Tall Tales - The Seven Six-Shooters of Glory and Destiny

By John J. Law

Nathan Adams, a famous bounty hunter, relates his involvement in a mission to rescue Warren Earp, Wyatt Earp's younger brother. Wyatt recruits Adams, Pat Garrett, Doc Holliday, and others to go to Mexico to the strong hold of notorious Comanchero, Sebastiano Caballero, who has taken Warren hostage. This tale describes the adventures encountered by the famous, and not-so-famous members of this odd assemblage of personalities. Old West legends, myths, and a touch of the supernatural, add to the mix. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.C. Hulsey Books
• Release date: Dec 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223449553

Book preview

Prologue

Another Tall Tale

That was a bloody good tale about No-Face right there!

Yeah, I confess that I was more than a little enthusiastic after my hero, the bounty hunter Nathan Adams, had concluded his tall tale. It was about his face-off with No-Face and its amazing conclusion. Unfortunately, I was probably the only one in the whole bar with such proclivities.

That was the worst piece of horse crap that I ever heard! Phillip said.

The kid's right! That story was shot full of holes worse than a leaky water barrel after a scattershot got through with it! Old Man Hunter said.

Old Man Hunter echoed the opinions of his group of old thugs. The old coots all laughed hard, and I thought that they would choke on their beer and whiskey.

Hey, I know the story was more than a little stretch, but I kinda liked it. I guess it was entertaining enough to pass the time.

It was Patty the saloon girl, and the only lady among us. Well, she also had kind of an open mind towards all of it, too.

You think that's entertainment? I can think of a thousand more entertaining things than listening to that claptrap nonsense, Old Man Hunter said.

The bartender Henry Aiken seemed to be the only soul in the entire establishment that wasn't polarized in the least by Nathan Adams' tale. His face seemed pretty straightforward and businesslike, and he didn't seem to mind any of the goings-on. He heard the tale in its entirety but only continued with his bar duties. It seemed as if old Henry had only a passing interest in Nathan's tall tales.

I think the only story more exciting than that, was the shootout at the OK Corral! Man, I never tire of hearing about old Tombstone! I said.

Nathan nodded towards me.

You like stories about Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, do you young' un?

That I do, yessir! I mean, who doesn't like hearing about Doc Holliday? The man was a lunger who shouldn't have been a shootist by all accounts, 'cause of his condition! Yet there he was, taking down the toughest and meanest SOBs that the West had to offer! I'm sorry, but I just can't get enough of the stuff!

Is that so? Well how would you feel if I told you that I knew old Doc Holliday personally? I even knew the Earp brothers! Believe me, there's a lot of stuff that those dime novels omit about all of them.

Them Earps were killers, plain and simple, if you ask me! It was them cowboys who were the real victims of that shootout at the OK Corral! Old Man Hunter said.

Is that how you look at it, Hunter?

You bet that it is! Danged Earps didn't need to kill those boys back there. They coulda' disarmed them plain and simple without any lead flying!

I don't know. They did say that them cowboys were running Tombstone like it was their own little backyard, Phillip said.

The stories get a lot of stuff wrong, kid! Believe me, you'll understand such things by the time you reach my age. If you even do!

I agree that a lot of things get misrepresented and such. I mean, stories passed down through the years tend to get a little, well, embellished with the right amount of alcohol. Let me tell ya all though, that the shootout at the OK Corral would not have even happened, if it wasn't for yours truly! Henry, one more beer, please!

Boy, are you ever really full of it! How could none of that ever have happened without you? You weren't even one of the participants at that shootout! If you even claim to have been with the Earps and Doc Holliday when it all came down, well, you're really full of it!

Old Man Hunter challenged Nathan's claims at every turn, but the bounty hunter took it all in stride.

Keep your pants on, old timer. I do not make any claims that I was there at Tombstone on that infamous day. I had parted ways with the Earps and Doc Holliday long before.

You mean you knew the Earps and Doc Holliday? Patty asked.

That I did, Nathan said without batting an eye.

Everyone seemed to snicker at Nathan's claim. Well, I do admit that it was a rather steep claim, even for him. Still, I didn't find it amusing at the least. If anything, it only made me a lot more curious about the bounty hunter.

