Chapter 38 continues
The story so far: The sheriff deputizes the criminals.
Sam Scarlett stepped forward and addressed the sheriff loudly. "None of us here would be stupid enough to violate the decree made by a lawman like yourself, Sheriff Turner," he said sarcastically. "But what about the townsfolk who are not currently present? Been my experience that the law needs to be made known before a man can knowingly break it, ain't that right? Just how do you plan to make that law known, sheriff?"
The sheriff held the document high in the air. "Law's written out plain as my face. Before high noon, fliers with the new law printed will be everywhere across the Range. There'll be no excuses. Ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking it."
"When does this law restricting the right to assemble take effect?" Scarlett asked. He spoke deliberately, loud enough for even the women at the mercantile to hear.
"The minute a man hears my voice describing the decree or reads the flier, I reckon."
"When do you suspect the miners in Virginia will see this flier?"
"As soon as this ceremony is over, we'll be dispatching some of the deputies west and some to the east. Our own Moose Jackson will be leading a team on horseback to Virginia." Katka looked over at Moose Jackson. Of course they had recruited him. She wondered who had taken over as bouncer at Vince Torelli's. The sheriff continued, "They should be there within a few hours. The law will take effect when they distribute the fliers."