1916
--Al Colombo, publisher
Dillinger and Wyatt were old enemies. Dillinger hated Wyatt with passion but he wasn't too eager to give-in a fight. Dillinger broke through enemy lines back in the Civil War, he was a spy for both sides and neither one could decide which side he “really was on.” Dillinger was actually out for his own self.
Soon after that, he taught the United States how to use a Gatling gun correctly. As a weapon specialist, he was the best the army had. But, his commanding officer led a raid on a small Seminole Indian village and burned their camps hoping to flush out Seminole War Chief Yellow Dog. It worked, only too well, for it was an ambush that caused Dillinger a life sentence when the soldiers returned to Fort Lynx. He was court-martial for the uprising which was all a setup.
Daybreak arrived and Wyatt and three members of his posse were assembled. They rode out of town and began their daring rescue mission and adventure. The four traveled through Arizona and into the border regions of New Mexico then finally onward to their destination. . . Mexico. Their first stop was Buena Vista where they camped for awhile till they got fresh supplies.
While there, they noticed they were not alone. A Mescalero Indian was tracking them since they entered Mexico. July Forge had been following them for about two weeks. Forge was an expert tracker, and soon he'd join up with the rescuers, which numbered five. While out scouting around Buena Vista, he found another “poor soul,” a Mexican bandit named Orlando Julio El Tigre, who was just riding through the territory. His home was in Sonora.
Vermont told Wyatt about him and Knight asked where was he going. Orlando told Knight that he was the farmer’s angel in disguise. He robbed banks and took other drastic measurements to help the poor farmers of his village--and now there were six guns. Wyatt and the other gunslingers prepared to ride out at the sundial. The sinister six moved out, and for another six days they rode, slept, and rode some more until they finally reached their destination--Guadalajara.
Six guns rode in, and they were not too certain of what kind of reception they’d get, but Wyatt instructed them to act natural. So they rode into Guadalajara and to their surprise, the town was nearly deserted, mostly because Escobar’s army had killed all who stood against him. A farmer’s family of five invited them to stay. Orlando knew them as they were his cousins.
Each member of the outlaw posse had his “hands filled” with beautiful senoritas. What more could a gunfighter want, other than to be finished with the business at hand. The next day, Wyatt told Orlando, July, and Dillinger to look over Escobar's compound and to begin planning for a speedy escape. The three rode some thirty miles, being careful not to be seen.
Escobar’s hacienda amazed them. They had one machine gun defense unit, an ammo dump, and a rifle range with an expert riflemen guarding it. They rode back to Guadalajara where they reported what they saw. “Escobar’s army has enough firepower to undertake the official Mexican Army!” Dillinger told Wyatt. Wyatt told them to begin the operation, which included Flint and Vermont's search of the town for President Wilson’s daughter.
After a day of searching, Vermont told Wyatt, “I don't think they're holding her in Guadalajara. Maybe we need to take another another look at Escobar’s stronghold.” Wyatt agreed, and all three of them rode together.
It didn't take long for them to see that President Wilson’s daughter was there. Wyatt and the others quietly rode back to town where they devised a plan to get her out without damaging “the goods.” Three days later at Guadalajara, Wyatt and his rag-tag group of five gunfighters set their plan in motion.
July removed a boot knife and threw it, striking one of the guards in the neck. With rapid-fire precision, he threw a second knife, killing the second guard almost instantly. Dillinger whirled a boot knife of his own and it hit it's mark, killing the remaining guard, taking up the Gatling gun position. Vermont had already placed explosives around the compound and so Wyatt and the others took cover while the fuse was lit. In short order there was a roar and the wall was down!
With that kind of noise, Wyatt and his rag-tag posse rushed the compound with guns a blazing. Dillinger and July began their attack with Dillinger doing his thing with the Gatling gun. Turning the crank with all his might, he aimed to level anything still standing. Guns fired, explosives thundered, the ground shook, bullets whizzed, and the plan was in full motion.
The last of Escobar’s guards spotted July on the wall, shooting him in the back. Wounded, July managed to get to his feet, stumbling to the wall’s edge. The guard fired again, this time causing Forge to fall to his death. The bandits were dropping like flies--sixty to fifty, forty-five, now forty--and yet they managed to fight on.
Orlando chased a few bandits down the rocky, desert floor, which wasn't such a good idea. He got three banditos before two of them cut him down.
“These sons-of-bitches don’t know when to quit, do they!” shouted Vermont to Dillinger, as they stood side by side in an open hallway.
“What you gonna do with your half of the money, Vermont?” Dillinger shouted as he continued to shoot at the banditos.
“Probably spend it on whores.” Vermont laughed. “What about you?”
“I thought of buying a ranch in Wyoming,” Dillinger yelled, shooting at another bandit.
Three more bandits rode behind the alley where the open hallway was and eased sideways toward the gringos. It didn’t take long for Vermont and Dillinger to spot them coming. As they loudly conversed about their plans, the bandits ran through the opening and began shooting.
“Vermont!” Dillinger stepped between Vermont and the bandits and they shot Dillinger three times. Vermont killed all three of them in their tracks. Looking down at his dying friend, he said, “Dillinger, you bastard! What the hell!”
“Vermont, I. . .” were his last, dying words.
Vermont took Dillinger’s six-shooters and placed them inside his belt as he ran out into the street and began shooting at every bandit he could find. When his own were out of ammunition, he dropped them and drew Dillinger’s. Unfortunately, two banditos shot him in the chest, but as he fell, he managed to kill them before he died.
Wyatt and Flint continued to fight although Flint had previously been wounded in the right leg. Taking Flint’s rifle, Wyatt managed to kill the captain of the rebel force, resulting in the rest of the bandits retreating as fast as their horses would carry them. When the shooting stopped and the dust settled, the fair citizens of Guadalajara returned to their town where they celebrated their new, found freedom.
Each senorita who had fallen in love with the four fallen gunmen placed flower wreaths around the crosses that bore their names over top of their graves. Then, as Wyatt, Flint, and Eleanor prepared to ride for home, Flint decided to stay in Mexico.
“Wyatt, just go on without me. This town needs a marshal anyways, and since there are no other candidates, I’m a shoo-in,”
“What about the money, and your pardon?”
“Forget about the pardon. As for the money, you can wire it...besides, technically, I’m a dead man.”
“All right have it your way.”
Wyatt and Flint shook hands and said their goodbyes. Eleanor hugged and kissed Flint for aiding in her rescue, she then mounted her horse and both she and Wyatt started off for Flagstaff and her father who was sure to be waiting.
End Part 2 of 2
About the Author
On the family farm just outside Nashville, Timothy England grew up surrounded by the beautiful Tennessee hillside where his imagination loved to roam.
His lifelong love of westerns has culminated in his debut novel, Track Down, the first installment in his series centering around US Marshall Jake Boone. To date, Timothy, under the pseudonym Jess Bryan, has written four books, all of them available from Amazon.
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