Marcus Vandez (Reboot)

''This article refers to Marcus Vandez as he existed during the Cartwright reboot saga. For the original Marcus Vandez click here.''

Marcus Vandez was a highwayman of the Southern US in 1877.

Early Life-
Marcus Vandez was born to a single-parent household on September 16th, 1856. His mother (Eliza Vandez) and him lived in a small cabin In Tall Trees, West Elizibeth. Marcus grew up with a love of reading and hunting. He would usually spend the day outside hunting small animals while his mother quilted blankets to sell in town. Marcus would disembowel the creatures with his knife. A process the young Marcus grew fond of until his mother forced him to stop. This would later be seen as a sign of Marcus's underlying mental instability.

Marcus would then spend the night under candlelight reading any book his mother could find in town.

Due to the high price of quilting materials and food, Marcus and his mother almost never broke even and eventually Marcus's mother resorted to taking loans from loan sharks to keep food on the table.

Death of His Mother-
On January 27th, 1872, a group of debt collectors came to the Vandez Cabin in search of $700 worth of loan payment. While Marcus stayed in the cabin Marcus's mother pleaded to be left alone, eventually getting violent and grabbing one of the collectors, grabbing his knife. A debt collector by the name of John Ruth tried to fire a warning shot but ended up hitting Eliza, killing her. Marcus, who watched the ordeal through the window, ran out screaming only to be tackled by one of the debtors. The group ransacked the cabin for anything of value before riding off.

The Belton Massacre (May 25th, 1874)-
Marcus buried his mother and sat out looking for the man who killed her. He eventually found his name being that of John Ruth and after two years tracked him to the small Texas town of Belton.

Belton was a hive of crime and villainy, where the law was ineffective and violence ruled. John was arrested for horse theft and was set for trial a couple of days after Marcus arrived. After some investigations, Marcus learned of a planned coup by the townspeople where they would raid the jailhouse and execute the prisoners.

Marcus participated, and while the other prisoners were shot Marcus was allowed to cuff John and drag him to the top of the Bell County Courthouse, where John was hung. His noose specifically fitted to choke him slowly. John's body stayed hanging for a week as a warning to criminals about the new order in Belton.

Reports say John pleaded with Marcus for mercy, claiming the killing was an accident and that he regretted it immensely.

Life as a highwayman-
After the Belton Massacre Marcus rode back east and became a highwayman, robbing stagecoaches and stealing from the wealthy.