Neebee's Timeline For

JESS HARPER

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE VERY UNIQUE AND EXTRAORDINARY JESS HARPER

INTRODUCTION:

I read somewhere once that if you want to be a good person, that you should do this as an outline for yourself. It would help to pick out someone from the past that was found to be honorable, someone that you admired and could identify with and learn about them and what made them grow into being a good person. Then you should pick out someone in your own day and age, and do the same. Now then, finally you should pick out a character from a story (book/TV/movie) and also do the same. You now have three good examples to use as a trail of sorts, for yourself, and you have your own unique attributes as your tools.

As to my way of thinking this has now given you a past foundation that stands the test of time. A way for new growth as to someone in progress. And, lastly an imaginary person that you have as a spiritual sounding board, because they arent real in the physical sense, they are in your heart and mind. Now if you put that all together and pray to the good Lord as your corner stone and build on all this, with your tools, then you are on mighty solid ground.

OBVIOUSLY I have long ago chosen ROBERT FULLER'S JESS HARPER as well as his COOPER SMITH as examples to learn from. That is what has led me to do: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE VERY UNIQUE AND EXTRAORDINARY JESS HARPER.

The emotional qualities of his Jess Harper made me want to see and understand how his past fit together, as it was the reason he was on the drift in the first place, and led him to this point in time, in Laramie.

So many adventures Jess found him self in, as to his future days now at the Sherman Ranch, were because of things that had happened in the past, and were still able to connect to his life through a variety of ways (through the people he knew). For the most part, once these were set right, cleared up, or exposed, he was free to be in control of the connections or links to the past, and the connections had no power over his life, except for his good and what he chose to keep on. These things eventually worked out for his good and the good of others, because of how he handled them.

I wanted to see what he was going through at different points in time, as it all shaped the man he was becoming and now is, as we know him on the Sherman Ranch. I found this very interesting and even more so as the stories were pretty much able to fall into a believable order as to years and possible age. As there were so many authors, there may be a slight overlapping, but in general, the fit is amazing.

I mostly only listed 6-month breaking points along the way, as it was just to pick spots in time to give the general idea. I did not make it too complicated or rigid as to the specific month or age, as the year was more important, but some detail here was still needed. (Also remember, in a season of episodes, these guys can travel in two to three months, what would NORMALLY take maybe six, if not, how would they fit all these wonderful adventures into ONE season! So please remember this, as we get to the future times of Jess and Slim and their four-season show of Jess new home at the Sherman Ranch.)

I have listed ONLY the EPS that were needed for solving the mystery of Jess' past in regards to who he met and the wheres and whens. So there will be many that arent listed, as they are more about his future days at Sherman Ranch.

Sure hope it will be a fun adventure for you that love RF's Jess Harper and his unique ways, ways that lead up to and continued on ... at the Sherman Ranch, near Laramie. Robert Fuller is a great pleasure to watch as his uniquely superb acting skills are unequaled, and the life and emotions he puts into his characters, specifically JESS Harper here, do every story, by every author, justice and honor.

Here are my few last thoughts in the poem below, for you to contemplate, as you prepare to partake of this journey down JESS HARPERS memory lane, with THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE VERY UNIQUE AND EXTRAORDINARY JESS HARPER, to see how these puzzle pieces connect. A carefully laid trail of Laramie clues revealing JESS HARPERS LIFE, from a young boys start as he journeyed through manhood to and his eventual home AT THE SLIM SHERMAN RANCH.

I was always intrigued with what I call the "golden thread" that runs through Jess' tale in Laramie...

We first see its presence flow, as Jess Harper stops for a drink on Slim Sherman's ranch, Jess was a trespassing you see...

Little did Jess know, that soon he'd belong in this place...

And Slim would soon be smiling, when he saw his face...

It flows through the first episode...

As we learn of places that Jess had previously rode...

It takes us on each passing day, month and year...

As his life at Sherman ranch, starts to grow AND unfold here...

This shining gold thread, spun, wrapped and entangled through many years of Jess' travels, shows things that we have never seen...

But now as we follow it and trace it back, there is so very many choice things to glean...

How he came from the Texas Panhandle, and left because of great woe...

How he met up with troubles, not ALL of his OWN making, and how he walked as the hero, for many he came to know...

And though this show was written by so many different people, you can still see this golden thread...

It draws all these EPS into place, as Jess speaks and leaves us clues to all the places, that to this point, the golden thread has led...

To see it all fall into place, and the creative fun it brings...

We must take hold and with care, gently pull, on this special string...

As it runs through the joints of these here puzzle piece-ses...

So that then, we may lay them down in order, with Jess' age and years in time, as best we can complete-ses...

And as we do so, why lo and behold...

Jess Harper and his unique life story is a told...

Well now, why should we know, and why should we care...

In our modern world of survival and world troubles out there...

Well those of us that see and know...

We will tell and show...

When someone has the skill to do with a character, what Robert Fuller did for Jess...

It is never wasted work, to present a full pictured example of a caring human being, here, his work is Jess, trying to do his best...

As in the long run of life, you learn in many ways, how to hold your head up high and respect your fellow man...

With a strong and honorable heart, and then to give and help the best you can...

After seeing all that our cowboy Jess has gone through, since his first hurt and loss, in his life...

And how he has kept true to himself, and continues on honorably through the fight...

We can enjoy this as AN INSPIRATION and know...

That as others held the pen that wrote out Jess' life, working it all for good in the end, with that golden thread a flow...

That somewhere in our own story, that we travel through...

Well, just maybe SOMEONE, up above, is a doing that for you...

So here we go now, hope you have fun with this chart today

And all that I have gleaned together and set on display

Best wishes, from an inspired heart, from Neebeeshaabookway

AGE FIGURED FROM EPS

USED

R.F.s July 29 BIRTH DATE FOR JESS HARPER

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE VERY UNIQUE AND EXTRAORDINARY JESS HARPER

YES I USED SOME

SOME PERSONAL THOUGHTS

TO THE SOLVING, AS IT WAS DEEMED NECESSARY FOR THIS LIFE STORY PUZZLE

REMEMBER

THE CITY LARAMIE ITSELF WAS NOT

BASED CORRECTLY

IN REGARDS TO HISTORY

IN THE YEAR:

(end)=

end of July as a birthday marker*

JESS MOST LIKELY AGE

*broken down into Jan and Julys mostly for space marking every six month or so*

A FAIRLY BELIEVABLE CHAIN OF EVENTS CONNECTED BY

A HIDDEN GOLD THREAD

USING LARAMIE PUZZLE PIECES

THAT BELONG TO

JESS HARPER

(Slim EPS could cause this not to work.)

THIS IS MORE TO

MY PERSONAL THOUGHT,

AS TO SOME MYSTERY SOLVING

BUT

STAYING TRUE TO FORM

CHARACTERS CLUES

*used war events as to Laramie facts, so may not fit history*

EPISODES TO HELP

& SOME TRUE BITS OF HISTORY THAT ACTUALLY DO HELP

*Civil war bits may have to be considered STORYBOOK LARAMIE *

APRIL 1855

late 15

then three months later, near end of July hes 16

Jess family fire, caused by the Banister raiders.

Possibly April, as may be not good to go raiding, stealing cattle etc. during hot dry summers.

Jess said to the Marshal in the cave,

that he was 15 years old when this fire happened.

(In this setting it would be three months before his 16th. birthday.)

Water for animals etc. is scarce for the long haul with stolen animalsor for the get-aways etc. as Texas is big and dry and so is going into New Mexico or even elsewhere.

His family were sharecroppers and knew what the hard and simple life was.

He did love his home and family,

or he would not have wanted retribution so badly through the years, shown in

MEN OF DEFIANCE.

BUT,

it could have still been a hard life,

and not much of the family

hed have hoped for

though, as,

if all you ever see of your

Pa is when hes done working

and has no family time

as his life is near owned by the boss.

or maybe

as it came to a halt in a violent way

it was just too short, sadly but true

as Jess said

he never had much of a family,

as in

DUEL AT ALTA MESA

Jess family fire, caused by the Banister raiders

was possibly

March/April,

I will use NEAR end of April as it fits well, later.

MEN OF DEFIANCE

Jess said he was 15, when he was speaking in the cave, as to seeing his family home burn down.

DUEL AT ALTA MESA

THE HUMBLE HARPER

HOME

WHERE

JESS HARPERS FAMILY

lived

in the Panhandle

WE WOULD HAVE TO SAY

STORY BOOK LARAMIE.

(We already know that we are not true to our history, as to the Laramie of Slim and Jess.) (And, here now, as well, we are not true to our Texas Panhandle history either.) (We will also soon discover that we cant be true to our civil war history, most probably, as well.)

AS THE PANHANDLE WAS NOT ABLE TO BE SETTLED UNTIL AFTER

THE CIVIL WAR

BECAUSE OF THE INDIANS THAT LIVED THERE.

It was ready to start up with settlers after the

CIVIL WAR AND PALO DURO

(1865 and 1874)

in 1876.

(And 1876 is about the time that we see the finish of Laramie EPS!)

TO STAY AS CLOSE TO HISTORY

WITH SOME KIND OF A BASIS THOUGH,

We would have to say that the landowners that the Harper

Family worked for would have had to start this place

at the earliest,

ABOUT 5 YEARS BEFORE

THE FIRE

FROM BANISTERS RAID

(Panhandle was formed by the Compromise of 1850)

AND THAT WOULD BE 5 YEARS

AFTER TEXAS

WAS

ANNEXED

(1845).

WE WOULD NOW THEN

USE THE PANHANDLE

AS IF IT

WAS

THE DEVELOPED STAGES IT REACHED

BY ABOUT

1866/67.

Then the landowner that the Harpers worked for

would be one of the first settlers

and possibly easy prey for raiders.

AND

Jess could now have been from

POSSIBLY AROUND

AMARILLO

as it was only a stopping off place, in its first days.

JESS

never gave a known area.

As the

Panhandle would have been in the process of being settled, so he would refer to it as he always did when he was growing up.

And the landowners would have been out of reach of any town that would be anywhere near its infancy anyway.

JULY 1855

(end)

Possibly NEAR to his BIRTHDAY in JULY, give or take a month or two, as a kid bent on retribution-justice,

Jess

HAS NOW BEEN ABLE TO LEAVE.

He would have left Francie with others

BY NOW.

There were a lot of us Harpers then sounded like an unworthy lot, possibly far off no-good kin, somewhere else in the PANHANDLE,

not living on sharecropper land OR willing to work with the family ties.

All gone now,

HE SAYS LATER,

at a point in

FUGITIVE ROAD.

Jess needed to find a gun, horse, odd jobs, as after a raiding fire, no horses, or anything left and no help from any no-good kin.

AS TO GUNS

He may have hunted with a family rifle for food

but for the most part

must have done field work with his folks

and siblings.

As any kid in a field worker home would do.

There would be no time or money for gunplay, so he would now be on his own quest as to this new project.

(I have never seen all the Laramies so I dont know if they said more on the other Harper from the fire)

THIS IS SPECULATION ON MY PART ABOUT THE OTHER HARPER MENTIONED:

As to the other HARPER saved from the fire I assume it would have been an older brother, following in the footsteps of there was lots of us Harpers in those days, and Francie was the only worth anything. Thus he saved himself out of the fire, and realized Jess was out, along with Francie.

Quite possibly Jess helped her, as we know Jess, but couldnt go back in, as the house was already gone. And is quite possible that the other two kids were a bit younger and in another room with parents, as it would have been a small house.

So, quite possibly, not being able to face it all the other HARPER would take off.

If he HAD felt close to Jess, or his family, he would have teamed up with Jess, most likely. But Jess has always made it clear he was on his own in his quest.

IMPORTANT

to note, that Jess wanted to feel close to family, and CHERISHED that Slim was like a BROTHER TO HIM.

YOU MUST ASK YOURSELF WHY. Could be because of something that happened with the other HARPER saved from the fire.

FUGITIVE ROAD.

Jess said Francie

was 16

when he last saw her, and Jess had now turned 16, as well, so there are close enough in age for him to feel like she is his kid sister, as said in this EP.

(Later in SHADOW FROM THE PAST she says he is her kid brother.)

It can be seen how Jess feels about family, with Ma in STAR TRAIL and with his relationship in all the episodes with those at Sherman Ranch,

and the way he responds to Morts wisdom, friendship and authority.

STILL

JULY 1855

(end)

JAN 1856

JULY 1856

(end)

Jan 1857

JAN 1858

mid 16

mid 17-18

mid 18

BEGINNING HIS DRIFT STARTING

THROUGH THE PANHANDLE

MOST likely knew John Mac McLane

and also even Vern Cowen then too, as Mac knew Vern as well, from early

PANHANDLE days.

Jess knew Mac very well, and Jess didnt get back to his home area except once, mentioned after the war.

Jess asks Mac about the panhandle in Texas,

in DARK VERDICT.

Jess and Mac could have even worked together. He may have followed on a bit with Jess, work wise, or even practiced shooting together, as they knew each other well.

Roaming and on the hunt, and drifting to find Banister and needing money.

gallivanting all over creation, as Francie later said, in SHADOW OF THE PAST.

Using any free time for learning his gun, shooting into dirt banks etc., as he would be poor from earning odds and ends.

(Until he had money to buy more cartridges etc., said in Slims days. And EVEN in Slims days, said he still loads his own, in

NO SECOND CHANCE.)

As Jess started out on his own now, along with trying to survive he also finds many opportunities for trouble OBVIOUSLY, especially with his big mouth (as Jess call it) and hip-gun (not many men carried them that way).

May have moved through TEXAS,

as Banister likely did, and Jess trying to followcould have had the troubles here with the lynch mob in Laredo,

as in CACTUS LADY.

Jess was young and naïve enough to fall for Troys lies, lies that he tried to warn Slim about.

Would not have been the Merkle rescued-hanging, as IF Jess was really hung here in Laredo, he sure would have been MORE explicit about it than just saying he felt the rope around his neck.

