The Returned

By Jack Devine

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 3, 2010
• ISBN: 9781456821944

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Copyright © 2010 by Jack Devine.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2010917439

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4568-2193-7

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4568-2192-0

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4568-2194-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

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Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

CHAPTER ONE

The Stickup

CHAPTER TWO

The Teacher

CHAPTER THREE

Newport-Groton War

CHAPTER FOUR

Joe’s Adventure

CHAPTER FIVE

Boston and Charlestown

CHAPTER SIX

The Battle

CHAPTER SEVEN

Burgoyne’s Indians

CHAPTER EIGHT

George Washington and Benedict Arnold

CHAPTER NINE

Joe, Todd, and the Indians

CHAPTER TEN

New York and Brooklyn

CHAPTER ELEVEN

General Washington and General Howe

CHAPTER TWELVE

Washington’s Battles: Long Island, Brooklyn Heights, Manhattan, and Harlem Heights

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Dave and the Pirates

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The Virginia Battle

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The Return

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Betsy (Graves) Barthlow, for her inspiration. Betsy was a dear friend and companion for twenty years and was the real inspiration behind Jack Devine’s book. Betsy was a graduate of the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and it was there in colonial Williamsburg where Jack Devine, while sitting in a tavern one evening and enjoying his libation, got the inspiration to write The Returned.

Joyce Giusti for her encouragement. Joyce is the wife of a fellow golf professional in Halifax, Massachusetts, and kept Jack motivated until he finished his book.

Jim O’Sullivan, for all his editing and overall assistance. Although not a formal editor, Jim has helped Jack with the editing, marketing, and publishing of The Returned.

The students and faculty of The Graphics Communications Department at The South Shore Vocational High School in Norwell, Massachusetts, for their creative and artistic skills in designing and creating the book’s cover. Study the cover carefully for it depicts the essence of the story in The Returned.

CHAPTER ONE

The Stickup

It was a cold and wintry day in Boston, Massachusetts. The year was1984.Three boys in their late teens and early twenties were standing on a street corner beside Murphy’s Variety Store, waiting for Mr. Murphy to stop talking to Mrs. Johansen. A few minutes after she left, the three boys—Joe Davis; Jim Washington, an Afro American; and Dave Baker—walked into the store and looked around. Dave pulled out a gun and said, This is a stickup. All your money and you will not get hurt. Before anybody could think, Mr. Murphy pulled out a shotgun from under the counter and said, I have had it with you, punk bastards, and let go with both barrels, not hitting anyone but shattering the plate glass window in front of the store.

Police were nearby talking when they heard the shots. They started toward the store just as the boys ran out. One policeman saw them and said, Halt! Not even looking around, they ran down the street toward the warehouses on the wharf with the police in hot pursuit. Finding a door open in one of the warehouses, the boys ran in and hid behind some boxes. The police chased the boys down an alley to the wharf but could not find them. One policeman looking around said, They could be anywhere in these damn buildings. Yeah, said the other policeman. We will look for them, and if we can’t find them, we will look again in the morning. If we still can’t find them, we will see the owner of the store and get a description.

Meanwhile, in the warehouse the boys got into the boxes to keep warm since it was cold, and then they decided to spend the night. Waking up the next morning the three were puzzled to find it was warm and humid, seeing that the forecast had been for cold and snow. Joe said to Dave, Go and see if the coast is clear. Dave went outside, and looking around he could not believe his eyes. He came back into the room and said, You are not going to believe this, but there are no tall buildings and no cars, only horses and carriages; and the people that I see are dressed funny. Joe said, What the hell are you talking about? Dave said, If you don’t believe me, come out here and take a look!

The three walked outside, looked around, and started to stroll up the street. Jim said, This is really weird. I have never seen anything like this. This has to be a play, a movie, a circus, or something like that, said Dave. As they walked farther up the street, they heard a shout, Halt in the name of the king! The three turned around and were looking at three British soldiers. Dave, reaching for his gun, found that he had left it back in the warehouse. Dave said, Halt in the name of who? The soldiers looked at the boys and said, Look at what we have here. One soldier said, These youngsters are dressed sort of funny. The other soldier said, Let’s take the three of them to the captain.

