TALES FROM THE CITADEL

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

RIVERBOAT

PART SEVEN

EPILOGUE

California, Spring 1891-1895

Having decided on California, initially moving to San Francisco, transferring their monetary assets to banks there, keeping a large portion of them in gold. They spent a year in San Francisco, before deciding that the winter there was too cold and moving to the coastal city of San Diego, with its' year around pleasant climate. Over the next two years, Rick sold all of his real property in New York, and buying up both commercial and residential property in San Diego and the rapidly growing city of Los Angeles. They rented a large house for a year, while Rick had a house designed and built in the residential area known as North Park. The children were enrolled in Private Catholic schools, both of them at the head of their classes, after only a few months. Castle never like being idle, although they family had enough money to never lack for anything. He started a new series, western adventure series featuring John Clay, a former Federal officer in the civil war and Noland Wellington a former Confederate officer. They are now both deputy marshals who meet in Tucson and work together despite their earlier opposing sides. The title was Two Stars West. The series combining two popular genres, the western and the murder/mysteries. That still only filled part of his day and he was still an active man. He was very fit, inspired by his wife in her exercise that she used to regain her figure after her pregnancies and remain attractive for her man. Rick was no different. He wanted to stay attractive to his wife. The family now settled in one place, entered the community's active social life something that had been denied them with their life on the river. They quickly became very popular among their peers, as they never flaunted their wealth yet the attractive couple hosted several small dinner parties and attended dances and other community events. They also donated, quietly, o several local charities.

They attended Saint Joseph's Catholic church and were very active within the church community, something else they hadn't been able to do on the river.

San Diego California, 1896-1898.

Due to California's gambling laws, casino style games were mostly banned as were games where the house could act as bank or actively play. Card houses were allowed where the players could only play against each other and the predominant game was poker.

Rick formed a small company that ran three card houses in the city.

He also took the idea from the river boats and the company bought a small passenger steamer and converted it to a gambling ship, set up with much the same amenities and procedures as the riverboats. The ship was operating From San Diego to Los Angeles waters, just a mile past the three- mile limit. With steam launches carrying gamblers out to the ship from the ports of San Diego and San Pedro. Of course, Kate no longer dealt, nor did Rick run the daily operations. He stayed mostly in the backround as the company's president and CEO. That is, after a couple of times going out int field. One very wealthy old lady, who hated gambling put a lot of pressure on the district attorney to find a way to seize the ship legally If he couldn't do it, she would hire it done.

Rick had his lawyer in tow when the official tried to issue an order of seizure. Rick's attorney called everyone into his office and showed the ADA the relevant passages in both state and federal documents that established how far national and California's territorial waters extended.

In this case, three miles.

"Therefore, gentlemen as it is clearly shown, that the Lucky Lady is operating in international waters and therefore not under your jurisdiction.

The ADA growled and cursed but left with the deputies, knowing that the DA wasn't going to enjoy explaining his failure to Mildred Whiting.

Rick didn't relax then he'd heard about the old witches' threats and prepared the ship for an act of piracy. He knew that it would take time for Mrs. Whiting to get up the gumption to hire a crew of thugs and rent a launch. She would first try more legal means or stopping delivery of supplies Of course, she wouldn't do it personally, she'd have her lawyer do it.

Rick telegraphed a rush order to Winchester for ten model 1895 carbines in .30 U.S (.30-40) (He already had one of his own) and five thousand rounds of ammunition to be delivered by express train. At the same time, he also ordered six Colt model 1883 double barrel shotguns in twelve gauge.

Six weeks had gone by since the seizure attempt and Rick expected the "pirate action" to take place the next moonless night. Consequently, when that day came, Rick got his two revolvers and the M1895 out of the gun cabinet and loaded them. He dressed in a pair of black trousers, a black seaman's sweater and a navy blue peacoat. He kissed Kate and said;

"Do not worry about me, Sweetheart, I'm just going out to the ship. I promise I'll stay on board and take no chances."

"In that case, why are taking your guns?"

"I just want to be ready in case any pirates do get on board."

"Pirates?"

