Always Pardners

By Will Welton

In the old west and even in today's time frame you will still find
some people that are partners. Some of the partnerships last a
short while with others from the time they are first made until the
after life. The characters in this novel are factious names but the
two men are buried side by side with the remarks still readable on
the tombstone. The store about this long life friendship was a well
known story by one of the men that knew the partners of this
story.
These stories took place in the No Mans Land, or spitting distance
of it, that is now the Oklahoma Panhandle. Later in the novel is a
section of the history of the area if you might be interested in
reading it first.
At one time for a period of years the area belonged to no state,
territory, or country. No Man’s Land was 37miles by 168 miles and
a hard, unforgiving land, domain of the terrible Comanche time out
of mind. In winter, murderous northern winds howled down out of
Kansas and Colorado to freeze men and animals. For the rest of
the year the winds were generally southerly, ranging all the way
from gentle breezes to shrieking gales that drove great clouds of
dust before them.
It formed a long, narrow rectangle, altogether about 5,700
square miles. Once this emptiness had been Spanish, split up into
three massive land grants, and then it had been, in name at least,
part of the Mexican province of Texas (Tejas). When the United
States annexed Texas, prior to statehood, this northern strip was
cut off to comply with the Slave State–Free State balance
mandated by the Missouri Compromise.
The 37th parallel had been established as the southern boundary of Kansas and Colorado, but the northern frontier of Texas officially stopped at 36 degrees 30 seconds latitude. In between the two borders lay about 34 miles of space unassigned to
anybody at all. To the east, the western line of the Cherokee
Outlet was drawn at the 100th meridian, Congress officially
referred to the area as the ‘Public Land Strip.’ Out West, though,
men seldom called it anything but No Man’s Land. The Santa Fe
Trail passed through part of it, winding down out of Kansas,
bound southwest for Santa Fe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Will Welton
• Release date: Aug 20, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452380438

Will Welton

I grew up during the 1940’s and 1950’s, in the Choctaw (McCurtain and Choctaw Counties) and Creek Indian (Okmulgee County) Nations of Oklahoma, with the spoken languages of Choctaw, Ojibwa, Spanish and English was an asset in my knowledge of story telling. Most of the time I lived on Jamaica Street in Idabel Oklahoma. My stepfather knew a lot of the old outlaws of the late 1800 and the early 1900. there were a lot of old men living on the street that my stepfather said were old outlaws and old lawmen from earlier times.When I entered school I had trouble with writing down the English language for the way we spoke where I lived was not what I was being told so my writing was atrocious. As I advance in the grades at school my writing was not getting better. I got a job working doing part time work at the State Theater when I was only ten years old. A reporter, that worked part time at the theater when the owner was out of town or needed to do other things, for the McCurtain County Gazette told me, “Write down the stories and the things you have done in life for some day they would be useful in keeping the tales of the old folks alive after we all are gone.” I took his advice and he helped me in my writing of what I heard in the neighbor hood and it helped me immensely in junior and senior high school at Idabel.I was working various jobs from the age of twelve doing things from cowboy, working with cattle, loading lumber or fence post on to trucks, building fences and farmer, hoeing cotton, picking cotton, stripping corn, and plowing. When got my driver licenses I started driving small trucks and hauling freight and hay. Form there I went to work for the Saint Louis San Francisco Railroad as a labor and later carpenter rebuilding wooden bridges to holding, the positions of Foreman of a bridge gang.I enlisted in the army as a buck private and worked my way up in rank to hold the position of Command Sergeant Major of a battalion in the Army. The experience gave me the opportunity to meet a wide variety of people. I was medically discharged from the military with an honorable discharge. After a few years and I got my health up and running, so to speak, I did construction work until finally being forced to retire completely because of my health.Moving near Russellville Alabama because my two sons came to this area to work and raise my grand-children. After over twenty years here on the mountain top my wife and I bought coming to this area we enjoy the people and the country side. Now I live and play near the Crooked Oak community near nine of my grand-children and my one great grand children.I have written short stories, young adult books, free lance magazine articles, articles for several news papers and write novels about the tales of the old folks when I was growing up. In addition, to the western novels, I have also written two mysteries of modern day times.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Ed stepped off the porch of his house and could see at the corner post of the fence the tall black man with gray hair. Thebou had really aged over the years and more so since Hattie his wife had died. He still stood over six feet tall even though he no longer stood straight and he would weigh in at least two hundred still yet. As Ed walked toward where Thebou was standing he couldn’t say much about aging. His hair was all white with no gray mixed in with it. He only weighted in at a hundred and seventy now and doubted if he

stood five foot ten any more. Ed stopped at the corner post and pulled his Hamilton watch to look at for he knew what Thebou was gona say. You’s late again Ed.

