Catfish Alley

By Kurt Robinson

In Frankfort, Kentucky, there once stood a small community that was known as Crawfish Bottom, also called The Craw. It was known for its filthiness, drinking, prostitution, and violence; and one man controlled it all. John Fallis moved to Frankfort when he was young and after a troubling childhood of loss and being bullied, he became the most prominent figure in Frankfort. By the 1920s he was a political boss, bootlegger, gambling guru, womanizer, and ran a prostitution business. He was the most feared man in Frankfort, until the local police and the United States Marshal Service came knocking at his door. From there, The Craw was thrown into years of violence, terror, and corruption as blood is shed and John defends his turf, friends, family, women, and Crawfish Bottom. Based on a True Story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kurt Robinson
• Release date: Jul 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393883586

Kurt Robinson

Kurt Robinson is a Frankfort, Kentucky native who loves football and basketball, books, movies, and country music. He studied at the University of Kentucky and graduated in 2013 where he majored in History. After several short stories under his belt in high school and college he decided to take his writing to the next level. He writes in several genres.

Book preview

Part I

A New Start

Chapter One

Early March - 1883

Their short journey began in Jeffersonville, Indiana. They used a ferry to cross the Ohio River and entered Louisville, Kentucky. There had been a flood recently, but the river had gone down enough for the ferries to become operational once again. After they crossed the river and reached the Louisville and Nashville train depot, they received news that the train service to their destination had been suspended. There had been a report of large debris on the track near the area they intended to reach that had not been cleaned up yet. The train would only take them as far as Shelbyville, Kentucky, about halfway to their final stop.

They decided they would travel in the wagon they came across the river in instead of selling it and their horse. Their journey would be longer, but they could take this opportunity to enjoy the time with their family and the scenery even more. Plus, they had no timetable.

Their destination was Frankfort, Kentucky, which was the capital of the state of Kentucky. They had had plans to move there for quite some time. They wanted a simpler life and knew there were several business opportunities in the area. The rent was also some of the cheapest in the area, which was what they needed. The journey would roughly take a day and half.

John Fallis was three-years-old, nearly one month short of his fourth birthday, and sat next to his father as he held onto the reigns to guide the horses. His mother, Annie Fallis, and his two sisters, Mabel and Anna, sat in the back of the wagon wrapped up in a wool blanket. It was a very cold winter. His older sister, Mabel, was ten years of age and Anna was pushing seven. John's whole family had light skin and dark hair, almost black. His father, Benjamin, who was in his early forties, sported a thick handlebar mustache. John admired it, even at the age of three. Whenever his father would pick him up to hold him or play with him, he would always reach for his mustache just to feel it and sometimes tug on it. It was an easy distraction for children.

His mother was truly a beautiful woman in her early thirties and was always admired by every man walking down the street. Proper men of this time wouldn't express that they wanted to bed the woman, but you could read it in their eyes. They were also afraid that if they did show it on their face they would have to deal with Benjamin. He had a temper, but it had sustained itself in the past few years with the help of his lovely wife. She could calm him down like no other just by the single touch of her hand. Of course, she could calm any man by the touch of her hands.

Before they met, Annie was a prostitute. She had been a prostitute for ten years. She began her career when she was thirteen-years-old. She was left alone on the streets one night. Her mother had died when she was born. Her father was killed in a gunfight when a gambling dispute escalated. She was with him at the time because he had no one to leave her with. He had to take her wherever he went and that included saloons to gamble and drink. She feared for her life while she was in those establishments, but the other men never bothered her, not once. When her father was gunned down in the street a saloon owner approached her and offered her a way to make a living.

She met Benjamin ten years later and fell in love with him the moment he walked into the house of bordello in which she worked. It was the same for him as well. Once he saw her, he walked right up to her and escorted her up the stairs and to the room where they made passionate love. Sure, she had fucked plenty of men before, but not like that. That night was different. She had her arms and legs wrapped tightly around him and held his hands as they climaxed. Something she didn't do with any other man. With the other men, including the regulars, it was just having sex to make money. She just laid there as they had their way with her. With Benjamin, it was something more. She didn't know why, but they had a connection the moment they met.

Annie quit the prostitution business the next morning. The pimp and madam of the brothel house she was working in at the time were not too happy. They tried to stop them, threatening her life. That didn't sit well with Benjamin...at all. Ben pulled his knife out of its leather sheath hanging from his waist, grabbed the man's head and pulled him forward, stuck it in his abdomen, and twisted. Blood squirted from the wound. As he did that the madam jumped on his back, trying to strangle him. He spun around as Annie backed up to avoid being hit. He was able to grab the madam by her hair and throw her off him as she was slammed into the wooden bar, glass whiskey bottles falling over on impact. As the bottles rolled off the bar and shattered, Annie reached for Ben's gun in its holster, a Colt Army Model 1860 .44 caliber revolver, and cocked the hammer and shot the madam in the head. She never liked either one of them anyway.

