Weird Western Tales #51 "Hanging for a Scalphunter"

 Weird Western Tales #51 Jan 1979 

"Hanging for a Scalphunter"

Gerry Conway, story - Dick Ayers & Luis Dominguez, art - Luis Dominguez, cover

Atlanta, Georgia. Early May, 1862

Scalphunter is bound and sitting in a jail cell. Confederate guards insult and taunt him. It is just before dawn and three guards are escorting him to the gallows. As they walk through the prison they pass the cell of Samantha Savage, Scalphunter's long lost sister. She reaches out to him, touching him on the arm and expresses a connection that she has felt since they met two days ago (He has not revealed his true identity to her). A guard smacks her arm with a rifle barrel and Scalphunter whirls and snarls at the guard, who tells Scalphunter to PLEASE try something.

The guards lead Scalphunter to the main room of the jail which resembles an administration room. Once in the room, Scalphunter lunges towards a guard with his shoulder, knocking the man down and the kerosene lantern he is holding shatters, setting a desk on fire. He then head butts another guard through a door and while a third guard manages to get a shot off, Scalphunter flips backwards to avoid being hit. 

Just then Colonel Tremayne and more guards come into the room and the Colonel shouts that Scalphunter will surely hang. The guards rush him and Scalphunter backpedals away, slamming into a large mirror on the wall and then falls unconscious. The guards load him up into a wagon and head towards the gallows erected in the city square. A large crowd has gathered to see the Indian hang. 

It takes six guards to get Scalphunter out of the wagon and up the steps to the noose. Scalphunter snarls at those gathered and we have a 1+ page flashback of the previous five issues including the never before seen trial of Scalphunter and Samantha where they were found guilty of being spies. After sentencing, Scalphunter tears apart the rope holding him grabs Dasher and hurls him out the fifth floor window to his death.

Drake, wearing handcuffs, charges Scalphunter and manages to get him into a bear hug, crushing his ribs. Scalphunter manages to get his hands around Drake's neck and both men crash to the floor, unconscious.

As the guards approach, they learn that Drake is dead and Scalphunter jumps up and grabs another guard and starts strangling him. Colonel Tremayne intervenes by pistol whipping Scalphunter unconscious.

Back at the present and at the gallows, the noose is placed around Scalphunter's neck, the hangman advances to the lever and shoves the lever downward. The door opens and Scalphunter falls but he suddenly takes a piece of broken mirror, cuts his bonds, grabs the rope and slices the noose before it goes taut, he then drops to the ground, alive and then rushes and grabs a horse hitched to a buggy, he slices  the harness and escapes.

The Senator declares that any man that possesses such horsemanship cannot be a spy. He demands that Colonel Tremayne bring Samantha Savage to the plantation that evening or there will be the Devil to pay.

Later in a hotel Mademoiselle Magarit is mulling over that her spy has allowed her two best men to be captured, has allowed Scalphunter and Samantha to be hung as spies and Scalphunter has escaped. Soon people will make the connection and realize that she was the one passing Rebel plans to the officials in Washington.... and just then the door to her room swings open and Scalphunter walks in. We then hear her scream.

That evening at Creighton House everyone is gathered, with the Senator demanding of Samantha that she reveal if she is a spy or not. She admits that she is not and the Senator demands to know is! Just then Scalphunter and Magarit enter, with Magarit stating that Samantha is innocent. She also explains her connection to Reginald Ashe and Samantha was unknowingly carrying instructions to the real spy here in Atlanta. As she is about to reveal the spy's identity, she is fatally shot. Colonel Tremayne steps from behind a curtain, places the smoking pistol to his temple and kills himself.

The next morning, Scalphunter is readying his horse when Samantha approaches him. She said she never did learn why he came here and who is his. Scalphunter looks into her eyes, thinks for a quick moment and then mounts up stating...

Statistics for this issue

Men Killed by Scalphunter - two

Running Total - 97

Compared to Jonah Hex - 13th appearance and Scalphunter has 97 vs Jonah's 65

Scalps Taken - 0

Running Total - 14

Injuries - Knocked out twice and almost hung

Timeline - One day and the next morning.

This was a very very nice conclusion to the Samantha Savage quest as well as the Mademoiselle Magrit intrigue. I did enjoy the flashback plus the extra part covering the sentencing, this allowed the story to start right into the action. Conway was always adept at this typo of story structure.  The escape by Scalphunter was somewhat ruined by the cover reveal, but we always knew that covers couldn't be trusted, right???

Next Issue: Scalphunter goes to Washington DC via the Swamp, Faces Monumental problems, Bat Lash and a plot to kill Lincoln!! How much more can they cram into one issue?!?!?!

Weird Western Tales #50 "Spies"

 Weird Western Tales #50 Dec 1978 

"Spies"

Gerry Conway, story - Dick Ayers & Luis Dominguez, art - Ross Andru and Al Milgrom

Early May, 1862. Atlanta, Georgia.

