Two Days before the hanging:
I hadn’t finished moving my shavin’ razor from my right cheek to my left, before I done killed two Chinamen out right. Daggone Chinamen more trouble than a pack of Paddies pounding rail at four in the morning. Gotta hand it to those coolies, they sure are a working bunch of little fellas ever there been. Shame, how I hadda kill’em every now and again. Never-you mind any apologies from me, over why I am here today, mind you Doc.
I can’t say I feel bad about killin darn near everyone in Mud Flats. If ever a town needed killen Mud Flats was it. Here comes that dang blasted Hangman agin. He keeps just walking by me, grinning. Back and forth, back and forth. Dangeest thing I ever saw.
Why there’s a Hanging’ in the first place:
Now I reckon Big Boss man, you’re probably wondering why I had to kill those two fellas outright. Didn’t give me much choice in the matter, no sir they didn’t. I was dipping my straight razor into this here bucket of water the Chinaman over yonder was holding. Fella was shaking so dang blasted much, I nearly cut my own throat. Water pouring over the sides of the bucket like a bath barrel shot full of holes. Got my new boots plum soaked.
I figured I help the fella stop shaking by shooting him in the gullet. I did on both accounts. When I turned back towards my looking tin, there was another Chinaman running to beat all get out, with my looking tin. I had no choice but to killem right on the spot.
I know before you go on, it being illegal to shoot a Chinaman, but this one had my tin looking glass. By gum, that made it real legal like. Now the first one well, Big Boss man, he fell in the gray area of sorts. I’ll tell ya this much, when I let loose on the little fella with my lookin’ tin, he let out a yell, then rolled over and died right out. Don’t take much to kill a Chinaman. That’s pretty much how it happened, Big Boss man. Sorry about killin the shaky one, but the other had it comen.
“Well Pike,” Big Boss man said, eyeing me real good. He took a big yank off his plug of tobakey. Wallowed it around in his hog jaws, went to spit out a wad of juice like he does. Dang gone whole affair shot out his mouth about a pinky finger distance, fell plum on his belly. I just looked him over, knew better than to say anything; he was already fit to be tied over the two Chinamen. I just waited until he wiped himself with his sleeve and yanked off another chew.
“Well Pike, I just can’t figure it. I’ve been laying track fur the Union-Pacific since the first spike driven at Omaha. You been with me now a little over three weeks only on account I known your daddy.
Good man, sorry about the whole affair in Ogden, but, well Pike, he kinda had it coming, Preacher wife and all dang Mormons. I am sure if your daddy would have known it was his wife.”
I had to interrupe Big Boss man even though he doesn’t cotton to anyone breaking his wording none.
“Dang Blasted, Big Boss man preacher had five wives.”
“ Now Pike, I was a talkin’, all the same your daddy he was a good man. Now, Pike, in the three weeks you’ve been working fur me, you’ve managed to kill sixteen Chinamen, fur various reasons no less, some questionable like this one here. Well, Pike, some I granted legal like that one there.”
Big Boss man didn’t give me much choice again. I had to sit him straight, on account he had the Chinaman confused. I said. “It was this one here legal. And that one there, questionable, Big Boss man.”
“Well, Pike, I was a talkin’, can’t tell this on from that one no how, but whichever the case may be. Well Pike theres been a whole pickle barrel of talk about you lately. Some are of the opinion that you don’t like China-men much, granted this opinion is unanimous among the Chinamen.
“ Well, Pike, if there had only been two, maybe four, killed outright I might be inclined to think perhaps your being unfairly judged. I knew your daddy and he seemed get along just fine with the Chinaman.”
Big Boss man was heading in the wrong direction as far as I was concerned. I had to put my two cents in. I said. “I aint got nothin’ agin no Chinamen Big Boss man.”
“Well, Pike, I was a talkin’. I figured you leave me with little choice but to let you go Pike. Besides at the rate you’re going there won’t be any chinamen left in the world outside of a year if I kelp you on. I can’t do that now Pike, railroad needs Chinamen. I knew your daddy and he see it my way. You got five minutes Pike to get your things together and skidaddle. I gotta turn this matter over to the Railroad, but don’t worry, these two aren’t gonna tell on ya. Been nice working with ya Pike.”
“If that don’t beat all.” I said walking away from Big Boss man. He just plum came out and gave me the boot, ain’t never been kicked off no job. I was hotter than a pepper-sprout, by gum.
Big Boss man wasn’t someone you killed very easy and I wasn’t about to killem over no Chinaman. I figured I just saddle up my horse and high tail it towards Caliornye. Didn’t rightfully know what I was gonna do fur work. Maybe bust some broncos or herd some cattle, I’d play by ear.
