"With Friends Like These..."
Our tale starts immediately after the prior issue, with Bat Lash turning his friend, Ke-Woh-No-Tey, over to the Confederate court. Scalphunter quickly starts battling his way to freedom but Willie Wilson draws his pistol and puts a slug into Scalphunter's shoulder. He prepares to fire again but Bat steps in front of him. Willie realizes that they are all fair men, so the Indian will get his trial before he hangs.
Later that night, in the cold November Richmond darkness, Bat is rolling dice and taking names at a gambling house and he is living large. He notices an older man head upstairs with a fair lady, spies which room they slip into and then he clambers up the outside of the building and drops in on the couple via an open window.
The next day, the old man, Judge Clammerhorn, makes his way to the courthouse to witness Scalphunter's trial. He sees that the verdict is Guilty and Scalphunter is led away, to be executed at dawn. Later that day, the judge pays a visit to the jail and is allowed entrance into Scalphunter's cell. The guard leaves them and the judge removes his wig and glasses, revealing himself to be BAT LASH!!!!!
Scalphunter lunges at Lash and grabs him around the neck but Bat quickly explains that having Scalphunter arrested was the only way to save his own skin. He knew that he couldn't get himself out of prison, but of course, he would be able to free Scalphunter. Bat explains the ruse of pretending to be the judge in order to scope out the prison and sadly, there is no way out, but Bat being who he is, is working on an effective plan B. Bat whispers some directions to Scalphunter and then leaves, once again disguised as the judge.
Walking down the street, he is greeted by Lt Willie Wilson, with whom he had spoken with earlier in the day at the trial. Wilson pulls a pistol and reveals that he knows the judge is an imposter and guides Bat into a nearby garment mill. Once inside, Wilson explains that he knows the judge had no interest in military justice, only wine and women, then demands to know who the judge really is.
Bat quickly strikes out at Wilson with his cane and the two men engage in hand to hand combat in the machine area of the millery. Lash grabs a bolt of cloth, entangling Wilson in it and as they fight tooth and nail, Lash falls backward, grabbing Wilson and throwing him overhead, right into a huge fabric folding machine! The times being what they are, there are no safety measures on the machine and it starts up, steaming and folding the poor man.
That night, Bat Lash is resting in the 'business' of Kitty, the woman that runs the gambling establishment, among other things. Bat asks her for some help against the Confederate army and she says she would gladly help with anything that goes against men who think more highly of their horses than of their women.
The next morning, Scalphunter is bound to a post in the courtyard of a fort. The firing squad is assembling before the Captain of the fort and Lt Wilson is on hand. The sun rises over the wall of the fort, blazing into Scalphunter's eyes. He thinks of the many times he has been warmed by the sun, first in the Missouri hills and then across the rest of the country, through the wilderness and the cities and then he nods farewell to the sun. Then, as the command is given to open fire, Kitty and her girls hurl large bolts of cloth off the fort walls down onto the firing squad, tossing them into turmoil and spoiling their aim.
Just then, Lt Wilson doffs his hat to reveal Bat Lash to the astonishment of the Captain. Bat punches the Captain and frees Scalphunter. Then the Indian, the Gambler and Kitty and the girls load up and head out. Later on the road heading north out of Richmond, they stop for a moment of rest. Kitty suggests they head much further north, perhaps to Chicago. Bat agrees and asks if Scalphunter is angry about all of this. Brian thinks for a moment and then smiles. Bat quips now he knows why Brian Savage rarely smiles.
Statistics for this issue
Men Killed by Scalphunter - 0
Running Total - 124
Compared to Jonah Hex - 25th appearance and Scalphunter has 124 vs Jonah's 97 (in WWT #36)
Scalps Taken - 0
Running Total - 20
Injuries - Shot in the shoulder.
Timeline - This issue covers two days.
This one wasn't a great one. Bat Lash had a mediocre plan to save his own skin and really put Scalphunter's life in danger. This was much more of a Bat Lash story than a Scalphunter tale, but the title of the book is Weird Western Tales, not SCALPHUNTER. The highlight of the story was the absolute horrible death suffered by Wilson, it was something out of either an E.C. comic or a Stephen King short story. Artwork was good, the cover was not very inspiring.
Ads in this issue included
Start Trek the Motion Picture
Batman and Twinkies take on Professor Plutonium (Man I would LOVE for someone to revive all these Hostess villains as actual threats!)
Timewarp #3
and a two page spread for 1941
Next Issue: More crazed Confederates, an old man and his grandson, plus the wrath of God
