Sergeant Major John Ryson, Corporal James Pierson, Corporal Parker

© 2020 Laszlo Endrody. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

ISBN: 978-1-09830-319-8 eBook ISBN: 978-1-09830-320-4

Table of Contents

Sergeant Major John Ryson

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Corporal James Pierson

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Corporal Parker

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Sergeant Major John Ryson

Chapter One

My name is John; I had 22 years in the cavalry, and I was known as the man with all the answers. I was sergeant major and I ran the regiment.

We were south of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, behind some Texans that were falling back. Colonel Baker needed me to ride with him at all times. One day while I was riding with the Colonel, and Major Stone, I picked up a bullet in my left leg. It went through my leg and into my horse. The horse went down; the bullet must have hit his heart. I was able to jump clear, but I was bleeding badly and needed help. The bullet tore up my muscles. It did not break the bone; I was able to move my leg. To stop the bleeding, Colonel Baker told the corporal to take me back to the aid station we had passed earlier and to get a doctor to check my leg. I rode the corporal’s horse, with the corporal following behind.

When we got to the aid station, the doctor made me get into an ambulance with three other men. We sped to the hospital in Little Rock, it took all day to get there. A sergeant checked me in, and a doctor worked on me for two hours- sewing me up. They put a big bandage on me, and I had strict orders to rest. They gave me a powder and I was out like a light.

I was in a room with a bunch of sergeants, one knew me from the first cavalry. He told the others, This sergeant major ran the regiment.

When the doctor came by, I told him that I was hungry. The doctor said, We have some good chicken soup. They brought me some soup, and I ate. Then, a captain came from the 1st Battalion came to check on me. The doctor explained to the captain that I was finished in the Army.

The captain told me, Lieutenant Baily is bringing you a horse, so you can come back as soon as you can.

Lieutenant Baily arrived shortly after the captain left, and came to tell me that he brought a horse for me- it was in the stable. You can travel as soon as you feel like it, he said. Our HQ is still in Pine Bluff. The Colonel is worried about you. He wants you back.

A corporal came in with a tray of sliced bread and butter. I took a slice and said that it was good and he gave me another slice. For lunch, we had more chicken soup. The doctor came by and re-bandaged my leg. I asked the doctor if I could get up and walk. The doctor said, Have the sergeant bring you a cane.

The sergeant brought me a cane and I tried to get up, but I could not put any weight on my injured leg. I said, frustrated, I just wanted to look at the horse the colonel sent me.

The hospital sergeant said, It is a nice mare. I know the horse; it has a nice Texan saddle.

Two days later, the colonel came and talked to the surgeon. He was told that according to the latest orders, they were supposed to discharge all soldiers with leg wounds where they would limp after the wounds healed. The colonel talked to him for a while, and the surgeon told the colonel that I could not put any weight on my leg yet and I could not ride the horse. The colonel took the mare with him, and he said that he would send our doctor with an ambulance to get me back to HQ. He needs to work until he can properly retire, the colonel stated. With 22 years, I was in favor of staying until I could retire. I was only 46 years old.

Three days later, our medical officer, Major Wilson, came with an ambulance and picked me up. We visited several town’s restaurants on the way home. I’ll eat anything, but no chicken soup, I said- that’s the only thing I ate at the hospital.

When we got to Pine Bluff, they had orders for us to go south to Warren, where the HQ now was. It was another two days of traveling. The doctor slept on the other bunk, the driver slept on top, and we had oats for the horses.

When we got to Warren, they were in a schoolhouse with my office next to the main door. All the regiments’ papers were there, and I had a job sitting down. It took me a couple of days to catch up with the work. The doctor took out the stitches, and I was slowly getting back to normal. I needed the cane to walk, and had a pretty bad limp. The colonel was happy to have me back, and I was happy to be back. I was hopeful that I would get better, but it was a very slow recovery.

When the war ended, I was still limping. Our HQ was now in Fort Worth. The colonel was reassigned to Fort Leavenworth and took his sergeant major, me, with him. When we got to Leavenworth six months later, I was still walking with a cane and limping. The base commander ordered me discharged, and I was finished in the Army.

The sheriff from Kansas City was advertising for a deputy, so I went and asked for the job. The sheriff had just gotten the word that three gunmen were shooting up the saloon. He told me that if I wanted to be a deputy, I should take a gun belt with a Colt .44, and come with him to the saloon. We have three bandits raising hell down there.

When we got there, we went through the door. One man tried to shoot the sheriff, but I shot the gun out of his hand. The other two bandits pulled guns, and I shot the gun out of one bandit’s hand and shot the other in his right elbow. I said, You three gentlemen are under arrest.

The sheriff ordered, You three, carefully go out, and we are going to the jail. Your new home. He turned to me and said, Deputy, you follow and shoot if it is needed. Don’t kill them, just touch them up where it hurts. Put them in three cells so the doctor can work on them. The jail had four cells on each side and we put a man in each cell. When the doctor came, the sheriff let him into the cell and he bandaged them up. The sheriff told me that I had the night shift and he would be back in the morning. Nobody visits at night, he assured me.

