A gruesome corpse of a mother holding her child.
He cut off Hate’s limbs and left them beside him.
Hate met his death screaming and groaning.
Peach, Dudley, Cody and the rest of the crew had already moved the carriage far away to look after the children.
But the condition is quite serious.
Not only was it impossible to tell when she had last washed her skin, but it was so dry that bugs were eating away at her flesh and her ribs were bulging.
“No matter how much I do this, isn’t it too much!”
“The kids are freaking out, Cody. Calm down and take care of their wounds.”
“Ah, really!”
Cody, with tears in his eyes, helped Dudley treat the children’s festering wounds, while Peach and company shared the food Max had told them to pack when they left the inn.
Max had prepared this because he knew the children would be found in terrible conditions.
The children who had been quiet just rolled their eyes and eventually brought the bread to their mouths and munched on it. And then at some point, tears welled up in one child’s eyes and he began to sob.
From this point on, the cries of children echoed throughout Meadows Canyon.
The only good thing is that the children were rescued two years before the original history. If it’s like this now, I wonder what it was like back then.
Max was glad that the children were crying.
Because that’s what normal kids their age would do.
Max looked away from the children and said to Colin and Hickok.
“They’ll be here soon. Let’s go meet them.”
“I would never miss the name of the name.”
Hickok grabbed the reins and followed Max and the men.
< The Fate Given to Us > End
Author’s Note
1859, two years after the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
We are retrieving children who survived from the United States.
The records from that time are similar to the description covered in today’s episode.
It has been recorded that ordinary Mormons, not just militiamen, sold the horses and belongings of the victims during the massacre and took their children and raised them like pigs.
The irony is that many of the descendants of the massacre victims became Mormons.
Is it because I need help with damage relief?
The descendants regarded the harsh fate inflicted on their ancestors as God’s will.
I was a little shocked when I read that interview article.
< pop >
One after another, the murderous thugs head toward Meadows Canyon like candy. Among them are Ryan Max and William Quantrill.
‘It’s strange, after all.’
Brigham Young, who had been prepared for war with the federal government until recently, had a change of heart after meeting an Asian. And why did James Strang, who had been in conflict with Brigham Young, suddenly appear?
‘There’s definitely something.’
Quantrill looked back, feeling uneasy.
He has thirteen men following him, all of whom he has gathered from Wyoming and Utah Territories.
Several months ago, Quantrill had intended to join Sumner’s army, which was at war with the Cheyenne tribe. But he changed his mind and began to gather hyenas that roamed the plains, one by one. But then he happened to witness a battle between Mormons and settlers.
At first, the numbers on both sides were even. The settlers dug trenches and had ample weapons, so they were able to hold out. However, after a day or two of fighting, the Mormon militia began to gather additional troops from the Indians.
It was a golden opportunity for Quantrill, who was looking for a place to stay for a while. He led his men and joined the Mormon militia. In this way, Quantrill became an accomplice in the Meadows Massacre. And he was the most brutal of the massacres.
‘The situation going on right now is strange.’
If you go under James Strang in Illinois, let alone Brigham Young, you’re in a situation where you’re going to have neither food nor shelter.
There was no reason to be in Utah Territory any longer.
‘It’s time to break up with those stupid Mormons.’
Quantrill shouted loudly so that the other militia leaders could hear.
“Slow down. We need to be prepared for any enemies coming from behind!”
Major John Dee, commander of the 3rd Battalion, 10th Mormon Militia Brigade, turned his head and glanced at Quantrill.
“Leave the rest to us!”
Quantrill shouted calmly.
Reckless desertion is actually an invitation to danger.
Quantrill, a non-Mormon, was not trusted by the militia, so it was natural that he should desert.
Quantrill, who had kept his distance from the front line, advanced forward at the slowest possible speed.
As we approached our destination, he gave us the following instructions:
“Everyone get off your horses. From here on out, we’ll approach stealthily.”
Quantrill tied his horse to a tree and moved forward, bowing low, with his men.
