EPISODE XCVIII - MINNESOTA TEX - A HISTORICAL ACCOUNT
Reed and Lt. Scott made their way to the stables, the buddy plan having been implemented by the commander due to the new threat and the earlier assault. Reed had gained new insights
into the psyche of the infamous Minnesota Tex from a private conversation with the sheriff following their return to town.
A law man in his younger years, Tex had evidently become tainted by the criminal element with which he had sworn to do battle. He'd been a marshal in the region that bore the latter portion of his moniker
(meaning Texas), and had slowly been turned by his numerous encounters like a pig on a spit, as the sheriff had put it. He'd begun abusing his law enforcement status to enforce his own brand of frontier justice,
generally consisting of extortion. Not overly bright, he soon attracted the suspicions of his superiors and was forced to abandon his career, sinking deeper into the criminal lifestyle.
He briefly joined a band of Mexican outlaws calling themselves the "Gay Banditos", but soon became suspicious of the fanny patting and strange celebrations following a successful raid. Leaving them, he joined
the "Ruthless Twelve", whose numbers actually ranged from six to twenty-four, depending on the success of their endeavors. Previously known as "The Twelve", the band had changed their name after the loss
of their leader, William "Balding Bill" Ruth.
Tex moved up the ranks of The Twelve swiftly, partly due to his prowess with pistols, but primarily because of the low mortality rate of their poorly executed criminal plots. When he'd joined, The Twelve
were at the all time low of six, each of them boasting at least ten kills, nearly half of which were their own men.
As his legend grew and his cohorts died, he found himself in leadership of the band. Unfortunately, he also found that a sizeable reward had been place on his head. He took his band north, dogged relentlessly
by federal marshals along the way, and finally holed up in a small community in Minnesota.
His band dispersed and he took a wife who bore him a son. For five years he lived a simple life of petty larceny and intimidation, but his past finally caught up with him. A federal marshal arrived
in town one day, and began asking questions about the Texan outlaw. Tex packed up and made to leave, but his wife refused to go. An argument ensued and Tex made a violent exit, taking his infant son,
and stabbing his wife in the foot with a fork.
Tex traveled west, hoping to lose himself among the prospectors and pioneers settling the new frontier. He settled near the small community of Dead Gulch and stole enough livestock from the locals to set
himself up in the ranching business. He slowly began to draw his band of outlaws back together, and dipped into the wellspring of young men living within the community to reform the Ruthless Twelve.
"And that's how all this come about.", Doody had concluded.
