TEXT: 1
  18 June 1881
  Mr. Abernathy,
  As requested, in this package please find our report 
  compiling Prof. Connolly’s correspondence and photographs 
  from his springtime travels. You will no doubt note several 
  missing reports, which we attribute to the difficulties of 
  cross-continental mail transport and the unreliability of the 
  telegraph system.
  We have no experience in dealing with private investigation 
  firms, but yours comes highly recommended to us through the 
  Denver lodge of our society, so we hold forth great hope for 
  your success in locating Connolly. Should you have further 
  questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are pledged 
  to help in any way possible.
  The dispatch from Tucson marked Prof. Connolly’s last 
  contact with us. Although we are not schooled in the art of 
  investigation, our board believes this may be a likely area 
  in which to begin your search for him. You are the detective, 
  however, so we bow to your experience and expertise in this 
  endeavor.
  As stated in our initial discussion, we must request a full 
  accounting and receipts for all expenses incurred above and 
  beyond your agreed-upon fee.
  Sincerely,
  Stephen Hutchens
  Stephen Hutchens
  Chairman
  Explorer’s Society, Charleston S.C. Lodge
  
  The explorer’s society
  Charleston, S.C. Lodge 
  Vigilantia, Scientia, Vindictas! 
  Field Report #1
  New Varney Flats, Kansas
  21 March 1881 
  Let me begin by once again 
  thanking the members of our lodge 
  for sponsoring my expedition through 
  the western regions of the continent. It 
  is with a heavy heart that I make this 
  journey alone, but I understand that 
  finance is as active a stressor in our 
  lives as any force of nature. I hope that 
  my endeavors will reflect well upon 
  not only the Charleston lodge, but the 
  Explorer’s Society as a whole!
  I am currently two days behind 
  the travel schedule I presented to the 
  Society. While I find the delay in New 
  Varney Flats frustrating, I know all too 
  well from experience that an alteration 
  in itinerary of a mere few days while 
  traversing the continent is hardly 
  cause for outrage. Only a year or two 
  ago, I’d have counted myself lucky to 
  have completed the journey without 
  at least sighting an armed gang in the 
  employ of another railroad, if not an 
  outright assault on the train! 
  Asking around, I determined the 
  problem arose not from a skirmish in 
  the so-called “Great Rail Wars,” which 
  the papers in Charleston would have 
  us believe are concluded. I can safely 
  say—if the presence of well-armed 
  guards onboard my train is any 
  indication—the owner of the Black 
  River Railroad Co. considers the matter 
  far from settled. No, instead it seems 
  there was a brief flare-up of partisan 
  violence between supporters of the 
  Union and those of the Confederacy 
  somewhere westward along the track. 
  For the passengers’ safety, the railroad 
  decided to halt its trains temporarily.
  At first, I supposed I could be in 
  worse surroundings. After all, the 
  original Varney Flats is the source 
  of a well-known legend back in the 
  tearoom of the Society’s Charleston 
  lodge. The tale claims the settlement 
  all but vanished in a single, blood-
  soaked night.
  I hoped to follow up on the tale’s 
  origins, but found none of the current 
  residents actually were present. No 
  one could point me to an eyewitness 
  to the supposed event, leaving me 
  to wonder if the outlandish claims 
  of blood-sucking revenants weren’t 
  simply exaggerations to hide the 
  depredations of border raiders, or 
  possibly even a bloody-minded war 
  party sallying forth from the nearby 
  Coyote Confederation.
  I did happen across several posters 
  advertising a passing carnival by 
  the name of “Nightlinger’s Traveling 
  Exhibition 
  of 
  the 
  Extraordinary,” 
  which claimed to have on display—
  among other things—the mummified 
  cadaver of an Aztec king. Sadly, the 
  flyers were left over from the previous 
  week, leaving me unable to verify 
  the accuracy of said claims with any 
  immediacy. 
  On a side note, one of the residents 
  told me that the owner of the carnival, 
  Jebediah Nightlinger, had expressed 
  an undue amount of interest in the 
  stories revolving around the original 
  Varney Flats. Nightlinger even closed 
  the carnival for a day to visit the ghost 
  
