Burke Bowden rode slowly through the piney hills
outside the mining town of Tillico.
Hiding himself there in the Montana woods
where decent folks would rarely go.
He had good reason for being out there alone.
The bastard Banks Grisby had driven him here
all over a woman, it would appear.
Burke had made the mistake of loving
the black-haired beauty, Aurelia ‘Aura’ Mahr,
Who worked down at Grisby’s Continental,
so was no whore, but tended the bar,
quite ‘scandalous,’ leaving decent folk alarmed.
But Grisby had an eye for the young lady
and would not lose her to a cow-punching ‘thief.’
So Gribsy had claimed that young Burke had
cleaned out his till late one sleepy night.
He had Sherriff Spahn deep in his pocket
and both came looking for a fight,
putting poor Burke Bowden to flight.
Complete surprised, he’d barely ridden out
ahead of a barrage of gunshots and shouts.
Now all the country thought Burke an outlaw,
he lived in caves like a damned wild beast.
He had little money, and no kin to speak up,
he felt like a cougar that had been treed.
But has had good reason not to flee.
Aurelia had said she was his evermore,
since her treated her as a lady, not as a whore.
Two nights after his expulsion from town,
he rode back in looking to resolve
the issue before him, however he must,
so on the Continental he went to call.
To bring the fight to all those involved.
But as he rode up, just part midnight
a scream leapt out, a woman in fright!
He raced into the hotel’s back kitchen,
saw Grisby slowly advancing on her.
“You wanna keep workin’, this is the cost!”
the bastard said, backing her in a corner,
the lust in his eyes a true horror.
Burke then bellowed out,”You back away now!”
Grisby, caught off guard, quickly turned abound.
Finding Burke there, Grisby went for his colt,
seething with anger and seeing dark red.
Burke went for his, but Aura grabbed a pan
and slammed it into Grisby’s head.
He hit the ground, already dead.
Neither could speak, Grisby was no more,
then up went a shout, a man’s angry roar.
Frozen in place, both caught unsuspecting,
a gunshot rang out, striking close.
It just missed Burke, going an inch wide
Burying itself deep into a wall post.
Burke fired instinctively at his foe.
A cry went up, and to their chagrin,
Sherriff Spahn fell forth, his stomach clutching.
Burke grabbed Aura and they both ran out,
riding double on his trusty horse.
The word raced quickly through the town,
a posse was formed, as a matter of course.
So Burke pushed his mount, more and more.
They couldn’t go back, despite acts justified,
not when two men, one a sherriff, had died.
So they rode, pursuers hot on their trail,
until they reach a ranch high the peaks.
Burke pulled a gun while Aurelia seized
a new horse, both study and sleek.
The rancher fumed, too angry to speak.
Burke apologized, gave him all his gold,
then sped off again into mountains cold.
Two days passed, the posse drew close,
and both their horses started to flag.
No longer able to outrun their hunters,
Burke mad camp high up in a crag,
where he could shoot safely if they attacked.
The posse appeared in the meadow below,
lead the by the sherriff’s oldest, known as Milo.
“Surrendor now, or we’ll shoot you down!”
They shouted it as they stared to climb.
But before Burke could even open his mouth
the air exploded with shrill, Indian cries.
A horde of Bannocks their arrows let fly!
They swept into the meadow, circling fast.
The posse died quickly, not long could they last.
Burke and Aurelia hid low in the rocks
until the last of the Bannocks had left.
Not much was left of the posse below,
they lay still, and were mostly scalpless.
But one figured crawled amongst the dead.
Burke climbed down, still clutching his gun,
and loomed over the sheriff\'s bloodied son.
“You won’t believe me, but I’ll say it now,
I acted only out of self-defense.
You’re father and Grisby were gunning for me,
and Grisby was putting his hands on my friend.
There choices brought them to their ends.”
But Milo just snarled, and crawled away,
Burke and Aura sighed, and left him that way.
No one from Tillico ever saw them again,
even when Milo put a bounty of their hides.
Some say they made for themselves new names
and peacefully lived out their lives.
Others said, like most outlaws, they died...
And if you all liked this tale that you just heard,
Tell your friends about me, Bruce Bowden the Third.