(NOTE: This is the fourth part in a serial-type story about the origin of the Lone Ranger. In the last part, Butch Cavendish was recalling his motivations for wanting to kill the Lone Ranger.)
The motive (continued)
As young Butch Cavendish walked along the side of the Reid’s barn in search of his friends, Johnny and Danny, he stopped, hidden in the shadows, as he overheard the two brothers talking. It was the evening of the day after their father had reluctantly purchased a portion of the Cavendish ranch, a portion that contained the “bear cave” the lads liked to play in. The sale of the land gave the struggling Cavendish family enough money to see them through a tough time.
“You know what’s in there, don’t ya Johnny?” Danny asked his younger brother.
“In the cave?” Johnny said. “There ain’t nothin’ in there ’cept a bunch of old rocks.”
“It’s more than just rocks. Haven’t you wondered what that gray stuff is in the walls?” Danny asked.
“It’s just mica. The stuff’s all over the place,” Johnny said.
Butch was about to come around the corner, but paused to listen some more.
“That ain’t mica, little brother,” Danny said. “I’m pretty sure it’s silver.”
“SIL…” Johnny started to blurt out before Danny’s hand clasped his mouth.
“Shh!” he admonished him. “Keep it quiet. No one can know, not even dad.”
“But why, Danny? Why do we have to keep it a secret? If that’s silver in there, then we’ll all be rich,” Johnny said.
“Think about it,” Danny said. “If I’m right and that is silver in there, then dad will just give the land back to the Cavendish’s. We won’t get any of it.”
“But isn’t that the right thing to do?” Johnny asked.
“Look, I know as well as anyone that Butch’s family really needs the money. But so does our family. If this drought continues another season, we’ll be as bad off as they are or worse. Besides, it’s Mr. Cavendish’s fault for not inspecting the land closer before selling it. I know that section is worthless for farming and ranching, but he should still know what he’s got. It’s his fault for being so careless,” Danny said.
“I see. Like always, you’re right, Danny,” Johnny said.
“Then it’s settled. This will be our secret. It will be our secret silver mine,” Danny said, offering his hand to Johnny in a solemn handshake.
As the bothers shook hands, Butch quietly slunk off away to be alone with his thoughts.
Years later, the brothers went on to be ranchers and part-time Texas Rangers. Cavendish, having carefully crafted his revenge for nearly a decade, had the band of six Rangers, including the two brothers, lured into the canyon known as Bryant’s Gap. There, he and his men ambushed and killed them all.
That left the land in the hands of the sole heirs, Linda and her young son Dan Jr. It also made Linda available once more for Cavendish with her husband, Dan Sr., dead in the desolate canyon. All Butch Cavendish had to do was woo the grieving widow to the alter and the woman of his dreams and the land of immense wealth would all be his.
That’s exactly the plan he had in motion when this masked cowboy and his Indian friend began hunting down Butch and his friends. He had no idea who they were and why they were hunting him and his pals down like dogs, but eventually everyone involved in the murders of the Ranger wound up in jail. Butch was the last one out when he decided to quit running and to take the offensive.
He set a trap and the Indian fell for it. With the masked man’s friend bound and gagged, the trap for the stranger was set with the Indian as bait. But the masked man didn’t bite. Instead of freeing his friend, the stranger sneaked up on Butch and the two engaged in a brief tussle before Butch broke free and took off riding hard on his horse.
Right on his tail, however, came the masked man riding on a huge, white horse. It didn’t take long before he overtook Butch and tackled him off his mount onto the hard, dusty ground. The two men fought, but the determined man in the mask seemed to fighting with an incredible strength, like a man possessed.
Badly beaten, the man captured Cavendish and hauled him to jail. That was the last time he saw the man. At his trial, his captor was nowhere to be seen. But enough hard evidence mysteriously surfaced to see that Butch and his cronies were convicted of the murders of the Rangers.
The case was strong, but the jury seemed to have enough doubt to not give the death penalty and to send the men to a life of hard labor in a state penitentiary. For 13 years Cavendish did hard labor, plotting revenge against the man who stole his hopes and dreams.
As motivated as Cavendish was, the man in the mask had an even greater motivation. Stay tuned next week to find out what it was.
(Copyright 2010, Joe Southern)
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