Christmas in Boomtown

The BOOMTOWN BUGLE

Editor: Uriah Z. Hackenbush

•   Attorney at Law.  Odd Jobs, 1 dollar.

Trouble rode into Boomtown yesterday when various nerdowells and rascals appeared, desperate to earn or steal some Christmas cash.   Colonel Mortimer had secreted several strong boxes around town and the boys went on the hunt for dollars...

In other news US Marshal Rooster Cockburn was in town but right at the offset Judge Parker mentioned it to all and sundry thus Fingering the Marshal.

Obituary

Pedro, rest in boot hill, sadly missed, hoosbond of Lola, lover of  Conchita. Legend.  Burial to be arranged after the Mexican Unionised gravedigger strike. 

Boomtown

Boot Hill.  Lola is in mourning.  "Eat iys my hosbond."  Conchita's role, as the "second woman" is not elaborated.   Poor Pedro was a formidable man!

Mainstreet. 

The Mexican quarter

The Masked Ranger and Tonto (bound for Hollywood) wait outside the town convenience for Kinski, a man who has post taco indigestion.

Every Saloon in town has a faro game.  The same faro game.  Win some money stranger?  Were all of the cards present in that deck? 

Out of the gate  the first innuendo as The Judge "Fingers the Marshal!"  Rooster stands on the balcony of Fat Sam's, lookin' up mainstreet.

And the game starts, with the boys on a mission.  Several different missions as it turns out.

The four gangs start inside the saloons or barbers.  Faro anyone?  No?

Jacapo on the boardwalk outside Fat Sam's demands Drink.  When No Nose makes for Sam's Bar, Jacapo pushes him off the boardwalk.  Notoriety point.  No Nose shputs "Dickapo."  Fair enough. 

No Nose buys Shelleen a few drinks  and finds out about his mission to escort a prisoner.

The Civilians move about.  Jacapo has another go at Swiss Mike's crew but gets beaten.  

The McGurk gang head for the Marshals office, and avoid Andrew Mercy Eldritch and his boys as the Elliot gang also shift about in that area.

Tonto gets into the WC.  The Ranger is getting desperate, but those tight pants are clearly to blame.

A deputy arrests Swiss on mainstreet.  Swiss draws but Deputy Arnott is quicker and shoots him in the hand.  Swiss is wanted in four states for selling poor quality backboards to old lady's.  The deputy beats him and hauls him to jail.

At the other side of town Jacapo is still acting up.  The Marshal warns him and then moves to intervene.  Jacapo gets on his horse to escape.

Dugal gets into Ma Bakers shop.  She ain't prejudiced against Mexicans, as long as he pays up. She sells him the information.

Swiss carted off to jail.

The cattle drive begins.

The stage almost runs down Jesus

And then the inevitable drink yer milk joke....

followed by 
Tumbleweed

The cattle drive through town

Jacapo escapes from the back window of the Church as the US Marshal blocks the door having hunted him down 

 A strongbox is loaded onto the stage

The McGurk gang subdue poor Kinski, and haul him of to jail.

The Cattle stampede down the street, catching Colonel Mortimer.

And the Mexicans finish the Colonel off.  Jacapo in action,

The Elliot gang hunt down Jesus, shoot him in the back hitting both his hands.  Jesus runs away but is gunned down,   

The Ranger and Tonto pose for a photo.  This pair did nothing all game, except to wander around pretending to be heroes,  

The Swiss gang still attempting to deliver that prisoner are sniped at all the way down main street.

The Marshal returns to main street,  Nobody wants to tangle with him.

Meanwhile Jacapo and Dugal have hired Alejandro for one dollar, used the hanging rope to lower the strongbox from the tower and begun his escape along the railway tracks.

The Elliot gang drag poor dead Jesus towards the bank, face down.  

The Posse has formed and begins to chase down Jacapo.

And Joe turns up with taco to dig up the other strongbox, buying off Lola to distract the posse,

Swiss takes his prisoner towards the railway station

And the McGurk gang get into the saloon where O`Finnigan and Indio are playing faro

And only one player wins at faro for the entire game.

But inevitably a gunfight breaks out.  Its the O'Finnigan's greatest moment as he shoots the guns out of their hands and then buys them a drink at the bar.  

The Elliot gang do some fast explaining to the Marshal, and hand over the body of poor Jesus.

The game ends as Joe and Taco dig up the other box. 

The Elliot gang recovered the reward money for Jesus.

The McGurk gang took the money for Kinski

After an unpromising start the Swiss gang delivered their prisoner (although Swiss himself languished in jail.)

Jacapo recovered the strongbox, evaded the Marshal, unionised the Mexicans and found love with Alejandro.  He was declared the winner.