Jericho And The Hanging: Jericho

By Paul Lawless

Nathan Jericho and his long time partner, Marcus, were on their way to join up two friends and professional bank robbers, Bill Carver and Dave Kilpatrick, to do a job in the small town of Salt Flats when they happened upon a hanging in progress.
Pyke O'Brien, self-appointed man of God and leader of the six man vigilante group, was determined to hang Fox Hutchins and Whitefield Harris for sins against God and man. When Nathan and Marcus intervened, they found themselves in a deadly shootout with the group of vigilantes. From there, the group found themselves surrounded by a raiding party of Comanche.
Barely escaping with their lives, Nathan, Marcus and their two new-found friends, make their way to Rose Stone, only to find their two friends, Carver and Kilpatrick, had been killed in a shootout with the Mahan brothers.
Needing two others to help with the four man job of robbing the Salt Flats bank, Nathan and Marcus decided to take Fox and Whitefield under their wings. When they reached Salt Flats, they found the bank, but also found far more than they bargained for.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pale Horse Publications
• Release date: May 12, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224313464

Paul Lawless

Paul Lawless was born in Liverpool, England in 1958. He spends a lot of time volunteering for charities in Liverpool. He's a lover of animals, reading, writing novels and poems. He's also member of an Unitarian Church in Liverpool which takes up a lot of his time.

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Copyright © 2019 by Paul Lawless

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

This book may contain views, premises, depictions, and statements by the author that are not necessarily shared or endorsed by Pale Horse Publications.

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Cover Art by Michael Thomas

Cover design by Pale Horse Publications

Edited by Ann Mealler

Published by Pale Horse Publications

January 2022

10987654321

CHAPTER ONE

The midday sun beat relentlessly on the red cliffs. Below them, the temperature decreased, but only slightly, in the circular canyon below. The floor of the canyon was covered in grass, with a small lake providing the only fresh water for miles. Beside the water stood a few trees, their leaves emitting an aroma of sweet honey.

Two men sat on their horses beneath the tree. Both men were secured to the tree by ropes tied from overhead limbs and ending around their necks. Hands tied securely behind their backs, they were unable to move.

One of the men was Fox C. Hitchens, twenty-six years old, with a grey Stetson sitting atop his short red hair. The other man was Whitefield Harris, twenty-eight with a rather handsome face. 

The look of desperation was fixed to the faces of both men waiting to be hanged. Both could feel the ropes digging into their necks and wished for the nightmare to end soon.

Buckskin Bart, one of the five men standing around waiting to proceed with the hanging, wanted the nightmare to be over as well. He was anxious to get back into town and into a drink. 

One of the other five, Pyke O’Brien, stood in front of the two manned horses, holding a battered bible. The smell of whiskey beat from his clothing. Repent your evil ways before you are hanged and go to meet your maker who will judge you! O’Brien shouted.

Todd Doolin, another of the posse, pointed at the two men waiting to be hanged, his eyes filled with hatred, and began to laugh.

Shut up, you laughing fool! Pyke snapped at Doolin. I’m trying to say something important to these two evil men! O’Brien passed his bible to a man standing to his right. He took a cigarette from a pack in his pocket and lit it, blowing smoke from his mouth.

Doc McCain, the man standing to the right of Pyke O’Brien, coughed as the smoke from the cigarette drifted across him. 

Bob Sessions, twenty-eight and thinly built, stood to the left of Buckskin Bart.

Pyke took the cigarette from his mouth and dropped it into the grass. Todd Doolin immediately bent down and placed his hand over the offending thing, intending to dispose of it. Pyke watched him for a second, then stamped his right foot on top of the man’s hand. What does the good book say about stealing? Pyke snarled.

Doolin could feel the pain in his burning fingers and sense tears building up in his eyes. He knew that if he begged for release, it would only infuriate Pyke more. O’Brien removed his foot, and Todd cradled his injured hand.

A sixth man, taller than the others, stood behind the five, watching the scene before him. His name was Gus Clayton. Even though he was a part of the group of five, he made no secret of his contempt towards the others. His mind was not particularly intellectual, but neither was he a fool. Very quick to anger and use brutal violence, he longed to be the leader of the small group. But, that would mean having to contend with Pyke. Not certain if he could defeat Pyke O’Brien, Gus contemplated on simply shooting the man in the back.

Clayton rubbed his nose with his left hand as he watched the others around the hanging tree. Something emerged from the path, catching his eye. It was a rabbit. Immediately, Gus’ hand moved to the pistol resting in the holster at his side. Slowly, he pulled the gun and watched the young rabbit. He aimed and fired, the bullet striking the young rabbit and forcing its body into the air.

The five men beneath the tree turned to look at Clayton and saw the rabbit, the smoke from Gus’ pistol drifting up. Clayton watched as the rabbit landed in the grass, then fired his pistol again, until the chamber was finally empty, obliterating the body of the tiny animal.

Pyke continued to watch Clayton with a look of disgust. You stupid fool! he shouted. What are you doing? There was no call for that animal’s life to be taken! We’re here to do the Lord’s work and not for you foolishness! Now, put that gun back into your holster and start helping us! And it wouldn’t hurt you to try falling to your knees and praying once in a while!

Todd Doolin watched Clayton put the gun back into its holster and giggle. The sound of it annoyed Gus, who stepped toward Doolin with anger clouding his face. Doolin quickly hid behind Pyke for protection. Pyke threw his right hand into the air in front of Clayton. That’s enough of this foolishness! Pyke shouted in a commanding tone.