"Yes. Technically any attack or attempted attack at sea is considered piracy."

"But as I said, you have no need to worry. I have an ace up my sleeve. The pirates won't stand a chance."

Rick had their carriage deliver him to the pier, where a company launch took him out to the Lucky Lady. Once on board he called the captain and ships officers to the ship's office. He said;

"Gentlemen, I have reason to believe that there will be an illegal attempt to seize this ship tonight or tomorrow night. I want our security men on full alert and pass out the rifles and shotguns to the crewmen I've named. Post extra lookouts at each quarter of the compass."

If the pirates had been smarter, they would have waited for the wee hours of the morning when the body's senses are at their lowest point. However, they did not. Their leader was an impatient man, eager to loot the ship's safe. They had left San Diego at eight o'clock, spotted the ship's lights. They tried the bold approach with lights showing, hoping to pass as a water taxi coming to pick up passengers. What they didn't know was that there was a fixed schedule as to when launches could approach and depart the ship. They were two hours early.

As they neared the ship, a searchlight came on, catching the launch in its' beam. Rick took a megaphone and hailed the launch.

"Shear off there and explain why you are approaching my ship."

"We are the Johnson Brothers' water taxi and are here to pick up passengers."

"You are a liar! I know all the water taxi companies in San Diego. And do you see a landing stage rigged?' State your real business."

"All right. We are the San Diego Vigilance Committee. We are going to seize your ship in the name of decency and end your foul business!"

"A vigilance committee is illegal under California and Federal law. Therefore. You are simply pirates. Shear off, I say!"

One idiot in the launch fired his pistol. But staring into the searchlight beam couldn't see a target and his shot went wild. With that the ten crewmen armed with the carbines each fired two shots into the water ahead of the boat on rick's order. Rick called out;

" I have ten men armed with carbines and six more armed with shotguns loaded with buckshot. I can sink you before you get out of range. Pull up alongside of the entry port. Then throw your weapons overboard and then we'll rig a landing stage and you will come on board, one at a time. Don't try anything stupid. You are covered by ten riflemen and six shotgunners. We will shoot to kill anyone who is as stupid as the idiot that fired at us."

The landing stage was rigged and the would-be pirates came aboard, Crewmen tied the vigilante's hands behind their backs. Rick introduced a distinguished looking man.

"This is Federal Judge Frederik Paulden. He is about to inform you of your situation."

"You men are in serious legal straits. I am an expert on maritime law.

He moment you uttered your intention to seize this ship, with no legal authority you committed an act of attempted piracy. When one of you fired at the ship, it became an act of piracy. The penalty, still on the books for piracy is hanging. So, you will all be tried for piracy and the launch used to ferry you here will be deemed a pirate vessel and seized by the Federal Government. I may be persuaded to clemency if I am told who owned the launch. And who backed this act of lunacy."

One man said;

"Your Honor, I own the boat."

"Your name?"

"Clayton Powell. Your Honor."

"Well, Mister Powell, you no longer own the boat. And you sir, may be charged as a pirate, as will the rest of you unless I get the information I need."

Powell said;

Your Honor, not only was the boat mine I sort of organized the raid. The woman who paid for this, through her lawyer is Miss Mildred Whiting.

I know this to be true, because Miss Whiting spoke to us telling us that it was a noble thing to do and admitted that she was proud to be money source."

"You will testify to this, in court?"

"Yes, I will and so will all of us."

"Very well. You will all remain on board, as prisoners until morning, when a Revenue Cutter Service launch will be dispatched and you will be taken into federal custody and held until such time as it is determined what charges will be brought against you."

The "pirates" were brought ashore and held in the San Diego city jail. Where their sworn testimony was written down, witnessed and notarized. It took months, but eventually charges were brought and trials held. The raiders were charged with attempted piracy but were granted leniency in view of their testimony and were sentenced to two years in prison. Powell lost not only his boat, but his business as well.

