Bloodshed of Eagles. William W. Johnstone

Testimony

      INUENDO AND VILIFICATION.

      Shocks Fellow Officers.

      Custer, a well-known self-aggrandizer, has gone to great lengths to disparage his fellow officers by means of innuendo, hearsay, and, some believe, perjury. According to Colonel James Forsyth, an aide to General Sherman, “Not a single officer of the army approves Custer’s testimony, which is largely made up of frontier gossip and stories.”

      “Mr. MacCallister?”

      Looking up from the paper, Falcon saw a woman who appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties. She was blond, wearing a dress of dark blue silk and a white hat trimmed with an ostrich feather that was dyed the same shade of blue as her dress. She was, Falcon observed, an exceptionally pretty woman.

      “I’m Falcon MacCallister,” Falcon said, standing quickly.

      “Mr. MacCallister, my name is Lorena Wood,” the young woman said. “I’m from Secretary Taft’s office. His carriage is outside, and if you would care to accompany me, I’ll take you to him.”

      “Thank you, I’d be glad to,” Falcon said.

      When they reached the open carriage, the driver started to climb down to help Lorena into the conveyance, but Falcon held up his hand to stop the driver while offering his own assistance to Miss Wood.

      Lorena proved to be a delightful companion, pointing out various landmarks and sites as the carriage rolled through the streets of Washington. She also had a good sense of humor, and a rich, throaty laugh.

      “Oh, my,” the driver said as he drew the team to a stop.

      “What is it, Mr. Bailey?” Lorena asked.

      “There are two wagons drawn across the road, miss,” the driver said “And I have the uncomfortable feeling that they were put there purposely in order to prevent our passage.”

      “Can you back out?” Lorena asked.

      “I intend to try,” Bailey said, hauling back on the reins.

      The horses began to back up, and the carriage started rolling slowly in reverse. Before they had gone very far, three men suddenly appeared from behind the blockading wagons, and they ran up the street toward the carriage, brandishing knives. One of them cut the reins to the team, and the horses stopped.

      “Stay where you are, driver,” one of the men said gruffly. “Missy, you and your boyfriend throw down all the money you have. And you better pray that you have enough to satisfy me.”

      “What if we choose not to throw down our money?” Falcon asked.

      “Mr. MacCallister, please,” Lorena said. “I don’t know what it’s like where you are from, but these are evil and desperate men.”

      “You better listen to the lady, mister,” the spokesman said.

      “You haven’t answered my question,” Falcon said. “Suppose I choose not to give you any money. What do you do then?”

      “Then we kill you,” the robber said as an evil smile spread across his face.

      “You mean you will try,” Falcon replied.

      “Are you crazy, mister? I have a knife in my hand,” the robber said.

      “And I have a gun in mine,” Falcon said, raising his hand and showing the pistol.

      “Ha! A dandy like you with a pistol?” the robber said. He laughed. “I doubt you could hit a bull in the ass with a bass fiddle.”

      Falcon fired three quick shots, taking the earlobes off all three men. The men yelled out in pain, then slapped their hands to their mangled and bloody earlobes.

      “I could have done worse,” Falcon said. “But I wanted to keep you healthy enough to move those wagons out of the way.”

      “What makes you think we’re going to move those damn wagons for you?” one of the men asked.

      “Because if you don’t move those ‘damn’ wagons”—Falcon emphasized the word “damn” to throw it back in the would-be robber’s face—“I will use the next shot the to take the rest of your ear off,” Falcon said. “And if that doesn’t convince you, I will kill you.”

      Falcon cocked the pistol and pointed it at the spokesman’s chest. “And I really don’t want to do that, because then that would leave only two of you to do the work. Think about it. Wouldn’t it be easier for three of you to do it than it would be for two of you?”

      “No, no, we’ll move the wagons,” the leader of the outlaws said, realizing not only that Falcon meant business, but that he was the one under the gun. “Come on, men, let’s get the wagons out of there so these folks can pass.”

      As the three would-be robbers moved the wagons, the carriage driver spliced the cut line, then climbed back into the seat. Less than three minutes after they had been stopped, they were under way once more, en route to the office of the Secretary of War.

      Once they arrived, Lorena asked Falcon to wait for a moment in the anteroom while she went in to see the secretary. A moment later, Secretary Taft himself came to greet him.

      “Well, Mr. MacCallister, Lorena just told me what a hero you are.”

      “Nothing heroic about it, Mr. Secretary,” Falcon replied. “A pistol against knives is just common sense.”

      The secretary laughed out loud. “A pistol against knives is common sense,” he said. “Oh, my, that is a good one. Well, do come in, Mr. MacCallister. Or should I say Colonel MacCallister. I can guarantee you, your commission will be approved.”

      “Thank you,” Falcon said.

      When Falcon followed Secretary Taft into his office, he saw Lorena standing by the secretary’s desk, smiling at him.

      “Miss Wood, if you don’t mind, would you act as a witness while I administer the oath?” Taft asked.

      “I would be happy to,” Lorena replied.

      “If you would please, Mr. MacCallister, raise your right hand.”

      MacCallister responded as directed, then repeated the oath after the secretary.

      “I, Falcon MacCallister having been appointed a reserve officer in the Army of the United States, in the grade of lieutenant colonel, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

      “Congratulations, Colonel,” Secretary Taft said, extending his hand.

      “Thank you,” Falcon said.

      “May I offer my own congratulations?” Lorena asked, extending her hand as well.