> When the Op is questioning Captain Noonan about the
men killed in the
> shootout between Reno Starkey and Lew Yard's men,
Noonan tells him, "[It
> was] A pair of Johnson-brothers named Blackie Whalen
and Put Collings that
> only got out on bail around five yesterday, and Dutch
Jake Wahl, a
> guerilla." (It's p. 96 in the collected
novels.)
>
> Does anyone have any idea what "Johnson-brothers"
means in this context?
> If so, any idea about the derivation of it?
Since their names aren't Johnson and they don't appear to be
brothers, my
guess is that he's referring to the pair as "johnsons", i.e.
"pricks". Just
a guess.
Dennis
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