“There was a company formed to make Kansas a free state as soon as the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed.”
Under the banner of “Slave States Shall Not Be Increased,” the New England Emigration Aid Company (NEEAC) was formed in Massachusetts in the east, and they soon began recruiting immigrants to settle in Kansas.
“But, when we actually got here and pitched our tents and made our huts, a problem arose.”
NEEAC paid $500 to Stearns, the original owner of the land, to take ownership of the property.
But then suddenly other people came and demanded money, saying it was their land.
‘It must have been ordered by the slave owner.’
That would be a reasonable thought.
“Will it be resolved?”
“We’re still negotiating. They’re asking for an outrageous price.”
“What else is wrong with the land?”
“It’s literally a house-building problem. There’s no wood.”
Max said with a dumbfounded expression.
“Even in the middle of the desert, you build a house and live there, but you can’t build it because there are no trees?”
“There is no wood nearby to build a house on. The bigger problem is that the nearby sawmill has declared that it will not supply us with wood.”
“There are a lot of saboteurs.”
“I think I’ll hear some good news soon though. I found a mill in Leavenworth.”
“Leavenworth?”
“It’s run by a guy named Isaac Cody who’s a passionate anti-slavery activist.”
Bam.
“Oh my. This kid doesn’t know how precious potatoes are.”
Holiday held out the potato to Max again, blowing the dirt off his hand.
“Are you still malnourished? Why are you dropping potatoes?”
“No, more than that. Isaac Cody ran a sawmill?”
Holiday held out the potato again, blowing on it and saying, “Is that surprising?”
“If you spill it again, I won’t clean it up.”
“But, you know what?”
Max opened his mouth, munching on potatoes.
“Isaac Cody got stabbed a while ago.”
Bam.
This time, Holiday dropped the potato.
Max picked it up and blew on it before handing it over.
“I don’t have any strength because I only eat potatoes. Anyway, I got hit while giving a speech against slavery in front of supporters.”
“Then… he’s dead?”
Max shook his head and said.
“I was stabbed in the shoulder, but it wasn’t a fatal wound.”
“Oh, thank goodness. Did you help me?”
Nodding, Holiday grabbed Max’s shoulder and shook him.
“Seriously, you did a great job! You saved it properly.”
‘I only saw the word merchant in the book. It was a sawmill.’
It seems that he has helped the town of Lawrence without intending to.
“Then let’s talk about work in earnest. Where are the bodyguards I saw back then?”
“I went back home. Actually, it wasn’t me, it was the people hired by the company.”
NEEAC hired veterans to protect settlers on the frontier. Max’s visit to Holiday in Missouri also provided him with only temporary protection.
The problem is that their employment terms are short.
It is said that most of them left a few days before the new year. Some remained, but
As one of the immigrants, my goal was to settle down.
“Then who is my employer?”
“Of course I will.”
“What should I do?”
Holiday suddenly comes right up to my face.
“You just have to protect me and the people of this town.”
“Isn’t there a sheriff here? Can’t we just have anyone sit down?”
“Unfortunately, there are no applicants.”
A pioneer village. Moreover, it is a village where conflicts occur all the time, so no one wants to take on the responsibility.
However, it is said that when it came to bringing in talent from outside, those with ability turned their heads away in silence after seeing the village with tents pitched.
“It’s simple. Just come with me and I’ll help you resolve any disputes.”
“You speak so easily.”
“It’s not that complicated. Most of them are farmers or farm workers in the East. Most of them have never even held a gun.”
A place where people who came with conviction to prevent slave owners from becoming slave owners and those who lived at the bottom in the East mixed together. To them, the wild west was a land of fear but also a land of opportunity.
Anyway, it seems like Holiday hired Max for this purpose in the first place.
When a conflict breaks out and Holiday gets involved, it’s Max’s job to protect him.
‘I can see it. I can see my future.’
Trusting Max’s skills, Holiday is sure to get involved in every conflict.