Miss Whiting and her lawyer were convicted of conspiracy to commit piracy and financing piracy. Miss Whiting didn't help her case by her defiant attitude in court, claiming that she was obeying a higher moral law. It didn't work. She wasn't sent to prison, due to her age and physical condition but she was sentenced to confinement to her house and grounds and forfeiture of most of the assets left after the successful civil suit brought against her by the Lucky Lady Steamship Company, leaving her enough to cover her needs in a much humbler lifestyle left over from the successful than she'd previously had. Her lawyer was sentenced to five years in prison and lost his law license

Not only was Miss Whiting completely discredited, the blue stocking group that she founded and headed, as tarred with the same brush and soon disbanded.

The outbreak of the Spanish-American war led to the first serious argument between father and son. Like his father had been, James was big for his age, already standing six feet tall at only fourteen years old.

He could easily pass for sixteen.

"James, you are too young to enlist You are staying home and staying in school."

"But Dad, that's not fair. You were younger than me when you enlisted in the Union army."

"True, but they don't have drummer boys marching with the regiment any more. And at that time, the nation was at stake. This war is all about prestige and power. Spain cannot possibly threaten the United States. The answer is no and that's final."

San Diego, 1899-1902

The fact that the war was over so quickly mollified James' feelings. He realized that he would have never have made it through training in time for deployment to an active combat unit. So, he did as his parents wanted and buckled down to his studies and the sports e enjoyed. Riding, baseball, the new (in high school) game of football, and his favorite, marksmanship. Rick began teaching him to shoot at age seven and for his tenth birthday bought him one of the rare Winchester 1873 chambered in .22. For his fourteenth birthday, he received a Winchester 1894 in .30-30 and was, that fall taken on his first hunting trip and he killed his first deer. He graduated in the top ten per cent of his high school class. He was also one of the most popular boys in the class. Both for his good looks and for his (off the playing field) friendly, easy- going attitude.

Johanna, two years behind her brother, was also a standout in high school. Almost the spitting image of her mother she was one of the school's beauties. As James had, she stood high academically.

She too, had her sports. Riding and tennis and like her brother, marksmanship. Rick started teaching her at ten years of age, buying her, as he had James a Winchester .22 and when she turned fourteen, a Smith and Wesson revolver in the new .38 special cartridge. James had an S&W Model 3 in .44 Russian a more powerful cartridge than the older .44. Rick and Kate had both upgraded to the Model three.

California 1903-1910.

1903 saw James complete his first year at Stanford University deciding on pre-law, in 1904, Johanna graduated high school in the top ten per cent. After a long discussion with her parents decided to attend Bryn Mawr women's college, a private college in Pennsylvania. Rick and Kate did' like the fact that Johanna would be so far away, but they had raised her to be independent and think for herself. She graduated in 1908 and returned home with a degree in literature. She then took classes to get her teaching certificate and got a job at San Diego Normal School, which would later become San Diego State College then University.

While at Stanford, James had met a girl named Jacqueline Stone and they married the day after he graduated. By 1910, James had finished law school, passed the bar and established a practice in San Diego with his partner Paul Hoffman a young lawyer he'd met in law school.

California, 1911-1920.

The two years from 1911-1913 Were pretty uneventful except for the birth of Richard Alexander Rodgers II in 1911 and the marriage of Johanna to Walter Carroll that same year. Walter was a civil engineer working for the city of San Diego. In 1914. Johanna gave birth to Laura Anne Carroll. Rick turned sixty-five in that same year, sold his shares in the steamship company and the card houses and retired.

Also, in 1914. When war broke out in Europe James predicted that eventually, America would be drawn into it. By 1915 he was sure of it and obtained a direct commission in the Judge Advocate Corps of the Army Reserve. He was called up early in 1917 as it was now obvious that we'd get involved. He was stationed at the Presidio in San Francisco. Jacqueline and Richard, now a toddler moved into married officer's quarters on the base. Jacqueline's cousin Rachael agreed to stay in and take care of their house, Paul keeping the law practice going.

Jacqueline gave birth to their second child, Julia Elaine while they were at the Presidio.

James was released from active duty in January of 1919 and the family moved back to San Diego, happily rejoining civilian life.

In March of 1919 Johanna and Walt had their second child, Walter Avery Carroll junior.

