Partida Rol por web

Trinity stuck his head out and pointed at Dyer. He cocked quickly and started firing like mad but aiming after each shot!

Trinity fired three shots in quick succession. The first hit Dyer on the left shoulder, but the outlaw kept crawling forward and miraculously reached Jack´s body. The second shot missed, and he was able to grab the gun from the ground. But then the third shot hit him in the back hard. The impact lifted his body from the ground and back down again, and he dropped the gun out of his reach and yelled in pain.

He was in terrible pain, and unarmed, even though he could see Jack´s gun through the haze of his eyes, only a few feet away.... So close but yet so far.

This was Trinity´s chance to finish him off. But his gun was empty!

Earwin tried to catch his breath. His face was covered in dirt, and he could taste his own blood. He had been hit four times. He had never seen a man survive four gunshots...

-Damn negro!! I´ll see you in hell..., he muttered and clenched his teeth.

Trinity ran through the door. He kicked Dyer's body in his path to Jack's gun and crushed Dyer's hand.  

Trinity ran out of the dwelling and to Dyer before the outlaw could crawl any further, and kicked him hard into the abdomen and then tried to step on his hand, but the outlaw rolled in pain to the other side and Trinity missed the second kick.

The bounty hunter was above Dyer, who was now fighting for his life¹⁷⁴. He tried to get up and grab Trinity´s legs, but he was slow and weak...He had broken bones, his leg hurt, his vision was blurry...

Trinity grabbed Dyer's hair and closed his right fist so tight. His glove started to rustle. See ya in hell Sumbitch!!. And he tried to hit Dyer's face.

Trinity grabbed Dyer by the hair with his left hand, and hit him hard in the face with his right. The powerful punch hit the mark perfectly and tilted the outlaw´s head backwards. When Trinity was about to punch him a second time, he realized Dyer had stopped breathing. All the suffered injuries were simply too much for his body to handle.

I hope those bastards have a horse. He took Dyer's and Copeland corpses (and weapons) and left them together, he looked for a good place to left his "stepbrother" and searched for the horses.

It took Trinity over an hour to drag Copeland´s body up from the pit with a rope. He had put Jack inside the dwelling away from the sun. He would have to bury him before he left.

Hidden inside the other house he had found an Appaloosa colored thoroughbred horse. It was hungry and not in the best shape, but otherwise a good horse. And also not branded, so there was a chance no one was looking for the animal. The two mounts Jack and Trinity had used these last weeks were on hire, and needed to be returned shortly.

Trinity went through the bodies looking for items. 

Copeland: Winchester 1863 Carbine .38, worn out pants with suspenders, the hat was worthless because of the head shot.
Earwin Dyer: he was using Colt 1877 Lightning Thunderer .41. He had also a Colt SAA .44 (7,5” barrel) hidden inside the house, but it was broken. And a Spencer Carbine but no ammo. The poncho and rest of the clothes were all covered in blood, but the Mexican sombrero was in fairly good shape. The shoes were worn out.

Jack: Colt Navy, a Winchester .40, saddle bags, some food and provisions, a tent, his note books, a few pens, a magnifying glass, and a nice Stetson and fancy boots was all his friend had left behind.

Trinity also found $2.60 cash on Copeland, $1.10 on Dyer and Jack had $18.20 on him when he died.

It was getting late in the afternoon, and Trinity was nearly two days ride away from the state capital, where he could request the bounty to be paid. It would not make much difference to spend the night before leaving, or leave and sleep on the way.

Today's memories will not let me sleep here... better go away. As soon I leave as soon I'll arrive. Oh my!!! I have to send a cable to Jack... another son killed...I don't wanna imagine his face. Trinity put the corpses over the horses and began his sad way to nowhere.

Trinity prepared the horses and left the adobe dwelling behind. Of the three horses, the strongest was the Morgan gelding Jack had ridden the last few weeks, so he placed the two outlaws on that animal, and Jack on the Arabian horse with most of the items he had recovered. That left Trinity with the weak gray horse. Initially, he had to walk next to it without riding, until the thoroughbred got to know him. And eat some grass and drink some water on the way. Soon enough, the animal showed his appreciation towards Trinity. The animal had a small vice: it kept pawing the floor or the ground. Trinity checked the feet as best as he knew, and even though they were not shod, there were no injuries. It was simply a habit the horse had.