(As the example in DUEL AT PARKINSON with the noose around his neck, and how he behaved about feeling it there is a difference in feeling it and HAVING TO BE CUT DOWN AFTER YOU WERE HUNG WITH IT AND LEFT FOR DEAD)

(A lynch MOB wouldnt have stood by and let a drifter like Merkle cut him down.)(Plus this would not have happened this way, or MOST everyone in Laredo would have known who it was that cut Jess down, and most probably would have strung them both up.)

Also wanted posters from Soho Texas show, he would have known Harv and Mel Doleman.

As in BROKEN HONOR,

as Mort said,

These were Jess troubles from when he was a young kid.

Also, may have known Darby, here, as it took Jess a bit to remember him in

THE BETRAYERS

so it must have been a long time.

BUT NO ONE

forgets Jess,

as we know, because he is not the type to be forgotten.

Darby reminded Jess that it had been

AMARILLO AND WACO,

that he had seen him.

Finally he told Jess of the wild time they were

having and

making a lot of commotion, etc.

Enough commotion it must have been, as that when it was mentioned,

JESS DID REMEMBER DARBY!

(minus the beard Jess said)

(18 AND 19 YEAR OLDS CAN GROW BEARDS AS WELL)

SPECIAL NOTE:

But if you dont like the fit here, you could still say Darby and Jess met up in Texas, when Jess was moving through searching for Merkle for two years, near 1867-68. It doesnt appear that it would hurt any time frame, and Amarillo would still not exist.

(You could still think if there was a slip-up

and Abilene would work here too.)

OR JUST AS WELL YOU CAN STILL THINK OF

AMARILLO

STORYBOOK LARAMIES

AMARILLO

Where ever you choose to do the fit.

*cannot become a fast gun of his reputation and proven ability overnight, takes time, and situations *

*also learning a

variety of other skills*

*Most probably checked out most of Texas, as Banister most probably was on the move from one end to the other, at first. Eventually he would become to well known, and move to other territories, and finally to more out of the way places, such as New Mexico, and such type areas.

And this is some of the area Banister was passing through when Jess and the marshal were on his trail, in

Men of Defiance. (Banister had just escaped, it seems.) Now it seems, after so long since his first raids, Banister sure knew his way around and how to avoid getting caught.

AS TO THE WILD TIME THAT DARBY AND JESS HAD:

AMARILLO TEXAS

WAS NOT IN EXISTENCE,

AS A CITY OR ANY WHERE NEAR BEING ON UNTIL IT WAS A FIRST A MUDDY CONSTRUCTION CAMP, IN

1887

COULD IT BE THAT

in that EP

Amarillo was a supposed to be Abilene, Texas and maybe it just was filmed slip-up

Abilene did exist then, at least, at this time and in that EP at that time.

SEE THE RIGHT HAND HISTORY NOTE COLUMN.

BUT I AM NOT SAYING IT WAS

A SLIP-UP

AS:

AMARILLO

was a PANHANDLE town and maybe that is what they were going for in the story.

But then Jess and his old friends usually just use the term PANHANDLE for this specific area and Amarillo is smack dab in the middle of it.

REMEMBER ALSO,

THE PANHANDLE

IS JUST

NEWLY BEING SETTLED

(And wouldnt exist at all, as settled, except for our story book Laramie.)

AMARILLO,

WOULDNT EVEN BE AMARILLO RIGHT NOW!

DURING THE TIME

THAT LARAMIE EP

THE BETRAYERS

was supposed to happen.

BUT DO REMEMBER

Jess always seems to recognize everyone else from his past okay but they dont seem to go back this far,

except for the men

THAT HE DID KNOW WELL.

YOUNG MEN AT AGE 18-19 DO CHANGE SO MUCH INTO MEN,

THAT THEY ARE HARD TO RECOGNIZE YEARS LATER,

BECAUSE THEY HAVE MATURED SO MUCH.

So this is a fairly good time frame fit.

AMARILLO STILL WOULD BE A FAR FETCHER AS WE TRY TO STAY CLOSE TO OUR HISTORY WITH

STORY BOOK LARAMIE,

AS ARE:

1) LANDOWNERS AND SHARECROPPERS AND RANCHES ETC. THIS EARLY,

IN THE PANHANDLE

2)PALO DURO

3)FORT DEFIANCE

4)FORT LINCOLN

5)YUMA PRISON

6)LARAMIES LACK OF A RAILROAD

AND STILL RUNNING STAGE LINE

NO SECOND CHANCE

SHADOW OF THE PAST

DARK VERDICT

CACTUS LADY.

BROKEN HONOR,

THE BETRAYERS

HERE IS A LIST OF CITIES MENTIONED IN THIS

TIME FRAME,

AS TO HISTORY.

BUT:

remember, please, if

TRUE LARAMIE

has been changed to suit the show, as well as the

TRUE PANHANDLE, then these cities are actually free for our use.

HOWEVER THOUGH

I HAVE STILL

TRIED

AS WELL AS POSSIBLE TO KEEP THEM IN THEIR

NEAREST POSSIBLE CORRECTNESS.

LAREDO

(TEXAS WAS ANNEXED IN 1845, AND LAREDO WAS A CITY EVEN BEFORE THAT)

SOHO, TX.

(was shown on the wanted poster)

COULD JUST BE A LARAMIE

STORY BOOK TOWN?

WACO, WAS MENTIONED AS BEING

WAS INCORPORATED IN 1857

AND A TOWN IN 1859 THOUGH NOT A CITY

(AROUND 2,200 SOLDIERS FROM HERE EVEN FOUGHT IN THE CIVIL WAR)

AMARILLO TEXAS

WAS NOT IN EXISTENCE,

AS A CITY OR ANY WHERE NEAR BEING ONE UNTIL IT WAS A FIRST A MUDDY CONSTRUCTION CAMP, IN

1887

SO COULD JUST BE

STORY BOOK LARAMIE

WITH THEIR

OWN VERSION

AND THIS BEING THE CASE, WE WOULD JUST USE IT THIS WAY.

BUT IF WE CONSIDERED IT A SLIP-UP THEN MOST LIKELY

DARBY WOULD HAVE MEANT

ABILENE, TEXAS,

AS IT IS MUCH CLOSER TO WACO,

and would have done just right for the time frame of seeing Jess, as Darby mentioned both without much of a skip a beat.

IT

WAS FIRST SETTLED IN 1858

AND

LATER IN 1860 NAMED

ABILENE

JESS ALSO AGREED

WHEN ANDY ASKED IF HE HAD BEEN IN

DALLAS,

WHICH WAS A TOWN IN 1856,

THOUGH NOT A CITY, He still could have been to Dallas at this time, or at later times, or both.

APRIL

1858

JULY 1858

later 18

Getting older now,

more experienced, but still cockythough more sure of himself and his so-called skills. Trying to stand up in a mans world more, as in saloons etc.

BUT: as in

MEN IN SHADOWS

Dixie Howard shoots the gun out of his hand (choosing not to shoot Jess dead, with due call). This impresses Jess enough to that he wants to ride with him.

SO HE MUST STILL BE YOUNG ENOUGH

to decide there is

something to be gleaned by hanging around with this man for a bit.

As he told Slim that he rode with him, and he KNEW DIXIE ALMOST AS WELL as he knew Slim.

You know Jess will still not let go of Banister, as seen

in MEN OF DEFIANCE

so if he

wasnt ready in a shoot out

with Dixie Howard, well, he needs some more growing.

Jess maybe had no more leads on Banister at the moment, and the need to have some one to learn from, someone that he

now respected

AND WAS GRATEFUL TO

was tugging at him.

As to Jess being green, this is seen in

MEN OF DEFIANCE

MEN IN SHADOWS

Jess has never forgot about Banister, as you can see how strongly he felt about it in

MEN OF DEFIANCE

NOTE:

MEN OF DEFIANCE

The marshal with Jess is talking about when he arrested

BANISTER

(WHO IS NOW ON THE LOOSE AGAIN)

That was the reason why JESS NEVER

CAUGHT UP WITH HIM OR FOUND HIM IN THE PAST.

IT IS NOT

MENTIONED

if Jess just learned of this when he teamed up with the marshal for this chase.

AS JESS HAD JUST

PINNED THIS BADGE ON IN LARAMIE as a deputy to this marshal.

It is not

mentioned either if this was a recent arrest or an old one from awhile back.

Or if Jess learned of this earlier along his searching and drifting.

(Jess did try to stop his drift

in Colorado

to try at homesteading, and he also decided to stay at

Slims so he did not have any fresh leads at these times or maybe heard Banister was caught.)

JAN 1859

JAN 1860

JULY

1860

(end)

JAN 1861

*beg. civil war of it*

JULY 1861

(end)

JAN 1862

JULY 1862

(end)

*ongoing of the civil war*

SEP/OCT 1862

OCT/NV

1862

mid 19 -early20

mid 20

mid 21

mid 22

early 23

STILL riding with Dixie Howard,

as Jess said he road with him for a long time, and knew him near as well as he knew Slim. Moving around from town to town with Dixie Howard, Jess COULD have LEARNED

of ED CALDER at

any of these points in time. Later if and when Dixie decided to go farther south and still more east and stay with the gambling scenes Jess wouldnt care to follow on.

Jess would move on from Dixie Howard as 1861 rolled in, crossing into Texas again.

Maybe moving on anywhere through Texas, maybe a bit higher up, or lower, as the case may need to be, most likely, avoiding his bad name.

Moving off towards

New Mexico or Arizona, as news of Banister must surface sooner or later.

Moving off to Arizona, as mentioned in

THE DYNAMITERS,

He was in trouble

(wanted)

in Prescott, and was cleared of the charges. Some of the lawmen Jess was working with in

the future, would look back at these days

mentioned in

THE DYNAMITERS

remembering him and his troubles as to being in a gang, and werent too happy about it.

And neither was Jess.

DID NOT

specifically mention a wanted poster, but that

IS HOW

lawmen find out about these things.

NOW

he could also have moved

through Utah at this time.

NOTE

LATER, NOT NOW,

in STOLEN TRIBUTE

he had a friend killed in the Utah territory,

but

could still have been here now and learned

to know the land well.

and could have also traveled to

Nevada as in

QUEEN OF DIAMONDS

he says he was in Carson City.

More traveling

across country towards Colorado maybe feels the need for more serious work for the first time,

AS HE HAS SEEN A LOT IN HIS YOUNG DAYS.

Cattle and ranch work etc. have more money than whatever he was doing and trouble he was getting into

(Ex: Prescott, and drifting troubles).

We could use Jess knowing Dixie 10 years ago, as knowing him in as in general back track time, as Jess said he was a shirttail kid

19 could still do it.

You cant go back too far into his youth,

as he had to build up to the point he was at,

when he first met Dixie Howard.

Any of this travel, in these areas is possible, because of a Banister lead,

in MEN OF DEFIANCE

they met up with him in New Mexico.

There were only so many main roads and main towns where people passed through in those days, sooner or later you are bound to run into someone you know or are searching for, if you are one the move enough. Plus you are likely to avoid being found if you are on the move enough, as Banister was.

Jess with knew he himself needed to keep on the drift for his search and his own protection, as to enemies and his name on wanted posters.

NOTE AS TO THE DYNAMITERS

Jess was angry with the accusations of the marshals here in this future EP and

with an angry reply

said

I paid for what I done,

meaning he could have spent some jail time, waiting for a judge and was cleared of these charges then.

Or

MORE LIKELY

as he still has his gunslinger name to live down,

plus being wanted in Soho Texas,

he wouldnt have stuck around long enough to get caught

KNOWING

How hard it would be for a judgement in his favor,

and meant he paid for what he done in a

MUCH HEAVIER MANNER.

(As we know he has been in jail before so that wouldnt tick him off that bad.)

ANGRY AS HE WAS,

IT SEEMS MORE LIKE HE MEANT:

IVE PAID FOR HAVING A

BAD REPUTATION

AND

BEING TOO FAST WITH A GUN.

IVE CHANGED

MY LIFE AROUND AND

GOT SHUCK OF MY PAST

SO STOP ACCUSING ME AND LEAVE ME ALONE.

And as just one situation to live down before these guys wouldnt get Jess as riled

as to them

insinuating hes

STILL THE SAME

AND NOT TO BE TRUSTED

WITH RESPONSIBILITY.

NOTE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE

about clearing Jess name:

FROM

THE DYNAMITERS

(This EP doesnt happen here, its in the future.)

It is listed here to be the reference for Jess being in trouble with a gang in Prescott here during this time.

JESS QUESTIONS

THE MARSHAL, AS TO WHO WANTED JESS ON THIS JOB

WITH THE MARSHALS MEN. THEN JESS LEARNS

THAT IT WAS THE BANKER AND NOT

THE MARSHAL,

NOW:

Even though Jess has highly recommended the marshal, he questions the marshal as to how the marshal feels about his past. So we could rule this Marshal out,

later, as someone that could have helped Jess clear his past,

as if he was the one that helped Jess

pursue this,

then Jess wouldnt have had a doubt as to how he felt about him now.

Jess agrees when the marshal

ends on the note that Jess was cleared

And with was no damage done to

their friendship and they

were off to have a drink.

SO YES,

JESS WAS

CLEARED OF THE CHARGES.

Just didnt specifically say when.

We will see more as to clearing Jess past later.

GENERAL DELIVERY is where we hear mention of EdCalder

THE DYNAMITERS

STOLEN TRIBUTE

QUEEN OF DIAMONDS

CARSON CITY

(THIS AREA WAS SETTLED IN 1851)

IN 1861 CARSON CITY BECAME THE CAPITAL OF THE NEVADA TERRITORY.

PRESCOTT

Miners and settlers

came here a bit after 1860

and it was founded 1864.

(STOLEN TRIBUTE DOESNT FIT

THIS TIME FRAME YET)

Jan 1863

JUL/AUG

(end)1863

*ongoing of the civil war*

mid 23

NOW moving over toward Colorado, working along the way, staying off and on at a variety of places, most likely.