The captain William Smyth was a burly man of about six feet. He was sitting behind a desk. One of the soldiers said to the captain, We found these three sneaking around by the warehouses, and we think we have spies here. Smyth said, Well now, what do you have to say for yourselves? Joe said, Look, I am a little pissed off here. I don’t know what the hell is going on. You must be having a play here or something. In any case you have a lot of bad actors. Let’s stop this bullshit right now and get us the fuck out of here!

Captain Smyth said, Take them to the stockade. One of the soldiers prodded them with his rifle, and the three were transferred in a cart to a makeshift jail out of town. Joe said, By tomorrow we will wake up and find out this is a bad dream. You are right, said Jim, and they went to sleep.

The next morning, when the three awoke to find that nothing had changed, a guard came in with breakfast. Dave asked the guard, What day is it? The guard replied, April 6, 1775. You have to be kidding! said Dave. No, I am not, said the guard, and I think the three of you were in on that tea party in Boston. You have to be kidding! replied Dave. No, I am not, replied the guard who turned around and left. Joe said to Dave, What the hell are they talking about? What damn party? I don’t know, said Dave. This bullshit that is going on here I think they are carrying it a little too far. We have to figure out just what the hell is going on.

Then a voice came from outside the cell and said, All hell is breaking loose! Some British troops were sent to the Lexington and Concord area to arrest some people named John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Some local militia who call themselves the Minutemen ambushed the British in a big battle. I say to hell with these British sons of bitches. I saw them arrest you boys; and when everybody was milling around, I stole a key, and I am letting you out. Thanks, said Dave. What is your name? Just call me Torn. Thanks, said Jim, and with that the three escaped.

Once Dave asked What is this about ambush and shots? Torn said, I think we are going to have ourselves a war. Torn left quickly, and the three headed for a wooded area. Dave suggested that they split up and that they meet back at the harbor at a later time when everything had cooled down. The three then split and went their different ways.

Jim headed south, and in about an hour he came to another wooded area. After about a week of getting food and drink any way he could, he came upon another black man. Jim said, Hi, where are you going? The man said, I am going to fight with General Washington. Any man that was a slave will be set free if we fight against the British. He showed Jim a sign that read, To all brave, healthy, and able-bodied and well-disposed young men in this neighborhood who have any inclination to join the troops now raising under General Washington for the defense of the— Jim did not finish reading but looked up and asked the other black man, What is your name? My name is Sam Samuel Dinger; they just call me Dinger for short.

Jim asked, What the hell kind of a name is Dinger? The man answered rather harshly, IT IS MY NAME, SIR, AND I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CALLED THAT. I am sorry, Dinger. I didn’t mean anything by that. Are you going to fight? Yes, sir, for General Washington. I will be free and will not have to go back to the boss I left. I will be a slave no more. By now Jim was beginning to wonder when this nightmare would end. Jim said to Dinger, Good luck and I hope you find what you are looking for. Then he said good-bye and went on his way.

In about thirty minutes he came upon a farm and saw some workers out in the field. They talked for a while, and a man said They had one hell of a fight at Breed’s Hill, and a black man was a hero. Jim said, Thank you very much, and continued down the road, still trying to figure out how he had gotten here and what the hell was going on. Posing as a runaway slave, he was receiving meals at farmhouses of sympathizers. About three days later he came upon a settlement with some stores and places to eat.

Walking down a dusty street, he heard a call, Mr. Jim. Turning around, he saw Dinger. Jim said to Dinger, How did you get here? Dinger replied, Colonel Christopher Green is looking for recruits to join him in Rhode Island. He promises that if you pass muster, you will be immediately discharged from the service of your master or mistress and be absolutely free. Jim, who had not much schooling remembered, some things about the Revolutionary War from when he could stay awake in school. This was crazy because he already knew the outcome. He thought, I must be in the twilight zone or something, which I would like to get the hell out of and get back to the home I know and get out of this crazy thing.

