The Time Rippers Book 2: Gettysburg by Pete Bertino - HTML preview
Download the book in PDF, ePub, Kindle for a complete version.
CHAPTER 9 A LETTER FROM AN
OLD FRIEND
It was early summer, the sun was shinning high in a blue cloudless sky over El Tiempo. A man
wearing a light colored suit and wire rim
spectacles sat on a donkey that slowly but steadily made its was towards the trenches of El Tiempo
which were kept freshly dug and with a few still covered on top with burlap.
The man was short and skinny, upon his head sat a fraying sombrero the shaded his skinny body
almost entirely. He reached the first hole and was looking down in it when in the hole beside him a young Mexican boy with a the beginnings of a
mustache shot out of the ground armed with a rifle.
Before the boy could say a word, the man shrieked and tumbled off the donkey in a heap. the boy
smiled but kept his rifle up.
The man got on his knees as the donkey trotted
away baying in an annoyed manner, he held his
hands up to show he was unarmed. They boy
lowered his rifle but only a little. The man
adjusted the spectacles on his face before
speaking.
“Uh...habla Ingles? Do you speak English?”
The boy looked questioningly at the man, he turned his head slightly and whistled. They stood their not speaking, after a few moments a man on a horse
rode from the town towards them. He was armed
with a pair of revolvers but kept them holstered.
He got off his horse and spoke quickly to the young boy, and patted him on the shoulder. He then
disappeared into the hole he jumped out from. The man with glasses still knelt with his hands up, his sombrero had ripped when he fell and it sat
pathetically on his head.
“You may get up, Senior. And put down your hands unless you plan to fly away.My name is Miguel.”
“Thank you,” he grunted as he rose off his knees.
“are you the mayor?”
Miguel looked at the man closely thinking he was teasing, but the man was sincere in his question.
He thought about telling him the truth.
“Si, senior. Mayor Otero at your service. Are you lost?”
Whoever this man was he didn’t look dangerous,
but Miguel still kept a hand on one of his
revolvers.
“I don’t know, senior. I am looking for a man
known as William Bonney and...” he had begun to reach into an inner pocket when one of Miguels
revolvers pressed into the mans chest.
“And what is it you want of Senior Mccarty,
gringo?” Miguel asked cautiously.
“It’s a letter, please senior. I’m not a bounty hunter. I am a lawyer my name is Christopher
Connelly of Fort Sumner. If Senior Mccarty is here just tell him Susan sends her regards. I am a friend of a friend.”
The man kept his hand in the pocket, Miguel
reached in and took it out and reholstered his
weapon. He scanned the envelope and put it in his pocket.
“Get your mule, senior. He looks thirstier than you.”
An hour later Billy, Miguel, and the lawyer Connelly sat in the gin mill which was just two walls after the cannon raid, was nearly finished being rebuilt and looked closed to its old self again. Billy sat hunched over a letter that he had read numerous times.
Dear Billy,
I hope you get this letter, everybody is saying all kinds of things over here. They say Dolan has been hunting for you still, and I know that is true. The s.o.b. would come by drunk as a sunk after you got away ranting and raving.
He had Garrett search my home tearing things
apart looking for anything to locate you. He found Miguels letter when he went back to Pete
Maxwell’s. Good Billy, I was so happy to hear
you got away I cried. And I don’t think I cried that hard since my dear Tom was murdered.
Frank and George are the reason Mr Connelly is
here. He went to law school with my Tom and can be trusted. They have been trying to get Governor Ross to reconsider a pardon for you, but I think his connection to Dolan runs as deep as it did with Lew Wallace.
Mr Connelly believes we may have to wait him out of office before we try again. I wish more people knew what a villain Dolan really is. I hate that i have to make this letter so short, Mr Connelly
doubt’s he will be able to find you. I told him if I could find it on a map, that means Dolan can too and to find you quick.
Please stay safe Billy, we need you.
Love Susan McSween.
Billy felt his eyes burn with tears every time he read the letter. He turned it over on the table and looked at the lawyer.
“So this Ross is a lying asshole like Wallace. And Dolan is the same asshole he always was.”
“Si, bastardo has attacked this town. How can your government allow this?!” Miguel asked.
“Mayor Otero, all we’ve heard are rumors. I trust you at your word. But a man like Dolan has money and connections that run deep. He would never
allow himself to be caught doing something as
horrid as using a cannon on a small town.”
“So people have heard about it?” Billy asked.
“As I said, just rumors. A man who rode with
Selman was claiming to had fired the cannon
himself. An army private as a matter of fact. The private alleged an officer that he failed to name had sold cannons to Dolan.”
“Well why the hell hasn’t someone arrested him, he could offer to testify...”
But the lawyer waved Billy off before he could
finish.
“An associate of mine did from Silver City, he was reluctant and drunk but he agreed to give a
statement the next day at his office. He never
arrived though, he had found a letter with a return address from him to a residence in Fort Sumner.”
“Was he there?”
“Yes, but he had hung himself sometime prior in a closet. No suicide note was ever found. ”
“Damn. Hell it probably wouldn’t work. Look
what givin myself up for the greater good got me.
What about Selman? Have you heard from him?”
“Yes, he’s not fond of you might I add. He blames you for a burn on his face, though that was the most I heard him say about you, Mr McCarty.”
“So did you just come here to give me town gossip and hand me a letter. Seems like an awful crazy trip to make for that, hell this letter was dated six weeks ago. You been wandering the desert the
whole time?”
“No I had to wait before leaving. It seems Dolan has located silver on his land. I have been getting nowhere slowly on your pardon, Mr Dolan has
deep pockets, and this discovery of silver...”
“Is the icing on the cake, son of bitch will control everything. This is bad.”
