The Legend of Eli CrowChapter 47
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After their performance on their first assignment in Colorado back in October of 1896, the six Young Bucks’ names became well known at the Western District U.S. Marshal’s Service office in Kansas City.
During the next two years they were called upon time and time again to settle disputes.
They were sent to the Missouri border town of Fort Scott, Kansas, to help settle a railroad union dispute that had already gotten out of hand with clashes of violence by the time they arrived.
With strong words assuring fairness amid flaring tempers and threats from both sides, the Young Bucks managed to quickly establish a no-nonsense authority over the situation. Ten days after arriving, they were able to reconcile both sides to meet and negotiate a settlement in which a return-to-work agreement was reached.
They were sent to Victor, Colorado, to settle a series of claim disputes when a major mining company encroached upon small claim owners. Again, they were able to avoid violence and restore peace as the original boundaries to the claims were re-established. Yet, the young deputies yearned for another trip out into the open country where there were no claim jumpers or union strikes.
They were wrapping up a mission in Laramie, Wyoming, when they received a telegraph message that they were urgently needed in Mora, New Mexico Territory.
Las Vegas, New Mexico Territory May 2, 1898
The day they arrived in Las Vegas, the temperature reached 65° F which was average for this part of New Mexico Territory in early spring. The nighttime temperature dipped to a chilly 39° F.
They were on their way to Mora County where they would travel to Coyote Creek, a tributary of the Mora River.
They left their Pullman and cattle car on a sidetrack in Las Vegas at midday and stopped at the local mercantile to restock coffee, canned goods, flour, lard, salt pork and jerky. Their ride took them thirty miles or so northwest toward the town of Mora where they were to pick up their orders at the post office.
Each of them had packed two of their favorite two-piece fly rods and each of them had their recurve bows with plenty of hunting arrows. They had originally planned to take a few days off in Colorado to fish and hunt.
There was very little information available for the area they would be traveling to, but they had learned one thing — this was a remote wilderness with plenty of black bear, cougar, elk, mule deer, whitetail deer and small game. Plus the fishing was great in springtime.
US Post Office Mora, New Mexico Territory May 3, 1898
“I’m Deputy U.S. Marshal Eli Crow and these are my brothers. There’s supposed to be a package here for us,” Eli told the postmaster when they walked into the small one room adobe building.
“Yes Sir, Marshal. Got it right here for you. You marshals here to investigate the bloody massacre up on Coyote Creek last week?” the man replied, handing Eli the thick, kraft paper-wrapped package as the Young Bucks looked around at one another.
There went their peaceful getaway to a remote area for some hunting and fishing.
It was in May of 1898 that they learned to be careful what they wished for!
Coyote Creek May 5, 1898
They had done this many times as boys and now it came as second nature when they set up camp.
While two of them tended the horses, two more began gathering wood for a campfire and the other two set up the three tents.
They were near the junction where Big Blue Creek empties into Coyote Creek a few miles south of Agua Fria Peak (cold water).
For years the Ute, at their summer camps along Coyote Creek, called the glow against Agua Fria Peak ‘fire of the gods’.
Back in 1845, it was Kit Carson who coined the phrase, ‘Angel Fire’ for the glow cast upon snow covered Agua Fria Peak by the sun.
There was a letter attached to the outside of the package and they opened the envelope while at the post office. Inside the envelope, they found directions and a map to where Big Blue Creek empties into Coyote Creek.
Now that their camp was set up, they took time to open the package and examine the contents. Most of the contents was made up of one large folded map detailing northern New Mexico Territory, with additional smaller maps of the different canyons along and around the Coyote Creek area.
“Here’s what we’re looking for,” Eli said as he pulled the last of the pages from the brown wrapper.
“What is it, Eli?” Pike asked as they sat around looking their papers over.
“There were two dozen men and eight women of a small wagon train massacred near here. There’s a woman by the name of Millie Eno who lives near where the massacre occurred. She and her sons are the ones who reported the incident to the people over in Mora. We’ll need to find her to get some answers.
“There’s supposed to be a map in here with the exact location of the incident marked.”
“Here’s one, Eli. This has an ‘X’ marked on it and massacre written under the ‘X, ‘“ Micah told him as he unfolded the map to the fullest.
“According to this, we’re camped close to where the ‘X’ is marked on the map,” Isaac said as he looked over Micah’s shoulder.
“When we were watering the horses, we saw where the two creeks come together no more than two hundred feet through the willows from where we are now. This ‘X’ must be further downstream on Coyote Creek from where we’re camped,” Ezra told them as they studied the maps.