  Field reports of prof. connolly
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  town. No doubt the huckster was 
  collecting further outlandish tales for 
  future performances!
  Hopefully, my next update will find 
  me in the western metropolis of Dodge 
  City.
  Professor Kevin Connolly
  Field Report #2
  Dodge City, Kansas
  26 March 1881
  I lost patience with the delay 
  in New Varney Flats after the 
  second day and purchased 
  passage aboard a stagecoach, 
  hoping to leapfrog the delay 
  and catch another westbound 
  train in Dodge City. It seems 
  ill-luck is fated to plague me 
  on this journey, as less than 
  three hours after departing 
  the town, I saw the train 
  pass us from the window 
  of the bouncing and dusty 
  coach. If there is a more 
  uncomfortable 
  manner 
  to travel the rutted trails 
  of the West, I’ve yet to 
  experience it, and would 
  add I hope I never do in 
  the future!
  Furthermore, 
  the 
  unnecessary detour took 
  me directly through the 
  town of Afton Valley, 
  the very site of the 
  conflict that stalled my 
  journey. We stopped 
  only briefly, just long 
  enough to trade the 
  coach’s team of horses 
  for fresh beasts, and, after glimpsing 
  a few of the residents, I remained 
  inside the passenger compartment. 
  Certainly, the local citizens were 
  a rough-looking lot. This is to be 
  expected in the so-called “Disputed 
  Territories.” But mere surliness would 
  have been unlikely to dissuade me 
  from stretching my legs after the 
  thrashing the past few hours in the 
  stage had inflicted upon me.
  
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  Rather, nearly everyone I observed 
  in Afton Valley appeared to be 
  suffering 
  from 
  some 
  infectious 
  malady, exhibiting hacking coughs, 
  red, swollen eyes, or both. Fearing an 
  outbreak of typhus, yellow fever, or 
  possibly malaria, I opted to remain 
  within the coach and kept my kerchief 
  close to my face at all times. 
  A shame really, given that on the 
  outskirts of the hamlet I witnessed 
  a striking spread of whitish flowers 
  with red-tipped petals. I’ve heard 
  tell of these flowers, often found 
  near battlefields Back East, but know 
  them only by their vulgar name, 
  “blood roses.” I would have liked to 
  have obtained a specimen or two for 
  comparison purposes to see if the 
  species is indeed the same as those 
  east of the Mississippi, but discretion 
  advised against any further exposure 
  than 
  necessary 
  to 
  the 
  apparent 
  epidemic.
  After avoiding contact with the 
  potentially infectious disease in Afton 
  Valley, the rest of the journey to Dodge 
  City was uneventful, if bumpy and 
  hot. In Dodge, all I have to worry 
  about are cowboys fresh off the trail 
  with pockets full of cash and bellies 
  overfull with liquor. Thankfully, the 
  latter is not contagious, and sadly, 
  neither is the former!
  I have purchased a ticket on a Union 
  Blue train departing tomorrow. If all 
  goes well, I will send the scheduled 
  update from Denver, prior to boarding 
  the Denver-Pacific for the final leg to 
  California.
  Professor Connolly
  Field Report #4
  Salt Lake City, Deseret
  31 March 1881
  The ride over the Rockies passed 
  without incident, and I had the 
  pleasure of spending it in the company 
  of one Elmer Vawter, formerly of the 
  Union state of New Jersey. Mr. Vawter 
  proved an endless repository of tall 
  tales from the Northeast. I was taken, 
  in particular, by the legend of the 
  so-called “Jersey Devil.”
  If Mr. Vawter’s stories are to be 
  believed, the devil is a singular creature 
  of chimeric nature, combining aspects 
  of stag, bird, and possibly a wolf or 
   
