Find the hidden clue!

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

Exactly one year ago today, I entered an initial post in the thread titled: Trouble Comes to Stone Creek.

Within that first entry I provided a little background information as to the storyline of my Alias.

There was; however, an important clue buried within that post that tied directly to unraveling the mystery behind the creation of my Alias and its relationship with an historical event of the Old West.

Below is an excerpt from that post, and if interested, determine if you can uncovered the clue and it's significance.

 

And so he joined the Seminary in West Virginia.

His thoughts then drifted back to those who were awaiting him at home.

Ann had just turned 17 when they first met in the General Store in Fairbanks, Arizona. She was looking at material and sewing supplies, whilst he was making small talk with several of the town folk. He was smitten with her from first glance, and it didn't help that she responded to his bashful gaze with the smallest of smiles, the upturned curves of both sides of her mouth gracefully forming the slightest of grins. She was an only child herself, vehemently protected by her strict father Cliff, a GOD fearing, tall slender figure of a man with leathery skin earned from his many years working in the harsh weather of the region. They lived by themselves on a hundred acre spread, now desolate and unforgiving after years of being unattended to. Her mother had passed during childbirth when Ann was only 10. The loss of her mother as well as having a baby brother hit her hard, a memory she still relives to this day.

Cliff was a hard egg to crack, but being a devoted Christian certainly made the task of courting his daughter much easier. In time though, he came to appreciate the love shown for his daughter and the fulfilling life she would have marrying a man of God. They were wed in the small church he was pastor just on the outskirts of town, and soon were the proud parents of a baby boy named Joshua.

A tear came to his eye just thinking of them both, when suddenly another bump in the road brought him back to the present. Longing to be back home, he cracked the whip to hasten the previous methodical trot of the horse into a much faster pace.

More sweat fell from his brow as he removed his hat again to clear his eyes of the salty, stinging liquid. Coming out of the lower valley and approaching the top of the hill, he was nearing the final leg of his journey. Soon the small cabin would be in sight and he'd be back in the arms of his true love.

Joy quickly turned to fear as he reached the hilltop. Off in the distance, a large plume of smoke was billowing above the tree line. My GOD, the cabin!

The whip now cracked incessantly as the reverend commanded the horse to summon all that was in him to make haste for the cabin. What seemed like forever quickly dissolved into mere minutes as he approached the burning cabin. The heat was unbearable, but the furthest thing on his mind as he pulled back on the reins, jumping from the buggy and lunging for the front door.

Flames we're now shooting out of every window, their tips flicking at him, enticing him, even daring him to try and enter its hellish domain. Thick smoke billowed above the rooftop encompassing the treetops.

It was only then he heard the screams! But they were not from within the fiery inferno that the cabin had become, but off in the distance behind the small barn. His heart was racing feverishly now as he sprinted with all his might towards the back of the building stopping just short of rounding the corner.

What he saw next made him stop in his tracks.

The scene that unfolded before him was surreal.

There, squatting on the ground, holding Joshua in her arms, was Ann, her hair a tangled mess, tears lining her dirt smudged face like little rivers. Her dress had been ripped open and she was making every attempt to cover herself while still keeping Joshua close.

He spotted four surly men. Two were on horseback, a third off a short distance at the tree line and the fourth was on foot slowly approaching Ann.

Instinctively reaching his side for his pistol, his heart sank as he realized he had not worn his gun belt into town on this trip. It was neatly stored in the top drawer of the dresser in the bedroom….in the burning cabin! His Henry was still in the buggy, too far to retrieve in time. He had failed to take it with him as saving his family from the burning cabin was his only thought…one which he now regrets. The man approaching Ann was now standing over her, grabbing her hair and yanking her head back while trying to slide his hand down the front of her body, finding it difficult with Ann clutching Joshua tightly to her chest.

“This one is just ripe for the picking and added to my list of conquests,” he shouted to his buddies. The ensuing laughter from his comrades and the sight of another man touching his wife infuriated him.

Spinning around, he ran into the barn to the far corner where a wooden chest lay on the dusty, hay strewn floor. Reaching for the lid he reached inside and pulled out an old military blanket and with one swift move, quickly uncovered the 10 gauge Wm. Moore & Co. coach gun an old friend had given to him as a gift. A handful of shells and off to the back window of the barn he went. He’d have no time to waste, as the breaking of the window pane would quickly alert his adversaries of his location.

It was time for action!

Just then there was a loud explosion……