You wanna lose a finger?
Ezra Greely
Ezra Greely was born in the Eastern United States. He is not sure when. When he was young his family was moving West to California when their wagon was attacked by Apache. His mother, father and younger sister were killed. His older sister, Ruth, and Ezra were taken captive. He was beaten often and used as slave labor by the medicine man while his sister was raped and abused. Ruth got away and ran off a cliff. It was the last time Ezra saw his sister. He is not sure how many years he lived with the Apaches. The years bled together.
When he was a teenager Ezra was sent on a hunting trip. When he returned the camp was gone. He wondered the wilderness until he met an old man. The old man knew much of the desert and magic. He taught Ezra many things about animals, the desert and hunting. The old man also taught Ezra how not to be seen, along with other magic. The one stipulation was that there were never any questions about the old man’s past. The boy came to the conclusion that the old man was from a tribe that had been wiped out by the Apache. Together they hunted the hunting parties. The hunting parties learned to fear parts of the desert at night. Ezra and the old man may have spent time in Mexico. He did learn Spanish from people they dealt with. One day the old man didn’t wake up. He wears the old man’s bead necklace.
His custom bolt action rifle is carved with symbols to make it more accurate. Around the barrel is a red ribbon with “Ruth” stitched into it. Ezra’s goal is simple. Kill every Apache he meets.
Yes…yes, you can deputize us.
Royce Hyatt
Royce was born in 1842 in Cincinnati, Ohio, but travelled west with his father, mother, and two sisters in 1849 where his father opened a dry goods store in San Francisco.
Longing for more adventure than working in his father’s store could offer, Royce enlisted in the US Army in 1861 shortly after outbreak of the Civil War serving in the 1st California Cavalry Regiment. During his service, he was promoted to corporal and, with his unit, spent time in California, the Arizona, and New Mexico territories, and even as far east as Kansas.
Following the war, Royce returned to San Francisco, married, helped his father with the store, and worked in the Western Union Telegraph Office. In the post-war years, Royce corresponded with his old Army buddies including James Wethers who lived in Privilegio, Arizona Territory. Sadly, in 1874, Royce’s wife died after a sudden and brief illness. Overcome with grief and looking for a fresh start in a new place, Royce left San Francisco and, eventually, found his way to Privilegio to find his old friend, James.
While in Privilegio, Royce met Wyatt Cooley, a local rancher. As a veteran of the Cavalry, Royce had an affinity for and an ability to work with horses so it was natural that he agreed to work with Cooley at his ranch. It was there that he met and began an adventurous ride with the Oak Hill Gang.
I’m sure Louis will fill us in if he has any idea why he got shot in the face.
Jack Kollath
Jack joined the army at 16 with the 6th Wisconsin until the end of the Civil War. After the conflict, he went to the University of Wisconsin and received his law degree in the spring of 1869. Worked at the Beloit and Madison railroad as a security officer until it closed in 1871. Moved to St. Louis and joined the Union Pacific Railroad.
And a few weeks ago, was reassigned to Smithville, Arizona Territory.
It was in Smithhall where he met Louis Toadvine. Along with some other associates, they uncovered a Chinese opium den and some unusual occult activity. Further investigations revealed a series of tunnels underneath the town and a spectral sorcerer that was draining the life of a local Pinkerton agent. Eventually, The Boys prevailed and left town.
From time to time Jack gets assignments from his employer that leverage both his skill with pistols and understanding of the law.
Howdy there, fellas. Got a light?
Eugene “Shady” McCoy
Son of an aging lumber baron, Eugene was born under a shade tree. Unfortunately, Eugene is the third son. So, he won’t be inheriting the family business anytime soon. But coming from a large family in the town of Wickenburg has its advantages. His parents basically let him be. Which gave Shady the chance to get into trouble growing up. But nothin’ too bad.
He learned about cards and women the hard way – through gambling losses and venereal disease (now treated). One memorable night, Shady was playing cards against Jian TouMen – nicknamed “The Asian Gentleman.” Things were goin’ aces for a spell. And Shady couldn’t believe his luck. He was winning!
But things changed. Jian’s four kings beat Shady’s full house. And it was a big pot. Too big for Shady’s pockets, truth be told. But his father paid. To work off the debt, Shady guarded lumber wagons and trains for a bit. Which gave Shady the chance to learn shooting irons and get exposed to dynamite, his weapon of choice. He also saw a bit of the West.
In his travels, Shady learned The Asian Gentleman is a well- known card cheat. Luck had nothing to do with it!
Now his debt has been paid, Shady has set off from Wickenburg. He’s not quite sure what he’ll do when he finds Jian TouMen. Does he learn from him? Or get revenge?
Sure would be nice to hear Camptown Races.