“We have a few hours yet before dark, let’s take a walk down that way to see if we can find the spot that’s marked on the map,” Caleb told them.
“Let’s go,” Eli said, reaching for his bow and a quiver of hunting arrows.
As he stood to string his bow, the others picked up their bows and strung them before picking up their quivers and slinging the strap over their shoulders.
Since that time in August 1889 when they were all together at Crow Valley and Eli had shown them how to use their new laminated recurve bows properly, the Young Bucks had added another pastime to go along with their love of fishing with fly rods.
Each of them had become expert archers over the years. Their bows and arrows were always with them when they were home. When they packed for a mission, their bows and arrows were just as important as their knives, hatchets, rifles and handguns, no matter where they were sent.
They had followed the creek south nearly a hundred yards when they came to an east-west wagon road crossing the rippling waters of Coyote Creek.
Scattered about were burned out wagons and carcasses of horses still in harness. There were arrows still protruding from some of the decomposing horse hides and there were arrow shafts in the charred wood of the wagon beds.
None of them had yet spoken when Pike waved to get their attention. There was a yearling Whitetail deer that had walked out of the willows to drink, not over fifty feet from where they stood.
Eli motioned for Pike to take him.
Just as Pike drew his arrow for the kill, the young deer leaped into the air and fell to the ground with an arrow in its side behind its left shoulder blade.
Eli and Ezra both motioned for the others to get down and stay hidden. As they squatted near the burned wagons, two young men walked out of the willows from the other side of the creek and waded across to where the deer lay.
They could hear them talking but they were too far away to make out what they were saying. One of the men quickly grabbed the small deer’s front legs and the other grabbed his hind legs as they carried it across the creek and into the willows on the other side.
Micah waved his hand, then pointed to himself and Caleb, motioning that they would follow the two young men.
“Anything happens, fire a shot and we’ll be there. Stay back, be careful and just find where they’re going. We’ll check them out tomorrow,” Eli whispered.
In no time, the brothers disappeared into the willow thicket on the far side of the creek.
While they were gone, the other four Bucks scoured the site for any signs of what may have happened there.
The place had been covered with scavengers feeding off the dead horses. The ground near the wagons had been trampled by bear, coyote, raccoons, opossum and vultures at one time or another. With no hope of finding sign near the wagons, they spread out and walked away from the scene in search of anything connected with the attack and massacre.
Since there were no bodies, they assumed that the locals had taken care of the dead, and hopefully any survivors.
In a matter of minutes, they had found two separate places where men had waited in the willows on either side of the trail. They determined there had been four men wearing moccasins back in the brush on either side of the wagon road when the wagons came through. The ambushers had waited until the first wagons in the train were just about to cross the shallow creek before they attacked.
Near where the attack had started, Eli found a small rag doll.
This brought a solemn look from the other three as Eli dusted the doll then held it out for all of them to see.
There was a rustling of dry leaves in the thick brush and in an instant there were four handguns aimed at a game trail. They watched as a small dog ran from the brush straight toward where Eli had dropped the doll when he pulled his gun.
The little dog sniffed the doll, then looked around at the men. Eli stooped to picked up the doll and the little dog wagged its short tail as it stepped closer.
“See if you can pet him, Eli,” Pike whispered as he stood next to him.
With the doll extended toward the dog in one hand, Eli held out his other hand. The dog came forward to sniff the doll, then turned to sniff Eli’s hand before licking his fingers.
He slipped his hand underneath the little dog’s belly and lifted him to his chest. The little critter was trembling as he looked up at Eli. He appeared close to starvation, but when Eli pulled his other hand close with the doll, the dog licked the doll and snuggled its head into the doll’s soiled and blood-stained dress.
“This is not good! Let’s get back to the creek and find Micah and Caleb. It’ll be dark soon and we’ll start sorting this out at daylight,” Eli told them.
Back at the creek, they waited as the sky darkened and still no sign of their brothers.
“Here they come,” Isaac said as they stood looking into the darkness and saw the outlines of two shadows walking toward them.
“What took so long?” Eli asked in a hushed voice.
“We followed them back to their mud huts about a mile and a half downstream. There are maybe five men from the number of horses in the corral and saddles on the rail. Not sure if there are any women. No one came out before or after the two men we saw skinned, gutted and took the deer inside,” Micah told them.
“What have you got there, Eli?” Caleb asked when he noticed the little dog in Eli’s arms.
“He came out of the brush where we found this doll.”
“If there’s a little girl with that bunch, they’ll die if they’ve done her harm!” Caleb told them as he looked at the doll.
