Leaving Flat Iron Creek

CHAPTER TWENTY

Molly and I took a train from Ft. Wayne the day before the trial was scheduled to begin. We changed to the Pennsylvania Railroad in Logansport and headed toward St. Louis. As we rolled out of Indianapolis, Molly confronted me.

“Will you tell me what really happened, I mean what really happened?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” I said. “You mean the murder? I can tell you about that.”

“I mean about the trapeze girl that was killed.”

“I’m sure you will hear about her death during the trial.”

“No, I mean before.”

A breathy sob escaped before I said, “Molly, you’re asking me a lot.”

She said nothing further, but I started telling the story.

“The night of the raid in St. Louis. It’s hard to believe… it was more than three months ago. I can see every detail of that night. The crystal chandelier with its lit candles sparkling in the Gaslight Restaurant, where we ate the last night she was alive. The restaurant served delicious German food to the three of us--Raina, Wolf, and me. It was before the evening performance so we had to hurry and really couldn’t savoy all the delicacies.”

I was intentionally short on the details because I didn’t want Molly to know how sad I really felt. I wanted to get the story finished so we could change the subject.

“Molly, I don’t want to tell the story. It hurts so much.”

“Please let me know what happened. I’m afraid if you don’t you never will,” she said. “You are a Newman.” That statement got me to smile.

“How will I know you, really know you, if you don’t tell me?”

I continued with the details as Molly listened and the frozen February landscape slipped past our window. I described our dinner in great detail, including Raina’s cheerful German banter with the maitre’d. Then I stopped because I had gone far enough, but Molly shocked me.

“Seth, I want to go there for supper.”

“No, Molly, I can’t, I won’t.”

I put my head against the white linen cloth that covered the headrest, closed my eyes, and pretended to doze. My heart pounded so loudly that I was sure Molly could hear it. The prospect of going into the hotel became more frightening as I thought about it. Maybe it was a good idea. Opening my eyes, I found Molly watching my movements. I squirmed nervously and straightened myself in the chair.

“OK, we’ll go to the hotel.” I had said all I wanted to say.

“What happened after dinner?”

“Molly, enough!” I snapped but kept telling the story. “As soon as we were finished with dessert, we hurried to catch a trolley so we could get back for the evening performance.”

“Then what?” she persisted.

“That was the night of the raid.”

“Then what?” she pressed, with a tinge of irritation in her voice. I knew what she wanted and I didn’t want to give it to her.

“Molly you’re my friend, a special friend. You want details that are not your business. The truth is Raina and I were intimate, very intimate that night. It was a special night.”

“Please tell me. It’s the only way I’ll ever know you.”

I told her the important details and she interrupted only once with, “I only wish I had been with you.”

I ignored the comment and told her the entire story which included Wolf. The details did not seem to change her stoic manner. Our train rumbled across the Eads Bridge over the Mississippi River into St. Louis. Molly and I traveled by taxi to the Third Street Hotel and the Gaslight Restaurant.

When we arrived at the hotel, I was strangely unattached to the place. New furniture sat in the tiny reception area. The space was much brighter than I remembered it. Molly and I were reluctantly received in the dining room because I was underdressed. We sat near where Raina, Wolf, and I ate that last meal together.

Molly thought she was helping me clear Raina’s ghost from my head, but the restaurant only made the images brighter. I hated Molly for making me come to this place. Just as we were finishing dessert Wolf walked in. He seemed surprised to see Molly but graciously took her hand in welcome. His warm smile went straight to my heart and I returned his greeting. “I thought I would find you here.”

“Molly made me bring her here.”

“Well, we are all here now. Anything more about the trial and what is going to happen?”

“Still the same as I told you on the telephone.”

“Have you decided?” he said with some hesitancy in his voice.