Nope Thebou you just are early as always. See my watch has seven fifty-five.

You and that blame watch is too old to tell time. That watch was given to you by Marshal Dillon back in 1895.

Yauaha but I’ve had it fixed a few times since then.

By this time they were walking towards the town square and waved a few people they had known for some time. As they went past the old cannon that had been used in World War I Ed patted the wheel. Taking a seat under the large live oak tree on the bench that

Ed had donated to the town for the Square and having it place so he could look at the memorial across the way. Ed had said it was so he could be near his two sons. They had died in the war and their bodies couldn’t be brought home. They were buried over in France. The two boys’ names along with the others from here had been inscribed on the monument.

Ed. Who’s that walking towards us from the Court House?

Ed looked over towards the court house and recognizes Tommy Tucker, the Deputy Sheriff. However he didn’t recognize the other man walking with Tommy. Ed knew Thebou’s eyes weren’t as good as they use to be and refused to wear glasses. Ed had to wear them and he made good use of them for many years. His eyesight had started fading back in nineteen twenty. That’s Tommy and some dressed up fellow from probably back east with him Thebou.

Probably another reporter or want a be book writer. Thebou said as he packed his pipe and hunted through his pockets for a match to lite up. Ed fished a match from his shirt pocket and handed it to Thebou.

The two men stopped near the park bench and Tommy said, Mister Mays and Mister Drummon this is Arlee Weatherford. He works for a newspaper in Oklahoma City and would like to talk to you two about the days before statehood.

The reporter stuck out his hand and as they shook hands he commented, Most folks call me AW for short.

AW took a seat on a rock close by and told them about trying to dig into the history of No-mans land. Thebou looked over and replied, There’s folks around that probably know more that us.

Yes sir but the two of you know more about the everyday life and about being the only law around the strip for several years.

Ed and Thebou set watching the young man take out his pencils and opening his note book to the page he wanted. The young man looked up with the expression on his face as well what about it. Tommy grinned and commented, I’ll leave you to it because I need to go see Mister Moses about his back door being broken into last night. Tommy left walking down the street with a grin from ear to ear for he knew the reporter had a job ahead of him. For him to get anything from Ed and Thebou was like trying to pull hens teeth.

After about five minutes AW said, Well. What happened in the old west?

Didn’t know they were one. Thebou said as he dumped the doodle from his pipe and took out a pocket knife to scrape the bowel

out.

There was a long pause and more waiting for the two men were waiting on the reporter to start asking questions. Finally AW figured out that they were waiting on him to ask questions and he asked, When did you two first meet?

Thebou looked over at Ed with a frown on his face and Ed looked over at Thebou. You remember what year that was Thebou?

Thebou studied a few minutes and said, Hattie I think said in 67 or 70.

Maybe I could talk to this Hattie latter on today?

If’n your good you just might do that young man.

Ed was grinning from ear to ear and even had a chuckle as AW looked over at Ed. You have to been really good, up and die on us, to ever talk to Hattie. She is buried up at the cemetery near Millie.

The reporter shuck his head and leaned back some on the rock. He figured it might be a long while getting anything out of these two old men or maybe he might find someone else to talk to about the old west in the No mans Land. The three set that a way for almost an hour just watching the people come and go around town. Then the two old men stood up and started walking as the reporter jumped to his feet to walk along side of the two old men. Where are you going? AW asked.

Up to see Millie and Hattie, Thebou answered, "We‘s might stop off and talk to Chris today because non of his kin ever come

over for a visit."

Who is the Chris?

He used to me a Marshal before Judge Packer got killed. Reckon we should tell about him Thebou? Out of the corner of his eye Ed could see Thebou nod his head yes. Well over in Beaver City, district court was held in a room above a saloon, and on this occasion the uproar downstairs interfered with the dignity of the proceedings upstairs. On one such day the judge turned quietly to Chris Madsen, who was traveling with the court, and ordered him to stop the noise beneath. Downstairs, Madsen encountered three would-be bad men, who paid no attention to the Madsen’s reasonable requests for a little peace and quiet. Therefore, Madsen turned to direct action, shooting one man through the hand and pistol-whipping the other two. Then Madsen went back up stairs and returning to the courtroom he said, ‘Judge, ya rebellion is over now. What disposition shall I make of the prisoners?"

AW tried writing down the information as they neared the cemetery. Were you still a Deputy Marshal and where were you at the time this happened?

We were out after ‘Black Jack’ Ketchum. He had three times held up the railroad over in New Mexico Territory, and then he fled with his gang to Tug Toland’s ranch in No Man’s Land. Twice he and his men escaped but the third holdup in August 16, 1899, was a mistake. We were out at Tug’s waiting on him and had a running battle chasing him back towards New Mexico. Killed five of his men in the gun fight over about twenty miles and as they rode through one of the deep gullies the New Mexico state police was waiting with a posse on them. They took Ketchum, tried in New Mexico Territory, and departed this earth in memorable fashion.

