Kentucky Sky

by R. David Anderson

  Pelina came over and slapped my face, then she and Katherine pulled me off the men and assisted me back to our state room. They forced me to lay down on my bed, but I kept laughing and kicking my legs, trying to get up. Pelina shook me and shouted at me to be still. I stopped wiggling and stared up at Pelina’s face; then I passed out.

  When I woke up it was dark in the room, and I was alone. A little bit of light entered the room from a small window above the door. I could hear clapping and cheering coming from the salon. I wondered what was going on, and I became angry that I was not included. I looked at my brooch watch that Walter had given me. It was nearing 10 o’clock.

  I got up and turned the gas light knob so that it lit from the pilot. I looked at myself in the mirror a brushed my hair and sprayed on some perfume. I opened the door and stepped into the ladies’ salon area. A steward locked the state room door behind me. I looked everywhere in the ladies’ section for Pelina and Katherine, but I did not see them. I could hear some kind of show going on in the main salon, so I went that way to find out what was going on in that section of the riverboat.

  Some of the ladies gave me some hard stares, apparently showing their aversion to my drunken behavior at dinner. I barely remembered what I had done, it now seemed like a bad dream. I was embarrassed by the stares.

  I entered the main salon. Some men began to cluster around me and made aggressive remarks and gestures. One of the men tried to pin me against the wall. A swift kick to his lower extremities made all the men back away and leave, laughing as they went, their friend doubled over in pain.

  There were some circus performers doing an act with unicycles on a tightwire, juggling and blowing flames from their mouths. All the tables had been moved to the side and the chairs were placed in rows for the passengers. I went over to where the spectators were enjoying the show and looked for Pelina and Katherine.

  I watched the acrobats for a while, admiring their exceptional performance. It was incredible to see them juggle pins while moving across the high wire on a unicycle, it took incredible balance and skill to accomplish these feats.

  I heard some banjo music coming from the front deck. I decided to go there and search for Pelina and Katherine.

  I walked up the promenade to the observation deck, where we had met Mrs. Wrampelmeier earlier. There was a crowd of passengers here now; some playing cards at tables, others watching, and many more were singing and clapping to the banjo and fiddle music. Drinks were flying from the bar room at a furious pace.

  I pushed through the crowd looking for Pelina and Katherine. There were some people dancing in the thick of everything, and that’s where I found them; dancing with many partners. I was thinking that it was confounded obvious that they had too much to drink by now, as they were being excessively silly. I was grabbed by some men and forced out to the dance floor. I really did not care to dance but by that time I had no choice but to join the festivities.

  I started to enjoy myself. The dancing was not like some boring ball room type that was going on in the main salon with the conclusion of the show. Couples were doing a variation of some folk dances, changing partners often. It was a fun lively dance with a lot of turning and kicking with very energetic movements that kept pace with the quick tempo of the banjo and fiddle.

  We danced so much that we began to get worn out. I stopped first, then Katherine and finally Pelina. We stood at the bar, and several men offered us drinks, but we refused.

  We saw some of the other girls getting ice cream. That was a treat that we did not have very often; I only tried it once before at the state fair. The ice cream here was so cold and smooth, served in a parfait glass with a cherry on top. We sat on some bar style stools as we enjoyed the delicious ice cream treat.

  A commotion suddenly erupted from one of the card tables. There was Flynt in the middle of it! He stood up and drew his gun. A man on the opposite side of the table jumped to his feet and also drew his revolver.

  “It’s Flynt!” Pelina cried out. “What’s he doing up here?”

  “Looks like he sneaked up here to get into the high stakes card games,” Katherine said.

  “He’s a cheat!” Yelled the man “Nothin’ but a dirty filthy scoundrel! He loaded the deck, saw him do it…”

  “Yeah, no wonder he’s cleanin’ everybody out!” Yelled another.

  Flynt grabbed the pile of money and started to retreat from the table. Two burly stewards came and grabbed him on each arm.

  “Put the money down!” One of them ordered.

  Flynt threw the money back down on the table. The stewards searched through Flynt’s pockets and pulled out his boarding ticket.

  “Alright, you’ve a second-class ticket, mate. You don’t belong here. Got a mind to throw you overboard!”

  They started to carry Flynt to the railing and I thought they were going to do it. They dangled him upside down over the tail. Flynt screamed out for help, but all the onlookers just laughed.

  “Throw him overboard! Throw him overboard!” They jeered.

  I gasped at this prospect. If Flynt were thrown overboard, I would certainly lose my advantage of being able to track him and the sarge once we got to Newport.

  At the last moment they pulled him back up to the deck and pushed him down, punched and kicked him several times, then they horse collared him and dragged him down the stairs to the freight deck.

  I was relieved that he wasn’t thrown overboard. One thing for sure, he got what he deserved; he had that coming for a long time. But if he had gone overboard my plans would have gone awry.

  We finished our ice cream. It was almost midnight. The bell on the top deck was ringing loud and clear, sending out a signal to another river vessel in the night, indicating our location. It was late, and we would be docking in Newport very early Wednesday morning.