They had to flee the state of Ohio and made their way to Indiana. They married three days later in Jeffersonville and Annie gave birth to a daughter nine months later, who was ten years old now.

They didn't have many items in their wagon, just clothes that were not in the best of shape and a few family heirlooms. They had to leave the furniture they used at the last place they rented because it was not theirs. Once they got to Frankfort and found a place to rent, they planned on using the furniture the landlord provided. At least they hoped there would be furniture.

Once they cleared Louisville's city limits, they got on the Shelbyville Turnpike, which ran parallel with the Louisville and Nashville track for a few miles. The dirt road broke off from the railroad and went through rural farms in the Jefferson and Shelby County areas. Wooden farmhouses and barns could be seen from the road. The fields were dead. They were just mud with some brown grass growing in several areas during their dormant season.

The road also went through many wooded areas where they saw a bunch of wildlife. Benjamin wanted to try and shoot a whitetail deer so they could possibly sell its hide and meat in Shelbyville. But Annie decided against it, to save time from shooting, possibly tracking, and skinning the animal. She said they could make do with the leftover hard tack cracker they had that Benjamin bought before they left Jeffersonville. She wanted the journey to be over with sooner rather than later.

By the time they cleared the wooded area, Benjamin checked his gold-plated pocket watch, it was nearly five o'clock in the afternoon. The turnpike then turned rocky and hilly for a good distance before they neared the Shelbyville area. It made for a rough mile or so before they reached Shelbyville. The wooden wheels bounced violently on several occasions as they rode over the hilly areas and rocks sticking up from the dirt road caused by erosion. Benjamin was also worried that a spoke might break causing them a long delay.

The girls in the back of the wagon had it rough. Whenever the wagon bounced and jerked, they bounced and jerked. As for Benjamin and John, the seat they sat on had metal springs on each side of the seat. This gave them a much smoother ride than the ladies.

John, almost four, had to hang on to the seat tight, sometimes he had to even slide over and grab his father, the traveling got so rough. Despite this, John enjoyed traveling by wagon; he enjoyed it more than by train. He enjoyed the beautiful landscape of the country. He loved watching the wildlife. He would sit on the porch of their old living quarters and see if he could spot anything. If he could do it without getting caught, he would sneak out and run to see if he could spot a deer, raccoon, a snake, or even a beaver down by the river. But he knew that if his mother caught her three-year-old son running around outside looking at animals, she would never let him forget it.

The landscape this time of year wasn't the prettiest. There were no leaves on the trees, which just made the woods look gloomy and brown on cloudy days. The grass was either hidden under snow, or it was brown from the coldness of the winter. Fields were dormant as the farmers waited for the planting season. Plus, the cold made it feel like there wasn't much out there. Even though everyone else hated this time of year, John loved it. It spoke to him.

After the hills and rocks, the land suddenly turned into flat and soft dirt, which was good land to cultivate on. After several hours of travel, they had made it halfway to Frankfort. John was wide awake, but his mother and two sisters had fallen asleep a ways back. They could all lay down in the wagon, with the little amount of clothes and other items they brought.

Benjamin finally spoke for the first time in a long time, after he took a drink of water from his canteen, Well, looky there. We made it to Shelbyville.

Are we staying the night here, paw? John asked.

Yeah, son, I believe we will. Let your mother and sisters sleep in a good bed and let the horses rest.

They continued on the dirt turnpike and they could see the small town of Shelbyville. As they neared it, they passed an old stone house that used to serve as a tavern back when Kentucky was just a county of the state of Virginia. It had two chimneys, one on each end, a wooden front porch, which was in bad condition, with hitching posts in front, and an old wooden shingle roof. There were several horses hitched to the posts.

As they rode on, they saw the Shelby County fairgrounds. The entrance was a wooden structure, painted white, with three arches. Behind that was open land with areas for booths, horse shows, and other setups. Several stables lined the far-left side of the grounds.

Just before they reached the little town, they saw a huge brick church to the right, First Baptist Church. Its steeple was incredibly large and tall. The front door was two large heavy oak doors with an arch around them. The sanctuary had to be one of the biggest John had ever seen. It was grand in scale with stained glass windows on both sides that seemed to go on forever.