Chapter 2

Aw had spent most of the night rewriting what the two old men had told him the day before and was getting a late start. After breakfast at the café near the hotel he headed toward the park bench to check if they were there or if he needed to hunt the two old men up. He was getting good material and by tomorrow morning would have a story to ship off to the editor. As AW came into sight of the little park across from the court house he could see that the two old men were setting as they had the day before. Aw set down on the rock across from the old men, he listened to them discussing what they were going to do today. It sounded as if it was as they had done the day before. After a few minutes they looked in his direction and he figured that was his cue to start the interview. How old are you Mister May’s?

"Hadn’t figured it up lately. Let’s see in sixty-three I turned fourteen when I was ridding with Captain Cox Raiders during the first two battles in Indian Territory and up to the end of the war.

So how old does that make me now?"

AW went to figuring and finally said, This is 1922 so that makes you Seventy-Four years old Mister May’s. How old are you Mister Drummon?

"Don’t know when I’s born but Mister Dew’s gave me a mule and my papers when he set’s me free during the war. Probably close

to Ed’s age."

How long have you two been pardoners as you call it?

Ed looked over at Thebou with a questioning look. Thebou seemed in a deep though and then saw Thebou shrug his shoulders. Ed though some more and said, I’d lost my job the month before at Dookesville and that was….ah, ah in sixty- nine I think.

So in 1869 you were working at Dookesville in the Choctaw Nation on the Red River?

Yep. I was the town law and they found a man who would work cheaper then me so they told me to hit the trail.

What about William ‘Bud’ Coe’s gang of thieves and his hid gold?

That was before we came to the strip hunting horses. We’s been told that Captain Coe and his gang were taken while sleeping in an abandoned adobe. Eleven of them were supposedly hanged from the big cottonwoods along the riverbank behind Carrizo. Coe himself got away or wasn’t there and in 68 he got his cottonwood limb, outside Pueblo, Colo.

Thebou went to laughing and Ed asked, What’s so funny?

Thebou was ginning and asked Ed, You remember Tommy Tuckers dad’s welcome to the strip?

"Yauaha that was over at, Neutral City was where he got introduction to No Man’s Land. He stopped in front of Bly’s general

store after his long trip, his oxen promptly lay down, and so did Tucker who was half asleep. Abruptly, Bly emerged from his store brandishing two shotguns and shouting: ‘Drive that team up a little! Drive that team up!’

Moreover, before the Tucker could get his tired team on its feet and out of the way, Bly, safely barricaded behind slabs of dry salted meat, began blazing away at some target across the street. Ed paused as he packed his pipe and fired it up. Thebou was trying to pack his pipe but having fits of snickering he was having trouble. Ed, after getting his pipe to going said, Bly’s target was a cowboy called Boone, who was preparing to open a saloon on the other side of the street, an undertaking to which Bly objected. Boone returned the fire with his Winchester, while the Tucker hugged the dirt and wondered why he’d come to this hell hole of a place. About a hundred rounds later what passed for silence returned to Neutral City with nobody hurt but a lot of ventilated dry salt meat."

Would it be easier for you two men to just tell me the story from where you first met? You might remember more of what went on around here and it just might make a very interesting book to read.

You want write nothing like old Ned Buntline did will you? most of his stuff was made up from his desk back east before he ever came west to see what it was like.

No sir I don’t write that a way. I just put it down like you tell it and add only the words you might have left out.

What you mean left out? Ed asked as he cleaned the bowel of his pipe.

If, and, but, never the less, and such as that. Aw replied and waited for the two men to think it over.

Ed and Thebou stood up and started walking towards the cemetery with AW following along. They didn’t stay at the cemetery long for it started misting rain and they walked back towards their houses. As they neared the corner post Ed looked over at Thebou and commented, Reckon we should get in my house and let’s tell the story to him?

Might as well. You got a fresh pot of coffee?

Yep. Ed replied as they headed for Ed’s house.

Chapter 3

There was still a slow drizzle of rain coming down as Ed begin to look for some place to maybe get out of the wet and dry out his clothes some. It was still about an hour before it should be sundown but with the overcast sky you really couldn’t be for sure about it. He had a set of clothes in his saddle bags that might be drier than what he had on but his wool coat would need time to dry. Off to the side of a hill Ed saw an old log cabin and headed for it. As he rode closer he noticed the roof had caved in on the cabin but the lean-to attached to the side looked as if the roof on it might still shed water. The door of the cabin had fallen out into the yard. Stepping down from the saddle Ed walked up to the cabin and he peeked inside at the gloomy interior. He had been right about the roof and Ed walked, leading his horse, over to the lean-to. Ed was right about the roof shedding water and led the horse under the overhanging roof to the dry interior of the lean-to.

