Monday, May 15, 1876
It was mid-morning when three mounted men trailing six remounts approached the gate. The leader answered the sentry's challenge, "Deputy Marshal Ambrose Hayes and posse, here to collect prisoners from Deputy Coatsworth and Deputy King."
"You'll find Captain King's wife at the corral by the scouts camp that way. She'll know where to find Mrs. Coatsworth," answered the trooper currently on duty.
The scout camp had its own sentries as well. After Ambrose stated his business again, the scout who had stopped them called out, "Jeff, Clark, Cole: come take these horses. Frank, take 'em in to see Scarlet."
Ambrose and his men dismounted. After Ambrose took two parcels off one of the led horses, he let the men take the horses with the instructions, "We'll be riding out again in a couple hours." Frank let them to the corral where Scarlet was helping supervise a melee.
When she looked their way, Ambrose doffed his hat and said, "Deputy King, I wish to present Deputy Oliver Mason and Deputy Harold Locke. I had another man, but I sent him to assist Marshal Ross after we saw him in Cheyenne. He'll meet us back there in a few days. It's good to see you again. I believe you have prisoners for us, and I have a delivery for you." He handed her the parcel packed by Becca.
"They are Ella's prisoners. I'll introduce you to her."
Frank and Scarlet led the posse over to the field medicine class. Scarlet caught Ella's eye and signaled, so Ella finished the instruction she was on, and said, "Dr. Henderson, could you take over please?" before walking over to join Scarlet.
Captain Henderson had sought Ella out a few days ago to offer to help teach the field medicine class so that he could run a similar class at Fort Laramie, having had too much experience with returning patrols who would have benefitted from someone knowing what Ella was teaching. James Henderson was old enough to have been in private practice during the War, but he had only joined the Army afterwards. The fact that he had qualified only as an assistant surgeon suggested that he was only a fair physician, not an excellent one.
Scarlet said, "Ella, I would like you to meet Deputy Ambrose Hayes, Deputy Oliver Mason and Deputy Harold Locke. Gentlemen, this is Deputy Ella Coatsworth."
"I've seen your name on a lot of arrest reports, Deputy Hayes. You seem to have been a busy man."
"You've also been busy, based on the telegrams of inquiry that came into the Houston office lately." He handed her the other parcel.
"That was just the result of being in the right place at the right time," replied Ella. "Each prisoner has a horse. Their gear is all gathered up and ready. Before I take you to them, why don't we get a cup of coffee so you can tell us what we need to know about some absent friends?"
Chris joined the procession headed for the cook fire. After everyone had a cup, Frank and Chris settled to keep the young deputies company and to guard Ambrose, Ella and Scarlet's privacy.
"For the past five years, at least, a significant number of robberies in the west have been connected to a vast conspiracy that looks like the building of a private army. Money stolen from banks has been used to buy men and weapons. Guns and ammunition shipments have been stolen from trains. A couple undermanned forts have been raided for heavy weapons. The only reason we have had to suspect any connection between these incidents is a peculiar tattoo found on some of the dead robbers."
Ambrose stopped and sketched the ears and eyes of a cat in the dirt.
Ella startled, and Ambrose looked at her.
"I've seen that tattoo on several men, as well as a related one twice." She took the stick and added a snarling, fanged mouth to the cat.
"El Paso is well within the territory involved, and Fort Bliss is a lot like some of the forts that were raided, but Marshal Ross didn't mention tattoos in any of his reports."
"We didn't know that tattoo was significant, other than possibly for identification, so we didn't see any need to mention it once we had all the dead outlaws identified," answered Ella. "That tattoo isn't mentioned on very many wanted posters."
Scarlet asked, "Why haven't marshals been told to watch for that tattoo?"
"There were some leaks early in the investigation, that might have come from a local office. We think we can trust the marshals, but we don't know enough about their deputies. There is also a problem with secure communications. Anything written can fall into the wrong hands, anything telegraphed can be heard by the wrong ears."
"I also saw the tattoo in Tucson and in Mexico," added Ella.
"There is a lot of connection with Mexico. It looks like the private army may be aimed at overthrowing the government of Mexico, or carving a new kingdom out of that country, and maybe taking part of the southwest as well. We've never been able to get useful information from a tattooed man. If we captured one alive, and held him alive, then he just didn't know enough about whoever had put him up to the job to be of any use. Mostly, tattooed men have been helped to escape or assassinated."
Ella nodded, remembering that the tattoo had been on the "Captain" that Jimmy's friend had tried to protect.
"The men with the cat's mouth tattoo are lieutenants, like Perry. They report to someone else, but we haven't been able to find out who. That's why it is so important to keep Archie on Perry. Perry appears to have come up in the ranks. He started in the organization as a successful bank robber recruited six or seven years ago as an eye-man, who has gotten himself promoted to a man who plans robberies and recruits other men to execute them. The last report Archie was able to send in March said that Perry had gotten new orders and was headed north. We hoped Perry was heading for the boss, but it looks like he might just have been scouting out more forts. The remainder of Archie's life would be very short if Perry ever learned how much information Archie had been able to get out to us. The weak communications that protect Perry and the other lieutenants from being implicated in the robberies they plan also prevent Perry from finding out how many of his operations for the past two years have failed." Ambrose sighed, "It has been a very long, very frustrating investigation. I can't imagine the toll it must be taking on Archie, having to live a lie for years on end. No one ever thought the investigation was going to take so long."