We stopped at the blacksmiths and asked him to shoe the mules. He started to work on it right away. I asked him if he had ever made up a hook for a cripple. I told him I still had my elbow, so if I could fasten a hook to my arm in some way I could pull my own pants up. They both laughed. We left the mules and wagon and went up the street to the store. As soon as I walked in I smelled soap. There was another lady in the store and she stood back to let me buy whatever I wanted first.
“I am just looking, please don’t let me interfere with your shopping madam,” I assured her.
She looked at me kind of strange and went on buying whatever she was buying. They had some material in a grayish colored print. I felt it, and thought it would make a real nice dress for Mary.
A corporal came in and went up to the counter. The lady was talking to the girl still and this corporal knocked her down on the floor. I told Carl to open the door and I grabbed the corporal by his neck and threw him out between some horses. There must have been 10 to 12 people that saw it.
“What kind of animal are you?” I asked.
He went for his gun, but my gun came out from my belt and shot his out of his hand. He stood there looking at his bloody hand.
“You better get lost before I get mad,” I warned.
“I’ll get you,” he said.
“You better get some help, bub. I was in the war fighting men, not pushing old ladies around.”
He took off with two privates, bleeding all over the place. I went in and asked the lady if she was hurt. She said she was okay and then started to cry. An older gentleman came in, a confederate colonel. Carl saluted him and so did I. The colonel returned our salute and went to the lady and asked her what had happened.
“That animal corporal came in here and knocked me down,” she told him.
“Well dear, this young man handled him alright,” the colonel said. “He will think twice before doing something like that when there are real men around.”
The colonel motioned Carl outside and had a little talk with him, probably wanted to know who I was. I asked the girl for some soap and wanted to know how much the material was. I bought six feet of it thinking it would be enough for a dress. Then I looked at the girl’s dress behind the counter. She had on a two-tone outfit and I got an idea. I asked if she had any flour and she said it was rationed and they could give me five pounds.
“Okay,” I agreed, “How about potatoes?”
“We can give you fifty pounds or one hundred if you have a family.”
“Fifty pounds is enough, Miss; do you have any dry beans or peas?”
“We do,” she stated.
“Give me twenty pounds of each, where do I buy oats?” I asked.
“We have them here.”
“Can I have two sacks please? I will be back, Miss. I am having my mules shoed, and as soon as the blacksmith is finished I will be pack to pick them up.”
I reached in my shirt for my money and fished out 20 dollars. She looked at it and said that she had not seen real gold in a long time.
“I have to find change, we don’t have a bank,” she stated.
“How much do I owe you?” I asked.
“Four dollars and seventy-five cents.”
“Well let me settle with the smith and then I will be back for these things.”
She handed back the 20 and we left. The smith was putting the last shoe on the mule and I asked him how much. He said it was one dollar. I gave him a silver dollar and he looked at it and smiled and put it in his pocket. Carl stated that nobody had seen gold or silver in years. He hitched up and we went back to the store. I had four dollars and ten cents in change and I put it on the counter and said I would have to give something back. The owner was there and said that my credit was good and to bring it by when I had it.
“By the way, is there a cobbler in town that could make my little girl a pair of shoes?” I asked.
“How old is your little girl?” the woman asked.
“She will be nine. She really is my niece. She lost her mother and dad so I have to bring her up.”
“She is lucky,” the woman stated.
The blacksmith came in and said, “I have been thinking about the hook you wanted, Sergeant. Let’s see how much of your arm is left.”
“I cannot unwrap it and wrap it back up by myself,” I told him.
Just then a man came in and the smith said, “Doc, how about unwrapping this man’s arm?”
“What am I a doctor for, the Yankees?” the doctor replied.
“What happened Doc, did you have to fix someone a new hand?” I asked. “I should’ve let you fix that animal a new head.”
The doctor unwrapped my arm and the smith started to measure things.
“How would you fix a hook, Doc?” the smith asked.
They started discussing it.
“When did you lose your arm, Sergeant?” the doctor asked me.
“About a month ago.”
“When did you get out of the hospital?”
“Three days later,” I stated.
“Come on, I have been a doctor for a while.”
“Well, I messed my pants while I was out of it and I stumbled down to the creek to clean myself up. Then a shell hit the schoolhouse where the wounded and the doctor were, I found them all dead so I left.”
“That’s amazing,” the doctor remarked. “Well that doctor did a nice job. Do you have much pain?”
“Not much now unless I hit it on something, but there were oceans of pain earlier,” I assured him.
“Well, a hook would be the thing alright,” he stated. “You will have to make sort of a shoe out of leather, then put a hook through the bottom and something on the inside to hold it when you pick something up with it.”
“I have some ideas,” said the blacksmith. “I think I can fix something for you, mister.”
“Alright,” I told him. “I will pay for your time.”
The doctor wrapped my arm back up and asked me what I used on it. I told him Sulphur.
“Do you have any left, Sergeant?” he asked.
“Half a box.”