  Field Report #3  
  29 March 1881
   
  ARRIVED DENVER SAFELY STOP NEXT REPORT FROM SALT LAKE 
  STOP SCHEDULE TIGHT STOP DID NOT VISIT DENVER LODGE STOP 
   
  PROF. CONNOLLY
  
  Field reports of prof. connolly
  Charleston, S.C. Lodge 
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  other predator. Further stretching 
  credulity, he claims sightings of the 
  animal date to the first half of the last 
  century! According to the popular 
  myth, the creature has made its home 
  in a rather desolate area of the state 
  known as the Pine Barrens, and was 
  either born to or summoned from 
  the depths of Hell itself by a woman 
  known as “Mother Leeds.”
  I find most of the tale highly dubious, 
  beginning with the supposed demonic 
  origin and ending with the assertion 
  that the beast has survived nearly 150 
  years. However, as we have found, 
  most outlandish myths have some 
  basis in fact. Witness the 
  discovery of the Troglodytus 
  gorilla by Dr. Savage only 
  three decades ago. Until that 
  time, most Western explorers 
  laughed at the indigenous 
  peoples’ tales of brutish 
  bush men. An expedition to 
  the Pine Barrens might be 
  warranted, if not by our own 
  lodge, then perhaps by one 
  native to the Union.
  Salt Lake City, or the 
  “City of Gloom” as it’s 
  often called by visitors, has 
  proven an education in 
  itself. Never have I seen so 
  many examples of the New 
  Science on ready display. In 
  the farmlands of Dixie, it’s 
  certainly not uncommon 
  to encounter a tinkerer 
  selling his own version of 
  clockwork 
  demoler, 
  but 
  here complex mechanisms 
  and devices are almost the norm! I 
  should have liked to have more time to 
  wander the streets cataloguing unique 
  contraptions, but alas, my train was 
  scheduled for only a brief layover in 
  the city.
  C.
  Field Report #6
  Shan Fan, California
  3 April 1881
  After a brief sojourn in Virginia 
  City, I have reached the Denver-Pacific 
  line’s terminus at Shan Fan. I hope 
  our esteemed members have had time 
  to discuss what I discovered while in 
  
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  Nevada. I remain at a loss to explain 
  via 
  current 
  scientific 
  principles 
  the existence of that phenomenon. 
  Personally, I must confess I’d had 
  my own doubts of the authenticity 
  of “ghost rock fever,” but now I can 
  find no other likely explanation. 
  Furthermore, having witnessed the 
  anomaly the miners referred to as a 
  “fever phantom” firsthand, I find logic 
  fails me. 
  Simply put, what I saw appears to 
  fly in the face of the very foundations 
  of science as I understand them! 
  However, I trust my previous—and 
  far more detailed—missive contained 
  more than enough data to formulate 
  your own theories. I did succeed in 
  obtaining the remains of a victim 
  of the fever: a small lump of ghost 
  rock. What implication this carries, 
  I can only hypothesize. Due to the 
  uncertainties of mail transport, I will 
  keep the mineral in my possession for 
  the remainder of this journey.
  I did have opportunity to visit briefly 
  with our sister lodge here. I must 
  say, I was quite impressed by their 
  facilities and their hospitality. After 
  dispensing with the usual membership 
  verification, 
  Captain 
  Pennington-
  Smythe 
  allowed 
  me 
  unfettered 
  access. I daresay the lodge rivals our 
  own for comfort and appointment! I 
  encourage any members who follow 
  my explorations in this area to pay the 
  Shan Fan lodge a visit.
  C.
  Field Report #7
  Shannonsburg, California
  5 April 1881
  I intend to hire a boat to take me to a 
  few of the Great Maze’s mining camps. 
  The Iron Dragon train on which I 
  traveled from Shan Fan had decidedly 
  fewer creature comforts than the 
  Denver-Pacific. I should have expected 
  such given that, by and large, the other 
  passengers on the line are miners, boat 
  crew, and other laboring types who 
  likely have no desire to waste their 
  salaries on a finer bench or dining car.
  The more earthy accommodations 
  have allowed me freer access to 
  several immigrant workers recently 
  arrived from the Orient. Mastery 
  of the Mandarin tongue is not my 
  foremost linguistic accomplishment, 
  but I can, nonetheless, manage enough 
  of basic dialogue to carry on simple 
  conversation. I learned that most of 
  these people arrived under contracts 
  of indentured servitude, although I 
  suspect many of us would consider 
  them little more than voluntary slaves. 
  I was able to gather a few of their 
  culture’s myths through our discourse, 
  but I fear the details may have surpassed 
  my own skill with their native tongue. 
  Giant humanoids—or ogres, if you 
  will—seem to make up a large portion 
  of their crytozoological tales. These 
  beasts seem to share characteristics of 
  biological and spiritual entities, and to 
  my own coarse ear, their origin might 
  better be classified as demonic rather 
  than terrestrial.
  