“We will talk about that tomorrow.” I could detect Molly’s uneasiness about what was going to happen next. With Molly’s concurrence we took a room with three single beds. I couldn’t sleep because I wanted to be in bed in Wolf and have him assure me. He knew my decision. He asked only to let Molly know.

The next day was dreary and rainy. The courtroom, which was four blocks from the hotel, was only half-filled when we arrived. The clerk of the court announced the judge’s entrance at exactly ten o’clock. He must have weighed three hundred pounds, and adjusted his robe and his spectacles while he walked to the bench. Prosecutors and lawyers for Williams and the others--Harold Small, Omar Jameson, and Hamer Bramlett--sat quietly. Williams never looked up after he entered the courtroom. He looked worried, and his face was drawn and dark. The three guys sitting with him seemed disinterested in the events. I knew all of them. They had to have been minor players in the smuggling ring.

A jury of twelve men, who looked remarkably similar in white shirts and dark jackets, was selected. After the government prosecutor stated the charges against Williams and the others, he called me as the first witness in their case against the circus booze smugglers. I swore that I would tell the truth and took a seat in the witness box.

“Mr. Newman, would you tell the judge and the jury what you saw on May 8 in Camden, New Jersey?” the prosecutor asked.

“Yes sir. I was traveling with my friend George, Dr. Selkirk, and Peter Ahern to the Atlantic shore from Philadelphia. We saw a Rawlings truck parked on a side street as we drove through Camden. I stopped the car, and we watched. After the truck pulled away from its location in front of a building that appeared to be an automobile repair shop, we tried to determine what they had been doing.”

The prosecutor interrupted.

“Mr. Newman, what did you find?”

“We--Peter Ahern and I--discovered a small warehouse full of crates filled with liquor.”

“How many crates?”

“I don’t know exactly, but I would guess several hundred.”

“Mr. Newman, please tell the court what happened on the night of June 12 near Jamestown, New York.”

“I was sleeping underneath baggage wagon 86 because it was a very warm night. Sometime during the night, the train stopped and I heard men walking my direction. Soon they were at my flatcar and a truck pulled along side the train and several men loaded boxes onto the wagon.”

“Do you know what was in those boxes?”

“I did not at the time, but learned later that it was booze. That night Ralph’s thugs threw me off of the train.”

An objection was raised by the plaintiff’s lawyer, who said there was no one named Ralph involved in this case.

Before the judge responded, I said, “Yes there was, but he is dead. He was a major part of the operation.”

The judge lectured me that a dead person cannot be put on trial. I was embarrassed. Then the prosecutor had me describe my part in the raid in St. Louis. He asked questions that were simple and I said “yes” and “no” to most of them. It was clear that the government was interested in prosecuting Williams and the others for violations of the Volsted Act because the topics of narcotics and Raina’s death were not raised.

After forty-five minutes, the lawyer for Williams asked me questions. The prosecutor told me to answer the other lawyers’ questions as precisely as possible, but I was asked three simple questions.

“Mr. Newman, did you observe Mr. Williams at the warehouse in Camden?”

“No.”

“Did you see Mr. Williams on the night the trained stopped in New York State?”

“No.”

“Did you see Mr. Williams the day of the raid in St. Louis?” he asked. “I mean did you see him during the raid on the baggage wagon?”

“Yes.”

I was excused from the witness stand but told to be available later. Two other witnesses described how and where they had purchased quantities of booze from Williams, Ralph, or other members of the gang. Williams sat silently as person after person identified him as one of several people that had supplied them with quality alcoholic beverages.

At the end of the day we decided to retrieve our baggage from the Third Street Hotel and check into the much nicer Jefferson Hotel. With no objections from Molly I told the desk clerk that we wanted adjoining rooms without telling him who was staying in which rooms. Molly did not object and seemed to be more comfortable with Wolf as time passed. Several times I saw her talking quietly with Wolf and asking about Belgium and Europe. Without words her actions suggested she was beginning to understand the relationship I had with Wolf. She seemed more not less engaged.