“Our feelings exactly, Caleb. Let’s get back to camp and get this little man something to eat. He looks starved and he just may be able to tell us more about this than we’d be able to find out on our own,” Eli told them.
Back at their campsite, Eli built a fire and put coffee on. Isaac opened a can of beef and poured it into a tin plate. When he placed the plate on the ground, the little dog pounced on it, gulping the food down then licking the plate.
“Better not give you too much at once, you may get sick on us,” Isaac said as he picked the little dog up and reached for his saddlebags. He pulled out the stiff brush he used on his horse and started brushing the dirt and burs from his matted hair.
When the coffee had boiled, they let the fire die to smoldering coals as each of them ate from tin cans of cold pork and beans and cans of beef, drinking their coffee and talk.
“Eli, I was wondering if those folks who live in the mud huts by the creek are the ones who attacked the wagon train?” Micah said.
“I’ve been thinking about that too, Micah. Looks like they would knowingly bring the law down on themselves by attacking and killing members of a wagon train this close to where they live,” Eli replied.
“Then if it’s not them, they should know who it was or at least have an idea of who it could be,” Pike added.
“We’ll find out early tomorrow morning. It could possibly be the woman, Millie Eno who lives there. We need to be at their door come daylight,” Eli told them.
As they bedded down for the night, Eli laid the rag doll on his bedroll and the small dog immediately snuggled up to it.
“Hello the house. Come out with your hands up. U.S. Marshals here!”
Ezra called out when Eli gave him the signal that they were all in position to cover the front and back entrances of the two mud and straw huts built close together.
Suddenly, a small girl looked out from the doorway of the first mud hut to see who had hollered.
“Mee-Maw, there are some more of those Indians out here,” she turned to shout back into the hut.
“I see ‘em, Jewel. Them’s not the same bunch we been fightin’ off. Them’s the lawmen we been lookin’ for. Tell’em we’ll be right out...
“Arnie, you’n Archie get your asses out of bed, we got company and it’s the law this time!”
“Mee-Maw said she’d be right out. Are you Indians really the lawmen Mee-Maw sent for?” the young girl asked just as she was joined at the doorway by another girl.
Both of them were dressed in ragged, soiled dresses that barely covered them.
They were barefoot, their long yellow hair stringy and tangled, their faces smeared with food and dirt.
When the woman came to the door, she looked even worse than the two little girls.
Eli had been carrying the little dog with them in case they did find a small girl the dog and the doll belonged to. When the two girls stepped out into the sunlight, the little dog squirmed and leaped from Eli’s hands. He fell in the dirt and scrambled to his feet, yipping and whining as he ran to them.
“TINY!” Both girls yelled at once as he ran to them where they squatted in the dirt to grab him.
They stood with the dog held close between them as he licked and whined and squirmed, turning from one to the other as he licked their faces and hands.
“I’d say we found who little man belongs to,” Eli said as he, Ezra and Isaac stepped toward the front door while Micah, Caleb and Pike stood back away from the hut with their rifles at ready.
“Ma’am, are you Millie Eno?” Eli asked.
“We’re Deputy U.S. Marshals and we’ve come to investigate the attack and massacre of the members of that wagon train.”
“I’m Millie. You men sure got here in a hurry, we just got back from Mora day before yesterday.”
“Are these your sons?” Isaac asked as the four young men came out the door with their shoes in their hands.
“This is them. Arnie over here is the eldest. Then Archie is the second born. This is Morten and the youngest here is Marcus,” she pointed and introduced her sons. Each of them waved a hand and nodded as their names were called while they tied their shoes.
“Are these your girls?” Eli asked.
“Oh no, Marshal. These little girls are Jewel and Jennie Sloan. Their folks were killed in the ambush. We found them lost and wandering around on the creek out back of the house over there. They told us what happened and we went to have a look. We been keeping them here until the law or somebody we trusted showed up.
“I weren’t about to leave ‘em with that ornery looking bunch over’n Mora, that’s fer sure!”
“Who was it that ambushed the wagon train, do you know?” Caleb asked.
“Oh, we know alright. We been fightin’ ‘em off since we stopped at this old place. They’re some of the meanest, killingest, ungodly souls who ever walked in this valley, that’s fer sure.”
“Who are they and how many?” Micah asked.
“There’s at least two dozen that we know of. We’ve counted that many more’n one time. They’re some young Indians not even as old as you men who’ve come down out of the mountains in Mexico, so we were told when we went to Mora. They’ve been raiding, killing, raping and marauding in this whole part of New Mexico. We been here for two months and if we hadn’t found these little girls a few weeks ago, we’d been long gone from this place already,” Millie Eno told them.
