Calamity Jane 6: The Hide and Horn Saloon (A Calamity Jane Western)
Page 19
All in all, Madam Bulldog considered her future was now assured as the owner of the Hide and Horn Saloon.
Appendix
Throughout the years we have been writing, we have frequently received letters asking for various Western terms, or events we described, to be explained in greater detail. While we do not have the slightest objection to receiving such correspondence, we have found it saves much time consuming repetition to include those most often requested in each volume. We ask all our ‘old chums’, who have seen them before, to bear with us and remember there are always ‘new chums’ coming along who have not.
1. ‘Gone to Texas’; at odds with the law, generally in the United States of America at the time the saying was brought into general usage. Many wanted men and fugitives from justice entered Texas during the colonization period—which had commenced in the early 1820’s, due to the Mexican Government offering land for settlement to ‘Anglos’ so they would serve as a ‘buffer state’ against the depredations of marauding Indians—and continued until annexation as a State of the Union on February the 16th, 1846. Before that became a fact, such miscreants had known there was little danger of being arrested and extradited by the local authorities. Therefore, like Kenya from the mid-1920’s until the outbreak of World War II—in spite of the great number of honest, law abiding and hardworking folks who genuinely wished to make their homes there—Texas during the days before independence from Mexican domination was obtained had gained a reputation for being ‘a place in the sun for shady people’.
2. Although the military sometimes claimed derisively that it was easier to kill a sailor than a soldier, the weight factor of the respective weapons caused the United States’ Navy to adopt a revolver of .36 of an inch in caliber while the Army employed the heavier .44. The weapon could be carried on the belt of a seaman and not—handguns having originally and primarily been developed for use by cavalry—on the person or saddle of a man who did all his traveling and fighting on the back of a horse. Therefore, .44 became known as the ‘Army’ and .36 the ‘Navy’ caliber respectively. Colt 1860 Army Model revolvers intended primarily for sale to the military had barrels eight inches in length and those manufactured for the civilian market were half an inch shorter. However, when production was commenced on the legendary Colt Model P ‘Single action Army revolver in 1873—more detailed information about which can be found in those volumes of the Floating Outfit series following THE PEACEMAKERS on the chronological list—it was made to accept a .45 caliber metallic cartridge.
3. ‘Light a shuck’: cowhands’ expression for leaving hurriedly. It derived from the habit in night camps of trail drives and roundups on the open range of supplying ‘shucks’—dried corn cobs—to be lit and used as illumination by anybody who had to leave the fire and walk in the darkness. As the ‘shuck’ burned away quickly, a person had to move fast if wanting to benefit from the light. Information about the handling of a trail drive and the way in which an open range roundup was carried out can be found respectively in: TRAIL BOSS and THE MAN FROM TEXAS. Incidentally, our original title for the latter was—in our opinion, but not that of the editor of our first publishers—the much more appropriate, ROUNDUP CAPTAIN.
4. ‘Up to the Green River’: dependent on the context in which it is used, either to kill, or to give complete support. First produced at a factory on the Green River, at Green Field, Massachusetts, in 1834, a very popular brand of knife had the inscription, ‘J. Russell & Co. Green River Works’, on the blade just below the hilt. Therefore, any edged weapon thrust into an enemy ‘up to the Green River’ would almost certainly inflict a fatal wound whether it bore the inscription or not.
5. While on the subject of knives: a ‘clip point’ blade has the last few inches of the otherwise unsharpened ‘back’—when laid in a horizontal position with the edge down and the handle to the left of the viewer—joining and becoming an extension of the cutting surface in a concave arc. This is the characteristic feature of all ‘bowie’ knives. A ‘spear point’, which is less utilitarian and employed on pure fighting rather than general purpose knives, is formed by the two sharpened sides of the blade coming together in symmetrical curves. What happened to James Bowie’s knife after his death in the final assault on the besieged Alamo Mission at San Antonio de Bexar, Texas, on March the 6th, 1836, is told in: GET URREA and THE QUEST FOR BOWIE’S BLADE.
6. We strongly suspect that the trend in film and television Westerns made since the early 1960’s to portray all cowhands as long haired, heavily bearded and filthy stems less from the desire of the production companies to portray ‘realism’ than because there were so few actors—particularly to play supporting roles—who had short hair and were clean shaven. Another reason may be because the ‘liberal’ elements who were gaining control of the mass entertainment media appear to have obtained some form of ego trip by showing dirty habits, conditions and appearances. In our extensive reference library, we cannot find even a dozen photographs of actual cowhands—as opposed to Army scouts, mountain men and old time gold prospectors—with long hair and bushy beards. Nor did the great artists of the period show them in such a fashion. Furthermore, our reading on the subject and conversations with friends who live in the modern West have led us to assume the term, ‘long hair’, was one of opprobrium in the Old West and Prohibition eras, just as it still is in cattle raising country today.
7. ‘Mason-Dixon’ line, sometimes erroneously called the ‘Mason-Dixie’ line. The boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland as surveyed in 1763-67 by the Englishmen, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon. It became known as the dividing line between the Southern ‘Slave’ and the Northern ‘Free’ States.