“If it’s going to be like this, I’d rather be the sheriff.”
“Well, I’ve made that suggestion, but there was strong opposition.”
“Well, who would give that position to an 18, no, 19-year-old Asian?”
“Still, there were quite a few people who agreed. After all, the chairman here was positive.”
“Who was the chairman?”
“Dr. Charles Robinson.”
“aha.”
“You nod as if you know.”
‘You know, the guy who’s going to be the governor of Kansas.’
The year he became a full state, not a territorial one. To be exact, he became governor in the year the American Civil War broke out.
The reason Max wanted to work with Holiday was not only because of the money, but also because he had these connections around him.
“If the village head is positive, what’s the problem?”
“Those who oppose are no pushovers either.”
“Who is it?”
“James Henry Lane. He is now at Leavenworth to meet Isaac Cody. He may return tomorrow.”
“Ohh···.”
Regardless of Max’s reaction, Holiday continued.
“He’s going to settle down here after his term in the Indiana House of Representatives ends. He’s a very prestigious man, and a very passionate man.”
“I saw it on my way here.”
“Really? He didn’t tell you anything. He was like, trying to shoot a gun. He’s a really rough guy.”
“Not really.”
Holiday continued, stroking his chin.
“Anyway, I opposed you because you were Asian, old, and not even a permanent resident.”
‘I don’t have a permanent resident card, though.’
“You have a lot of subordinates. Why don’t you appoint one of them as sheriff?”
“They’re people who do other things. Anyway, if you mess up, Rain might shoot you.
“He’s a rough person.”
With such opposition, Holiday said it would be difficult for Max to become sheriff.
‘That’s your opinion.’
Max quietly took out his mental calculator.
The benefits of becoming a sheriff. I looked into what would happen here in the future.
So the conclusion I reached was.
“I suddenly want to be a sheriff.”
“It’s not something you can just say you want to do.”
“What would I do if I were in that position?”
“I told you that would never happen.”
“Want to make a bet? If you do, I’ll ask you to do me a favor.”
“What is it?”
Holiday asked, “What do you mean?”
“Please make me some identification documents.”
“station in life?”
“I want to get permanent residency.”
Holiday thought for a moment, then laughed.
“You gave me a thousand dollars, but you couldn’t put it in the bank, right?”
“Not necessarily for that reason.”
“then?”
“There is something like that. So, what’s the bet?”
Holiday hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“It’ll take time, but I think I can do it. Of course, if you become sheriff.”
Max reaffirmed his promise with a calm expression, and Holiday shook her head and said.
“Since I’ve been in Leavenworth, all I’ve done is bravado.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“If you bluff in front of Congressman Lane, he might actually kill you. He’s a good shot, too.”
“yes yes.”
From that day on, Max lived in a tent behind Holiday.
I heard stories about the village, greeted people, and got to know their faces.
‘We need to have a meeting to decide whether or not to elect a sheriff.’
I couldn’t meet Chairman Charles Robinson, whom I really wanted to meet. James Henry Lane and other key figures were all busy with their own schedules.
Breakfast and lunch are taken care of individually, but a party often forms in the evening.
As the sun sets, people gather around the campfire, reminiscent of the Oregon Trail.
Women carry food and children help.
It was the happiest time in the immigrants’ hard days, melting the midwinter cold and eating dinner.
There were several other camps besides this one, and most of them had the same scenery.
After dinner, the crowd begins singing “The Song of the Kansas Emigrants” to the accompaniment of a violinist.
This scenery will continue until the house is built.
It’s been three days since Max arrived in Lawrence Village.
A group of people started making a fuss.
As the holiday drew to a close, a man came out swinging and shouting. His name was Muldwin, and he had suddenly appeared one day and was claiming to be the owner of the land.
“Holiday! How long are you going to pitch a tent on someone else’s land? If you come out like this, I’ll tear it down!”
