Showdown at Chaperito

Showdown at Chaperito

Copyright 2007 Michael Young

Smashwords Edition

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In the rush to settle the lands that the United States took from Mexico after the Treaty of Hidalgo, the Anglo settlers traveled into the lands that made up the New Mexican territories. The new movement of American settlers was spurred on by the Country’s belief in Manifest Destiny. This created opportunities for many Americans who were willing to invest in materials and manpower so they could travel west and settle the lands by farming and ranching. The movement fed on itself and continued to create more and more opportunities for adventurous men as the new frontier expanded.

The needs for the new settlers had to be met and small settlements sprung up around junctions and trails where the settlers could be refitted and re-supplied on their way west. The new settlers were not without their troubles as the current inhabitants, the American Indians resisted the onslaught of civilization into their lands.

The Anglo settlers did not have the same mindset as did the Spanish settlers that had come into the lands earlier under the flag of Mexico. They had an unspoken agreement with the Indians and considered the Indian harvesting some of their crops or taking a few sheep or cattle as the Indian passed through the land as part of the cost of doing business. They also considered the land public domain and did not fence it. Therefore they were able to get along well with the Indians.

The Anglo rancher however viewed this as theft and demanded the service of the United States Army to protect the settlements from Indian depredation. Some men were less than honest in their endeavors to convince the U.S. Army to move into their areas. Many of the ranchers found that a sizable company of army troops in their area could result in an instant market where the ranchers and farmers could make a profit by trading with the troops and selling grain to feed their horses and cattle to feed the troops. A problem was that Congress did not believe in a large standing army and many areas were protected by volunteer forces that would be fielded in times of local crisis. The existing army was spread very thin in the new west and needed to prioritize their responses to the areas that had the worst Indian problems. Many of the unscrupulous settlers resulted in making false reports of Indian degradation to their field and live stock to persuade the army to frequent their areas. Some went further then that including deadly measures to ensure the army’s presence.

This story is intermingled with truth and fiction. It is based on the life in the southwest and tells of a man who manipulated the people of the Gallinas Valley and San Miguel County and the army to profit from his dishonest actions.

The story will cover many of the characters that could have existed in a new land being settled. There will be the local Deputy and his brother of the small town of Chaperito, located 33 miles south of Las Vegas New Mexico. The Local army commander from Fort Union will play a major part in the story, as he is manipulated by the profiteer.

An unlikely heroine steps into the story as she develops a strong bond with a pony soldier who was recruited to investigate the Indian degradation and the possible connection to the ranchers.

Many characters will come and go in this story. Some will win the heart of the reader and yet others will be downright irritating.

I have attempted to make this story reflect the way life was in the 1800's and although the names and actions of the characters may seem to resemble true life characters, I want to assure the reader that these characters and their actions are pure fiction but placed in a historical setting.

The Gallinas Valley is a part of the beautiful Sam Miguel County and at the edge of the Santa Fe Trail. The nearest large settlements were Anton Chico to the south and Las Vegas to the north. This country is rich in history from the glorious Indian history of the many tribes that lived on the land to the stories of the strong Americans who settled this area. This group of American included all races and creeds. One has only to read the list of name of soldiers assigned to the many forts that existed in the southwest to see the wide diversity that made up the American West.

Showdown at Chaperito

By Michael Thomas Young

Table of Contents

Introduction

Prelude- Run for Freedom

Chapter 1- Chaperito

Chapter 2- Marshal Tito

Chapter 3- Apache Uprising

Chapter 4- Alexander Spivey

Chapter 5- The Spivey Ranch Hanging Party

Chapter 6- Hostage Rescue Plan

Chapter 7- Hayden’s Way

Chapter 8- The Death of Black Crow

Chapter 9- Winning Spivey’s Trust

Chapter 10- Lozen, Female Warrior

Chapter 11- The Spivey Ranch Secret

Chapter 12- Coopers Mine

Chapter 13- Apache Justice

Chapter 14- The Dragoon Ambush

Chapter 15- The Rescue

Chapter 16- The Posse

Chapter 17- Road to Fort Union

Chapter 18- Jail Break

Chapter 19- Fort Union

Chapter 20- Carol Spivey

Chapter 21- Tim Keats

Chapter 22- Sacramento Mountains

Chapter 23- Retrieving the Stones

Chapter 24- The Showdown

Prelude - Run for Freedom

The Bull whip made a loud snapping sound as it tore the flesh and raised another welt on Boada’s back. Boada, a runaway slave that had been captured, had his wrists bound with a rough hemp rope. His arms were above his head. The y were secured to a cross beam in the ceiling of the wooden shed. He only wore a pair of brown breeches. His wide thick feet wore no shoes and his Oznabrigg Shirt was stripped off and lay on the straw covered dirt floor. He was a stout and well set man. His legs were a little bowed. He had a full face and thick neck. He was a man of great strength. But all the strength he could muster would not save him from the whipping he had just received.

