Vengeance In My Heart

This lesson was lost on the irrepressible Larkin Skaggs. He spotted an expensive diamond ring on the finger of Lydia Stone, the owner's young daughter. Quantrill had narrowly escaped dying from a deadly fever, and was nursed back to health through the constant and months-long care of Lydia. Out of gratitude, Quantrill gave her the ring.

"Hand it over, quick!" the drunken Skaggs shouted to Lydia over her protests that it had been a present from Quantrill.

Lydia took note of his dress and appearance and then asked a guard to summon Quantrill. Quantrill quickly rode up and knew immediately who she was talking about. Larkin was a very tall and burly man with long hair and a scraggly beard, not hard to overlook even in a crowd of guerrillas. Under Quantrill's glare, Skaggs handed back the ring.

"You'll be damned sorry for this," he muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Lydia to hear. He menacingly added, "Miss, I'll make you rue this."

As the prisoners filed out of the lobby toward the City Hotel, a squad of guerrillas led by Skaggs hovered around them, unbeknownst to Quantrill. One of the guerrillas rode to the front and ordered a young man, a stranger in town, out of the line. This was precisely what Quantrill and the prisoners feared would happen.

"Here, step out here, you!" the guerrilla demanded, pointing his revolver. He then fired twice at the man, shouting, "God damn you! You're a Red Leg!"

David Porter, one of the guards, rode up and then ordered Skaggs to holster his pistol.

"Damn you. I shan't obey you and I will shoot Quantrill himself!" Skaggs shouted, waving his revolver.

"God damn you," Porter shouted back. Drawing his revolver, he pointed it at the guerrilla. "I am placed here to protect these prisoners, and I will do it, and, if you shoot a man of them, I will kill you."

"We have not been brought here to guard them," one of the guerrillas with Skaggs scoffed, "but to wipe them out."

Quantrill was sitting on his horse in front of the City Hotel talking to some ladies. When he saw the commotion and Porter waving him over, he galloped over to the group and rode to their left. He shouted at the top of his voice, so that guerrillas and prisoners alike could be heard, "One man, Nathan Stone, was kind to me years ago, and I have promised to protect him and his family and house. All of you go over to the City Hotel and stay in it," he emphasized, raising his voice even more, "and you will be safe. But don't attempt to go into the streets."

The prisoners later described their relief at these words by Quantrill. Stone welcomed them into his hotel as if they were guests just arriving from a journey. The last words they heard Quantrill speak were a menacing warning to some of the guerrillas. He threatened to personally shoot any of them who harmed the prisoners.

After the Eldridge House had been thoroughly robbed and looted, the men set the rest of the hotel on fire. In one instant, one of the finest and plushest hotels in America would become a smoking ruin. As the men set the fires that would finish the destruction of the grand hotel, a woman came rushing up, claiming a black baby had been left behind. They momentarily stopped to think it over.

"Burn the god damn little brat," was the reply from the guerrilla leader who held her back. The men went back to work.