“If there are that many of them, how do you keep them from overtaking you, with just you and your four sons?” Isaac asked.
“My pa always told me that Indians, and no offense to you men, were afraid of a crazy person. He said they’d never kill a crazy person for fear that their spirit would come back and haunt them.
“Me ‘n my boys been puttin’ on a show for ‘em when we see ‘em pokin’ around close to here. That’s how we got the five horses!”
“They gave you those five horses?” Pike asked.
“They did for a fact. When we first come upon this place a while back there was five old sun-dried saddles on the top rail of the corral. Me ‘n my boys would all climb upon them saddles and make out like we was riding our horses away from this place. We hollered and yelled and talked amongst ourselves about leaving here on our horses and one day right before the massacre, we looked out to see five horses in the corral.”
“Do the renegades ride horses?” Ezra asked.
“No and we’ve often wondered about that too. They don’t even have guns as far as we know. They use them bows and arrows though and they’re damn good with them too!” Arnie Eno spoke up for the first time.
“He’s right about that, Marshal. You won’t even see one of them and all of a sudden, he’ll let an arrow fly. They wear buckskins like you men, but they take them willow limbs and leaves and cover their face and bodies with them,” Archie Eno said.
“Do you know where they camp?” Eli asked.
“They have one camp up the creek a ways from here. About two miles or so above where that other creek empties into this’n. But that ain’t their main camp. They have another camp back at the bottom of them mountains over yonder where the Mora River comes out,” Archie told them.
“Can you show us on this map where the camp is?” Ezra asked and handed it to Archie.
“Sure I can. It’s right here near where the Mora comes out of the hills. We come through there once and nearly walked right into their camp before we saw them,” he answered and placed his finger on the map.
“They’ll be after you marshals as soon as they see you here,” Millie told them.
“What are your plans for the girls?” Eli asked her, ignoring her remark.
“As much as we’ve come to love these little girls, we need to get on with our travels. I reckon they’ve become your worry now, Marshal.”
“Marshal Eli, are you going to be our new daddy since our mother and daddy had to leave us out here by ourselves and go to heaven to take care of some business?” Jewel asked as she looked up at Eli, smiling.
“Do you have any kin back where you came from?” he asked her.
“No Sir, and Jennie and I want you to be our new daddy. Will you? We’re good girls and we can read and write too,” she looked up at Eli as she talked.
Eli knelt in the dirt in front of Jewel as she stood beside her sister. “We’ll take you with us when we leave and if we find that you have no known kin, you can be my girls,” he told them, pulling both of them close for a hug as they reached for him.
“Them two is some smart girls, Marshal. They’ve been teachin’ my boys to read ‘n write no longer’n they’ve been with us,” Millie told him.
“Millie, I’m going to ask you to keep Jewel and Jennie with you until we can take those young renegades into custody. Just keep doing the things you do and we’ll keep a check on all of you,” Eli told her.
After returning to their camp located upstream from the Enos’ mud huts, the Young Bucks decided on a plan of action — one that had never failed them in the past.
They were going after the renegades; they weren’t going to wait for another attack.
“We’ll need to take all our weapons including our Sharps and Winchesters. We’ll be loaded down, but we’ll need everything we have to take on more than two dozen men out here with them on their own stomping grounds,” Eli told his brothers as they prepared to leave camp on foot and head upstream.
“Eli, do we track them and take them out as we find them? Or do you plan to try and take all of them at once if we can?” Isaac asked.
“I don’t think we’ll ever be able to take them all at once. If we can take enough of them out, the others will know we’re after them and probably try to come after us.”
“Eli, I say we take out as many as we can before they realize we’re after them. We need to cut the odds and we need to do it in a way the others won’t know about us until it’s too late,” Pike added.
“I agree with Pike. If we can get as many as five or six, we’ll have the odds down to where we can pick them off as we come upon the group,” Micah spoke up.
“Archie told us that they use leaves and limbs to disguise themselves. I say we do the same,” Caleb added.
“Good idea, Caleb. Before we leave camp, we’ll help each other cover our clothes, faces and hands with leaves and twigs. They may be good at trying to conceal themselves, but we’ve done this since we were boys and we’ll be even better,” Eli agreed.
“One more thing, Bucks. No matter what happens, we’ll stay together and we’ll shoot to kill, no matter what weapon we use.”
Their .50 caliber Sharps and their .44-40 Winchesters both had swivels for attaching slings.
When Micah had his slings attached and his quiver filled with two dozen arrows equipped with razor sharp broadheads, he chopped a willow then cut off part of the pole and whittled it round on one end to make a pestle.
