come down until breakfast." Heyes smiled at the memory of the enchanting Maureen. He'd have to visit her again soon.

Preacher and Wooly retreated to the bunkhouse.

Bringing out their bottle of whiskey, Curry refilled their glasses. "So, the robbery occurred on the twenty first and Wheat and Kyle were with us in West Ridge that day and night. Doesn't help, Heyes; we can't testify in a court trial. We'd get arrested."

With a twinkle in his brown eyes, Heyes answered, "Yeah, I got a plan for that."

ASJ*****ASJ

Porterville…

Hannibal Heyes surreptitiously looked in the window of the Porterville's sheriff before opening the door. "Hi, Lom," he said.

Working at his desk, Sheriff Lom Trevors went to grab his gun when he heard the distinctive click from a Colt.

"Now, Lom, that ain't no way to greet friends," Kid Curry said from his left.

"I got to put a the lock on that back door," Lom growled.

"So?" Heyes said with a wink.

"What do you want, boys? Heyes pull those curtains shut before someone sees you…and lock the front door," Lom said, without taking a breath. "You can put the gun away, Kid. What do you two want?"

"Lom, can't two friends come just to say hello," asked Heyes.

Lom looked from one of the boys to the other. "Not you two. Now I repeat, what do you want?"

"Your help to save two old friends," Heyes said, pouring himself a cup of coffee and relaxing in the chair in front of Lom's desk.

"I heard Wheat and Kyle were on trial but I can't help them."

"But you can try. What if you testified at the trial that two men you'd trust with your life swore to you that they were with them in West Ridge that night?" Heyes asked him.

And it got Lom to thinking. "You swear to me you were with them that night?"

"I do," answered Heyes.

"Me, too," added Curry.

So, Lom, you think that might help them?"

"It might help them get out of this charge, but they're both wanted in Wyoming. I don't want to hear what will happen after the trial.

Heyes smiled. "Want some coffee, Lom?"

Nodding, Lom answered, "That's what I thought. I'll testify and we'll see what happens."

"Thanks, and Lom, something to think about," added Heyes.

"What's that?" Lom gave Heyes a suspicious look.

"Well, how many people do you know that have been shot in the left foot?"

"A few. Happened when they're cleaning their gun and it goes off accidentally," Lom answered. Heyes had planted the seed and Lom's brain was going fast. "What if the mercantile owner shot himself by accident and lied about the robbery to cover his embarrassment…and then the next day he sees Wheat and Kyle traveling through town and identifies them as the ones who robbed him? Maybe, just maybe. Think I'll get there a day or two early and talk to the sheriff there. Make sure he thinks of this."

ASJ*****ASJ

Dressed in their new dark suits and white shirts, Kid Curry and Hannibal Heyes were sitting on a bench in back of the livery where they couldn't be seen from the street. They didn't want to take the chance of being recognized. From the nearby alley they could see the front door of the school house which was being used as the courthouse. Heyes stood up. "Gonna check on the horses."

A young boy came running out of the makeshift court house. "The jurors are back. The jurors are back."

Without a word, the partners walked in step to the side down of the schoolhouse and slipped in. They slipped into a back row of chairs, next to Sheriff Lom Trevors, who nodded but gave no other sign of recognition. Wheat and Kyle were led in from a back room.

A large smile broke across Kyle's face as he leaned toward his partner and whispered loudly, "Hey Wheat, look it's the…"

Wheat cut him off quickly. "Yeah, it's our lawyer. He's waiting for us to be seated and be QUIET!"

Curry breathed a sigh of relief that Kyle didn't make his presence known. A door opened and the clerk announced, "All rise," as the judge walked in and took his place. He was followed by the men of the jury as the clerk said, "For the record: The jurors were in retirement for three hours and eighteen minutes."

"Seemed longer than that," Heyes whispered to Curry and drew a dirty look for talking from Lom.

"Defendants, please stand."

"That's us," Wheat said to Kyle.

"Jury Foreman, has the jury reached a verdict?" the judge asked.

"Yes, Judge, we have."

The judge held out his hand for the paper in the foreman's hand, read it, and handed it back. "Please read it to the court."

The foreman cleared his throat and said, "We find the defendants, Whittier Carlson and Kyle Murtry, not guilty."

Curry let out the breath he didn't know he was holding as he heard the man they had paid to yell, "Drinks for everyone on me over in the saloon!"

In the confusion, Heyes and Curry slipped out the side door, slipped badges onto their vests, and headed to get the four horses they had secured behind the livery. Then they went to the sheriff's office.

"Heyes, you think those US Marshals that we stopped on the way here and stole their badges will stay tied up?" asked Curry.

"Even we couldn't get away from the way I restrained them. They'll be fine and we'll let Lom know where that old farmhouse we left them in is. We'll even give them their badges back."

"Don't know they'll want them after what I did to them."

They stopped outside the sheriff's door and looked at each other. Their years together taught them to communicate wordlessly. This was the most dangerous part of Heyes' plan, but they couldn't think of anything other way.

Heyes knocked then walked in before waiting for an answer. The sheriff was just finishing locking Wheat and Kyle into the two cells of his jail and had his back to the door.

"Sheriff, we're from headquarters to transport two wanted outlaws to Cheyenne," Heyes told the startled man.

"You were expecting us, were you not?" asked Curry.

"Yeah, yeah, just not this soon. I'll need to see your paperwork."

Heyes fished in his pocket for the papers they had taken off of the marshals. "You should find everything in order. We'd like to get going right now while we still have sunlight."

"Okay, that's fine. Don't need to read them, just want to see you have them." The sheriff was anxious to get to the free drinks at the saloon. "Please sign the transfer paper on my desk and I will get want one of them cuffed to each of you?" the sheriff asked. He was feeling letdown that his infamous prisoners were leaving so soon after their trial even though joining the joyous crowd for drinks was some consolation.

"No, sir. We have four horses. We'll secure them to their saddle and lead their horses," Heyes told him confidently.

"We've transported prisoners before," Curry added.

ASJ*****ASJ

The saloon was still joyously celebrating with the free drinks Heyes had provided, obvious to the four men who rode out of town in the tree line behind the buildings. Lom had two drinks, figuring that gave his friends time to do what they were going to do when he saw the sheriff enter. Wheat had saved his life once when he rode with the Devil's Hole Gang. Looking the other way was his way of paying him back.

At his hotel, the desk clerk got his attention.

"Sheriff Trevors, I have an envelope for you," she said.

"Thank you. May I ask who dropped it off for me?"

The desk clerk got a dreamy smile on her face. "A well-dressed blond man with the bluest eyes I've ever seen."

Lom nodded. Kid Curry has that effect on women of all ages. Waiting until he was in his room before opening the letter, he poured its contents on his bed. He picked up the two US Marshal badges. "What have you done this time?" he said to no one. "Impersonating a US Marshal is a serious crime."

He looked closer at the badges. Each had the round dent from a bullet obscuring the rsh so the word Marshal was unreadable. Lom had no doubt the twin dents had come from Kid Curry's colt

He picked up the letter.

Lom, thank you for all your help. Wheat and Kyle were innocent this time. You'll find the two men that lost these badges in a farmhouse about five miles north of town.

HH and JC

PS - We never told the sheriff we were US Marshals.