Escape from Helmira: The Great Civil War Prison Escape (Dyna-Tyme Genetics Time Travel Series Book 2)

by Fred Holmes

  “FBI training. It’s the best.”

  “How’s Ginger’s chest?” Gary asked.

  “She’s pretty sore and still thanking Lorna for making her wear the Kevlar,” replied Ralph.

  Doctor Mark entered. “You won’t believe this,” he said, “but I just heard on my radio that the North Koreans launched another test rocket. It went awry off the launch pad and came down on a road nearby, hitting a car with a passenger who had just come in on a plane from the USA. Nobody has been able to identify the lone occupant yet, but witnesses claim there were hundred dollar bills all over the place.”

  “Do you think?”

  “Yep,” said Doctor Mark. “I checked, and it was the same plane that our North Korean left on with his briefcase full of money. His plane arrived, and he picked up his car from the long term parking. Way out there. No other cars in the lot. Coincidence? Maybe.”

  “By the way, Doc,” Ralph said. “We know you injected Rummy and Lida as well as Vinnie and Rainey, with RTSL. So where did you send them?”

  “Oh, no,” Carlton exclaimed. “You all agreed that Doctor Mark and I would be responsible for programming the injections, and you also agreed that we could keep the secret between us.”

  “We can tell you that, as far as we know, they’re safe and don’t pose a threat to anyone. We have taken RTSL down and are only using the medical applications. No more time travel.”

  Ralph rose from his desk. “Well, gentlemen, I have tons of work to catch up on, and I expect you’re busy as well. We’ll meet again next month, same time.”

  A Garage Apartment in Baltimore

  Erik Stenson sat at his computer, puffing on a Cuban, his head nodding to the music flooding his brain with its heavy beat. He found it prudent to move his base of operations out of Trenton. Questions might arise concerning the death of Tony Bustemonte and the disappearance of Dee and Bunny.

  He decided to operate alone for a while. His only problem was his worsening case of agoraphobia. Fortunately, to this point all his transactions could be handled electronically, with little personal contact required. He was sticking with small stuff, and most of his hacking was to gather information that he could use for blackmail. Being that it was an election year, the market was rife with opportunities. Yes, life was good, crooked politicians abounded, and Erik was a happy man, although he missed Dee and Bunny. He could use Dee for second story work, and Bunny had livened up the place with her sparkling personality.

  Maybe, someday, he would see that psychiatrist his mother suggested awhile back. Ah, maybe not. He didn’t like the idea of shrinks trying to get in his head.

  There was a thump at the door and he answered it, picked up the morning paper, and, after pulling out the ads, went directly to the “Science and Technology” section. A headline caught his attention: “Remains of King Richard III Found Near Battle Site.”

  The article went on to explain that the corpse was in good condition and that viable DNA could be extracted and used to throw light on conflicting rumors of the exact location of Battle of Bosworth Field. The largest value the remains could provide was the genealogical data that would make the royal lineage clearer. Centuries of debate and fighting could possibly be settled once and for all.

  Erik was somewhat of an anglophile, and he attributed the interest to his mother, who was a Stanley. Sir William Stanley played an important role by making his attack and rescuing Henry Tudor, challenger to King Richard’s throne, just at the point where Henry was in jeopardy from Richard’s warriors

  Erik threw the paper on a pile of the same and returned to his paid job of hacking e-mail servers, which were liable to uncover thousands of dollar’s worth of blackmail.

  He would get back to merry olde England later.

  The End

  Fate of the Escapees

  The escape from Elmira Federal Prison by ten imprisoned Confederate soldiers at 3:30 in the morning of October 7, 1864, is a true story. I took the sequence of events from Recollections of Washington B. (Brown) Traweek: Escaping Elmira by Washington B. Traweek.

  Following the adventures of the prisoners, I added a plot line with time travelers going back, attempting to rescue another traveler, earlier stuck in time, in this prison. The plots were then merged, continued as one basic plot and proceeded to a conclusion.

  As the reader knows from the ending, John Crawford makes it to his home in Virginia and Traweek made it home to Greenville, Alabama. It took Crawford twenty-three days to return home.

