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Outlaw Women of the Midwest
A fierce wind filled with alkali dust blew past Silas Toles, a Labette County, Kansas farmer, as he made his way to his neighbor’s seemingly vacant home. Three other farmers followed tentatively behind him. An endless prairie stretched out on either side of the weather-beaten building. A hungry calf languished in a nearby fenced enclosure bawled pitilessly for something to eat. A handful of dead chickens lay scattered about the parched earth leading to the house. The front door was ajar and creaked back and forth. Silas cautiously walked to the main entrance of the building and glanced inside. Light from the late afternoon sun filtered through partially drawn curtains onto the sparse, shabby and torn furnishings in the center of the one room home.
Silas pushed the door open and stood in the dirt entryway. The home was in complete disarray; clothing, books, paper, and dishes were on the floor; bugs covered bits of food on a broken table, chairs were overturned and a pungent smell of death hung in the air. The three men with Silas held back waiting for him to motion them forward. The sound of fast approaching horses distracted the quartet and they watched with rapt attention as several riders hurried to the spot and quickly dismounted. Colonel A. M. York, a distinguished, bearded man dressed in the uniform of an army officer, led a team of Civil War veterans and lawmen to the entrance of the home. They pushed past Silas and the others and boldly entered.
Colonel York surveyed the room and kicked away the debris at his feet as he walked around. He wore a determined, yet forlorn expression. The group with the Colonel examined the area along with him and inspected the items underfoot carefully. One of the men noticed a collection of Pagan artifacts including a pentagram and Tarot cards in the corner of the room. Some of the articles were covered with dried blood. Colonel York followed a trail of blood from the artifacts to a mound of fresh earth under a pile of soiled sheets. Kneeling down in the dirt he scooped the earth out until he reached a crude door. The men around stared wide-eyed at the oddity waiting for the Colonel to make the next move. One of the lawmen brushed dirt away from a round handle attached to the door. Before giving it a pull he glanced over at the Colonel to see if he wanted to continue the search. The Colonel was quietly transfixed by the scene. The lawman interpreted his silence as an affirmative answer and quickly pulled the door open. The foul stench that wafted out of the dark hole hit the men like a punch in the face. There was no question the source of the odor that had offended their senses from the moment they entered the home was coming from this location.