Gathering mud and sand from the edge of the creek, he made a large pile of the slimy mess on a wide flat rock. Then with both hands, he stripped piles of willow leaves from the long slender limbs. As he pounded the sap from the green leaves, mixing in the mud and sand, his concoction turned into a dull, greenish-brown paste. When he had just the right consistency they began to paint each other’s faces and necks.
Once their exposed skin was covered in the paste, they began to take more of the long willow limbs with the slender leaves still attached and tied them to their arms and legs, front and back. What one couldn’t reach, one of the others covered for him until they were literally concealed in leaves from head to toe.
Their long guns were slung over their shoulders with their quivers as they first headed out at a fast walk. Then, satisfied their willow leaves and limbs would stay in place, they began to run in long, slow strides toward the base of the mountains outlined against the night sky in the distance.
They kept their pace for nearly an hour before slowing to a walk. When they came to a shallow stream they stopped to drink from cupped hands before heading out again at a fast walk. For most of the long moonlit night, they made their way toward the mountains.
The terrain was becoming rougher than they’d experienced so far. The fifty miles took them almost two days, as the trail twisted and turned, and back tracked through the jagged rocks of the first foot hills as they came closer to the Southern Rockies. By the mid-afternoon of the second day, they had ridden down into a big grassland that covered most of the valley. The horses were hungry for fresh grass and they stopped to let them graze near a cool, clear river. Juni and Tin Yu were naked...
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Saturday, May 3, 1884 Cherokee Lands Indian Territory Iron Hammer’s Lodge “Eli Crow, I see you have returned and now you bring all the marshals and little Crows to see me. I see my own brothers, the Barkleys, with you. How am I so honored this day?” “Iron Hammer, I came with my friends and young’uns to tell you of a cattle deal we made in Kansas City this week. My little Crows have gifts for your little Hammers and me and my friends are always happy to sit with Iron Hammer and his brothers...
Tulsa, Indian Territory Crow Ridge Cattle Company June 2, 1884 The big house on the hill was full of happy talk as they gathered in the kitchen to talk and catch up on the latest trip into the Territory. Clarissa was typing on her typewriter as fast as she could to keep up with all that was said. She was getting faster at typing and this was the first time she didn’t make notes to type from later. They let the ten youngest travelers talk first, each of them telling their version of the...
A week after the marshals returned from their last trip, Eli rode across the river to Tulsa with Little Eli and the other boys and girls. The young’uns thought they were almost grown now, getting to ride the big high stepping horses all the way across the river with him and going to the post office at Perryman’s. He gave them enough money to buy some candy and even some gum, for the first time in their lives. The boys saw some baseball bats, gloves, and balls and each of them wanted baseball...
December 27, 1884 Tulsa Depot Tulsa, Indian Territory Jon David and Joe were at the train depot when the train pulled in from Kansas City. Jon David had gotten a telegraph message that there would be twenty-one, young Negro women aboard the train arriving on the twenty-seventh. There were only two Pullman cars and a caboose connected to that train. The preacher from the Negro church in Kansas City had made the trip down to Tulsa, escorting the young women personally, since the young women...
Indian Territory October 5, 1884: As the light of dawn began to spread across the plains, they harnessed the mules and hitched the teams to the wagons. They were all ready to meet the others at Pecan Ridge Cattle Company and start the pecan harvest. They saw how the nearby trees were loaded with pecans and knew this pecan crop was going to be a big one. Eli and Moses had been out before dawn, riding the western perimeter. Duncan and Joe had also been riding the eastern perimeter behind...
They did make that trip in September. Eli wanted the family to visit their hotel in Santa Fe then come back through Albuquerque on their week-long trip. They even made it down to Las Cruces to stay two nights at that hotel before heading back home. Eli knew the women would be having babies in the spring and he was already planning trips to Kansas City after the babies were born. In April of 1890, Eli took his Cherokee brothers, Iron Hammer, Iron Hand and Iron Eyes, with their families for a...
Tulsa, Indian Territory Sunday, July 28, 1889 While Moses, Isaac and Little Eli were loading the horses, the engineer yelled and waved to Eli again just as he stepped down from the Pullman carrying Little Eli’s traveling bag. “Marshal, if we’re gonna make a fast run down to Abilene like you want, the fireman will need some help from your bunch to keep up the steam,” he yelled above the noise of the locomotive. “We’ll ride up here with you. I want to keep this this thing red hot and smoking...
