Ms. Winona sat at the hospital bedside of the stranger, now awake, and grateful to be alive.

 

“I work for our community newspaper, the Daily Iowegian,” Ms. Winona said. “Do you remember what happened to you?”

 

“I wish I could forget it, ma’am,” the stranger said. 

 

“Can you tell me about it?”

 

“I’m a farmhand for Widow Molly. I get there every day before sunup to start my chores. That’s when I heard the terrible scream. I ran to the house as fast I could, and when I opened the door, that’s when I saw him.”

 

“Saw who,” Ms. Winona asked.

 

“The Blue Demon. We’d heard about him, but never really believed it. But he was standing right there, eyes staring right through me, holding a big knife and poor Ms. Molly was in her night clothes and tied to a chair. He’d torn a cloth and tied it inside her mouth to the back of her head.”

 

“What did you do?”

 

“I ain’t no fighter, but I ain’t no coward neither. I ran to help Ms. Molly and I scuffled with that feller and the lights go out in my head. Next thing I know I’m waking up on the floor.”

 

“Is that when you rode here?”

 

“I untied Ms. Molly first. Took all I had to get her untied and to her bed. She was limp and I’s afraid she was dead. But I heard her whimper. I knew I had to get help. I was plum dizzy but I made it to my horse.”

 

“How did you get the injury to your head?” Ms. Winona asked.

 

“I reckon he knocked me on the head with the butt of that big knife.”

 

“Then you rode here?”

 

“Well ma’am, my horse brought me here. I don’t remember most of the ride. I was going in and out.”

 

 * * * * *

 

Sheriff Cowan had D. Burns send a telegraph to the Monroe County Sheriff that they’d formed a posse and would trying to head off the Blue Demon from the south. He also asked if the sheriff could meet him in Moravia, that he’d break away from the posse to learn more about the happenings in their county.

 

Baron Anderson and Tycoon Harrington rode  with Sheriff Cowan until they broke away at Rathbun. 

 

“It’s at least another hour and a half to Moravia,” the sheriff said. “Ride at a lope and keep your eyes peeled. It will be dark soon. But we can’t let the Blue Demon get through us.”

 

The Tycoon agreed. “The Baron and I will fan out on each side of the new railroad berm and we should run into Strickling up the way. I’ve heard the new rails have reached Darby.”

 

The rest of the posse split up and combed the farms of Douglas and Taylor townships, talking to any farmer they met and alerted them to the dangers and the simple instructions of “arming yourselves and women and children inside with doors barred.”

 

 * * * * *

 

Tycoon Harrington was correct in his analysis, and found Tycoon Strickling on site of the railroad construction north of Darby. He carried the original telegraph with him to share with Strickling and reveal the seriousness of the situation.

 

“It’s time to set our business differences aside and do what we can to help the people of our communities,” Harrington said.

 

Strickling read the telegraph, then handed it back to Harrington. “I couldn’t agree more. In fact, I have two men here that are armed for my protection. I would say they are quite bored at the moment, and would appreciate the opportunity to get into some action. They will be at your command.”

 

“That is very generous and kind,” Harrington said.

 

“After you capture this desperado, I would like to invite you back to sit with me. I have a business proposal. But that can wait until you finish the task at hand.”

 

The two men shook hands. “Until that day, Mr. Strickling,” Harrington said.

 

“Please, my friends and business associates call me ‘Big Al.”

 

“All right,” Harrington said. “I haven’t been called this since my school days in Numa, but you can call me ‘Big Red.”

 

“Very fitting,” Strickling said. “I shall pray that Big Red delivers a pounding to the Blue Demon, and justice is served.”

 

 * * * * *

 

It was near dusk when Sheriff Cowan met the Monroe County Sheriff at the Town Marshal’s office in Moravia. On the ride into town Sheriff Cowan had stopped at several farms and no one had seen anything in the likes of the Blue Demon. The sheriff was afraid that the villain had gotten around them.

 

“Any more sightings,” Sheriff Cowan asked.

 

“Just the one I wrote you about. He’s likely in your county now.”

 

“We had a stranger ride in town this morning,” Sheriff Cowan said, “and he looked like he had a scuffle. Had a knot on the head. He’s being tended to in the hospital but was out cold and not talking.”

 

“There was a widow south of here, Widow Molly, who we believe was his latest victim. Her neighbor paid a morning visit and found her crying in her bed, still in her night clothes. They ran for help and the town doctor is down there now tending to her. It’s your county so I imagine there’s a telegraph about it waiting for you.”

 

“Probably so,” Sheriff Cowan said. “I’ll need directions to her place. But before I go, who in God’s name is this Blue Demon?”

 

“He’s the son of a Civil War widow, whose pa died in the war when he was a toddler. Guess he grew up having a hard time making friends, but he did well in school and went to college in Chicago. Became a lawyer. But when his ma passed away something snapped inside his brain. He got into his pa’s old trunk, put on his army clothes, took his ma’s buggy horse and set out on some sort of a journey led by the devil. When the townsfolk saw him riding with that big knife and bull quirt, blue jacket and red collar, the name Blue Demon sort of stuck.”

 

“I see,” Sheriff Cowan said. “Well, if me or my boys catch him, the devil is going to pay his dues.”

 

 * * * * *

 

In the next episode of CENTERVILLE 1884: the stranger who rode into town makes headlines. The story of Widow Molly grabs the hearts of the people of Appanoose County. The posse continues to comb the countryside eager to capture the Blue Demon and bring him to justice.