As we were checking in I saw Dr. Selkirk, who I am sure had come to testify. We invited him to join us for dinner. I was interested in his plans for the upcoming season which he related. He told me that Peter Hearn had bought his house by the shore and he had his Philadelphia house on the market because he was building a new home on Sarasota bay in Florida. I said, “Isn’t that where the Rawlings Bros. Circus is building its new winter quarters?”

“Seth, I am very excited to be starting a new phase of my life. I may not stay with the circus but you did me a great favor getting sick on the post office steps.” There was nervous laughter from Wolf and Molly who didn’t understand the reference.

“I want you and Wolf,” and after a significant pause, “and Molly, too to feel free to come to Florida whenever you can. I want you to treat my house as your house.” His pause told me he had figured out that Wolf was more than a friend. After a pleasant dinner we said our “Good nights.” Without apology Wolf and I went into our room and Molly into hers.

When we arrived at the courthouse on second day of the trial, Doc was in the court room waiting to testify. After asking Dr. Selkirk to describe his role with the circus, the prosecutor asked him about what he had observed. Doc reported his knowledge of the wagon, its hidden compartment, and the routine loading and unloading of booze. During cross examination, the plaintiff’s lawyer, a wiry little man with tiny glasses perched on his nose rose, directed an interesting question to Doc.

“Did you observe Mr. Williams during any of the booze transfers, Dr. Selkirk?”

“It was well known that Mr. Williams was the man to contact to buy liquor on the show. I personally bought several bottles from him.”

“How did he deliver the liquor to you?”

“He directed me to meet him after the evening performance near the commissary wagon. He stepped up the ladder, and he handed me a bagged bottle.”

The court was recessed at noon. Doc, Wolf, Molly, and I found a nearby restaurant for lunch. The place was noisy and packed with patrons. We were shuttled to a round booth in a smoky corner. Molly who had said little the night before was intent on Doc knowing her relationship with me. She started with, “Doc, Seth and I have been friends for ten years, and I know his brother, Thad. He and I graduated in the same high school class.” Molly then turned to me. “Seth, what I don’t understand is why Ralph was trying to kill you? Do you think it was because of the booze and dope?”

Dr. Selkirk answered the question. “No, Molly, that was not the reason at all.”

Even though I was nervous, I asked. “If that wasn’t the reason, what was? I have never really figured it out.”

Doc looked my way and tightened his mouth implying that more needed to be said.

“You and I both suspected that Williams and Ralph were involved romantically,”

I said not looking at Molly. “They were queer. They were fairies. I saw them together naked together in California,” The words that made me uncomfortable because I was describing myself. I looked toward Wolf who smiled and winked. He seemed to be alright with what I said.

Molly laughed nervously. “That must be hard around a circus.”

“Few knew. They were very discrete.” I continued. “After Raina’s murder, I tried to put Ralph’s devious, hulking figure out of my mind. I couldn’t do it. His death left so many questions unanswered. This trial is not answering any of the troubling questions that I have.”

Doc interrupted. “Seth, I have a theory, but it’s crude. I hesitate saying it at the dinner table and in front of Molly.”

“Doctor, crude or not, please help me understand what happened,” I replied.

“Do you remember an afternoon that you and I were sitting in my waiting chairs? It was in West Texas. It was right after we received our letters about the trial. You commented that the shadow cooling us from the sun was provided by wagon #86, parked right next to my tent. I started to tell you then, but someone wanted to see me. I didn’t seek you out because telling you what I am about to reveal involves other patients. I still work for the circus but the persons I am going to tell you about do not. A doctor sees and hears things that are confidential but pieces of this puzzle. I think I have figured out this one.”

“You mean why Ralph killed Haskins, and why he tried to get rid of me? Why would Williams get mixed up with a creep like Ralph? These are the unanswered questions that are bothering me,” I snarled.