Miranda turned and sat sideways on the top rail as she watched Little Eli run over to get on his horse. Lee Yu, Lilly Beth, Kia, and Michi were all waiting for him. They all waved to her when they saw her looking. She felt like getting off the fence right then and grabbing Eli Crow. She was so in love with him and his family. No matter if it was right in the middle of the cattle pens, and right in front of all the men, she could have thrown him to the ground and loved him right here. They...
Across the small hotel dining room, there were three well-dressed men wearing tall white hats, drinking coffee and smoking fat cigars. One of them moved closer to sit at the table nearest the Young Bucks. “Excuse me please, but did I hear you say you have an exceptionally fast horse bred from Cheyenne horse blood?” The man asked from behind Eli. Eli turned to look back at the man, “Yes Sir, we sure do. He’s never been beaten in about thirty races,” he told the man. “We’re here to meet the...
After their meal, they rounded the young’uns up and headed them back upstairs. The elevator had to make two trips to get them all to the top floor. By the time they had the younger ones settled and into bed, it was after ten o’clock and they had a busy day planned for tomorrow. The baseball game started at one o’clock and they were scheduled to play two games before dark. The grownups talked for another hour before heading off to their separate rooms and to bed. They still wanted to spend...
“Trapper, there are at least two dozen turkey-buzzards circling overhead back west of here,” Micah told him as they rode north. Trapper and the others turned their horses to look back to where Micah was pointing. “Looks like we could have a fresh one for you men to check out. Let’s get on over there,” Trapper said and spanked his horse with his reins. They topped a small rise to see at least two dozen more buzzards on the ground tearing into a dead calf. When they rode up, the buzzards...
“We’ve never been up this way before, Daddy. Where are we going?” Little Eli asked. “We’re going up the Arkansas to the rough country where the Pawnee and Osage Tribes join lands. We’ll camp on the Arkansas and we’ll have our own school for you boys out here.” They had crossed the Arkansas River in a northwesterly direction, then followed along the west side of the river until mid-day. The boys were told to bring nothing but jerky in their grub bags, they were going to survive on what the...
Kansas City, Missouri July 21, 1889 Eli and Isaac were up and dressed, after washing up from a wild time the night before when they’d had champagne sprayed all over them and made love on the balcony. They were sitting out on the balcony again, looking down on the sprawling city below as people began to stir and fill the streets. The girls came out laughing and talking about the fun, crazy time they’d had last night. They were bathed, dressed and ready for a day of shopping and sightseeing...
Upon their return to Tulsa from racing Cheyenne at Vinita, Little Eli had met with Bill and Jack Robertson that day, asking them about making a lightweight saddle just for Cheyenne. After measuring and fitting him with the special built saddletree and pad, they made a saddle with no high pommel and no saddle horn. There were no fenders, just leather straps that supported the small brass stirrups. This saddle was half the weight of the working and pleasure saddles they used on the ranch. As...
October 1, 1881 While Eli was getting his latest prisoners turned over to the jailers, Jefferson left the courthouse through the back door and ran out to saddle his horse. He rode hard up the back way, cutting across an open lot and through someones yard as he raced home. He didn’t take time to put his horse in the barn, he knew Eli would see it anyway. He jerked the saddle off and turned his horse in the cow pen. When Eli rode into the yard later, it was almost sundown and there was no one...
When they arrived in Durant, the sun had been up a few hours and Eli herded them to the hotel. The fireman and engineer went with them as the local railroad workers filled the reservoirs with water and oiled the locomotive for them. This was the first chance Eli had for more than a few words with his Bucks since they’d boarded the caboose in Abilene. Eli and Moses sat across the table from them in the dining room and looked at each of them as they talked to their brothers and their...
“Kit, would you and Ruby want to wear buckskins like we do?” Caleb asked as they all talked, ate, and became friends. “We sure do. Marshal Eli told us we could, and said he’d even give us our own horse,” Kit answered. “We’ll have to round up our horses in the morning and see how many we have now. Daddy may have to get more horses from our friend, Iron Hammer. He’s the main man in the Cherokee Tribe that owns all the lands around us,” Little Eli said. “Momma told me we could all go down to...
Crow Ridge Cattle Company Tulsa, Indian Territory Thanksgiving Day November 27,1884: “Here come the Buffalo Soldiers, they’re crossing the river now!” Isaac yelled as he jumped off the back porch, headed toward the barn where the men, the girls, and the rest of the Bucks were gathered. The women had run the men and younger ones from the house so they could finish cooking and get the dinner ready. This was to be the biggest feast and biggest celebration they’d had to date. The men, the...