“I’m reviewing the land-related documents, but what should I do if you keep urging me like this?
“The facts must be examined.”
“What are you talking about? I’ve been living here for years. I think I’ll just set the tent on fire.”
Muldwin, with three armed men in front, was arrogant. He thrust a small oil can in as if he were actually going to set it on fire.
“How should I step forward?”
Max asked Holiday.
After much thought, he was about to answer.
Another group came running behind them, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“Oh! Congressman Lane!”
As the people cheered, it was Muldwin’s group that was startled. As if they had heard the rumor, they quickly mounted their horses.
“Holiday, don’t forget my warning!”
“That crazy guy.”
Holiday chuckled and placed a hand on Max’s shoulder.
Then he looked at the crowd of rain and said.
“See? That’s the kind of person Congressman Lane is. That’s why I said you wouldn’t be a good sheriff.”
When Rain comes right in front of you,
Max said calmly.
“I think I can do it.”
Sheriff
“How’s things going in Leavenworth?”
Holiday spoke to Lane. Max bowed slightly in greeting.
“So-so.”
Rain, with a cold expression, looked at Holiday and continued speaking.
“Isaac Cody has agreed to supply us with lumber. He’ll be here soon.”
“Oh! That’s a relief!”
“I finally have a house!”
People shouted in excitement.
Even leaving the land issue aside, I was excited about the wood that would allow me to get out of the tent.
“I have to have a meeting about this, so I’ll see you in an hour.”
“All right.”
Once the supplier has been decided, a meeting is held to exchange information including transaction price, quantity, and delivery date.
The meeting participants are the council members who lead this village.
Holiday was one of them.
But Lane, who was leading the crowd and passing by, suddenly stopped walking. He looked at Max and opened his mouth.
“You should come too. You’re a new face, so shouldn’t you at least say hello?”
“…….?”
‘Why is that guy acting like that?’
Holiday’s head slowly turned to Max. He couldn’t understand why Lane was being so friendly to Max.
“Then, I’ll see you there.”
With Rain and his party gone, Holiday turned to Max.
“What happened? It doesn’t seem like we just happened to meet by chance.”
“To be honest, I haven’t met him yet.”
“……Your speaking sense is just my style.”
Holiday, who had been pouting, soon smirked and said.
“There was a reason you bet on the sheriff position.”
“I don’t think there would be any objection.”
Holiday shook his head and said.
“That’s because you don’t know that person yet. Besides, there are many people who oppose him besides the author.
Anyway, the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment.”
“Should I be disappointed that I can’t become a sheriff? Just do what you’ve been doing.”
“Yeah. That’s what you should think.”
Holiday patted Max on the shoulder as if to comfort him in advance.
*
The town’s meeting hall is a large tent.
Holiday spoke with a bitter expression.
“It may not seem like much, but it was broken several times while it was being built. People from the slave states came and sabotaged it.”
“I see.”
“It took several days to erect one pillar.”
The chairs inside the tent were carved from thin logs.
Because such wood was hard to come by on the prairies, they said it had to be brought in from across the Kansas River.
It’s been about 10 minutes since I sat down.
A key figure in the village council has emerged.
The leader is a man in his mid-30s, Chairman Charles Robinson. A medical student from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, he represented California’s 12th congressional district.
Behind him are James Henry Lane, who has no other position yet. Vice-Chairman, Secretary, and…
“The man at the very back is Levi Gates, the treasurer.”
“Is there such a position?”
“Of course. Who knows what might happen if you keep your valuables in a tent?”
There may be cases where people intentionally frame others. That is why, in the early stages of settlement, it was decided to store valuables in one place so that no one would be held responsible if the rest were lost.
“Okay, now that everyone is here, let’s start the meeting.”
The event was moderated by Vice President Ferdinand Fuller.
The first agenda item was, of course, the land issue.
“They’ve increased the amount again. Now they’re asking for $3,000. If this continues, negotiations will take a long time.”