8. ‘Make wolf bait’; another term meaning to kill. It derived from the practice in the Old West, when a range was infested by stock destroying predators—not necessarily just wolves, but mountain lion, black or grizzly bears and coyotes—of slaughtering an animal and, having poisoned the carcass, leaving it where it fell to be devoured by the carnivores.
9. ‘New England’: the North East section of the United States, including Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut and Rhode Island, which was first settled primarily by people from the British Isles.
10. In the Old West, the jurisdictional powers of the various types of law enforcement agencies were established as follows. A town marshal, sometimes called ‘constable’ in smaller places, and his deputies were confined to the town or city which appointed them. A sheriff and his deputies were elected by and confined to their county of origin. However, in less heavily populated areas, he might also serve as town marshal for the county seat. Texas and Arizona Rangers could go anywhere within the boundaries of their respective States, but were technically required to await an invitation by the local peace officers involved before participating in an investigation. As we explain in the Alvin Dustine ‘Cap’ Fog series, during the Prohibition era, Company ‘Z’ of the Texas Rangers were allowed to initiate operations without awaiting an invitation. Although a United States marshal and his deputies had jurisdiction everywhere in the country, their main function was the investigation of Federal crimes. Information regarding the duties, equipment and organization of a modern day sheriff’s office in Texas can be found in the various volumes of the Rockabye County series.
11. Americans in general used the word ‘cinch’, derived from the Spanish, cincha, for the short band made from coarsely woven horsehair, canvas, or cordage and terminated at each end with a metal ring which—together with the latigo—is used to fasten the saddle on the back of a horse. However, because of its Mexican connotations, Texans employed the term ‘girth’ and generally pronounced it, ‘girt’. As cowhands of the Lone Star State fastened the end of the lariat to the saddlehorn when roping half wild longhorn cattle, or free ranging mustangs, instead of using a ‘dally’ which could be slipped free almost instantaneously in an emergency, their saddles had two girths for added security.
12. ‘Right as the Indian
side of a horse’: a saying derived from the habit of Indians of mounting from the right, or ‘off’ side instead of the ‘near’ or left as was done by Americans of European descent and Mexicans.
13. ‘Summer name’: an alias. In the Old West, a person could offer any name as a means of introduction. The only permissible way to express doubt without arousing hostility was to inquire, ‘Is that your summer name?’
14.‘Pick up his toes’: a cowhands’ term for inflicting punishment. It derived from a throw with a lariat intended to catch a moving animal by the forefeet. Generally; the method was only employed to punish a horse which persisted in breaking out of the wrangler’s rope corral when part of a remuda. While extremely dangerous to carry out, such a throw was used on a basis of ‘kill or cure’. The other members of the remuda could pick up the habit if the offender was allowed to go unchecked. A description of how the throw was made and its effect is given in: TRAIL BOSS.
About the Author
J.T. Edson was a former British Army dog-handler who wrote more than 130 Western novels, accounting for some 27 million sales in paperback. Edson’s works - produced on a word processor in an Edwardian semi at Melton Mowbray - contain clear, crisp action in the traditions of B-movies and Western television series. What they lack in psychological depth is made up for by at least twelve good fights per volume. Each portrays a vivid, idealized “West That Never Was”, at a pace that rarely slackens.
If you enjoyed the westerns of J. T. EDSON, you may also enjoy the westerns of
BEN BRIDGES and MIKE STOTTER:
BEN BRIDGES:
APACHERIA SERIES:
Apacheria
Lockwood’s Law
ASH COLTER SERIES:
Gunsmoke Legend
Ride the High Lines
Storm in the Saddle
COMPANY C SERIES:
Hit ’em Hard!
To the Death!
LEW EDEN SERIES (with Brent Towns):
Bugles and Blood
Riding for Glory
HELLER SERIES
Heller
Heller in the Rockies
JIM ALLISON SERIES:
Rattler Creek
Blood Canyon
Thunder Gorge
JUDGE AND DURY SERIES:
Hang ‘em All
Riding for Justice
Law of the Gun
Trial by Fire
Barbed Wire Noose
Judgment Day
MOVIE TIE-INS:
Day of the Gun
O’BRIEN SERIES:
The Silver Trail
Hard as Nails
Mexico Breakout
Hangman’s Noose
The Deadly Dollars
Squaw Man
North of the Border
Shoot to Kill
Hell for Leather
Marked for Death
Gunsmoke is Gray
Cold Steel
Mean as Hell
Draw Down the Lightning
Flame and Thunder
THREE GUNS WEST (Writing with Steve Hayes):
Three Rode Together
Three Ride Again
Hang Shadow Horse!
WESTERN LEGENDS (Writing with Steve Hayes):
The Oklahombres
The Plainsman
THE WILDE BOYS SERIES:
The Wilde Boys
Wilde Fire
Wilde’s Law
Aces Wilde
STAND-ALONE WESTERNS:
Ride for the Rio!