Meadows Canyon, a highland area, is a plain stretching along the towering peaks of the Rocky Mountains.
But at this time.
Suddenly gunshots started ringing out.
Bang! Bang!
Quantrill, terrified, instinctively falls to the ground, and his subordinates follow suit.
“Captain, what is the situation now?”
“Are you asking because you don’t know? You’ve fallen into a trap. If you had followed along without knowing what it was like, you would have died.”
“Did the captain notice this in advance?”
Just how far does a leader’s ability extend?
The subordinates look at Quantrill with respect.
As the loyalty of his subordinates grew deeper, Quantrill himself was trembling as he thought of Max.
‘He must have set this trap.’
He did this in just one day after meeting Brigham Young. It sends shivers down my spine.
‘In times like this, you have to be cool-headed.’
Quantrill, who had come to his senses, tried to escape while the gunshots were heard.
But the gunfire stopped sooner than expected.
At that moment, one of the subordinates who had been lying down raised his head. And then.
Taang!
“It’s all over···.”
Push.
His head falls back and blood spurts out.
The shocked subordinates fell even further to the ground, but Quantrill did the opposite.
Judging by the range of the gunshot, it’s at least 500 yards (457 m) away. Given the reload time and the rush of fire, the opportunity is now.
“Jump!”
Quantrill jumped up and started running.
His subordinates also hurriedly got up and followed him.
Taang! Taang!
Push! Push!
Two of his men fell to the ground, but Quantrill did not stop. He ran in a zigzag pattern towards where the horse was tied.
‘What the heck! Hitting from that far away.’
Taang! Taang!
Fortunately, as the distance increased, the accuracy decreased.
No more men were shot and fell.
Quantrill, mounted on a horse, starts to run straight away.
“If you stop, you die! Run!”
“Where are you going, Captain!”
“Rom Bell! You said your brother was the gang leader?”
“….. You were the first one shot.”
“What the heck? Then, you’re done?”
‘No, rather, is it better?’
If his younger brother died, would the gang leader just sit by and watch? He would definitely be furious if he found out that an Asian killed him.
Quantrill glanced back and asked.
“Where did you say Brother Rom Bell was?”
“Texas. Very famous for the Tom Bell Gang.”
A bitter smile appeared on Quantrill’s lips.
The destination has been set.
“Let’s go! To Texas!”
*
‘That little rat.’
Max took his eyes off the scope and stood up, still holding the rifle.
“Hickok. Go and check.”
“Damn. That little Quantrill is so lucky!”
“It wasn’t luck. I was just suspicious and quick-witted, so I avoided it.”
Hickok kicked a rock and vented his anger. After mounting his horse, he led a few men to where Quantrill had been lying.
Max, with a bitter smile, headed towards the place where the massacre had just occurred.
Taang! Taang!
The agents are in the process of identifying and killing living, moving Mormon militiamen.
However, among them, three were relatively intact: militia leaders William Dame, John Dee, and Higbee, who were deliberately kept alive.
“To commit such a terrible act? Don’t you fear the heavens?”
William Dame, shot in the arm. His scolding got on Colin’s nerves.
“You really are good at talking nonsense.”
Colin punched her in the face with his fist, then dug his fingers into the gunshot wound. He then dragged Dame, who was screaming in pain, to the dead body of Haight.
“Bring them all.”
At Colin’s direction, the men dragged the remaining two men next to Haight. The three of them’s eyes swung wildly at the sight of the horrific corpse.
“Don’t get on my nerves. Before I make you the same.”
As Colin crushed the three mentalities, Max ordered the clean-up.
“Tucker, you take three men and tell Brigham Young what’s going on. We’re going back to Colorado, so meet us on the way.”
“Old story!”
“The rest are for the loot. Sweep it all up.”
“Old story!”
While the cleanup was going on, Max started gathering stones and building a tower.
It was a memorial tower honoring the victims, and what was offered to them was the blood of the perpetrators.
The scent of blood spreads on the wind.
Wherever I looked, a disgusting sight unfolded.