  Field reports of prof. connolly
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  After my 
  experiences in Nevada, I’m less inclined 
  to dismiss these claims outright, but 
  note that some seem less credible that 
  others. I can accept the possibility of 
  massive hominids, but I find others less 
  likely founded in reality. In particular, 
  the t’ao t’ieh (which I roughly translate 
  as “gluttonous ogre”) would appear to 
  be an exaggeration at best. According 
  to travelers with whom I spoke, the 
  creature is possessed by a hunger so 
  extreme it will consume itself if denied 
  another source of nourishment!
  Such behavior in an individual 
  might be explained as a manifestation 
  of lunacy, but to accept that an 
  entire species is capable of self-
  cannibalization seems to fly in the face 
  of Professor Darwin’s accepted theory 
  of natural selection. Furthermore, the 
  damage such consumption would 
  cause 
  far 
  outweighs 
  any 
  minor 
  nutritional gains. 
  Logic 
  aside, many of the Orientals with 
  whom I spoke maintained not only 
  that such creatures existed, but that 
  certain of their countrymen were 
  capable of controlling these oddities 
  through arcane rituals, using them 
  as particularly horrific henchmen. In 
  fact, one insisted that the individual 
  holding his contract of indenture 
  employed exactly such a beast to 
  compel obedience among his workers. 
  Any worker who displeased the man 
  was fed to the creature!
  These encounters have renewed 
  my enthusiasm for my journey. It is 
  against exactly this sort of dangerous 
  ignorance that we in the Society must 
  forever toil. Only through scientific 
  understanding of our world may we 
  free our fellow man from the bonds of 
  unenlightenment—and other men.
  C.
  
  The explorer’s society
  Charleston, S.C. Lodge 
  Vigilantia, Scientia, Vindictas! 
  Field Report #9
  Lynchburg, California
  14 April 1881
  I strongly suspect my last report did 
  not reach you, as I learned the Maze 
  runner carrying the mail was sunk by 
  one of the large water serpents known 
  hereabouts as Maze dragons. Ironic, 
  considering the report largely dealt 
  with my observations of just such 
  an animal while traveling outbound 
  from Shannonsburg! The sights of 
  the Great Maze continue to astound 
  me, and utterly defeat any attempts at 
  capturing them within the confines of 
  the written word. 
  Never fear—I promise to provide 
  a full verbal report of the experience 
  upon my arrival back home.
  I spent the past week in and around 
  a rather wild mining town called 
  Lynchburg. Were it not for the titanic 
  mesa upon which it sits, surrounded 
  by the crashing waves of the Pacific,  
  one 
  might 
  be 
  hard-pressed 
  to 
  differentiate it from boomtowns in 
  the Rocky Mountains or Black Hills—
  excepting 
  the 
  decidedly 
  Oriental 
  influence, of course. Saloons and 
  bawdy houses abound, packed with 
  miners looking to purchase a moment’s 
  respite with hard-earned scrip. 
  Though the Maze itself is 
  worthy of a lifetime’s study, my 
  sojourn here is limited to little 
  more than a week. I have been 
  fortunate enough to observe 
  numerous oddities firsthand, 
  not the least of which I 
  found within the confines of 
  Lynchburg itself.
  One 
  of 
  my 
  dinner 
  companions, 
  a 
  somewhat 
  boisterous 
  boat 
  captain, 
  invited me to join him for 
  an evening at the “fights.” 
  I 
  found 
  out 
  upon 
  my 
  arrival that said bouts are 
  not held according to the 
  Marquess of Queensbury 
  rule. Instead, combatants 
  descend into a steep-sided 
  pit in one of the local 
  saloons where they bare-
  knuckle brawl until one is 
  rendered unconscious. As 
  I’m sure you’ve guessed, 
  
