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    Trainwreckers
    Trainwreckers
    Trainwreckers
    Ebook145 pages1 hour

    Trainwreckers

    By David Rosten

    ()

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    About this ebook

    It is the golden age of the steam locomotive. The transcontinental railroad has just been completed across America, and while Native American Indians are fighting for their survival in the western territories, scores of people are looking for entertainment.

    Trainwreckers is inspired by the true-life exploits of Casey Jones, Joseph S. Connolly, and William G. Crust. Trainwreckers captures the spirit of the defiant, reckless age of the steam engine. This is a fictional account of Red Eagle, Doc Leonard, and Rachael Weatherford as they travel around the country staging head-on train wrecks for groups of adventuresome, frenzied, thrill seeking spectators looking for entertainment. The year is 1890 and the Wild West is in full swing.

    When the crowds grow and more money flows, the Trainwreckers decide to stage the ultimate train crash, and only one person will survive. The great train crash takes on a national significance in the race for the presidency of the United States during the William Jennings Bryan presidential campaign in 1896 against the Republican Candidate and former Ohio governor William McKinley.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisheriUniverse
    Release dateMar 17, 2017
    ISBN9781532005701
    Trainwreckers
    Author

    David Rosten

    About the Author The first time David Rosten traveled to Russia was in the early 1970s. The Cold War was in full swing. It was the first time he was at the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He has never forgotten the enormity of the collection. Mr. Rosten has degrees in political science and international and comparative law. He is a community director for the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding at the University of California and on the national board of directors for the Olive Tree Initiative at UC–Irvine. He is a former cochair of the dean’s council at UC–Irvine.

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      Book preview

      Trainwreckers - David Rosten

      TRAINWRECKERS

      Cover credit - Buckeye Park, Canton, Ohio 1896 – U.S. Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-25403

      Copyright © 2017 David Rosten.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

      This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

      iUniverse

      1663 Liberty Drive

      Bloomington, IN 47403

      www.iuniverse.com

      1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677)

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

      Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

      ISBN: 978-1-5320-0571-8 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-5320-0570-1 (e)

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2016917299

      iUniverse rev. date: 03/15/2017

      CONTENTS

      Acknowledgments

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      Chapter 10

      Chapter 11

      Chapter 12

      Chapter 13

      Chapter 14

      Chapter 15

      Chapter 16

      Chapter 17

      Chapter 18

      Chapter 19

      Chapter 20

      Chapter 21

      Chapter 22

      Chapter 23

      Chapter 24

      Chapter 25

      Chapter 26

      Chapter 27

      Chapter 28

      Chapter 29

      Chapter 30

      Chapter 31

      Chapter 32

      Chapter 33

      Chapter 34

      Appendix

      About the Author

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      My initial inspiration to do this project came while I was watching my two-year-old son play with his wooden train set. He imitated the sounds of the powerful locomotives while pushing them around the track. I later observed that same amazement over trains from my two daughters, who also delighted in toy trains.

      Trainwreckers is inspired by the documented exploits of Casey Jones, Joseph S. Connolly, and William G. Crust. These turn-of-the-century characters gained fame and infamy by destroying railroad locomotives in spectacular head-on collisions, each drawing tens of thousands of frenzied, thrill-seeking spectators. The events are in the spirit of the Wild West during the late nineteenth century.

      Most of the characters and incidents herein are fiction, yet they accurately reflect the bold and adventuresome spirit that once flourished in the defiant, reckless age of the steam engine.

      I wish to honor my parents, Leila and Philip Rosten, and my children’s great-grandmother Ione West. I dedicate this story to my children’s great-great-great-grandfather Red Eagle. The story of Red Eagle was passed down from Lachlan McGillivray (1718–1799) from Inverness, Scotland. He left Scotland in search of religious freedom. He was the father of Alexander McGillivray and great-uncle to William Weatherford (Red Eagle), who became one of the most powerful and historically important native Indian chiefs among the Creek Indians of the Southeast.

      Special thanks to my children, who gave me the inspiration to complete this story.

      CHAPTER 1

      INDIAN TERRITORY NEAR GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA, 1953

      T he sun is rising, shining the early-morning light, at a funeral in progress on the prairie. It looks as if the entire Indian nation of Creeks is gathered around the simple wooden casket that rests on a wooden stand. Wood is piled high over the casket like a wooden tepee.

