Vengeance in Time

By S.D. Brook

Paul Crabtree, a twenty-first century Oklahoma City police officer, having helped Samuel Benjamin, a deputy U.S. marshal who claimed to be from nineteenth-century Indian Territory return to his own time now finds the situations reversed. While attempting to solve the question of why the two lawmen have been brought together in time they get caught up chasing outlaws creating havoc within the Indian Territories. For Paul it is now not a matter of getting back, but about surviving in a region that has become known for outlaws running from the law for crimes committed in the surrounding states and too few U.S. deputy marshals to patrol the area.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 19, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483682471

S.D. Brook

S. D. Brook was born and raised in Oklahoma, most of his early years spent in the area around McAlester and Savanna. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and masters of education from Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia. Professionally he is a math and science teacher, but also has an enthusiastic interest in military and United States history. He is retired from the armed services following twenty years of combined service in the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Coast Guard. Mr. Brook currently resides in Greenville, North Carolina, with Rachel, his wife.

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Copyright © 2013 by S.D. Brook.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Rev. date: 08/15/2013

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Contents

Acknowledgements

Prologue

Achvffa   Chapter One

Tuklo   Chapter Two

Tuchena   Chapter Three

Ushta   Chapter Four

Talhapi   Chapter Five

Hvnnali   Chapter Six

Ontuklo   Chapter Seven

Ontuchena   Chapter Eight

Chakkali   Chapter Nine

Pokkoli   Chapter Ten

Auah Achuffa   Chapter Eleven

Auah Tuklo   Chapter Twelve

Auah Tuchena   Chapter Thirteen

Auah Ushta   Chapter Fourteen

Auah Talhapi   Chapter Fifteen

Auah Hvnnali   Chapter Sixteen

Auah Ontuklo   Chapter Seventeen

Epilogue

Day On The River   (A Draft Outtake From Vengeance In Time)

Author’s Notes

English Translations Of The Choctaw Dialogue

This book is dedicated in memory of

Lillian ‘Aunt Dee’ Benjamin

and

Betty Snyder

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

W riting this book was made possible through the help and support of family and friends, mostly through their encouragement. A special thanks goes to Ruby Murphy, my sister, and Teri Billy and Dora Wickson of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma School of Language for their assistance in translating the Choctaw dialogue and to John Wright for his proofing skills. Also thanks to Phyllis Murphy, my mother, for her support. Finally and most importantly thanks to Rachel, my Aloha Honey, who has always been there giving me encouragement and support throughout our life together.

S. D. Brook

a.k.a. ‘Slow Shootin’ Sam’

mapterritoryimages-1.tifmapterritoryimages-2.tif

PROLOGUE

I n a clearing west of Durant, Indian Territory, near the Red River and the Texas border, the year 1896, sat two men around a small fire, drinking coffee. The late September evening was calm and comfortable, a very light breeze from the south. The day had been just as nice as one could expect in the Choctaw Nation for that time of year. Upon hearing an approaching rider, they threw down their cups, moved from the fire, drew, and cocked their Colts. A third member of the party had been out scouting their back trail for any possible lawman or bounty hunters, but they were not taking any chances. The trio was wanted for bank robberies and murders all over the nation from Stigler south to the Texas border.

Lincoln Strongoak, a 30 year old son of a black man and a Choctaw woman, was the third member, actually the leader. He had taken his two partners on a trail of revenge, revenge which was only partially complete. He stood just over six feet, with a stout physique of about 190 pounds and dark eyes. His eyes presented a look; some said ‘death like,’ that caused many a man to back down before a confrontation with him became violent. Besides his piercing stare, his reputation with a Colt meant death to anyone that crossed him. This had always assured him of the position as the gang leader.

Over the past three plus months he, with his gang, had brought havoc all over southeastern Indian Territory, robbing banks and seeking vengeance on the men who had put in him prison. During this quest for revenge he had also lost a member of the gang during a bank robbery in McAlester. Forrest Nichols had been the strategist behind the current carnage and had worked with Lincoln prior to his recent stretch in prison.

But his main goal all along had been to kill the U.S. deputy marshal that had killed his wife and captured him. Prior to Lincoln’s release Forrest had located most of those that were on the target list. However his main adversary could not be located. He had reportedly disappeared back in the spring prior to Strongoak’s release from Kansas State Prison in June.

The story being passed around had been some unfathomable tale that a giant cloud and lightning had swallowed him up. However for a man so well known in these parts, Samuel Benjamin could not be found. Nichols had even staked out Samuel’s home, but there was no trace of the lawman. Even the family seemed to live on as if the patriarch had indeed disappeared or died.

