Hubert Wedge - Reunion in California

By John J. Law

It had been several days since the remainder of the Hathaway wagon train to California had left me behind. The rest of the party left us behind on account of one of the men's sisters dying of the dreaded Cholera. Captain Atticus Hathaway, the leader of the wagon train we were on, had decided that it would be best to leave the men that had been in close contact with the deceased woman and her brother behind, and go their separate ways to California. Well, I was one of the people who had been in close contact with Mick Johnson and his sister. That included my wife Nelly, and my brother Ned and his wife Susan.None of us had developed any symptoms of the dread disease, and we were about to start moving towards California on our own as planned, when it happened.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.C. Hulsey Books
• Release date: Dec 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223019732

Book preview

My name is Hubert Wedge and this is my story.

One: The White Horse

It had been several days since the remainder of the Hathaway wagon train to California had left me behind. The rest of the party left us behind on account of one of the men's sisters dying of the dreaded Cholera. Captain Atticus Hathaway, the leader of the wagon train we were on, had decided that it would be best to leave the men that had been in close contact with the deceased woman and her brother behind, and go their separate ways to California. Considering how dreaded Cholera was back in those days, such a decision did not seem as ruthless or heartless as it may initially seem. Well, I was one of the people who had been in close contact with Mick Johnson and his sister. That included my wife Nelly, and my brother Ned and his wife Susan.

None of us had developed any symptoms of the dread disease, and we were about to start moving towards California on our own as planned, when it happened.

The best laid plans of men... what was it they said? I forget how the line goes, but it was definitely apt for what would happen to us, and the events that would follow. I would specifically be hit the most by the terrible events that followed.

Just as we were about to leave for California our small party was attacked by Indians. I was not certain what tribe they were, but it did not really matter. Their intentions were made clear when the first volley of arrows was fired our way. There was no clear reason why they had attacked us, but the best possible reason was that they had gotten wind of the Cholera that was breaking out among the settlers. They probably feared the disease spreading to their ranks, and they figured the most efficient way of making sure they were not infected was to kill any settlers they passed. It was definitely a brutal means of carrying out their goals, but that was simply one of the many dangers of the California trail.

The Indians attacked our small band viciously and were intent on wiping us out. It was clear that they did not want to leave any survivors behind to make sure that the dreaded disease would not spread to their ranks. For many of the native tribes the disease was a blight upon the land brought by the white man. To them, the disease was a curse and to be infected by it was one of the worst fates one could possibly come upon. I honestly couldn't blame them for thinking this way, and it was actually quite an accurate assessment coming from their side.

It was a pitched battle, and we took down a lot of the Indians before they eventually turned and retreated. The arrows flew fast and furiously over our heads and I genuinely thought that I would lose my