Chapter 20

They spent the rest of the week at the ranch doing minor chores and basically just resting up, after their long ordeal. Then the weekend rolled around, and it was time to go to town for supplies.

While the women were shopping, I decided to check in with Judge Mitchell. After going to the courthouse, I was told that the judge was over at the restaurant, having breakfast.

Walking into the restaurant, I immediately spotted the judge. After I went to the table, he invited me to join him.

"I thought I should stop in, and report to you on the status in Deadwood."

"I received ongoing reports from the townspeople of Deadwood. That was a great job you did there. The only negative report I got, was that some of them were concerned that you were a little pushy about the Hickok assassination."

"When I got there, they had Hickok's body set up as a sideshow, while that film-flam man, Soapy Smith, was selling pieces of an Indian scalp. I ran Soapy Smith out of town, letting people know that selling what was claimed to be an Indian scalp, was a good way to start another Indian war. Furthermore, I made sure that Hickok had a proper burial.

"I also met with the town leaders about that so-called miner's court that they had on Jack McCall. I told them that these kangaroo courts were illegal. He should have been held for a proper trial, and transported here in front of you."

"That's great! Did you get a chance to talk to them about setting up a Town Marshal, and a proper City Council?"

"I did mention it, but I hadn't gotten too far into it when I discovered a little girl that had a case of smallpox. That took precedence. I was immediately just too busy trying to keep that from becoming a full-blown epidemic, to worry about politics."

"Well, I can't really blame you, there. Like I said, you did an outstanding job. After speaking with Dr. Timmins, and the townspeople there, I was very surprised that there weren't a lot more fatalities than there were."

"Thank you, Sir. We did the best we could. However, I am still awful tired. I'd like to see patients here, for the next couple of days, just to rest up. Then we'll head out again. I still haven't gotten to most of the towns and camps around the area. I'm sure that if I'm not needed as a lawman, I will be as a doctor."

"Don't push yourself too hard, Clay. The last thing we need is for you to come down sick or injured, because you're too tired. Just make a slow circuit of the camps without pushing yourself too hard. Come back safe."

"I will, I was planning on just taking it easy. I'll see a few patients here for the next couple of days, until it slows down. Then we'll move on up to Deadwood for a couple of days, doing the same thing. After that; we'll hit Lead, Silver City, Spearfish, and maybe even Sturgis. Just to let you know, I'm also going to be checking on the Indian camps in the area. I'm not sure how long this circuit will take, but I should be back within three weeks to a month."

"That's fine. You can check in with me by telegraph, if any of the towns or camps are connected to the telegraph system."

"I'll try to do that," I said.

I finished my meal, and went to the front counter to pay.

After leaving the judge, I headed back behind the general store to find my ladies, there, surrounded by angry townsfolk.

I shouted, "Just what the hell is going on, here?"

An elderly, heavyset, prune faced woman, was standing beside a small mousy man.

"We just came through Deadwood! The preacher there said that you were heathens and the spawn of the devil. He said that if any of us good God-fearing Christians had anything to do with you, we would condemn our souls straight to hell. We don't think you should be allowed in our town."

This seemed to anger most of the other people waiting to be seen as patients.

"The preacher in Deadwood is a fool! There was an outbreak of smallpox in Deadwood. One of my wives and I treated the patients. We were there for nearly two months straight. We had a fatality rate of less than twenty percent. That same preacher was there, also trying to help. He told me that he was a surgeon's assistant during the last war. I found out that about all he was good for, was cleaning the dead bodies out.

"He was of the opinion that the people survived because of his sermons and his praying over them. Mostly, he was just in the way. We seemed to get along okay until he found out, just before the end, that I have more than one wife. That's when he got all high and mighty and started denouncing me as doing the work of the devil.

"I don't know how much you know about smallpox, but the normal fatality rate is over seventy percent! So, I actually don't feel that we did such a bad job, there."

This seemed to calm most of the people, although that same woman and her husband stomped off.