Boada turned his face to the side to look at his tormentor. The branded C on his face stood out and marked Boada as a runner. He was branded by his last Master after Boada’s third attempt to get to freedom failed.

He knew he would survive this whipping just as he had all the others. The punishment had the opposite effect on him as it did with other runaways. Each strike of the whip just reinforced his drive to get to freedom. He was determined to take his wife and her expected child to the north and would not let this master keep him from doing it.

The master, Edwin Burke, turned and rolled up the bull whip and hung it on a peg protruding from the oak post. He wiped his brow with the cotton hanky and stuffed it back into his back pocket of his trousers. He let down his sleeves and buttoned up his vest then put on his straw hat. It was obvious that the Master had given him his best and was tired out and would return to the big house to refresh with a cool drink.

Sam, I want you to take him down and take him to the well and wash off the blood with a bucket of that well water. Then send him to the slave quarters. I’m sure they will put some salve on his back. Master Burke said to Sam Thompson, one of the men that worked for him at the tobacco plantation.

Sam’s job was to watch over the Master's property on this large tobacco plantation. The property included the slaves that kept the land worked and harvest taken in. Sam also ran the crew of slave. His duties also included the capturing and punishing of runaways. He didn’t know the Master to take part in the whipping before. He figured that this time was special as this buck was a big problem and the Master wanted to personally handle the punishment.

Boada you are too much trouble and I can’t be having my men chasing you all over God's half acre. You hafta learn your place here on my plantation and settle in like the rest the Negros here! Now be a good fella and mind Sam. I want you back out in them fields by the end of the week, so you heal up quick and proper now, ya hear me buck, by the end of the week! Master Edwin turned and walked towards the big house. He stopped short and turned to Sam who was taking Boada down with the help of several other slaves.

Sam, if he gives you a lick of trouble…Kill him. He ain’t no good to me running all the time and with his reputation he won’t fetch much on the auction block. I hate to lose a strong buck like him, but if he don’t come around we will just have to put him down. Edwin said this like he was talking about a crippled horse. There was no emotion in his voice just a plain tone. After all Boada was property. In the final scheme of things it all came out the same, a runaway slave did nobody any good. A bullet was cheaper than all the trouble this buck was causing him.

Yes, suh, Mister Burke. He causes me one lick a trouble an I will put him down, yes suh, I will shorely do that. Sam tapped the side arm he had holstered on his side.

Boada was in great pain and the cold water from the well shocked him and set all his cuts on fire, but the overall feeling from the water was refreshing and brought Boada to his senses. Sam escorted him to the slave quarters and dropped him on a cot. Shortly after Sam left, Kisha arrived.

Kisha was the woman who was carrying Boada’s unborn child. She was a strong Negro woman of about twenty four years. She was dressed in a home spun frock as all the house servants wore. She had new leather shoes and wore a white cotton scarf over her hair.  She rushed to Boada’s side and wept quietly as she cleaned his back and applied an herbal poultice to ease his pain.

She stayed by his side that night and the next day while he slept and she changed his dressings whenever they needed changing. On the third day Boada was awake and alert. The fever that he had the first two days was gone and he was able to sit up with help.

He started to make plans for his next escape attempt and this time he would take his woman and unborn child with him. First he had to even a score.

When Kisha would come to see him they hatched an escape plan. Kisha had overheard the head mistress talking to the cooks about a huge gathering the master was going to have. His friend Mr. Devries was a sea Captain and was traveling with merchants from across the big sea. These were wealthy men and they had planned on doing business with the master for tobacco. Kisha thought this would be a good time to make their escape because the master and his men would be entertaining the guests. Whenever the Master entertained and did business he would always get drunk.   The guest would also drink heavily and they would all sleep in the next day. This would give Boada and her time to put many miles between themselves and the plantation before they would notice them missing. A search for them would not start until late in the day.

Kisha was storing food and clothing in a box in the kitchen pantry and was very secretive about their leaving. She didn’t even tell her best friend Luce, who she loved like a sister.

The evening the visitors would be at the plantation the agenda would start with a formal dinner and when that was over the men would start to drink in the masters Den.  That would be when Boada and Kisha could make their move. She felt that they should leave immediately after the men started their ritual drinking, but Boada wanted something different. He wanted to wait until the master had fallen into a drunken sleep making it easy for Boada to get his revenge by killing master Burke while he slept.

