Lakin

By Bruce Drake

The Carr family wanted to control the moonshine trade in the Pennsylvania hills. They came into rock Holler shooting two Lee children, beating one to death and battered the family badly.

The Lees' moved west to avoid the Garrs' tyranny. Outlaws fire at their wagons and Arnold fights, is wounded and left behind by his family. He takes all the outlaws' booty and tries to catch up. It snows covering his family's tracks. Arnold Lee searches for three weeks without a lead then moves on into Indian country alone.

In Kansas Arnold struggles with loneliness until he meets a mother and daughter who come to live with him. While building a ranch he is troubled by memories and starts off on a futile three year quest to find his family, who had left him for dead.

In Boston, Gaylynn Nash the woman he loves writes him off. His family is lost and troubles keep piling up. His ranch and his faith are all that keeps Arnold Lee going.

Lakin is an action packed trip you'll not want to miss so ride along with Arnold.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jun 30, 2011
• ISBN: 9781452070957

Bruce Drake

Bruce Drake was born in the heart of Michigan. He grew up on a farm without electricity, a telephone, or inside plumbing. While attending a one-room schoolhouse, his imagination began to develop. Also, his mother was a great storyteller. Bruce married a classmate after a hitch in the army. They had three daughters. As a family, they traveled to many of the places he writes about. He still lives in mid-Michigan with his wife. He enjoys fishing, traveling, and writing his stories.

Book preview

ROCK HOLLER

DA YEAR WAS 1827 when I was birthed in Pennsylvania, in da Tuscarora Mountains, close by Icklesburg and Sprice Hill. I was da sixth of eleven children, (5 brothers and 5 sisters.)

Paw, a thin hard man, owned forty acres up Rock Holler. Our cabin was built on da sunny side of da holler, under two big ole shade trees. Paw owned twenty-two acres of cleared land in da bottom of Rock Holler, with woods on da side hills.

In 1834, at da age of seven, times was hard and we was po’ as church mice. We were a livin’ in a one room shack up in Rock Holler, existin’ on food raised in our garden, parsnips, turnips, potatoes, carrots, pumpkins, corn, pickles an’ beans. If it grew, we et’ it.

Corn, beans and wheat was our biggest cash crop; plus some hogs and chickens which we also et’. Our goats gave us milk, plus meat, and dey would feed on da hillside. Paw kept an old horse named Doc. to plow and cultivate with.

Mostly we was hungry in late winter and early spring. Paw would run a store bill in Icklesburg and Sprice Hill to get us through until our garden began to produce. It seems like we was always behind and trying to catch up.

Us little’ns never had shoes of any kind, septen hand me downs. Nobody had shoes in da summertime septen paw.

We kids had lots of fun a playin’ on da side hills of Rock Holler. Alberta the oldest was da boss, when ma wirn’t around, an’ she was lots a fun and she loved us kids and we loved Alberta a lot. If’n we got hurt our sweet sister would kiss our hurts an’ fix it up like new.

Gearld an’ Leroy my older brothers were rough tough kids. Dey would have a good ole time a scufflin’ amungst demselves.

We kids all worked paw over perty good a wraslin’ in da house, ma would say, Come on Pa you’re gonna brake sompin. Pa would laugh an’ ma would help us git him.

Carrol was always a tagin’ along behind me, I liked her a lot septen when she was a tryin’ to kiss me or hold my hand. All my sisters were pretty young ladies and all us siblings were real close.

Ma, she can’t have anymore kids. Pa said, Eleven is enough anyhow.

We all loved da babies Marie and Elaine. Dey were really good kids.

We was a happy family, septen when Pa got drunk. Den he got mean at ma and us kids. Dat was when tings weren’t goin’ so good money wise. Otherwise we was a happy family, poor but us kids all loved each other, septen when we was fightin’ amongst ourselves.

In 1835, my Aunt Gertrude Drake, maw’s sister, had maw send me to her place and stay the winter and go to school. So for eight months, a year, I et’ good. She bought me clothes and I went to da city school and returned to Rock Holler to help out in da summer time.

I shared my good clothes with my younger brothers and we all learned what I was taught in school. Paw didn’t like dat book larnin’ much so they learned really fast so paw wouldn’t know.

By 1836, maw was a fightin’ paw to let Alberta, Leroy, Eunice, Gearld and Gustuf go to school to get some book larnin’. Dose kids walked three miles to a one-room schoolhouse. Dey wanted to larn, so dey made da trip rain or snow.

In da spring of ‘37 our paw built a still at da head of Rock holler and sold corn liquor in Sprice Hill, Saville an’ Icklesburg. Da Carr brothers was not happy ‘bout dis and threats was given to paw, but he paid dem no mind.

