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Milton Creek Election Week

Judge Horne issued a decree that elections take place this week 
For the positions of mayor and sheriff in the town of Milton Creek 
It had now been nearly four years and was somewhat overdue 
Some known names were mentioned and some nobody knew.

Rumour had it John Scultz of the Cactus Ranch was running for mayor
It was also rumoured he’d ridden with the notorious outlaw Jack Nayer
Jim Brown his foreman was running for town sheriff, another lowlife
Although it was never proved, there was talk he murdered his wife.

Posters of Mayor Tom, Sheriff Koplin, John Scultz and Jim Brown 
Were now appearing in prominent places all over Milton Creek town 
John and Jim came into town and headed for Jan's Saloon, The Manx
And tried buying everyone drinks but many townsfolk said, "No thanks". 

John Scultz was telling people about all the changes that he'd make
Putting posters of himself all over town though was his big mistake
Two Pinkerton men were passing through on their way to Santa Fe
And they both checked into Lin's Aces hotel for an overnight stay. 

One took a close look at a poster of John Scultz that was on a post
And then turned to his partner who looked like he'd seen a ghost 
They checked in with Lin then headed over to see Sheriff Koplin 
One said, "We think Scultz is Jack Nayer's side kick, Marcus Damin". 

The Sherrif said, "He rarely comes into town; sends his men to the store 
And it’s said that he hails from Maryland from a small farm in Baltimore “
One of the Pinkerton men said "I'll telegraph our office in Sacramento
And ask them to send over an update and everything that they know".

They left Sheriff Koplin's office and then headed for Jan's Saloon
Scultz's men were there, and they heard that he'd be coming soon
An hour later Scultz walked in and started buying folks whiskey 
The Pinkertons just observed, an approach would have been risky. 

The next day a telegram arrived with some valuable information 
From the description they'd sent it confirmed Scultz was Damin
The Pinkertons told Sheriff Koplin that we'll need armed men
To ride out to the Cactus Ranch and apprehend Marcus Damin.

Judge Horne then called on Duke, Mike, and Sheriff Koplin 
Along with, Ranger David, Terry, and Winchester toting Lin
Along with the two Pinkerton’s, Bob Drew, and Ned Forrest
They would ride out to the ranch that day to make an arrest. 

Mayor Tom said "I'll get some beds ready at Lin's hotel 
Because it won't be easy and you might be riding into hell
I'll ask Tania, Deb, Jan, and Anne-Lise to be on standby 
Because I guarantee it will be bloody, and bullets will fly".

The eight riders mounted their horses and headed out of town
And they hoped to get to the Cactus Ranch just before sundown 
They had supplies and Winchesters and enough ammo for a week 
After an hour they stopped for a rest and coffee at Cactus Creek .

Feeling refreshed they carried on and then the ranch came into view 
The tension was now mounting; how it would end nobody knew 
They were about fifty yards from the house when a shot rang out
Quick as lightening they dismounted diving for cover in a dugout. 

They returned fire and the strong smell of gun smoke filled the air
The Pinkerton's were trigger happy and fired without any care
Bob shouted out, "We've got a warrant for you Marcus Damin
And one for you Jim Brown and the rest of your low life vermin".

Someone from the ranch shouted" Burn in hell, we're not surrendering
None of you are welcome here, It’s private land and you're trespassing"
"I've an idea," said Sheriff Koplin with a grin on his face, " I'll smoke em out
And trust me this siege will soon be at an end and of that I've no doubt". 

He said, "Cover me" and then started running quickly, firing as he went
The posse kept on firing their Winchesters until their ammo was spent 
There was no response from inside the ranch, the ruse had worked well
So, he climbed on top of the ranch house roof; prepared to give them hell. 

He covered the hot chimney with his Stetson and held it firmly in place 
And he found it quite amusing and struggled to keep a straight face
Down below he could hear coughing from the effects of the smoke
And it wouldn't be too long before those down below started to choke. 

His idea had worked as he’d planned then heard someone shout
“Hold your fire, we are all surrendering and we're coming out”
The posse moved forward ready to take them all into custody 
Then one of the gang drew a weapon but Lin was quicker than he. 

He fell on the ground holding his leg that was bleeding profusely 
Lin didn't take any chances, and she moved forward cautiously 
Bob shouted out, "Put your hands up in the air and keep still
Anyone who dares makes a move I'll send them to Boot Hill".

The posse checked them for concealed weapons only finding a knife
Sheriff Koplin's brilliant idea had no doubt prevented any loss of life
It was now late evening and quite dark; the sun had long gone down 
So, they secured the prisoners with chains and headed back to town. 