Until he arrived at this ranch HERE in FT. Collins area. The older man, Sam was known by Jess, and had a ranch near FT. Collins, and Jess knew the girl when she was just a little kid, ABOUT SIX YEARS AGO HE SAID, in

THE DARK TRAIL.

So he must have worked here a bit, and for the man to know him so well, again

THE DARK TRAIL.

But he didnt claim

this as his home, still had Banister to settle or still preferred the drift. Learned more about ranches and horses, as he would have been here longer than his past hand to mouth jobs.

He still has a serious past, with bad acquaintances, running from his bad name and gun slicks, etc.

COULD

HAVE LEFT BY END OF SEPT.

THIS COULD FIT

AS TO JESS

remembering

his last days there,

ENDING

END OF SEPT. 1863

NEARLY THE NEW YEAR

OF 1864,

and how he remembered the girl then, as

he is due to deliver the horses

NOW IN

THE DARK TRAIL

AT THIS FUTURE DATE

for the 4^th of July 1870

so it is maybe mid May/June 1^st.

IF YOU COUNT

IN BETWEEN THE YEARS

AND COUNT

FULL YEARS TIME

(Not as FROM year date TO year date.)

(EX: BETWEEN THE NEAR NEW YEAR 1864 AND 1870 IS MORE OR LESS NEAR ENOUGH TO 6 YEARS.)

THE DARK TRAIL

TAKES PLACE SOMETIME IN MAYBE MAY/JUNE 1870

(so horses will arrive for July 4^th)

FT. COLLINS IS MENTIONED AS A FORT IN 1863, and the ranch still could have been here even before, as the man would have had to started it some time ago to get it in working order by now.

The fort now being in a good location to receive horses, etc. and if I remember right, there were ranches mentioned as being here at this time.

END SEPT 1863

*early part of the civil war*

SEP/OCT 1863

early 24

Lots of men come and go on ranches, he could easily have heard rumors of the where abouts of another HARPER. That would be the one family member, left from the fire

(MEN OF DEFIANCE)

and decided to find him, and possible make peace

AS TO

the other brother feeling guilty, while he has a chance to find him now.

Jess would be heading out after the rumors and moving south to find him, most likely riding down into Texas.

Then, east, as he hears this brother enlisted to go fight in the war and joined up near the Texas border with volunteers and adventure seekers on the move there.

But unfortunately, not having any definite time,

as to the rumor of when

the brother enlisted.

Most likely traveled by riding horseback but could be stage, be as well.

MAKING PEACE WITH THE BROTHER,

THIS IS AS TO MY OWN PERSONAL THOUGHTS,

AND THE REASONS ARE STATED THROUGH OUT THESE COLUMNS

MOST OF THE LEFT HAND COLUMN

WOULD BE MY OWN THOUGHTS

AS TO, HOW.

MEN OF DEFIANCE

Many Texans did VOLUNTEER

as there wasnt much fighting done in Texas, if any. There was Texans fighting in

1863,

and possibly even before.

There was still stages operating.

Though very over-crowded at that time, with mail, and such because of the war.

STORYBOOK LARAMIE

could allow for local stage line for travel that could meet up with that, as it allowed for a stage line in LARAMIE

and no railroad.

The rail systems that were surveyed in Texas were stopped because of the civil war.

N0V/DEC 1863

mid 24

HE IS GETTING CLOSER TO HIS DESTINATION

Jess would still be heading out after the rumors,

and trying to find how and where the brother got in,

though long since gone off.

BUT

still deciding on getting into the fighting himself now

as to try to join near by where he may have heard of him last being seen.

And then finally having to just get in where ever he can and does, with a unit of men, once he got far enough east.

Maybe in

ARKANSAS,

as there was late regiments formed there,

AND SOME

were also formed in

ALABAMA.

HE COULD SURELY

HAVE FOUND OTHERS

IN THE SAME

AREA ON THE MOVE.

ESPECIALLY IF

HE WAS HEADING INTO

KNOWN SPOT

AS TO LOCATE TO

FOR ENLISTING OR VOLUNTEERING.

MOSTLY USED THIS AREA OF ENTRANCE

TO FIT INTO THE TIME FRAME,

AS TO THIS TIME PERIOD

OF THE WAR

(Soon to be 1864).

JESS DID

get into the confederate army it

AND

would most likely be as a

volunteer.

He would have years of highly skilled scouting ability to offer.

AND

FROM YEARS OF TRACKING AFTER

BANISTER LEADS

HE IS SURELY

CONFIDENT OF WHAT

HE HAS TO OFFER.

AND

HE IS A COUNTRY BOY,

AND KNOWS THE WAYS OF THE FIELDS.

LATER IN FUTURE LARAMIES JESS MENTIONS DISPATCH RIDING FOR THE ARMY

AS TO THE INDIAN TROUBLES THAT THE ARMY CONTINUALLY MADE FOR ITSELF

(WHICH JESS DID AFTER THE WAR, WHICH WOULD BE THE UNION ARMY.)

HE MOST LIKELY DID DISPATCH RIDING ALONG

WITH SCOUTING

FOR

HIS PATROL

IN THE CIVIL WAR

AND HE BECAME HIGHLY SKILLED AT IT.

INTERESTING NOTE:

I found an interesting note about

Confederate soldiers during the war

and only history buffs would know

if this is true for sure, but it was

said that confederate men were poor soldiers as they didnt like being told

what to do and when to do it.

They were brought up to

be independent thinkers

and would desert, if they thought

something was not to their best interest

as to their family at home.

BUT THEY WERE

THE BEST

FIGHTERS FOR A CAUSE

WHEN THEY BELIEVED IN

IT, AND NO ONE COULD

SURPASS THEM

IN COURAGE AND

TENACITY

IN THOSE RESPECTS.

(In a lot of ways that reminded me of the way Jess seemed to feel about the army, yet,

he did know when and how to respect his superiors

but he truly

never let it prevent him

from what he felt was his duty

to do in life for a cause he saw.)

(Which took a brave heart, as to the consequences he could face in army matters.)

(Surely this is why scouting and dispatching was much easier for his to swallow.)

WITH HIS INDEPENDENT

THINKING AND ALL,

later Jess would learn a lot from

Mort Corey

and seemed to take better to that

than the army, though it tried his patience at times.

STORY BOOK LARAMIE

DOES

HAVE ITS OWN HISTORIC

TIME FRAME

And

it is similar to

OUR

history as to events and orders,

but

apparently not in dates and years.

Meaning:

NOW

we may need to be allowed to have some ALLOWANCES ALSO

as to the civil war

and

Jess Harpers Life Story.

SO NOW THEN PLEASE REMEMBER,

THIS IS

OUR STORYBOOK LARAMIE,

AND JESS DID GET INTO THE WAR.

There must have been some way to get troops in

AND

VOLUNTEERS

into the war.

THERE WERE REGIMENTS FROM ALABAMA LATER IN 1864

and one possibly still left in 1865.

SO VOLUNTEERS DID GET IN SOMEWHERE.

GROUPS OF

TEXANS WERE SENT EARLIER AS WAS JUST MENTIONED.

THEY WERE WELL KNOWN FOR THEIR TENACITY

AND OTHER TEXANS WERE WELL KNOWN FOR THEIR CALVARY SKILLS

THERE WERE ALSO MANY POOR IN THESE UNITS, WITH LITTLE OR NO CLOTHES OR SHOES, AT TIMES.

AND

TOWARDS THE END OF THE WAR THIS WAS SO VERY TRUE FOR MANY CONFEDERATES

MID JAN 1864

FEB MR/AP 1864

MAY-NOV

1864

mid 24

later 24

Jess finds himself in the war now

with a unit/patrol of soldiers and possibly some men that were traveling this way with him, as well. They volunteer or signed up or had to do both and have now

dropped on in by whatever situation was there at hand that did it for them.

Then with no brother to be found in any of the hear say, as to units, and

with his conscience such as it is,

he stays to fight. But sooner or later, rumor will come around as they always do, so chances are he heard this brother was dead, from running into some one from the same area,

later on down the line

. As in, FUGITIVE ROAD

there ARE NO MORE HARPERS left,

no mention of one out there somewhere.

They march on down southward, possibly trying to avoid battle until they can reach their key destination as to where they are needed.

Moving also eastward if they learn of open areas they can get through, or fight through. Maybe heading towards the MOBILE ALABAMA AREA,

AS THERE IS SOME MAJOR FIGHTING IN THIS AREA

NEAR THE END OF THE WAR,

WHEN JESS UNIT IS LATER CAPTURED.

(OR THEY COULD HAVE FOUGHT IN ARKANSAS AS WELL, FIRST)

May have met up with the enemy with various fighting going on at these times.

MAYBE EVEN

Some was done also in

MISSISSIPPI

as they are moving south, or southeast.

If they were a small and newly formed unit maybe they were not able to carry out full attacks,

BUT THEY SURE

COULD TRY THEIR HAND AT BREAKING THROUGH AT KEY AREAS

to help other units.

MORE TO MY OWN PERSONAL THOUGHTS, BECAUSE OF WHAT IS SAID IN FUGITIVE ROAD

MOST OF THE LEFT HAND COLUMN

IN JESS CHAIN OF EVENTS IS OF MY OWN THOUGHTS,

USING CLUES AS TO TIME FRAME SETTINGS,

AND JESS LIFE PATTERN.

Jess very well could have run

into others looking to join up in the Texas area

near the upper eastern most part of the state.

THIS COULD BE WHERE HE RUNS OUT OF LEADS AS TO HIS BROTHER.

We will say most likely ,

Jess got into the Confederate Army along with other new comers as well. At the point that was their final destination,

FOR EX: ARKANSAS, TENNESSEE OR ALABAMA.

VARIOUS FIGHTING COULD MAYBE DONE ANYWHERE IN THESE AREAS

FUGITIVE ROAD

THERE WAS LOTS OF TEXANS FIGHTING IN CERTAIN KEY AREAS AT THIS TIME.

HIS BROTHER

COULD

HAVE GOTTEN IN AS A VOLUNTEER

TO EASE HIS BAD CONSCIENCE AS TO WHAT KIND OF A MAN HE WAS,

OR SEEKING ADVENTURE WITH FRIENDS,

AS HE DIDNT SOUND LIKE AN ARMY MAN AT ALL,

AND JESS SAID FRANCIE WAS THE ONLY ONE WORTH ANYTHING.

THERE WAS ALSO FIGHTING NEAR THE END OF THE WAR HERE ALSO

IN TENNESSEE ARKANSAS, MISSISSIPPI, AND ALABAMA,

WHICH WERE CLOSER TO WHERE JESS COULD HAVE GOTTEN IN.

REMEMBER THIS IS STORY BOOK LARAMIE

SO NOT KNOWING PERFECT HISTORY,

THIS

IS ONE OF THE POSSIBLE

NEAREST FITS FOR WAR LIFE FOR JESS

PERFECT DETAILS WERE

NEVER MENTIONED

AND WITH DUE

CAUSE

IT WAS A

VERY COMPLICATED HISTORY OF BATTLES AND TIME FRAMES

BEFORE WE

GO ON:

NOW HERE YOU MUST ASK YOURSELF:

Why would Jess, a man with his own cause, go join up in the war? = He wouldnt.

Why would Jess, who has roamed all over, as a drifter with no more roots as loyalties, join up in the war? = He wouldnt.

Why would Jess who would hear tell that there is a war going on, go down to join up or get into it in anyway? = He wouldnt

.UNLESS

THAT UNLESS WOULD HAVE TO BE MIGHTY IMPORTANT,

as in just maybe hearing,

that is where the

OTHER LOST HARPER is.

Jess has a mighty strong conscience, and if he now had a chance to find that

LOST HARPER,

he would risk it.

HE DID SAY HE WAS IN THE WAR, WITH HIS UNIT, AND NEVER INSINUATED HE WAS FORCED INTO IT

as some men were, from time to time.

MOST LIKELY

HE DROPPED IN HARPER STYLE. AND MOST LIKELY NEAR THE END OF IT, as this fits the time frame.

Jess mentioned how he felt about the war in AMONG THE MISSING.

It seems he was out of its reach for the

most part, though not intentional,

BUT BECAUSE

he had his own personal agenda.

YET, he did say he was in it,

THE REPLACEMENT

and was there at least

long enough to know his unit right well.

He also said he was in the army, when questioned by Capt. Sam Prado,

THE IRON CAPTAIN.

He didnt stay on into it, it turned out, as Jess replied to him

They stopped having a war.

So you can see Jess did his duty,

to the part that it did play in his life,

but he was not fond

of being in the army, or of war.

They stopped having a war,

So he didnt have to be there, was the insinuation, as we know Jess is not into killing FOR the sake of killing.

NOW HERE, THIS

YOU MUST ASK YOURSELF QUESTIONNAIRE:

is from my own personal thoughts, according to what I have seen so far, of JESS HARPER.

THIS IS WHY I USED THE WAR AREAS

THAT I USED

FOR HIM GETTING IN

TO THE WAR

AS THEY

WERE THE MOST

LIKELY

CHOICES LEFT AT THE TIME.

AMONG THE MISSING

THE REPLACEMENT

THE IRON CAPTAIN

DEC 1864

(beg.)

JAN

(end) 1865

mid 25

WE WILL SAY DEC,

for this time frames sake, Jess finds himself face to face with a field hospital.

Jess and his unit had been doing what ever it is that they have to do up to this part of the year, and have gone through what ever they had to FACE IN THE BATTLEGROUNDS

(Ex. can be seen in any confederate civil war history, still we are Storybook Laramie.)

hopefully his scouting out skills helped a bit. SOMEWHERE in here AS TO BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME ETC.

WE WILL SAY THIS

BECAUSE OF THE

RIMROCK

EPISODE.

He mentioned that he recognized the smell of the narcotics from a hospital when he was in the war.

In RIMROCK.

IF HE WAS INJURED ENOUGH

to be there, hed be there maybe a month, or we should allow for two.

As he would need to be able to get strong enough to march and fight, and there is needed time evolved for full healing, stopping infections, etc.