      Trainwreck.jpg

      CH & D (Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton) train wreck 1896 – Photographer Wilbur Wight and Orville Wright, U.S. Library of Congress

      The Creeks, dressed in tribal garb, beat their drums, and a small group of white mourners, dressed in black, look on.

      A blue 1953 Pontiac Chieftain pulls up to the funeral. The car door opens, and Rachael Weatherford steps out, wearing a loose-fitting, flowing dress. She is in her late eighties, deeply lined but still completely lucid.

      Her daughter, Leila Weatherford, wearing a black dress, gets out of the car next. The men turn to gawk at this dark-haired beauty in her early thirties.

      After Leila, Rachael’s grandchildren, Ian and Heather, who are fraternal twins in their early teens, leap out of the backseat of the car. Ian is dressed in a button-down shirt with black pants and a small clip-on tie. Heather is wearing a black dress that matches her mother’s. They are Leila’s children.

      The Creek chief is chanting, and suddenly he stops as if he is stepping out of a trance. He looks at the mourners and says, We are all gathered here to honor our brother Red Eagle. Before people were on the earth, the chief of the great sky grew tired of his home in the Above World because it was always cold.

      The chief made a hole in the sky by turning a stone around and around. Through this hole, the Great Spirit of the sky gave us Red Eagle. That great sky Spirit was tired of waiting for Red Eagle to return, and now we send Red Eagle home. As he finishes his speech, he lights an oil-soaked branch and hands it to Rachael.

      Rachael looks through her veil, scanning the crowd. She begins, Friends of Red Eagle, my husband left this world a better place. I believe that he helped make this world better, not only for his family but for all Indian nations. He has helped us regain our dignity and recover our lands. He helped us by creating our tribal identity. For this we are eternally grateful.

      Rachael throws the burning branch onto the pile of wood. The wood catches fire and becomes a burning inferno. Sparks and burning embers fly into the sky.

      Friends of Red Eagle, come around, all of you, she continues as she stares into the fire. The animals and birds heard him and came. The wolf, raccoon, caribou, turtle, possum, rabbit, and squirrel. She lowers her voice. And one day I too will come home to join you. Pass into the forever, my great warrior, lover, and friend. I will never forget you.

      As the smoke rises into the sky, the chief says, "Kwah-ee! Put your arm around Red Eagle and make a sign. Then speak to Wind Spirit."

      Just then, almost as if by magic, the winds suddenly pick up. An inferno of burning coals and embers are whipped into a funnel by the sudden winds. The winds turn into a tornado.

      "Kwah-ee, Wind Spirit. Take Red Eagle and show him the way home."

      The mourners stand there, covering their eyes against the smoke and ash, and the casket is turned into a smoldering pile of red-hot coals. The winds subside, and the smoke, coals, and embers have disappeared.

      Rachael whispers to herself, Good-bye, Red Eagle.

      Heather smooths her reddish-blonde hair and says, Come on, Grandma. It’s time to go home.

      Leila and the children put their arms around Rachael and walk back to their waiting car. The chief and several other Indians sit around where the burning embers were, beating their drums. They begin to magically disperse into the prairie land, the Indians and the rhythm of the drums gently fading away into nothingness.

      Suddenly alone on the prairie, Leila, the children, and Rachael feel a cool wind blow. The sky is cloudy, and it is slightly windy on the plains. Winter is quickly approaching.

      Ian has never asked his grandmother personal questions about her life, but now Red Eagle is gone. Ian didn’t even know that his grandfather was still a member of the Indian tribe. He asks Rachael, GG, how did you meet Red Eagle?

      Rachael is tired. It has been a long day, and she wants to curl up on her bed and bury herself in her memories. It’s a long story. Maybe another time? says Rachael.

      Grandma, this is the time to remember Red Eagle, says Heather. What better time is there than now? We need to hear the story before there is no one left to tell it.

      Rachael looks at her grandchildren and sees genuine curiosity and interest etched on their faces. You’re right, Heather. There is no better time than the present. Come back to my house with me, and I’ll tell you the story.

      As they drive home, they pass an old covered wagon on the side of the road that’s falling apart. On the side of the wagon are faded white letters that read Doc Leonard and His Traveling Medicine Show.

      The Pontiac Chieftain pulls into the circular driveway at Rachael’s home, which is a modernized turn-of-the-century grand Victorian home in Grand Forks, North Dakota. They get out of the car and step onto the rickety wraparound porch leading to

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