Massacre at Cutters Bend

Chapter One- Massacre at Cutter’s Bend

After being hoodwinked by their previous employer and surviving an attack by his would-be assassins, Wild Bill McGraw and Henry Clay White head off in pursuit, hoping to gain recompense in either gold or blood. The trail of their prey soon grows cold as they head south into the Texas cattle plains. On the way they join up with two new companions, Ernest Wheeler who goes by the moniker “The Ranchhouse Kid”, a kid wet behind the ears but with an itchy trigger finger and Bull Baxter, a brute of a man with sledgehammer fists.
The posse eventually arrive in the town of Cutters Bend, built up on the banks of the Yuckachee River which runs down from the nearby mountain range and across the cattle plains. As they ride down the dust main street there is a buzz of excitement in the air. A small crowd gather as the town’s sheriff nails up a poster. Heading over to see what the commotion is about, the posse reads the following from the poster:

Wanted, Dead or Alive
The injun savages responsible for the massacre of the Goodwin family.
A reward of $400 is being offered by Mr Joshua Goodwin.
All interested persons to report to the sheriff.

The posse heads along to the sheriff’s office where Sheriff Webb informs them that the Goodwins had arrived in town a couple of weeks before. They had plans to start up a lumber business, felling the pines on the slopes of the mountain range and floating them down river for use as lumber for the growing town. They had headed out to the cabin that would be their home at the foot of the mountains but they never made it there. Two ranch hands from the nearby Old Star ranch had spotted smoke towards the edge of the range, and upon investigating had found the charred remains of the Goodwins’ wagon train. They told the sheriff that they spotted Indians riding off into the mountains. Burying the bodies, they headed into town and alerted the sheriff.
Sheriff Webb tells the posse that they can find Joshua at Mrs Reilly’s guest house on the edge of town.
When they go to talk to Joshua, he informs them that his two brothers and their families were all killed. He had ridden out to the site of the murders, but upon arriving there he spotted a group of Indians in the distance. Afraid for his life he raced back to town. He now wants the Indians responsible for the massacre bringing to justice. He agrees to pay the posse a sum of $50 as an advance for their work.
The party head back to the sheriff’s who tells them that the Indian settlement is on the far side of the mountain range. He’s concerned that they’ve resumed hostilities after many years of peace, but he doesn’t have the manpower to dedicate to the problem at the moment. The posse decide to take rooms in the nearby hotel and then head to the Lucky Horseshoe Saloon for refreshments.
In the saloon, they talk to the barkeep, Emmett. When he hears what their business is, he recommends that they use a trapper called Bill Todd as a guide to get them through the mountains. He lives close to where the river leaves the mountains, about a half day’s ride out of town. He comments that Bill is a good mountain man but prone to the lure of liquor. The last time he was in the saloon he got roaring drunk, buying the best bourbon Emmett had in stock.
The Ranchhouse Kid proceeds to get roaring drunk himself and both he and Henry enter into a game of poker. Luck is on the side of the young buck and he wins a handsome pot of cash. He then proceeds to get even more drunk on the proceeds. Henry stays to keep an eye on him to make sure he make it out of the saloon alive, and the other head off to gather supplies.
The next day they all head off the find Bill Todd. By the early afternoon they locate his cabin in the woods. There is no sign of life to be seen. Henry searches around the door of the dilapidated building for signs of recent activity. He spots some drag marks leading from the door. Entering the small cabin, they find the place deserted, but they also spot what appears to be a few spots of blood on the edge of a large Indian rug that covers the floor. Heading round to the back of the shack, the party spreads out and begins searching the surrounding forest. Before long they discover the poorly hidden remains of the late Bill Todd. He appears to have bee struck over the head and then strangled. They bury his remains where they lay.
Heading back to the cabin, they begin to look around the place properly. It is poorly furnished, the only signs of any care in the place being the rug on the floor and a few other Indian artefacts hung on the walls. Other than that, several animal pelts are hung out on stretches, and the cupboards are found to contain the mouldering remains of various foodstuffs. As Bull Baxter crosses the room, he notices a creek from under the rug. Pulling it back, he discovers a loose floorboard. Hidden in the floor space beneath it is a small wooden box. After picking the lock the team examine the contents. Inside they find a silver ring, a pocket watch and a small piece of folded paper. When they open this up, they notice a fine coating of sparkling material coating the paper. Could it be gold dust? On the paper is a crudely draw map. It shows the rivers running down from the mountain, and beside one of them is marked an X. From what they can tell, it appears to be near to the Goodwins’ cabin.
Spurred on by this discovery, they decide to ride over to the Goodwin cabin to see what they can find. It will be late in the day when they get there, and it will be a day’s ride back to town from the cabin so they resolve that they will have to spend the night there.