Rick and Kate had stayed at home during the turbulent years surrounding the war but in 1920 they decided that they would go on an extended tour of the United States. Ric was seventy-one and Kate sixty-six both were in excellent shape and good health and either one could pass for ten years younger than they were. They bought a 1920 Cadillac touring car and set out on their adventure, stopping in neat little bed and breakfasts overnight or better hotels if they were going to be in a city for several days Their tour of the country, took them eighteen months.

California, 1921-1930.

Rick and Kate spent the next three years at home, just relaxing (except for their fitness routines), and enjoying their grandchildren. Rick had long since quit writing novels. He was now writing a non-fiction book about the civil war from an Infantryman's point of view. It was titled Burnished barrels and bayonets. It wasn't written to make a profit; it was just to tell a true story. Writing for the pleasure of it, was a form of recreation. In 1925 they set out on a world cruise. Going first to Ireland, then Scotland, England and Wales spending one month in each country, vowing to come back at the end of their tour and spending more time in their ancestral lands. From there on to France, Italy, The Netherlands and Germany. They limited their Asian visits to the Philippines and Siam (as Thailand was known then) There was too much turmoil in China and anti-western feeling in Japan. The main part of the tour was over early in 1926. They returned home for two months then did as the vowed to do and returned to Great Britain now spending six months in each of the four, really getting a deep appreciation for the cultures of each region. Kate tended to be more into Ireland while Rick favored Scotland. They returned to the United States, having made several friends with whom the exchanged letters and telegrams for the rest of their lives.

In 1930 Ric turned eighty-one and Kate, seventy-six They were still a very active couple, enjoying long walks in Balboa Park and having taken up ballroom dancing on Friday and Saturday nights.

Also, in 1930, James having maintained a successful law practice for twenty years decided to run for district attorney on a reform platform as there were constant incidences of corruption in that office, His campaign was successful, and under his administration the corrupt members of the DA's office were fired then prosecuted as were two judges and a couple graduated high school

The down side of that was that he was not able to spend as much time as he wanted with his wife and children.

San Diego, 1931-1946.

Rick turned eighty-two and was finally slowing down as arthritis in his hip and feet made walking or standing for extended periods of time painful. It also affected his hands but not very badly. He still took his morning and evening walks, limiting them to fifteen minutes each time. He was never completely crippled or bed ridden, the great depression had little direct effect on the Rodgers family Their wealth was in real estate, gold and silver, cattle, oil and money deposited in one of the major banks that did not fail. They did not own stock in any of the speculative financial companies.

James' son Richard graduated from Stanford in 1933 and Law school in 1935 and immediately joined his father's law firm.

Johanna's daughter, Lara graduated high school at seventeen and entered San Diego State Collee the same year and graduated with a degree in journalism in 1935 and went to work for The San Diego Herald as a reporter. In 1937, Rick had a serious case of pneumonia and his recovery was a long tedious four months. In 1939, Julia Rodgers also graduated from San Diego State College and married her college Arthur Moreno who obtain a commission in the Navy as a fighter pilot flying F6F Grumman Hellcats and ending the war a double ace.

Much like his father had, Richard anticipated the United States being drawn into World War two and obtained, as his father had, A reserve commission in the Army's Judge Advocate Corps. And was called to active in November of 1940 and stationed at Fort Ord, near Monterey. Walter Carroll Junior had taken ROTC in college, graduated in 1941 and took his commission in the Amy Corps of Engineers.

Richard spent the war years at Fort Ord handling post legal matters. Most often as the prosecutor in court martials.

Walter was assigned to a combat engineer battalion seeing his first action in North Africa. He was seriously wounded at Anzio and was returned to the United States for recuperation. On release from the hospital, he too was stationed at Fort Ord for the duration of the war.

Rick's health began declining in 1943. He lived long enough to see his grandson's home from the war and the end of the war, He passed away, peacefully in his sleep in1945 at the ripe old age of ninety-six.

Kate was ninety-one that year but died only six months after Rick.

She simply couldn't stand living any more, not after losing the man she loved for more than six decades,

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