"The Trial of Bat Lash"
Gerry Conway, story - Dick Ayers & Romeo Tanghal, art - Luis Dominguez, cover 
Night in the city. Scalphunter lies in wait in a narrow alley. A man has been following him for sometime across the fog enshrouded rain drenched streets. Knife drawn, he is ready like a wolf to turn the tables on his hunter. The man, unaware, passes by Scalphunter who silently springs from the alley and knocks the man down and into the street.
As they are fighting for control of the knife a horse and carriage come speeding down the street. At the last instant the man grabs Scalphunter and rolls both of them onto the sidewalk out of harms way. The danger past, the man asks why Scalphunter jumped him. The Indian's hand moves closer to the fallen knife and the man asks him to not do anything foolish. Scalphunter relents, seeing as how the man saved his life. He asks why he was being followed.
The man relates that he has been tracking Scalphunter for three weeks at the request of a mutual friend, Bat Lash. Seems like Bat Lash is being tried for the death of General Beauregard Smith that occurred when Lash and Scalphunter stole the Gatling Gun. Bat wanted this man to bring Scalphunter back to testify to his innocence because they are friends. At dawn Scalphunter and the man ride out of town.
They finally arrive in Union City, New Jersey to catch a train south. While on the train the man's southern accent raises the eyebrows of the conductor who points him out to some Union soldiers. An officer and a soldier ask the man and Scalphunter to accompany them to the baggage car to exchange some words. In the baggage car the man introduces himself as Willie Wilson, and while he is from the Carolinas, he has lived in New Hampshire for nine years.
The officer doesn't believe him and accuses him of being a Rebel spy. The officer pulls a pistol and Scalphunter quickly disarms him and punches his lights out. The soldier quickly shoulders his rifle and gets off two shots but not before Scalphunter has slammed him across the boxcar and into an open door. They wrestle over the weapon and Scalphunter grabs the soldier by the coat and tosses him off the train and into a waiting river far below.
When the train finally pulls into Washington D.C. Wilson and Scalphunter have tied, gagged, and stuffed the Union officer into a mail pouch to be later discovered by two other soldiers. (Dib-Doggled?!?!?)
They leave the train and steal two horses from a 'poorly guarded Army stable' and head off to Richmond. While on the ride, Wilson says he hopes that Bat can stall the tribunal and Scalphunter asks how Bat was captured.
Wilson relates the tale that Bat was playing poker outside of Richmond when the subject of Yankee manufacturing came up. One man says it isn't factories that win wars and Bat gently disagreed, stating he knew of a Gatling Gun that could mow down dozens of soldiers with ease. Bat then excuses himself and leaves with two women. About an hour later several soldiers burst into the room and Bat escapes by leaping out a second story into into a horse drawn cab on the street below. The cabbie takes off but quickly overturns the cab and Bat is captured.
That was three weeks ago and Wilson was sent to find Scalphunter. The Indian asks how Wilson knows Bat and he replies that they are childhood friends. With that, Scalphunter gives him the side-eye.
Much later the moon rises and the two men hunker down along a river. On the other side is a Union camp just five miles from the Confederate line. If they were to circumnavigate the camp they would lose a day or two, the only way forward is across the river right where the camp is. They mount up and cross the river but once they are halfway across, Union soldiers open fire. Wilson's horse goes down and he scrambles back to the other side of the river.
Scalphunter, however, is a trained warrior and he rides low on his horse, fooling the soldiers into thinking he has fallen off. As the horse explodes onto the bank, the warrior of the plains lets lose with a Kiowa battlecry and leaps from the horse. One soldier fires wildly, killing a fellow soldier. With knife and hatchet, Scalphunter fights madly beneath the moon, swiftly killing the six remaining soldiers. Wilson, having crossed the river, says they have to hurry before the shots bring more soldiers down on them.
Later that day, the two men ride into Richmond on the remaining horse. When they make their way to the courthouse Wilson quietly talks to the guard outside and the both of them are ushered inside, followed by two soldiers. Scalphunter mentions that Wilson had told the officer on the train that he was from the Carolinas but Bat is from Louisiana, so how could they be childhood friends. Wilson says that it is simple.... he lied.
Wilson throws open the doors to the courtroom and Bat stands up, hand scuffed in front of him. He greets Scalphunter and he says "There he is, your Honors, THAT'S THE MAN WHO REALLY KILLED GENERAL BEAUREGARD SMITH!!!" and the soldiers quickly disarm the astonished Indian.
Statistics for this issue
Men Killed by Scalphunter - 6. The soldier thrown off the train probably survived the fall into the river. Folks always survive things like that.
Running Total - 124
Compared to Jonah Hex - 24th appearance and Scalphunter has 124 vs Jonah's 96 (in WWT #35)
Scalps Taken - 0
Running Total - 20
Injuries - None.
Timeline - This issue covers two days.
This one digs deep into continuity, referencing the Gatling Gun adventure and the plot to kill Lincoln. Not a bad issue with Scalphunter dispatching a half dozen soldiers, there is intrigue and deception and a double cross. Pretty typical stuff for an issue with Bat Lash in it. Some folks in the letters column had started bemoaning the reliance of Bat Lash in the book, saying it has almost turned into a buddy-cop movie with the two men being so different but forced to work together. Oddly enough, the buddy-cop craze didn't start until 1982 with 48 Hrs. So maybe Gerry Conway is the father of buddy-cop movies?!?!?
As far as ads, there is a two pager for Kenner Star Wars toys including a radio controlled R2D2. (If you haven't watched it, you should look up The Toys That Made Us episode on Star Wars toys, crazy crazy stuff) There are house ads for the Mystery books, Green Lantern, Legion of Superheroes, Superboy, Adventure (With Starman and Plastic Man) and a Hostess ad with Superman in "The Rescue" where he saves aliens and kids give them Twinkies.
Also the cover on this one is great, with the framing, the colors, the bug-eyed craze of the attacker (much different from what actually happened) but most of all, the joy of the dog!
Next Issue: Bat Lash has had a plan all along!!
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