The men who had collected the loot began to pile stones on the memorial stone one by one to help Max.
From a distance, the children watched this scene blankly.
They still didn’t know that this tower was a memorial tower honoring their parents and siblings.
*
The party headed north along the Mormon Road, east of the Rocky Mountains, securing two additional wagons along the way to divide up the children and to take three prisoners.
When it got dark, we had no choice but to find a place to camp and spend the night.
And for dinner, Hickok and Cody hunted a buffalo and dismembered the hide and meat. Cody, who was 12 years old, was skilled at it for his age.
“Our Cody went buffalo hunting.”
As Max approached without fail, Cody’s eyebrows twitched. He struck before he could nag.
“We hunted because we were hungry. You should never hunt for fun!”
“In that sense, Cody, I want to give you a nickname.”
“What is it?”
Cody looked at Max with bright eyes.
“Buffalo Bill Cody.”
I think it would be better to erase the nickname while it’s still good than to get it from someone who slaughtered a buffalo.
Luckily, Cody also had a face that he liked.
“Buffalo Bill···.”
Cody repeated the nickname with satisfaction.
Hickok, who was cutting meat next to him, glanced at Max. He asked with his eyes if he was sure.
“Of course. With his personality and behavior, how about Wild Bill Hickok?”
“Oh, Wild Bill Hickok. I’m Buffalo Bill Cody! He’s like a brother to me, I like him, but what about Hickok?”
Hickok also smiled broadly, seemingly satisfied with Cody’s words. So Max forcibly gave them nicknames.
“I don’t have any?”
Colin chimed in and asked.
“That’s difficult. Let’s think about it some more.”
“What, you’re not interested in me at all?”
“Then me!?”
This time, Peach looked at him intently and asked.
“Wedding… Let’s think about it some more.”
“What? A wedding or something?”
Knock, knock.
Around the campfire, people were tearing at the meat, and the children had some in their hands too.
Only three prisoners watched this scene.
“Starving is also your fate. Isn’t that right?”
Colin taunted the prisoners, teasing them.
The other members laughed and agreed.
The prisoners, looking miserable and their bellies growling, stared helplessly into space.
But at this time.
A child gives the meat he was eating to the prisoners.
“Do you want to eat?”
The prisoners bowed their heads at Colin’s sarcasm.
As the atmosphere became strange, the child quickly started to cry, perhaps thinking that he had made a mistake.
Peach patted the child and handed the meat in the child’s hand to the prisoners. Unable to bear the hunger, the prisoners eventually accepted it and stuffed it into their mouths.
A strange atmosphere continued with silence.
As if to break it, Peach opened her mouth.
But it was a bit of a random topic.
“I thought of this while we were talking about weddings. Why do Mormons insist on polygamy?”
At Peach’s words, one of the prisoners opened his mouth.
“…… That is because of the marriage system that existed in the Old and New Testaments. It is a system approved by God, not an illegal act as you think.”
“Is that really so?”
The bouncer opened his mouth and grumbled.
“Someone told me this when I was a bouncer. When I was busy writing the Book of Mormon, the person who was writing it had an affair. And his wife caught him. Naturally, the couple had a falling out and everyone around them looked down on them. But after a while, the philandering founder planted the doctrine of polygamy in the Book of Mormon. What does this mean?”
“What, are you trying to justify the affair?”
“……Who would say such crazy things!”
“I don’t know. I just heard it at a bar. It’s just some drunken rambling, bullshit.”
Colin picked at the ears of the Mormon prisoners, irritating them. They shook with rage at the attack on their faith.
The next day.
The party, which had set out early in the morning, finally crossed the Mormon Road and joined the Oregon Trail.
Buffalo Bill Cody gaped at the long wagon train.
“Wow, the lines are no joke. Are they all coming from California?”
“It’s almost spring. Everyone’s going to the Colorado gold mines. Be careful, you never know who’s among them.”
Hickok looked up at the procession with sparkling eyes.
They don’t realize that they are the ones who are most at risk.