When they finished unloading the flatcar, they headed back to the house. Smitty, Leon, James, and Albert were on the wagon and Eli drove. “Smitty, I need to have a talk with you. Want to walk down to the river with me?” Eli asked. “Sure Eli, let me get a drink from the pump and I’ll be ready.” “I’ll meet you out front.” Eli went through the house and into the kitchen where the women were fixing supper. “Corinne, come go with me,” Eli said. “Eli, I’m not sure about this now. Can we wait...
After an early start in the cold hours of morning, they rode hard and steady all day, stopping to relieve themselves twice and eat from the grub sack. They made Kansas City, Missouri late in the day as the sun was sinking behind the cold flat horizon, across the river in Kansas. They stopped at a big fancy hotel and registered as Eli and Rose Crow. The desk man was hesitant at first to let the two Half-Breeds stay in his hotel, but saw the Deputy U.S. Marshal badge and the Indian Police...
“ELI! You’re back. Did you get the last one? Dal said you thought there was a woman with them too,” Sam Connor greeted his grandson when he came through the back door, stomping the mud off his feet. Eli was soaked, his buckskins wet and clinging to his body, his moccasins filled with mud and water. He hadn’t even put his long coat on when he left Young’s Store. The back of his coat was shot out anyway. “They’re all taken care of, Grandpa. How’s Grandma? She alright after all this?” He...
When they reached the river’s edge, Kit laid the fuses and caps on a stump. Ruby handed Kit a stick of dynamite and picked up a cap and a short fuse. Eli and the others watched as she inserted the end of a fuse into the open end of the blasting cap, then put her fingers about an inch from the end of the brass. She stuck this short end of the exposed brass into her mouth with the extra fuse trailing down her chin. They could see her straining her jaws as she bit down on the brass, clamping it...
Eli had planned their trip himself and since he wanted them to stay a few days in Boones Crossing without being in a rush, he decided to take his dad’s advice and travel to Kansas City first then come back to Boones Crossing. Though he and Isaac didn’t wear their guns, they did have their knives on their hips, with their guns packed in their traveling bags. Both were dressed in buckskins and their girls dressed in finery like the other women traveling on the train. They ate one meal in the...
Saturday October 3, 1896 Crow Valley, Oklahoma Territory “Let me see that map again, Deuce,” Ezra said. He stood next to Eli and Isaac as they looked at the map. They had just gotten their first orders as Deputy United States Marshals two days ago, and the six of them were excited as they saddled up. They’d packed the night before and already had their two packsaddles loaded with tents, food and supplies for at least a two-week stay once they reached their destination. They were being sent...
Dal Hopkins had been half asleep, half-awake as he worried about his town. He heard a man whisper something behind him in the cell. Was he dreaming? Could it really be? HE KNEW THAT VOICE... He’d know that voice in the middle of a windstorm on the plains or in a howling snowstorm on top of a mountain. No matter where on earth he was, he would know that voice... Eli was here. He knew it was him! How – he didn’t know, but that was Eli Crow behind him, he’d bet his life on it. “Marshal,...
Eli knew he had a battle on his hands convincing the mommas of his sons and daughters that his plan was the best way to keep the Bucks, the Crow girls and the rest of them from having babies and still let them spend time with their friends. He figured the best way to handle this was to get them all at once and get it over with. Miranda, Clarissa, Tin Yu, Catt, Eva, Rose, Sissy, Suh, Juni, and Grandma were gathered together out away from the others. Eli wanted all of them to listen to what he...
Boones Crossing, Kansas July 23, 1889 Little Eli, Kit, Ruby, and Isaac arrived in Boones Crossing early, making the short trip from Kansas City in only a matter of two hours. They had accompanied their friends to the train station the evening before and watched as they boarded the train to Colorado. This was a tearful parting of new friends with all of them vowing to meet again soon. The McInnis sisters especially took it hard, sobbing as they sat on the train and waved out the window to...
Crow Ridge September 1, 1896 “Come on in, Ezra. Your dad and I wanted to talk to you before you head back to Crow Valley,” Rose told her son. Jefferson was sitting up in bed with the covers pulled to his waist. “Dad, are you feeling any better?” Ezra asked as he walked over to sit at his bedside and lay his hand on top Jefferson’s right hand. “I feel better today, Son. This has actually been one of my better days in the past few months. “Dad, I suppose I’ve always taken for granted that...
When the Buffalo Soldiers rolled in from Little Tree with empty wagons, all of them jumped in and loaded them as quickly as possible. There were fifteen more loads to ship after they held back the last three loaded wagons to take to Tulsa. Willis turned fifteen of his men right back around, telling them to get on back so they could all head over to Tulsa and start learning to be oil well drillers. The next morning early, Eli and Jon David were sitting by the fire outside, drinking coffee...
