Post 17 - Dead eye Sam

     Sam knew about that cabin, and she loved vacations there. She and Millie had spent a week there once. But she could not understand how Doodlebug and Darryl would be able to settle their differences with that man down there, regarding such a serious matter, so simply, until the man walked out of his house, and Doodlebug took him out with the big gun.

     Sam burst into tears. She was totally distraught. “You didn’t even try to talk to him, to reason with him. He was not going to hurt us, he was just going out to feed his horses!” Sam wailed uncontrollably.

     Well, as it turned out, there was no chance for Doodlebug and Darryl to sew up the loose ends, because just at that moment, four men rode into the clearing below, neighbors who were planning to help the farmer raise a barn that day. The four men quickly saw the situation, and opened fire.

     If there was one thing Dudley’s were really good at, it’s getting away from trouble, and this was no exception. They executed the getaway plan almost to perfection. The one little problem was, Sam’s long red hair, now so well known in Taladega County, was very obvious, waving in the wind as they outran the pursuit. Once the getaway was complete, Doodlebug did his best to console Sam. But there was no settling Sam down that day.

     Doodlebug carefully explained that they must stay away from the Clan for four days, so that Slim would never know what they did. If he ever found out, he would kill them all. They all agreed to that, because they all liked living. But Sam stated she was going to camp by herself. She wanted no vacation with a murderer.

     Sam camped out in the woods all day and all night, crying most of the time. Finally, she decided. Tomorrow she would ride into town, find some of her friends, and ask them to help her get away from the Dudley’s, once and for all. That decision, considering Sam was recognized at the site of the killing, proved to not be a well-thought-out strategy, and it landed her right in the middle of Marshal LaFayette Gillum’s jail.

     The trial was not as quick as Millie’s, thanks to her friends. Many people testified that Sam was not like the other Dudley’s. She was friendly and personable. And they were convinced she could never have done this. They were all up in the air about it.

     On the other hand, four eye witnesses testified that Sam was right there, at the scene of the crime. Others were convinced that she was just another Dudley redhead, following in the footsteps of Millie, who everybody knew by now killed men just for fun. Everybody except Sam. Nobody ever told Sam about Millie’s really bad habits, and her unfortunate ending.

     The jury just could not decide. They debated for four days.