What do you mean it wouldn't have been possible without you? And you knew those legends? Come on, Mr. Adams! Please tell us more! I'll even buy that beer for you! I said.

Thank you very much, Jerry. I am very grateful for your offer, and I'll take you up on it. You see, this is what happened...

Everyone sat back and listened as Nathan began his tale. I'm sure that most of them were skeptical about his claims, but they were all, eager to hear him nonetheless. Nathan spun another tale, and I was completely transfixed and mesmerized. That old bounty hunter could sure tell a gripping tale, and hold a captive audience.

Chapter One

A New Job.

My tale begins in one of Dodge City's old brothels. Don't all great tales of the West start in similar places? I looked around and quickly saw a lady that was to my liking. I had recently collected a bounty on some poor outlaw, and I was thinking of spending my money the right way. The way that fetching little lady was looking at me, she seemed to agree with my intentions perfectly.

Aren't you that bounty hunter from far off? You look real tired. I guess hunting men must be really taxing on the mind and body.

You don't know the half of it, Missy, I said wiping my lips with my tongue.

Yeah, I confess that I did have a lot of pent up stress and aggression to blow off that night. That little lady looked to be real willing to help me unwind. Well, unfortunately for me, this was just not meant to be.

A large man stepped into the brothel. The man almost walked through and smashed the brothel's revolving doors. With his large frame, he almost didn't fit through the space of the doors, but he somehow managed. A tall, well-built, colored lady of a similar frame entered the establishment's revolving doors. I confess that the black lady looked a lot more intimidating than the hulking man, simply because she was a woman. I confess that I was not used to seeing a woman so large, who carried herself with such fearlessness. 

Howdy, Nathan. Been awhile.

I would have recognized that large and hulking frame with the equally massive mustache anywhere. There was no way that you could miss Wyatt Earp in a crowd, simply because of that frame of his. The man was tall and built like a mountain. He also had the same manners. The black lady was not so familiar to me. She only stared at me silently with eyes that were as hard and unforgiving as the rifle that she carried.

Wyatt Earp! What the hell are you doing here? And who's your companion? I asked.

I was startled by Wyatt's sudden presence in the brothel, but I guess I shouldn't have been that surprised, as Wyatt himself was quick to point out.

The lady with the lead is Mary Fields, but you may have heard of her in her more famous nickname of Stagecoach Mary.

I was standing right in front of Wyatt Earp and Stagecoach Mary. This was long before the events at Tombstone, but Wyatt had already built a fairly respectable name for himself in law enforcement. As for Stagecoach Mary, I had heard stories about a tough black lady who had served as a star route carrier. Essentially her job was to protect coaches that delivered mail on her route. Stagecoach Mary, or Black Mary as she was also sometimes referred, excelled at her profession and earned a fearsome reputation for it. During one of her routes, I heard that she had taken down a pack of wolves and some angry Indians all at once.

Yeah, I've heard of Stagecoach Mary. But what are you doing here with her?

What am I doing here? This is Dodge, and I'm the Deputy Marshal. Why shouldn't I be here?

Good point. However, what are you and Mary doing here in this brothel specifically? You're interrupting some serious business of mine.

You're not doing anything serious Nathan. You can get back to it after you hear me out.

Why wouldn't this be serious business? I should imagine that someone like you would understand. After all, you did work as a bouncer in such places, and even ran your own brothel before you went into the business of upholding the law, did you not?

Wyatt grimaced a bit, as I made references to a past that he clearly, would have rather kept in the well, past. Like I said earlier, Wyatt Earp was already slowly making a name for himself in law enforcement. After the events at the OK Corral and the Vendetta Ride, he would become something of a legend. However, the man standing in front of me at that brothel, was not a legend, not yet, at least. He was simply an up-and-coming lawman, with a shady past that he would rather forget.

Listen Nathan. I've got work for you. You should appreciate the chance to earn some more cash at what you do best, hunting men.

I smiled at Wyatt, and politely set the lady-in-waiting aside.

You'll have to excuse me for now, Missy. The marshal and his companion here have caught my attention. I think this is quite serious business, indeed.