"If all the ruckus is over, and if you still want to see me as a doctor, I'll start seeing patients in about an hour. If you still see me as a heretic spawn of the devil; then, like I told you before, that same preacher up in Deadwood was a surgeon's assistant. So if you'd rather see him, be my guest, although I wouldn't recommend it."

My wife and I, after checking to see that things were ready to start seeing patients, went into the general store. I wanted to talk to the storekeeper, to find out what had been going on in the area while we had been busy.

Upon entering, Mr. Miller the storekeeper came over and said, "I'm glad you're back. Most of your orders came in about three days ago. I had them stacked in a back room for you. I heard about the great job you did in Deadwood, with that small smallpox epidemic. I'm sure glad that you were there before it got out of hand. Otherwise, it could've wiped out most of the towns around here."

He then took us to his back room, and showed us a pile of crates.

I thought, 'Where are we going to store all this stuff?'

The pile of crates was larger than the inside of the medical wagon.

After getting help carrying everything outside, next to the wagons, I hired a couple of teenage boys. They would help uncrate, and carefully unpack everything, so that we could put everything away.

I was surprised that we got everything to fit, until Mr. Miller told us that the rest of the things we ordered should arrive in a week or so. I told him that after we left we'd probably be gone for at least a month, and that he should just put anything else we received in the cabin. We'd get to it after we got back.

I spent the next three days seeing patients, and just relaxing. There weren't quite as many patients as I thought that there would be. I was guessing that some of the people were staying away, because of what that fool preacher was saying. Others may have been staying away because they thought that their ailments were minor, and that they were saving money.

After three days we packed up, and headed back to Deadwood. Just after we arrived and started setting up the wagons next to the office that I had rented at the grand Hotel, I heard a ruckus. Looking out, I saw the preacher standing on a crate preaching once again that I was the spawn of the devil and that my wives were just a bunch of 'Heathen Whores'.

This was the last straw. I walked up to him and promptly knocked him on his ass.

"I really don't care what you think of me. However, when you start calling my wives whores, or mean-mouthing them, you had better be ready to back it up with either your fists or your guns! It doesn't matter much, which, to me. In addition, your preaching to these people about not seeing me for medical advice is going to get somebody killed.

"These are all God's children! I will not have my flock consorting with someone who goes against the teachings in the Bible!"

"What the hell are you talking about? Just where do I go against any of the Bible's teachings?"

"You have more than one wife! That goes against God's teachings!"

"Against God's teachings? I ask you, have you ever read the Bible? The Old Testament? It states right in there, Abraham, David, and several others had multiple wives. Not to mention the fact that it says that King Solomon had over three hundred wives. Look it up! It's in that same Bible that you keep on yakking about. I suggest you read it, sometime."

"It's still against good moral values. A man should only have one wife."

"There is no law against having more than one wife, as long as a man can support them. However, there is a law against manslaughter. That is basically what you're doing. By trying to prevent these people from seeking medical help when it is available, according to your own prejudiced views, you are endangering their lives."

"I'm not hurting them in any way by telling them not to see you. You forget I was a surgeon's assistant during the war, so I do have some medical experience! Besides, I heard that there was a new doctor in Spearfish!"

"Until you produce a medical license, I suggest you quit giving medical advice! A surgeon's assistant was little more than an orderly! You were a cleanup boy! You have little or no medical training at all!"

"I'll have you know I worked closely with the surgeons will they were treating the wounded!"

"And what did you do for the surgeons besides clean up after?"

"I helped bring in and out the patients, got the surgeons their instruments and supplies, and assisted in keeping the patients comfortable!"

"Those are all the duties of an orderly. An orderly has no medical training, and is not allowed to treat patients. So my advice to you is to stop giving medical advice before you end up killing someone!"

"And if I don't?"

"If you don't, I'll arrest you and have you run out of town as being a public nuisance! And another thing ... if I hear one more word about you talking bad about any of my wives, I will beat the shit right of you!"