Our still operated twenty-four hours a day. Paw, he picked up some wooden barrels an’ we buried ‘bout thirty barrels, of dat good stuff, in da hillside. It was hid from all but us Lees. Paw said it would be for a rainy day.

Dem Carr brothers were a big mean bunch of guys. Their fam’ly tried to rule da hills an’ hollers, here ‘bouts. Dere was a whole slew of dem brothers. Pa didn’t like dem much and said so, lots a times. He weren’t gonna let da Carr family boss him around any. He often said dey can stay in der holler an’ we would live in ourn.

We was a makin’ some money, fer wonst, an’ paw was a buyin’ us things we never had before. Ma got a flowered dress an’ was it ever perty. Us kids got all new pants an’ pa bought a cow fer milk. He didn’t cotton to goats’ milk much no how.

Now my pa was a big man in town. He set in Harold’s General Store an’ talked with people all ‘round dem hills. Dat’s when da bad things started to happen to us.

In November of ‘37, da Carr family came into Rock Holler and destroyed our still, shot my older sister Alberta dead. Alberta my oldest sister loved ever’body dat she knew and didn’t do anyone no harm at all. She was a sweet tomboy who would mix it up with us boys, but was still a sweet lovin’ girl.

Deys went and kilt her dead by da still. She was only thirteen years old at da time and I’ve missed her a lot ever since. Leroy was twelve, at dis time, an’ dey shot him in da leg but he ‘scaped downhill ta our cabin, hobblin’ all da way home.

Paw, he got scared stiff an’ hurried off with our only gun an’ left maw an’ us kids to face da Carr brothers alone, and no way to defend ourselves. Bill, Bob, an’ Carl came an’ beat up maw real bad, slapped my younger brothers, Oren and Dennis, around so dat their eyes swelled shut an’ blood came from their nose an’ mouth.

Dey threw da little babies, Marie an’ Elaine, aginst the wall an’ broke Elaine’s nose. Dey was in, real bad shape, but da doctor said dey would live.

Gearld was beat somethin’ terrible, by Carl, an’ he ended upon da floor dead. Blood was comin’ from both ears an’ mouth. Eunice was thrown against da wall and den punched unconscious, Gustuf ‘scaped to da woods. Dey broke Patty’s arm an’ slapped her ‘round an’ left her out cold, in a pool of her own blood.

Dey left threatin’ maw, if’n we see your old man he’s a dead man. As dey went outside dey kilt our livestock, burnt our sheds an’ set fire to da haystack. We never saw our paw agin. We don’t know if’n he was shot dead or afraid to come home again.

Maw couldn’t get out of bed for two days an’ our two year old baby was really hurt bad. Da bullet didn’t break a bone in Leroy’s leg, but he was on crutches fer awhile. Gustuf an’ I were da only ones to ‘scape unhurt. He fled to the woods and I was in school. Eunice had a black an’ blue face an’ bad bruises on her arms. Patty’s left arm was broke below da elbow with a black an’ blue face. Da four little’ns were a mess, but da doctor said dey would be okay in time and he was right.

Dis gave me a real bad hate for da Carr family. Our family lived with Aunt Gertrude Drake in town til spring. Those dat could went to school. People around dem hills felt sorry for us but ever’one round dese parts was afeard of dem Carrs brothers. Arrest one an’ anuther would kill ya. So no one messed with dem much.

My Aunt Gertrude Drake was onced married to a kinda rich man, Uncle Merlin. But he pass’d on a few years back. Da house was real big with a real upstears with three bedrooms up dere an’ some were downstears too.

My ma and Aunt Gertrude were sisters and loved each other a whole lot. Septen for our great loss it was a good winter, out of Rock Holler.

April 4 of ‘38. We all went back home to da Holler to work da land. We’d gotten a good horse to help with da spring plowin’ an’ draggin’ our fields. We planted corn, beans and oats plus mom had us plantin’ a big garden. Da biggest garden we ever grew.

Leroy, da oldest brother, said, We would not try to get back at dem Carrs. He didn’t want to loose anymore brothers or sisters. Next to ma Leroy was the boss.

Then with Leroy, who could walk now, Gustuf (Gus) an’ I dug up two barrels an’ loaded dem on our horse and headed way over to Kistler, Green Park, Falling Springs, Elliotsburg an Eshcot to sell and trade our booze. We had real good stuff ta sell and people would say dat it was real good and then would add, dat paw of your’n know’s his liquor real good."