Jim said to Dinger, Where are you headed? Down to the compound to pick up some food, a rifle, and ammunition at the store. Walking down a dusty street, they came to the store with four horses tied to a hitching post out front. When they walked into the store, Jim asked Dinger, How much for these weapons? Dinger replied, Don’t worry, I have enough. We will have to be prepared just in case. Just in case of what? asked Jim. Indians, replied Dinger. Indians, said Jim, what the hell do you mean Indians! When we hit the woods, there will be a lot of them, said Dinger, and most of them will be fighting for the British, and they are ruthless. They kill men, women, and children.

Looking around, Jim saw a newspaper called the New York Mercury dated April 10, 1775. It read that the welfare of the colonies on this continent was in jeopardy. While he read, the article wrote of atrocities and quoted letters from the front about trouble from the Native Americans (Indians). Jim was now thinking, What am I into? What the hell is going on? One day I am running from the police, and the next day people are talking about Indians. Now Jim was saying to himself, "I read about all this bull in school, and the worst thing is I know how this is going to turn out. If I say anything, everybody is going to think I am crazy."

After they finished getting their supplies, Jim said, Where are we going now, Dinger? Dinger replied, We are—or at least I am—going to fight the damn British. All right, said Jim, I will tag along, but I don’t know about any fighting.

They spent the next week fishing with a tree limb and string. Dinger shot a deer; and they had to cut the deer, gut it and cook it over an open campfire. Jim was now really talking to himself, I thought it was tough trying to rob people without getting shot, but this is the worst I have ever been through!

Dinger and Jim came upon a little farm owned by a black man and his family. Jim knocked on the door, and the wife answered, Can I help you? Jim, surprised, said, My friend and me wondered if you had anything to eat. The husband said, Come on in. Then he asked, Where you from? Around the Boston area, Jim answered. After they had something to eat, the man said You fellows have been walking all of this time? Yes, said Dinger. Well, maybe I can help you. I have a cousin down the road that needs some goods. I have a horse and wagon, and you people can help. Take the wagon with the goods; that would help a lot. But watch out. There are people looking for runaway slaves that might shoot you and take the goods. Don’t worry, said Dinger, we are armed. Jim was thinking to himself, Runaway slaves? What the hell is he talking about?

Well, said Dinger, this will be a break. At least we won’t be walking for now. I was beginning to get tired. Yeah, said Jim, I was too. After they dropped the wagon off at the cousin’s house, they started walking in the woods again. I have never walked so damn much in all my life! said Jim. After walking, resting, and sleeping in the woods, they came upon another farm. Looking around, it seemed as if nobody was there. That’s funny, said Dinger. What? said Jim. There is nobody here on a farm like this? Yeah, said Dinger. Jim said under his breath, I wonder what is going on. Something does not feel right. They began to look around again, Dinger looking in one direction and Jim in another. All of a sudden Jim said, Oh shit, son of a bitch! He called to Dinger, and Dinger came over and gasped. What they saw was a whole family—husband, wife, and children—murdered, scalped, torn to pieces, and left to be devoured by wild beasts.

Jim became sick at the sight and began to throw up. Dinger said, It was the Indians. And I hope they are gone. The fucking Indians, said Jim. If I had them and their families here, I would shoot the bastards—the whole bunch of them. Dinger said, Let’s move on. There is nothing we can do here. Jim said, I thought I saw it all, but I never saw nothing like that. As the evening got on, Jim and Dinger decided to rest for the night. It was getting about sunset when all of a sudden they heard a noise. Looking around, they saw a pig. Dinger took his rifle and shot it. The pig went down. Well, said Dinger, it looks like we have food for the night. Jim was thinking, Damn it, here we go again, butchering another animal, first a deer and now a pig. Why couldn’t they just have a good steakhouse! Dinger took care of the pig while Jim tried not to watch. They cooked it, and Jim thought I guess when you’re hungry, you’ll eat anything! Then they went to sleep.

