Warrior Song, Robert F. Clifton [good books to read for teens TXT] 📗

the same time there were shreds of paper which appeared to be a read and discarded letter and a blue thick paper ticket stub. He became anxious not seeing what he was seeking, the red, glass bead. He looked again and again but it wasn't there. In disappointment he ran his finger over the bottom of the paper bag. When his index finger touched the fold that made up the bottom of the bag he felt something. He very carefully pried the object out of the fold, removed, retrieved it and then gazed upon it. He held between his forefinger and thumb a tiny, red glass bead. McKenzie stood up and placed the bead on a piece of paper which he folded over and over again until it was the size he wanted. He then place the paper wrapped bead in his wallet.

After sitting down again he sat trying to put a torn letter and envelope back together again. He started with the envelope attempting to see the return address on the back of it. After several minutes he was able to make out the name, Alfred Newman, MD, 141 Platner Place, Omaha, Nebraska. Thirty minutes later after putting the letter back together he made out that it was a bill for treatment of a sore throat. Five dollars was requested for payment. The letter had been sent to Major Parker at Fort Hayes in Ohio. “What was he doing at Fort Hayes? Better check on it”,he thought. to himself.

He repacked the items placing them again in the paper bags then went to bureau where a pitcher of water and a stoneware basin had been placed. He washed his hands and then prepared himself for dinner.

At supper he sat again next to Miss Bell and among the boarders who had been there when he stayed previously.

“It's so nice to see you again Mr. McKenzie. How have you been and welcome back”. said Edna Bell.

“Yes welcome back. Are you staying longer this time?”, asked Mr. Finley.

“Thank you. To answer your question, one never knows. My company has me here in New York on business, but I'm at their disposal and could be called back to Washington at any time”.

For the next two days McKenzie killed time by sitting on the front porch reading the newspaper, taking walks or taking naps. On the third day he made his way into the city, entered the hotel and met with Devin Hogan. Once again they met in the hotel saloon where Hogan conversed over a shot of whiskey. “So, I'll be tellin you that Jimmy Gilligan is a hard nut to crack, but I got him to come around. He'll be on duty tonight at the desk. He'll start work shortly before midnight. If you was to ask the likes of me, I'd say that you'd be smart to be sitting in the hotel lobby reading the newspaper or doing something that makes you appear as a guest. When Jimmy's ready and considers it safe he'll beckon you. Then, you read the register. Afterwich you pay Jimmy the ten dollars. Now, if it pleases you, I'd like mine”.

At twenty minutes past midnight McKenzie sat at a small table in an anti-room just to the rear and right of the hotel registration desk. He turned the pages to those dated at the end of March and turned the pages until he Came to April 1, 1897. Using his finger he pointed to each signature hoping to find either the name of a Native Indian or the name and rank of any army man. He stopped when he saw the written signature

Adam Henderson.

Back in his room at the boarding house McKenzie lay on on his back deep in thought going over and over about the things he now knew, the name and signature of Adam Henderson indicating that someone with that name registered the day before Parker was killed. The question however, is it the same Adam Henderson that Parker had flogged? If it is then Adam Henderson, previously Private Henderson had a motive to murder the Major.

McKenzie sat up and went back to the bag containing the small items belonging to Parker. He looked at each item again. Then, picking up the blue, ticket stub read, "Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show. April 12-24, 1897, Fairgrounds, Brooklyn, N.Y. admit one. "Son of a bitch!", he said aloud.

******************

Back in Washington Lieutenant McKenzie sat outside the door that led into Colonel Willett's office. On the floor next to him were the two paper bags containing the effects of Conrad Parker, Major, United States Army. Being summer it was extremely warm inside the Army Headquarters Building and McKenzie began to feel the perspiration beginning to form behind the high collar of his uniform jacket. An hour later the door opened and the Colonel's adjutant said, “The Colonel will see you now”.

McKenzie picked up the two paper bags and carried them into the office. Colonel Willett was standing looking out of the window. Upon hearing McKenzie entered he turned and said, “Ah, Alan, good to see you. Come in my boy, have a seat and bring me up to date on your happenings”.

“Good day sir. First, I'd like to say that in these two bags are what I was able to reclaim in the name of the army. They are the belongings to Major Parker, should the army wish to return them to any next of kin. However, there is a blood soaked nightshirt of which I would suggest that we get rid of.”

“That right? Then why did you bring it back?”

“It's part of the investigation sir”.

“Of course, of course. What else have you to report?”

“By questioning one of the hotel maids I ascertained the fact that she found a tiny, red glass bead on the hotel room floor the morning Major Parker's body was found”.

“A glass bead you say? What is its connection to the murder?”

“I'm no expert in anthropology or Indian culture, but I believe that beading is one thing that some Indian women do. That being the case then it is possible that whoever was in that room with Major Parker that night might have been or could have been an Indian”.

