Chapter 6

CHAPTER  6







     O'Malley and Star arrived at the Grant ranch around nine in the morning. The ride had been pleasant, the morning was cool, the sky clear.
     He reigned Star to a halt at the hitching post in front of a hued log cabin. There were flowers planted around the front of the cabin, and calico curtains showing thorough the windows. Staying in the saddle, O'Malley called out, "Anybody home?" and waited.
     A tall, very thin man who looked to be in his sixties came out the front door.  He carried a Winchester rifle in his right hand. His head was bare, almost bald and very white when compared to the leather brown skin on his face, neck and arms. He squinted, turned his head to the side looking at O'Malley trying to recognize O'Malley. When he was sure he did not know this man, he asked, "What do you want?"
     "My name's John O'Malley. I want to talk to you about my brother, Tom O'Malley."
     "Tom O'Malley was dry gulched. Don't know nothin' else 'bout it."
     "I know. I am trying to find out why he was shot."
     "Git down, water your horse. Come inside, We'll talk." Grant said, as he turned and went inside the cabin.
     O'Malley watered Star, walked to the cabin, removed his hat, went inside to where Grant was sitting at the table kitchen table. Grant told O'Malley to have a seat.
     "I'm real sorry about your brother Tom gettin' 
killed. Were you two close?"
     "Sorta, when we were kids. When you grow up, well, we saw each other from time to time." he said honestly. "Can you tell me what you and Tom talked about? I think it may have had something to do with his death."
     "Tom wanted to buy some land and mineral rights to an area over in Bear Creek. I told him there wasn't any gold or silver here abouts, just some coal." Grant explained. "He also wanted to buy just the mineral rights to land I own on the east bench, outside Red Lodge. We were talking price and were pretty close to a hand shake deal when he got shot."
      "What if Tom wanted the land for the coal?" O'Malley asked.
      "Then your brother would have been pouring gold dust down a gopher hole." he scoffed.
      "Why is that?" O'Malley continued.
      "You ain't from these parts, I can see that. If you was, you would know coal ain't worth nothing in this neck of the woods. A few people use it to heat in the winter, the blacksmith uses some and that's it. I sell coal by the wagon load. I let folks dig out a wagon load for a dollar. I might make ten dollars, maybe fifteen in a good year."
       O'Malley thought for a moment. "What if I hauled the coal to Billings where the railroad is located?"
       Grant laughed. "Son I weren't born yesterday. I have done it all just to scratch out a livin' in this country. Do you have any idea how much money it would cost for such an operation? Look at it this way. I already thought of trying the idea. It costs thousands to start a coal mine, the equipment needed to work the mine and the miners pay. Then a whole bunch of heavy duty wagons, horses, driver's pay, and then haul it sixty tough miles. You would have to charge ten time as much for it than what the railroad can buy it for anywhere else. Like I say, it would be like pouring gold dust down a gopher hole."
     O'Malley though Tom was no fool. Was he trying to buy the mineral rights for the coal or something else that he may have had "secret" information about. That might explain Grant’s land and mineral rights, but why buy land forty miles away with no mineral rights. O'Malley tried to solve another piece of the puzzle.
     "Do you have any springs on your land and would you be willing to sell your water rights to the spring? Did Tom ask you about any springs?"
     Grant looked at O'Malley like he had really lost his mind. If, I had any water rights to a spring or creek, I wouldn't sell a drop of water to anyone. I need all the water I can get just to keep the stock I run. To answer your other question, your brother never said a word about a spring and there ain't no springs on the land he wanted to buy."
      O'Malley felt he had a "key" that would not unlock any part of the mystery. Grant was no key after all. No sense wasting anymore time here. "I'm much obliged to you for telling me about your dealings with Tom." as he stood up, shook Grant’s hand, turned and walked out of the cabin.

     O'Malley returned to Nine Mile's cabin around noon. He unsaddled Star, putting him in the corral, gave him some grain and went to the cabin.
     "I'm glad you're back. There is a telegram at the telegraph office for you. Dang fool clerk wouldn't give it to me. Let's go see what it says. What did Grant tell you?" Nine Mile asked, as he put on his hat and pushed O'Malley out the door.