  So, what happened to the other eight escapees? From what I could find, John Fox Maul met up with Gilmer “Hickory” Jackson and William Templin shortly after they escaped. The trio made their way across the river, in broad daylight, to Mount Zoar where they rested. Cecrops Malone and John Putegnat also rested the first day on Mount Zoar, making three groups of escapees spending their first day on Mount Zoar. Surprisingly, the three groups were unaware of each other’s presence.

  From there, Cecrops Malone and John Putegnat made their way to Auburn, New York where Malone took a job as a machinist and Putegnat hired on as a helper. Malone was somehow able to hang onto two sets of civilian clothes during his incarceration, making movement and hiring on easier. They saved their money and eventually made it to New York City. From there to Baltimore and finally south to home.

  Berry Benson was the last man out of the tunnel and didn’t have much hope of avoiding capture. But after picking some corn and apples, he worked his way west through Big Flats and Corning. Then he turned south and, with the help of a crude map and a small compass, made his way home.

  That accounts for Traweek, Crawford, Malone, Putegnat, Maul, Jackson, Templin, Scruggs, and Benson. That leaves Shelton unaccounted for immediately after the escape. I did a bit of research but was unable to find much information regarding his escape. I counted him as escaped and let it go at that.

  Recently, there have been a few prison escapes. The most notable was the escape from Altiplano Prison in Mexico, by notorious drug lord El Chapo Guzman. He also escaped by a tunnel, although his was 7/10 of a mile long and thirty feet deep. Truly a gigantic project. It’s hard to compare, but chances are that El Chapo had more to work with than the jackknives and spoons and spoon employed by Traweek, Crawford, and their undernourished prisoners. Shortly, there will be another attempt at tunneling to freedom, but like most, it will fail, or they will catch the tunnelers. They always do, except in 1863 and in my travels in time.

  It seems that each war produces a memorable escape. The Great Escape, for example, The Shawshank Redemption, Papillion, Escape from Alcatraz, and there is always a civil war prison escape or two. Escape stories are high drama and make good movies. Here’s one for you, Hollywood.

  - Fred H. Holmes

  Acknowledgments

  I’m fortunate that I enjoy writing and have a plethora of ideas and a vivid imagination. I’m lucky that I have my wife, Mary, to police my grammar, spelling, and punctuation. I couldn’t do it without her proofreading and critical evaluation of my work.

  I also am blessed with a family that supports my efforts. My daughter, Jonna, granddaughter, Mica, her husband Nate, and my son-in-law Mike (Mouse) are always there with an idea and an “‘attaboy!” when I need encouragement.

  When I’m not writing, I’m at the Sachse Senior Center Tuesday and Thursday mornings for the exercise class followed by afternoon Bridge. I also enjoy the support of many avid readers at the center. Linda Hayden and Penny Bogdon introduced me to the Sachse Book Club, and my first novel received a positive review by the club.

  I’m a member of S.W.A.G. (Sachse, Wylie, Author’s, Group) and respect the support and critical reviews at our monthly meetings.

  Many thanks to Kermit and the hard working folks at Kamel press for their production and publishing expertise

  Estoy bendecido,

  Fred H. Holmes

  About the Author

  FRED H. HOLMES was born and raised on a small dairy farm in the Finger Lakes region of
Western New York. After attending college and majoring in chemistry at RIT, Fred became a successful cash register salesman and was transferred to Atlanta, Georgia.

  Fred fell in love with the South and quickly adapted to Southern ways. His company transferred him to the home office, this time in New Jersey. In the early seventies, he found himself in Dallas, Texas being swept off his feet by the Texas charm and beauty of his soon to be wife, Mary, and part of a thriving wholesale and retail dart business. Fred was always an avid reader and a passion for writing, combined with a lack of instructional books on the booming game of darts, prompted him to write three successful books on the topic.

  In 2001 they sold the dart business, and, in 2005 Fred and Mary moved to a small town west of San Jose, Costa Rica. They moved to Texas in 2014 to be with family.

  Fred now has the time to write full-time and his experiences in the North and South, as well as a passion for history and science fiction, have led to this book, and we hope many more.

  Visit

  www.FredHHolmes.com

  for details!