Louis Toadvine
Louis Toadvine is the youngest of seven brothers and a younger sister born in 1845 (age 30) to Joseph and Althea Toadvine, on a small farm outside Trading Post Kansas on the Missouri border. Louis was bullied incessantly by his older brothers, and when not needed on the farm, was often sent by his father to work in the dry goods store in town, stocking shelves and loading and un-loading wagons. In May 1858 at the age 13 a group of about 15 men led by one Charles Hamilton arrived at the store to ostensibly purchase flour, beans and stocks of canned goods. Each was on his own horse with no wagon, and said they’d need the goods delivered to Hamilton’s farm in Missouri. He said they couldn’t wait and would pay for use of the store’s wagon and driver and put the driver up for the night. The storekeeper, Alois Fischer, a German immigrant, told Louis to take the wagon with Hamilton and he would send someone to the Toadvine farm to let them know.
About 3 miles East of Trading Post, just short of the border, Hamilton stopped the group, whistled, waved his hat, and suddenly another group of men appeared out of a thicket South of the road. While this alone was peculiar enough, more peculiar and even more disturbing was that these men had captives. About 11 bound, ragged looking and barefoot men of age from maybe Louis’ next oldest brother to older than is dad were tied and led out of the forest and forced onto the wagon. Louis knew this was bad but these men all had guns, and he was after all only 13. Louis tried not to look afraid but nearly broke into tears when, after the prisoners were loaded, Hamilton rode forward, looked Louis straight in the eye with a gaze cold as a snake’s, and pointed for him to move forward. They turned North on the next road, carried on about a mile and half, then off the road into a thick wood where Hamilton stopped again.
The prisoners were unloaded and marched into a shallow ravine, still bound. Hamilton and his men dismounted and Louis a glance from Hamilton told Louis he was to do the same. “Senator Atchison sends his regards”, Hamilton said and with those words the men shouldered their rifles and shot the helpless captives in cold blood as Louis watched in horror.
On the first round Louis’ horse bolted with the wagon then Hamilton’s men shot until their magazines were empty and blood soaked the dark Kansas dirt. Louis looked agape at the carnage, he’d only seen one dead man before, his granddad Amos but that was natural – this was not. The red stained clothes and looks of fear on the corpses faces – the ones whose faces were intact anyway made Louis think of the scenes Parson Lewis described when he preached on the Revelation on Sundays. Those sermons had always captured his imagination then, but now, seeing the reality of it Louis felt sick.
It was quiet for a moment or tow after the last echo from the last bullet had subsided, then, almost imperceptibly a low moan could be heard coming from the bottom of the bloody trench. Impossibly someone had survived.
One of Hamilton’s men drew his pistol and began to step down to the where the lone survivor lay in agony. “Wait,” Hamilton said. The man stopped and Hamilton strode over to Louis. Holding his revolver by the barrel, Hamilton extended it to Louis. “Looks like you’ve got a choice to make boy”, he said. “Time to do your duty, either with this”, nodding at the gun, “or down there with them.” Louis knew it was a grave sin to kill, but when he looked down into the ravine the fear of becoming one of those mangled bodies overtook him.
Trembling he took the pistol in both hands and was escorted down one of Hamilton’s ruffians to where the survivor lay gasping for life. Closing his eyes he pointed at the man’s head, squeezed the trigger and nearly fell backward for the recoil. It was done, he was a murderer now.
“Time to get on back to Missouri boys,” Hamilton said. “One of you grab the kid and let’s go.” Louis’ vision blurred as someone swept him up onto the back of their saddle, where he abruptly fainted. When he woke again it was in the middle of the night around a camp fire. Most of the men were sleeping, except for the watch. Louis made eye contact and acted as though he needed to piss. The watchman nodded, and Louis made for the darkness around the edge of the camp.
When he got there he started running. He knew he couldn’t go home, he’d be branded an outlaw now for his participation in what would later become known as the “Marais des Cygnes Massacre”, after the river that ran just West of Trading Post and his own farm. Crossing that, he made his way further West, into the frontier to escape his past and the bloody war to come.
Other Folks
Payton Bosock: Clearwater deputy
Rubie Bellamy: Globe schoolteacher. Kidnapped by giants.
Colonel William “Bill” Cooley: nemesis of Oak Hill Boys
Burt Devore: Traveling salesman, Burt’s Beeswax & Sundries
Lafayette Dwyer: manager, Bailey Circus in Hardy
Edith Halverstadt: Hot air balloon pilot, Bailey Circus
Jobe Lackamp: Doorman and Hired Gun, Hard Knocks Saloon
Axe: Jobe’s dog
Bai Lin: Asian assassin turned Chinese dragon
Bill Meacham: Dry Gulch Sheriff
Absalom Mecketts: Magician & train robber. Now dead.
Horton Reyes: hired killer of Sunny Copperstone and attempted murder of Charley Ward
Billy Rise: Traveling medicine man
Buck Thompson: Two-time bank robber. Now dead.
Mattie Townsend: owner of Townsend Mine. Husband poisoned in sleep.
Charley Ward: H&S Saloon bartender, Clearwater
Lydia Wright: widow, Wright’s General Store, Clearwater. Sweet on Jack.
Dry Gulch Bugle 