THE HORSE THIEVES:
By Historian
CHAPTER SEVEN
A few hours worth of wiggling got Becky and Julia nowhere. Exhaustion was starting to set in when the cabin door opened. A woman strode through, her chestnut hair spilling out from under her Stetson the only sign of femininity. Her shirt, vest, trousers, and boots were all masculine in their appearance. “You two own those horses out back?” she asked.
Becky nodded and the stranger pulled down the captive’s gags. “Who-?” Becky began.
“Name’s Amanda Pryor, Pinkerton Agency,” the woman explained.
“I didn’t know Pinkerton hired women.” Julia commented.
“Not too many people do, which works to my advantage. Now stop squirming so I can get you loose.”
Becky introduced herself and Julia. The two prisoners were soon free. “A guard was posted outside,” Amanda said “I tied her up, but I’ll need your help to identify her.”
Once out side the cabin, Becky and Julia got their first real look at a member of the gang. The woman sat on the dirt, with wrists bound behind her back, ankles tied and tightly gagged. “Impossible.” Julia said.
“No, it’s clearly Harriet Longabeau.” Becky said.
“You know her?” Amanda asked.
“She’s new in town, but she lives at Mrs. Dalton’s boarding house.” Julia replied.
“Hmmm. Looks like another new girl in town will be visiting Mrs. Dalton’s. Could you get to the sheriff’s office without her noticing it?”
“A difficult chore, but I think we can manage it,” Becky said. “We also have to get our horses back to our ranch.”
“Let’s do it as soon as we can,” Julia said. “Before the rest of her cohorts join us.”
Amanda put two fingers in her mouth and drew a shrill, two note whistle. “Here, Charlie!” she exclaimed.
A magnificent bay horse came into view. “Good Charlie,” Amanda said as the horse stopped beside her.
“A rather ordinary name for such a fine horse,” Julia commented.
“He didn’t start at too well as a colt, but he sure turned out all right. Come on. Let’s toss our friend here over the saddle.”
“What about our horses?” Becky asked.
“Try that corral behind the shack,” Amanda answered.
The cousins checked behind the shack. There was indeed a small corral behind, big enough for a small number of horses. There was Buck, Beau, Randy, and above all –from Becky’s standpoint—Atalanta.
“Julia, do you think you could show our new friend here how she can slip into town undetected?” Becky asked. “I want to stay here and watch the horses.”
“Of course,” Julia said.
The prisoner was unceremoniously tossed behind Charlie’s saddle. Amanda climbed into the saddle while Julia mounted Lilybelle. The two set out on a circuitous route, but were able to reach town. The two were able to reach Sheriff Burke’s office. Once there, they told their story.
“A group of women horse thieves?” Burke asked incredulously. He then shook his head sadly and added “What is this world coming to?”
“Miss Pryor wants to look over Mrs. Dalton’s boarding house.” Julia stated. She didn’t have Amanda’s approval to use the first name and thus did not use it.
“I want to keep this as much a secret as possible.” Amanda said.
“Of course, Miss Pryor,” Burke said.
“You’ve known about her, haven’t you?” Julia asked Burke.
“Yes, and the secret has been kept for obvious reasons, “ he said. “Just myself and now, so it would appear, you and your cousin.”
“Don’t worry. Becky and I will use absolute discretion.”
Darkness was setting in when Becky and Julia returned to the ranch. Magda, their cook had worried somewhat, but still had the dinner warm. It was when they were alone over Magda’s cherry pie when they decided to talk over the events of the day. “I can’t get over this feeling I have that more of Mrs. Dalton’s girls may be involved in this,” Julia said.
Becky nodded in agreement. “Stands to reason. A group of women living under the same roof sure makes it easier to plan things.”
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Bridget Burke walked the short distance from the family’s hotel to the jail. The task of running the hotel had become a bit more of a strain on the family since her father was elected sheriff the previous fall. Even before the election, the restaurant in Burke’s Hotel had provided food for prisoners.
“Howdy Bridget!” The deputy on duty said as she came through the door.
“Hello Frank, “ she said “beef and biscuits for our guest.”
“Of course. At least she won’t be alone when I make my rounds.”
Frank paused only long enough to open the cell door enough to allow the tray to be slid into the cell. He locked the door, then set off on his rounds.
Harriet ate in silence. Bridget spotted a copy of the National Police Gazette sitting on the desk. She wondered if the journal was as salacious as she had been led to believe and started to thumb through it.
As a result, she was startled when somebody entered the office. It was not her father, Frank, or one of the other deputies, but rather a trio of hooded figures. “Get the keys,” ordered the one closest to her. The distorted voice was both female and familiar.
Bridget handed the keys to the woman, who turned to her companions and said “Bind and gag her.”
Before the intruders bound Bridget, they first dragged her into the cell. Her wrists were bound and a bandana secured around her mouth before she was seated on the narrow cot in the cell, where her ankles were bound. The cell door was locked and the four left trough the back entrance.
Once safely outside, the ringleader removed her hood. “You’ll have to lay low for a while, Harriet,” she said.
Harriet simply nodded at Emma Dalton.