Finally, the turnpike turned into Main Street as they entered Shelbyville. There were several people walking the streets, some dressed in their finest and some in what seemed to be rags. Horse and carriages roamed the muddy streets. Young boys with wooden buckets and shovels rushed the street as they picked up the droppings left from the horses. Brick and wooden buildings lined the street with a wooden sidewalk, which was heavily trafficked. Wealthy businessmen and women enjoyed their evening walks as they strolled hand in hand.

The other view of Shelbyville citizens was of people who were not so great in status as they gathered goods from the stores. Several of the stores had cloth awnings supported by wooden poles covering the sidewalk and some of their commodities. The items were mainly flour, jarred goods, and feed for the animals. The classes were very distinguished amongst the streets.

They traveled a little further until they reached Sixth Street and saw the Armstrong Hotel. It was a two-story wooden structure with a porch on the first floor. Benjamin steered the horse to the front. Annie, Mable, Anna, and John all got out of the wagon. Benjamin told Annie to wait on the porch of the hotel with the children while he took the horse and wagon to the stables. Benjamin paid the stable boy seventy-five cents for the horses to hay overnight and another twenty-five cents to store the wagon. He grabbed a few blankets and a few personal items and walked back to the hotel.

They were able to get a room for all of them for just one dollar and twenty-five cents. The children would have to sleep on the floor with the blankets they brought with them. The proprietor told them to go up the steps and they were in the second room on the left. They walked upstairs and went in the room. They agreed to rest for a little while. The children were playing in the floor as his wife was tidying up the place. Once they got everything situated, they decided to go get dinner.

They found a small restaurant and paid two dollars and fifty cents for the five of them. They all enjoyed their meal of baked beans and bread, as did several other people in the restaurant. Afterward, Benjamin and Annie decided they would take a walk with their children down Main Street. They walked past several stores and businesses. A brand-new telegraph station was under construction with poles that would hold the lines. They also passed a whorehouse, which brought back unsettling memories for Annie. As they passed it, they made the children look in the other direction so they wouldn't catch a glimpse of anything.

By the time they returned to the hotel it was dark and some streetlamps had been lit. The orange glow from the fire lit up certain areas of the street. Many buildings were also sporting the orange glow from their windows.

The Fallis family went straight to sleep because they wanted to awake early in the morning to get on the road to their new hometown as quickly as possible.

THE NEXT MORNING THE family awoke and put their clothes on over their white sleeping garments. They gathered their items and walked down the steps of the hotel to check out. Once they did, Benjamin went to the stables to retrieve the horse and wagon. Annie and the children waited out front of the hotel.

It was cold and cloudy; the breath of the people and horses out in the early morning was visible. The muddy streets had hardened some overnight, which meant the ride out of town would be rough once again.

Ben finally arrived with the horse and wagon. Once he pulled on the reigns to stop the horse, he jumped down to help his wife and daughters into the wagon. John had climbed up on the front bench on his own. The girls then wrapped themselves in all the blankets they had. Annie gave John a blanket as well. Ben climbed back up on the front and slapped the horse and off they went.

The ride out of town was rough as expected, but it smoothed out once they left Shelbyville and Main Street turned back onto the turnpike. The turnpike wasn't as heavily traveled as Main Street, so it was smoother. The rest of the trip shouldn't be as rough as it had been thus far.

They went through smooth flat land and hilly land, but the rocks were less scarce. They had been traveling a little more than an hour and a half when they reached the Franklin County and Shelby County line. They then had to cross a covered bridge over a small creek named Benson Creek. They rolled on through it, the horses hooves thumped on the wooden boards and the wooden wheels of the wagon rolled over them.

They continued on the dirt turnpike. John still admired the view. He could see several farmhouses in the distance. Many dormant fields filled the land as before and several deer were running through them.

They ended up passing another wagon with a family in it, heading to Shelbyville. They looked poor, their clothes mostly rags, but they smiled when they passed. Shortly after that they came to a wooden sign with black lettering, at first it was hard to make out, but once they got close enough it read, Welcome to Frankfort.

Chapter Two

Frankfort, Kentucky - March 5, 1883

They had finally reached the outskirts of Frankfort and had just a little further to go to get to the heart of the city. They neared what looked to be a cliff with a large open valley out in front of it. The dirt road turned into a steep incline as it curved left and hugged the side of the hill. A stone wall lined the left side of the road as it supported the dirt that had been moved to build the road. A brown wooden fence lined the outer edge of the road.