Unperturbed, Doc leaned back and placed his arm on top of our booth. His face became serious. He remained quiet and forked a bite or two of the pot roast and mashed potatoes into his mouth. “This is delicate,” he said finally. “What I am about to tell you breaches my professional ethics slightly. Shortly after I arrived on the show in Philadelphia, only three or four days out as I remember it, a roustabout came to me. I could tell he was physically uncomfortable just by the way he squirmed in his chair as he talked. He told me he had hemorrhoids. Do you know what they are?”

“Don’t they have something to do with your butt?” I said.

“More correctly, your anus,” he corrected. “Anyway, upon examination I determined that he had gonorrhea not hemorrhoids. He had been having anal sex, sodomy, with someone. When I told him, he began to sob. He told me that the big guy told him that everything would be OK if they had sex that way. As the conversation continued, he revealed that the big guy was Ralph. The man took the medicine I gave him and stayed with the show. In fact, I saw him one of the last days of the season after Ralph’s death. He wanted more medicine.

“I asked him why he didn’t stop the sodomy. He told me to mind my own business. He said, 'Just because Ralph is dead doesn’t mean we have to stop having fun.’ I got nosy and ask if he remembered a guy named Haskins or Hasler, I couldn’t remember the exact name at that moment. He said, 'yes’ and smiled deviously. He said, 'Haskins was Ralph’s main asshole until that snot-nosed kid, Newman came along. Haskins dumped Ralph and Ralph was so jealous he obsessed constantly about getting rid of the kid. He almost did, too.’ The guy laughed.”

“I said, 'Why Newman?’” and he said that Ralph was crazy after losing Haskins. He concluded by saying that he was happy that 'the bastard is dead.’ Then he said 'As soon as I get rid of the clap, Ralph will be out of my life forever.’ He got up and left.”

Molly asked a question that most women would never consider. “Do you think Ralph was after Seth for sexual reasons?

“Molly, as logical a conclusion as that may seem, I have no evidence that Ralph was after Seth for that reason.”

I had heard enough and changed the subject.

“Doc, what do you think about me becoming a veterinarian? Wolf has invited me to Belgium to work with some of the best horse doctors in the world at the University of Antwerp. I have to be admitted but what do you think?”

“I think it is a great idea. There are so few people who really understand the beautiful animals that you know so well.” I could sense Molly slid further down in her seat. She knew and I knew I had made a decision much bigger than just becoming a veterinarian.

“Is animal medicine different from human medicine?”

He laughed. “It’s better because the patients do what you tell them to do. Seriously, I was asked several times in the past few months to consult with the Rawling vet about sick four-legged animals. The science is quite similar.”

“Where do you get trained to become a vet in the United States?”

“One of the best schools around here is Purdue University. There are others like Cornell and Penn State. I don’t know anything about the European schools like the one you mention in Belgium. When are you thinking of doing this?”

“Truthfully, when Wolf invited me to join him in Wyoming at the ranch, his brother’s ranch. I thought OK if I go with Wolf then what happens? That is when going back to college and becoming a veterinarian came to me.”

Wolf quietly spoke, “Doc, you can tell we are more than friends, I presume? I suggested to Seth that he come to the ranch when we were at his mother’s funeral. Now in the middle of winter isn’t the best time to be in Wyoming so I suggested some time in the dessert, perhaps Palm Springs, California.”

Wolf was not aware of the angry eyes on his left from Molly until she spoke. “You two are naïve. Two men can’t be together without people talking.” She spoke a truth that I didn’t want to hear but I was not willing to confront her statement.

The tension resided and we made small talk through the remainder of dinner. The four of us returned to the courtroom to watch the trial’s conclusion, which happened about four-thirty that afternoon. After the jury left the court room, the judge informed those in attendance that he suspected a rapid verdict and urged the gallery to take a stroll but stay close by. The jury deliberation took forty-five minutes. After they returned, the judge entered the court and asked the foreman if they had reached a verdict.