“Come now Alan. Do you know the chances of an Indian being inside the Waldorf-Astoria, not to mention even being in New York?”

“What if I was to tell you sir, that between April 12, to April 24 of this year approximately one hundred Indians were camped on the fairgrounds in Brooklyn, New York?”

“One hundred Indians? In Brooklyn, New York? How is that possible?”

“They were hired as part of Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show”.

“Camped you say?”

“Yes sir. I checked and found that Indians living on the reservation are not allowed to wear their traditional garb. At the same time they must live in cabins or houses. Nonetheless, when they are with Cody he allows them to revert back to buckskins and tipi's”.

“Amazing”.

“If you say so sir. Actually I find it problematic”.

“How so?”

“Before this last trip to New York I had an unknown suspect who possibly could be an Indian. After this trip I now have one hundred and one suspects any one of which could be an Indian,”

“How do you come up with that number?”

“Cody hired mostly Sioux for his show. You can bet that all of them remember Wounded Knee”.

“Damn.”

“Exactly”.

“I hope you have some good news to give me”.

“I do have additional news and I hope that you can consider it as good news sir.

“Try me”.

“In checking the registration book for the Waldorf-Astoria for the month of April, this year I came upon the name, Adam Henderson. Now, if that is the same Private Adam Henderson that Major Parker had flogged, then we not only have a suspect, but we have a prime suspect.”

“I can't believe that anyone, make that any officer in this army would disregard army regulations and do such an inscrutable act. Can you?”

“Yes sir”.

“You do?”

“Yes sir. Remember, Major Parker was from the Seventh Calvary. At one time Lieutenant Colonel Custer threatened to flog his men and at another occasion threatened to place deserters in front of a firing squad. He did both without any consideration of a court marshal or even a hearing. In my mind an Officer such as Major Parker would have seen this conduct copied it and thought he could get away with it. It is my understanding that many members of the enlisted were those that were down and out in society. They were often looked down upon by their officers”.

“You could be right. Is there anything else?”

“No sir, unless you're holding orders for me to return to Galveston”.

“Instead of pestering me on that matter concentrate on the case at hand, namely your suspects”.

“Then, in that case, I'll be off to Dallas to look for Adam Henderson. But first I want to talk again with Captain Pratt.”

“About what?”

“Two things. First, his knowledge of Bill Cody's Show and If he can shed some light on the glass bead.”

“Then do it. By the way, how much did all of this cost the army for your time in New York?”

“For the information and what's in the bags? Seventy dollars”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Five

Malfeasance-Misfeasance

 

 

After shaking hands with Alan McKenzie Richard

Pratt sat down at his desk and said, “Although it is nice to see you again I get the impression that you have something on your mind. What is it?”

“Yes sir. As you know William Cody has many Indians in his employ, hired to be in his wild west show. My question is did you send any of your former students to him?”

“No indeed. Our mission here is to take the tribal traditions, customs and religion out of the child. William Cody allows those who he hired off of the reservations to return to those tribal ways. Besides, it is my understanding that Mr. Cody hired mainly Sioux tribe members from the Pine Ridge Reservation”.

“I see. Then none of your students were hired by Bill

Cody?”

“I didn't say that. You asked me if I sent any of my former students to him. When the Sioux children were finished here and sent back to their homes I am no longer responsible for them”.

“I see, then who is?”

“The Office for Indian Affairs and their agents. If any former student of ours was or is in that show, it was them that allowed it and at the same time granted them leave from their reservation”.

“I have one other question”.

“Yes?”

McKenzie took out his billfold and carefully removed the red, glass, bead. “From your experience with the Tenth Calvary in the West, I was wondering if you could tell me anything about this”, he said handing the bead to Pratt.

“Nothing unusual about this. This is probably from a bunch of what was called, trade beads and goes all the way back to the English and French arriving in America. Native women use them to decorate clothing and other items. They have a keen ability to create designs in their endeavors, called, beading. However, once again there were and are no beads here at the school. Beading is a Native custom and one that we wanted to remove. Our female students learn how to cook, sew, do laundry and other domestic duties”.

“And, the boys?”, asked McKenzie.

“Carpentry, tinsmithing and blacksmithing. Now, that I think of it I do recall receiving a letter from a former student. In it he mentioned that he had a position in New York City as a carpenter. Wait, I believe that I still have it here somewhere.

Yes, here it is”, said Pratt as he opened the envelope. “I won't bore you with the details. He mentions that he wanted to see what he calls the big city before returning to the reservation in Oklahoma. He goes on and on about the wonders he had seen, trolley cars, the subway, things like that. Nonetheless, this young man is a Cheyenne, not a Sioux, so I doubt it if he was with Buffalo Bill”.

“May I ask, what is