They rode down the hill, known as Louisville Hill, with caution. To their right they could see the town of Frankfort. To the far right, in the valley, were trees and open land. Just in front of the hill they were riding down was south Frankfort, the richer side of town. In the further distance, across the Kentucky River, which split South Frankfort and Downtown Frankfort down the middle, was the north side. That was their final destination. Cheap rent and jobs at the mills and plants for the white man was its appeal.

Without leaves on the trees, the view of the town was beautiful. They could see damn near every home and building, homes constructed of brick and wood. Once they reached the bottom of the hill the road curved to the right and the street turned to Second Street. To the left was a large cube of a brick building that was Second Street School. The first few feet of the building appeared to be stained from the flood that had completely receded recently. An iron fence lined the road in front of the school. A cobblestone wall retained land that had houses sitting on it on the right.

A couple hundred feet down the street they turned left onto Bridge Street. Several brick stores, lined directly next to each other, sat on the right side of the street and a small wooden building sat on the left. In front of them was a long covered bridge that crossed the Kentucky River into north Frankfort. It was a wide covered bridge, big enough for two wagons to fit through at one time. It had two large stone piers that supported it over the river.

As they rode through the bridge, they noticed men with tools and new wooden planks. As they neared them, they saw that some sections along the side had sustained damage during the flood. Luckily, the floor had already been repaired of damage or wasn't too impaired. The men stopped working as the Fallis family passed them.

As they came out the other end of the bridge, there stood several larger brick buildings along the right side of the street. Directly to the left of them, there appeared to be a construction site with several large blocks of limestone lying around that were going to become part of a structure. The site had received some damage from the flood that hadn't yet been cleaned up.

Across from the construction site was Good Shepherd Church. Its large spire stood tall in the air as its brick body covered the corner of the block. They rode on and as they did the Franklin County Courthouse made its appearance on the left. The front represented Roman architecture with four massive columns in front as the large gable sat atop. The courthouse's large cupola made itself known as it stood firmly in the air. They looked ahead and saw a cobblestone street in front of them known as St. Clair Street. Beyond it was the capitol building of Kentucky.

They crossed Main Street and noticed several new poles lined with new telegraph wires that stood in a row down the street. The ride again became rough when they hit the cobblestones. Several more brick and stone buildings hugged each other as they lined the street. Many people were roaming the streets, many stores good for shopping occupied the buildings on St. Clair. The street had almost been clean from flood waters, although it received significantly less damage than the area they were heading towards.

St. Clair ended at Broadway. The railroad tracks ran right down the middle of Broadway, west to east. They stopped the wagon to look around. The capitol building was right in front of them across the street. It resembled the courthouse, only much larger. Its six massive columns supported a much larger gable with a large rotunda, which stood proudly on top of the statehouse in the middle. A much smaller two-story brick building stood to the capitol's right and a slightly taller, three story, stone annex building stood to the capitol's left. A three-layered water fountain stood in front of the building as a tall iron fence bordered the sidewalk and protected the tree-filled courtyard.

Benjamin looked to his left and saw the train tracks, heading toward of Louisville and Shelbyville, crossing a bridge over the river. There he saw the problem as to why the trains couldn't get to Frankfort. Many logs laid on the tracks, some had been removed he had guessed, but several still blocked the passage.

To the right, he saw the Louisville and Nashville train depot, down the street a few blocks. There certainly wasn't much to it, it was a simple wooden structure that resembled a barn which sat at the corner of Ann Street and Broadway. Just beyond that, a tunnel that had been carved some years before went through a large hill. Almost just above the tunnel, on the hill, sat the State Arsenal, which was a castle-looking structure that overlooked the town of Frankfort, protecting it from enemy forces during the Civil War. It housed supplies and weaponry for the Kentucky National Guard.

Benjamin slapped the reigns and the horse trotted to life as he guided it to the left. They traveled down Broadway, parallel with the tracks. The open courtyard of the capitol was at their right until it ended, when they reached Madison Street. Immediately, Broadway was lined with wooden and brick buildings, some of which served as taverns. He saw several large logs laying on the tracks as they crossed Washington Street.

They traveled another block and crossed a small street known as Long Lane Alley. They now neared the river as it only sat a couple blocks away. Finally, they reached the final street before the river, Wilkinson Street. Once he reached Wilkinson, he saw that two sawmills sat right next to each other. The logs were probably lined up on the river waiting their turn to be processed before the flood. Both sawmills sat next to the river and both were more than likely completely covered during the flood. Substantial damage had been done to both and men appeared to be working tirelessly to repair the structures so they could get back to work and make money.

Shit, Ben said to himself. He had hoped to work at one of these mills. But his spirits were lifted once he realized if he helped with the repairs, he might get offered a job. But first things first, looking for a house. There are shanties for rent down this way. Let us see if any still stand.