Clayton disregarded his aggression toward Doolin and turned his attention to Pyke. He wondered whether the moment had finally come for him to discover if he could really be the leader of these men. He knew that he, himself, was proficient with either a handgun or rifle, but he also knew that Pyke O’Brien had the exact same skills. Gus Clayton thought about pulling his weapon, figuring that once he had killed Pyke O’Brien and his bloody bible, then he would take care of Todd Doolin.

Doolin could feel the raw tension emitting from Clayton, and sense the man’s need for violence. Todd thought about the gun sleeping in its holster at his side, but dismissed the idea immediately. Then he thought of the bowie knife resting in his belt. He wondered if he could pull the knife quietly, wanting so much to stab Gus Clayton over and over again. He looked up from his fleeting thoughts and realized it was not him that Clayton was locked onto, but their leader.

Clayton and Pyke both stood at the ready to pull their guns so they could see who the true superior man was. Suddenly, the sound of two horses riding up broke the tension. Both Pyke and Clayton turned to see who had dared to come riding in to disrupt their hanging. 

Clayton decided immediately that he did not like the looks of the two riders. Breathing in and out, anger slowly fed through him. He contemplated for a moment of whether he should just shoot the two intruders in their back without giving them the opportunity to pull their own weapons. Then he wondered if there was anything worth taking off their cold, dead bodies.

The two riders stopped their horses in front of the water. One of the men turned his head slightly so that he could look at the two men waiting to be hanged. He did not care much for the sight of a hanging, regardless of the crime. At five feet eleven inches tall, athletic and fit, the man had intelligent light blue eyes and a degree of confidence about him. He sat his horse with the same confidence, that of a brave soldier who had seen many battles without fear. His name was Nathan Jericho.

Nathan turned to look at his constant companion, Marcus, who was sitting the horse next to him. Marcus knew his friend well enough that he could sense what Nathan was thinking.

No, whispered Marcus, this is none of our business. We should just get our water and ride on. I know that look in your eyes, Nathan, when you see some injustice taking place.

Nathan slipped off his horse and tied the reins to a nearby tree. He pulled the canteen from saddle, walked to the water’s edge, and began to fill it. Then, he raised the canteen to his mouth and took a drink before placing the top back on it. He walked back to his horse and stared at the two men waiting to be hanged. The thought of simply getting back onto his horse and riding off came to mind, but he dismissed the idea. Instead, he walked over to the two tied men and looked at them.

Neither Pyke nor Doolin liked the invasion of the two riders. I see you got your water, Pyke directed at Nathan. Your business is finished, now be on your way and take your friend with you. One filled canteen is adequate to get both of you to where you’re going. Unless, that is, you and your friend wish to be hanged here, too.

Nathan ignored the man speaking to him and continued to look at the two men tied atop their horses. Doolin was about to speak up, but decided against it when Nathan turned his attention to him. Todd Doolin did not like the look of the strangers eyes, even more than he disliked the look in Clayton’s.

Nathan walked in between Gus Clayton and the other five men, his back turned to Gus. He looked them each over, concentrating first on the bold, stupid man standing before him. Nathan looked at Pyke, and decided the bible-holding man might be somewhat of a danger. The man who looked more like a mouse, Todd Doolin, would be no threat. A man chewing gum looked like he had no real desire to be there. The man with a look of jealousy might pose a problem, but Nathan had Marcus to back him up. Then there was the middle-aged man who seemed, from the way his gun holster rested on his hip, might be the only one proficient with his weapon. Marcus came to stand next to Nathan as Nathan contemplated the worth of the tallest of the group, Gus Clayton.  

Pyke stared at Nathan and Marcus, hoping the two would start something so he could hang them as well. 

Why are these two men being hanged? Nathan asked as politely as possible. I mean, you men are not sheriffs or deputies because I don’t see any badges. I take it you five aren’t bounty hunters because they don’t go around hanging their victims of gluttony.

Pyke looked at Nathan carefully and realized this was not a man to be taken lightly. There was a strong, confident air about him. Yes, Pyke thought, this was a man to fear.

These two men rode into our town on Sunday morning, Pyke began to explain to Nathan. After services, while we six men were in the Richard Darking Café having our dinner, the clerk of the Louise Mary Alcott Hotel came running into the café. The clerk was agitated and, at first, it was difficult to understand him. He said the two men had come in to rent a room. An hour later, peculiar noises were heard coming from the room so the clerk went up. The clerk took out his spare room key and opened the door, clearly disturbed by what he heard. When he opened the door, these two men were lying on the bed, naked, and partaking of carnal pleasures as if they were man and woman. This, sir, is an abomination to our good Lord.

Nathan watched the man speaking to him, taking note of the bible in his hands. I see, he replied, you have made it perfectly clear of the nature of the hanging. Thank you.

Pyke O’Brien smiled. That’s good that you and your friend understand the situation, he said. Now, if you and your good friend would like to leave the area. I would dearly love to invite you to stay and watch the hanging, but I would not plague the two of you with such ugliness. Now that you have some water, please get back on your horses and ride away from here.

Nathan could sense Marcus placing his hand on his gun and realized the situation was not going to be resolved with talking. He casually allowed his left hand to rest on the top of his own Colt. Nathan had no desire to gun these five men down. He wished the matter could be handled without violence, but that seemed pointless. 

You misunderstand me and my good friend, Nathan replied to the man holding the bible. "We don’t condone this cold-blooded murder. I advise  you and your ugly friends to cut them down and ride out of here. That is, unless you wish to pull