Sam Stone Hunter

The red headed deamon

Sam Stone

Hunter

Sam Stone rode alone over a desolate land wandering west toward Santa Fe. A girl there held his heart on a string she made from old clothing she found on a dead man shot down dead by some rogue raiding party, probably part of the Pueblo or Tanoan tribe, somewhere near the Texas Panhandle.

The wild west was not so hospitable for anyone traveling west in those days.

Some time around 1869 the US had completed the Trans Continental Railroad. Along with the railroads came the whites, blacks, and others, looking to grab up what land they could. Together they wiped out many of the native tribes, the American bison, and much more. This act of inhumanity had grave consequences.

Buffalo were the main source of just about everything. Aside from being a food source, what remained was used for many other things. The hides made fine coats to protect from the bitter cold. Tee-pees were also made from the hide, and for clothing. Needles were made from bone. Every part of the animal was used in some form or fashion.

It's little wonder the American Indians were not happy. Not only was the land beneath their feet being taken from them, but their very livelihood was being wiped out. Soon there would be nothing left, war was inevitable.

Before European colonization, Santa Fe, which means Holy Faith, the area was occupied by the Tewa and Navajo peoples. This was somewhere around 900 AD. A group of Tewa natives later built a cluster of dwellings.

It spread for half a mile from the south and west. The village became known as Ogah' P 'O' oge in the language of the Tewa.

Some of the first Europeans to arrive were the Spanish. With bible in hand and the blessing of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, they set out to civilize the peoples they called savages. In the beginning they met with minimal success, but as time passed, a strong Catholic presence made itself known to the area.

It is safe to say Santa Fe was a place steeped in ancient culture and history, much of which will never be known.

A traveler heading through the area in 1849 once wrote,

“I can hardly imagine how Santa Fe is supported. The country around is barren. At the north stands a snow-capped mountain while the valley in which the village is situated is drab and sandy. The streets are narrow...A Mexican will walk around town all day to sell a bundle of grass worth about a dime. They are the poorest looking people I ever saw. They subsist mainly on mutton, onions, and red peppers.”

Stone rode his horse at a leisurely pace drawing ever closer to his destination.

She was a red haired beauty, a demon woman of unparalleled cunning. She had worked nearly every saloon from west of the Mississippi to her current locale near Santa Fe. Behind her she had left a long trail of broken hearts.

Men who had wanted to possess her found themselves either dead, or wishing they were dead. Her magical spell held its captors in her grasp. Stone soon discovered he was not much different. He was just another notch in her belt.

Stone was a strong man, but he was no matched for her beguiling ways. He put up a gallant fight in the beginning, but with time found himself weakened by her magic.

He, however, had been the only one to have challenged her. This fact made it even more alluring for her as she worked her way into his heart, and yes, even his very soul.

When she left he was a broken man.

For most men this would have been a death knell, a place where no man returns.

But, as stated before, Sam was a strong man.

With time he recovered most of his senses.

A year and three days passed after which he would become a lawman/deputy. He had a large jurisdiction which stretched from Texas all the way through Santa Fe and beyond to the New Mexico border.

Being a lawman, Sam kept a constant ear out for news from far and near. The lawlessness of the wild west brought him more to do than he was capable of handling. He was constantly on the move in apprehension of the worst kind of criminals.

Recently a rumor had begun of a red headed lady near Santa Fe who had killed a man for no apparent reason.

Sam knew right off who that lady was, except, in his mind, she was no lady.

He foresaw a day when this would come. He knew, as long as he was with the law, his tracking days would lead him to her.

And so he sat atop his horse looking down upon the town of Santa Fe.

Did the girl still hold his heart on a string? Would he be able to face her down? Was he strong enough this time around?

Only time would provide the answer.

Author's Note

A tale of the old west, with a bit of history thrown in.

Reviews

[Lorry]

My only knowledge of the wild west comes from childhood. Mostly cinema, where it was a cheap and easy way to spend your afternoon watching the Saturday matinee, where at least one of the features would be about the wild west, and if we were lucky, the educational part of the matinee, which would now be called a documentary, would involve some historical knowledge, which made it a bit easier to understand how the youth of Scotland spent their lunchbreaks either being the calvary or an injun.
Interspersed amongst the cartoon features, were enough "goodies and baddies" to keep us all occupied, as well as a fair amount of comic books having a western theme too. No wonder we knew so much about this strange and exotic land, which was beyond us, in the days before air fares were brought into the reach of the working class.
And when I got there eventually, the sad part of it all was how you didn't see groups of native Americans everywhere, or much of anywhere for that matter. But my own adventures can wait for another day and your tale has provoked so many childhood memories already, as well as sorting some of the fiction from reality.
It would have been a tough life for anyone back then, where survival could depend on keeping your head down and not annoying anyone that was too trigger happy for their and your own good.
So on with the tale, which has started well and am now getting comfy in my chair to watch it all unfold.
Excellent start to your tale. 😊

[FGFRANKLIN]

I have visions of Matt and Miss Kitty. This is good strong writing building the story as you go, making the reader privy to bits of history drizzled across the tale. I enjoyed the read. I went through a western phase once in my early teens reading up Max Brand novels, Louis Lamour and Jack Schaefer. I still like a good western.

[John the Baptist]

An interesting tale here, with Sam and the unnamed lady both seeming to be strong characters. I enjoyed the historical info too, but you might consider condensing it a bit. As is, it diverts from the main theme.

[Sami Khalil]

I enjoyed the story, the history behind it all. Sad part of U.S history. Lawless times, colonization, chaos, mayhem, uprooting of Natives and their so important Bison. I like your style.

[emmajoygreen]

As a Brit, thoroughly enjoyed the smoothly laid history of space, place and time. I already know that by the end of your story, my knowledge of this part of American will stay for a long time. Your writing is finely put, little bits of this and that which could be adding to a particular point in the future:

' It's little wonder the American Indians were not happy. Not only was the land beneath their feet being taken from them, but their very livelihood was being wiped out. Soon there would be nothing left, war was inevitable.
Before European colonization, Santa Fe, which means Holy Faith.. .. '
and/or..

'Being a lawman, Sam kept a constant ear out for news from far and near. The lawlessness of the wild west brought him more to do than he was capable of handling. He was constantly on the move in apprehension of the worst kind of criminals.
Recently a rumor had begun of a red headed lady near Santa Fe who had killed a man for no apparent reason.
Sam knew right off who that lady was,..'

I don't read westerns but, already hooked!