He turned the horse right and traveled down Wilkinson. The further they went up the street north, the worse the buildings looked. And it wasn't from the flood. Several buildings that still stood looked like simple shacks that served as homes. Some of the shacks had been destroyed and were gone, displacing families. They didn't see many people in this area and assumed they had left the area because of the flood.

After they crossed the intersection at Clinton Street, they noticed several wooden structures that had survived the flood. A young man was cleaning up some of the mess in front of them. Benjamin pulled the wagon to the left side of the street where they were.

Excuse me kind sir, this might sound like an odd question considering the situation here, but do you know of any homes here for rent? Benjamin asked.

To rent? the man said as he stopped what he was doing and stood up straight. He was wearing black pants and a very dirty white shirt that was now practically brown. Now, why on earth would you want to live in a shit-hole like this?

Well because we are moving here.

You folks new here?

We are.

Well, you picked one hell of a time to move in!

I see that, but we have limited options. I had heard that the mills here work practically around the clock. Benjamin explained.

They do indeed! Plenty of business, that's for sure.

I was hoping to work there, provide better for my family.

You'll find plenty of work now, the man said as a pause followed. He noticed John sitting next to Benjamin. Who's this little fella?

John was silent for a second until his father said, John, the man asked you a question.

I'm John, John Fallis.

Well, how do you do young John Fallis? The man asked him.

I'm well, sir.

Well, good! And looks like the rest of the family is here as well, he noticed as he looked in the back of the wagon.

Indeed, this is my wife Annie, our oldest daughter, Mabel and our youngest daughter, Anna. Benjamin explained.

Well, aren't they just lovely? How do you do ma'am? He asked Annie.

I'm fine, sir, thank you, Annie said.

Benjamin, getting back to his original question, How about that rent?

Ah, yes! The man said as his attention snapped back to the question. Well, these shacks here are mine. I'm the landlord and I believe I just lost the occupants.

You willing to rent to us? Benjamin asked.

If you have the money, then yes.

We do have money, just not a lot, that's why I plan on getting a job at the mill.

Well, they're always looking for help.

That's good. That's what I wanted to hear. What do you charge a month?

Um, how about three dollars a month? Now, it's obviously not in the best shape...

But, you'll help take care of it, correct? I mean, you are the landlord.

Well, of course! We can fix 'em up together! Oh, and forget about what I said about this place being a shit-hole, said the man.

Sounds like you have a deal, Benjamin said as he and the man shook hands.

Wonderful! The name's Dulin Moss!

Benjamin Fallis, He told Moss.

Please to meet you! Welcome to Craw!

Chapter Three

Benjamin hopped down from the wagon and turned around and grabbed John to help him down. He then walked around to the back of the wagon and helped his wife and daughters out. They stepped on the mud filled street and felt something strange when they began to walk. Anna noticed it first and got the attention of her mother. The street hadn't gotten cleaned up very much yet so they were still everywhere. Crawfish filled the street. When the river receded, the crawfish landed on the street. Over time and with the many floods that occurred in the area, the name of the area wrote itself.

Look mommy! Anna shouted as she pointed at the ground.

Yes, dear, those are crawfish. They ended up here when the river went back down. Don't touch them, darling. She told her.

John walked over to his mother, wanting her to pick him up, and she did. The family then walked with Dulin Moss toward their new home. As they walked, Benjamin reached in his pocket and walked up next to Moss to give him the first month's rent.

Here you are, kind sir, he said as he handed him the money.

Ah, well thank ya. You want me to show you around the place? We can look at what needs fixin'.

Sure, that'd be great. They walked towards the shack-looking home and Benjamin had a question for him. So, why exactly do they call this place Crawfish Bottom?

Well, that's an interesting story. The name was never officially given; it pretty much just worked itself in. This area used to be known as just the lower part of the city. It never had a name. But I suppose with all these little fuckers, pardon ma'am, showing up after the floods and the violence, and among other things that happens here, it got the name Crawfish Bottom unofficially. Some call it Craw, others call it The Craw. I suppose it's just how you're feeling that day.

I see, Benjamin said and then asked another question. When you said violence and other things, what did you mean by that?

Well, this place isn't the most proper. We have fights here, sometimes shootouts, caused by too much consumption of alcohol, gambling, or women. There are several bordellos around; most are over on Long Lane Alley. They are here to please the men around these parts, especially those who come into town to sell logs. Those men enjoy themselves while they are here, let me tell ya!