  We returned to the main salon, where an orchestra was playing on into the night. Several couples were dancing and at the other side people sat at tables enjoying drinks. We watched the dancing for a while, then returned to our state room.

  We played checkers and chatted until half past one in the morning. Katherine won all the games as she always did.

  We slept soundly through the night. In the morning we took a very relaxing bath in scented oils, had our hair styled, and then a breakfast of biscuits, ham and eggs.

  July 10, 1867

  We returned to our state room to get ready to leave. I opened the curtains to our stateroom window and was surprised to see many imposing buildings outside.

  “I thought that we were in Newport!” I exclaimed.

  Katherine came over and peered out the window. “I don’t think this is Newport…it must be Cincinnati.”

  Pelina joined us at the window. “Yeah, look at all the hogs being unloaded. This is Cincinnati alright. We’re in Porkopolis.”

  We packed our bags and went out onto the promenade. There was a negro steward on duty and I asked him for information.

  “Are we in Cincinnati?”

  “Yes ma’am, we are indeed in Cincinnati, at the Vine Street wharf.”

  “We wanted to get off in Newport.”

  “It will be twelve hours before we arrive there. We have to unload and load freight first. Most everyone takes the Newport ferry from Lawrence Street.”

  The friendly steward explained to us how to get to the Newport ferry, but we did not really understand the directions. When we got off the boat we were completely confused and lost.

  Arrival

  Getting lost in The Queen City was not such a bad thing. We walked around the business district, visiting many shops along Vine Street and Walnut. I purchased some imported teas at a variety store. We also bought scented soaps and perfumes at some specialty shops. The streets were crowded with shoppers even though it was only the middle of the week. Cincinnati was very impressive with row upon row of brick masonry buildings with fine ornamental crown ledges adorning windows and rooftops.

  It was a fascinating city to explo
re. We would have stayed longer, but I felt the need to get to our destination.

  We had to ask again for directions to the ferry. A nice gentleman showed us to Front Street and pointed us in the right direction.

  “Thank you, sir,” I said. “We have been lost all morning!”

  “Everybody gets lost here,” he said with a wink. “And before you know it, you’ve spent all your life and fortune in this place.”

  We went down Front Street and found Lawrence, then turned right towards the ferry berth.

  We paid our two-cent fare and went up a wide ramp to the ferry deck and sat down on a wooden bench. Many people crowded onto the small stern-wheeler until there was no more room. There was a greasy odor here, probably from all the industry situated along the river.

  As we approached the ferry landings on the Newport side of the river, I saw the Wrampelmeiers. When we got off the ferry Mrs. Wrampelmeier waved at us.

  “Oh, there you are!” She greeted. “Sorry we missed you this morning. We had to take care of some business today.”

  “Thank you for waiting for us.” I said.

  “Oh, no bother at all, we were just leaving the bank and I told John that we should come to the ferry port and see if we might join up with you girls.”

  “We got lost in Cincinnati and spent a lot of time in some of the stores over there,” I explained.

  “Well, it’s easy to lose one self in Cincinnati,” she laughed. “Come, girls, we have a coach waiting over there.”

  It was beyond my expectations that we would receive such a wonderful welcome in Newport. The Wrampelmeiers knew the town well and they showed us around. Newport was a vibrant community with many diversions. The coach finally stopped in front of a hotel.

  “This is the nicest place to stay here in Newport,” Mr. Wrampelmeier told us. “This is the Frontier Inn. I highly recommend it.”

  “How much is it here a night?” I asked.

  “They have some rooms available for just a half dollar a day.”

  We checked in and moved into a spacious room on the second floor. We rested for about half an hour, then I read a Cincinnati newspaper that I had bought in the city.

  There was a knock at the door. Katherine opened it and a steward delivered a message from the Wrampelmeier’s inviting us to lunch at noon.

  We went to a German restaurant on Monmouth Street. I had some delicious beef stroganoff. It was the best I’ve ever eaten, authentic from the Old World. I remembered that my Ma’s best recipes were from the Old world. This brought back good memories of when my parents were alive.

  “Ginny, I have something to tell you,” Mr. Wrampelmeier said as he finished his main course. “The police inspector here is a friend of mine. I spoke to him this morning about your situation with sarge. He has assured me that he will alert his men about their scheme, and they will make an attempt to intercept the freight wagon.”

  I was overjoyed that there was finally some good news. “Thank you, Mr. Wrampelmeier. I sincerely hope that they will catch them, and they get what they deserve. They need to be locked up so that they will not hurt anyone else.”

  Mr. Wrampelmeier nodded. “There are some legal statutes on the books that apply to this case. I assume that they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law if they are caught with the stolen goods.”

  “I was going to see the provost officer at the Newport Army Barracks today. Do you think that I should still go?” I asked.

  “Yes, by all means, do. This is still an army issue. I would check there and see if they can offer any assistance. At lease file a report in the matter, so that an investigation might be initiated.”

  “Okay, I will go there after lunch.”

  Mr. Wrampelmeier gave me directions to the army post. I left right away. Pelina and Katherine came with me. We walked up Taylor Street through the center of Newport. We passed an open-air market, a gun shop, and a few jewelry stores.

