ride a boxcar because he
was barely a foot above the ties and gravel that were whizzing by
at seventy miles an hour. If he fell off, it was certain death, but
he hoped the bull wouldn’t look down here.
Catwalk waited for several minutes. He
thought about Curly in the freezing boxcar. Did the bull find him?
Most likely, if the bull knew he was in there, he’d let him freeze
to death.
Then Catwalk saw the glow of the lantern and
heard the bull shouting to be heard above the noise of the train.
“You ain’t getting away from me by ridin’ the rods, boy. I got ways
of dealing with you.”
Catwalk knew what was coming. The more
vicious bulls carried foot-long lead weights and ropes with them.
When they found someone riding the rods they tied the weight onto
the rope and let the rope out under the boxcar. The five pound
weight bounced off the ground until it got to the hobo, then it
beat the hell out of them. Once the bull heard the hobo scream,
they’d leave it there until the rider fell off, or got beat to
death.
Catwalk had also been told of a way to avoid
getting killed, but it was tricky and dangerous in itself. He
watched for the sparks from the weight as it made its way toward
him. When it was within his reach, while balancing precariously on
the rods, he caught the weight. Holding it he screamed for the bull
to pull the weight in. Catwalk then untied the weight and dropped
it. He let out one last agonizing scream and hoped his act was
convincing.
He waited a couple minutes then looked back
toward the coupler and saw the lantern light growing dim. His ruse
might have worked, but the bull could be on to him and just lulling
him out where he could shoot him. Still he had to get to Curly.
He slid to the end of the car and saw the
bull walking away from him on a flat car. When the bull was out of
sight he crawled out of the death trap.
He climbed to the top of the reefer and
opened the door. “Curly, c’mon, the bull’s gone, but he’ll be
back.”
Curly handed Catwalk a half a bag of peaches
and climbed out the door. “Jesus Christ, you took your time. I’m
freezing.”
“ I had to go down and ride
the rods. The bull used a lead weight on me.”
“ No shit. How’d you
survive?”
“ I’ll tell you later. We
got to drop off. I want to get away from that bull.”
The boys found a creek not far from the
tracks. After eating several peaches each, they took time to bathe.
Afterward, lying on the bank, Catwalk said, “Those peaches sure
tasted good, but they ain’t as good as Maxine’s fried chicken.”
“ Yeah, she was a nice
lady. I wonder if they found her body yet.”
“ I don’t know. I hope
someone gives her nice burial with a preacher to read over
her.”
“ Hey Cat, when I was at
that diner the guy who drove us there heard Jones telling the
people in the diner that we murdered her?”
“ I ain’t surprised. It was
either him or us, and he ain’t going to confess to no
murder.”
“ God damn it. What are we
gonna do?”
“ Just keep moving. There
ain’t nothing else we can do.”
Deputy Alton Jones returned to the sheriff’s
office, with the intent of handing in his badge and resigning so he
could continue his search on his own beyond the boundaries of the
county. Sheriff Tyler had other ideas.
In an unusually aggressive tone the Sheriff
said, “Alton, I’m placing you under arrest for the murder of Maxine
Puckett. Hand over your badge and weapon.”
Alton drew his revolver, backed away and
challenged the sheriff. “You ain’t gonna arrest me, Wendell. You
got no proof that I killed the whore lady. Them boys killed her
just as sure as we’re standing here.”
“ Jesus Christ, man. Have
you gone nuts? You claim that one of the drifters shot Maxine with
her forty-five. I’ve got a thirty eight slug that I took out of her
wall. Now hand me your sidearm and don’t give me any trouble or
I’ll add on a charge of resisting arrest.”
“ Sorry, sheriff, I ain’t
going
was barely a foot above the ties and gravel that were whizzing by
at seventy miles an hour. If he fell off, it was certain death, but
he hoped the bull wouldn’t look down here.
Catwalk waited for several minutes. He
thought about Curly in the freezing boxcar. Did the bull find him?
Most likely, if the bull knew he was in there, he’d let him freeze
to death.
Then Catwalk saw the glow of the lantern and
heard the bull shouting to be heard above the noise of the train.
“You ain’t getting away from me by ridin’ the rods, boy. I got ways
of dealing with you.”
Catwalk knew what was coming. The more
vicious bulls carried foot-long lead weights and ropes with them.
When they found someone riding the rods they tied the weight onto
the rope and let the rope out under the boxcar. The five pound
weight bounced off the ground until it got to the hobo, then it
beat the hell out of them. Once the bull heard the hobo scream,
they’d leave it there until the rider fell off, or got beat to
death.
Catwalk had also been told of a way to avoid
getting killed, but it was tricky and dangerous in itself. He
watched for the sparks from the weight as it made its way toward
him. When it was within his reach, while balancing precariously on
the rods, he caught the weight. Holding it he screamed for the bull
to pull the weight in. Catwalk then untied the weight and dropped
it. He let out one last agonizing scream and hoped his act was
convincing.
He waited a couple minutes then looked back
toward the coupler and saw the lantern light growing dim. His ruse
might have worked, but the bull could be on to him and just lulling
him out where he could shoot him. Still he had to get to Curly.
He slid to the end of the car and saw the
bull walking away from him on a flat car. When the bull was out of
sight he crawled out of the death trap.
He climbed to the top of the reefer and
opened the door. “Curly, c’mon, the bull’s gone, but he’ll be
back.”
Curly handed Catwalk a half a bag of peaches
and climbed out the door. “Jesus Christ, you took your time. I’m
freezing.”
“ I had to go down and ride
the rods. The bull used a lead weight on me.”
“ No shit. How’d you
survive?”
“ I’ll tell you later. We
got to drop off. I want to get away from that bull.”
The boys found a creek not far from the
tracks. After eating several peaches each, they took time to bathe.
Afterward, lying on the bank, Catwalk said, “Those peaches sure
tasted good, but they ain’t as good as Maxine’s fried chicken.”
“ Yeah, she was a nice
lady. I wonder if they found her body yet.”
“ I don’t know. I hope
someone gives her nice burial with a preacher to read over
her.”
“ Hey Cat, when I was at
that diner the guy who drove us there heard Jones telling the
people in the diner that we murdered her?”
“ I ain’t surprised. It was
either him or us, and he ain’t going to confess to no
murder.”
“ God damn it. What are we
gonna do?”
“ Just keep moving. There
ain’t nothing else we can do.”
Deputy Alton Jones returned to the sheriff’s
office, with the intent of handing in his badge and resigning so he
could continue his search on his own beyond the boundaries of the
county. Sheriff Tyler had other ideas.
In an unusually aggressive tone the Sheriff
said, “Alton, I’m placing you under arrest for the murder of Maxine
Puckett. Hand over your badge and weapon.”
Alton drew his revolver, backed away and
challenged the sheriff. “You ain’t gonna arrest me, Wendell. You
got no proof that I killed the whore lady. Them boys killed her
just as sure as we’re standing here.”
“ Jesus Christ, man. Have
you gone nuts? You claim that one of the drifters shot Maxine with
her forty-five. I’ve got a thirty eight slug that I took out of her
wall. Now hand me your sidearm and don’t give me any trouble or
I’ll add on a charge of resisting arrest.”
“ Sorry, sheriff, I ain’t
going
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