It was getting along late in the year when I happened upon a mining town called Silver Dog in the high Sierras. Place had seen better days but so had I, been riding going-on two weeks and my belly was plum empty.
I figured I’d head into the saloon and wash the dust out my gums and the hunger out of my belly, maybe get in a hand or two of Black Jack. I step on up to the bar, and said.
“Whiskey bar keep.”
“What’s your name fella?”
“Doggonna, a man gotta tell ya his name before he can get a whiskey?” I said I was tired and fit to be tied over getting kicked off the job, ain’t never been kicked off a job. The last thing I wanted was a parley with a bar keep.
“Nope, just trying make social mister,” he said.
“I don’t feel social mister, how about that whiskey?” I said.
That dang blasted talky talk bar keep handed me a half-cooked bottle of old number 9 and I fell into a chair, kicked my feet upon the table, and went to work on my dust and belly.
I made good of about two fingers when I noticed a dapper dressed fella giving me the eye over his playing hand. Looking at me unnoticed like but I noticed him looking and fiddling with his hand, being it’s not polite to look at a fella while he’s curing himself from a long ride, I got plum set on fire right quickly. I started to pull myself away from the table, when the dapper fella throws his hand down and got up and headed my way.
Being I was in a strange town, natural thing to do was to slide my right hand onto my hog leg, and pull back the hammer. I waited snake like to see what was on his mind. I gave the place the once over. The piano man was plucking away and everyone else was as cool as cucumbers. I just couldn’t figure this dapper fella for a troublemaker, didn’t have that look-beady eyes or knife scar running down the side of his face. Nope this fella was prim and proper. Lady like, it didn’t matter much no how I was gonna give him all the trouble and then some as soon as he got another foot closer.
He must have seen I was business like on account he stopped dead in his tracks, about four arms from me. The piano man knew something was cooking. They always do. He stopped plucking, and everyone turned my way. Now I have been in a many a saloon ruckus, so I played my hand by eyeing everyone and no one in particular. Then the dapper fella said, “You must be Pike North. Mind if I pull up a chair and join you.”
Now when a fella in a town you have never been in knows who you are, then that can’t mean anything good, but this dapper fella had my full attention, so I was obliged to say. “Well mister, you got me at an advantage, and I don’t cotton to strangers knowing me fur I know them. All things being equal, I’ll lend you an ear. Just mind your time right smartly, wouldn’t want to fill those fancy duds with holes now.”
“Dangest way of saying sit down I ever heard Pike,” he said, smiling at me all friendly like. “Don’t mind if I call you Pike now do ya.”
I could tell this fella wasn’t lookin’ to get killed outright. You can always tell when a fella trying to get himself killed. He does and that ends that. I nodded to the fella.
“I reckon since you already know who I am no sense in changing this here horse in mid-stream, I said.
“Reckon your right Pike,” he said. Then he went on into a parley of sorts. “By the way my name is Tennessee Bill. My friends call me Dr. Bill on account I used to be a barber in Tennessee that is.”
“Figures about right, Dr. Bill pleasure, to meet ya,” I said.
I extended my hand friendly like. This fella seemed fine by me, being from Tennessee explained his dudes out right and a doctor and all. I never known no back shooting Tennessee doctor, so I slid my hand off my Colt 44, tried to relax a bit. Now being in a strange town chopping away on the bit with a Tennessee doc didn’t help matters.
“I hope you don’t mind me asking how you’d come about the handle Pike?” he said.
“My daddy named me after a fish, but I wouldn’t go spreading that around now Dr. Bill,” I said.
I slid my hand back on my hog leg so he gets my meaning real good. He did and that was that for the time being.
I offered Dr. Bill a pull from my Red eye. He declined. Said fella was gonna need some dental work later on, seemed he had to have his wits about him. I reckon being a doctor and all I wouldn’t force the issue. Under normal terms, I would have been taken back by a fella not tossing back a shot or two with me, but being a doctor and all I let it go.
“I knowed your Daddy, Pike,” he said, smiling at me all friendly like. Seems lately a lot of fella’s known my daddy I thought, but I let it pass. He went on. “Good man, sorry about what happen, but he had it coming.”
“Well Dr. Bill he didn’t know the Preacher was married. Dang blasted Mormons,” I said tossing back another shot, eyeing ole Dr. Bill real careful like.
“Yep I reckon Pike.” He said. “ I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there’s been some trouble in Mud Flats. I can’t get into it. That’s for the sheriff to go over with ya. Everyone this side of the Continental Divide been looking for ya Pike. I known your daddy. So I kinda knowed you, of sorts.
