Burnt Alive in Gumption Junction

Gumption Junction is a place where hope meets up with reality, confidence crosses paths with faith, and happiness turns into joy.If German Jack Fordern were known for any particular spiritual gift, twas not patience. Throughout nigh on 25 years of dealing with him, twas something Bessie would gently bring to Jack’s attention from time to time. She knew that Jack always meant to figure out how to do better with dealing with them that were less confident and competent than hisself in his areas of expertise. Till the end of the dadburn War of Northern Aggression in the spring of 1865, German Jack Fordern wore the Cinco Peso all his adult life. Joining up at barely 16 years of age, he was a Captain and company commander at 18. He was commander of all them Texas Rangers by the age of 20. By 1867, the dadburn policy of Reconstruction proclaimed by the government of these United States had been taken over by Radical Republicans. The conditions of allowing the states of the defeated Confederacy once again to participate in the bureaucracy of the new government of these United States following the dadburn War of Northern Aggression come with many disagreeable terms. Strict demands were placed on former Confederate states in order for them to regain U.S. statehood. For Texas, this meant that the honorable line of work twas the duty and way of life all them years for Cap’m German Jack Fordern, Lt. Sage Jackson, Gunny Crick Youngblood, Corporal Bear Boudreaux and the rest of their men was no longer possible for the former Ranger captain known variously throughout Texas as The Big German or El Diablo Rubio. According to the dadburn Military Reconstruction Act issued by the dadburn Radical Reconstruction government of them United States in March 1867, German Jack Fordern and them that rode with him were outlaws now.Now Jack and his most trusted men had to consider other possibilities as opportunities. Jack was first amongst his team to journey to Gumption JunctionNot long after, his trusted lieutenant Sage Jackson got there. The both of them was soon followed out to Gumption Junction by the likes of Lance Corporal Bear Boudreaux and Gunny Crick Youngblood. All of them shared bonds that no other men could understand. They all had personalities no others could tolerate neither. The Walker Colts had been presented to Jack by their innovator not too long after Jack joint the Texas Rangers on 2 January 1846. He had won the Bowie Knife in a shooting match with Sage on the last day of 1845. The experiences Jack accumulated during the period of time through the years 1845 and 1846 had done more to shape young Fordern than just any two other years could have ever made their mark on the life of any young man. Twas Fordern sure.Jack’s long blond hair covered the knot of his bandana and the collar of his shirt. Jack’s trousers and shirt had been the clothes his oldest brother Hank wore when he was massacred with the rest of Fannin’s surrendered and disarmed men at Goliad in 1836. Of course, Heather did not know the origin of Jack’s clothing. She may have found this to be a might too macabre-even for Cap’m Jack Fordern. Jack had Fordern sure learnt to keep a cool head in the midst of even the worst situation. When he seen smoke and fire amongst the brush arbor where his house ought to be, Jack spurred Raven towards his house as though he was again after Santa Anna hisself. Twas a singed and tattered remnant of Bessie’s clothing, bits of some smoldering flesh, and even a few handfuls of long dark Mexican hair. Jack did find evidence that Bessie had been with child. But there were Fordern sure no adult remains. To his traint eyes, Jack’s family was no more. The joy he was trying to rekindle with Bessie appeared to have been burnt alive in Gumption Junction.

Johnny Baker Jr. is a writer from the Oak Cliff section of Dallas, TX. He grew up spending all his free time on the family farm in Mineral Wells. While earning degrees in English and history from Dallas Baptist University, he has remained in touch with his family and their roots in the rural life of Texas history.