Chapter 8

Deputy Marshal Zack Wilson walked into The Silver Dollar Saloon the same way he did every night if was his turn to make the nightly rounds. He went up to the bar and said hello to Jim Hanson the bartender and owner. "How's it going tonight, Jim?"

"Oh, 'bout the same as usual. There's a few miners here I ain't never seen afore, but they've been mostly quiet and drinking their beer. OH, SHIT! LOOK OUT, ZACK!" Jim grabbed Zack's arm and jerked him to one side as a thrown knife whizzed by his neck.

Zack swung around to see where the knife had come from, only to see a man charging at him with blood in his eye and a maniacal snarl on his face. The man cried out, "I going to kill you, Jake Simpson!" He had his arms spread wide and his head down, aimed at the center of Zack's chest. When the man got close enough, Zack hit him across the back of the neck as hard as he could with the barrels of his shotgun. This knocked the man to the floor, out cold.

"Who the shit is this galoot?" asked Zack.

A voice from the crowd said, "That's Abe Hunter. He thought you were Jake Simpson, the man who murdered his brother."

"Are you his friend?"

"Yeah."

"OK, you and another man haul him to the jail and I'll lock him in a cell for tonight. I'll let him go tomorrow when he sobers up."

"You sure that's all you going to do?"

"Yeah, that's all."

"OK, we'll help you."

They hauled Hunter to the jail and laid him out on one of the bunks. Zack emptied his pockets and locked him in the cell. The men went back to the saloon and Zack continued his rounds.

The next morning, Zack told Tom and Eddy what had happened and left for breakfast. About half an hour later, there was a great shout from the cell, "LET ME OUT OF HERE! WHAT THE SHIT AM I DOING, LOCKED IN THIS CELL?"

Eddy went back to the cell and said, "You're here because you tried to kill one of my deputies last night."

"No shit? Why'd I do that?"

"Your friend said you mistook him for Jake Simpson. So he locked you in here to cool off. You can go now. I'll open the door. Just wait a minute while I get the key."

Eddy unlocked the door and motioned Hunter out. "Let's go to my desk and get the stuff you had in your pockets last night."

"You fellows are sure being decent about this and I appreciate it."

"Just part of the job. What's the story on this here Jake Simpson?"

"Simpson is a card sharp what stopped off at out camp a couple of weeks ago. He set up a poker game in one of the tavern tents and was winning like crazy. Then my brother, Al, caught him cheating. Simpson shot him when Al accused him of cheating. Al wasn't even armed, but Simpson waved his gun around and everybody backed off. Simpson rode away afore we could do anything about it."

"Tell you what I'll do. We take a dim view of cheating at cards in Sacramento and we'll pass the word around for the bartenders to be on the lookout for this here Jake Simpson. He sounds like the type what cheats everywhere if he cheats anywhere. And if he cheats in Sacramento, we'll get him."

"Thanks, Marshal, I appreciate that! Good day to you gentlemen."

Eddy and Tom spread the warning about Jake Simpson around town as they did their other business and pretty soon every bartender was on the lookout for Simpson. If Simpson came to Sacramento, they would know it.

Cheating at cards was a hanging offense in Sacramento, as it was in most of California, so Jake Simpson was a dead man if he tried it in Eddy's neighborhood. Around three weeks later, the swamper from The Glass Slipper Saloon rushed in to tell Eddy that a man claiming to be Jake Simpson was trying to promote a poker game in their saloon. Eddy thanked him and said that he would be along very soon.

Tom and Eddy closed the office and walked to The Glass Slipper. When they got there, Eddy spoke to the bartender, "Howdy, Hutch, I hear you got a Jake Simpson in here."

"Yeah, he's over there at that table. He's got a couple of suckers playing at his game, now."

"OK, Tom and I will handle it. Tom, are you a good poker player?"

"Yeah, I can hold my own. Want me to join the game?"

"If you please. I'll be over here to back you up."

Tom sat in on the game and began to lose as fast as the rest of the players. After he had lost $40, Tom said, "Mr. Simpson, I do believe that you are palming cards and I don't hold with that."

Simpson jumped up, pulled a pistol, and shouted, "YOU CAN'T ACCUSE ME OF CHEATING! I'LL BLOW YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF!"

Eddy had crept up behind Simpson at Tom's first word and stuck the muzzle of his shotgun into Simpson's back as soon as he jumped up. "Drop your gun, Simpson. Tom ain't armed and if you pull that trigger, I'll blow your guts clear to Folsom!"