Will Carver was in a mood for revenge. The Wild Bunch rider was back in his home digs of San Angelo, Texas in early 1901. He discovered that Rufe Thomas was also in town—Thomas had helped arrest Elzy Lay in 1899 after a train robbery near Folsom, New Mexico in which Carver had also participated. Will went after his quarry, ready to do him in…until he discovered that Thomas was playing cards with the local sheriff and two Texas Rangers. Carver thought better of the plan. It’s unclear whether or not Thomas ever knew how close to death he’d come.
True West November/December 2024