Leroy was a born salesman. We received two-bred milk goats, two little pigs, lots of food and a double barrel shotgun, twelve gage, plus powder, shot and caps. After workin’ ‘round home for a week or so we dug up two more barrels and headed out agin to other places in dem hills a peddlin’ our good product. We received a billy goat, a horse, a small bore rifle with balls, powder and percussion caps and some garden tools on dis trip. Our next trip, we got a wagon and harness for our horses. Now we had transportation for da whole family.

Maw asked, Why da wagon, son? I told her we three, Leroy, Gus and I decided we must someday move out of dis ole holler and find a better place to live. Too many mouths to feed and only twenty-two acres tillable, she smiled and moved off to da house.

Leroy called fer a fam’ly meeting and we talked ‘bout our plans. We will have school every day; we must larn readin’, writin’ and rithmatic. Larnin’ da three R’s is a must if’’n we wanta get ahead. All must work ‘cept Marie an’ Elaine. Maw will only do housework; Eunice and Patricia will help Maw when she needs help.

Oren and Dennis will help watch da little girls, feed livestock and hoe in da garden. We will one day find a better home west of here in Indian country. Leroy’s shotgun was always within reach and Gus’ rifle was close at hand. Dey now lived with dere weapons day and night.

Leroy said, Dem Carrs ain’t gonna do dat to us no more. We’ll be ready fer dem next time and Leroy he don’t lie none.

We returned to da places dat we stopped at on our first run with four new barrels of liquor. We purchased food, a team of big draft horses, a revolver, (36 caliber), shovels, axes, a crosscut saw and four hoes. We promised to deliver four more barrels to complete da deal.

On da twenty-fifth we started out again to fill orders, dis time we took our wagon with sixteen barrels. We now had six barrels left in storage, so we decided to rebuild paw’s old still. We put dis still in a shed near da cabin. Dis time we came home with lumber and other buildin’ materials, plus cash which we hid on da ridge back of da house. We returned with six of our empty barrels. Soon we would be makin’ dat good stuff for resale. Leroy knew how ta build and operate da contraptsion.

We planned to build onto da house, and a good size shed for livestock on one side, with da still on da other. We didn’t let da family in on all we had planned for our small farm.

We also built da lean-to on da back of da cabin, for two bedrooms, one for maw and da babies, and one for Patty and Eunice. We five boys would sleep in da loft for now. Buildin’ da lean-to on da house and building dat barn gave me lots of experence in buildin’ things. Leroy said, Working with our hands is good, it’s sumpin we can always use.

I enjoyed workin’ and seein’ dat lean-to built. Leroy said, In Indian country we would need to put up a house to live in, or sumpin.

On July 10 of ‘38 we went to town to get honey for our still. We still had corn and wheat left. We made our liquor just like paw did. Da honey was da secret of our success. It needed a dab of bee sweetener to give it a good taste but not too much.

Dat same day in Icklesburg we met John Carr on da street in front of da general store. Gus said, to him, How is your murderin’ fam’ly today? John grabbed Gus’ arm and slapped him hard. He raised his hand to do it again, cussin’ Gus as he did so.

Leroy jammed his shotgun hard into his back and said, hit him again and you’re a dead man. His hand stayed high, he let loose of Gus and turned slowly. Leroy backed up ‘bout three steps and Gus moved out of da way. Leroy said, "touch one of our fam’ly ag’in and people are gonna die. I should kill you right now for what your fam’ly did to mine.

I don’t hate you, but I do your brothers, now git out of here before I change my mind." John stood for a moment and stared at Leroy while Leroy glared back. Leroy’s face was hard and cold as ice. I think John Carr left a believer. He got his horse at the hitchin’ rail, mounted and rode out a town not lookin’ back.

I had taken to carryin’ dat Colt revolver and Leroy said, I could shoot it six times a day to practice. But I must reload after every shot. Arnold don’t you ever get caught off guard. Dat Colt pistol had a ring on da butt of da grip, so I carried it on a rope ‘round my neck. I fixed up a make shift holster for myself, and I practiced faithfully each day. No Carrs would ever do dat to our family ever agin. We was gonna be prepared.

Leroy and Gus rode on to Saville to get more honey. Leroy sent me home with da honey we had. People knew what da Carr boys had done to our family, da killin’s and the beatin’s. Seein’ us three boys a tryin’ to support our family dey felt sorry for us, dey didn’t know how well Leroy was a doin’. Better den paw ever did and better den most men in these hills. Da saloon owners liked our booze ‘cause of our secret ingredient, and so did their customers.

Da Carr family hadn’t caught on to us yet. We took our product farther and farther from our farm til we had all da money we needed, to leave dis ole holler.

Soon I was in sight of our home. After dismountin’ my horse I went to da house to talk with maw. Oren and Dennis were in da garden hoein’, so I went out to help dem. Oren is eight years ole now and Dennis is seven. We three are close. All us brothers and sisters are tight. Our whole family is workin’ like a well oiled watch.

