Murder in the Golden Dawn

By R. B. Campbell

A murder mystery, a secret organization and a 'super sleuth' are the main elements in a story reminiscent of the tales woven by Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Dec 31, 2015
• ISBN: 9781329899261

Book preview

Murder in the Golden Dawn

Murder in the Golden Dawn

Do what thou wilt

Copyright

Copyright © ²⁰¹⁵ by Richard B. Campbell

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.

First Printing: 2016

ISBN 978-1-329-89926-1

LuLu Press Inc.

3101 Hillsborough Street

Raleigh, NC 27607

www.richardbcampbell.com

March 15, 1848: Lake Starnberg, Bavaria

The German States, as he had known them all his life, were crumbling. The revolutions led by the teachings of Frederick Engels and Karl Marx were spreading across Germany like a plague.

He stood there deep in thought, looking out at the sparking glacial waters of Lake Starnberg, as he done since he was a child. Ice age glaciers from the Alps had created this cold, crystal clear lake and he knew it would be there long after he was gone.

Every summer he had anxiously awaited the news that the family was to prepare for their twenty-five kilometer journey from Munich to their palace on the lake. He fondly remembered the excitement of exploring the small island of Roseninsel and the discovery of countless treasures only a child could appreciate.

He had no idea how long he had been standing there and he suddenly realized that he was stoking his beard, something he only did when he was under considerable stress.

He was trying to find the words to express his feelings but the words seemed to escape him. He knew what was coming and there was no way of stopping it. He wouldn’t flee but he knew he had to protect those he loved and cherished so he made plans for them months ago. From behind him he heard the door opening and closing with an almost inaudible click.

He turned slowly to face her fighting back the tears in his eyes.

You know I will be abdicating tomorrow and I will no longer be able to protect you and our unborn child so you must flee tonight. His voice was now trembling with great emotion. There was no doubt that he loved her dearly but things were now out of his control.

I have arranged for a private cabin on the Leontine leaving Bremerhaven on March 30th so you must leave as soon as possible.

There must be another way. She responded but in her heart she knew there was none.

"I have arranged protection for you and people for you to stay with in England who are loyal to you and your friends Frederick and Karl but you will have to take an irregular path to exit the country. There are unfriendly agents everywhere who will be looking for you.

I have also arranged for money to be transferred to friends in England to ensure that you and the child will be well taken care of for the rest of your lives should something happen to me in the coming days." It appeared he had been thinking about this for some time and he was not about to be swayed in any way.

Will you be following us when you can? He ignored her question but she knew it was highly unlikely that he would ever leave his beloved Bavaria. Her roles in the revolts that were sweeping across Germany and her fights with Catholic leaders in the country had finally caught up with them both. It now appeared that she would have to run like Marx and Engels had and seek refuge in England as her lover had directed.

As she stood there considering her fate and the fate of her child she felt movement in her womb. She knew she would never make it to England before the baby would come, so a stop would be required along the way.

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March 28, 1848: Evangelisch, Lengerich, Westfalen, Prussia.

The minister dipped his fingers into the large marble bowl containing holy water and then gently sprinkled a little on the baby’s head. He then made the sign of the cross on Meloh Cross’s forehead and then carefully handed the child back to his mother. Only Eva, Wolfgang and Johanne Meloh along with their young daughter Elisabeth were present in the church.  It had only been three days since the child had been born but there were very good reasons for rushing the christening.

From this point forward the Meloh’s had agreed to go by the name Cross in order to protect themselves, their daughter and their newest family member, Meloh Cross.

Once the service had finished, Eva thanked the minister and placed a large number of bank notes into his hand. She looked at her baby boy one more time and then slowly handed him to Johanne and watched as the family hurried to the back of the church past the alter and out the door to the waiting carriage.

The last leg of their trip would no doubt be a bumpy one as their rode their carriage through the rough backroads to Bremerhaven. The weather reports for the next week were not good either so the Cross family expected an even bumpier ride aboard their ship the Leontine as it crossed the sea to their new home in England.

