Wild Western #54
A Man Named Colt!
In the outlaw town of Snake City, Kid Colt is pointed out as the man who shot his mouth off earlier. As the Kid walks through town people gather all over to see the sight. Colt’s path is blocked by three men who want to confirm if Kid said what he’s rumored to have said. Kid Colt admits to it and decides to repeat himself for everyone to hear, in fact, he’s glad to say it again and he repeats what he thinks about Snake City. He calls it a foul nest where rattlers and weasels fight over scraps. That it’s a town not of men, but of vultures. Taking insult to this, the three outlaws draw their guns but the Kid Colt is a faster draw and shoots the guns out of their hands. He then warns everyone else that this what he thinks about this black hole of a town and everyone who lives in it. That’s when the mayor tells his men to try and Kid Colt. When the bullets begin flying, the Kid easily dodges the shots and takes down a number of the outlaws gunning at him. He then tells them to get their mayor, Big-Bart Shagg and tell him that Kid Colt wants to talk to him.
By that afternoon things have settled down and Kid Colt is sitting down to a meal in the local saloon when the mayor finally shows up to talk. The mayor gives Kid Colt a job opportunity, saying that they need a bank manager that back up his talk with a pair of guns since a normal banker wouldn’t last very long in this town and offers to pay him a great deal of money to do it. Kid Colt turns down the job saying he’s not interested. Later that day, the Kid is walking around town and discovers the local children are being taught in an old barn instead of a schoolhouse. The teacher tells him that there are law-abiding citizens live in Snake City but they are too afraid to leave their homes.
That evening, Kid Colt pays a visit to Big Bart and tells him that he has decided to reconsider Shagg’s job offer. Soon every outlaw in town comes to deposit their ill-gotten money confident that Kid Colt will be able to keep it safe. As the deposits start to grow the town undergoes a strange transformation. When the outlaws think Big Bart is building a new gambling house it turns out that it’s actually a library that is being constructed. Pretty soon Kid Colt is boarding up all the gambling dens for defaulting in their mortgage payments. When the owners protest, Kid Colt tells them to leave town or they’ll be thrown in jail. With every crooked business closed down the people of town come out of hiding and agree to Kid Colt’s suggestion that they hold an election for a new mayor and sheriff in town. Eventually, Big Bart comes into the bank and demands to know what’s going on. Kid Colt explains that as the bank manager, he decided that since all the money being taken to the bank is stolen from the law-abiding folk of the city he decided to invest in their future and spent the money accordingly. When Big Bart starts making threats all the locals draw their guns and he is forced to leave town.
Recurring Characters
Kid Colt, Steel
Wagon Bass
In the town of Wagon City, Ringo Kid is approached by the marshal and the sheriff from behind with guns drawn. The marshal explains they used this method because they heard that the Ringo Kid is jumpy around lawmen.[1] They introduce themselves as Roy Kellog and Hoppy Lewis and they tell the Kid that they only want to talk. Agreeing to hear what they have to say, the bring Ringo to the town square where a large group of women and children are loading up wagons. Ringo Kid notices that this wagon train is absent of any men and is told that the husbands and fathers to these women and children are in Birch Springs and the only route to them will take the wagons through Piute and Comanche territory. They ask Ringo to help them through this potentially dangerous territory since he is the most experienced man available. At first, Ringo isn’t sure he wants to take on such a huge responsibility, but when he learns that the children haven’t seen their fathers in a very long time, the Kid decides to take the job. While watching the scene from nearby are two men who realize that now is the time to carry out their plan.
That evening the outlaws blow open the side of the Cattleman’s Bank and rob it. The following morning, Deputy Kellog and Marshal Lewis tell Ringo that the thieves made off with forty-thousand dollars but couldn’t have escaped town since they shut down all the roads in and out of the city. Soon Ringo Kid is escorting the wagons out of town. As they leave the outlaws think they were pretty clever by stashing the money in one of the wagons as nobody will think to check them. All they have to do is wait until things die down and catch up with the wagon train. By the time the wagon train reaches Comanche territory, the Ringo Kid has befriended a boy named Davey who rides next to him. He tells Davey that they have been watched by the Comanche from the moment they entered their territory. When the Comanches begin riding toward them, the Ringo Kid tells Davey to keep calm and keep the train moving while he goes up to talk to them. When he greets the Comanches he does so in their native tongue and tells them that he was born of the Society of Red Dogs and that his mother was Dawn Star, daughter of Chief Flying Cloud. That’s when one of the warriors, Running Wolf, recognizes Ringo and their chief, Black Arrow, allows the wagon train to continue through their territory.
Later, the outlaws catch up with them and Ringo suspects trouble and sends Davy back and tells the women to set up camp for the night. The leader of the gang asks Ringo if he has any water for their canteens saying that they rode in from Cimarron. Having seen these men in Wagon City the day before, the Ringo Kid catches them in a lie. That’s when the outlaws draw their guns and demand access to the wagons so they can reclaim their stolen loot. This proves to be a mistake as the Comanche are still watching and they come charging at the outlaws and quickly take them down. With the danger over, the Ringo Kid explains how the robbers hid the money on their wagon train and that he’s grateful that Black Arrow’s people were there to watch over them. Black Arrow assures Ringo that as long as they remain in Comanche territory his people will watch over them.
Recurring Characters
Ringo Kid, Arab
Continuity Notes
The reason that Ringo Kid is jumpy around law enforcement is that he was an outlaw for a time after he killed the men responsible for murdering his mother, burning down his family home, and were about to lynch of father as seen in Ringo Kid Western #1. According to the last issue of Wild Western, the Ringo Kid was eventually cleared of all wrongdoing.