All three of the prisoners were wanted and I found their wanted posters. Somebody banged on the door at 8:00 p.m. and I asked what they wanted. It was a man, who said that he was the attorney and he had to talk to the prisoners. I told him to come back in the morning. No visitors at night, I stated. After the man left, it quieted down, and I went into a cell and laid down and got four hours of sleep.

When the sheriff came back that morning, I had coffee made. Somebody banged on the door. I reached for a shotgun; I knew it was loaded. The sheriff said, Come in, and a man swung the door open with his gun out. I shot him with the shotgun. I did not kill him, but I ruined his gun hand. His gun was on the floor. He had two money belts that took most of the pellets. The doctor came, and worked on him for an hour, pulling pellets out of his skin. He was locked up, and that’s where he stayed. He was wanted for $500 in Denver. The sheriff wired the law in Ohio, Colorado, Kentucky, and Tennessee. U.S. Marshals were coming. The sheriff remarked, That’s better than hanging them here.

The judge came and looked at the mugshots. He too was convinced that we had the crew. The sheriff said that he got $200, and I got the $600 since I did all the shooting. The girl from the saloon came with four sandwiches and four bottles. I took one sandwich and took in the three to the others. I asked them for money, if they wanted the bottles. I ate a sandwich and had some coffee. Later, the bartender came with six horses that belonged to the four men. Two of the horses were branded. We found the brands in the Ohio book; they were stolen horses. The sheriff counted the gold in the two money belts, there was $1,800. He must have stolen that money somewhere, the sheriff figured.

I asked the sheriff where a good place to get a room was, where I could clean up and live. There was a home not too far from the sheriff’s office where I got a room, very reasonable; It was run by the sheriff’s daughter. I told her that I was a deputy sheriff. She said that her father had told her about me, being the best deputy he had ever had. With all the bandits in this country, good sheriffs and deputies are sure needed, she said.

I have the night shift at the jail again tonight, I told her, But as soon as the prisoners are picked up and taken out of our district, I will need a place where I can clean up and sleep at night. I will be on the day shift with the sheriff.

I went back to the jail and relieved the sheriff. I made some coffee, and the saloon girl, Maggy, brought me a ham sandwich. She wanted to look at the mugshots that we had, and she said that several of them had been at the saloon and that if they came again, she would alert me. I would tell the sheriff, or I would get them when I made my rounds. For serious criminals, I always got the sheriff. I told her that I would cut her in on the reward if there was any. I took all the $500 worth of criminals and tacked them up on the wall. Maggy and I studied the pictures. Some of them had been here several times, the chances were good that they would be back.

The U.S. Marshals came to pick up the prisoners and took them back to hang where they had done their killings. Good riddance. Most of them were deserters from the war, running in gangs.

Maggy came by real early and knocked on the door. I asked who it was, and she answered, Maggy. I let her in, and she went to the mugshots hanging on the wall and said, It’s him. He is in Linda’s room. They will come down for breakfast soon. It’s Miller, a five-hundred-dollar killer.

I went to my money belt and got five $20 bills out. I gave them to Maggy, and told her, Don’t spend any of it today. Then, I questioned her, asking if Miller had any other bandits with him. She said that he was drinking with two other men and the two went to the hotel. I told her to hide the money I gave her, and tell no one.

Then, the sheriff came in and I told him that Miller was at the saloon with two other men. He went over and read the write-up on the mugshot and said, He is a bad pistolero. He held up a stage last year and killed everybody on board: two women, a kid, three men and the driver. All dead. They took the six horses. We better get the U.S. Marshal too.

You are the boss, I said.

The sheriff gave Maggy $20 and told her to get herself some candy. He had a cup of coffee with me, and then he went to get the marshal. They both came back to get me, and the marshal told me to go in to the bar first and ask for a beer. Try to see them in the mirror, he said.

We got up to the saloon and looked in, I saw Linda sitting with three men and Miller was sitting next to her. I went in and over to the bar and asked for a beer. The bartender asked, Making your rounds, Deputy?

Yep. I heard that you sell whiskey to children, and that is against the law. I told the judge that I will be glad to hang bartenders.

I will tell the judge that I will be glad to hang deputies that make up stupid charges, he retorted.

Then, the sheriff and marshal came in the front door. I noticed Miller had a gun in his lap. I had my gun out, and I announced, Mr. Miller, if you touch that gun in your lap, I will shoot you in the right ear. I always wondered what would happen if I shot someone in the right ear. Does it come back out through the left ear, or stay and scramble the brain? You fellows finish your breakfast; we don’t serve food at the jail. I asked Linda, How about getting three bottles for them to bring in so they have some drinks while they are relaxing in jail?

Don’t you move, Linda, Miller said.

