Henry Clay - A Change of Heart

By John J. Law

"They killed Dean. He was just a boy," the engineer said.
"Ain't nothin' we can do about that now," Herb said.
"I'm probably going to be the one who'll have to tell John's parents about this. The poor kid was just trying to do his job."
Herb Carlson shook his head. "I'm sorry mister, but believe it or not, we didn't want it to end that way. We just wanted the railroad company's money for a good cause and that's just what we're going to get now."
The old man scowled at Carlson. "So you wanted the company's money for a good cause, eh? And what might that 'good cause' be, eh? To make yourselves richer?"
Carlson shook his head and smiled at the old engineer. "You wouldn't understand."

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.C. Hulsey Books
• Release date: Dec 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223430476

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

A Good Cause.

Stop the train! Stop the train!

There was the deafening sound of metal wheels grinding against iron tracks as the train skidded to a halt. The engineer found it strange that the train was ordered to stop. The orders were clear that the tender of the locomotive was to be refilled with water. He found this strange as he was sure that the tender was still full of water. This was an unscheduled stop, and the engineer felt that it would only delay their trip unnecessarily.

This is sure strange like. Well, who am I to go against orders from the company?

The engineer stopped the train and stepped down to refill the tender. The moment he stepped down, he realized what this was really all about.

Get your hands up, engineer. Don't do nothing stupid, and no one needs to get hurt.

The bandit smiled behind the bandana that covered his mouth. He kept his gun steady and continued to point it at the trembling engineer.

A smart move, old man. Nice to see that you're sensible. It ain't your fault that you need to work for a greedy outfit like the railroad.

Of course I'm sensible! I don't want to die!

Let's hope everyone else is as sensible as you are, old man. Bart, you an' Clyde get to the money car, and do what you do best.

With pleasure, Herb!

Bart and Clyde moved quickly to follow Herb's orders. Herb and two other bandits stayed with the engineer and kept their guns pointed at him.

"Bart and Clyde barged into the money car. The car had only one occupant, a wide-eyed young man that was barely 20. John Barkley worked long nights as a messenger for the rail company. He had heard about more than one daring train robbery, and about other gangs like the Carlson gang. He still fulfilled his job dutifully, and he never expected to be right in the middle of one such robbery.

All right, kid. Hands in the air! We don't want no trouble. Bart said.

Bart and Clyde spied a large safe behind John Barkley. It didn't take a genius to figure out that there was a huge sum of money in the safe.

Listen we can do this two ways. I'm sure you know the combination to open that little baby up there, so you can open it for us, and we'll be done. Or, you can try to play hero and make things a lot more difficult for you. I'm guessing you're a smart kid, so I'm betting you'll choose the former option. Bart said.

Young John Barkley stared at Clyde Williams, then at Bart Carlson. He knew about these men, and their dangerous reputation. Bart Carlson was right.Trying to fight them in any way was a foolhardy risk, at best. At worst, it would be a sure ticket to an early grave. However, John Barkley was young, and