The man in the first chair rose and addressed the judge.

“We have, your honor.”The man handed a white slip of paper to the clerk, who walked the verdict to the judge. He glanced at it and returned it to the clerk. The foreman took the piece of paper, and the judge asked him to read the verdict.

“We find the defendant, Carl Williams, guilty on all five counts. We find Harold Small, Omar Jameson and Hamer Bramlett guilty as charged.”

The judge’s deep baritone voice resonated as he thanked the jury and dismissed them. He ordered Williams to stand with the others, and pronounced their sentences.

“Carl P. Williams, having been found guilty by this jury, I sentence you to serve five years in the federal prison at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. Harold Small, Omar Jameson and Hamer Bramlett, I sentence you to two years serving six months at the Federal Prison Farm at Springfield, Illinois and remaining months on probation. This is your first offense and this court chooses to be lenient.”

He rose and left the courtroom. I watched the bailiff lead Williams away handcuffed. He never raised his head.

Molly, Wolf, Doc and I walked down the grand staircase of the federal courthouse and stepped into a snow-sparkled evening. The glow of street lanterns reflected the flakes crystalline surfaces. Our collars were pulled closed. Molly grabbed my hand, and we walked toward the shop-filled streets just north of the courthouse. Doc and Wolf followed closely behind speaking quietly.

We stopped in front of the windows of Famous & Barr Company admiring the spring clothing in the window display. Wolf said, “Seth, tomorrow we will back here to buy some clothes for California.” I could feel Molly’s hand loosen and fall away. “You men are so lucky to travel,” Molly said to the group knowing that she had lost me as a husband candidate but seemed to be trying to figure out how she could become a permanent friend. “You have seen so many places. I really want to go to San Francisco, New York, and Amsterdam. There are so many wonderful places I have read about. You have seen so much. I just wish I could have been there with you.”

“Molly, being in those places was fun, but I dream of the parade we did in Los Angeles and meeting Mr. Valentino, Miss Pickford, and Mr. Barrymore. Mr. Wallace Berry offered me a job in the moving picture industry.” Seth took in a long cold breath before continuing, “Europe was great but Wolf’s News Year’s Eve party was fantastic. The glamour and sparkle of diamonds on the men and women who attended I cannot adequately describe. You would have loved it.” We continued to walk as the snow was floating silently to the ground. Molly grabbed for my right hand and extended her hand for Wolf’s. Without speaking he reached over and took her left hand.

“You asked the Doctor Selkirk about becoming a veterinarian. Are you thinking about that? What about your father and the farm?”

“I’m not going back now. I’m going with Wolf to California. I do not see my life on the farm. Thad is nearby and I wouldn’t be surprised if Dad and Bernice, mom’s cleaning lady, didn’t become a permanent arrangement for Dad.”

Molly grimaced. “I’m ready to go back to the hotel because my toes are cold.”

We agreed we wanted only a light supper since our dinner had been more than ample. We passed several restaurants as we walked slowly through the snow-dusted streets toward the Jefferson. Beside the hotel we entered a small Italian restaurant with gaslights on either side of the front door. Only three or four tables were occupied as a scratchy rendition of a Vivaldi opera emanated from the grand flowered horn of an old Victrola. Molly was seated by Wolf and we sat on either side of her as we perused the menu.

Wolf said, “Seth, I hope you sleep better tonight than you did last night.”

“Did I keep you awake?” I said smiling at his blushing face.

“I didn’t mean that.”

“You two stop it. You don’t have to hide the fact that you are more than friends. I see real fondness in your eyes. I am happy for you even though I wish I was sitting in your place, Wolf.” Molly said with only a slight tinge of sadness evident in her voice.

“I was thinking about the trial. Neither the testimony at the trial or our conversation with Doc satisfied me” I said. “I think there will always be questions.”