MOST PROBABLY FROM AN

AMBUSH

FROM THE UNION AMBUSHING THEM.

BUT COULD HAVE BEEN A CHARGE THEY HAD DECIDED TO LEAD.

THEY WERE A SMALL POOR GROUP, WHICH MANY CONFEDERATES WERE BY THIS TIME, IT WOULD MOST LIKELY BE AN AMBUSH, OR

AND UNEXPECTED CONFRONTATION

WHICH WAS MANY TIMES

KNOWN TO HAPPEN.

AS THEY WOULD BE IN NO SHAPE TO ATTACK FULL OUT.

They have been through one winter traveling and one spring and summer of fighting and now winter is pressing them again for the

SECOND TIME.

They could have been traveling or planning and scouting out the lay of the land, or where enemy units may have been reported near by. Maybe they were in enemy territory now. As they would be

POSSIBLY

moving towards

MOBILE ALABAMA HOT SPOT AREAS.

AND WERE MOST LIKELY COULD HAVE BEEN EASY PREY.

Then back to his unit, as he would have to be with them, to be captured as mentioned in

THE REPLACEMENT

MOST

OF THE LEFT HAND COLUMN

AS TO WHEN AND HOW LONG

IN JESS CHAIN OF EVENTS

IS OF MY OWN THOUGHTS,

USING CLUES AS TO TIME FRAME SETTINGS,

AND JESS LIFE PATTERN.

THIS IS MY

OWN PERSONAL THOUGHT,

BUT FOR

MATCHING THIS TIME FRAME AND THE

DEVASTATING WOUNDS

THAT SOLDIERS OFTEN DID RECEIVE:

I PUT JESS DOWN

TO LEARNING

THIS HARD LESSON,

IN THIS TIME PERIOD

.

MANY DID HAVE TO FACE LONG STAYS IN FIELD HOSPITALS, AND MANY DID NOT SURVIVE.

I HAD HIM

HERE TWO MONTHS,

AS HE DID COME TO KNOW THE SMELL OF THE NARCOTIC MEDICINE AND SURELY NEVER FORGOT IT.

AN INTERESTING NOTE:

JESS TAKES HIS WOUNDS

IN STRIDE, IN LARAMIE,

AS HE MAY HAVE LEARNED THE HARD

WAY TO FACE IT AND DEAL WITH IT SOMEWHERE.

(Being a success with his shooting and quick draw, dont think he had to face up to such injuriesas compared to as what the war would give him)

SO THIS SEEMED

LIKE THE MOST

LIKELY PLACE TO HAVE TO FACE

UP TO THIS KIND OF LEARNING.

But even so, the field hospital was never an issue of his past.

IN CALIBRE 45

(CALIBER 45)

Jess is offering sound advice judging motives as to running under fire and facing fears, to the new marshal.

Quite possible things he has learned and faced from war, or seen in the war.

(Very good stuff here.)

BUT NOW,

THE WAR PRISON CAMP WAS AN ISSUE FOR HIM,

AS JESS IS HURT MORE

BY INJUSTICES

THAN HIS PHYSICAL WOUNDS.

(see him speak of the war, in AMONG THE MISSING)

RIMROCK.

AMONG THE MISSING

CALIBER 45

FEB 1865

mid 25

TIME ALLOWED GETTING BACK

TO HIS UNIT IS HERE.

THEY WOULD BE JOINING THEM

WHEREVER

THEY HAVE MOVED ON TO. MAYBE WITH SOME

OF HIS OWN UNIT THAT WERE HIT IN THE AMBUSH,

AS SOME OTHERS MUST HAVE BEEN,

AND WERE IN THIS FIELD HOSPITAL AS WELL.

MAYBE WITH OTHERS NEEDING A UNIT. MAYBE WITH SOME NEEDED RE-ENFORCEMENTS GOING ALONG WITH THEM FROM OTHER PLACES.

OR MAYBE NOT.

MOST LIKELY HAD SOME OFFICERS SHOWING OR TAKING

THEM WHERE THEY NOW NEED TO GO. MOST LIKELY NOW, HEADING INTO SOME MAJOR FIGHTING,

AS JESS AND HIS UNIT COULD HAVE BEEN CAPTURED BECAUSE THEY WERE RUNNING INTO MORE HEAVILY OCCUPIED TERRITORY.

COULD BE NEAR THE MOBILE ALABAMA AREA

(OR SOMEWHERE NEAR ON THE WAY TO THOSE AREAS)

WE COULD

USE THIS FOR OUR

STORYBOOK LARAMIE AND ITS CIVIL WAR.

MOST OF THE LEFT HAND COLUMN

IN JESS CHAIN OF EVENTS

OF MY OWN THOUGHTS,

USING CLUES

AS TO TIME FRAME SETTINGS,

AND JESS LIFE PATTERN.

<<<

I LEFT IT IN ALL CAPITALS

TO KEEP IT SEPARATE,

JUST A BIT,

SO YOU ARE FREE TO ADD YOUR OWN THOUGHTS INSTEAD.

<<<

STORYBOOK LARAMIE

AND ITS CIVIL WAR.

THE REPLACEMENT

MID MAR 1865

THEY ARE STILL

POW

*war ends April 9, 1865

THEY ARE STILL

POW

MID APR

1865

THEY ARE STILL

POW

MAY

1865

THEY ARE STILL

POW

mid MAY

1865

THEY ARE STILL

POW

JUNE 1865

THEY ARE STILL

POW

later 25

Jess and his patrol have now been captured and are prisoners of war

Possibly

as this is such a hot spot and they are expecting more prisoners

they have someplace already waiting nearby, in this state, or bordering it.

As Jess did not have a famous name to tag on to it.

JESS SAID

IN THE REPLACEMENT THAT THEY WERE CAPTURED.

(By the 7^th Mich.)

(See note in history column.)

HE NEVER MENTIONED

A FIGHT OR BATTLE OR

ANYTHING HEAVY.

It could be

they were ambushed again.

It could be they had finished a battle and were on the move. It could be they ran smack into a mess.

MANY A TIME A SMALLER GROUP OF SOLDIERS

WERE SUDDENLY FACE TO FACE

WITH

VAST TROOPS

ON THE MOVE

AND WERE IMMEDIATELY

OVER POWERED AND CAPTURED.

IT WASNT MENTIONED

as being done with a bad battle and confrontation,

IT WAS MENTIONED

CAPTURED

AS IF CAPTURED WAS THE WORSE THAT WAS DONE THAT DAY.

LETS

say he was out on patrol with them at

least a week or two into

MARCH

Enough time to get down to the business

at hand and into the

KEY SPOT

they have been leading up to.

BACK INTO HIS UNIT

AND

THEY ARE CAPTURED.

As this now brings us close enough to the

end of the war for the

PRISON CAMP OF PAUL HALLECK

IN STORYBOOK LARAMIE.

Jess said it was at the end of the war.

Naturally at this time, they would not have KNOWN it WAS the end of the war, but Jess is speaking of this, as he talks of the past.

THERE WERE STILL

PRISONERS BEING TAKEN AND SENT UP NORTH THOUGH, EVEN IN APRIL, NEAR THE END OF THE WAR

The time spent in the Union Prisoner of War Camp, he has never talked about , until in

THE REPLACEMENT.

(Many civil war pows didnt talk of it as well.)

(Seems to be the one thing he never mentioned to Slim either, until one day the memories of it, that he thought he raked deep enough,

ARRIVED AT HIS OWN FRONT DOOR, BY STAGE.

(Good thing he was a bit busy at the time, or Slim would have found himself in the middle of a battleground of his own.).

This is in

THE REPLACEMENT

an excellent episode, and a serious time for Jess Harper, as he is tempted to kill a man, face to face, for revenge and not in a gun-draw.

Then he is faced as to what he chooses to do about these feelings and the next confrontation he is soon to have with this man.

NOTE:

Well, actually

Jess may not have jumped right in and told Slim that he was hung once in Texas either, but then it didnt cause such a violent outburst in Jess as the memories

of the war prison camp did.

Course, it did cause

Jess to set a prisoner free, and set himself up as to possibly becoming a town joke but Jess set off to

SET THINGS RIGHT.

Jess finally did

SET THINGS RIGHT

in THE REPLACEMENT

as well.

GOOD BOY JESS!

NEARING THE END OF POSSIBLY THE WORST POINT IN TIME OF JESS HARPERS LIFE.

AT LEAST FOR SOME SMALL AMOUNT

OF TIME,

for however long they were able,

Jess had a bond of companionship and friendship

with

Johnny Duncan and Newt

And others

THE REPLACEMENT

as they made there pack when neither of this group of men knew if they would live to see another day.

(The pack was not made after they got out, we know this because it can be seen by Johnny Duncans words.)

THIS IS SPECULATION ON MY PART AGAIN:

But after seeing how strongly Jess former companion felt as to his almost not getting involved

(Not you! any of the rest of them maybe, but not you!)

in their PROMISED PLEDGE

to kill Halleck,

Meaning Duncan knew Jess was the

MAIN MAN

GO FOR IT

well

THERE MUST HAVE BEEN

just cause

and/or

also some serious trouble that Jess got into or went through with Halleck.

FOR ONE,

Halleck remembered Jess

AND HIS NAME AND HIS FACE

really fast out of

how many hundreds of men

from all those years ago.

Given that

this was a smaller prison camp, made out of nearby old building or such.

As some were and not the huge notorious well-known ones.

BUT

JESS WAS NOT JUST A FACE IN THE CROWD THAT WAS

OVERLOOKED.

(Jess said, it was that kind

of prison camp)

(But then by this time all prison camps were hell)

And it was associated with the memory of the group of Jess companions, and the escape try.

KNOWING ALL THIS,

and Jess strong hate for the commander,

it is quite obvious that Jess

would not have lived through that prison camp if he was there for very much longer

than the

near to three months given here.

They were taken prisoner near the

end of the war Jess said. Their freedom would come one to two months later as was the usual custom in most cases, as to the vast number of prisoners.

But they still didnt know if they would be freed or shot or die of disease or wounds.

ANOTHER INTERESTING NOTE:

If Jess and this group were so close as to had this PLEDGE that they made while prisoners inside, they must have hung out together enough

AT LEAST

A FEW TIMES A ONCE POINT.

IT doesnt seem to likely that they would be escaping with out Jess.

Jess is usually the first to look for escape.

And Jess didnt know fully about NEWT,

UNTIL THESE YEARS LATER, BUT HALLECK SAID DUNCAN WAS SPREADING RUMORS AFTER THE ESCAPE ATTEMPT.

So

chances are Jess was already in trouble with Halleck and incapacitated, unable to escape.

Maybe he knew Jess was instigating too much trouble, as well we know Jess, BECAUSE

he sure wasnt with them that night.

Johnny Duncun sure knew Jess went through something.

So I would say he couldnt have been there much more than

EARLY MID OF MARCH,

AND INTO APRIL 9^TH,

WHEN THE WAR WAS OVER,

PLUS ABOUT TWO MONTHS

OR SO,

(As it usually took that long to get out, after the war.)

Making a total of about

3 months, nearly,

maybe a true to believe date of freedom, would be around

JUNE 15 th and they set them loose.

As we have more

TIME FRAME IN JESSS LIFE TO FIT.

And

He would have most definitely worn out his welcome with HALLECK,

so to speak if he was there much longer.

AS we know how Jess feels about unjustness situations

HE WAS

lucky he wasnt shot down as many prisoners had been.

AND AGAIN:

Halleck seemed to

REMEMBER this bunch of guys fairly well, after

ALL THIS TIME AND SO MANY PRISONERS.

He most likely had to separate them, another reason as to Jess not knowing what happened to Newt, after the Duncan escape attempt.

Yes, besides any local prison gossip Jess may have missed out on, Duncon would have spread even more gossip to the general public, after the war, as to what he said Halleck had done, and this could have been what Halleck meant as well.

RIMROCK

THE REPLACEMENT

MOST LIKELY IN ALABAMA,

POSSIBLY NEAR MOBILE AREA IF IT IS A HOT SPOT.

JESS PATROL WAS CAPTURED BY THE 7^TH MICHIGAN

FOR OUR STORYBOOK LARAMIE

WE WILL SAY

THAT THEY WERE IN ALABAMA IN APRIL 1865

(Although with our civil war history, this Mich. unit may not have been. I wasnt able to find enough exact info about them.)

(I also did not set up Jess war unit as to match the time and place wherever this Mich. Patrol was at, at this point in our civil war history.)

This makes me guilty of the

LARAMIE

STORYBOOK HISTORY

SYNDROME HERE ALSO.

BESIDES THE

WELL-KNOWN PRISON CAMPS THAT HAD THOUSANDS OF PRISONERS, THERE WERE OTHERS.

THEY WERE

NEARBY OLD BUILDINGS ETC. SOME WERE HUGE PENS, SOME WERE OLD WAREHOUSES, BARNS, ETC.

PRISON CONDITIONS WERE WORSE AFTER 1863

AND THERE WAS NO MORE PRISONER EXCHANGE.

NO MORE FOOD OR CLOTHES OR MEDICINE FOR BOTH SIDES FOR THE MOST PART.

PRISONERS THAT TRIED TO ESCAPE HAD THEIR OWN ADDITIONAL TROUBLE :

CLOTHES WERE TAKEN AWAY IN SOME CASES.

THEY HAD BALL AND CHAINS OR SHACKLES IF AVAILABLE

OR THEY HAD THE STOCKS, OR WERE STRUNG UP, OR RECEIVED LASHES, OR LASTLY THEY WERE SHOT.

FOR STEALING OR OTHER CRIMES THERE WAS BARREL SHIRTING DONE ALSO.

BUCKING AND GAGGING WAS ALSO DONE, WHICH WAS EVEN DONE TO SOLDIERS IN THEIR OWN UNITS THAT WERENT EVEN PRISONERS,

IF THEY DIDNT TOW THE MARK.

