Free Crown of Serpents by Michael Karpovage Page B

Traveling Man of the Craft. Boyd was a brave leader of his Scouts. There is no doubt. He fought us hard during the Ambuscade, even after being wounded in his side. Had I known of your intentions that he was under your Personal Protection, I would not have interrogated him, but in my interpretation at the time, he was the Enemy and thus my duty and my responsibility to the King that I examine the Rebel for intelligence. You should know Boyd refused to divulge any information of General Sullivan’s army under thrice repeated threat of death. But the non-Mason Parker gave me everything I needed. Had you not departed on unrelated matters, you might have saved Boyd’s life after I was done with him, for I could not control the Anger possessed within Little Beard and his clan of Seneca under your command. They sought revenge for the destruction the Rebel Army had laid upon their villages and crops. Little Beard inflicted torture practices I have never witnessed before. I could not stop them. Such a young man at the age of twenty-three, Boyd was truly a brave soul, even during the pure agony leading up to his death. He never begged for mercy once and died with his dignity intact much to the displeasure of Little Beard. Parker was summarily dispatched with similar techniques. In honor of your initial Obligation to help a Worthy Brother in Need, I’ve directed the bearer of this letter, a runner from Little Beard’s clan, to present to you the sword of the Lieutenant Thomas Boyd, confiscated by my sergeant before your warriors stripped the man. Keep it well. I shall meet you in Niagara.
    Fraternally,
    John Butler
    Jake blinked several times. He stammered for words. “Unbelievable! A letter to Joseph Brant from Colonel John Butler. And completely shrouded in Masonic mystery.”
    “I’m sorry Major. I don’t understand what the letter pertains to.”
    “Butler and Brant were famous figures,” answered Jake. “Or infamous, I should say. The Americans despised them and placed a bounty on their heads. Their actions during several massacres in the Wyoming and Cherry Valley led to Washington’s decision to destroy the Iroquois homeland. What you have here is an amazing artifact of history. This letter alone will fetch a pretty penny.”
    Ms. Hibbard’s demeanor changed at the mention of money. “Is that right? Go on.”
    Jake took several minutes to explain to her the magnitude of the correspondence. Colonel John Butler was the leader of Butler’s Rangers, a British detachment based out of Fort Niagara. Chief Joseph Brant was a Mohawk Indian who led a contingent of Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, and Mohawk Indians. The Rangers and the Indians were undeniably the fiercest combination of guerilla warriors in the Revolutionary War. Brant had persuaded many Iroquois to ally with the British instead of staying neutral. And because of this stance many Iroquois looked down on Brant and labeled him a monster for getting them involved in the war and thus destroying their Confederacy. He and Butler were co-commanders in the western New York and Pennsylvania wilderness and often did not get along. Although they distrusted each other and vied for power, they did work for a common cause — to kill rebels.
    During their reign of terror, their soldiers murdered many American settlers and burned countless villages in a brutal land grabbing campaign to oust the Patriots, yet they blamed each other for the atrocious acts of the troops under their command. Jake interpreted the letter, rife with Freemasonry terminology, to be sort of a gotcha moment or I told you so for Brant harboring rebels against the King’s will, even if they were Brother Masons. It added to the mystery surrounding Thomas Boyd’s last hours of his life.
    Rising from his seat, Jake began to pace, arms folded behind his back. He went on to explain that Chief Brant was raised and educated in British Tory schools. He was the epitome of the noble warrior and had even visited the