“its good actually.” the lawyer finished
“How?” said Billy perplexed.
“Well, Mr McCarty, you are right in that Mr Dolan controls all the economic interests of New Mexico.
Which is against the law in the United States. A monopoly is the term used for it.”
“A monopoly?”
“Yes, Mr McCarty. Land, cattle, irrigation, and now silver.”
“OK, but what’s it got to do with me?”
“In the years since you departed people have come to see certain facts rumors aside, Mr McCarty.
Have you ever read the Mesilla News?
“Yeah, it’s one of the local papers back home, hell I talked with one of them guys when I was still locked up. Course Garrett cut the meetin short, said
I was gettin to mouthy.”
“Well the Mesilla remembered that and has been a vocal supporter of a pardon for you since, Dolan began what the Mesilla called a hostile takeover of the few independent cattle ranches remaining in Fort Sumner. ”
“Hostile?”
188
“Yes, the Mesilla headline one afternoon called it
'The Second Lincoln County War.’ It was short and violent and saw Mr Dolan the winner again.
Locals were angered he had control of beef prices
for the entire territory. The Mesilla called it price gouging, The Sun News a paper more favorable to Dolan has been shooting back with its own
accusations.”
“Look I don’t understand what its got to do with me?” Billy said.
“Patience, Mr McCarty, you’ll understand in a
moment. The reason I have gotten nowhere on your pardon was Dolan’s judicial connections and
public opinion. At some point Governor Ross will be gone from his office that is one obstacle,
Dolan’s continuously aggressive tactics and
drunken debauchery are being noticed thanks to
the Mesilla. So much in fact that he is rumored to have finally quit drinking and has started going to church on a weekly basis.”
“OK, but the judges he’s paying off. What about them?”
“A few years ago, an attempt was made to indict James Dolan for land fraud. It failed, but only because of local jurisdiction. If New Mexico were a state I could seek a State Supreme court to intervene on the case, however it maybe decades before New Mexico becomes a state.”
“If it becomes a state, so Dolan’s untouchable.”
“It will be a state one day. In the meantime I have recently sent a letter to the US attorney General with recommendation to indict James Dolan on
monopolizing the economic interests of the New
Mexico Territory and since it is not a state yet it is a Federal matter. On this letter are my signature as well as my associates at my firm, the few judges who I could win over, as well as the few
remaining independent Ranchers outside of Lincoln County and the writing staff of the Mesilla News.”
“So I got to rely on the feds? I’m beginning to like these odds.” he said with laugh.
“Thats were public opinion comes in to help us. I sent numerous copies of this letter to newspapers all over the southwest territories. People are
seeing that you were a victim of circumstance
rather than...”
“...a lunatic with a gun. You think Dolan will go to jail?” Billy asked.
189
“No, not likely.”
“Shit, Connelly. Then what the hell is the...”
Connelly held up his hand and continued: “ He will however be asked to forfeit certain holdings and property regardless of the outcome. It will be a costly trail for him but it will also be a lengthy one as well.”
“And he’ll be too busy to interfere with us. That son of bitch has got skeletons in his closet, bloody ones and I’m still a loose end. So what happens now? We wait for him to be indicted?”
“Yes, in the mean time I must return to Fort
Sumner.”
“Wait a sec! I didn’t get a chance to write back to Susan, there ain’t no pony express out here.”
“I would advise against that, Mr McCarty. It stands to reason that Mr Dolan may still be looking for you.”
“So how do I know whats going on until then?”
“The town of El Perdido has a telegraph office. If I need to speak to you I will send it for Mayor Otero.”
Billy turned to look at Miguel who had a smile on his face and only shrugged his shoulders. It was the beginning of a new year when a telegram came in for Mayor Otero.
‘stop. James Dolan indicted on Federal charges
stop. Will keep you informed. stop.
After the indictment Billy began to rest easier, and finished building his farm. It was the best years of Billy’s life so far. Miguel had even acquired beef cattle, he had grown tired of goats and sheep. He had just three claves, that looked too scrawny but he couldn’t have been prouder.
190
By the time the nineteenth century was coming to a close, he had six cows that were the envy of the
town. Billy had acquired a pair of milk cows and thought about purchasing a bull for breeding. He always kept an eye out for news about his pardon or about Dolan’s legal woes, but it was always a waiting game.
He finally received another telegram after
Dolan must forfeit livestock including town
properties stores etc. stop. keeping silver mines.
stop. must abide by ruling or go to jail. stop.
A few hours later another telegram came in this one was even more promising.
Dolan asked by Mesilla about you. stop. quoted to have given up looking for you. stop.
Three weeks later Chris Connelly returned to El Tiempo on horseback. He was brought quickly to
Billy’s farm where he and his wife sat. He and
Isabella had been rocking away the afternoon
unaware of what news was about to be delivered.
“Mr Connelly, what are you doin here?”
“I brought you something which you might like to read, Mr McCarty.” he said pulling out a slip of paper.
Billy took it and quickly noticed the letterhead at the top.
“what is it, Billy?” asked Isabella who put a warm soft hand on his shoulder.
“It’s from the Governor’s office.” he said with a thundering heartbeat that he could feel in his throat.
He took just a moment to read the paragraph,
which was short. But he took in every letter and word slowly especially the word pardoned.
“I’ve been pardoned.” he said quietly.
191
Isabella let a short breath out, Miguel who had arrived with the lawyer was wide eyed.
“JESUCRISTO, BE PRAISED, BILLY!” Miguel
shouted.
Billy and his wife embraced as Miguel shook the lawyers hand vigorously.
“As mayor of El Tiempo, I herby declare today
“Please, Mayor Otero. I was just doing my job.”
trying to hide a smile.
“Mayor? Is he loco?” Isabella asked but not really worried.