bitter from too many cigarettes, and sour with too much whiskey.
Whoever was outside the door pounded on it again.
“I said all right, I’m coming!” Meacham called out again. “If you pound on that door one more time, I’m going to shoot through it. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir,” a muffled voice replied from outside the door. “Mr. Meacham?”
“What?”
“Are you Mr. Meacham?”
Wearing his long underwear, Meacham padded barefoot over to the door. He was carrying his pistol in his right hand, and with his left, he jerked the door open.
“What do you want?” he demanded. “And it better be good.”
The man standing on the other side of the door was a small man, wearing a three-piece suit, bowler hat, and rimless glasses. He recoiled at the sight of the pistol in Meacham’s hand.
“I have to make sure you are Lucas Meacham,” the man said.
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“I have a telegram for you, Mr. Meacham,” the man said, holding out a yellow envelope.
Meacham took the envelope from the small man’s hand and, without a word, slammed the door. Walking back over to the bed, he sat down and pulled the telegram out to read.
REQUIRE YOUR SERVICES TO FIND MATT JENSEN STOP ONCE YOU FIND HIM SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS WILL APPLY STOP YOU WILL BE COMPENSATED AS BEFORE STOP N DENBIGH
Meacham had been tracking Keaton for nearly two months before finding him and killing him last night. He had nothing else planned, so this telegram came at a good time.
Denbigh wanted “special arrangements” applied to Matt Jensen. Special arrangements meant that he wanted this man Jensen killed. Denbigh always paid exceptionally well when he wanted someone killed. All Meacham had to do now was find Jensen, and that was goingtobeeasy. Asitsohappened, Meacham had read about Matt Jensen just the day before, in the
BANK ROBBERS KILLED IN DEADLY SHOOTOUT
Matt Jensen, who is well known throughout the West as a champion for justice, will be honored Saturday next by the city of Pueblo. The celebration is in recognition of Mr. Jensen’s daring pursuit and dispatch of the fiends Cyrus Hayes and Emmet Cruise.
The two outlaws, while perpetrating a bank robbery, did shoot and kill Joshua King, the bank teller, as well as two customers, Mr. and Mrs. Kyle Prescott, Mrs. Prescott being with child at the time.
Upon learning of the robbery and murders, Matt Jensen began an immediate pursuit of the bandits and, on his own, tracked, located, and killed them. After he recovered the stolen money, Mr. Jensen returned every cent to the bank.
Mayor Robert McKay McClelland has declared Saturday next to be set aside so that honors may be paid to Matt Jensen. The editor of this newspaper wishes to take this opportunity to extend kudos to Mr. Jensen, whose sterling performance not only adds to his own considerable luster, but speaks well of the Western spirit.
When Lucas Meacham rode into Pueblo, he saw a huge banner stretched across Abriendo Street.
PUEBLO HONORS MATT JENSENFOR RECOVERING STOLEN BANK MONEY
It had not been hard to find Jensen. Stories of his running down thebank robbers and recovering the stolen money had appeared in nearly every newspaper in the West. This was going to be a lot easier than he thought, rather like taking candy from a baby.
As Meacham sat his horse, staring up at the banner, someone called out to him.
“Mister, you are going to have to get out of the street!”
“What do you mean get out of the street? What the hell for?”
“The parade is coming. The parade to honor Matt Jensen.”
Meacham stared at the man for a moment, then expectorated a stream of tobacco juice before moving.
In a town as small and rural as Pueblo, any occasion for a celebration was a welcome event. The Pueblo Sons of Liberty Brigade were cooking a steer over a pit, and the aroma of the roasting beef permeated the whole town. Later, it would be served, along with baked beans, to all who would make a donation to the brigade. Firecrackers popped throughout the day as young boys would put them in places where they would cause the most mischief, then run away laughing at their own antics.
At one o’clock, there was a parade led by the city band, then the fire department’s pumper, with all firemen in full uniform, followed by an open carriage in which Mayor Robert McClelland rode, waving at the people. The mayor’s carriage was followed by a woman, leading a group of children. The woman was also carrying a sign, identifying the children as being students of Miss Margrabe’s third-grade class.
The mayor had tried to talk Matt into riding in the carriage with him, but Matt was embarrassed by all the hoopla, and the last thing he wanted was to be riding in a carriage with the mayor. He managed to get out of it by explaining that he would much rather watch the parade than be in it.
After the parade there were games; the firemen defeated the Sons of Liberty in a spirited game of baseball, four to two, though the Sons of Liberty made up for it by winning the horseshoe-throwing contest. There was also target shooting, a three-legged race, and a tug-of-war.
Toward early evening, not being one to miss an opportunity to speak, Mayor McClelland mounted a speaker’s