They locked up the prisoners in the jail and then headed for the saloon
All were keen to hear the results for the election; they'd be ready soon
Judge Horner stood up and said "All votes have been counted and are in
For the position of Mayor, it's Tom Cunningham; for Sherrif, Mark Koplin.

The saloon erupted with loud cheers everyone was in a celebratory mood
For one night only Jan declared a free bar until midnight with plenty of food 
Mayor Tom then got up to thank everyone present and then had this to say
“I've ordered a new Stetson for Sheriff Koplin because he saved the day”.

The sheriff’s trick was the talk of the town, Tom nicknamed him ‘Smokey’
But for his quick thinking that day it could have easily ended in tragedy
Everyone was in a jubilant mood with lots of whiskey and cold beer flowing
And with her angelic voice Tania was on top form with her beautiful singing.



Written on 4th July 2025

Copyright © Tom Cunningham | Year Posted 2025

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Date: 7/5/2025 2:10:00 PM

Tom, wonderful story about Milton Creek, thank you for keeping Milton's memory alive, you are an amazing story teller, Constance
Date: 7/5/2025 7:54:00 AM

Wow Tom.....away for a while and then wham back with a real beauty ....another captivating Milton Creek Tale!! You were definitely a Cowdy in another lifetime for sure!! Thankyou for including me as part of the gang....could l please have an angelic singing voice also in your next tale! Ha l actually have always wanted to be a singer and l think the closest l will ever get to being one will be at Milton Creek hehe! Loved this poem Tom and have greatly missed your presence on P.S my friend! Debx
Date: 7/5/2025 2:09:00 AM

LOL, love the Milton Creek stories - & so glad Judge Horner is still busy!
Date: 7/4/2025 5:31:00 PM

A great tale of Milton Creek’s election week Tom. Enjoyed the read… Beryl
Date: 7/4/2025 4:21:00 PM

Hmm, Milt Creek sounds like Gunfight at the Not O.K. Corral, but it also reminds me of Rock Ridge in Blazing Saddles!
Date: 7/4/2025 2:02:00 PM

Tom - I always enjoy your Milton Creek tales and love the fact that they keep Milton’s memory alive. I could always count on him for a supportive comment and know that if he were still around, he’d call out anyone acting in a way that violated the spirit of the Soup. Thank you for this delightful continuation of the saga…
Date: 7/4/2025 9:32:00 AM

Tom, I’ll have to comment again since Tommy deleted my comment. Lowlife hombres is a term we’ve used with regard to bad guys in the Creek several times. It seems he took offense at my use of those words and labeled it ‘hateful rhetoric,’ which was not meant for any poet. He’s the only one who uses the word ‘hate,’ so maybe he should stop pointing his finger at me and my friends assuming we write hate poems.
Date: 7/4/2025 9:04:00 AM

WOW!!! What another creative write/story/picture you have here about Milton Creek. Glad you have added another chapter to your wonderful tale. Always a joy to read. Great Ending but I missed the party. Glad to see we have Mayor Tom Cunningham and Sheriff Mark Koplin in our small town. This story would be wonderful for a book. Maybe??? Hope you are OK... Have a very blessed day/weekend writing away...............
Date: 7/4/2025 8:54:00 AM

Lowlife hombres? So sad to see that such hateful rhetoric continues. Thankfully, it's just a (very small) noisy handful. Wishing all a happy, healthy weekend. Hey, my supporters are all theocrats so should be an interesting race...
Date: 7/4/2025 8:43:00 AM

There will only be one mayor and one sheriff in Milton Creek. I’ll introduce an amendment to put that into the town charter at the next meeting. The integrity of the town will be preserved as much as Milton was a man oh honor. We are a close knit community and despite what lowlife hombres try to walk our streets and run for office, they will never be in control of Milton Creek. Only decent travelers will be welcome to visit or reside in town. Tom, thank you for keeping Milton’s memory alive.
Date: 7/4/2025 8:00:00 AM

three cheers for Mayor Tom and Sherrif Koplin, perhaps between you you can clean up soup and make it sweet with real poets who write their own poetry. Free bar at the Manx if you can do it!! hugs Jan xx
Date: 7/4/2025 7:01:00 AM

Tom, what a tale, so well penned and entertaining. Thanks for including me as well. I love these saga's. A fav.
Date: 7/4/2025 6:40:00 AM

Nefarious characters abound in your poetic sagas. Just like the old westerns, it's sometimes hard to distinguish who the good guys are from the bad guys when everyone owns a gun. Nevertheless, this whimsical tale is just the kind of fictional distraction PS needs right now to heal from all the AI angst. For that I say kudos

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