Molly snapped, “Seth get over Raina. She’s gone, and neither you nor anyone else can bring her back. She was your circus fling. And she’s gone. It’s time to come back to reality. Now you have Wolf, what about me? Don’t treat me like a circus freak that you visit in the sideshow and walk away from and forget.”

I was angry. “First, Raina was not a freak in the sideshow. You’re mistaken, sorely mistaken. She was special. Maybe I hoped we could get married, but I really never thought it would happen. I loved her for her openness and her genuineness. She was bold and free like a bird. She even looked like a bird when she released from the bar and flew across the tent. She made me feel like a man and never tried to hold me back. For your information, Raina would have been impossible to love because she was a perfectionist performer. We never talked. I wanted to know her better but I never got the chance. She gave herself freely to whatever she did. She loved life but was deeply sad about losing her father. I imagine her and her father flying together from platform to bar in a great tent in heaven. That tent will never be struck. I can keep that image forever, and no one will take it away from me. So if you want to be my friend, you have to understand that.”

Molly plunked her fork down on the plate, pushed her chair back, straightened her dress, and walked out of the dining room. Her long brown hair swayed in rhythm with her hips. She was mad, but didn’t care. Wolf said, “I feel that the two of you may need some time. I will excuse myself.”

“No, please stay. I will be back.” I pushed my chair back and started toward the small reception space. Molly was just a good friend but confused. I waited and noticed that the snow outside had turned to rain. Two minutes later, Molly returned with droplets of water or tears dripping down her face. I handed her my handkerchief which she took and dabbed her eyes. Her anger had not subsided. She embarrassed me by grabbing my chin firmly between her thumb and her first finger and turned my face toward her.

“Seth Newman you are the most selfish person I have ever met. You don’t care about your family, you don’t care about your father, you just care about you. I am going to leave your life, and you don’t ever have to see me again.”

I was stunned and conscious that the few remaining restaurant patrons were watching us.

“I’m sorry I didn’t know I made you so mad. I’m a bastard, and I know it. But I like me and what I am becoming. I want my relationship with Wolf to grow. I don’t know how it will turn out. I am not going back to the farm and I wish you could understand that. I will always consider you a good friend. I know you hoped for more but it isn’t going to happen. I am sure Wolf and I will always welcome you into our home wherever that happens to be.”

“Seth Newman, there is no doubt in my mind that you can be a veterinarian, and probably a great one. I hope that is dream that you follow.” She turned and walked toward our table as the waiter was clearing her dishes. “I want some dessert!”

I could tell she was calming down. “I don’t want to be left behind. I’m leaving Flat Iron Creek for Chicago, New York, I don’t know. You just watch me!” She sat down at the table.

Wolf smiled at me as I sat down and didn’t speak. I turned to him and said, “Another reason I didn’t sleep well last night was Ralph. In my dream I saw the look on his face as I twisted his neck until it snapped. That image won’t leave me. I can see his eyes screaming at me even though no sounds came from his throat. I am afraid the thud and the moan when he hit the floor will forever ring in my ears. I still can’t believe that I took someone’s life, even a bad person like Ralph.”

Silence returned to our little party. No one spoke for a long time as we sipped tea and ate delicious tiramisu. Wolf paid the check and we returned to our rooms. I slept soundly snuggled next to my partner, Baron Wallace deWolf Gigot.

# # # # #

Author's Note

The following morning Molly reluctantly boarded the Pennsylvania Railroad train for the trip to Flat Iron Creek. Two hours later Wolf and Seth were back at Famous & Barr buying warm weather clothes for California. Shortly thereafter they boarded the Santa Fe Chief headed for California. They had a luxurious parlor suite. What happens to the two of them as they become one of the most important gay couples of the mid-20th century is the subject of another book. Molly did not fade into the corn stalks and she didn’t leave Seth and Wolf’s lives. Recently, I was cleaning out some old correspondence and I found this invitation in a dusty brown envelope.