Gun Justice

Dodge City was less than a full day’s ride from Bucklin and by the following nightfall I had a room for myself, had Buck taken care of and was making the rounds of the saloons. I restricted my search for Sam to the south side of the deadline. I figured all of the cattle buyers were doing their business in the nicer saloons north of the deadline. If Sam intended to sell a herd that wasn’t his, he would need to make sure he wasn’t recognized by any of the buyers. I finally found Sam in Dawson’s Saloon. He was seated at a table by himself with a bottle in front of him.

I walked to the bar and ordered a beer. On the way over from Bucklin, I had decided to be the judge, jury, and executioner for Sam Foster. The way I had it figured, he shouldn’t be running around loose. Anyone already wanted for murder, and callous enough to plan to kill an entire trail crew, didn’t deserve to live. If I caught him and turned him in alive, there was always a chance that he might get away. If he got away, it would just be a matter of time until he killed again, so I decided to put a stop to it right here.

I had been running all that through my mind and didn’t realize that I had been staring at Sam in the bar mirror until he jumped up from his table and yelled, "Why are you starin’ at me like that, mister?"

I was startled for a second before I realized he was talking to me. Then I turned to face him and said, "I didn’t realize I was starin’."

"Well, you was and I don’t like it so just turn around and get your butt out of here before you get hurt."

"Before I get hurt? How am I gonna get hurt in here?"

"What’s the matter with you, boy? Have you lost some of your marbles? I’m runnin’ you out of this saloon, can’t you understand that?"

"Yeah, I understood it perfectly. I was just havin’ some fun with you to see what you would say. Now, back to your threat," I replied with an easy smile on my face. "Let me tell you how it is with me. I come and go as I please and I stay where I please for as long as I please and I don’t get ran anywhere by anybody. Now, how do you like the sound of that?"

When I had finished talking, there was a mad scramble as the other customers got out of the line of fire.

"You don’t know who you’re talkin’ to, do you?" Sam said in anticipation of getting to brag about who he was.

"No, I don’t," I lied. "But by the way you’re actin’, I’d say that you’re probably a nobody, wishin’ he was a somebody."

"That little speech is gonna cost you your life, Sonny. I’m Sam Foster and I’ve already killed fourteen men."

"Is that a fact."

"Yes, that’s a fact."

"Well, what did you do old man, talk ‘em to death?" I taunted.