Benjamin and Annie shared a look at the fact that he mentioned prostitution was popular here. Annie wanted to escape that previous life of hers and Ben wanted to help her. They never told their children what she had done in her past and they hoped to keep it that way. It had been ten years and it was time to put it fully behind them, although living here might prove difficult.

Well, here we are! Let me show you what we got. Dulin said.

There wasn’t really a front yard to the place; it pretty much just sat right on the street. They opened the flimsy wooden door and stepped inside. The shack lived up to its name. Everything was in one large room. There was a large bed that was still damp in the far-left corner of the room, a smaller bed on the right wall, also damp, a cast iron wood stove on the left wall, and a small sink on the front wall.

They then walked to the back door. It might not have had a front yard, but it had a large backyard. The backyard faced west and went all the way to the river. It was covered in mud and debris from the flood, but once fixed back up it would be a nice place for the kids to play. But they looked to the right and noticed a much larger pile of debris. It was close to the river as well and looked like it didn't just land there. After seconds of speculation, Benjamin realized what it was, it was the dump.

Well, children, let's go back inside and begin cleaning this place up, Annie said as she and the children walked back into their new home.

It appears you meant it when you said this place was a shit-hole, Benjamin said once it was just him and Moss standing outside the back door.

Aye, but the flood makes it look much worse.

I suppose so.

But, the place is affordable! Moss said as he slapped Ben on the shoulder and walked back inside.

It is indeed...it is indeed.

The Fallis family began unloading what little possessions they brought with them from the wagon. Annie and the children began cleaning the inside of the house so they could sleep tonight. With the mattresses being wet from the flood they would need to be set outside to dry. The family might be sleeping on blankets tonight on the floor because there wasn't enough time for them to dry out completely.

Benjamin had other plans. He came here to get a job, so he thought he would make a good first impression by helping the crew of the sawmills clean up and move the logs on the track. He unhooked the horse from the wagon and grabbed a pair of cast iron log skidding tongs from a wooden trunk they brought with them. These were practically the only thing Ben had left to remind him of his father, who was a logger himself. His father had died when he and his fellow loggers were sawing down a tree that didn't fall correctly and crushed him. The company gave the skidding tongs back to Ben and his mother.

He grabbed the horse by the reigns and began walking in the direction they came, back to the train tracks on Broadway. He observed more damage as he walked, his feet crunching on the dead crawfish that lined the street. A few horses and men were pulling logs off the tracks once he got there. He offered to help, and they immediately accepted.

They had chains laying around, so he hooked them to the straps on his horse with the skidding tongs on the end. He hooked the skidding tongs on one end of a log and pulled it away. He pulled it down to the mill, where they had the others laying that they had pulled off earlier. He did that several times, joining other men who were doing the same. It only took them a couple hours to remove the remaining logs off the tracks. Trains could now finally come into Frankfort from the west again.

Chapter Four

April 13, 1883

Amonth can change a lot. The area was now as clean as it was going to get for the standards of Crawfish Bottom. Their new home was clean, the debris that was scattered in the backyard was now gone, although the dump just a couple hundred feet from the house was visible. Several other shacks had been repaired and several new ones were either thrown up or were under construction. People had moved back into the area known as Crawfish Bottom and were now living there. The streets were crawling with people who were all new to the Fallis family.

Benjamin had helped repair Tom Kenny's sawmill, so Mr. Kenny gave him a job. The proper title for the mill was T.E. Kenny's and Sons Lumber, but most people referred to it as Kenny's Sawmill. It sat just down the street, past Clinton Street, to the left of another sawmill, Capital City Manufacturing Company, also known as Sullivan's Mill, owned by Frank Sullivan.

Both mills served the same purpose. They bought the logs that were floated down river by loggers, paid them, and cut the wood up to build houses, buildings, and furniture.

The weather was warming up and the trees were beginning to bloom. It was a perfectly comfortable day. Benjamin made enough money to support his family for now. Annie stayed at home with the children as her husband went to work. They had sold the horse and wagon to the mill to have a little extra money. Things were beginning to look up. But, today was special, today was John Fallis' fourth birthday.

The celebration during the day was minor. John had gone out and played with some new friends that he had made in the backyard. John and his new friends were playing with some tin toy Union soldiers that John had brought with him on their journey. There were four of the toy soldiers and they were lining them up against each other as if they were in battle. John was on one side and one of his friends on another. They knocked them over like they got shot and sat them back up and repeated the process. The boys were enjoying themselves until John's friend decided he wanted to put three toy soldiers against one toy soldier. So, he quickly grabbed one from John and put it on his side. John did not like that and swiped it back in a flash. The boy then grabbed it again and John stared at him. It was a dark and long stare as the boy laughed at him. John stood up and shoved the boy in the face causing him to fall over. He grabbed his toy soldiers and walked over to the rest of his friends playing across the backyard. His mother never saw the skirmish.