CONDITIONS WERE UNIMAGINABLY TERRIBLE FOR BOTH SIDES, AS ANYONE CAN READ ABOUT

SOME PRISONS WERE EVEN WORSE THAN ONE COULD LIVE THROUGH, AND MORE DIED IN THE WAR PRISONS, FROM LACK OF FOOD, AND CLEAN WATER, DISEASE, WOUNDS AND BEATINGS IN MANY CASES THAN ON THE SOME OF THE BATTLEFIELDS.

THERE WERE STILL PRISONERS BEING TAKEN AND EVEN SENT UP NORTH, STILL, IN APRIL, NEAR THE END OF THE WAR

IT WAS SOMETIME IN JULY, THAT THE LAST PRISONERS WERE SET FREE.

THIS IS A STORY ABOUT A CHARACTER JESS HARPER,

AND HOW HE MAY HAVE ENDURED THROUGH

THIS.

BUT REAL PEOPLE DIED BY THE THOUSANDS

IN THIS WAR,

AND WE MUST REMEMBER THAT

THIS HELPS TO UNDERSTAND HOW JUST ONE PERSON MAY HAVE FELT

AND

THERE ARE REAL STORIES TO BE TOLD AS WELL.

JUNE 15 1865

*started his five year drift he mentioned to Slim, more or less *

JULY 1865

(end)

later 25

Could have made it home by his birthday.

With the war over and

a very bad experience

in the pit of his stomach,

JESS IS SET FREE AFTER GIVING OATH THAT HE WILL BE LOYAL TO THE UNION.

HE NOW MUST FIND A WAY HOME,

as he has now chosen to do so,

IN FUGITIVE ROAD

instead of the drift.

After all he has gone through, you can sure understand why. It is some kind of an anchor for a lost drifter that has just come out of hell.

He heads back to see if there is anything left for him there,

or to even check on Francie,

Some odd jobs to get him a horse, or to get him there by some means?

Using this money to hop a stage,

if there was any still running,

at least maybe so in Texas?

Or maybe kindly offers of stage fare from a person with pity, as he would have looked worn out and sick and thin.

JESS SAID TO SLIM,

IN FUGITIVE ROAD

That just once after the war

He went back to the area of his home

In the Panhandle.

We can bet he checked on his sister Francie.

BUT

SHE WAS NOT TO BE FOUND.

BECAUSE

In FUGITIVE ROAD

JESS

SAID TO GIL THAT

SHE WAS 16

WHEN HE LAST SAW AND

ASKED ABOUT HER APPEARANCE.

THIS

WOULD BE WHEN HE FIRST LEFT HOME.

(This also explains the kid sis bit.)

She would be now be around Jess age

but just a few months older, but

she was all elbows and knees to him and seemed like just a kid in his memories.)

NOW

in FUGITIVE ROAD

Gil says

that he was 17 in 1864, and a drummer boy

in a battle. A battle that had history that let to hostility between Gil and his Sgt.

(We could say he was going on 18 easily)

(Or he didnt mean 17 in that particular battle, he meant when he joined up?)

JESS AND FRANCIE

BOTH MUST HAVE KNOWN

GIL SINCE THEIR CHILDHOOD.

AS:

Jess recognized Gil right off

at Slims, even though they were only

exchanging letters. There was no mention

that these Army officers had ever seen Jess

at the Fort where Gil was.

(He was there about 14 months he had said.)

JESS KNEW

ALL ABOUT

GIL AND HIS CIVIL WAR

ARMY LIFE, BY THE WAY GIL

TALKED AT SLIMS.

MOST PROBABLY

FROM THE LETTERS THAT GIL

HAD RECENTLY WRITTEN TO JESS.

Also seems Gil was setting up an old friend, Jess, to use him as he planned to desert.

The same way he set Francie up to use her.

He was just no good, as we saw.

AFTER NOT SEEING FRANCIE

He could have seen Mac and even run intoVern in these areas at this time, as being back in the

PANHANDLE.

Could have seen them at separate times, as Vern mentioned remembering Jess a few years back

(maybe about 5 years back)

in the PANHANDLE,

in THE DARK VERDICT,

Jess goes on the drift for five years,

MORE OR LESS

1865-1869,

if you count as according to the YEAR #

IN HIS MIND HE KNEW HE WAS PUSHING ON 5 YEARS, IN 1870 COMING UP,

IF YOU COUNT

FULL YEARS.

BUT, whichever way you count, HE WAS NOW STOPPED DRIFTING FOR GOOD AT SLIMS.

Jess says this to Slim

in FUGITIVE ROAD

Dont know if a month and a half is enough time for him to get back to Texas,

but Jess does have good luck at times, as to right time and right place, in the nick of time help, as we have seen also.

Adding other ways of whatever means he could come up with, he could have mixed horse, stage, or a ride from someone.

THIS IS STORYBOOK LARAMIE AND

Wouldnt it be nice to allow him to be home for his birthday with Francie,

WELL HE DOES GET BACK

in time for his birthday

but there is nothing for him.

AND

AS WE KNOW

JESS DIDNT SEE FRANCIE

IN FUGITIVE ROAD

Jess said when he got back home, he HAD HEARD

Gil and Francie got married,

he did not say he

SAW THEY GOT MARRIED,

as he would have said if he had seen this for himself, AND visited them. Why, then,

it may have even been a cause for him to stick around, as some day hed have family again.

(And Jess told Slim that he left Francie ONCE not TWICE,

meaning during the aftermath of the fire, he didnt see her again, as to leave her again.)

THIS IS

ABOUT HOW

IT WAS THE LAST TIME

WAS IN THE PANHANDLE

NEAR HIS BIRTHDAY

AS WELL

WHEN JESS TURNED 16,

THERE

WAS NOTHING FOR HIM

THE WAY OF A HOME.

This is just another

hard reminder.

INTERESTING NOTES:

Francie is older than Gil but she did marry him.

She did not hear from Jess, as to his

gallivanting around and he

acknowledges being caught at it in

SHADOW OF THE PAST

BUT

Francie must have kept in touch with this childhood friend.

MAYBE

he had a crush on her and as he grew up

he married her when he came back after the war.

(As Jess did refer to him as a kid that never grew up)

(And if he was meant to be 17 in the battle in 1864)

(This would also explain why Gil was so impressed as to say to Jess how Francie has really filled out and was quite a woman now)

IT IS A FACT

THAT GIL SOMEHOW

CAME INTO

CONTACT WITH HER AGAIN

AND

THIS WAS THE TIME.

As also mentioned

in FUGITVE ROAD

SHE LEFT AND MARRIED HIM.

HE COULD HAVE BEEN PROMISING HER OF A GOOD LIFE

AS HE TRANSFERRED INTO THE

UNION ARMY.

(Although he does speak of not much pay, and he does desert.)

SO AS JESS COME BACK HOME

THIS ONCE AFTER

THE WAR,

THIS IS WHAT HE HAD LEARNED SO AT LEAST HIS TRIP

HAD SOME GOOD NEWS

AS:

Years later Jess tells Gil

he was glad that he learned Gil had married her, and that she was going to be cared for.

FRANCIE COULD HAVE SEEN GIL

A FEW MONTHS

BEFORE JESS CAME HOME

FROM THE WAR.

HE MUST HAVE JUST MISSED HER

JESS WAS STILL A POW

AND GIL

WOULD BE A FREE MAN EARLIER IN 1865

THESE MEN

(MAC AND VERN)

DID NOT HAVE TO HAVE BEEN IN THE WAR AS WITH THE TYPE OF LIFE THEY LED, MOST LIKELY THEY WERE IN TROUBLE OR UP TO NO GOOD SOMEWHERE ELSE.

THE DARK VERDICT

FUGITIVE ROAD

NOTE:

Did see that a stage

could go from Missouri to California in 25 days.

STORYBOOK LARAMIE

TRAVEL NOTE:

You will see there is lots of

MIRACLE TRAVEL TIME

INVOLVED WITH JESS AND SLIM

all through the many episodes. They pack quite a lot into these

FEW YEARS AT THE

SHERMAN RANCH AND RELAY STATION!

BUT

THIS IS OUR

WONDERFUL

STORYBOOK AND WE

LOVE IT!

HISTORY NOTE:

AS GIL

WOULD BE JOINING UP AT SOME TIME IN THE FUTURE

TO GO TO THE UNION ARMY,

AS WE SAW LATER

FUGITIVE ROAD,

It seems there was really some

PALO DURO WAR TROUBLE WITH THE ARMY AND INDIANS

BUT IN WAS

1874

( NOT 1869 HERE WITH JESS AND SLIM.)

MORE HISTORY NOTE AS TO GIL AND FRANCIE:

As Gil was at Palo Duro, he most probably left Francie somewhere

in Texas, where ever it was that they first chose to life before he joined the Union Army.

He wouldnt have taken her out to an Army post in Indian land where they would have gone to fight. When he was transferred up to WY.

he would have

left her behind as well,

seeing the kind of man he was.

THEN IT WAS EXPOSED THAT HE WAS A DESERTER, TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM WHAT HE DID.

IF SHE WAS AT AN ARMY POST NEAR BY

Jess would surely have gone up from the first letter and made sure he had seen her. Any reports of her death, later must have come from Texas.

NOTE

AS TO

FRANCIES DEATH

at the end of

FUGITIVE ROAD

You can see how this can be explained later. Gil really believes she is dead.

And now so does Jess.

You will see a great explanation as to how she reappears later on in these columns, and as the older sis that she was.

AUG 1865

early 26

Jesss MESCALERO ADVENTURE shows up around here.

JESS SGT. BILLY CARRIED HIM FOR 6 MILES THROUGH MESCALERO APACHE COUNTRY.

SURELY HE SEEMS TO HAVE SAVED HIS LIFE.

JESS IS STILL IN THE PANHANDLE AREA AND:

Needing money, horse gun, may have signed up with St. Billy, of the Union Army,

TO SCOUT

and also maybe

dispatched for troops, for the Union as to the Indian troubles that the Army was making.

THIS WOULD BE NEAR ENOUGH TO TEXAS PANHANDLE AREA

To hear about quickly and get to quickly.

As Jess did do this later, as well, as mentioned as part of his history in

CIRCLE OF FIRE.

AND later again to help Slim, being with Slim, during the

CIRCLE OF FIRE

incident and

THE PASS.

Possibly some of the later dispatching was done in the Dakotas, or

surrounding areas (states) in and around Wyoming

that he later knew, that have not been specifically stated.

Jess, not fond of the army, so

obviously would NOT do this for long.

He did like his Sgt. Billy though,

and was surely doing a great job as Jess can be known to do.

And was seen doing a great Harper job,

in THE PASS.

HERE ARE SOME GLIMPSES OF JESS THOUGHTS OR ACTIONS INVOLVED WITH ARMY:

MAN OF GOD FUGITIVE ROAD WOLF CUB AMONG THE MISSING LAST BATTLEGROUND.

IN THESE ABOVE SHOWS

he speaks of how he feels about the army, and IN SOME OF THESE SAME SHOWS

he is defying army authority to help someone, and takes the risk of going to being arrested and/or prison.

YET

In FUGITIVE ROAD,

he does understand and knows how to listen to a HARD COMMANDING OFFICER.

JESS WOULDNT STAY LONG IN THE ARMY ALSO BECAUSE

he still has his own Banister cause, deep inside and would not limit himself to a commitment, in case a lead came up.

The army

would not let you take off on a whim of fancy.

The way they speak of ST. Billy in BITTER GLORY,

Billy seems to have had a great record, it must have taken a while

to get such a great

record

and respect.

So it was most likely that had earned this record

for the Union Army,

as just coming out of the civil war he wouldnt have had time to become so well respected now,

n the Union where we see him.

And when we see Jess visit Sgt. Billys

Commanding Officer.

So when Jess was with him, it wasnt in the civil war.

Jess may have been able to get his

SGT. BILLY

to get him a hearing so he

could be

cleared of his past and wanted poster

so he could get into the army.

THOUGH

NOT THE LIKELY

WAY IT HAPPENED

A MORE

LIKELY WAY DOES APPEAR LATER ON DOWN IN THIS CHART.

THE ARMY STILL TOOK HIM IN

IN SPITE OF IT

DIDNT KNOW OF IT OR CARE OR NEVER GOT WIND OF IT.

We know this

because Jess is in the army here.

Possibly they only care to do check ups

on deserters.

(Or he could have been cleared of at least one charge in Prescott, along with other? Though not likely.)

BEING OUR

STORY BOOK LARAMIE

JESS GETS BY

UNNOTICED AS IT HAS HAPPENED BEFORE IN HISTORY

WITH SCOUTS.

SINCE AFTER THE WAR

THEY ARE

DESPERATE FOR SCOUTS

WITH

THE ARMYS BAD WAR WITH THE INDIAN NATIONS.

Yes,

there was

Mescalero Apache troubles for the Army in El Paso area at this time, and into New Mexico, so this would fit this time frame.

This is also the time frame for Fort Defiance,

AN INDIAN AGENCY ONLY BY NOW.

USED TO BE USED

as a real fort at New Mexico/Arizona

1851-1861

IT WAS ABANDONED AS A FORT DURING THE CIVIL WAR

APRIL 1861.

BUT

STORY BOOK LARAMIE

KEPT IT ON

AND

USED IT AS A FORT:

OTHERWISE

THEN JESS COULDNT HAVE GONE HERE

IN 1870

WITH THE MARSHAL DURING THE

BANISTER TROUBLE IN

MEN OF DEFIANCE.

BITTER GLORY

THE PASS

MAN OF GOD

FUGITIVE ROAD

WOLF CUB

AMONG THE MISSING

LAST BATTLEGROUND.

SEP 1865

OCT 1865

NV/DEC

1865

MID DEC.

1865

MID OF DEC 1865

EVEN

JAN/FEB 1866

early 26

mid 26

The UTAH INCIDENT

In STOLEN TRIBUTE

with Roy Wade, would fit in here.

Jess killed Roy Wade in the Utah territory.