On his trail of vengeance Lincoln had come across a young man claiming to be Samuel’s son. Their brief meeting had ended with him leaving the younger Benjamin for dead. The boy was easily angered and enticed into a fight that anyone could tell would end badly for him. Even though it had only been a couple of weeks he could not remember the boy’s name. Also, it did not bring him any satisfaction; after all the main target of his revenge was not there to witness and feel the pain of a lost loved one.

The other two men were former cellmates of his from prison. Both had been convicted of bank robbery in the Oklahoma Territory. They had been released a couple of months prior to Lincoln’s release and agreed to meet near Tahlequah, Cherokee Nation.

Will Berry was somewhere near 40 years old, give or take a couple of years, a solid six feet four inches tall, 220 pounds, all muscle. He had spent over half of the last 20 years in and out of jail, mainly for robbing banks, though during the commission of each of his bank robberies he had never killed anyone, at least that he knew about. Usually when firing his revolver it was more for effect than killing.

James, which was the only name he would ever tell anyone, was the youngest of the three, maybe 25, at most 130 pounds soaking wet. When it came to the member of this trio that would act first and not think a plan through, it was James. His revolver probably saw as much time out of the holster as in it. He had never really known his parents and the only time he had a roof over his head was when he was locked up. The two had teamed up with Lincoln to rob a couple of banks in Indian Territory, then head south to Mexico. Neither of them had known about the revenge part of Lincoln’s plan, but it was too late to get out it now. They would surely hang due to the number of dead they had left in their wake.

Before entering camp Lincoln whistled the agreed upon signal so he would not get shot. Will and James half cocked, rotated the cylinders to put the hammer back down on the empty chamber, then reholstered their pistols.

Lincoln entered camp, poured himself a cup of coffee, dumping the remaining contents of the pot on the fire, while gulping down his cup. Gentlemen, we have a single lawman on our trail. He’s about a mile-and-a-half to two miles back. There is a farm house about a half mile west of here. I want to leave a trail for him to follow - that way we can finish off any loose ends here in the territory and head on to Mexico.

________________

Garrett Murphy was the lawman trailing the three outlaws. They were getting too close to the border and once they crossed into Texas it was unlikely they would be brought to justice. The two Caucasian men in the party would have to be taken in by the U.S. marshals to the U.S. District Court in Muscogee, but Lincoln Strongoak he wanted to bring in for trial in a Choctaw court. He was a citizen of the Choctaw Nation and therefore would see his final justice there.

It was getting darker and more difficult to follow the trail. Though as dark as it was the trail seemed to be quite fresh and clear, too clear as a matter of fact. Considering the ease of following the trail Garrett was certain that Lincoln wanted to be followed and have a final showdown so he had to be careful. He followed the trail to a recently abandoned campsite. Before getting too close he dismounted, drew his Henry from its scabbard, slowly and quietly levering a round in the chamber. Leaving behind his horse Garrett slowly walked around the campsite to make sure no one was waiting to ambush him. Satisfied it was safe, he entered the camp.

Checking the recently doused fire, which was still smoking, he felt that the outlaws were less than an hour ahead of him. As he continued to search the site for signs of which way they went, his suspicions were confirmed. Instead of heading south to Texas and out of the Choctaw Nation they left a trail heading west. Retrieving his horse Garrett continued on foot to more easily follow the obviously left trail.

________________

The three outlaws approached the farmhouse and noted a light emanating from only one window. Dismounting, they quietly approached. Lincoln had James, who was the least intimidating of the three, knock on the door. Once the door opened all three rushed in, securing the house to use as they waited on the lawman to arrive. When they entered all they found was a man and his son. No introductions were made as Lincoln had James tie up the boy, and had Will keep the man under control at gunpoint as he went to get the horses.

Lincoln brought the horses back near the house, made plenty of tracks, by walking them around in front of the house. He then mounted and led the horses west of the farmhouse. After tying the still saddled horses in a small clump of trees and out of sight he returned to the farmhouse to complete his plan of leaving no loose ends in Indian Territory.

Lincoln told Will to stay with their hostages and instructed the man to do as he was told if wanted him and the kid to stay alive. The man was also told to tell whoever asked that three men had stopped to water their horses and then moved on. Lincoln and James left Will with the man and his son to seek a place out of sight to wait for the lawman’s arrival.

________________

Garrett still on foot slowly approached the farmhouse with caution. He had noted that the tracks did not deviate from the original direction as they led straight to a farmhouse. The trail had been way too easy to follow, even in the moonlight. If they were men trying to get away it made some sense, because they may have been moving too quickly to cover the trail or possibly they did not know how to cover it. However, he did not think that was likely in this situation because they had changed direction and were now moving west from the Texas border and still leaving a very obvious trail… so he surmised someone would be waiting for him. At about two hundred yards he stopped to watch the farmhouse and small barn, to see if anything unusual was happening in or around the structures.