It was midmorning when they woke up. Wow, you talking about being tired, Jim said. The morning was misty; the forest was deep and dense as they came to a river and proceeded along the river’s edge. Dinger said, Quiet, stay down. What? said Jim. Look, said Dinger, an Indian. I don’t think he sees us. Just then Jim grabbed a rifle and fired. The Indian went down, and they went over to check out the body. Jim started hitting the Indian, who was lying mortally injured on the ground. Jim said to the injured Indian, You rotten bastard, this is for the family I saw a little while back. He took the butt end of the rifle and hit the Indian, repeatedly killing him. Then he took his knife and tried to scalp him. Dinger said, What are you doing? We have to get out of here. There might be more of them. He must be a scout. I don’t think there would just be one of them; there must be more. Let’s get out of here just in case.

Still in a mad state, Jim said, Bullshit! I wanted justice for that family back there. Dinger said, You were a little crazy back there. Jim said, I know I lost it, and I don’t know why. I think seeing that family just got to me. They continued down along the riverside. It was now getting late. The sun was going down, and the sunset was beautiful behind the trees and reflecting off the flowing river. As they settled down for the night, Jim was thinking, I wish I knew what was going on. I guess I woke up, and I am in hell.

Meanwhile back up the river the band of Indians found their comrade dead and his head cut as if he was about to be scalped. The Indians numbered about fifteen, and the leader said, We will find the ones who did this and kill them. One of the Indians said, It looks like they went down the river. So the Indians got on their horses and started down the side of the river in search of Jim and Dinger.

CHAPTER TWO

The Teacher

A short while later, as Jim and Dinger were sleeping, a dark shadow came upon them. Awakened by the movement, Jim saw a tall man standing over him dressed in black with his rifle trained upon him. Jim asked, Who the hell are you? Jed Thompson was his reply. And what are you doing here standing over me with a gun? I rode hard and took a shortcut to tell you that you have some Indians following you, said Thompson. From what I can see, their intentions are not good. They found their dead companion, and they intend to do the same to you.

(Now Jed Thompson was a man that once had his family killed by some Indians, and he had no love for them.) Thompson said, We will have to backtrack and steal some of their horses. By this time Dinger was awake. What the hell is he talking about? I don’t know how to ride a horse, said Jim. You had better, said Thompson. Jim said to himself, Shit, I don’t know how this is going to work out. They backtracked for about a day before they came upon the Indians. Two were guarding the horses, and the rest were sleeping. As Jim was watching their horses, Thompson came up silently behind one of the guards and slit his throat. Dinger stabbed the other guard, and Thompson, keeping the horses quiet, led them back into the woods.

Dinger could ride; Jim could not. Thompson then scattered the horses, and the three took off into the woods with Jim riding on the back of Dinger’s horse. When the Indians woke up to find their guards dead, they were kept busy chasing their horses. Thompson, Jim, and Dinger rode for about an hour then decided to rest. Jim asked Thompson, Why are you dressed in black all the time? Thompson replied, It makes it harder for me to be seen at night. Jim said, What do you have in that sack you carry? Thompson threw the sack at Jim. When Jim opened the sack to find it full of Indian scalps, all he could do was stare at Thompson. Jim then said, What is a white man doing with us two blacks? Saving your lives, said Thompson. What do you do? asked Dinger. Thompson replied, I was a schoolteacher and a pretty good one too. I came home one day and found my family butchered, and then all I wanted to do was to kill all those red bastards.

Jim was thinking, It’s bad enough I kill an Indian and have a band of them chasing us when this crazy bastard goes back and kills two more and steals their horses to boot. Before this is over, this son of a bitch will have Sitting Bull on our ass. The next day they decided to continue riding south toward Rhode Island and Colonel Green. After about an hour, they came to a little village with something like a country store. Jim said, This is not like driving a Ford. A what? said Dinger. Never mind, said Jim. There was a tavern, and the three were hungry. Thompson had some rope, so he tied the horses to a tree on the outskirts of town, and then they walked down the center of the street toward the tavern.

