Consuelo said to Anne, "My 18th birthday is in one week. I'd like to invite both of you to perform some shooting demonstrations before my birthday dinner. If you agree, you can ride back to New York with us tonight in the Pullman compartment."
Anne asked, "May I ask who you are?"
A handsome young man next to her immediately introduced them one by one.
"This is Miss Consuelo of the Vanderbilt Family, the railway magnate. This is Miss Kelly of the Astor Family, the New York real estate king. This is Miss Amanda, of a famous New York family. And this is Miss Chris, from the family of the Omaha corn King."
"Anne, you are very lucky to be able to participate in Miss Consuelo's 18th birthday celebration."
Anne was a proponent of women's rights, and she believed it was important for women to learn how to shoot firearms.
This was also one of her main purposes for coming out and performing.
Therefore, this performance at a gathering of New York's upper class was an excellent publicity opportunity.
Anne quietly discussed with her husband Frank for a few moments, then said, "Thank you for your invitation, Miss Consuelo. We are honored to be able to perform at your birthday banquet. However, tickets for our current show are sold out until tomorrow afternoon, and there are many women and children among our customers. So, could we take the train to New York tomorrow night instead?"
Although Consuelo was a little displeased, her birthday banquet was still a week away, and she also admired Anne and her husband's commitment to seeing things through, so she said, "Yes, Keane, you stay and handle this. Give Anne the deposit and the address of the banquet performance venue."
"Yes." Keane walked over to Frank and Anne.
Consuelo and her entourage returned to Chris's home in a grand procession.
—
Meanwhile, in a forest in Des Moines, Iowa, about 140 miles from Omaha.
Twenty-four bandits were grilling five mountain cottontail rabbits and two pronghorn antelopes.
These were all members of the notorious James Gang, formed by the brothers Jesse and Frank.
They were all former members of the Southern Army's jungle pioneer unit.
The James Gang's footprints spread across Iowa, Kentucky, and other places. They robbed banks, carriages, and trains, committing all sorts of evil deeds.
But even so, they were called 'chivalrous bandits' by many ordinary people.
Even Jesse and Frank didn't understand what was going on—they robbed banks and trains, which was indeed robbing the rich, but they didn't help the poor, and they killed countless people.
It can only be said that the people of America in this era were too simple-minded—anyone who dared to strike at the rich and big capital was called a chivalrous bandit.
"Jesse, is the intelligence you got this time accurate? Don't let there be any problems after the Younger Brothers arrive this afternoon. You know they have to travel for a day and a night to get here." Frank asked Jesse for confirmation again.
"No problem. The only granddaughter of the current railway magnate Vanderbilt, Consuelo, and Miss Cathy of the New York land king Astor Family are visiting Omaha. In addition, there are more than a dozen young masters and ladies from famous New York families. They will normally pass our ambush point around 5:30 AM tomorrow." Jesse confirmed again without hesitation.
"That's great. For the past two years, Pinkerton detectives have been chasing us like mad dogs, and they even blew off Mom's right hand, and Kuyt was killed. This time, we must get our revenge severely," Frank said fiercely.
"That's right. If we succeed this time, not to mention cash, the ransom for these people will be enough for us brothers to live comfortably for the rest of our lives. Then, we two will hide far away, even in Brazil or Argentina."
"Yes, the reward offered by the railway company is too high for us, so we have to hide for a few years. How much ransom do you estimate we can get this time?"
"Five hundred thousand us dollars, I guess. Consuelo and Cathy alone are worth more than 400,000 us dollars."
"That much?"
"It is said that the Vanderbilt Family's assets exceed 100 million us dollars, and Consuelo is deeply favored by the current head of the family. A ransom of 200,000 to 300,000 us dollars is definitely not a problem. Cathy will not be too far off."
"No wonder they have so many guards. These big capitalists don't know how much blood they've sucked from the people. It's just right to bleed them."
"Definitely. Although they have thirty to forty guards, our brothers are all good at fighting three against one. Plus the Younger Brothers' men, it's absolutely no problem to take them down with very little cost."
"Of course, we are the strongest!"
—
On the train, the other four compartments and the private compartment in Henry's Pullman car were all occupied by passengers.
The private compartment at the other end of the car was occupied by Mr. and Mrs. George, directors of the Second National Bank of Northfield—a middle-aged white couple in their 40s.
The compartment next to the private compartment was occupied by William, a big farmer from Iowa, and his fifteen-year-old daughter, Susan.
The next compartment was occupied by Carlson, a prominent lawyer from Chicago.
The following compartment was occupied by a young couple from Chicago, Henderson and Maria.
Finally, the compartment next to Mr. and Mrs. Pete was occupied by Conrad, the editor-in-chief of the New York Sun, and Tom, a reporter.
An important purpose for passengers traveling in a Pullman sleeping car was socializing, so everyone had some simple conversations when they first boarded the train.
The Pullman car had large transparent glass windows on both sides, offering passengers a wide view during the day, and Henry now felt the riding experience was good.
Outside, the mountains undulated, occasionally passing through valleys. The further east they went, the greener it became, and lush, beautiful canyon scenery appeared outside the window from time to time. The train basically ran parallel to the South Platte River.
Tom, the reporter from the New York Sun, and Pete were both lively and outgoing, and they were chatting enthusiastically.
"Pete, I've been collecting special events from the West recently, preparing to do a special report. Can you tell me if there's anything special about your town's police station?"
"There's too much to tell. The most special thing should be that our Sheriff Henry defeated 'Blue Death' Barrett in a duel a week ago and also killed 20 bandits."
"Also, even earlier, our Sheriff Henry single-handedly killed most of the 86 mounted bandits who attacked the town on the spot. Later... So, which one do you want to hear?"
Pete looked proud.
Tom and Editor-in-Chief Conrad exchanged glances, then looked at Henry, who was smiling and playing with Becky in his arms.
From every angle, Henry looked like a young gentleman from high society, and the kind with a loving and good-tempered disposition.
Tom tentatively asked, "Is that 'Blue Death' Barrett, the Northern Army's sharpshooter? The legendary sharpshooter who won all of his more than 200 duels?"
"Of course, Barrett has gone to Heaven in a fair duel. Let me tell you..."
--------------------------
Hate waiting for new chapters? Same here 😅
Good news — you don't have to wait anymore!
All the next chapters are already on Patreon, so go binge them now~
👉 [patreon.com/TripleCrown07]