Rebel Yell (32 page)

In the days that followed, most of the rabble horde of camp followers associated with the marauders were hunted down by the folk of Hangtree. Jimbo Turlock was one of prisoners held for trial. The results were not pretty. All were speedily found guilty and sentenced to death. Swift justice satisfied the law-abiding citizens of the county, who would have been the first to suffer had the Free Company triumphed.

Spread out over a few days so as not to have too much of a good thing, the condemned were executed the old-fashioned way, at the Hanging Tree. Long-dead, lightning-blasted and missing most of its limbs and branches, that grim old towering tree trunk stood sentinel on top of Boot Hill, across from the church and west of Hangtree town. By virtue of his position as the Free Company commander, Turlock was to be hanged last.

Executions were always popular and edifying events with mass attendance. Folks came from all over the county and even from Weatherford to see Jimbo Turlock swing.

A festive carnival mood filled the air. The area around Boot Hill was jam-packed with hundreds of spectators—men, women, and children—who'd come to see the show.

Execution hour found Turlock sitting astride a horse, hands tied behind his back. A length of corded hempen rope with a noose at one end hung from a gnarled tree limb overhead.

Marshal Mack Barton asked Turlock if he had any last words.

Turlock wanted to make a fine bold speech, but when the time came his throat was bone-dry, and he was unable to speak.

The hangman fitted the noose over Turlock's head and around his neck, tightening it. He had a quirt, a short braided rawhide whip used to lash the horse holding the condemned man into motion.

Pastor Fulton wielded a Bible, reading aloud the psalm with the line about the “valley of the shadow of death.”

Among the crowd, Johnny Cross nodded approvingly. He'd always liked that psalm.

The preacher finished. The marshal and the hangman exchanged glances. Barton nodded, signifying yes, it's time.

The hangman raised the quirt, bringing it down hard on the horse's rump. The animal was reluctant to step off.

Professionally embarrassed, the hangman wielded the lash again, slashing the horse's hindquarters.

The horse lunged forward. Turlock was brought up short by the noose around his neck. An overexcited spectator in the crowd vented an enthusiastic rebel yell of approval.

Hanging by the neck at the end of a rope, it was the last thing Jimbo Turlock heard in this world before crashing the gates of Hades:

 

Three weeks before Christmas, the little town of
Chugwater in Wyoming Territory is stunned by a
brutal crime. The mayor's family has been
slaughtered in cold blood on their ranch outside
Rawhide Buttes. As the townsfolk gather to pay their
last respects, Duff MacCallister saddles up to go
after the killers. He returns with two outlaws—
a cold-blooded, nasty pair of snakes, Jesse and
T. Bob Cave. But shortly before they're sentenced
to hang, the Cave brothers escape their fate.

 

Into this holiday hell-storm ride three friendly
travelers. Smoke, Sally, and Matt Jensen come to
Chugwater to spend Christmas with Duff,
but a deadly diphtheria outbreak leaves the
town of Rawhide Buttes beholden to the mercy of
the Cave brothers. It's a desperate bind
to be stuck in, but Duff and his friends will use
every bullet they can find to shoot their way
into a merry but bloody Christmas.

 

by
W
ILLIAM
W. J
OHNSTONE
with
J.
A.
Johnstone

When You Visit Our Website:
www.kensingtonbooks.com
You Can Save Money Off The Retail Price
Of Any Book You Purchase!

 

 

 

All Orders Are Subject To Availability.
Shipping and Handling Charges Apply.
Offers and Prices Subject To Change Without Notice.

PINNACLE BOOKS are published by

Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018

 

Copyright © 2014 J. A. Johnstone

 

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

PUBLISHER'S NOTE

Following the death of William W. Johnstone, the Johnstone family is working with a carefully selected writer to organize and complete Mr. Johnstone's outlines and many unfinished manuscripts to create additional novels in all of his series like The Last Gunfighter, Mountain Man, and Eagles, among others. This novel was inspired by Mr. Johnstone's superb storytelling.

If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

PINNACLE BOOKS, the Pinnacle logo, and the WWJ steer head logo are Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

ISBN: 978-0-7860-3362-1

 

First electronic edition: November 2014

ISBN-13: 978-0-7860-3363-8
ISBN-10: 0-7860-3363-0

Notes