The little lady took it quite well, and smiled at me.

A pity. I was actually looking forward to getting to know you better.

Maybe next time, little Missy. Maybe next time.

Wyatt, Mary, and I sat at a nearby table to discuss the serious business at hand. The lady I was with simply started looking for a more receptive client. The night was still young, and surely there would be more chances for her to make some money.

All right, Wyatt. Let me ask again what are you and Stagecoach Mary doing here? We already caught Dirty Dave Rudabaugh, didn't we?

I was referring of course to the time that Wyatt tracked down Dirty Dave and caught him with Bat Masterson. I was with his posse that tracked down and caught up to Dirty Dave. He had rode over 400 miles just to catch up to him, and that alone says a lot about Wyatt's tenacity. Say what you want about him, but that man was as stubborn as a dog that had its chompers on a bone. When he set his mind on doing something, he would not stop until that something was done, and that was that. I was there alongside Wyatt when it all went down, and believe me, it wasn't easy.

That long ride to track and catch Dirty Dave wasn't the only notable occurrence that transpired, however. It was during this time that he met his best friend, and longtime associate Doc Holliday. It was Doc who gave Wyatt critical information that led to Dirty Dave and his gang getting apprehended. There've even been stories about Doc teaching Dave how to play cards, and Dave teaching Doc how to shoot straight. Let me tell you now, that all them stories is hogwash. Dirty Dave couldn't shoot straight. Or at least not as straight as Doc Holliday. There was nothing an outlaw like Dave Rudabaugh could teach someone like Doc Holliday.

Well, once the three of us sat down and I asked that question, Wyatt promptly gave me an answer. It was an answer that immediately caught my attention.

That we did, Nathan, but this is different. This is about Warren.

Chapter Two

The Other Earp.

I didn't know Wyatt had a brother named Warren, I said.

I couldn't help but air my doubts, and Old Man Hunter and Phillip were quick to pounce on my uncertainty like vultures on a rotting corpse in the desert. 

Even your biggest fan's got his doubts about your story now, bounty hunter. I ain't never heard of no Warren Earp! the old man said.

Yeah! What is all of this nonsense anyway? You really are taking us for a ride! Everyone knows that Morgan was Wyatt's youngest brother! Phillip said.

Will you two buzzards take it easy, and let the man speak? You're always both eager to show that you know it all!

It was Patty, and I was relieved that she still had a lot of good sense about her. That was one very sensible saloon girl.

It's all right, Patty. I guess it would be understandable if the old man and Phillip here were a little confused. After all, the name Warren Earp doesn't really ring as many bells as Morgan, Virgil, and Wyatt. But the truth is, Morgan wasn't the youngest Earp. It was Warren. The youngest Earp even participated in the Vendetta Ride with Wyatt, while Virgil was recuperating from losing an arm to Ike Clanton's boys. The mythmakers often conveniently glossed over these facts.

Why would they do that? Phillip asked.

Quite simple really. Warren was known as something of a troublemaker during his time. He was known as a bully with a short fuse, and would often pick fights with anyone over the smallest of matters. He never really held a stable job for most of his life, and if you mixed alcohol with Warren, well, let's just say that it would be lighting a stick of dynamite's short fuse. Even Virgil himself was aware of this fact, and often said as much about their youngest brother.

So you're saying that they omitted Warren because of his bad reputation? Henry said.

Nathan shrugged his shoulders.

Who's to say? A lot of stuff gets omitted, glossed over, added on, or just plain forgotten when it comes to the West. All I know is that Warren was definitely not easy to get along with, and he died ignominiously in Cochise County Arizona. He got into an argument with Henry Hooker's range boss Johnny Boyett. Warren often bullied Boyett, but I'm not sure why exactly Boyett shot him down.

I just didn't know that Wyatt had another brother, I said.

"Believe me, he had more brothers than just Virgil and Morgan. Most of them just lived more quiet lives, but Warren was definitely the orneriest. Wyatt and Stagecoach Mary cornered me at that brothel in Dodge, exactly because of Warren. He had gotten into some trouble and Wyatt needed to bail him