Calvin Booth

## **Introduction**

Before Booth came to Valentine he worked on the rail road to Nevada. Around 1882 the construction of the rail road was completed and he set back for Georgia. While on his journey home he lived as a drifter moving from place to place and making a simple living. Through this time Booth regained his faith with God and started his path to redemption. Which is what brings him to the cattle town of Valentine and where his story begins.

## **Biography**

Calvin was born in southern Georgia where he was raised for most his life by his mother Marry and his Father Samuel who owned a small tobacco farm. Calvin's father died when he was thirteen years old in 1874 after that lose that Calvin really couldn't grasp because of his age his mother began to be absent most nights. Calvin was the man of the house when he was thirteen years old and mostly ran the farm with the help of some of their neighbors. Calvin's mother met a man named Terrance Stone who was the local town gambler and drunk. Terrance was an abusive alcoholic always beating on Calvin's mother and sometimes even Calvin got the brunt end of it. This went on for nearly five years when one night Terrance was extremely drunk and took a knife to Marry's throat and was threatening to kill her. Calvin had just gotten home from town with provisions. Calvin was eighteen years old at this point. Calvin tried to pull Terrance off his mother and when he did he had the knife turned on him and was sliced across the face. Calvin drew his pistol an old 1851 colt that was passed down from his father and put three rounds into Terrance's chest killing him. Mary didn't have a thing to do with Calvin for almost a year after that so he packed his bags and left for a Job opportunity to work on the rail road leading out west. Calvin worked on and for the railroad for many year becoming a foramen and leading over twenty men eventually working on the construction of the railroad to Nevada. Booth has never returned to Georgia.

### **Night Folk**

Rhett, Noah, and Booth arrived at the bait shop late afternoon. Around the hour of 2 a.m. Booth spotted a man sneaking through the bushes closest to the bait shop. Rhett, Noah, and Booth all drew their weapons and approached the bushes where Booth last saw the man enter. They heard the very distinct laugh Booth and Rhett had heard before so they knew it was the same man. They all pointed their weapons at the bush and asked the man to step out, he did not. He ran to a tree and hid behind it they all surrounded him and asked him to step out. The man ran around the tree at them with a hatchet in hand. They all fired. The man later died at the doctor's office in Rhodes.

> *"I regret killing the man greatly but he gave us no choice. I am thankful the murders in the swamp stopped he had already killed over a dozen men." **(Booth)***
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Booth tried to make all this right with the local law enforcement but mainly Alvin Biggs. Booth had an admiration for the man and had a great deal of respect for him. "Crawfish" threatened all the men involved with the charge of murder for the man in the swamp if the killings didn't stop luckily they did. All of this was cleared up and Alvin Biggs, Crawfish both seem to have a lot more respect for Booth now that they understand the reasons behind what he did.