Nick Peron

View Original

Ringo Kid Western #1

Ringo Kid

In July of 1866, successful lawyer Cory Rand was informed by his boss that he was fired due to the fact that he had married a Comanche princess named Dawn Star. Taking it on stride, Rand went back to his wife and decided to give up the city life and settle in the country. Within five years, Cory Rand had a successful ranch with loyal workers and was a welcomed brother among the Comanche people. However, one day he was approached by his neighbor, a man named Shad Rathburn, who offered to buy Rand's land. Cory Rand flat out refused to sell his land and told Rathburn to leave, when Shad tried to press the issue Cory drew his guns and ordered them to leave, Shad left but promised that he would get Rand back for refusing to sell.

Returning home to learn that his wife gave birth to a son. The Comanche people celebrated the birth of Cory and Dawn Star's son and as the young boy grew up he learned the ways of both his father and his mother's people. Learning the ways of the Comanche as well as how to shoot a pair of six shooters. The boy had a crack shot and one day while shooting bottle and chortling over the ringing sound the bottles made when they were blasted the lad earned the name "Ringo Kid". Kept away from the people in town, the Ringo Kid grew to wonder why he could not go to school with the other children in town, Cory would not tell his son that his mix nationality would set him apart from the others.

One day the young man's curiosity got the better of him and he rode into town where he found that the children did not like him for his mixed heritage. This soon erupted into a full on brawl with the Ringo Kid having the advantage. Happening upon the scene was Shad Rathburn who decided to get back at Cory Rand through his son and began whipping the boy. Arriving on the scene Cory Rand came to his son's aid and shot Shad death. Now an outlaw, Rand told his son to go to his mother while he went into hiding, giving the boy his guns. Cory then rode back to his family home to say goodbye to his wife and found the house in blazes. Rushing inside, Cory was too late to save Dawn Star who died in his arms.

As Cory left the blazing inferno that was once his perfect home, Cory was confronted by a lynch mob who set the blaze and sought to hang him for killing Rathburn. Rand was then strung up, but before the mob could hang him, the Ringo Kid charged on the scene with guns blazing. He mowed down all those who were about to hang his father, killing them all in cold blood. In the aftermath, both realized that as outlaws they had better chances of staying free by going their separate ways, and soon parted company.. Thus the legend of the Ringo Kid was born.

Recurring Characters

  • Ringo Kid

  • Cory Rand

Ringo Kid

The Ringo Kid and his father Cory Rand are reunited at the grave of Dawn Star to meet and see how they are both faring and pay respect to Cory's wife and Ringo's mother. Their reunion is interrupted by the arrival of and outlaw named Halliday and his gang who have come to cash in on the reward on their heads. On his father's orders, the Ringo Kid springs into action with guns blazing and manages to escape. Taken prisoner, Cory questions how Halliday -- an outlaw himself -- intends to collect the reward on their heads, Halliday informs Rand that he has made a deal in Mud Flats for someone else to turn them in and split the reward.

Watching as the outlaws take his father away, Ringo Kid plans a rescue attempt. Sending out a smoke signal, Ringo Kid is met with his childhood friend Dull Knife who agrees to assist the Kid in rescuing his father. Under the cover of dark, the pair go to Mud Flats. Using a tree, the Ringo Kid catapults Dull Knife over the prison wall where he rescues Cory Rand. Meanwhile, the Ringo Kid confronts Halliday and his men in the local saloon and challenges him to a draw. During the fracas, Ringo slays Gyp Halliday and his men. When some of the other patrons think about jumping the Kid and collecting the reward on his head, Dull Knife and Cory arrive and knock them out. With their rescue mission accomplished, Ringo Kid and Cory flee town and part company from Dull Knife.

Recurring Characters

  • Ringo Kid

  • Cory Rand

  • Dull Knife

Arrowhead

Arrowhead is out hunting a buffalo for meat when the wounding the large beast. However before he the beast can bleed out, Arrowhead's horse Eagle trips sending the Pawnee warrior sprawling. Before he can be trampled to death, a man rides between him and the buffalo and shoots it dead, but is thrown from his horse in the collision, breaking his arm in the process.

The man explains that he is Sam Beaver, a half-white half-Pawnee man who respects Arrowhead. Sam explains that he was fleeing some men he made the mistake of showing a map to the gold mine that the Pawnee's use to trade with and has been running from them ever since. Suddenly, the men catch up and take Arrowhead and Sam hostage. After snatching the map from Sam they shoot him dead and intend to turning Arrowhead over to the authorities for the reward on his head. However, Arrowhead fights his way free and escapes vowing to avenge the death of Sam Beaver.

With the outlaws chasing after him, Arrowhead rides to a nearby cliff and uses a rope to scale down the side, seeking cover in a cave under an outcropping, shielding him from gunfire. After trying to wait out Arrowhead, the men grow impatient send down one of their men. Arrowhead slays him and then sneaks up around the opposite side of the cliff and recovers his bow and arrows from Eagle and slays the rest of the outlaws, avenging Sam Beaver's murder.

Recurring Characters

  • Arrowhead

  • Eagle

Ringo Kid

In Washington D.C., the government decides to commit $50,000 to both the Cherokee and Comanche people to pay for lands that settlers are going to be moving into. However, after hearing this a Washington insider sends a telegraph to a man named Doc Styles. Styles begins planning on stealing the money pouch from the pony express rider set to bring the money and then after an eventual war between the Native Americans and the United States Army, Styles would purchase the land cheaply from the government using their own money.

With the money being shipped by coach, Doc Styles sends his men out to stop it. Their attack is spotted by the Ringo Kid who rides down to assist the coach. He guns down all the men attacking the coach but all the coach riders are either dead or dying. The dying man asks the Ringo Kid to continue riding the money the rest of the way.

The Ringo Kid, seeing the importance of getting the money to it's intended location risks life and limb to get it to the nearby fort, fighting gunslicks, brush fires and Style's men. Surviving all the attacks on him, the Ringo Kid is targeted by Doc Styles as well, but he and the last of his men are mowed down by the outlaw hero. The Ringo Kid turns over the money to the military officials and Native leaders. Recognizing the Ringo Kid from a wanted poster, the military official decides to ignore it and let the Kid go free.

Recurring Characters

  • Ringo Kid