Throughout the afternoon Annie was preparing a dinner for the family. She spent the last hour or so before Benjamin returned home peeling potatoes for their meal of potatoes and beans that night. Annie also told Benjamin to stop by the bakery on his way home to pick up a sweet pastry for John on his special day.

Benjamin did exactly that. In order to get that pastry, Ben had to walk slightly further and a little out of his way. Nickel's Bakery sat on Mero Street, which was a half block from their home, but past Washington Street, which was almost two blocks to the east. The bakery hadn't received much damage from the flood, but what little amount of damage it did sustain had been repaired and it was open for business again. Joseph Nickel had settled in the area a few years back when his brother had been imprisoned at the State Penitentiary, which sat a few blocks to the east from his bakery.

Once Benjamin left the sawmill he began walking east on Clinton Street and came to a much smaller street, almost an alley, that he had not yet explored in his new town because of all the repairing he had been a part of. So, he decided to walk down the alley, which had a sign that named it Long Lane Alley. He began walking down the street and noticed that many of the buildings and homes were made of wood. They were very close together and some buildings in this area were still damaged. The majority of them had been repaired or were not badly damaged. He noticed how much smaller in width the street was compared to others and how much darker it got even with the sun shining and not a single cloud in the sky.

With it being late afternoon, men were getting off work and heading home and he noticed he wasn't the only one going this direction. As a matter of fact, several men were walking with him. As he got halfway down the street, he figured out why. Several women had lined the streets or were sitting on front porches of houses. Some houses only had white women, some only had black women, and some had both. He quickly remembered what this area was now. He had forgotten that Dulin Moss told him that this was the street for the whorehouses.

The women barely wore any clothes, some had their tops pulled down revealing their breasts. It didn't take long for them to receive their customers. Some men approached the women, all smiles and in the best of moods, and fondled their breasts and grabbed their asses. The women immediately grabbed the men's hands and led them into their respective houses of ill repute.

The men leaving the area weren't just white, black men joined the throng of people as well. Although there were only a few, they were only allowed to take the black women to get their satisfaction. However, some of the white men could take a black whore and no one batted an eye. But, since there were so few black men, the black whores needed to make money, so they didn't mind who took them as long as they got paid.

Some of the prices for the whores were hanging on signs or Benjamin heard the men or women discussing the prices. The higher end ladies were closer to two dollars, they were called Two-Three Ladies because the women cost two dollars and room was three. Most of the men didn't go for them, prices too steep. They were only for the men who could afford it or who were from out of town. Most of the men went with the ladies whose price was either seventy-five cents or a dollar. That was affordable.

The ladies age range was very widespread, much like their legs usually were. They ranged from around fifteen-years-old all the way up to the mid-fifties. Some of the madams, or just the older cheap prostitutes, even had their daughters working for them or with them. The men grabbed whichever aged lady they were in the mood for that day. Some young men went old, some old men went young, and some went with one who was near their age. The combination in race, price, and age for the men to choose from were endless. Once the men were done, they would go home to their wives, already warmed up to please them, or families to play with their children.

As Benjamin walked on through, several women approached him and brushed his hair and ran their hands across his chest and shoulders to try and entice him. Although he was amazed by the beauty of some of them, others not so much, he remembered he had a loving family at home waiting for him. He told them that and they walked off to try and lure another gentleman with their beauty and charm. Several of the girls had bottles of alcohol they were sipping on as well and whichever man chose them took the bottle and started chugging on it.

After Annie and Benjamin's first daughter was born, he had promised to let prostitution and alcohol go. He hadn't touched either one since she was born; although his anger issues were still around, but that came naturally.

He finally made it to Mero Street and walked a couple hundred feet, past Washington Street, and made it to the bakery.

HE WALKED BACK IN HIS home carrying a box with a small cake in it that only cost a dollar and a half. His children rushed to hug him; he returned the hugs. He set the cake on the dinner table and walked up to his wife and kissed her soft lips. The house smelled very good as the meal was almost ready to eat. They finally sat around the table and ate a family meal. He then opened the box and pulled the white cake out; John was beyond thrilled. He hadn't seen or tasted a cake before, none of them had. They cut it into five small pieces and celebrated John's fourth birthday.