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  wagering provides a large part of the 
  entertainment.
  The evening’s final match involved 
  a pair of vicious mongrel dogs 
  versus what I thought was a grossly 
  obese 
  man. 
  Further 
  observation 
  revealed it was, in fact, a revenant of 
  the sort discussed in Dr. Frederick 
  Sutherland’s 1877 treatise. However, 
  this specimen appeared to have spent 
  some time submerged in water after its 
  initial demise, and the exposure had 
  drastically affected its biology.
  The creature’s flesh had taken on 
  a soggy, soap-like consistency and 
  it emitted a foul odor reminiscent of 
  rotted cheese. Its waterlogged nature 
  no doubt contributed to its swollen 
  appearance. 
  The abomination made rather quick 
  work of the dogs, using only its hands 
  and teeth. It seemed impervious to 
  physical pain, and my companion 
  informed me that such creatures, 
  known among the miners as “bloats” 
  for somewhat obvious reasons, are 
  virtually immune to firearms and 
  pikes. Apparently the piercing nature 
  of the weapons is wholly ineffective, 
  passing harmlessly through the paste-
  like flesh. (Based on the biology of the 
  undead, I would imagine, though, that 
  alcohol might react negatively with its 
  altered state.)
  As a side note, I seem to have 
  crossed paths with Mr. Nightlinger 
  once again. My companion made 
  certain to highlight that human 
  participants were no longer allowed to 
  face a bloat in the pit, as that would be 
  “uncivilized.” Taken aback and fearing 
  a horrific tale, I inquired whether 
  anyone ever requested such a match, 
  to which he responded, “Only once.” 
  Nightlinger himself had proposed a 
  bout between his strongman and one 
  of the creatures when his show passed 
  through here about a year ago. 
  On that occasion, the proprietor 
  agreed 
  and 
  all 
  watched 
  as 
  Nightlinger’s muscled man dispatched 
  the monstrosity with alacrity. It took 
  another four months before the fight 
  promoters were able to secure a 
  replacement bloat…
  C.
  Field Report #10
  Perdition, California
  25 April 1881
  I have decided to remain here for a 
  few days to survey local mesa towns, 
  before continuing overland via the 
  colorfully 
  named 
  “Ghost 
  Trail.” 
  With the Wasatch rail line’s terminus 
  nearby, I believe this is an excellent 
  location from which to mail my next 
  bundle of correspondence. (I opted 
  against visiting Lost Angels, as I 
  have come to understand the good 
  Reverend Grimme’s faithful tend 
  toward mercurial behavior.)
  Rather than traversing the Maze 
  overland, I booked passage on a small 
  freighter. I’d heard numerous tales 
  over the past days of the dangers posed 
  by southern California’s factions, from 
  the self-styled “Emperor” Norton to 
  the Rattlesnake Clan, and decided 
  to take my chances with whirlpools 
  and sea serpents instead. Besides, 
  waterborne travel would allow me to 
  
