Ole Devil at San Jacinto (Old Devil Hardin Western Book 4) Page 19

  Perhaps it is only fitting, considering the part Ole Devil Hardin had already played in bringing about el Presidente’s downfall, that the following occurred.

  While leading a patrol which was helping to round up the scattered Mexican soldiers on the day after the battle, the young Texian came upon a forlorn and ignoble figure hiding among a clump of bushes. Although he was clad in the cheap and tattered garments of an Activos’ enlisted man, having discarded his fine raiment before fleeing on seeing that the tide of battle was going against him, Ole Devil recognized the self-styled ‘Napoleon of the West’. If further proof had been needed, it was supplied by the Mexican prisoners’ shouts of ‘El Presidente! El Presidente!’ as the captive was being escorted through their ranks on the way to General Houston’s headquarters.

  With the Battle of San Jacinto fought and won, the way was open for Texas to become a part of the United States. It did not come in a short while, nor easily, but—as he had done all through the struggle to win independence—Jackson Baines Hardin continued to play his part in the developments and to uphold his reputation as being a ‘li’l ole devil for a fight’.

  Appendix One

  Although Jackson Baines ‘Ole Devil’ Hardin had been proven innocent of the murder which had caused him to flee from Louisiana, the reasons outlined in OLE DEVIL AND THE CAPLOCKS prevented him from returning. So, having accepted Texas as his permanent home, he had thrown himself whole-heartedly into the struggle for independence. Given the rank of captain and placed in command of Company CC, Texas Light Cavalry—a regiment raised and equipped by the Hardin, Fog and Blaze clan—he had shown himself to be a very capable fighting officer. Not only had he an inborn flair for leadership, he was capable of enforcing his wishes by physical means when necessary. He was helped in this by having a thorough knowledge of savate, French foot and fist boxing, augmented with several ju-jitsu and karate tricks learned from Tommy Okasi, lix q.v. In addition, he was superbly armed and expert in the use of weapons.

  Made by the Arkansas master blacksmith and cutler, James Black, who produced the original for James Bowie, lx Ole Devil’s knife was a copy of that famous weapon. Sixteen inches in overall length, weighing forty-three ounces, it had a lugged brass hilt, a concave ivory handle and a scalloped brass butt cap. Its eleven inches long blade was two and a quarter inches wide and three-eighths of an inch thick at the stock. Only the last five and a quarter inches of the back of the blade was sharpened. This made a concave arc to join the main cutting surface and form a ‘clip’ point. lxi

  Although the knife, Ole Devil’s matched brace of percussion-fired, British-made Manton .54 caliber single shot pistols and Haiman Bros saber were conventional arms, the same could not be said of his rifle. It was, in fact, a successful attempt by the Mormon gunsmith, Jonathan Browning, lxii to produce a weapon capable of firing several shots in succession without the need to reload in the usual manner after each one.

  Fifty-eight and seven-eighths inches in length, the octagonal barrel accounting for forty and five sixteenths of an inch of this, the Browning Slide Repeating rifle weighed nine pounds fourteen ounces. The ‘Slide’, a rectangular iron bar with holes to accommodate the powder, shot and percussion caps—generally five in number, as this was the size which could be carried most conveniently, but longer slides could be had as a special order—was placed through an aperture in the rifle’s breech. A thumb-operated lever on the right side of the frame caused the slide to advance until each chamber moved into line with the barrel’s bore, then cammed it forward to obtain a gas tight seal. The hammer was underneath the frame, in front of the trigger-guard, within easy reach of the forefinger, so the piece could be cocked without removing it from1 the shoulder.

  In spite of the difficulty in transporting the rifle with the slide in position, it was simple in design and operation, as well as being capable of continuous fire far in excess of any contemporary weapon. However, during the period when he was manufacturing it, between 1834 and ’42, he lacked the facilities to go into large scale production. He would have been able to do so in later years, but the development of self-contained metallic cartridges and more compact, if less simple, repeating arms made it obsolete. lxiii

  Appendix Two

  The Author regrets that he is unable to say why Tommy Okasi, a trained Samurai, lxiv should have been compelled to leave Japan with no possibility of ever returning. lxv Even his true name cannot be divulged. The one he used was an Americanized corruption of that which he had given when taken, as the sole survivor, from a derelict vessel in the China Sea by a ship under the command of Ole Devil Hardin’s father. His only possessions were a daisho of matched swords lxvi—comprising of a tachi with a thirty inches long blade and a wakizashi about half of the former’s length—made of an exceptionally high quality steel, lxvii a six foot long bow of a style peculiar to his nation lxviii and a selection of different kinds of arrows. lxix

  In addition to being an expert with the weapons and a reasonable shot with a pistol or rifle, the latter skill having been acquired after his arrival in the United States lxx he was also a master of ju-jitsu and karate. As these forms of unarmed combat were practically unheard of in the Western Hemisphere at that time, lxxi they were useful in helping to offset any disadvantages in height and weight when he found himself in conflict with larger or heavier men.