Chapter Five

May 20, 1883

It was a Sunday evening , and no one had worked all day because it was the day of rest and every one in Craw observed the Sabbath religiously. The moon was nearly full, and the warm spring air was here to stay. Benjamin and his family were sound asleep in their beds until they suddenly heard loud noises, sounds of yelling, screams, and cheering coming from outside.

Benjamin sat up quickly, as did Annie and the children. He turned to his right and struck a match and lit the oil lantern that sat next to their bed on a little wooden table. He threw the sheets off him, stood up, and grabbed the lantern by the handle. Annie stood up as well; the children attempted to but were stopped by their father's stern voice telling them to stay in their beds.

Benjamin and Annie Fallis walked to the back of the house where a small window sat in the middle of the wall. Today was an important day among the residents of Craw. They rested and enjoyed the company of their families. They went to church in the morning and did not work during the day. Even the whores showed up for church. Why wouldn't they? No one thought anything bad about them. They were just women trying to earn a living. The Sabbath was supposed to be a peaceful day and night, until this evening.

They proceeded to look out the window toward the Kentucky River, which snaked its way through downtown Frankfort. There was a large sandbar that sat in the middle of the river that caused the river to fork. They called the sandbar Fish Trap Island and it was covered in debris for a while after the flood but had since been cleaned. The fact that the flood caused damage to the sandbar probably was the reason why the Fallis' were just now seeing this.

The island had several torches lit up on it, some seemed to be stationary while others flew around like fireflies. They adjusted their sight and noticed that a lot, probably hundreds, of teenage boys and younger men filled the sandbar. According to Benjamin they weren't doing anything in particular, just running and screaming and yelling obscene phrases. He also noticed that down at one end of the sandbar was a large bonfire with boys dancing around it, one seemed to be in a made-from-scrap devil costume. He wasn't sure what he was seeing.

What the fuck? Ben said aloud.

Benjamin, mind your tongue! Annie snapped at him quietly.

I'm going to get a closer look, he told her.

Benjamin walked over to the back door and opened it, carefully looking around to make sure no one else was around. He looked up and saw the moon was nearly full, bright enough that he didn't need the lantern, so he handed it to Annie. He walked out and pulled the door to. The ground was dry now from the little amount of rain the area had had and their yard only sported a few spots of grass.

He walked closer to the river, as he did, he looked both ways at the other houses and noticed that no one else was outside looking curiously. He couldn't even see any lanterns in windows. The smell of the dump was strong and smelt awful as he neared the edge of the river. He could hear the screaming and yelling now, but couldn't make out what any of them were saying. It was almost as if they were just screaming to be noisy.

The island was very active, and the moon light lit it up. He saw what looked like boys running next to each other, possibly racing, playing unspecified games, and fighting. It was a horrific scene for someone who was new to the area. He didn't know what was going on. A group of boys and men had gathered in the middle of the island and began shouting something. Benjamin couldn't make it out at first, but once they got in sync, he could make it out clearly. They were yelling repeatedly, Fuck the nigger! Fuck the nigger! at no one in particular. They seemed to be yelling straight at the city of Frankfort.

They finally finished yelling and then dragged a young Negro boy from a rowboat that had been setting on the bank of the sandbar. It was hard to tell from Benjamin's point of view, but it looked like he had been beaten. And from what Ben could see, that wasn't all he was about to receive. A large crowd of men gathered around in a wide circle in the middle of the island. They shoved the black boy, who didn't appear to be more than fifteen or sixteen years old, into the middle of the circle. His hands were tied behind his back.

Next, a large older white man, who looked like he chopped wood for a living, made his way in the middle of the circle as well. He took off his shirt and held his arms up as the others cheered. The young helpless black boy looked lost and scared, not knowing what to do. The large white man lowered his arms and the crowd fell silent, almost like they knew what was going to happen and they were right. The large white man spoke.

What will it take to make the nigger learn!? He asked the rhetorical question. You niggers think this is your country? You think you can steal from us? You think you deserve to walk the same streets as we do? And... he paused as he let his anger build up inside of him. Something was bringing this on. Something was about to explode inside of him. Benjamin could tell, he just didn't know what. And you think you can court our white women!? As soon as he said that the crowd went crazy, yelling for the black boy to be beaten and killed and thrown in the river so his body could float away. The anger coming from the island was tremendous.

Oh, shit, Benjamin said, knowing now this young man had no chance.

The large white man spoke again, You and your kind will learn your place. He said as he walked toward the black teenager. God made black whores for your kind. So, it seems simple to me that you be with them. Not with our white whores! Do you hear me!? You fucking nigger! He yelled as he flung his large right fist into the left jaw of the Negro boy causing him to fall