Ed unsaddled the horse tying him to one of the upright post holding the roof up. Moving back to the cabin, Ed gathered what dry wood which was close to the door, he returned to the shed. Close to the outer edge of the shed he built a small fire. As the lean-to started warming Ed striped off his coat and clothes, changed into the dryer clothes which were in his saddle bags, then hung the wet clothes and his coat up near the fire to dry.

The evening before Ed had finished off the last of his food supplies and was hoping to kill some wild game for eating today. But with the slow drizzle of the rain the wild game had taken to cover and he hadn’t seen any thing to shoot at today. Ed hung his saddle on a wire attached to the main part of the cabin and draped his saddle blanket over it so the things might dry some. Unrolling his bedding and being thankful he still had a tarp in good shape to keep the blankets dry.

From the distance he heard, Hello the fire. Can I ride in and share the camp?

Ed wasn’t surprised that he hadn’t heard anyone coming because everything was so damp and wet. Ed slipped his hand into his pocket where he kept the two shot .44 derringer and said, Come on in to the dry.

It wasn’t but a minute until he saw a large black man ridding a white mule coming across the clearing. As the man stepped down from the mule he began to strip the halter rope and a sack from the mule’s back, which had been lying across the mule. The black man stooped over, walked in under the roof, and set his sack down offering his hand toward Ed saying, I’m Thebou Drummon.

Ed shuck the hand and answered, Ed Mays. Would offer you coffee or something to eat but ran out yesterday.

That’s ok I’s got some to share. Just thankful for the dry place to warm up. Thebou said as he started taking things out of

his sack and fixing coffee and fried bread.

After eating, Ed took his dry shirt down and wiped his rifle and pistol off to get them dryer. Then he took some oil on the small rag he used to clean his guns with and wiped them down. All the time Thebou had set and watched not saying anything. When Ed put the guns up, Thebou asked, Ya be a lawman?

Use to be. Ed replied as he lay down on his blankets. Ed pulled his boots off and set them near the edge of the fire to dry but

far enough away not to cook the leather.

What kind of work you been doing Thebou?

Whatever I’s can find to work at to do for a living.

Ed pulled the blankets up and it wasn’t long until he heard Thebou pulling his bedding out of the canvas sack.

The next morning Ed could smell the coffee making as he woke up from a restful nights sleep. Ed opened his eyes and could see Thebou slicing some salt pork into the frying pan on the edge of the fire. About time you woke up. Thebou said as he turned the salt meat over in the pan.

Don’t know why but that is the best nights sleep that I’ve had in weeks. Ed replied as he pulled his boots on and then rolled his bedding up. I’m heading for Elgin. Want to ride along for your welcome unless you’re heading in a different direction than there.

I’s heading that way gona try’s to get a stake and go dig for gold. Be a pleasure for the company. Thebou said as he poured the coffee and they ate the fried salt meat. It wasn’t long until they were on the trail and both thankful the sky was clear and no rain coming down. Ed’s horse went to limping and both men dismounted. Ed was bending over with his horse’s left front foot on his knee and was digging out a small stone from under the frog of the foot. Thebou had stepped into the edge of the timber when from behind Ed came a voice he recognized as it said, You doing the wrong thing following us Sheriff. You’re a long way from Dookesville.

Ed flipped the stone from the horse’s foot and standing up he turned to face two men with their guns drawn. Why would I be following you because I’m not a Sheriff any more? Ed said as he folded his jack knife.

You’ve been behind us for a week now. So’s that means you must be after the bounty. Joe Haines said and Bugger Dunn laughed and replied, Now you a dead lawman.

Neither of the outlaws had paid attention to the mule standing beside of Ed’s horse and lower down. Ed wondered why they hadn’t mentioned it.

If I’d been after you two I sure wouldn’t been so careless. Ed replied as Joe, who was standing closer to him, stagers forward and Bugger flew out to the side landing down slope. Ed pulled his .44 pistol and put two rounds in the direction of Joe Haines. Then Ed saw Thebou standing over Bugger with a club from a tree limb in his

hands. Ed checked Joe Haines out and finding him dead then he walked over to where Bugger Dunn was laying with his head almost turned around to the back of his coat. Checking Bugger out Ed found his neck was broken and dead as ever. You know Thebou I’m beginning to like you more and more. Recon you might find their horses for us to haul them on into Elgin to the law.

Sure thing Ed, I heard them a while ago over behind that tall standing rock. Thebou headed across the draw and it wasn’t long until he was back with the two horses. While Thebou was getting the outlaws horse Ed had went