Back With a Vengeance
Blaze of Glory
Tanner’s Guns
Coffin Creek
The Spurlock Gun
All Guns Blazing
Cannon for Hire
Montana Gunsmoke
Starpacker
Cougar Valley
SHORT STORIES:
Five Shots Left
MIKE STOTTER
McKINNEY WESTERNS:
McKinney’s Revenge
McKinney’s Law
BRANDON AND SLATE SERIES:
Tombstone Showdown
Tucson Justice
STAND ALONE WESTERNS:
Death in the Canyon
SHORT STORIES:
Six Trails West
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[1] When producing the manuscript for Part One, ‘Better than Calamity’, THE WILDCATS, we were led to assume by our source of information that the surname of the town marshal was ‘Counter’. However, Andrew Mark ‘Big Andy’ Counter has asked that we correct this misapprehension and, as we do in CUT ONE, THEY ALL BLEED, use Tune Collier’s real name.
[2] Descriptions of two different types of ‘Concord’ stagecoaches can be found in: WACO’S BADGE and CALAMITY SPELLS TROUBLE.
[3] A detailed description of the relative value of the ‘hands’ in the game of poker is given in: TWO MILES TO THE BORDER.
[4] How the exploitation of the longhorn cattle brought prosperity to Texas is told in: GOODNIGHT’S DREAM, FROM HIDE AND HORN and SET TEXAS BACK ON HER FEET.
[5] Due to what we suspect—for reasons we explain at the conclusion of CUT ONE, THEY ALL BLEED—was a deliberate error in the source from which we produced, ‘Better than Calamity’, we attributed ownership of the ‘Bull’s Head Saloon’, as we had been led to assume it was called, to Joseph Turner. The additional information with which we have now been supplied has allowed us to make the appropriate corrections.
[6] A description of the ‘Battle at Bearcat Annie’s, is given in: QUIET TOWN.
[7] Information regarding Mark Counter is given in the Floating Outfit series.
[8] One version of this notorious confidence trick is described in: Part Four, ‘Another Type of Badger Game’, WANTED! BELLE STARR.
[9] More detailed information about how the game of faro is played can be found in: RANGELAND HERCULES.
[10] If this was the notorious gambler and gunfighter, John H. ‘Doc’ Holliday, we have no record of where Madam Bulldog made his acquaintance.
[11] THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH, (1842) by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Under the spreading chestnut tree,
The village smithy stands,
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands,
And the muscles of his brawny arms,
Are strong as iron bands.
[12] Some modern practitioners of the confidence trick called ‘monte-plus’ use a stationery bulldog clip to hold the cards. The trick has no connection whatsoever, except where the name is concerned, with the gambling card game, ‘Spanish monte’; details of which are given in THE SHERIFF OF ROCKABYE COUNTY.
[13] Information about some of the career of professional gambler, Joseph Brambile can be found in: DOC LEROY, M.D. and Part Two, ‘Jordan’s Try’, THE TOWN TAMERS.
[14] ‘Broke money’: a small sum, ostensibly to purchase a meal and transport home, supplied by the ‘house’ to players who have been consistent losers.
[15] John Scarne—author of SCARNE ON CARDS and SCARNE ON DICE, arguably the world’s foremost authority upon such matters—points out that, although providing a service in one form or another, the operator of games of chance in a saloon does not actually gamble in the same way as the players. Therefore, technically, he does not qualify for the name, ‘professional gambler’. However, to avoid confusion, we will continue to refer to Leo Wallace in that fashion.
[16] Further information regarding ‘Poker Alice’ and ‘Madam Mustache’ can be found in: Part Two, The Gamblers’, THE WILDCATS. As we infer in, CUT ONE, THEY ALL BLEED, Calamity Jane was soon to be another female participant in the Big One.
[17] Regardless of the name given
to the weapon used by Madam Bulldog even in the revised information we have received, as the ‘British Bulldog’ Model was not manufactured by the company until around 1878, there is a distinct possibility it was actually a modified Webley Royal Irish Constabulary revolver: The misconception could have been caused by an erroneous belief that the selection of firearm had created her sobriquet. However, in case we are mistaken and, furthermore, to avoid confusion as we supplied the designation ‘Webley Bulldog’ to her revolver in, CUT ONE, THEY ALL BLEED, we will continue to refer to it by that name in this volume
[18] ‘Readers’: gamblers’ term for marked cards.
[19] Some information regarding the career of Sergeant Seamus Patrick ‘Paddy’ Magoon, United States’ Cavalry, can be found in: THE RUSHERS, APACHE RAMPAGE and, by inference, HELL IN THE PALO DURO, GO BACK TO HELL and THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN. However, when recording in TROUBLE TRAIL a meeting he had with a very close relation of Madam Bulldog, Miss Martha ‘Calamity Jane’ Canary, due to an error in the source from which we were producing the manuscript, we referred to him as ‘Sergeant Paddy Muldoon’. As yet, we have not been able to discover where Madam met Magoon, or what happened.