Kisha disagreed with Boada and pled with him not to kill the master as that would surely seal Boada’s fate, and if they were caught they would kill Boada. Boada didn’t tell Kisha that his fate was already sealed and he had nothing to lose.

The plantation was prepared for guest and all the house servants had cleaned and worked all through the night to get ready for the large reception. The next day guests started to arrive and the Master went to greet them. The reception continued all through the day.  After the dinner had been completed the men retired to the masters den where they lit expensive cigars and started to consume the very best imported liquor.

Kisha slipped out from the back of the big house and lit a candle on the back porch. She waved it back and forth trying to get Boada’s attention. The light was a signal to let Boada know it was clear for him to come to the house to get the items that Kisha had hidden.

After seeing the signal, Boada crept across the yard being careful not to be seen. The other slaves were busy inside the slave quarters gambling or playing their home made instruments. Some were outside sitting in the cool night air and yet others were coming back late from the fields. Nobody was near the house and Boada made it undetected.

He entered the large kitchen and Kisha showed him to the pantry. They were both being very quiet as Boada lift the cloth sack and took more food from the shelves and stuffed it into the sack. He moved quickly while Kisha kept an ear close to the door to detect any one who might enter the kitchen. They both froze when Master Burke and one of the visitors entered the kitchen. They were both very loud and it was obvious that the liquor had been taking affect. Kisha and Boada stayed very still as the two men sat at a wooden prep table, The visitor put a dark blue felt box down on the table top. The box was about the size of a cigar box. Boada had a clear line of sight through the gap where the door was hinged to the wall. He could see and hear the two talking to each other and the conversation went on a long while as they talked about trade and tobacco.

Boada was getting impatient and thoughts crossed his mind that he should charge the men and kill the master now. But then he would have to kill the visitor and he sought no revenge on that man. Boada was a man of God and he would not harm a man who had not done him wrong. He knew killing the master would not go well with God but he felt that he could explain his action when God called him up to the great beyond. But he could not kill the unknown man. No he would force himself to be patient and wait until the men left the room and then he and Kisha would make good their escape.

The merchant lifted the lid to the felt box and took out two leather bags. He opened the draw string first on one then on the other. He poured out the contents onto the table and Master Burke looked through the stones that had spread out across the table top.

These stone are very high quality and I am sure we can come to an agreement as to the payment for the shipments from your plantation. A small portion of these stones would be worth more than your whole plantation. After they are cut and mounted they will be worth a small fortune. The visitor placed the contents back into the bag and then back into the blue case.

Mr. Jones you are right about the value of the stones and I would have no problem getting them cut and mounted in town. Burke thought for a bit and then folded his hands in front of him as he came to a decision and aired his thoughts.

I would be willing to hold some of these stones as collateral until you were able to meet my price for the crops. I will agree that we will only ship through your company. The Master was impressed by the stones and felt they would be more than enough collateral to seal the deal. Jones agreed and extended his hand as the two shook on the agreement. Jones and Burke agreed that one of the leather bags containing thirty stones would be the collateral held. Jones put the agreement on paper and Burke signed both copies as did Jones. The deal completed Jones opened the box and removed the bag agreed upon to give to Burke. Burke spilled the contents on the table top to view the stones again.

The den was a very ornate room about twenty by twenty feet and had mahogany paneling on the walls that climbed to a very high ceiling of coppered tin. Crystal lead window panes with etched pictures of game birds in various forms of flight were evenly set in the walls every few feet and were framed with elegant and colorful draperies. There was a large wall mounted gun cabinet constructed of solid oak, where Burke’s collection of rifles and swords were displayed. The den had a selection of fine imported carpets and beautiful art work on the walls. A bright chandelier hung over the green felt covered gaming table where the men were dealing cards and wagering their money. The room was filled with smoke from the expensive cigars that Burke had offered to his guests. The guests at the table were all dressed in their finest clothing and represented many of the counties finest merchants and business men. The expensive clothing and imported colognes did very little to counteract the effects of the alcohol and the men’s manners soon left the room as the poker game became ugly as one of the guests had lost a considerable sum and was unable to make good on his debt. An argument broke out and threats were yelled back and forth. The men wasted no time in picking sides in the argument and when the winner was accused of cheating a fight broke out among the guests.

Suddenly there was a loud noise and a rush of men came blasting through the kitchen door. The men from the den had continued to fight over the accusations and the fight had traveled into the kitchen. Jones quickly scooped up the diamonds and placed them back into the box closing the lid and hiding