Eli knew he had to get over to the women as soon as he could. He saw them laughing and talking with Analisa, pointing now and then toward where he stood. Even Sissy, Miranda, and Grandmother were huddled with the young Mexican woman, whispering and laughing. When Catt and Eva pulled her aside, they were laughing aloud and Eli knew it was time to go. “I see all of you have met Analisa. I hope you’ll make her welcome. I’ve asked her to work for us when we get back to Tulsa,” Eli told them when...
Two weeks earlier, when Duncan and Eli had split as they arrived in Tulsa, Duncan felt alone as he rode north toward Kansas. Though he’d been a deputy marshal for over two years when he met Eli, he’d grown to like hid friend so well that he missed his company and the friendship they shared together on their trips into the Territory. He rode into southern Kansas two days later, after riding late like he and Eli often did when they first met. He wanted to hurry and do his law business, then...
The men of Crow Ridge Cattle Company loaded the second trainload of cattle bound for Kansas City and knew there wasn’t time to load another fifteen cars before dark. The first trainload would have to make it to the next sidetrack, near the Kansas state line, before the two empty trains could travel on down to Tulsa. They made plans to start loading at daylight the next day. The empty trains would arrive during the night and have to lay over. They gathered around after the first day of...
The Waco Kid never raised his head as he reached out to pick up a stick and thrash it across the bedroll nearest him. “Get your asses up, we got a score to settle this morning and I’m ready to get started!” he said loudly. The other men began to stir in their bedrolls and The Waco Kid rolled over to sit up. He had yet to look up as he pulled his boots on, then picked up his two pistols and shoved them down in his holsters. He stretched his arms over his head, wincing at the pain in his ribs,...
Crow Ridge March 29, 1889 The family was up before dawn to see the Crow girls and the Young Bucks off. Even their younger brothers and sisters were up. Eli cornered Little Eli and Ezra as soon as they came downstairs and pulled them aside. “I need to give you men something. I’ve been wanting to tell you about this, but never felt like it was the right time until now. “Eli, back when you told me that you Bucks wanted to have a place of your own and still wanted it to be near each other, I...
Union Station Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania June 19, 1885 Eli had been on the train for four days when he arrived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They had an hour layover there, one of many layovers they’d had on his long train ride from Indian Territory. After he’d found the toilets to relieve himself, he sat inside the huge train station and watched the hundreds of people coming and going. He’d never seen this many people in one place ever before, not even in Kansas City at the ballpark. He kept...
“This is absolutely beautiful. I just love the way the houses and barns look with all the pecan trees around,” Miranda said. “It does look good and shady back in them trees. We need to plant some pecan trees over at the other place to shade it a little, I reckon,” Eli agreed. “You boys get you some clean buckskins and go back behind the barn and get a bath,” Eli told the six boys. “Miranda, would you help Sissy get the girls back there and get them bathed?” “I will, but first we’re going...
There were snow flurries blowing in the wind, with a light blanket already covering the ground when the Bucks started out the next morning after saying their goodbyes to the family. They were dressed in their buckskins with their union suits underneath and heavy boiler overalls over their buckskins. Each had a leather fur-lined cap pulled down over their head and ears. They wore wool scarves backed with flannel over their faces, leaving only a slit with their eyes exposed as they rode...
Eli and Duncan headed out of town with their wagon load of prisoners. Bud Parkins drove the wagon, Duncan and Eli rode their horses. “Eli, I already like this horse pretty good. He’s as tall and long legged as that big stud you got.” “Yep, you got a good’un, Duncan.” They turned south at the creek crossing, and rode right by Noonan’s ranch. “You could at least let me see my wife before you take me back,” Noonan said. “I’ll go see if she wants to see you... “Duncan, you keep them headed...
“What can I do for you, Mister? You look to be part Indian. Are you?” The man behind the window at the train station said as Eli walked up to the window to send a telegraph message back to Little Tree. “I need to send a message over to Little Tree, Texas. Can you do that for me?” Eli said, ignoring the man’s remark. “I sure can. Who is it for and what name do you want on it?” “Put my name on it, Marshal Eli Crow. Send it to Hoke at the livery. Tell him I need him to get word to my folks at...
“Son, that was some race. We heard what Parkman’s jockey said. You did the right thing holding Cheyenne back, then letting him run away with the race after they’d tried to run him down like that. You’d think Sam Parkman would know better by now,” Eli said as he and Joe stood beside Little Eli when their picture was made. “Did you win big again, Dad?” Little Eli asked, knowing by his smile that he did. “We all won big on that race. I already have another big bet placed on the last race...