March 31, 1848: The Cross family arrives in London

Finally, after a very rough ride across the sea from Bremerhaven, the Leontine docked in London, England. Wolfgang Cross carefully led his three-year-old daughter Elisabeth down the gang plank. His wife Johanne followed slowly behind carrying a small bundle in her arms. Meloh Cross had arrived in England but there was no fanfare for him and his new family. There were throngs of people waiting for friends and relatives escaping Germany but none of them were waiting for the Cross’s. They had no time to lament this. There ‘were’ people waiting for them however, but they were not here at the docks. That would be too dangerous.

Wolfgang, Johanne, Elisabeth and Meloh Cross took advantage of the hectic scene around them and slipped away unnoticed into the rising morning sun.

April 19, 1880: The Battle of Ahmad Khel

The British spies had stood before Lt. General Sir Donald Stewart the night before and had made their report. The spies had discovered that the Afghan tribesmen were preparing to attack his forces the following morning. They of course were planning to attack from the high ground which in this case was on the summit of a low spur of the Gul Koh mountain ridge. This spur pointed in a north-easterly direction toward the Ghuznee River, gradually sinking into the plain. Shortly after they had completed their report, the General had sent for his commanding officers and together they had drafted a battle plan.

The one thing they couldn’t plan for was the weather which in this part of Afghanistan was extremely unpredictable, which no doubt benefited the enemy who had lived in these conditions for centuries.

The high winds and dust that were being kicked up all around them made for battle conditions that were less than desirable but then again, battles were always undesirable. It seemed that there was no beginning or end to these conflicts, only the ‘bloody’ reality of battle after battle in this part of the British Empire.

It was dawn and the Colonel stood in his tent allowing his aide ‘Khan’ to putt the final touches on his uniform ensuring it met all of the standards for a Colonel in the 3rd Gurkha Rifles. His Brigade was commanded by Brigadier General Hughes who in turn reported to Lt. General Stewart and they were both known to be meticulous in their appearance and expected the same of all their reports.

It struck him as he stood there how ridiculous it was to be worrying about his appearance before taking his position on the battle field. Did it really matter how neat he was if he in fact was going to die today in the wind and dust of Afghanistan? He wondered if ‘appearance’ really mattered when you were standing at the pearly gates seeking admittance, but then again, he had always heard that ‘cleanliness was next to godliness’ so he might as well not take any chances.

To this point in his military career he had never thought about his mortality yet now as he stood there undergoing final preparing for the battle he had a moment of inward reflection. He was only 36 and that this way too young to die in the dust and wind in this far- away land especially when he knew their presence here was unwanted. So goes the life and duty of a colonel in her Majesty Queen Victoria’s service.

That will do Khan. He said to his aide. It was seven a.m. and he needed to say a few words of encouragement to the men before taking his position in the field.

The sun had just breached the horizon as the 19th column moved off, being led by Brigadier General Charles Henry Palliser. He was accompanied by Lt. General Stewart who had provided the intelligence that formed the base of their battle plan. It had been decided the night before that the 2nd brigade would command the centre position while Brigadier-General Barter's brigade was in charge of protecting the rear flank.

An hour later, three miles ahead of the advancing British force, the enemy was spotted. Their main force, as expected, had assembled on the low spur of the Gul Koh mountain ridge and on the saddle that crossed the road thereby threatening his force in front and on both flanks.

He immediately made the decision to position his guns on the road ahead and to have the three infantry regiments of his Brigade move up to the left and in line with the leading battery. The cavalry was positioned on the plain to the right and a reserve had been formed consisting of an infantry regiment, two companies and the General’s escort.

Orders were quickly sent back to Barter to send half of the infantry in his brigade to the front. In this formation the troops resumed their advance until their guns were within striking distance of the enemy.

The General knew from his spies that the strength of the enemy would be on the higher ground flanking his left so he had positioned three of his infantry regiments to address this imminent threat. The 59th was on the right; the second Sikhs were in the centre and the Third Gurkha Rifles on the left.

A short while later, just as the spies had predicted,