The townspeople were looking with curiosity at the white man dressed all in black and the two black men especially the tall man in black. As they walked into the tavern, the room was not well lit, but candles were burning on all the tables. The waiter came over to the table, looking at the, black men. Thompson said, Never mind looking at us. Get us a pitcher of ale. I am sorry, said the waiter. I will get your ale. Jim said to Thompson, What is our plan? Thompson replied, I do not like the damn British or the damn Indians. I would like to kill both of those groups, so I plan to meet with up with the new Americans and fight with them. Jim looked at Dinger, and Dinger said, I will join Mr. Thompson and fight for my freedom. Jim said, I think you are both crazy, while saying to himself, If they knew how this was going to turn out, they would give it up right now.

The waiter came over with the ale, and while they were drinking, three locals came over to the table and said to Thompson, What are you doing with these black slaves? One of the men started at Dinger with a hunting knife. Thompson said, I would not do that if I were you. The other man said, What are you going to do about it? From underneath Thompson’s coat came a long-barreled pistol. Thompson then asked, How long would one or all of you like to live? You can’t get all of us, the man said. Maybe not, replied Thompson, but I could get you first, and my two friends can take care of the rest of you. The three backed up and then headed out the door. Jim said, Let’s get out of here.

Thompson said, Sit down and finish your ale. Jim was now thinking, This man is crazy; he has a death wish. He must think he is Wyatt Earp. They finished their ale and got up.

When they went outside, the townspeople watched the three as they walked toward their horses just outside of town with Jim looking behind him all the way. When they got to their horses, Jim still rode on the back of Dinger’s horse, and they headed south again. In about an hour, they were back beside the river. Thompson said, This is a good place to bed down for the night. Thompson had his bedding, but Jim and Dinger slept on the ground. Before he went to sleep, Jim was thinking, This damn thing is getting ridiculous. I wish I was the hell out of this mess and could find my way back to the waterfront in Boston. If I could have everything like it was before, I might give up robbing because I would not want to go through this again. Then he fell asleep.

About two thirty in the morning a bad thunderstorm came down the river with heavy rain falling. The heavy rain caused flooding, and the horses broke loose. Thompson woke everybody up and said, Let’s get the hell out of here. The water by now was rushing over the banks. As they ran, the wind was howling, and trees were falling. With the heavy wind and driving rain, it looked like all hell was breaking loose. The three ran for cover. They came upon some rocks with a ledge and stayed there until the storm was over. Dinger said, I wonder what happened to the horses. Thompson said, They scattered. I guess they went back to where they came from. They stayed by the ledge for the night.

The next morning Jim said, Where the hell are we going to get horses? Right now we cannot afford horses. Then Thompson said, If we cannot afford the horses, then we will have to get them some other way. What other way? said Jim. Thompson said, We will have to steal them. Jim and Dinger looked at each other, and Jim said, They hang horse thieves, don’t they? Thompson said, Do you have another way to get them? Some teacher, muttered Jim. What did you say? said Thompson. Nothing, said Jim. I was talking to myself. Oh, said Thompson. Dinger said, I will be right back. I am going to look around and try to find out where we are at. Jim thought to himself, Where we are at? That’s good because with what I am going through, I don’t know where the hell I am ‘at’ in this whole damn situation. I still don’t know where the hell I am or what is going on.

Jim said to Thompson, What is Dinger looking for? Thompson replied, I don’t know. Maybe he’s looking for Indians, robbers, or the British. Dinger then came back and said, There is nobody around. Jim said, Should we move on? No, said Thompson, we will be all right here for tonight. We can move on tomorrow. The three stayed for the night with nothing happening, and the next morning they started through the woods. All of a sudden Thompson said, Hold on just a second. What is the matter? said Dinger. Something is not right, replied Thompson. Let’s head for the underbrush. They hid in heavy bushes, and looking around, they saw a band of about fifteen Indians on horseback riding mostly two abreast.

Wow, we were lucky. How did you know they were there Jed? asked Jim. I just knew, said Jed. Man, you are good, said Jim. As the Indians passed, they never knew they were being watched. Twenty minutes passed before Jed went out to look around, and they were all gone. It’s all right now, said Jed. As they moved out and headed down a dirt road, they saw a rider coming their way on horseback. It was a black man. Hi, said Dinger, where are you headed? The man replied, "I am going to