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  i New readers can find a detailed account of why the Anglo-U.S.-born colonists, who called themselves ‘Texians’—the ‘i’ would be dropped from usage after annexation by the United States of America and the subsequent Mexican War of 1846-48—and many of the Mexican-born ‘Chicano’ citizens of Texas decided to break away from Mexico’s domination given in the author’s YOUNG OLE DEVIL.

  ii One of the major contributory factors was the Mexican authorities continued refusal to make Texas a separate State with full representation in the Government. To the Texians this was similar to the ‘no taxation without representation’ issue which had caused the break with Great Britain in 1776 and the foundation of the United States of America.

  iii One of the Texians' casualties was Colonel Benjamin Milam, killed by a sniper during the street and house-to-house fighting.

  iv How the consignment was delivered and transported is told in OLE DEVIL AND THE CAPLOCKS and OLE DEVIL AND THE MULE TRAIN.

  v ‘Gone to Texas’: at odds with the law in the United States. Many wanted men entered Texas during the colonization period and would continue to do so until annexation on February 16, 1846. Until the latter became a fact, they had known there was little danger of being arrested by the local authorities and extradited.

  vi What happened to James Bowie’s knife after his death during the final onslaught upon the Alamo Mission is told in THE QUEST FOR BOWIE’S BLADE. New readers can find information about the ‘bowie’ type of knife in APPENDIX ONE.

  vii Recent research suggests that one male defender, a Chicano, José Maria ‘Brigido’ Guerrero, survived the massacre at the Alamo Mission by persuading his captors that he was a loyal Mexican who had been taken prisoner and held against his will by the garrison all through the siege.

  viii Told in GET URREA.

  ix Although insignia was not really necessary in such a small regiment, the type of bandana worn indicated rank in the Texas Light Cavalry. Enlisted men’s were black, non-commissioned officers’ green. Officers selected their own colors.

  x Another reason was his reputation of being a ‘li’l ole devil for a fight.’ Details of Ole Devil Hardin’s background and weapons are given in APPENDIX ONE.

  xi When the Hardin, Fog and Blaze clan reformed the Texas Light Cavalry to fight in the War of Secession (1861-65) they adopted
a uniform which conformed with the Manual of Dress Regulations issued by the Confederate States’ Army.

  xii Hessian boots; footwear originally designed for use by light cavalry such as Hussars, having low heels, legs which extend to just below the knee and a V’ shaped notch at the front.

  notch at the front. J. T.E.

  xiii Wellington boots: in this context, not the modern, waterproof variety. Instead they are the style, with high legs covering the leg as far as the knee in front and cut away behind, made popular during the Napoleonic Wars by the Duke of Wellington.

  xiv Details of Tommy Okasi’s background and weapons are given in APPENDIX ONE.

  xv Mason-Dixon line: sometimes erroneously called the ‘Mason-Dixie’ line. The boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania, as surveyed in 1763-67 by the Englishmen Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, which had already come to be regarded as the line dividing Southern ‘Slave’ and Northern ‘Free’ States. J. T.E.

  xvi Clonmel Code: twenty-six ‘Commandments’ laying down the rules and procedures to be followed when fighting a duel, primarily with pistols, adopted by the Summer Assizes at Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland, in 1777.

  xvii In a format duel, if a participant moved the pistol into alignment before the word ‘feu’, or fired after the word ‘trois’, and, in either case, killed his man, he could be tried for murder should his adversary’s seconds lodge a complaint over the infringement.

  xviii Clonmel Code, Commandment XII. No dumb firing, or firing in the air, is admissable in any case. The challenger ought not to have challenged without receiving offence, and the challenged, if he gave offence, ought to have made an apology before he came to the ground; therefore, children’s play must be dishonorable on one side or the other and is accordingly prohibited.

  xix The author realizes that the procedure for a duel with pistols in this chapter differs from that described in the ‘The Futility Of War’ episode of THE FASTEST GUN IN TEXAS. However, he wishes to point out that duelists in the United States of America occasionally adopted methods which did not conform to the European conventions.

  xx New readers can find further details about Tommy Okasi’s daisho, matched pair of swords in APPENDIX TWO.

  xxi Information about the methods of the Old West’s gunfighters is given in the author’s FLOATING OUTFIT, WACO, CALAMITY JANE, BRADY ANCHOR AND JEFFERSON TRADE, JOHN SLAUGHTER and WAXAHACHIE SMITH series.

  xxiiDetails of various combat shooting techniques and equipment can be found in the author’s ROCKABYE COUNTY ‘Modern Western Law Enforcement’ series.

  xxiii Ole Devil Hardin had addressed Mangrove Hallistead as ‘captain’ to make it acceptable for the entertainer to act as one of his seconds.

  xxiv How Alphonse Jules Dumoulin repaid the debt to Ole Devil Hardin is told in DOC LEROY, M.D.

  xxv Described in: OLE DEVIL AND THE MULE TRAIN.

