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A Texas Elegy:

  by

  Don Johnson

  This is a story of Texas — the way it was — the way it can never be again. Whit Rutherford and his small crowd of cowboys want to keep things just the way they are. But they'll have to take on "Miz Emily" and most of the rest of the world to do it.

  A San Antonio Function

  Back before the War Between the States, a young man we'll call Will Martin (not his real name) lived in the San Antonio area. He was a really nice young man, well liked by everyone who knew him. The only time he acted otherwise was while in his cups. He was prone to overindulge, and when he did, he was inclined to get quite rowdy.

  However, he cut a splendid figure on his horse, a pistol in each hand, and his long wavy hair blowing out behind him. He shot up several villages in the vicinity, riding through town shooting signs, posts and occasionally front doors. It was great fun for him and didn't bother the locals very much. They knew he wasn't going to intentionally shoot anyone, and he was an excellent marksman.

  Unfortunately he became bored with shooting up the same old villages every time and went looking for bigger game. He decided it would be great sport to "tree" San Antonio itself. So, he rode through the town shooting out several street lights and putting on quite a show. The residents were tolerant of the youngster, many actually enjoying the show he put on.

  However, one of his bullets was deflected off its target into the leg of one of the city's prominent citizens. He was promptly arrested by the constabulary and hauled before the local magistrate who ruled that the fault lay— not with the young man— but with the manufacturer of the bad whiskey the lad had been drinking. The judge accordingly freed him of all charges and told him he was free to go.

  However, a crowd was beginning to gather at the urging of several local toughs who wanted to stir up a little excitement of their own. They were calling for Will to be guest-of-honor at a necktie party. Consequently, Will declined the judge's offer of freedom and asked the marshal to put him back in jail.

  The marshal refused to do so citing his lack of authority to keep a prisoner incarcerated once he had been released by the court. However, he said that Will could remain in the front office of the jail for a while where he would be protected from the mob.

  Will gratefully accepted the offer, but became bored after a short time. He stuck his head out the window to determine the location and size of the mob. One of them promptly grabbed Will by his long hair and dragged him through the window. They hustled him to the nearest tree and proceeded to string him up on a sturdy limb.

  Noted historian and researcher the late Ed Bartholomew decried the action, not only because of its inherent unlawfulness but because it deprived history of a potentially wonderful reconstruction outlaw.

  With his flair for the dramatic, his tall, slender form, good looks and long, blond wavy hair, coupled with his natural proficiency with firearms, he would have made an excellent addition to John Wesley Hardin, the Cole Brothers, the James boys and other young men turned outlaw by the unjust rule imposed by the Federal Government during misnamed Reconstruction.

  Obviously, in this case, Will's punishment exceeded his crime, but... that's just the way things go sometimes.

  -END-

  A Book I Think You'll Enjoy

  Faded Roses

  by

  Fern Smith-Brown

  The faded roses of yesterday waft back with compelling intensity, touching the lives of those today in a sad yet often uplifting way. Fern Smith-Brown has written large the souls of Josiah Johnson, Cassie De Carlo, and Sam Sloan in this finely crafted novel of the past. It explores the 30s with trains, hobos, and hard times. But always speaks of love.