A fictional story by Junior Johnson

From the time Captain John Winston was pulled from the smoking cave with his thug companion until he was bound and secured in the wagon, he was not conscious due to the medication he took. Once Deputy Moran and his men departed the Trading Post for Cloutierville, bouncing from the rough road woke him up and he was in pain.

He surveyed the situation and saw that he and his men, along with the two old Union soldiers, were bound with rope and chains. He knew that he was in serious trouble. He immediately called out for help because of the pain from where his leg had been.

Deputy Moran pulled his horse along side the wagon and told Winston to remain quiet and maybe when they arrived in Cloutierville he would provide him with medical attention. This did nothing to quiet Winston and he continued to scream like a baby. Knowing he was dealing with a cold blooded murderer Deputy Moran only laughed and moved his horse to the front of the wagon and told the driver to make the team move faster, it did not matter how rough it was for his passengers.

It was mid morning when Abslom Johnson and Levy Lodrigue arrived at their homesites with their boys and the workers who had helped them.

Martha Johnson and Lucille Lodrigue told the men that after they took care of the horses a hardy breakfast would be ready for them all.

Abslom and Levy thanked their wives and told the men that after their meal the workers could take the rest of the day off to spend with their families, and after couple of hours rest he and Levy would ride in to Cloutierville with Rita Johnson and her boys Dylan and Aiden, along with Pete, for a meeting with Deputy Moran and the two Mississippi Deputies.

Levy’s daughter Rita had told him of Captain John’s exploits back in Mississippi. It was a known fact that he had killed the jailer when he made his escape, but there was a number of other suspicious deaths connected with the farms he had acquired when he was sent down from the North to bring misery to everyone he came in contact with. This was his reward for being such a loyal murderer for Grant during the War of Northern Aggression.

His holdings were vast and he had forced many from their homes and acquired their land for pennies on the dollar. Those who did not voluntarily sell ended up mysteriously
dead, and he acquired the property anyway. The banks in the area were full of the murderer’s gold.

Abslom’s daughter-in-law hoped there would be a way for those poor families to regain their land even though it would not bring back the lives of their loved ones. Abslom was very proud of Rita and knew she and her boys missed his dead son Daniel very much. He knew that he and Levy could could come up with a plan that would make her happy, along with many families in Mississippi.

When Deputy Moran and his men arrived at his office in Cloutierville he thanked David and Donald Roque for their valuable assistance and wished the Isle Brevelle Rangers the very best for themselves and their families.

Doctor Scruggs was summoned to treat Winston’s wound and provide medicine that might help ease his pain, even though he deserved all the pain because of that which he had inflicted upon others. Moran wanted to keep the cowardly murderer alive in order for him to receive the punishment he rightly deserved.

Deputy Moran’s Cloutierville office was small and had only one cell in which to put the five murderers. Once they were all moved to the cell and a small cot set up for Winston, two guards were stationed outside the room with double-barreled shotguns ready for any difficulties.

Doctor Scruggs had treated Winston outside while he was still in the wagon and when he was moved to the cell he passed out again.

The two Mississippi Deputies along with Moran walked over to the telegraph office where they sent a wire to Sheriff Jones back home, advising that they had Captain John Winston and his two accomplices, along with two additional thugs in custody. What were his instructions?

Back at the Johnson and Lodrigue Plantations a delicious breakfast had been spread out on two long tables. Lucille and her girls Levaine, Ramona, Rita, and Gayle had prepared mountainous dishes piled with fried ham and sausage, platters of scrambled eggs, grits, and hot biscuits. The meal was ready for some very tired and hungry men.

As usual with special meals such as this, Abslom would sit at one end of the table flanked
by his wife Martha, their son John Wesley, his sons Dempsey and Harvis, and his grandchildren Pete and Noah. The other end of the table was occupied by Levy Lodrigue, his wife Lucille, their sons Tony and John Levy, and daughters Levaine, Ramona, and Gayle. Today their daughter Rita along with her boys Aiden and Dylan sat with them. On this special occasion their School Master Wallace Van Sickle and his wife Florine, along with their children Kay, Clark, Ginny, and Leslie, were asked to join them for the meal as well.

This was a meal to be thankful for all right. The evil Captain John Winston had been captured and the good Reverend Cryer was up and walking around, recovering nicely from the gunshot wound that nearly took his life. He proudly offered Prayers of thankfulness to their Lord.