Terror at the Fair

Chapter Seven

The pageant continued, with scenes of the Pony Express and of Abraham Lincoln going off from Illinois to Washington as the Civil War loomed. Then, to the tune of “O Susanna,” a Wells-Fargo stagecoach drawn by four horses careened across the stage as the narrator stressed the importance of this form of transportation on the western frontier before the arrival of the railroads.

We were told, however, of the danger that lurked because these coaches frequently carried shipments of gold as well as passengers. On cue, a gang on horseback attacked the stage, rifles blazing. Guards atop the stage stood and fired back and one of them suddenly clutched his stomach, then pitched forward and fell headfirst to the ground with a thud that could be heard between gunshots.

“I haven’t seen that happen before,” a shocked Metzger said as murmurs ran through the crowd.

“And for good reason, I think,” I told him as I watched the figure twitching on the concrete. “Unlike the youngster who collapsed next to the covered wagon, chances are this fellow will not be back for the five o’clock performance.”