Jimmy and Alice

Jimmy met the young and pretty Alice after he was injured while defending her people, The Peacekeepers, from an attack by a mob of men on horseback who are from the nearby town of James Creek. The Peacekeepers brought Jimmy back to their Bruderhof (community) to heal and Alice helped nurse his wounds.  The Peacekeepers are a religious sect similar to the Amish, they do not believe in violence, dress in black, and try to keep themselves separate from the rest of the town by having their own church and school. They plan to build a church nearby which will increase the Peacekeeper population to nearly a hundred. This would out number the citizens of James Creek and the townspeople fill threatened by this. Jimmy was intrigued by the peace Alice has found and yearned to learn more. “Building a church in this much hatred doesn’t make sense, does it?” He asked. “We don’t seek to make sense, James Hickok. We seek to make peace.” Alice replied. Jimmy, wanting to help, attempted to discuss with Estes, the owner and publisher of the town newspaper, about the problem only to find that Estes was publishing lies about the Peacekeepers claiming they worship the devil and perform animal sacrifices. Jacob, the leader and “grandfather,” of the Peacekeepers was anxious for Jimmy to heal and leave, as he was leery of Jimmy reputation with a gun. Alice asked Jimmy why he was staying now that he was well enough to return home to Sweetwater. Jimmy said he wanted to help them, but also admitted that he was staying because of his affection for her. Alice replied that that would be unwise, as his need to carry a gun would make things very difficult for them. Jimmy responded by asking, “What if I take them off?” Through further courtship with Alice, Jimmy learned that Alice found the Peacekeepers after her husband was killed by outlaws robbing their store. She said the Peacekeepers taught her a new life, something that was different, separate, and better than her life before. Jimmy longed to have this life as well. After deep contemplation, Jimmy decided to give up his guns and shared a passionate kiss with Alice. Through further investigating, Jimmy discovered the railroad will be arriving soon and the Peacekeepers own part of the land they plan to use. Estes, who was buying up all the surrounding land because of the railroad, offered to buy the land from the Peacekeepers, knowing it would, like the neighboring lands, would become very valuable. It was only after they refused to sell that Estes began to print the lies about the Peacekeeper in an attempt to drive them out of town. Once Estes plan was revealed, the townspeople agreed to help the Peacekeepers build their church. When a gunfighter, hired by one of Jimmy’s foes, showed up, Jimmy realized that his past will always come back to haunt him. He could never really have a peacefully life with Alice and he would only bring harm to her and the Peacekeepers. Alice begged him to stay, but he said he can’t but he will never forget.

And special thanks to Wendy for these great screen caps!