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  visit more of the unique mesa towns, 
  as well as a chance to document more 
  of the Maze’s indigenous marine life.
  Most towns in the Maze proper 
  are located atop towering pillars of 
  rock and reachable only via the large 
  elevators that soar from ramshackle, 
  sea-level piers to the summits above. 
  Maintenance on said contraptions is 
  disturbingly intermittent, making an 
  already disconcerting trip a gamble 
  with one’s life! As a result, I won’t deny 
  feeling a modicum of relief when, at 
  our second port of call, we found the 
  elevator apparently out of service.
  Further 
  investigation—primarily 
  conducted by crewmen yelling to the 
  top of the cliff face—determined that 
  the town, or at least the operator’s 
  station, was abandoned. The captain 
  of our vessel, a man of an ethical fiber 
  seldom encountered among Maze 
  traders, expressed his concern at 
  this development. He told me he had 
  visited the settlement only a week ago 
  and noted at that time the residents 
  seemed to be acting “queerly.” 
  The captain sent a crewman to 
  scale the cliff wall and lower the 
  elevator. Interested to see what had 
  evoked the otherwise stalwart man’s 
  unease, I chose to brave the device 
  with the landing party. On reaching 
  the settlement—which appeared to 
  have been home to several dozen 
  permanent residents—we found it 
  completely deserted and devoid of any 
  life: human, dog, cattle, or otherwise.
  We set about exploring the buildings 
  and made a worrisome discovery. 
  Several of the buildings were filled 
  with silken fibers, similar in some 
  respects to a spider’s webbing, but 
  considerably thicker. Were I to hazard 
  a guess based on the webs, I would 
  estimate that any spider creating them 
  would have to be at least the size of a 
  large man. 
  Our disquiet grew as we began to 
  find desiccated corpses secreted in 
  the deepest corners of many of said 
  structures, further fueling speculation 
  that some enormous arachnid was 
  loose in the area. Needless to say, the 
  crew desired as quick a departure 
  from the mesa as possible, lest we 
  encounter the creature that spun the 
  webs. Our captain insisted his men 
  set fire to the ill-fated town before we 
  returned to the boat. 
  During this interlude, I was able 
  to pace the perimeter of the mesa 
  quickly, it being only about a quarter-
  mile across. At the edge of the mesa 
  farthest from the abandoned town, 
  I discovered a long strand of the 
  same webbing stretching to a nearby 
  plateau. Whether this marked a route 
  of ingress or egress I was unable to 
  determine, as the captain recalled us 
  to the boat shortly thereafter.
  I have heard stories of unusually 
  large tarantulas along the border 
  with Mexico, but in my experience 
  that species does not create webs, and 
  certainly not to the extent I witnessed. 
  I believe this may be the first evidence 
  of a new species of arachnid. Although 
  I was understandably uncomfortable 
  at the time, in retrospect I am 
  disappointed I was unable to make a 
  visual study of the animal. Imagine the 
  
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  accolades our lodge would enjoy if we 
  were able to produce incontrovertible 
  evidence of a heretofore unknown 
  species!
  C.
  Field Report #12
  Yuma, Arizona
  6 May 1881
  I ended my stay in Perdition after 
  only a few days. The town proved a bit 
  raucous for my Southern sensibilities. I 
  was able to find departing for Arizona 
  a trader by the name of Clevinger, 
  who graciously allowed me 
  to travel with him at least 
  as far as Yuma. Although 
  Bayou 
  Vermilion’s 
  line 
  ends far closer at the once 
  mobile but now stationary 
  town of Railhead, I opted 
  to avoid rail travel, at least 
  for a while, in hopes of 
  better sampling the local 
  flora and fauna.
  I anticipated observing 
  such rumored creatures 
  as 
  the 
  inscrutably 
  named “desert thing,” or 
  perhaps even a Mojave 
  rattler. After a couple of 
  uneventful days with 
  no sightings, I inquired 
  about such with my 
  traveling companion. 
  Mr. 
  Clevinger 
  informed 
  me 
  that 
  both animals were 
  quite real. However, 
  as both ambushed 
  their 
  prey 
  from 
  beneath the very ground, he stated we 
  were unlikely to see either—at least 
  until we were about to be consumed by 
  one. With that knowledge, my longing 
  for firsthand encounters was muted.
  Even moreso after we encountered 
  the West’s version of wild pigs!
  Traveling through an area that 
  Mr. Clevinger referred to as the 
  Colorado desert (presumably after the 
  nearby river), the sound of a guttural 
  grunting 
  and 
  squealing 
  reached 
  my ears. My companion grew quite 
  nervous, peering anxiously into the 
  surrounding 
  arroyos 
  and 
  