  xxvi Mangrove Hallistead’s summation proved correct. Telling Lieutenants Jaloux and Pierre-Quint that he knew of their intentions, Colonel Dumoulin gave them the choice of being sent back to Louisiana in disgrace, or accompanying Maitre D’Armes de Lepage there on a ‘recruiting campaign’. Having grown disenchanted with Texas and deciding it offered no profit for him, the fencing master accepted the assignment when it was presented to him. So did the other four who had been involved in the incident and they also took their departure. Alphonse Dumoulin was dispatched, in a different party, ostensibly to purchase and arrange the delivery of medical supplies.

  xxvii Told in YOUNG OLE DEVIL.

  xxviii One person who had cause to be grateful for the success of Corrinne Hallistead’s scheme was Maitre D’Armes de Lepage. When he was informed of Ole Devil Hardin’s warning, he had known he was expected to ignore it. However, realizing that he would not have any of the advantages an adherence to the ‘code duello’ might otherwise have offered, he used the threat of a Mexican attack as an excuse to avoid visiting the Texian and issuing a challenge.

  xxix At the commencement of the War of Secession,1861-65,Tommy Okasi gave the formula for the concoction to the Confederate States’ Secret Service. Belle Boyd, the Rebel Spy—some details of whom’s career are recorded in various of the author’s ‘Civil War’ and ‘Floating Outfit’ series—found it to be of the greatest assistance during her assignment which is told in THE BLOODY BORDER.

  xxx New readers can find a detailed description of the Browning Slide Repeating rifle in APPENDIX ONE.

  xxxi Creole; in this connotation, a Mexican of pure Spanish blood.

  xxxii Spear point: one where the double edges of the blade come together in symmetrical convex arcs.

  xxxiii For a detailed description of how the ‘high cavalry twist’ draw was performed, read SLIP GUN.

  xxxiv See APPENDIX TWO.

  xxxv Reverse-Wharncliffe point: where the cutting edge joins the back of the blade in an upwards convex arc. The normal ‘Wharncliffe’ also called a ‘beak’ point—said to have been developed by the Earl of Wharncliffe during the Sixteenth Century, although variations of it have been produced since at least Ancient Roman times — is now mainly used on pocketknives and has the generally unsharpened back of the blade making a convex arc to the cutting edge.

  xxxvi Messrs Rubio & Errazu, moneylenders, supplied four hundred thousand dollars at an interest rate equivalent to forty-eight percent per annum. They also obtained as security the entire proceeds of a forced loan on four Mexican Departments, plus all duties from various customs houses and the right to import certain military supplies duty free. With their connivance, General Manuel Fernandez Castrillón secretly ‘donated’ a large portion of his personal fortune at the more ‘generous* four percent interest a month.

  xxxvii For example, General Antonio Gaona cornered the market on various essential supplies along the line of march and sold them at a one hundred per cent profit. Colonel Ricardo Dromundo, one of Presidente Santa Anna’s brothers-in-law and appointed master purveyor for the column, never even offered to account for the large sums of missing money with which he had been entrusted to purchase provisions.

  xxxviii The Arizona Hopi Activos Regiment which appeared in the early books of the ‘Ole Devil Hardin’ series were, in fact, a privately recruited volunteer cavalry unit and not ‘reservists’ in the accepted sense.

  xxxix Jerky: beef, or various other kinds of meat, cured by stripping the animal’s hams in a manner that left a thin membrane covering each approximately one inch thick segment. The portions were dipped for a moment in a strong boiling brine solution, then smoked briefly before the curing process was completed by exposure to the sun. The result, if done correctly, was a nourishing, palatable, long lasting, easily transportable food and very sustaining against fatigue.

  xlKyudoka: a practitioner of kyudo, archery in the Japanese fashion.

  xli The technique employed by Tommy Okasi is described in YOUNG OLE DEVIL and a comparison with two Occidental methods can be made by reading BUNDUKI.

  xlii Some of the archery competitions at Kyoto’s Sanju-San-Gen Do temple took place in special covered galleries one hundred and thirty-two yards in length and only twenty-two feet high. The idea was to discharge as many arrows as possible and have them reach the other end without hitting the cross beams. It is recorded that in 1696, during a session lasting for twenty-four hours, a Samurai called Wasa Daichera shot eight thousand, one hundred and thirty-three arrows—at a rate of five to seven a minute—of which three thousand, two hundred and thirteen flew the full length.

  xliii Santa Anna did all his own staff work and had a penchant for issuing extremely meticulous orders. As an example, when producing the plan of campaign for the final assault on the Alamo Mission, he had gone into such details as instructing the infantry regiments involved not only to have their bayonets fixed, but also that the straps of their headgear must be ‘under the chin’.

  xliv There was nothing out of the ordinary in a full colonel having command of a mere thirty men. While it is an exaggeration to say t
hat in the Mexican Army of the period there was an officer and a sergeant to every two men, a disproportionate number of senior ranks were available. Particularly in Santa Anna’s main invasion force, a lack of commands commensurate with their rank had generals leading single battalions and colonels having to be content with the charge of even smaller units.

  xlv Another type of kyudoka arrowhead, but which Tommy Okasi was not carrying, is described in APPENDIX TWO.

  xlvi The explanation is given in OLE DEVIL AND THE MULE TRAIN.