“Don’t use any more on it. I would greatly appreciate if you brought in what you have left. It is very difficult to get sulfur these days,” he stated.
“Alright, I’ll send it in to you.”
On the way back to the farm we stopped at another farm to borrowed a plow and then headed for home. I shared some of my purchases with Mrs. Smith and the next day we plowed with two plows. It actually went by quite fast. I asked Carl who could cure my sheep hides and he told me he knew a fellow in town.
“When could we kill one?” I asked him.
“As soon as you want, but we have to use up the meat,” Carl replied.
“I’d like to give a leg to the smith and one to that doctor.”
“Alright, I will kill one tonight. Then we stretch the hide and salt it down. My wife will sew it for you after it is cured.”
“How about that harness for the big mare?” I asked.
He went and looked it over. It was still useable, but old. I asked him if he had a harrow, of course he did. So the next morning I started harrowing while they plowed. That evening, we had some good lamb. Mrs. Smith fried some of my potatoes with it. Mrs. Smith, Linda, told me that the fabric was too much for one dress but not enough for two.
“How about a dress and two shirts for your daughter?” she suggested.
“I have an idea,” I said. “Do you know that girl at the store?”
“Of course I do.”
“She had this nice dress made with two materials.”
“I know the dress,” she said.
“How would grey go with this?”
“It would go really nicely,” she stated.
“Could you take apart a jacket
and use the material again? It is almost new.”
“Sure,” she said.
I dug out the jacket I took off the captain and took it in to her. “Don’t let Mary see it like this, it belonged to her Daddy. Fix two dresses so we can take the girls to church Sunday, one for your girl and one for mine.”
The next day I went in to town and took in a leg of lamb to the smith and one to the doctor, along with the leftover Sulphur. Then I went to the cobbler and asked if he had enough leather to make Mary a pair of shoes. He showed me a pair that he had made for someone else and asked me if I liked that style. I told him it would be just fine. I gave him Mary’s footprint and told him not to make it too small, she was still growing. I went back home and rode the Arab that we had, it was a fine horse.
We all went to church that Sunday. I had my boots polished and I put on a white shirt that the captain had in his saddlebag. Mary said that I looked nice. Mary and Becky looked really nice dressed alike in their new dresses. We put some boards in the wagon and Carl and I sat in the front. The two girls were giggling on the next seat and Linda and young John were in the back.
We pulled up at the church and everybody was very nice. They all greeted me and the doctor came over and shook my hand. The colonel was there and I gave him a salute and he saluted me back, then we all went inside. It was a nice service. After the service, I shook hands with several people. They were all real friendly. I was beginning to feel at home here.
Chapter Four
We were going to the wagon when all of a sudden someone fired a gun in the street in front of the store. A man shot the padlock off and kicked in the door. Then two men went in the store. One of the men tied his horse in front of the store and another dirty-looking fellow started to walk down the street towards us. I got up on the wagon and got in the back where I left both of my .36’s.
As I stepped up, the man walking towards told me, “You get off of that wagon, mister. Those are my horses.”
I straightened out with the gun in my hand and let him have one right in his torso. He folded up and fell to the ground. The man on the horse pulled a gun from his belt. I shot again and he slid off his horse. I shoved my gun in my belt and grabbed the other. I jumped off the wagon and started walking towards the store. The two men inside came out with a gun in each hand, so I just let go again. They never got off a single shot.
Some men came up from the church and I said, “We had better get these men off the street and over to the stable.”
The colonel stood right next to me and directed some of the men. A farmer piped up and asked who would get their horses. The colonel looked at me and I said, “The county or the township. Everything on that man belongs to the county. Does anybody know these men?” I asked.
The colonel said that they were deserters turned robbers and killers. I suggested the best thing would probably be to confiscate all of their property in return for a Christian burial.
“We could definitely use those horses alright, but how are we going to decide who will use them?” the colonel asked me.
“Why don’t you let them go out to farmers to plow sixty acres? Charge the farmers one dollar with the understanding that they have to bring them back when they’re finished plowing up the 60 acres. Somebody can keep a list so that everyone gets a chance to plow up their land,” I suggested.
“I can do that,” said the store owner.
“That’s an excellent idea,” said the colonel. “We don’t even have to feed them then.”
“Who is in charge of the county?” I asked.
“At one time the colonel was our county supervisor,” answered the store owner.
“Well, I guess if no one objects he still is, until you have new elections,” I stated.
One of the men who had checked the bandits’ pockets said that they all had a bunch of money on them. I told the colonel that he had better take charge of all of the money for the county. He went and collected up everything of value. Then he had the men take all the guns and ammunition over to the jail. They went through the saddlebags and piled up all of the food on a blanket. The blacksmith asked who would get the food stuff, and I suggested the widows.
“Widows it is,” the colonel agreed. “Let them go through all of the clothing items too, and the blankets.”
The farmer that asked about the horses wanted to know who would get the horses first.
“This fellow sounds like he is on top of the list,” I said.