Jess looked for the stolen money to return it, but never found it, AND never found Tully Casper either. It seemed he helped get Clint put away too, but Clint didnt know the area, or where the money was.

NOW HE

could very likely head out to most anywhere hes been before, as he looks for leads on Banister.

He meets up with Christy on a trail drive, as many started in Texas at this time. (Dont know if there was many fall cattle drives at this time, but they didnt have to head up to Canada. Maybe just Wyoming, and it doesnt always snow there, same as some of the surrounding areas) (Beef was scarce after the war, and Texas was loaded with it as it roamed the fields.)As Christy and Jess said it was about 8 years ago on A TRAIL DRIVE that they met,

LOST ALLEGIANCE.

Kept on with the trail drive, up north maybe only as far as Colorado, or Wyoming, didnt have to go way up north, could have gone a majority of places, to fit this time frame.

Didnt have to take the trail drive back, could have moved on. Then could have seen the Lolo trail, somewhere along these times.

BUT this was more like 3 years before he met Slim, maybe he didnt travel

on it, but it was mentioned that he did travel

on it 2 years

back from

FUGITIVE ROAD

so he very well could have .

DEPENDING ON

the winter he could have checked out the Lolo trail now more towards Jan.

AND ONLY MADE IT SO FAR.

(So, it seems that Jesss 2 year frame he gave to Gil could be a rough quick on the spot near abouts

meaning more like 3 years ago, is the best fit.)

Here at these times

he still also could have gone through Montana, Wyoming, or even the Dakotas, and Nebraska.

Maybe

even some

DISPATCH RIDING here. And moving on downwards, looking for work with cattle or ranches, makes it back down to Colorado again, a place he knows.

Could have

HIS BLIZZARD ADVENTURE, here, as it would be 10 years

. (more or less is always good to throw in)

earlier from

BAD BLOOD.

AND

BEING ON THE ROAM

in these areas, during this time of year,

it is quite likely.

AS TO BLIZZARD:

JAN OR FEB WOULD DO OKAY TOO.

(Some over lay of months is still a close fitting 10 year time frame.)

CLINT WADES BROTHER ROY HAD KILLED A FRIEND OF JESSS THERE, POSSIBLY THEY WERE AS A POSSE, AFTER THESE MEN.

Dont know

if there was many fall cattle drives at this time, but they didnt have to head up to Canada if winters were too bad.

Maybe just to Wyoming and it doesnt always snow there, same as some of the surrounding areas.

There must have been someone that wanted it bad enough.

Texas longhorns were a hardy bunch, able to withstand all kinds of weather

NOTE AS TO SEEING THE LOLO

IN DEC.

IT WOULD BE ABOUT

3 YEARS SINCE SLIMS

(with the new year in sight, we could count it from 1866, instead of 1865 and count into the 1868/69 when Jess is at Slims)

NOTE:

AS ALL OF US KNOW

THAT TRYING TO KEEP TRACK

WHERE WE WERE

AND WHEN IT WAS

AND HOW MANY YEARS BACK

CAN BE QUITE A CHORE

AND DATES CONSTANTLY CHANGING.

THIS CAN HOLD TRUE AS WELL FOR JESS

AS HE RELATES

SO MANY THINGS LONG GONE BY,

BUT WE DO NEED

a close enough time frame

here though, so as to keep

a true enough frame of

believable travels and happenings

in JESS HARPERS LIFE

and

this would still do that.

NOTE ABOUT LOLO:

IF JESS SAW IT IN JAN. 1866

then it seems that Jesss 2 year frame he gave to Gil could be a rough quick on the spot near abouts

meaning more like 3 years ago

Jess did arrive at Slims just after

The 1868 new year, in

APRIL 1869

So that makes a recent fit of

NEARLY

21/2 years in this respect.

TO DO

SO AT THIS TIME IN JAN.

HE WOULD HAVE HAD TO HAVE

BEEN TRAVELING ALL

OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS HERE, POSSIBLY WITH ARMY DISPATCHING OR

SCOUTING.

Could have

HIS BLIZZARD ADVENTURE,

here, would be 10 years earlier from BAD BLOOD

she most likely lived in WY, up higher than where husband was now located.

As, she had to travel to the relay stations to get near him, and where Jess lived. He could have met up with her from any of these travels here.

STOLEN TRIBUTE

LOST ALLEGIANCE

BAD BLOOD

THERE WERE MANY TRAIL DRIVES STARTED UP IN

1866

AS THE NORTH WAS IN DESPERATE NEED OF BEEF, AND MUCH OF IT CAME UP FROM TEXAS.

NOTE:

I tried to find history notes on the troubles Jess talked about in

CIRCLE OF FIRE, didnt find any, but they would have fit this time frame

WITH OTHER FORTS, IN THE SAME AREAS AS WELL.

HISTORY NOTE:

Supposedly there wasnt FT. LINCOLN EITHER UNTIL 1872

BUT THERE WAS A FT. LARAMIE.

BUT

STORYBOOK LARAMIE

COULD HAVE THEIR OWN FT LINCOLN.

Maybe with all the ARMY talk going on, Jess was thinking of PRESIDENT LINCOLN, and mixed up his words with FT LARAMIE and got FT LINCOLN!

Hey, were having

FUN HERE,

you know!

LOLO TRAIL NOTE

LOOKS LIKE WE WOULD HAVE TO DO A

STORYBOOK

LARAMIE

HERE FOR OUR WINTER WEATHER WITH THE LOLO TRAIL.

Although, some winters are not all snow, or as bad as others at various times of the year.

AND

we must allow

that

JESS IS THE ONE

WHO SAID IT WAS

TWO YEARS AGO TO GIL, IN FUGITIVE ROAD

And this is the spot it would fit in,

as he had other places to be in the next time frames.

[ODD NOTE]

Someone mentioned that they had heard on an episode, that Slim and Jess remembered being in the same unit, or having the same Officer or something along those lines.

BUT THEY WERE NOT IN THE SAME SIDE DURING THE WAR.

WELL, IN

THE PASS

AN OFFICER SPOKE TO ANOTHER OFFICER, AND SAID:

the men from the Laramie Reserve are here.

So it could have been possible for Slim and Jess to have later been in this reserve together at other times, later on down the line, from

THE PASS.

Or perhaps on

all these various dispatches,

Slim and Jess may have had the SAME OFFICER, but never known each other, AND learned about it later.

(IF THIS HEAR-SAY IS TRUE)

MAR/AP 1866

APR/MY

1866

JUNE 1866

JULY 1866

(mid/

end)

later 26

*hung just near to his birthday*

MAYBE HERE IS THE KING BARTLETT RANCH (Colorado?)

(Jess seemed to have hung out in Colorado a lot) The rough outfit

type ranch that Jess worked at, during the time he heard of TOM WADE, working at another nearby ranch of the same type. People were always trying to get them to meet, and set them up as to who was faster.

Here, at this time, as seen from

THE LAWLESS SEVEN

Jess was in the Ellsworth jail,

in Colorado,

coming off a trail drive

(Could have been a short local one, for the state, or to the army from a near by ranch).

Soon to see Jesss past as to what happened

In THE DEBT.

WE LEARN THAT JESS WAS HUNG AND LEFT FOR DEAD,

A MYSTERY MAN ARRIVES ONE NIGHT, AS A PRISONER.

Turns out he is the man that cut Jess down.

SO NOW,

maybe so as to avoid more trouble,

or looking for more cattle drives, or, hearing leads to jobs at ranches, or

EVEN LEADS TO BANISTER,

Jess moved on down to Texas a bit.

HE RUNS INTO WORSE TROUBLE, and LIVED TO TELL ABOUT IT, OR NOT TELL, AS THE CASE WAS.

Texas is most likely where

Jess was hanged,

AS he was drifting on through or looking for work coming and going in between ranches.

As when Merkle

CUT HIM DOWN,

Jess said he searched the best part of Texas for 2 years.

THAT IS WHY

I WOULD SAY IT HAPPENED IN EARLY JULY, TO GIVE SEARCHING TIME FOR OUR FRAMEWORK.

(He would have searched more, but lost the scent Merkle was then in prison)

JESS IS STILL WORKING HARD

WITH COME AND GO JOBS AS

HE IS ON THE

DRIFT.

COULD IT ALSO BE THAT HE IS CLEARED ALREADY OF HIS WANTED POSTER PAST?

AS OF THE UNION ARMY

STINT

OR NOT QUITE YET

JESS WAS ONLY HELD IN THE ELLSWORTH JAIL FOR A NIGHT OF DRINKING ON THE TOWN, AND NOT

SENT OFF

ANYWHERE.

HAWKS WAS CONSIDERED A TOP NOTCH LAWMAN BEFORE HE WAS SHOT UP.

BUT THEN

GIVEN CERTAIN SITUATIONS

HAWKS MAY NOT

HAVE HAD A POSTER

ON JESS.

Jess was wanted in other places and never mentioned

Colorado as a place where he was in trouble and had to

dodge wanted posters.

But for the most part he could blend in with other ranch hands.

Seems Jess liked hanging out in Colorado

UNTIL LATER

THE WILKIE BUISNESS FROM HOMESTEADING.

(Being

WANTED in

LICENSE TO KILL

AND

THE LAWLESS SEVEN,

were in future EPS and not counted here.)

AS JESS WAS WITH A CATTLE

DRIVE, HAWKS

HE MAY HAVE JUST TURNED JESS

LOOSE TO HIS OUTFIT,

as he is likely always dealing with

these kind of men in this fashion and this works.

THE KILLER LEGEND

THE LAWLESS SEVEN

THE DEBT

IN DEBT

(DIDNT SAY IF HE EVER TOLD SLIM HOW THE MAN SAVED HIS LIFE, MOST LIKELY HE DID AFTER HE GOT HOME, BUT, WHEN HE WAS READY TO OF COURSE.)

JAN 1867

JULY 1867

(end)

JAN 1868

JULY 1868

(end)

mid 27

mid 28

Done with cattle and ranches for the most part,

because of

looking for MERKLE, as he cut Jess down, when Jess was hung, and saved his life, in

THE DEBT.

Jess looked for him for

BEST PART OF

2 YEARS IN TEXAS

PERSONAL NOTE:

THIS IS A GREAT SET-UP AND MEETING.

JESS AS DEPUTY AND HIS ENCOUNTER WITH MERKLE

(GREAT STUFF WITH ROBERT FULLER AND HARRY CAREY JR.)

AS YOU CAN WELL IMAGINE.

(NOTHING BETTER EVER DONE AS TO THIS KIND OF SET-UP IN ANY OTHER FILM EVER.)

PLEASE FORGIVE

BUT I JUST HAD TO ADD THIS NOTE!

THE DEBT.

HISTORY DOES SAY THERE WERE SOME THAT WERE HANGED AND LIVED THROUGH IT.

OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING WENT WRONGOR RIGHTFOR THE PERSON INVOLVED.

AUG 1868

early 29

The incident on the

KANSAS PRAIRIE

with Roney Bishop would be here somewhere, from GLORY ROAD

Jess was laying on a Kansas prairie with

a broken leg, for 4 days. He would have died

if Roney Bishop hadnt showed up and rescued him.

JESS DID TELL JONESY THAT HE DID RUN INTO A GLIMPS OF RONEY A FEW MONTHS LATER,

IN WICHITA.

So Jess was working his way EAST for a bit, and then hed come back again.

As he ended up at Slims.

DONT

THINK HED GO

THAT FAR EAST JUST FOR WORK,

maybe for adventure to catch all the hear-say of these cities, OR for a break, if he had no Banister leads,

PLUS

he could be at the end of his rope from a weary search for MERKLE

(who is now in the mysterious

YUMA PRISON).

ALSO POSSIBLY HE HEARD MERKLE WENT THIS WAY.

Jess would have no way of knowing, why Merkles trail would end, if that was the case, so he would continue on eastward,

ONLY TO HAVE TO DOUBLE BACK

LATER ON.

(As we know he will, since he will then end up at Slims.)

Moving on from Merkle,

in Texas,

he may have heard a rumor on him, or had some other pull to go out there, but,

still has Banister on his mind, so most likely wouldnt stay out too far east.

GLORY ROAD.

Merkle later told Jess he was in YUMA PRISON. HISTORICALLY IT WASNT BUILT YET. UNTIL 1876.

BUT THERE WAS A VILLAGE WHERE YUMA WAS BUILT ON IN 1866.

So here now,

our

STORYBOOK VERSION

LARAMIE

HAS ITS OWN YUMA PRISON.

AUG/SP 1868

SEP/OC

1868

early 29

Jess agreed to the cities that Andy had mentioned, and some Jess would have to

pass through Kansas

to get to most of these, at this time.

Dodge, which may have just been a

FORT ONLY

in those days. Kansas City, Wichita, Abilene, Dallas, St Louis, as well,

WERE ALL MENTIONED in

STAGE STOP.

Most probably he hit them all on this trip,

although some

TECHNICALLY

didnt exist , or exist to their true glory, until the later 1800s, but he still could have seen them anyway and

at this time as they were off in that direction.

THUS

AS TO THESE TOWNS

DURING THESE TIMES

(MINUS THE TEXAS TOWNS HERE)

he could have met,

Branch Mac McGary,

being in so many towns, and getting in a mess, although they would have hit it off well together, in spite of Jess past wanted poster days.

(Another possible time to have seen or learned of Ed Calder, here as well as before in the old days.)

Would be a good fit as to

MAYBE HIS NEW FOUND FRIEND

BRANCH McGARY

dropping into Jess life troubles.

DROPPING IN WITHOUT AN INVITE

(the expression used by Jess to Mc

In THE MARSHALS)

and surprising

JESS HARPER WITH A SPECIAL SET UP

GO TO MEETING

WITH A TERRITORIAL JUDGE

out there in those famous cities.

JESS HARPER REMEMBERS MC WHOLE HEARTEDLY

WITH THAT EXPRESSION.

(Must have also had other help from him that way as well, not just to name clearing, if Branch was the one that helped Jess this way.)

Time to

back track to Colorado again, for ranching, or leaving behind some trouble in those famous towns as well.