     As they walked to town, O'Malley told Nine Mile what Grant had told him.
     O'Malley took the telegram from the clerk walked outside and opened it. 
     Nine Mile kept asking, "What does it say? What does it say? It was my idea!"
     "Well I'll be damned!" O'Malley exclaimed as parts to the mystery began to come together.
     "What in thunderation does it say!" Nine Mile demanded and pleaded at the same time.
     "Here, read it for yourself. I'm going to see Kate and let her know."
     Nine Mile read the telegram as he stumbled along behind O'Malley.
 
     JOHN O'MALLEY
     RED LODGE, MONTANA TERRITORY

     BILLINGS SPUR LINE TO RED LODGE WILL BE COMPLETED BY LATE SPRING---STOP

     RAILWAY ROUTE SAME AS PREVIOUSLY INDICATED---STOP 

                                     GENE CONRAD
                         BILLINGS-RED LODGE RAILWAY     
     
     O'Malley worked to fit all the parts to the "why" mystery together as he walked to the cafe.

     Tom had somehow found out a rail line was going to be built to Red Lodge from Billings. He even knew what the route would be. Made sense. Buy the land cheap in the path of the route and sell it high to the Northern Pacific. Then buy the mineral rights to the local coal cheap and sell the mineral rights to the coal at a real nice profit. With a rail line it would be very profitable to transport the coal from Red Lodge. 'Spring'?  Of course, 'spring' of the year, not a spring of water.  Slade was buying land along the proposed rail route and mineral rights to where coal could be mined. Slade did not want Tom as competition for the land or the coal, so he had him killed. The why pointed the finger directly at Slade. No one else in the area seemed to know about the railroad coming to Red Lodge. How was he going to prove Slade killed Tom. Everything was circumstantial. No; Slade would never be hung for Tom's death without more evidence to tie him to the shooting.
     "Well Hell!! There goes this country. I may as well pull up stakes and move on. If a railroad comes to Red Lodge, there will be more people here than quills on a porcupine. I see why Slade was after all the land, and why your brother was shot. Slade couldn't stand the competition. If the news got out too soon the price of land would go sky high and Slade would have no chance to make a hefty profit." Nine Mile rambled on.