“You take two, Kyle,” instructed the colonel. He then told another farmer by the name of Mason to take the other two with him and start plowing. “You fellows leave the saddles over at the jail.”
“Well I think I did enough damage for one day,” I said. “Let’s take our families home, Carl.”
“That was fine action, Sergeant. Don’t forget these were killers and worse,” Carl commented.
“The country seems to be full of them,” I said.
We piled into the wagon and started for home. The storekeeper ran over to us and handed a bag of candy to little Mary. He said it was for the kids.
There was very little chit-chat in the wagon on the way home.
“That was an excellent idea with those horses,” Carl said. “You know, David, you ought to stay around here. You are one tough son of a gun. You sure could make us a good sheriff. You have to pay a sheriff, you know, my friend. The sheriff may have a family to support,” he stated.
“By the way, when will school start for the kids?” I asked.
“It will start next week, provided it is safe for us to send our children to school.”
The following day Colonel Fleming; the storekeeper, Mr. Jones, and an old gentleman, Mr. Snider, who was the town constable some years ago, came out and wanted to talk to me. They decided that they wanted a sheriff and they voted me in. They had problems with bandits, deserters turned outlaws, and murderers. They needed someone that was not afraid of the problem yet was a fair man to deal with. The job would pay 50 dollars per month and they could get me a home, a corral, and a barn on five acres for ten dollars. I felt that this was a fair deal so I accepted their offer. I was planning on putting Mary in school just as soon as it opened for the children. I told them that I would come in and look at the house to see how we could fit in, so I rode back to town with them.
When we got there, there were six troopers and a captain; they must have just arrived. I rode over to the captain and saluted him. I told him I was Sheriff Tucker.
“How can you be a sheriff of a Confederate town?” he asked.
“This is not entirely a Confederate town. I live here and I never wore gray or even had any desire to. However, the population knows me as an able lawman and they voted me in,” I told him.
“Are you from the south, Sergeant?” he asked me.
“Yes sir, Captain.”
“What happened between you and my corporal?” he asked.
“Well sir, he came in the store and Mrs. Fleming, an elderly lady, could not get out of his way fast enough so he knocked her down. Then when I demonstrated my objection by throwing him out of the store, he went for his gun. I did not want to kill him, so I shot at the gun. I don’t like to see someone disgracing the uniform he was wearing. The Confederates in this town lost the war and they know it. They also know that there are stars and stripes flying in front of the sheriff’s office and the school. Four Confederate deserters turned outlaws hit this town yesterday and they are now buried. There will be no lawlessness in this county, Captain, and that includes knocking down lady’s, sir,” I stated.
Mrs. Fleming was going down the street and I took my hat off and said, “Good afternoon, Mrs. Fleming.”
She smiled and said, “Your little girl was so lovely in church, Sheriff Tucker.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” I then told the captain, “This is the lady that your corporal knocked down.”
The captain turned around and said, “Mrs. Fleming.” She stopped and he said, “I am awfully sorry that my corporal behaved so badly, ma’am. I assured your sheriff it would not happen again, ma’am.”
“I am glad that you two will make our town safe. You should come to church too, Captain,” Mrs. Fleming stated.
“Yes ma’am,” the captain agreed.
The captain told me that any appointments of law officers had to be done by the military commander. “I am approving you, Sergeant,” he told me. He offered his hand and I shook it. As an afterthought, I asked him where he was from. He said Mississippi and laughed.
I went to take a look at the house. A lady was moving out, so they introduced me to her. She said the house was too big for her, so she was moving down the street into something more manageable.
“Well ma’am, the house is too big for me too. If you want to stay downstairs, my little girl and I can live upstairs. Is there a place where my foreman can stay during the winter?”
“There is a maid’s room behind the kitchen, it stays warm,” she said.
I went back out to the farm, and told the man that I would look over the sheriff’s office later. I loaded up the wagon with Moses and we moved in to town. I took all of the food stuff out to the kitchen and Mrs. Bailey said, “You have enough to last six months.” I told her if she did not mind a little girl in the kitchen we could take our food together.
“If you want, I can cook,” she said.
I gave her 20 dollars for two months of rent, and then took everything upstairs, as well as my saddlebags and guns. Then I took my saddles out to the barn. I did not see much firewood and there was no hay for horses. When I took the wagon back, I asked Carl how I could get a bunch of hay for the winter. He told me his neighbor had a pasture that he could cut for hay.
“Why don’t you talk to him?” Carl suggested. “He would like to do some plowing too, so maybe you can do some trading.”
I had Moses saddle the Arab for me and I rode over to the Jensen’s. He had 180 acres of farmland and I told him as soon as I was finished at the Smith farm he could use the team of reds if he had a harness, or he could borrow Carl’s since Carl borrowed his plow, in trade for some hay in my barn for the winter. He asked if I would need Moses, I told him yes. He would have to go and cut firewood for the winter.
Sheriff Tucker Page 3