NOW JESS

IS ON TO COLORADO.

Still has Banister on mind, could be thats why hes still moving back to familiar ground.

MAYBE NOW

HE DOESNT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT BEING

WANTED

AND REMEMBERS SOME NICE LAND IN COLORADO.

Traveling all over, Jess could have met, Branch Mac McGary,

being in so many

OF THESE TYPE

of towns,

as a marshal would most likely be learning his trade in these type of places OR practicing it,

and Jess most likely was learning his, and getting in a mess.

BUT

they would have hit it off quite well, as we have seen in

THE MARSHALS

COULD IT BE THAT BRANCH

McGARY HAD FAITH IN JESS HARPER AND SET UP A MEETING WITH A TERRITORIAL JUDGE TO HELP JESS

GET A CLEAN START?

(AS HE DID FOR REB CARLTON)

NEXT IN LINE

WE FIND JESS HARPER

TRYING TO

HAVE A GO AT

HIS

HOMESTEADING WITH WILL TIBBS

AS A PARTNER.

MUST BE CLEARED BY NOW

OUR HE WOULD HAVE TOO MUCH TO LOOSE

AND BE TOO

EASY TO

BE CAUGHT.

(MORT MENTIONED IN BROKEN HONOR THAT JESS WAS CLEARED OF THOSE CHARGES A LONG TIME AGO)

(MOST LIKELY ALONG WITH THE OTHERS AS WELL)

BROKEN HONOR

IS AFTER

THE VIOLENT ONES IN 1876, THAT

WOULD MAKE MORE OR LESS 8 YEARS

AND THAT DOES MAKE A LONG TIME

Still Jess could have been cleared earlier, but

BRANCH McGARY

makes a likely candidate, as he would know which territorial judges may look into the matter more than which wouldnt.

MORE SPECULATION NOTE.

A territorial marshal would know territorial judges, as well. Branch could have decided to try and help Jess, as Jess may not seem to trust a judge and jury and risk his life to a wrong decision,

if he simply turned himself in as to the many things from his past.

Remember in

THE MARSHALS

Branch mentions to Jess that he knows no one else could get

in such a mess.

(And not only with the wrong crowd, but even when hes innocently trying to help at that!)

He surely

knew about Jess.

Branch was able to see then,

Jess Harper the fast gun,

with wanted posters on him

as being a success story with a cleared name and hopeful future and a long time true friend for years to come.

So it could

have been him, by the kind of man he was seen to be in

THE MARSHALS

as he helped his newest deputy,

REB CARLTON.

STAGE STOP

THE MARSHALS

DODGE,

which may have just been a FORT, ONLY in those days

KANSAS CITY

Incorporated in 1853

WICHITA

1868 trading post community and incorporated in 1870

ABILENE

(THERE WAS ABILENE KANSAS IN 1867 FAMOUS CATTLE CITY)

DALLAS

(Jess could have hit this Texas city earlier, during the time he knew Darby as it was nearby, but I listed here, as Andy mentioned it here.)

ST. LOUIS

Incorporated as a city in

1822

AS TO WHICH AREAS IN TIME JESS HIT THESE CITIES, AND WHETHER THEY WERE CITIES OF FAME YET,

WE MUST REMEMBER THAT THIS IS OUR STORYBOOK LARAMIE!

BROKEN HONOR

THE VIOLENT ONES

NOV 1868

early 29

Here is the

HOMESTEAD WITH WILL TIBBS, in LICENSE TO KILL.

(Jess must have had his papers signed by a judge by now, as he is freely out in the open, enough to try homesteading)

CALIBRE 45

JESS HARPER DOES

HAVE PAPERS TO SHOW THE NEW LAWMAN.

WE KNOW HE HAD THEM IN LARAMIE

WHEN HE FIRST ARRIVED,

HE WOULD HAVE HAD TROUBLE AT SLIMS WITH THE LAW, SOONER OR LATER.

LICENSE TO KILL.

CALIBRE 45

DEC 1868

JAN 1869

mid 29

After Jess and Will lost the place they tried to homestead,

Jess would have found

JEFF DAVIS PLACE,

AS SAID IN

FUGITIVE ROAD .

He is an unknown rancher, spoken of by Jess.

JEFF DAVIS POSSIBLY

Was in WY., as it seems Jess would need to get out of Colorado, and away from WILKIE and away from the hostility that is in his

neck of the woods

As we soon find out in

LICENSE TO KILL.

Jess could have stayed on here at

LEAST 2 MONTHS,

according to what he said to Slim.

NOTE:

BARE KNUCKLES

Jess mentions the blizzard of 68 THAT HIT LARAMIE.

He could have heard this from local townsfolk etc. after he arrived at Slims or he could have learned of it

IF HE WAS AT JEFF DAVIS PLACE AND IT WAS IN WY.

(Maybe just before the new year here in 69.)

LICENSE TO KILL

FUGITIVE ROAD

BARE KNUCKLES

FEB 1869

MAR 1869

mid 29

later 29

When Jeff Davis ranch fell through,

POSSIBLY

Jess could have heard of work, from the local ranch scene and gone up to the

DIAMOND D, as he now needs to get work.

This is the ranch where he met LAUREL, as it would have to be up north

(BUT STILL IN WY.)

as she was traveling down to Mexico, and stopped at the relay station.

Jess would have left before or during the end of FEB.

AS IN

RUN TO TUMA VACA she says she has been looking for him

for months

(MARCH SEPT/OCT OR SO).

One of the workers at the ranch, was still able to be sure he recognized Jess, when they all ran into each other in Mexico.

Jess wouldnt have been here long, either, as he mentioned being at Jeff Davis place the longest in most recent times.

IN FUGITIVE ROAD

Jess had left the

DIAMOND D and had pay,

and was

HANGING OUT with Pete Morgan.

(We know this, because Jess got into the poker game in the first place.)

It is quite possible that Jess met

Pete Morgon, on a job,

maybe the DIAMOND D

and as Jess left to get away from lying Laurel,

he took his pay,

and Pete Morgon most likely followed, as a friend.

As later, Jess was heading west, following Petes trail, Pete could have been on his way to hook up somewhere with Bud Carlin.

(As he ended up in Laramie jail.)

Pete must have known Bud Carlin off and on and been good loyal enough for them to want to get him out of jail. Most likely hung around in the same general area.

LICENSE TO KILL.

RUN TO TUMA VACA

FUGITIVE ROAD

APRIL 1869

JUNE 1ST 1869

Late SEP/OC

1869

later 29

nearly 30

early 31

Was maybe in Colorado

(but not Wilkie territory)

with Pete Morgan, when Pete robbed him, and fractured his skull.

As in STAGE STOP

Jess said he was getting reared up at ever since he hit WY.

Jess ran into Slim as he was going West

looking for Pete Morgan, as his trail must have been heading west,

trying to avoid foot deep ruts.

[POSSIBLY APRIL, FROM RAINS]

(If the July 29^th birthday is used, the Jess is going on 30 in three months]

AS THERE ARE SOME OF THE VERY FIRST EPS HERE:

THE GLORY ROAD HAPPENED HERE, and Jess respected Miss Essie and listened to her well.

FUGITIVE ROAD IS HERE. Jess tells Slim it will be 2 months since he stayed in one place since Jeff Davis called it quits.

RUN TO TUMA VACA is here, and in it LAUREL SAYS SHE HAS BEEN LOOKING FOR JESS FOR MONTHS.

STAR TRAIL HAPPENED HERE, as well, and Jess was happy enough to be found singing in church. And his

FIRST TIME EVER DEPUTY JOB

SEEMS

THE GOOD LORD HAS BEEN ON JESS HARPERS TRAIL

AS THESE TWO EPS ARE IN THE FIRST SHOWS,

SETTING UP AN ANCHOR OF SORTS, THUS

WE CAN LET IT SIT

AS TO LATER EPS.

With out getting preached at.

SEEMS IT IS NO ACCIDENT THAT

JESS HARPER FINALLY HAS A HOME,

AT THE SHERMAN RANCH AND RELAY STATION.

DARK VERDICT

would go here, Vern recognized Jess from the PANHANDLE

about 5 years back.

(AS YEAR DATES,1865-1869)

The Jeff Davis place,

WOULD HAVE BEEN FIRST, THEN THE DIAMOND D.

Jess only stayed there a few weeks, or barely the end of the month,

long enough to fall for

LAURELS clutches

and know he should leave, but at least he had some pay.

ACCORDING TO THE BEHIND THE SCENES GOLDEN THREAD THAT

I ALWAYS SEE IN THIS SHOW:

SEEMS THE GOOD LORD

HAS BEEN ON JESS HARPERS TRAIL

AS THESE TWO EPS ARE IN THE FIRST SHOWS,

SETTING UP

AN ANCHOR OF SORTS,

THUS

WE CAN LET IT SIT AS TO LATER EPS.

With out getting preached at.

SEEMS IT IS NO ACCIDENT THAT

JESS HARPER FINALLY HAS A HOME,

AT THE SHERMAN RANCH AND RELAY STATION.

STAGE STOP

THE GLORY ROAD

STAR TRAIL

FUGITIVE ROAD

RUN TO TUMA VACA

DARK VERDICT

JAN 1870

MAY/ JUN

1870

SEPT 1870

OCT/NV

1870

DEC 1870

mid 30

later 30

mid 31

HOUR AFTER DAWN

is specifically mentioned as 1870 AND WOULD GO HERE.

DARK TRAIL

would go here, to go back 6 years but

AS FULL YEARS IN BETWEEN

THE DATES OF THE SOON COMING NEW YEAR OF 1864-1870

(Ending time for Jess at that place in time

is listed as Sept. 1863.)

LONG RIDERS

has Slim is referred to as being ABOUT 30 years old (HOW WOULD THEY KNOW? ROUGH GUESS ONLY, but I used this as part of the springboard for the ages of both Slim and Jess)

STOLEN TRIBUTE

would go here

(it is listed as after SOUND OF BELLS but would have do go in this order, to match the more specific time frame mentioned by Clint Wade, he mentioned 5 years, and so many months and days)

(WHICH I SET IN SEPT)

LICENSE TO KILL IS HERE,

as to the 2 years back to the homestead that Jess tried to do.

NO SECOND CHANCE IS HERE,

as Jess says at the table to the gal,

that he has been here about

a year and a half,

(with our more or less)

that would go back well enough to April, 1869.

SOUND OF BELLS HAPPENED HERE, as Andy is gone off to school and Jess mentions that the kid and his behavior from the stage could have been himself, 15-20 years ago.

Not meaning that Jess was the same AGE as the boy then, JUST meaning that SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 15-20 years ago he

WAS

LEFT AS AN ORPHAN

AND

hard to reach, that would have been when Jess was 15.

Jess threw in a few years for good measure! As 20 goes a bit over.

ONE OF

JESS SPUR OF THE MOMENT

RECOLLECTS

AS:

HARD TO REMEMBER THIS TECHNICAL STUFF WHEN UNDER FIRE,

AND SHOOTING A RIFLE, SO THIS OUGHT TO MORE THAN COVER IT!

HOUR AFTER DAWN

DARK TRAIL

LONG RIDERS

STOLEN TRIBUTE

LICENSE TO KILL

NO SECOND CHANCE

SOUND OF BELLS

JAN 1871

mid 31

THE DEBT

WOULD HAVE TO GO HERE, FOR TIME FRAME TO WORK, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS FOLLOWED BY TWO FOR THE GALLOWS

SO TWO FOR THE GALLOWS WE WILL SAY, IS REALLY 1871, WITH AN OLD DATED WANTED POSTER,

FROM BEFORE THE NEW YEAR.

TWO FOR THE GALLOWS

we see that Jess does have a thought to his past and his ways, and how they could be seen as in

How he lines up for heaven.

He does have a strong conscience for right and wrong, but he does have some doubts as to how he stands for eternity, at this point in time.

(THIS IS THE EP WHERE JESS JOKES THAT SLIM IS NOT IN HEAVEN FROM HIS FALL, AS HE WOULD NOT FIND JESS THERE IN HEAVEN)

We can easily now call this 1871 now.

MEN IN SHADOWS SHOULD BE HERE, AND DOES FOLLOW IN THE EPS,

AND I AM CALLING THIS 1871 NOW.

It still fits the time frame, as 10 years back Jess knew Dixie Howard, but he actually STARTED to ride with him sooner.

TWO FOR THE GALLOWS is mentioned as 1870, on a wanted poster, and it is an episode that did belong WITH the 1870 order, as the EPS are listed.

BUT if we put it here,

as if there was a

THE NEW YEAR

change, we COULD SAY the wanted poster was dated BEFORE

the new years.

THIS WOULD LET US SET

THE DEBT INTO 1871.

HEY

SOONER OR LATER WE NEED TO HIT 1871!

AS WE ARE

NEARING THE END OF THE SECOND SEASON, ALREADY

and

dont want to be stuck frozen in time!

THE DEBT

TWO FOR THE GALLOWS

MEN IN SHADOWS

JAN/FEB 1872

APRIL 1872

LATE AUG 1872

mid 32

early 33

DRAGON AT THE DOOR

LADIES DAY

Daisy and Mike show up.

THE KILLER LEGEND

is here,

5 years ago, Jess heard of fast gun, TOM WADE, at King Bartlett ranch, didnt say where, specifically, but I set it in Colorado, as Jess seems to have done lots of work in those parts.

IF Counting APRIL 1866 and the

IN BETWEEN YEARS

to DEC 1871, as it is just a bit until the new year of 1872.

THE LAWLESS SEVEN HAPPENED HERE. Jess was in the Ellsworth jail, about 6 years ago, he said,

COUNTING IN BETWEEN YEARS

between 1866-1872.