After about half an hour he thought something was not right about the scene. With the lateness of the evening he felt certain the light would have either moved to illuminate another window or would have been extinguished. He did not think a farmer would still be up so late. So, remaining cautious, just like at the campsite he decided to use what darkness there was and move around the house to check for any surprises. As he got to the far side of the farmhouse, about a half-mile, he noted three horses standing together in a clump of trees. On closer inspection he noted they were still wearing saddles. His instincts had been correct. He was expected and they were probably in the house.

Suddenly he heard the sound no lawman wanted to hear… a metallic click behind him, a cocking hammer of a gun.

Garrett turned with his Henry ready, pointed in the general direction of the sound, while simultaneously falling to the ground. At that moment he heard two booms, one coming from the direction of the cocked hammer, the other from his left. On landing and rolling to a prone position he fired, rolled to a supine position, levered the Henry, rolled to the prone position again and fired in the same general direction of the sound of the cocked hammer. He repeated these same steps a couple more times each time rolling to his left, before he finally got up and ran to take cover behind a tree.

There had not been any more shots fired in his direction after the initial two, so he was uncertain where his adversary might have moved. The one thing was certain he would need to account for three men. One had originally been behind him and the other to his right or north, before he had turned to shoot. His stealth had not provided the advantage he had hoped. Since he was in a field with tall grass about waist high and a few trees scattered about the area, he continued moving cautiously hoping to get a drop on these men and avoid getting shot. Before moving, Garrett stood motionless behind the tree, listening for any sounds. He also took the time to reload the tubular magazine of his Henry. Not hearing anything for a couple of minutes, he turned, got low, and moved further away from the house hoping to get around his adversaries, while he continued to look and listen.

________________

Lincoln was very frustrated. He had the lawman dead in his sights ready to pull the trigger when that damned kid cocked the hammer of his gun alerting him to their presence. Because of the lawman’s alertness, his first shot missed. Based on the direction that the lawman seemed to be directing his unaimed shots, not focused at a single point, meant that he had no idea of anyone’s location. Lincoln knew where James was located and that he would probably continue directly toward the lawman. Lincoln though decided to wait a few minutes, watching James’ movements and use him as a decoy to draw out his prey.

He surveyed the field in the direction of James, though his movements were cautious, they were as he had expected. Now Lincoln moved in a wide semi-circular pattern to the right of the lawman’s original location, hoping to get around and maintain his flanking position. Maybe James would be able to move the lawman across his path or directly at him. Either way would put Lincoln in a good position to take him down and end this cat and mouse game.

________________

Garrett moved stealthily across the field, sometimes crouching low, sometimes crawling, while zigzagging as he moved away from the farmhouse. He stopped every few yards to listen for any sound and peek above the tall grass to observe its movement, hoping to recognize any movement of the grass that did not match the direction of the wind. The moonlight and the clear skies brought plenty of light upon the field. He then heard the sound that let him know the presence of his pursuer—the crack of a twig. He still had one man to the north and a third unaccounted for, so before acting he had to be certain of his target. Multiple attempts to finish the job would increase the risk.

Turning and moving back toward the sound, he stopped and watched the grass move. The light breeze from the south had the grass leaning north, but in the direction of the broken twig he saw grass being bent slightly to the southwest. As he surveyed the rest of the field he did not notice any other movement. The other two were out there, but he felt he needed to take the chance and try to even the odds. He had not heard any unusual sounds or talking, so he believed they were working independently. Garrett moved eastward to get behind him.

________________

When Lincoln heard the crack of the twig he stopped and looked across the field. What he saw was what he had hoped. The two men, James and the lawman, were getting closer together. He would wait until they happened upon each other, then he would finish it. With his ’73 Winchester ready, Lincoln stayed low, popping his head up every few seconds to watch the movement of the grass showing that the two men were getting closer to each other.

________________

Garrett had now positioned himself behind the other outlaw, staying low with his rifle ready, he then called out, Stop where you are, drop your gun, and stand up.

The outlaw’s response was what Garrett had expected. Like hell I will, he said while standing, turning, and firing blindly with his revolver. Garrett’s aim was true, hitting the young fugitive in the chest. At that same instant Garrett was hit in his back right shoulder blade, making his right arm useless. He drew his revolver with his left hand, not his regular shooting hand, and turned to see a shadow in the distance, followed by another boom.

________________

From his position Lincoln had a perfect view of the shootout between James and the lawman, but his focus was on the lawman. As soon as the first shot rang out, he saw the flame and smoke of the second shot, which he fired at.