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Episode 22

Lars Wolf
Dec 25, 2020
4 min read

Updated: Jun 23, 2021

Contention, Emery City, Black Diamond, Arizona Territory

Affter being two weeks in Contention’s prison, one of the most dangerous men in the southern part of the country is brought to the Territorial Prison in Yuma.

The marshal of Contention, Josiah Hanley, is supported by a few marshals out of towns in Cochise County.

Darren Hughes from Dos Cabezas, Warren Morrell from Cochise, Hamilton Duhavan from Tres Alamos, Merlin Doney from Watervale and his deputy marshals are helping him to protect the transfer to the train.

US deputy marshal Luke Vernon is already sitting in the train to acompany these lawmen.

Prisoner Greg Lawrence is having a last talk to marshal Hanley.

Both got along pretty well during the recent two weeks and talked about some criminal activities Lawrence had during the last years.

Lawrence said he didn’t want to scare people in Cochise County. He really felt home here, but he had always something dark in him, which he can’t control. He was addicted to get more and more money even when he already came to a point, where he didn’t need any more of it. He never earned money with honest toil, but he didn’t care. He felt, when he would not chase all these money transports then someone else would do it. “There is always blood on the money which is coming from all these companies”, he always said.

He’d like to have a family and see his kids playing in the backyard. Coming home from work to hug his wife, which he never had, was always his wish, but things didn’t worked out and he was just too busy robbing banks, he told Hanley.

He wanted to talk to Charles Gifford, who was like a father for him, but he felt bad after what he did to him. “He knew, I was a problem from time to time but I think he was my best friend.”

To get substituted by Spencer Price was too much for Lawrence.

It was like, Lawrence is not good enough to let Gifford feel to be well protected. Gifford needed a better guard, Lawrence felt.

Hanley told him, he often had the feeling, Lawrence had himself not under control at all. To make good decisions under pressure, is extremly important and you need to feel, you can rely on someone who’s taking responsibility, Hanley told him.

The fact that not one single member of his gang showed up while his time in prison, made Lawrence sick.

Hanley tells him:”I don’t know what will happen to you, but I wish you all the best. I won’t stop to fear you and I guess, nobody here will, but I hope, you take the chance and become a better person.”

The Marigold Niehaus train No. 31 is arriving contention.

US deputy marshal Luke Vernon was already sitting in the waggon, which was build into a prison on wheels.

MNRC train No. 31 with the escorted prisoner Lawrence is on its way to Yuma.

Meanwhile Doc Philips and Christopher Van Molen having a stop in Emery City.

What Philips don’t know: Van Molen is about to leave his partner there because he thinks, revenge is taken and there is nothing left to do for him.

Both bounty hunters are talking to Emery's marshal, Santiago Garfias. He was one of the marshals who took part in the arrest of Greg Lawrence. In front of Turley's are sitting Micho Cruz and Marcus Tompkins, who are working for Randolph McLaren

Philips and Van Molen are sitting in Emery's saloon and having a cup of M&C's coffee. Eleanor Carroll, who works in the saloon, is telling McLaren that there is a man sitting in the corner, who is telling stories about his hunt after Greg Lawrence. "After he told me personally that he and a friend of him, who is also a bounty hounty, were able to stop Lawrence in Hereford, I asked the marshal, if it was really him, but marshal Garfias was answerring that he had nothing to do with it and he never saw this guy before."

Mitch Meanor is recognizing that the conversation is about him. He starts to understand that these both guys, who sitting on the bar, are really the dangerous men, the bounty hunters, whom he read about in the newspaper.

Philips is not hesitating confronting Meanor, who is afraid to get shot by him. "Mister, If I would be you, I would get up instantly and take the stagecoach, which is heading to Contention in about 20 minutes. There you take the next train and you go back to the hole-in-the-wall, where you came from. If I see you here another time, you saw me once too often, partner!"

Meanor took the stagecoach to Contention and is about to leave Cochise County.

Micho Cruz is back from Emery City and is telling McLaren that he saw Philips and Van Molen. Cruz was following Meanor, but did not wanted to shoot him on a crowded place. He is telling McLaren that it is safe to safe that Meanor is leaving the County. "No need to ride to Contention. Let him leave!" is saying McLaren to Cruz.

A few moments later, Fancy Finley is arriving Black Diamond.

Finley is shouting:"Rando, we are going to Benson! You play Poker. Bowers, I need to see you in Milllville, but before, I got to talk to some new friends, who I have met in Watervale."

Finley is telling Randolph McLaren that he has made a plan. To talk about the details, he want to meet Reason Bowers, who works for McLaren in Black Diamond, in Millville's Winter Wren Saloon.