INTERESTING NOTE:

MIKE SHOWS UP WITH

THE RAINS, JUST

AS JESS DID WITH THE

TIME OF THE

RUTS A FOOT DEEP

only Mike would need to fit in

FEB. MORE FOR THE TIME FRAME

THE KILLER LEGEND

THE LAWLESS SEVEN

DRAGON AT THE DOOR

LADIES DAY

JAN 1873

mid 33

THE REPLACEMENT HAPPENED HERE. Slim says Jess has been here for 3 years. Jess then

USES THAT AND

opens up and starts his story: 6 years ago, near the end of the war.

When Jess says 6 years ago, near the end of the war (if he means this in regards as to Slims

3 years meaning

JESS NEW LIFE START HERE

THEN Jess is going

back 6 years

FROM THAT

MAKING Jess use the 6 years to mean when he

first got into the war,

AS HIS REFERENCE POINT FOR GENERAL PLACEMENT

WHICH WOULD BE

JAN 1864 TO APRIL 1869

{AS this general placement into the war, at this year and time, works, to give him time in the war, and time to be captured at the end of the war and sent to Halleck.}

IF YOU FIGURE JESS GOT TO SLIMS IN 1869/70

MOST people speak in general frames of time that they are familiar with,

and

dont always remember to change the time frames, as time goes on. Thus we occasionally get some overlapping along the way.

[From JAN 1864 TO April 1869/70]

and

[April 69/70 to now which is JAN 1873]

plus Jess had been at Slims all of the year of

1870

1871

1872

and that is three years.

(along with the more or less of the few months of 1869)

SPECIAL NOTE:

>THANK YOU TONY GILL !<

THE REPLACEMENT

JAN 1874

mid 34

SHADOWS OF THE PAST

is here and is important in Jess life, as to his past, AS, Francie has been thought dead, twice.

Once

in FUGITIVE ROAD AND ONCE IN SHADOW OF THE PAST

LOST ALLEGIANCE is here.

Christy and Jess met 8 years ago on a cattle drive in Texas.

THE MYSTERY OF WHY THERE SEEMS TO BE TWO FRANCIES IS EASILY SOLVED BY LOOKING AT THE PUZZLE PIECES IN:

FUGITIVE ROAD and SHADOW OF THE PAST.

From FUGITIVE ROAD Jess easily could have mixed their ages as kids, and claimed Francie was his kid sis as he always looked after her, as they were close in spirit.

With him and Francie growing up together and being just a year apart, that would do it.

THIS AGE NEARNESS,

WE HAVE SEEN

IN FUGITVE ROAD

AND

MEN OF DEFIANCE

AND THIS SHOWS HOW EASY THIS COULD HAPPEN.

Then in SHADOW OF THE PAST Francie shows up, she sure put him in his place, most kindly, when she reminded him SHE was the big sis.

Francie could easily have

set up

her own death, and disappeared so that no good Gil, wouldnt find her. As he deserted her, and shamed her, he most probably would come looking for her for any kind of a hand out in the future and it was

her best way

to get shuck of him. So she could move off and start over.

She is known for this

TRICK

in SHADOW OF THE PAST

as she told Jess it

WAS HER IDEA

to pretend her husband was dead, so they would be safe.

Jess thought Francie was dead, TWICE, once from sickness in Galveston, and once from sorrow over Gil.

THERE IS A FANFIC that explains this fairly clear, as to tying up loose LARAMIE ENDS, just for fun.

SHADOWS OF THE PAST

FUGITIVE ROAD

LOST ALLEGIANCE

MEN OF DEFIANCE

JAN 1875

JUN/ JUL

(near end)

mid 35

late 35/

nearly 36

HERE WE HAVE BAD BLOOD MOST LIKELY this happened MAYBE near early summer, or summer, as the desert areas were hot enough to be a life threat to Jess.

(But could be during May as well, or Aug.)

The boy in this story,

who is about 12-13 as he is a bit immature still, was told he wouldnt remember Jess, by Jess, himself, and that the boy was still cared for by his ma.

(So he could have been 2 or 3 years old then.) The lady said she was separated from husband for 10 years, when she later spoke with Jess.

When she helped him in the blizzard it is most likely she was separated from her husband then, also. (The blizzard is marked down, as in Nov/Dec/ 1865 time frame EVEN JAN 1866 would still be allowed as a10 year frame.)

As the boy is played as to being a bit immature, we could say this,

as a young

Andy is even seen mature more so, than this young boy in

BAD BLOOD

JAN 1876

mid 36

The VIOLENT ONES

must be in this time slot, as it was mentioned that Jess shot Baine, the boys dad,

5 years ago,

and Mort said Jess wore a deputy badge.

(Jess was first a deputy for Mort, in 1870, and in 1871)

With TRACK OF THE JACKAL, and THE DEBT and there were many other times,

BUT THESE TWO DATE BACK

FAR ENOUGH for the TIME FRAME.

MOST LIKELY IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IN

1871,

AS HE WAS MUCH MORE SURE OF HIMSELF AS A DEPUTY, THE LONGER HE DID IT.

STAR TRAIL SHOWS JESS AS A FIRST TIME EVER DEPUTY.

He does learn and mature law-wise

along the way with Mort Corey superb patient guidance.

THE MARSHALS WOULD BE HERE.

It is important to note, that Jess was dying from being gravely wounded near his heart,

with help coming in a long hard way.

HIS REAL HELP CAME

by that same

UNSEEN HAND

that has seen him through all these years and he was able to pull through this time of distress from that hand now as well.

ALSO, another NOTE in this

THOUGHT,

THE BADGE OF GLORY is here,

and Jess approves of being right with God, even tries to get Slim up for church.

(Although he knows it is the heart of a man, and not just the building AS to being good or bad.)

(As he talks some of the this principle to the boy in BAD BLOOD.)

God watching over him

followed him, all this time through his travels, and

ever since

Miss Essie,

in GLORY ROAD

shared her story with him, he obviously has had MANY AN OCCASION TO HAVE A

strong reminder all these years of how his life and how it

has been spared and touched,

ALONG WITH

his war history, and fire history, which he can add in to these adventures,

THE GOOD LORD WAS WATCHING OVER HIM, AND HERDING HIM

EVENTUALLY

ENDING UP TO THE

RIGHT RANCH HOUSE

THAT WAS TO BE

HIS HOME.

IF YOU DONT SEE HOW JESS COULD ACCEPT THIS, FINALLY IN HIS LIFE, JUST WATCH HIS FACE IN

GLORY ROAD

AS HE LISTENS TO MISS ESSIE.

MIKE MAY NOT BE SHOWING HIS AGE HERE, NOW,

WITH THIS SET-UP,

BUT THIS HAPPENS IN LOTS OF SHOWS.

AS OUR TIME FRAME HAS JUMPED HERE,

WE HAVE TO MENTION THIS.

WE ALL KNOW HOW THIS WORKS IN TV. SHOWS

AS TO AGES.

VIOLENT ONES

STAR TRAIL

TRACK OF THE JACKAL

THE DEBT

THE MARSHALS

THE BADGE OF GLORY

GLORY ROAD

SERIOUS NOTE:

Also, Jess was hit very badly from a bullet, in NIGHT OF THE QUIET MEN

as he was unable to move, this wasnt the main story of the episode, and that was the last we saw of Jess there,

as would be expected. But

in THE MARSHALS it was worse. Both times, he would have to wait for a doctor and both times, he was to be moved far while seriously injured, once for quite some distance.

MORE PROOF

THAT THIS HERE

COWBOY

has a very special lease on life, as to getting through it:

Jess was also saved from near hanging, quite a few times, and from many a fire.

SURE KEEPS A COWBOY HUMBLE

JAN 1877

mid 37---

JESS WAS ALWAYS THANKFUL TO SLIM

FOR A HOME.

JESS HARPER WOULD GO ON TO HAVE A RICH AND

FULLER FULFILLED LIFE

AS TO MAKE UP FOR ALL HIS HARD HURTS OF THE PAST.

AS HE HAS GIVEN OUT MERCY

IT WOULD NOW

COME BACK TO HIM.

SEEING HIMSELF SAVED

FROM TROUBLE,

THIS IS A VERY APPLICABLE SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLE THAT

JESS HARPER

HAS ALREADY SEEN IN HIS LIFE,

ALL THROUGH THESE STRING OF EVENTS,

AND ALL THROUGH HIS FUTURE IN LARAMIE EPS.

BUT

THERE WERE TIMES THAT HE DIDNT SEE IT AS WELL,

WITH THE CHARACTERS

HE RAN INTO,

AS THEY WERE NEAR

TO KILL HIM AND

HE NEVER

SAW THAT HE WAS SAVED FROM IT.

AS TO JESS BEING GRATEFUL,

THE THEME RUNS THROUGH THE SHOW.

AND

AS TO SLIM BEING THE KIND OF MAN

TO WANT TO GIVE THAT CHANCE TO A MAN, IS THERE TOO.

PERSONAL NOTE,

THESE LINES FROM THE NEAR LEFT COLUMN ARE TO MY WAY OF THINKING:

THIS IS A VERY APPLICABLE SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLE THAT

JESS HARPER

HAS ALREADY SEEN IN HIS LIFE, ALL THROUGH THESE STRING OF EVENTS,

AND ALL THROUGH HIS FUTURE IN LARAMIE EPS.

BUT

THERE WERE TIMES THAT HE DIDNT SEE IT AS WELL.

HE NEVER GOT TO SEE

THAT HE WAS SAVED

FROM

NEAR DEATH

SO MANY TIMES.

A FEW EX.S

OF JESS BEING GRATEFUL AND SLIM HELPING:

RUN TO TUMA VACA

KILLER ODDS

STREET OF HATE

(though this one deals more with there feelings to help someone else)

EXAMPLES

TIMES THAT HE DIDNT SEE

THE SAVE COMING AT THE MOMENT

ARE HERE AS WELL.

JUST

A FEW EXAMPLES OF WHERE JESS COULD HAVE DIED

AND NEVER KNEW IT:

CACTUS LADY

KNIFE IN THE BACK, FROM ONE OF TROYS BROTHERS.

DUEL AT ALTA MESA

ON THE ROAD, WITH THE GAL, THE MEN WERE READY TO SHOOT HIM DOWN, BUT CHANGED THEIR MINDS.

You will see others, AS

there are more of them!!

JAN1877

(cont. on)

mid 37----

(cont. on)

FINAL NOTE:

JESS WAS THINKING ABOUT MARRYING

A SCHOOLTEACHER ONCE.

BITTER GLORY

MY ENDING IS IN THE NEAR RIGHT

>> HAND COLUMN >>

SO NOW:

??? WHAT IS YOURS ???

FINAL NOTE:

I LIKE TO THINK JESS HARPER EVENTUALLY

AFTER

A LONG AND HUMBLE COURTSHIP

(AS HE IS SHY, YOU KNOW!)

MARRIED

GINNY HAWKS,

BECAUSE OF THE WONDERFUL ENDING IN

THE LAWLESS SEVEN

AND

HAD LOTS OF HARPERS TO MAKE UP FOR THOSE

THAT WERE NO GOOD

PASSED ON IN A SAD WAY.

AND

ADDED ON TO THE RANCH

ALONG WITH

SLIM SHERMAN

AND HIS KITTY THAT CAME BACK ALL

EDUCATED UP!

BITTER GLORY

THE LAWLESS SEVEN

THIS WOULD ALSO (UNEXPECTEDLY)

TO JESS,

FULFILL THE PROMISE HE MADE TO HER DAD IN

THE LAWLESS SEVEN

YEP

IN THAT

UNEXPECTED WAY

THAT LOTS OF THINGS

SEEM TO FALL INTO PLACE FOR

JESS HARPER!

JAN 2005

Finishing Date

T.L.A.T.O.T.V.U.A.E.J.H.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME !

AS SEEN BY Neebeeshaabookway

To Trivia Index Page

To Site Map

USED

A HIDDEN GOLD THREAD

THAT BELONG TO

BUT

STAYING TRUE TO FORM

EPISODES TO HELP

HOME

AS TO GUNS

Jess said Francie

REMEMBER ALSO,

BUT DO REMEMBER

LAREDO

BUT IF WE CONSIDERED IT A SLIP-UP THEN MOST LIKELY

IT

WAS FIRST SETTLED IN 1858

JESS ALSO AGREED

DID NOT

NOTE

NOTE AS TO THE DYNAMITERS

Or

CARSON CITY

CAUSE

BUT BECAUSE

THIS IS MY

OWN PERSONAL THOUGHT,

BUT FOR

MATCHING THIS TIME FRAME AND THE

DEVASTATING WOUNDS

THAT SOLDIERS OFTEN DID RECEIVE:

THIS HARD LESSON,

IN THIS TIME PERIOD

.

MANY DID HAVE TO FACE LONG STAYS IN FIELD HOSPITALS, AND MANY DID NOT SURVIVE.

I HAD HIM

HERE TWO MONTHS,

AS HE DID COME TO KNOW THE SMELL OF THE NARCOTIC MEDICINE AND SURELY NEVER FORGOT IT.

IN CALIBRE 45

THIS IS SPECULATION ON MY PART AGAIN:

So

LARAMIE

IN FUGITIVE ROAD

BUT

SHE WAS 16

AFTER NOT SEEING FRANCIE

THIS IS

IT WAS THE LAST TIME

WAS NOTHING FOR HIM

BEFORE JESS CAME HOME

JESS WAS STILL A POW

STORY BOOK LARAMIE

THEY ARE

DESPERATE FOR SCOUTS

BUT

KEPT IT ON

The UTAH INCIDENT

NOTE AS TO SEEING THE LOLO

LOLO TRAIL NOTE

AND

BEST PART OF

AUG 1868

THUS

AS TO THESE TOWNS

DURING THESE TIMES

SOUND OF BELLS

WAS HER IDEA

FULLER FULFILLED LIFE

CACTUS LADY

AFTER

THE LAWLESS SEVEN

UNEXPECTED WAY

JAN 2005

BUT IF WE CONSIDERED IT A SLIP-UP THEN MOST LIKELY

NOTE AS TO THE DYNAMITERS

IN CALIBRE 45

IN FUGITIVE ROAD

SOUND OF BELLS

CACTUS LADY

THE LAWLESS SEVEN