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  draws. I asked him the cause of his 
  alarm, and he responded with a single 
  word, “Javeranhas.” I was unfamiliar 
  with the appellation and inquired 
  further.
  His explanation was cut short as a 
  horde of nearly 100 bristling peccaries 
  erupted from a nearby culvert, rushing 
  toward us. Clevinger fired off a volley 
  of shots from his carbine and dropped 
  a few of the lead pigs. The other 
  animals fell upon their comrades in 
  a feeding frenzy so fevered that I still 
  shudder at the thought.
  The trader made haste in leaving 
  the area, saying that 
  once the beasts had stripped the flesh 
  from their fallen packmates, they 
  would again be on the hunt. I would 
  have liked an opportunity to perform 
  a closer study on the anatomy of the 
  carnivorous swine. From my limited 
  observation, I believe the “javerahnas” 
  possessed slightly exaggerated tusks, 
  but that could be simply the artifact 
  of my startled response upon my 
  memory.
  C.
  
  Field reports of prof. connolly
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  Field Report #13
  Tucson, Arizona
  13 May 1881
  I have little of interest in the way 
  of zoological observations to provide 
  in this report. My time in Tucson has 
  been uneventful, with a single notable 
  exception which I feel compelled to 
  share, as it was certainly unsettling for 
  me.
  A few days ago, I attended a 
  vaudevillian show at a local theater. 
  I was most taken by a ventriloquist 
  act that served as a lead-in to the 
  main attraction, a somewhat clumsy 
  rendition of Goethe’s Faust. What 
  struck me as so engrossing about the 
  ventriloquist was the quality and 
  workmanship 
  of 
  his 
  mannequin. 
  Seated near the front row, I could not 
  help but note the degree of detail on 
  the puppet, which appeared fashioned 
  from high-quality porcelain if not 
  actual china.
  The young man himself was quite 
  entertaining, being gifted not only 
  with an impeccable sense of timing 
  for his jokes, but also a surprising 
  acting ability. His feigned surprise at 
  his own dummy’s actions was quite 
  convincing and even more amusing 
  for its seeming genuineness. Why, had 
  I not known better, I’d have believed 
  the dummy moved of its own volition!
  After the show, I went backstage 
  to congratulate the young performer 
  and more closely examine his puppet. 
  I found the door to his room slightly 
  ajar, and upon receiving no response 
  to my hails, peeked inside. There I 
  found the poor soul murdered before 
  his mirror, with numerous slashes 
  about his neck. 
  As the closest thing to a witness, I 
  was interviewed by the town marshal. 
  The experience was quite beyond my 
  ken, but it gave me opportunity to 
  gather insight into the investigative 
  procedures of law enforcement. I was 
  able to learn that, although the murder 
  was particularly brutal and seemingly 
  evidence of a personal vendetta, 
  the marshal believed that theft was 
  the primary motivation. After all, 
  the criminal had stolen the man’s 
  undoubtedly very valuable puppet.
  I also discovered that the young 
  ventriloquist arrived in Tucson in 
  the company of none other than 
  Nightlinger’s 
  Traveling 
  Exhibition 
  only a week ago! If you’ll excuse 
  my excitement at a mere sideshow’s 
  passing, the number of times I’ve 
  crossed paths with this attraction have 
  left me somewhat fixated on it. Given 
  the opportunity, I would feel reticent 
  in my duties if I failed to examine the 
  proprietor’s claims for his show. 
  Inquiries have led me to believe the 
  carnival may visit nearby Tombstone 
  presently. As soon as I can secure 
  safe passage, or at least a traveling 
  companion, I shall depart. My journeys 
  thus far throughout the “weird” West 
  have taught me the folly of braving 
  this expanse alone. 
  C.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Savage Worlds System (SWADE) [multi]/Deadlands Reloaded/Deadlands Reloaded - Grim Prairie Trails - Field Reports of Prof. Connolly.pdf