Scalphunter is riding a black stallion down the streets of Atlanta. He is recognized by Mademoiselle Margarit and she starts asking two of her compatriots if they properly handled Wakwame? They tell her that she should consider that matter closed. 

Scalphunter is heading to the home of Mrs. Maxwell, a home that carries some notoriety. As Scalphunter dismounts, two men sneak up behind him and one (Drake) slips a rope around his neck, the other pulls a rapier from a modified cane. As Drake loops the rope around Scalphunter and pulls him into an alley the other man moves in to attack. Scalphunter flips Drake forward over himself and smashes Drake's head into the wall. He then punches the other man in the face and leaves them both unconscious in the dark alleyway. 

Scalphunter approaches the door and a neighbor interrupts him, saying that the Maxwell woman and her harlots are in jail. Scalphunter asks if all the women are in jail, shows her a locket with his sister's photo and asks if it includes her as well. The woman says that looks like the girl Senator Creighton took in. She wasn't like the other floozies. She gives him directions to Creighton's place and he rides off to find his sister.

Some time later Scalphunter arrives at the massive Creighton House. The Confederate flag flys tall in th eyard and Rebel soldiers surround the area. One stops Scalphunter and tells him to turn around or be shot. Scalphunter, not one to be ordered around, tenses to take the soldier out when an officer, Colonel Tremayne, orders that Scalphunter be allowed to pass. The soldier observes that Scalphunter is white and Tremayne notes that he is dressed as a Kiowa, many are the stories of white children raised by the Kiowa. Tremayne invites Scalphunter into the house and offers a hot bath a fine meal.

When they enter the house they meet a wheelchair bound Senator, his son and slowly descending the staircase, Miss Savage, Scalphunter's lost sister. She asks his name and he replies that he is Ke-Woh-No-Tey. She grasps his arm and states she feels as if they have met and Scalphunter does not see the hate in the eyes of the Senator's son.

Shortly afterward, once Scalphunter has had a bath and is wearing a suit, the four of them sit down to a meal, waited upon by the son. The Senator apologizes for the meager fare but the war has caused all sorts of shortages. The son interjects that they are also prisoners in the house. Tremayne, wiping his mouth, states that is a requirement due to the fact that someone in the house is a Yankee spy. It could be anyone, Miss Savage; Josiah, the butler; Prissy, the maid; Senator Creighton; Randolph Creighton, his son; or even Scalphunter himself.

Miss Savage protests because Ke-Woh-No-tay just arrived but Tremayne says his whereabouts yesterday were unknown. If he is innocent, where did he come from and where is he going? No matter what, Tremayne will get his answers or nobody leaves alive!

Back in Atlanta, the two thugs are speaking with Mademoiselle Margarit in house that formerly belonged to Mrs. Maxwell. She is complaining that Maxwell forgot to bribe the officials and got shut down, destroying the conduit for the spy information conduit. But now Tremayne has learned of the spy activity, her informant is trapped in the Creighton House and soon they will all be discovered. On top of that, those two thugs can't kill an unarmed Indian. 

The other man says there is nothing to worry about because the Indian is trapped in the house as well. She pulls a pistol on him and tells him to go up to the house tonight, contact the informer, get the information and kill the Indian.

That night, Samantha Savage, is walking in the garden in the moonlight and Scalphunter is on an upper balcony, silently watching her. He hears glass break in the house and he quietly retreats into the house. He voices downstairs and looking over the stair rail, he sees the two men from earlier. They are talking to an unseen man in another room and as the two men start to approach the stairs, Scalphunter launches himself over the rail to attack. 

He slams into Drake, clawing at his eyes. The other man draws his sword and tries to skewer Scalphunter, but Slaphunter manages to tackle both men at once, sending all three slamming their heads into a wall, knocking the two out.

Samantha walks in and sees the damage. Scalphunter explains about the spy and that he is in another room. Scalphunter tells her to stay where she is but she demands to follow him. Scalphunter turns and is knocked out from behind by a shadowy figure with a fireplace poker.

When he wakes up he is on the floor, hands bound behind his back. Tremayne holds a rope that binds the two thugs, demanding who is the traitor they were trying to meet. They cite Samantha Savage is the spy and the Indian is in cahoots with her. Tremayne agrees that they are both spies and tomorrow they will hang.

Statistics for this issue

Men Killed by Scalphunter - Zero

Running Total - 95

Compared to Jonah Hex - 12th appearance and Scalphunter has 95 vs Jonah's 56

Scalps Taken - 0

Running Total - 14

Injuries - Knocked out

Timeline - One day. 

This was a really enjoyable issue with even more intrigue being piled on. We have spies, a whodunit, a found sister, double crosses and Scalphunter in a suit. Will Scalphunter get his revenge on Mademoiselle Margarit, will he be able to reveal his true name to his sister, can he survive the next day? Sadly, no backup story of Cinnamon.

Next Issue: It's a necktie party and probably the wildest one since Cat Ballou!