History
Richard Trask had been a Colonel in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. While a good tactician, Trask was also a ruthless and merciless opponent on the battlefield. After the war, Trask took a group of former soldiers who remained loyal to him, garbed them in masks and hoods, and headed westward, offering out his services to those willing to pay for them. As such, Trask became involved in the Railroad Wars of the 1870s, fighting on behalf of the Santa Fe and Pacific Railroad against the smaller Colorado and Texas Line. This brought him into conflict with the Rawhide Kid and others. Trask's side eventually prevailed thanks to their larger size and resources and William Tyler expanded his railroad empire all over the American West.
In 1886 Tyler again hired Trask's services, this time to protect the life of his son Billy. Billy had plotted against the life of native leader, Geronimo, a plot which was discovered by the Apache Kid. The Kid has Tyler imprisoned on these charges but he was soon released thanks to his father. Seeking retribution, Billy had the Kid ambushed and killed. This led to his killers being hunted down like dogs by both the Apache Kid's old friend, the Rawhide Kid, and his estranged wife Rosa Kare who had adopted the name of the Apache Kid while hunting down her husband's killers. Billy was sent to a town named Sagoro which was owned by his father, for safe-keeping. William Tyler also dispatched Trask and his men to the town to protect Billy and to kill those coming to kill him. Trask and his men, however, arrived too late to stop a vengeful Rosa from gunning down Billy.
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Trask and his men
Trask was then instructed to bring the elder Tyler the scalps of those responsible for his son's death. Tyler also instructed Trask to roust everyone in the town and to burn it to the ground in retribution for their failure to keep his son alive. As a first order of business, Trask shot the town sheriff down dead. After the town was burned to the ground, Trask ordered that none of the townspeople be allowed to ride the train to the next settlement, demanding instead that they walk. The nearest town was close to fifty miles away and it was expected that many of the townfolk would die. A porter allowed the people onto the train anyway and was later severaly beaten for his trouble, until rescued by the Rawhide Kid.
Trask followed the Kid and Rosa's trail back to San Antonio. When the Kid and Rosa rescued a number of native children from being sent to residential schools in the eastern United States, one of Trask's men saw them hijacking a train. This led to a pusuit which culminated with the Rawhide Kid setting off an explosion on Trask and Tyler's train which sent it over a bridge and into a gorge. While the Kid survived, Trask, his men and Tyler were all apparently killed.