     The Silver Grill Cafe was closed, but O'Malley could see Kate still working in the back. A knock on the door brought Kate to find O'Malley and Nine Mile waiting. She let them in and asked, "Have you found out anything new?"
     "Better get some help in here, you are going to need it." O'Malley said with some mystery in his voice.
     "Why on earth would you say something like that?" she asked with a skeptical and inquisitive look on her face."
     "The railroad is coming to Red Lodge."
     Kate's mouth dropped open, her eyes opened very wide and she looked dumb founded. "The railroad is coming to Red Lodge? That has got to be a joke. Why on earth would they bring a railroad to little old Red Lodge?
     "Coal." Nine Mile smugly stated.
     Kate sat down. She looked back and forth from O'Malley to Nine Mile shaking her head in disbelief and said, "Coal??" 
     Nine Mile handed the telegram to Kate. She read it, looked up and shook her head. "It seems like the world for Red Lodge has suddenly been turned upside down." Kate reflected. 
     Kate's eyes widened, "Slade knew about the railroad and so did your brother. It all makes sense now. It also explains why Slade would have wanted Tom dead. What are you going to do now?" 
     "Hang Slade!" O'Malley answered with conviction, "I just don't know how; yet."
     "With a new rope, I hope." Nine Mile sneered.
     "We need a plan." O'Malley said firmly. "Slade may not know I have found out about the railroad coming. I don't think we can get to Slade directly, but we may get to one of his hired guns. Nine Mile, what do you know about Bill Brown?" 
      "He has worked for Slade for about a year. He is a weasel who will do any dirty job that Slade needs doin'"
      "Where does he hang out when he is not at the Four Kings Saloon." O'Malley asked.
      "Well he has a lady friend over on the northeast side of town, down near Rock Creek." Nine Mile said.
      "If we got him away from Slade do you think we could get him to tell what he knows?" O'Malley asked.
      "Not voluntarily." Nine Mile smiled. "But, as an old Indian fighter, I know ways to use that I can get anything you want to know from him."
      "Well?" O'Malley said. "What are we waiting for?"
      "Are you sure you want to do it this way?" Kate objected. "I don't hold with using Indian torture."
     "I am going to see Slade hung for killing Tom." O'Malley said, through clinched teeth, "No matter what it takes."
     "Exactly what will happen to Brown, Nine Mile?" Kate asked.
     "Indian torture is a strange thing. It can work more on the brain than on the body. If an Indian wants to kill an enemy he does it quick like. But some torture is reserved for the mind more than the body. Many time a person's body can recover from torture, but not always the mind. I once found a man who was spread-eagle and staked down to the ground. There was one mad rattlesnake staked down close to this fellows head. The Indians had punched a hole in the snakes tail, tied a piece of rawhide through the hole and then measured the snake's length. They staked the rattlesnake so when it would strike, it would miss the man's head by about an inch. The snake never hit this fellow, but when I found him about a day after he was staked out and released him he was plumb loco. Never was right in the head again after that. The Indians didn't really want him dead or they would have killed him before they left. That is one form of Indian torture. The kind I expect to use on Brown. He will think he is about to meet a horrible death, but really, I ain't gonna kill him. But---he don't know that. I'll make sure he lives. I can guarantee you he will tell us and the sheriff everything he knows."
     "I am still against torture, even to prove Slade killed your brother." Kate said with firm resolve.
     "It isn't your decision." O'Malley snapped, as his face flushed. 
     Kate stared at O'Malley as if she really did not know this man. She had seen a side of him she had not wanted to see. 
     Nine Mile broke the tension in the air. "I don't like the thought of torture either, but I don't see any other way out. I am open to any ideas anybody might have."
     Kate did not answer, but only nodded her head in resolution.
     "Then unless someone comes up with a better idea Brown will be who we go after." Nine Mile said.
     "I think we would have the best chance to get the drop on Brown when he goes to visit his lady friend." O'Malley said planning their next move.
     "I know where her place is and we can wait there for him to show up. It'll take two of us to watch the place from both sides. He usually shows up around dark." Nine Mile added. 
     "We will wait until just before dark and go over there and watch for Brown." O'Malley continued, "We will get the drop on him and take him back to the cabin. It will be better if we take him out of town in case Slade misses him. He just might figure out what is going on. It will be dark and maybe we can slip him out of town without being seen."
     "Where will you take him.?" Kate asked.
     "There is an old cabin up the West Fork of Rock Creek a few miles out of town, and not many people come around." Nine Mile offered.
     "That sounds like a good place. Just make sure there isn't any gunplay, we need Brown alive. We have got to get a stone cold drop on him." O'Malley said. 
     "I will head on back to the cabin and do my chores and fix supper early so we can be ready to go before dark." Nine Mile offered.
     "You go ahead. I'll be along in a bit and give you a hand." O'Malley said.
     Nine Mile left for the cabin.
     O'Malley turned his attention to Kate. He knew he had some fence mending to do.    
     "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I did earlier about it not being your decision." O'Malley said apologetically. I guess I took my brother's death pretty hard and have simply forgotten that you and Nine Mile have helped me find out who and why he was killed. I guess you do have a say, but I don't have any other ideas on how to prove that Slade was behind everything. I am honestly open to any other ideas you might have."  
      Kate reached across the table and took his hand. "John, I wish I had another plan, but I don't. I wish I did, because I know you would try it. I don't like the idea of torture. It seems like we are sinking to a level equal to Slade. That is what I hate most."
     "Not quite. We won't be killing Brown. He will just think he is going to die. I promise we will try something that doesn't physically injure Brown." O'Malley thought a moment longer and asked, "Know where we could catch a rattlesnake this time of the year?"
     "You wouldn't." 
     "The more I think about it, the more I like the idea. Brown wouldn't be injured, but it would make almost any man talk. Once he talks, we can turn him over to the sheriff and make him tell everything over again. That will put a noose around Slade’s neck."
     "What a horrible thing to do. I hate snakes. I would tell you anything you wanted to know. But, of course we would never be friends again I hope you understand that?" Kate said, trying to smooth their differences over.
     "I had better get to the cabin and give Nine Mile a hand or he will be ornery and cantankerous." O'Malley said as he got up to leave.
     "Be careful. Very careful!." Kate warned.
     Nine Mile and O'Malley finished up around the cabin, and rode horseback down the back streets to where Brown's girlfriend lived. They looked over the area and picked two places where they could watch for Brown and not be seen. It was getting dark as they took their places.
     There wasn't much activity in the area, but O'Malley saw an old Crow Indian come down an alley.
     O'Malley watched as the old Crow Indian staggered to the corner of a building. The Indian stepped around to the side, looked around, reached inside his shirt, pulled a bottle of whiskey out, opened it, and took a long drink.  He put the bottle back inside his shirt and sat down heavily, he leaned back against the building and let the alcohol slowly envelope his body and mind like a fog bank covers a mountain.
     O'Malley thought about the unholy alliance that had been brought to the Indians by the white man and his "firewater". It seemed the Indian was attracted to alcohol much in the same way a moth was attracted to a candle. Neither, seemed to have any power to avoid the candle or the alcohol and both eventually would be equally fatal. The white man had passed laws which prohibited the sale of "firewater" to the Indians, but the law was seldom if ever enforced.
     O'Malley thought how cruel the white man had been to his red brothers.  He had stolen and killed to take most of the desirable land. Killed the great herds of buffalo, and brought disease and death to the Indian.
     The drunken Old Crow Indian reached down with his right hand and filled it with dirt. He held his hand away from his body and watched as he slowly opened his hand and let the dirt flow and trickle between his fingers falling to the ground.
    O'Malley looked at the ground beneath his feet and remembered the land around Red Lodge for hundreds of miles in any direction had once been a part of a huge Crow Indian Reservation. Red Lodge, until just a few short years before had been part of that Reservation as had much of the land around him. There had been three distinct tribes of the Absorkee or Crow Indians. There were the River Crows, the Mountain Crows and the Kick in the Bellies Crows. Each living in a different area of their land.
     In 1825, a treaty had set the boundaries of the Mountain Crow Indian Reservation, which covered all of Montana and Wyoming, half of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and the northern half of Colorado. In September of 1851, the boundaries were reduced to the Missouri River on the north, the Power River on the east, the Musselshell on the northwest, the Yellowstone on the west and down into central Wyoming on the south. More land was taken in a treaty of May 1868,  the Mountain Crow Reservation was reduced to the area inside the Yellowstone River on the north and west, the Montana, Wyoming Territorial line on the south then east of the Big Horn River. More land was ceded in 1882, which removed a quarter of the land on the Reservation which removed Red Lodge from the Reservation. * The white man's unquenchable thirst for land found much of the Indian Reservation land was "too good" for just an Indian. Yes, Red Lodge was once "Crow Country"; but no more.