I asserted, Mr. Miller, how about standing up and letting the gun fall down on the floor, instead of your blood. The bartender has to clean up blood, and he don’t like it.

Then, Mr. Miller moved, and I shot him in the arm. His gun fell on the floor. The sheriff ordered the group, One at a time, stand up and drop your gun belts to the floor. Linda, after you get the bottles, you run over and get the doctor to treat Mr. Miller’s arm. Tell him Mr. Miller will be in jail. He turned to me and said, John, you go out and watch them as they come through the door and shoot if you have to. Don’t kill them, just shoot them where it hurts.

Okay boss, I know where it hurts.

I stepped outside and waited for them. The marshal searched for more guns. They came out, and we marched them over to the jail. The sheriff opened the door and led the way in as we followed behind. The sheriff said, Mr. Miller in second and the other two in third. And that is what they stayed.

The doctor came, and we took off Miller’s vest, shirt, and money belt. He yelled, That’s my money!

You will have to pay the doctor, the attorneys, and the court cost, I told him. Hopefully you have enough. We can always sell your horses.

I gathered the horses after the doctor left and three of them were branded- they were stolen. Three others were not branded and the judge told each one of us to take one. I took the mare and led her over with my two.

We went through the bandit’s mugshot files and found the other two. One was worth $100, and the other $200- that was $800 altogether. They gave me $300, and they would take $250 each. The sheriff asked, Everybody happy?

I am, I replied.

The sheriff went to send the telegraphs to the wanted states. Sheriffs and marshals were coming. The branded horses went back to the owners. I had to get a brand registered, and brand my three.

In two days, they picked up Miller, and took him back to Missouri to hang. The other two and the horses went to Ohio. I don’t know what they got, but we got a bunch of mugshots from the state. We posted about $500 or more worth of mugshots where we could study and memorize them. Maggy came by often and studied them, too. She wanted to help. She still had her $100, and said that she wanted to save up and buy her freedom.

There was a small 80-acre farm with a house on it for sale for $250. I went out there and fell in love with it. I did not want to farm, other than putting up some hay and having a pasture. The house had three rooms, with a big cook stove and oven, two beds, a table and four chairs. It needed a couch and more light, there was only one lamp. There was a hay shed and a small corral with one end that had a roof; the horses could stand in there, out of the rain. After I bought it, I got myself a buckboard and harnesses for two horses and started driving it around. I got a couch, and a new mattress, and threw the straw mattress out and burned it.

When Maggy found out, she wanted to see it, so I drove her out there, and she loved it too. She asked me, Buy me out please? I could stay here and watch the place for you. I told her that she was too young for me, I was twice her age. She said that she did not care. She wanted a child and did not care how old her husband was. She really was a beautiful girl. She lost her first husband in the war. She said that we could both get 640 acres each and we could go west to homestead. The sheriff did not like the idea of me moving away. His daughter needed a husband too, and he wished I was interested in her.

One day, the sheriff had to go to Fort Leavenworth for a prisoner. Maggy came by the jail and told me that a wanted criminal was in the saloon. Since the sheriff was out of town, I got ahold of the U.S. Marshal and told him who was at the saloon. This man was worth $750 in Pennsylvania. When we got there, I told him, Let me go to the bar, and you come in later. He has a friend with him. I’ll order a beer and position myself where I can cover them.

He said that this would have to be a marshal arrest. You are a Deputy U.S. Marshal, he said as he pinned a badge above my other badge.

I went to the bar and asked for a beer. The bartender gave me the usual bull, and I accused him of serving children. It was all just crap. I looked this joker over in the mirror, and as the marshal came through the door, the criminal grabbed Maggy. It took me four steps, and I hit him with my gun and he collapsed. The other guy was a wagon salesman, he had no gun on him, and the marshal told him to get lost. He finished his drink and left.

We carried the prisoner over to the jail and locked him up. Two days later I had to walk Mr. Jones over to the courtroom. Just for the hell of it, I put on my sergeant major shirt, pinned both badges on, and walked Mr. Jones over to the federal court. The judge came in, and everybody stood up. I ordered the prisoner, On your feet, Jones.

F- you! Jones yelled.

The U.S. Marshal came in and sat down next to me and said, I did not know you were in the service.

First Cavalry, twenty-four years.

What happened? he asked.

I got shot in the leg and started to limp.

You did not have any problem slipping up behind Mr. Jones, the marshal pointed out.

Maggy kept him busy, I said. For ten years I was the sergeant major of a regiment.

You ought to come over to the Marshal Service and work with me, he suggested. You are worth a fortune, arresting bandits like you do.

I may do that, I contemplated. The sheriff is pissed off because I did not wait for him, but I did not want to lose this guy waiting for him.

You did right, Sergeant. Our timing was good. And here we are in court with our prisoner. He will get what’s coming to him. This judge is one of the best.

The prosecuting attorney presented the case, and Jones’ attorney started questioning the arresting officers about this case and about beating the prisoner on the head. This is a false arrest, he