"You may as well hang me yourself, General," Auguste said quietly, pointing at Raoul. "He runs that whole county. No witnesses will dare to come forward for me, and he's had all my records destroyed."
"Without records, nothing can be proved against you," said Scott.
Raoul felt a hollow open in his stomach. What the hell had Burke Russell done with Auguste's adoption records and Pierre's will? The damned Indians had killed Russell. And that pretty wife of his just refused to speak to Raoul.
Auguste said, "But, sir, I don't believe there's even a court in Smith County to try me."
Zachary Taylor shuffled some papers. "Yes, there is. Smith County had a special election a month after that bad Indian raid. Elected county commissioners, and a man named Cooper is judge of the circuit court. I think we can guarantee White Bear, or Auguste de Marion, a proper trial."
Raoul clenched his fists. Things had gone sour in Smith County while he was off fighting the Sauk.
General Atkinson said, "I don't know about that. Seventeen men, women and children were killed in that raid. Sending this man to stand trial there could be simply condemning him to death by Lynch's law."
I wish it could be that simple. Remembering the cool reception he'd gotten in Victor when he went there to outfit the Victory for the war, Raoul began to have second thoughts about whether things would go his way.
I'll have to get my Smith County boys together and make sure Cooper runs that trial right.
Raoul stole a glance at Auguste and saw that his face was set in that hard, expressionless mold Indians took on when they didn't want to show what they were feeling.