*   In 1891, again land was ceded and half of the remaining land of the Reservation was removed. For the last time in 1904 almost one-third of the remaining land was ceded which ran along the Yellowstone River.   

O'Malley was not an "Indian lover", but he had a certain respect for many Indians and as a white man, felt some guilt for the injustices which had been done to the Indians by his white brethren.
     The old Crow Indian was living proof of such injustices. The Indian had slumped over and was sleeping off the immediate effects of the white man's "firewater".
     
     O'Malley saw another man riding up the street. As he moved into the light he knew it was Brown. His heart began to pound and his mouth became dry. He had to take Brown without causing any disturbance and especially not kill Brown. O'Malley moved in the shadows to intercept Brown. O'Malley drew his Colt, moved to the corner of a house and watched as Brown tied his horse and walked in his direction. He flattened out against the building and waited. Brown passed within a few steps on his way to the doorway. O'Malley moved quick as a cougar and hit Brown on the back of the head with the Colt. 
     Brown moaned and collapsed in a heap on the ground. O'Malley holstered his Colt, reached down picked Brown off the ground and lifted the dead weight over his shoulder. O'Malley whistled for Nine Mile. Nine Mile came around the corner of the building and grinned at O'Malley.
     "Now we are on the right track. Let's git before anyone sees us." Nine Mile whispered. 
     They put Brown across the saddle of his horse and led him away. 
      