We’re all in tune with each other, with one goal; dat was to save da rest of our family. Da Carrs was hundreds and we were small. Leroy knowed dey is only lookin’ fer a scuse to murder da rest of us. So we gotta get out of here as soon as we can.

Leroy said, We must protect our fam’ly at all cost, and we will. Leroy, he don’t brag none and he never forgot what dem Carrs did to us. Dey is low down mean men. But dey’ll never run roughshod over us ever agin, without payin’ fer it.

I heard my younger brother Oren ask Leroy, how long we goin’ to live in dis ole holler anyway? Dis place ain’t no good

Leroy told him, We haven’t decided when we will be a leavin’. We needed ta prepare, which means buyin’ tools, wagon, horses and livestock. We will soon have money enough ta get out of here. Ohio and Indiana Territories are a long ways away, with mostly bad trails or no trails atall. Leroy said, I will talk it over with da family when I know when."

About then Patty came out of da still house and approached us. She asked, Did ya bring the honey with ya? And asked where is Leroy? Is he galavanten off to some town or what?

Gus and Leroy rode over to Saville again to git more honey for da still, plus some fat back and some sowbelly fer ma and yes Pat, da honey is up in da house. Do ya want me to git it fer you or is you gonna git it?

Arnold would you please bring it to da still house I’m ready to start da heatin’ process of da mash. I ran to da house and returned with four gallons and watched til she got da fire started, den stepped out to check da smoke as it filtered up through da leaves of da trees. Dis would hide da fact dat we had a liquor still hid out on our place.

Den I went back to da garden to hoe with my brothers. Dis garden was ‘bout an acre and a half. Our plan was to put as much food as possible in big jars, so there was a lot of work to do. Ma says you must live in a garden to git anythin’ out of it.

I watched Eunice as she left da house and headed our way with Elaine, all most three years old and Marie just four. Cute kids laughin’ and playin’ as dey came.

In a little bit maw came out on da front porch and looked toward da garden, den headed toward us with a hand cultivator ta lend us a hand. At da same time Pat left da still shed and soon we was all in da garden a laughin’ and carryin’ on somethin’ terrible. Dese was good times fer da Lee clan. Ma loved to fool around with us kids.

Maw was in a good mood, tellin’ stories and had us on our knees and backs with laughter. She would stop long enough for us to catch our breath, den begin agin. Da work came to a stand still for almost of an hour. Den with humor in her voice she said, Why are you loafin’ ‘round? Don’t you know dere’s work to be done? Now get to work you silly willies.

The sun was settin’ in da west as Gus an’ Leroy rode in with lots of honey. Our family all moved toward da house. At da porch we stopped to watch da sunset. We set on our front porch and the steps. Oh da pretty colors, dey was beautiful ta see.

A Red Tailed hawk swooped into our little holler circlin’ a few times with a background of red, gold, gray, yellow, blue sky and white clouds. Den all of a sudden he caught da air currents and up he went, up, up and over da ridge and gone from sight, kinda like paw, he hit the breeze and went up and over da ridge and was gone.

Da sun was near gone and slowly but surely it got darker and darker til all dat was left was da twinklin’ of distant stars. At dis hour darkness invaded our holler and when maw lit da coal oil lamp it called us toward da main room of our house, like moths to the flame, along with da mosquitoes, and were dey ever persistent. Den da faint rays of da moon lit up our holler and soon it was most bright as day. Long shadows put scary thoughts in my mind so I hurried into da house myself.

In dat moonlight Pat headed for da still house to check da fire and da still. All was okay so she returned to da house. Maw had made a watch order for da still, twenty-four hours a day. We used a teaspoon to test da brew only one teaspoonful per person a day. Only Maw, Leroy, Eunice and Gus could taste it.

When we went out to sell, saloons on our route was eager to buy all we had. We uncovered da last six barrels, so with da ten barrels of da new stuff we started out again. Now dey must furnish an empty barrel, one fer one. We had over thirty of them in circulation. Some places added to our number so dey could purchase extra booze. Soon we had fifty containers in circulation. As soon as we got sixteen barrels full off we went agin.

Leroy, Maw and Gus planned well. In da late winter we would try to sell our farm, but sell it or not in da early spring we would pack up an’ head south to Huston Town. Den take da trail west over da Sideling Hills, den over da Tussey Mountains, through Tussey pass into Wolfsburgs, north of the Wills Mountains. Den continue east to New Baltimore and over da Allegheny Mountains, den west to Union Town and on into da wild frontier, stopping when we saw a good spot and