When Trinity finally arrived in the closest town that had a telegraph, the locals quickly gathered around to see what was going on. He took the bodies of the outlaws to the local sheriff, and then proceeded to send telegraphs to Heck Thomas regarding the killing of Earwin Dyer and Jim Copeland, and another one to the East, to Mr. Taylor.

A cold stone and a black figure, the wind was playing with the sand while the nigth was slowly fallen. The priest had gone 2 hours ago and Trinity still remained there, like an obsidean sculpture... another killed relative, another disgunting speech about heaven and god... no god in earth, nor with him, just Death.  No tears were welled up, dry eyes and throat.. I need wisky tonight. 

Trinity found a small saloon serving bad whiskey, and sat down. He had already checked into a hotel, and found a vet for the horse. And sent the telegraphs. Now he had to wait. The next day, he visited the saloon again. And the next.

In between, he bought a used saddle for his new horse, and carried some other business in town. A local journalist published an article about the killing of Copeland and Earwin Dyer, which Trinity read with some interest. He did not recognize himself in the picture of the article though, but at least it was a black man.

It took a few more days, or weeks, and far too many shots of whiskey to get some piece of mind after the loss of Jack Jr. Each day, he went to the post office to check if there was a message for him. This was his only purpose, and in a way he was worried what would happen once he had collected the reward. He had nowhere to go.

In the library, he saw news from last month´s papers. Trinity read with interest...

Tom Lee and Ed Stein were tracked down in Denison, Texas where they surrendered and were sent to Ft. Smith, Arkansas for trial.

The leaders of the Lee Gang – Jim and Pink, remained at large until September 7, 1885. Legendary lawman, Heck Thomas had been doggedly trailing the pair and upon receiving a tip, he tracked them to the John Washington Ranch near Delaware Bend on the banks of Lake Texoma. Thomas, along with Jim Taylor, and a posse, caught the pair off-guard, surrounded them and ordered the fugitives to surrender. Instead, the Lee boys answered with their Winchesters and the inevitable shoot-out ensued. When the smoke cleared, the brothers lay dead. No one in the posse was wounded.
The bodies were loaded into a wagon and taken to Gainesville, Texas where Thomas and Taylor collected the reward.  The next day, the newspapers proclaimed: "The Lee brothers, the most notorious desperadoes in Texas finally go down with their boots on.”  The press also attributed at least forty murders to the Lee Gang, but this has never been verified.

Newspaper Account

 Special Dispatch of the Globe-Democrat, the Cherokee Advocate, Fort Smith, Arkansas, September 11, 1885

 A Nice Gang Of Assassins - September 1- Five prisoners of considerable notoriety arrived here today, three of them bring Tom Lee, Ed Stein and Davidson, members of the notorious Lee gang, who a few months since murdered Indian Policeman J. H. Guy, Andy and Jim Roff, in Delaware Bend, Chickasaw Nation.
These three were arrested shortly after the murders occurred but Jim and Pink Lee for whom there is a reward of $5,000 are still at large. The other two are Jim and Jake Tobler, the two Negroes who murdered Frank Cass and Goodykooniz. These latter two were brought in by Deputy Marshal W. F. Jones, and on the way down they gave the officer a full account of the horrible deed.

So Ed Stein and Tom Lee had been captured. And Heck Thomas had killed Pink and Jim Lee. He couldn´t help to smile when he read that “Taylor” had helped Thomas. One of the bounty hunters had used this name. It was an homage to his dead friend. In a way, Jack Taylor Jr. lived on.

The hunt for the Delaware bandits was coming to an end. Ed Stein and Tom Lee had been captured. Pink Lee and Jim Lee killed, and also Earwin Dyear and Jim Copeland were dead. Trinity also heard that Saul Dyer had been hanged by a vigilante mob shortly after his capture. Tom Cole was killed in the initial shootout. This left only three outlaws at large: Dekker, Choctaw Lee and Della Humpy. And no leads as to where they could be hiding.

It was not until November 1885 when Trinity received the reward payment of $400. The bounty of $300 and $500 was halved because they had been killed before trial. It looked as if everyone wanted to close the chapter on the Delaware bandits.

Without a clear idea as to what to do and where to go, Trinity walked his horse out of the stable. The animal looked a lot better now than before.

Then he noticed that the young sable boy also sold newspapers. He gave him 5 cents. There was a story on that paper about a shootout in a Cantina…  

A cuople of those sumbitchs that started all. If I'm quick, maybe I could hunt more of that scum. Jack is dead because of that band...-Boy, saddle Silverado, I also need food for my Winchester. This grande negro goes to San Acoma, another hunting has began.