     After a quick dash to Nine Mile's cabin through the back streets and alleys of Red Lodge, they put Brown down on the floor of the cabin.
     "Better hog tie and gag him before he wakes up from his little nap." Nine Mile said, taking Brown's six gun and getting a rope. 
     "We had best wait until about an hour before dawn to take Brown to the cabin up the West Fork. Be less of a chance of anyone seein' us." Nine Mile said, as he tied Brown.
     "OK, you watch him when he wakes up. I am going to see Kate and let her know that we got Brown without any problems." O'Malley said, preparing to leave. "Know where we can get a good size rattlesnake?" O'Malley asked.
     "Yep, I know just where to look. They're beginnin' to den up this time of the year." Nine Mile grinned.  

     Kate was waiting for O'Malley when he arrived.  
     "Brown is hog tied and gagged at Nine Mile's cabin." O'Malley said proudly, "He is going to have one big headache when he wakes up. Other than that, he didn't know what hit him."
     "Well, I guess a bump on the head is a lot better than a bullet any day." Kate remarked. "When are you going up the West Fork?"
     "About and hour before daylight. There will be less chance for anyone to see us."
     "If Brown does tell all he knows what will you do then?
     "It will be too risky to bring him back into town in the daylight, so we will have to return after sundown or bring the sheriff up to the West Fork."
      "What if he won't talk to the sheriff, and denies everything?"
      "That is a chance we will have to take." O'Malley resolved. "But for Brown's sake I hope he doesn't change his story."
      Kate was quiet. She looked at O'Malley and it was evident she had other thoughts on her mind. "What will you do when all of this is over?"
      "Well I really haven't thought too much about that simply because I have been so rapped up in finding my brother's killer. I do have a ranch in Smith valley that I have worked hard to build up over the past few years and I certainly can't just walk off and leave it." O'Malley answered rather uncomfortably. "I think I know why you're asking, and I think you have a right to know, but when this is all over with we will sit down and talk about it."
     "I really think we need to do that. But don't read too much into my question."
     "I'll keep that in mind. I had better get back to the cabin and check on Brown, who knows, he may talk without taking him anywhere, but I doubt it." O'Malley said, as he walked out the door.
      
      Nine Mile was sitting at the table watching Brown when O'Malley walked through the door. Brown was awake, lying on the floor and the look in his eyes was of evil and fear, he seemed none the worse for wear and tear.
     "How long has he been conscious?"
     "About ten minutes."
     "Have you said anything to him?"
     "Nope, not a word."
     O'Malley walked over to Brown pulled him to a sitting position and leaned him back against the wall, "Have you got any next of kin? I think they are going to need to know about how you died." 
     O'Malley pulled the bandanna down from across Brown's mouth. Brown spit in O'Malley's face. "Go to hell!" 
     O'Malley's anger was immediate and responsive. He back handed Brown.
     As blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, Brown sneered. "Big man; hit a man when he's tied up. Let me up from here and I will break your damn neck."
     O'Malley pulled the bandanna back up over Brown's mouth and walked away. This man was going to be difficult to break, he was tough as rawhide. He just might not talk.
     "Don't you fret, Nine Mile said, "he'll talk plenty up the canyon." 
     "You watch him close until midnight," O'Malley said, 
"then I will take over until it is time to leave. I don't want to take any chances of him getting loose."  
     "You get some shut-eye and old Buck and me will hold down the fort until then." Nine Mile agreed.

     Brown appeared to have gone to sleep shortly after O'Malley laid down on his bunk and did not move until the change of watch when he shifted his position and went back to sleep. O'Malley didn't think this was too good of a sign. Apparently, Brown wasn't too worried if he could go to sleep. O'Malley hoped the rattlesnake trick would work.
Proceed to Chapter 7