  The clock on the town hall showed ten minutes past one. The stores in town were not busy at his hour.

  We passed some row housing on the west side of town as we approached the barracks. We entered at the Central Street visitors gate. There were several colonial type buildings along a central park like area. We went directly to the headquarters building. A guard greeted us in a spacious lobby.

  “May I help you ladies?” He inquired.

  “We want to speak to the provost officer,” I replied.

  “The provost marshal’s office is across the green, in the auxiliary building. Just go around the circle to the other side.”

  I thanked the guard and we headed to the circular walk that went around the grassy, tree lined green which gave an arboreal appearance to the army post. We found the building easily and entered a wide colonnaded porch, where the door stood wide open. We went inside.

  It was confusing to find our way in the auxiliary building. There were many different offices there. We finally found the office of the army provost and entered a small reception area.

  An overweight staff officer greeted us. “May I help you, ma’am?”

  “Yes,” I replied. “I would like to file a report about a crime committed by some soldiers.”

  “You will have to complete an official form called a criminal investigation report bofore it will be reviewed by this office.”

  “Okay, give me the form. I will fill it out now.”

  I filled out the report. It took a long time to describe the incidents of criminal activity. I reported my parents’ murder and the illegal activities in which the sarge and the others were now engaged. When I was finished with the report, I handed it to the staff officer. He read it over closely, frowned, and looked up at me.

  “I will submit your report to our investigations department. You should hear back from us soon. Where may we contact you?”

  I gave him the address of our hotel.

  As we were leaving the building we saw a group of soldiers walking toward us. We froze in our tracks. Gus and Flynt were there! We abruptly turned and started to walk briskly towards the main gate. We opened our parasols and covered our faces.

  Several of the men spotted us and they cat whistled. They laughed and snickered at us loudly, making rude remarks. We got out of there just in time.

  We took a coach back to our hotel. I was not feeling well after the close encounter at the army post. At least I had accomplished what I had set out to do there when we left this morning.

  I rested in my comfortable bed until it was time for dinner. We decided to order room service. The hotel restaurant brought us some excellent roast beef and poultry dishes along with black eyed peas smothered in bacon.

  After our meal we took a walk-up Monmouth Street and shopped at some ladies’ apparel stores but did not buy anything. Later we discovered several taverns and gambling halls near the river.

  Lamplighters were out, lighting up the town’s gas lamps as evening settled upon Newport. The taverns looked inviting, so we went into one of the larger ones and sat down at a table. We ordered some red wine along with some ham and cheese on crackers.

  We left the tavern early. I wanted to get a good night’s sleep because I knew that tomorrow would be a busy day. I did not want to over indulge in the wine either, as I had done on the riverboat journey.

  Back at the hotel room we read the advertisements in the Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper, played a few rounds of skat, then went to bed by eleven o’clock.

  July 11, 1867

  The next morning, we had our bath and breakfast at the hotel. We sent our clothes out to be laundered so we had to wait most of the morning for them to be cleaned and delivered back to our room.

  We left the hotel at eleven o’clock, searching for the Newport Inn. That is where sarge said that he would meet his friends at one o’clock. We learned that the Newport Inn was on Columbia Street. We walked there and stood in front of the small hotel. There was a restaurant directly across the street. We decided to return later and have lunch at this r
estaurant, so we would have a good view of the hotel.

  After spending some time at an open-air market near the town hall, where I bought some fresh fruits and peanuts, we rushed back to the restaurant, arriving just before one o’clock.

  We entered the restaurant and requested a table by the front window and placed our order. I had just finished my bowl of hot chowder when I saw Gus, Josh and Flynt standing across the street.

  “There they are!” I exclaimed.

  The three men were in front of the hotel, nervously glancing up the street, undoubtedly looking for the sarge.

  A carriage pulled up in front of the hotel. For a few anxious moments we could not see the men. When the carriage pulled away, sarge was standing next to them. He held a small carrying case.

  “What do you suppose is in that case?” Pelina asked, looking rather puzzled.

  I did not reply immediately. I was bewildered that sarge did not arrive in his freight wagon. Apparently, he had left the freight wagon somewhere else and already had sold the loot.

  I knew what this meant. “It looks like he has sold the loot already and that would certainly mean that he’s got the money in that carrying case,” I said, looking at Pelina. “Is that what you are thinking, too?”

  She nodded in agreement. My plan of catching sarge with the loot in his possession as indisputable evidence had completely failed. I felt desperation and anguish like I had just been run over by a freight train. It was futile now, how would I ever get justice served against these men? I considered the loaded gun in my hand bag. Four bullets, four men…

  I could do it. I could walk out there and shoot them dead in the street. Of course, I would hang for my actions. But that’s a sacrifice that I was ready to make.

  I felt for the gun in my handbag. I felt the barrel with my fingertips as I stood, looking at sarge and his friends across the street.

  “Ginny, what are you doing?” Katherine exclaimed.

  “I’m going to put an end to this once and for all!” I shouted.