Arkham, Massachusetts: Lincoln, New Mexico.

Lotus Ashford, of Arkham, Mass., is rather well off, mainly through his father’s business acumen. Lotus Ashford Sr. has made a respectable future in various commodities, mainly steel, and he still runs the Ashford Steel Company out of Pittsburgh. Lotus Sr. also has a sister, Gladys, and a younger brother, Alfred. Gladys is married off in a strange marriage somewhere in Louisiana, but Alfred is a different case altogether: an eternal optimist, but just not very structured in his actions and considerations. He is a kind soul, though, and albeit awkward, still part of the Ashford family. Alfred is also quite the womanizer, and he’s been married three times while fathering at least six known offspring. He is fairly close to Lotus Jr., at least when he’s in town, and he used to bring young Lotus little gifts and knick-knacks from his extensive travels. Lotus Ashford Jr. is attending a family holiday luncheon in Arkham at the Pawtuxet Hotel on Saturday, December 13. Being friendly with the Ashfords, Frank Cannon is also invited, and he is enjoying a fine cigar and a cup of reinforced tea after a particularly nice luncheon. As the guests prepare to leave the event, Alfred Ashford, as always dressed as if he’d worn his suit to bed last night, approaches Lotus and Frank. Alfred is blunt and to the point, and he asks Lotus for help. As it turns out, his youngest son, James, or as he’s affectionately known, Jimmy, decided to become a miner in New Mexico. Jimmy Ashford is the youngest of the known brood, and he is the only one to pick up some of Alfred’s more adventurous and eccentric habits. Apparently, Jimmy had been told of a new vein of precious metals that had been discovered in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico, close to the ghost town of White Oaks. Jimmy took a train to Lincoln, New Mexico, on October 29, just before Halloween. Alfred Ashford received a couple of telegrams and several letters initially, and things seemed to be going well for Jimmy. However, there hasn’t been a sign of Jimmy since early December, and Alfred is concerned. He has secured some funds from Lotus Ashford Sr., and he politely asks Lotus Jr. if he please could look into this matter? Alfred was hoping to celebrate Christmas together with the Ashford family, including all of his six known children.

Cannon and Ashford were given a key to Jimmy's apartment, and they found some news clippings, three IOUs, time tables for trains and buses, and a loan application.

ARKHAM ADVERTISER

September 1, 1924

MINERAL FINDS IN NEW MEXICO BAFFLE BOFFINS

Geologists at the The New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology claim to have discovered several types of new minerals and possibly even rare earth elements in Lincoln County, New Mexico. The exact location remains undisclosed, as there are concerns of unapproved prospecting as well as issues with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

ARKHAM ADVERTISER

September 12, 1924

DUNWICH MINER KILLED IN NEW MEXICO

Jebediah Hart of Dunwich, Massachusetts, age 59, was killed in a gunfight reminiscent of the old ways of the frontier on September 3. Witnesses have failed to identify the gunmen, and Federal Marshals have been dispatched to the town of Lincoln, New Mexico, which is supposedly close to where the gunfight took place.

Alfred Ashford Jimmy Ashford

Jimmy Ashford thought a bit about the issue, and decided that this will be an excellent opportunity to make a buck. He studied mining for a week or two, and checked out books at the Miskatonic University library. He thereafter bought equipment – much on IOUs – and then took the train to Santa Fe, and subsequently an autobus to Lincoln. He arrived on November 2, and stayed at the Wortley Hotel for three nights before renting an unassuming room off Union Street. He took day trips by horse and the occasional overnight trip to get the lay of the land. Jimmy Ashford socialized at the bars, and he is remembered as a happy-go-lucky greenhorn, nice but a bit clueless. He spent much time with Edgar “Dutch” Schmitt, a logger who knows something about most things.

Could it be..? Lotus Ashford and Frank Cannon!

This prompted Cannon and Ashford to gather various kinds of wilderness and outback gear before taking the morning train to Boston, and from there to Albuquerque, via Kansas City. The duo took the train on Monday, December 15, and after a long, but not unpleasant journey, they arrived at Albuquerque on Saturday, December 20. They acquired a small bus, and after staying overnight, they proceeded to Lincoln on the dusty roads of New Mexico.

"We shall call her Patsy, Queen of the Desert".

The duo did find rooms at the Union Hotel and Restaurant, the fancier of the two hotels in town (the other one being the Wortley), and after chatting to the bartender and ordering hot meals, Dutch Schmitt entered the bar. He was indeed quite talkative, but he also had to inform Cannon and Ashford that Jimmy Ashford was quite dead, and under somewhat unclear circumstances, to that. Jimmy’s remains were found outside Carrizozo by a railway worker, 52-year old Elmer Pluckett on December 10. He was deeply shocked by the state of the corpse, but attributed the mutilation to coyotes or other wildlife. This was supported by Henry Carlyle, the coroner in Lincoln. Jimmy was buried on December 13 by Norris Harding, the undertaker, together with father Joshua Bose, a Jesuit missionary.

Edgar "Dutch" Schmitt

The news saddened Lotus in particular, since he had many fond memories of cousin Jimmy. But these queer circumstances required a more thorough investigation, and Ashford and Cannon were the right men for this! But first, the night was interrupted by dogs barking, and Lotus Ashford had a most uneasy nights' sleep, being interrupted by unpleasant scratching noises at the window. Frank Cannon slept soundly, but woke up with several large and noisy flies buzzing in his room, and he was disgusted to see a partially flayed dog carcass just below his second-story window, just like the contents of a Manhattan alley on a Monday morning.

Unperturbed, the duo sought out the coroner, Henry Carlyle, who seemed to be a bit flexible regarding the funerary protocols. Carlyle and his unpleasant and unnaturally skinny assistant Mortimer recommended talking to Elmer Pluckett of Carrizozo, who'd after all found the remains.

Elmer Pluckett, an insane railroad worker.

Pluckett, a Mormon teetotaler, was also quite insane. It was difficult to say if this was the result of seeing what must have been a gruesomely savaged body, being described as being "draped around switch gear" or if this was a preexisting condition, but the man was clearly out of his wits. Further investigation was required.

Late on that Monday afternoon, December 22, the duo knocked on the refractory of St. Mary's Church to speak to Father Joshua Bose. The Jesuit had the healthy looks of someone who partakes in nature for the sake of enjoyment, not labor, and he greeted Ashford and Cannon with fresh fruit and a pot of equally freshly brewed coffee. Father Bose had a soft German accent, and he was clearly glad to share some information with the duo. Jimmy's coffin had indeed been closed, but Father Bose would also tell Ashford and Cannon of strange and worrisome unrest amongst the Antahueca Apache living north of Lincoln. He also told the duo of Boss Martin's ranch hands, who were employed by Mr. Otto Argo, the owner of the Mitscher Ranch and Farm a couple of miles north of Lincoln. Boss Martin's ranch hands had apparently been up to all kinds of shenanigans, including harassing local farmers and the Apache. They may also have been involved in the gun fight with old Jebediah Hart earlier during the year. Mr. Argo had apparently inherited a decrepit farm from his dead daughter and rebuilt it to modern standards during the spring and summer of 1924. Before leaving, Father Bose warned Cannon and Ashford that these were strange times, and that Boss Martin and his and could be both violent and unpredictable. Things seemed complicated.